CGTNORMANDIE

17 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

Agree with both of you!  And, that is what my poached eggs to be like when I order Corned Beef Hash.  

English muffins need to be grilled on the flat top with butter…so much better than toasted.  I’ve yet to find a decent hash at sea.  Probably because it needs to be grilled until crusty.  I actually prefer a roast beef hash over corned beef hash.  

21 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

A New Year's Day dinner of Sauerkraut and Pork with Mashed Potatoes (maybe dumplings which is what my Grandmother often prepared at that time):  I miss this traditional "Good Luck dinner for the New Year" when I am sailing on New Year's Day.

 

Almost always, when I return home, I will prepare this meal for myself as soon as I can.  

RK, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned Culver’s??  If I lived in Ohio the first thing I’d do when I got home would be to head for Culver’s for a double cheese butterburger with a Chocolate Concrete Mixer, crinkle fries and onion rings!!  LOL!!

5 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Our's Called La Villa and also Italian Restaurant/Pizza joint.

 

We to drag our way thru the luggage one by one with a rest then leading to the meal.

 

Imagine, if we were still on board we would be very busy and constantly walking but enter our home and Tired and Dead......

Returning home after a cruise is downright depressing.  I usually put a drink and sit in my wing chair to contemplate the great memories…lol.

11 minutes ago, Lois R said:

This is the Kidney Transplant??? Week after next? Or did I miss something?

Go to Favorite Cocktails page 7 for details.  This AM meeting was about my triple bypass.

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

I love omelets too......various fillings............mushrooms, cheese, (multiple cheeses are even better), ham or bacon.....usually they are making it at the omelet station so there are other ingredients but right now I am drawing a blank LOL

An omelette made with sautéed ham, asparagus with cheddar cheese…my favorite.

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Just checking in......what did the Doc say?

Thanks Lois,

I had a very good meeting with my surgeon this AM.  She explained everything in detail…even drew me a map to show how she was going to give me 100% circulation.  I’m scheduled for June 28th.  I’ll have to meet for a few preliminary tests but all looks good.

I can’t say enough good things about Lahey Clinic and my doctors…WOW!!  

Cheers!

1 minute ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Of course you are noted for Boston Baked Beans!

And I make a great rendition of Boston Baked Beans…best served with brown bread with raisins.

1 minute ago, BklynBoy8 said:

I welcome all to share it with me...... Mill Basin has recently reopened it's dining room to sit.

 

Mmmmmm…Jewish Penicillin.  

Just now, BklynBoy8 said:

That is what we call here Neighborhood Food where we live!

Yes but you have never had my recipe…to die for!

2 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

We do have Deli's in Brooklyn & Manhattan with that Good Olde Jewish taste.

 

In Manhattan there was Katz's, Stage Deli, Carnegie and we are blessed several in Brooklyn. Like our Mill Basin Deli.

 

We went to a Jewish Wedding of a Cousin once and Latkes w Sour Cream w Caviar as a App. 

You don’t know how lucky you are BB!

7 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

So we Boarded, Sailed, Enjoyed, Feasted and Toured all over but eventually the "Party's Over" and we return home.

 

Is there a favorite dish or take out that helps you fill that void while you are settling in and unpacking? 

 

First one for us is the easy Pizza or some item from there that is easy to consume. Chinese is another one.

 

My favorite simple sandwich is Beefsteak Tomato sliced w Mayo & Salt & Pepper on Whole Wheat Bread.

 

Yours????

My homemade spaghetti sauce with Italian fennel sausages and homemade meatballs.  Italian comfort food!

3 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I know you said you go to the Doc tomorrow.......hope all goes well.👍

Thanks I’ll keep you posted.😀

Just now, Lois R said:

I love escargot too.........yum!👍

Escargot…tastes great when they come fresh from the vineyard in the Fall.  My favorite way of preparing them is Belgian style.  Diced with mushrooms and onions and sautéed with butter, garlic and a good white wine.  Served in a dish and sopped up with good French bread…WOW!!

15 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hey🙂...that is a great story........my first experience? LOL......I was born into it.

 

50 years? OMG........Mazel Tov😃

Thanks Lois.  We really miss those great delis that have gone the way of the horse and buggy.  I have to cook the deli food in order to enjoy it.  I make a great latka.  

22 hours ago, Lois R said:

We call them Potato Latkas😃......and both sides are delicious with them. My mom would make the latkas....omg......she would grate up the potatoes  and add lots of onions.......grated up too.  They bring wonderful memories to me........thank you. They were sooooooo good.

Did you say Latkas???  Mmmmmm…what great memories.  My first experience with good Jewish deli food happened in 1969 when I first lived in Boston.  I quickly became addicted to all the old familiar recipes.  Potato latkas were an all time favorite.  I proposed to MDW over chopped liver, kishka, latkas and brisket at Kens Deli in Copley Square in 1970…LOL.  She said yes and we will be married 50 years…this Fall.  I think that says a lot about latkas!  

8 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I love that!.......I put the mayo on the rye bread and make a sammie🙂

A small dab of Mayo on top of the chopped liver and thinly sliced red onion on a cracker or better yet a piece of dark rye grilled with butter!  

18 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Yes, I know it is real......my mom made it with real chicken fat🙂 and she made awesome matzah ball soup  and all the other great stuff in our history too🙂

Chopped liver wouldn’t be chopped liver without the schmaltz!  I like to cheat a bit by topping my chopped liver with a small dab of mayonnaise…ooops.  

7 minutes ago, Lois R said:

I am thinking of you.   Just over a year ago (yes, during Covid), I got sick.....not from Covid. But I got quite sick and was in the hospital for a week......I didn't know I was ill  and had renal failure. I am VERY lucky and did not need dialysis.  They put lots of IV's in me and got my kidneys working on their own again.   I now make sure I drink ALOT of water every day.  I had a very scary time. Being alone in the hospital......I went to some very dark places......but I guess I came out on the other side (thankfully).

 

I will be thinking of you for sure.

Thanks Lois.  Be sure to drink 3 liters per day.  Hydration is the key.  Sometimes we have to travel through the dark before we see the light.
 

My kidney failure was genetic.  It happened over a 20 year period.  I hate talking health issues. But I don’t think anyone will mind me going off topic out here in the backwater.  I’ll give you a brief rundown.  In February 2017 I had a mild heart attack.  I got a stent and they put me on blood thinners.  I started bleeding internally and they discovered a tumor in my colon.  I had nine inches of my colon removed in April and lucked out…no radiation or chemo.  Many thanks to my brilliant medical team at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge…a Harvard Med teaching hospital.  We did our last cruise in October on MSC and then came kidney failure in January 2018.  Then came dialysis…4 hours 3 times a week.  I had to wait 2 years and then retest to make sure I was cancer free in order to qualify for a kidney transplant.  I finally lost enough weight to qualify for transplant testing and found a receptive transplant facility at Lahey Clinic here in Mass.  I have been testing since April.  This past Wednesday I had my final test, an angiogram,  and was told I would need a triple bypass soon.  I go for a meeting with the surgeons this Wednesday AM.  Hopefully I will have surgery by next week and will finally get on the kidney transplant list…THE LIST…soon after.  For once in my life I am in the right place at the right time.  We live 15 minutes away from some of the greatest hospitals in the world!  Now you know the whole story.  Please send positive vibes and prayers.  
 

I remember you when you first started cruising! All the best.

CGT

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

This thread is pretty cool that is for sure....lots of interesting drinks and we all have what we like that is for sure.  First, and not that it matters, but I drink way more on a cruise than I ever do at home.

And as for what I drink? Well, someone mentioned a Mudslide early on.........that is my pool side drink too😃

I love Frangelica in the evenings.......sometimes on the rocks, sometimes straight up. Same with Baileys and Amaretto.  I enjoy all 3 of them..

 

Martinis? A French Martini for me---usually after I board. It has always been my "I am sailing again" drink😃 so I will be planning to have 1 or 2 next month.

 

And I love wine too...........my favorite is a Pinot Noir.

 

And BB, your first post said you enjoy a Manhattan......my BIL is a Manhattan drinker too......He can put some of them away that is for sure.

 

And for CGTNORMANDIE,  I hope you are doing well......when this thread started you were on Dialysis.......are you still? 

Thank you Lois.  Yes I am still on dialysis and waiting for medical clearance for a kidney transplant.  Hopefully I will be cleared by next month.  I’ll keep you posted.  I will be having one helluva cruise party when we are able to resume cruising!

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have read that as well, but have not investigated the concept.  A luxury product on a smaller ship sounds very expensive.  Are you suggesting that the design of the ships are of the mid-20th Century design?  Not, the Celebrity Edge/Apex ugliness?  

Yes…MSC has been planning to enter the Luxury market with smaller purpose built ships that will compete with the top lLuxury lines.  These new ships will be 100% Luxury.  They are talking about a $3700 entry price which will be lower than the competition.  The Yacht Club will remain as a separate venue on the larger MSC ships.  

5 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Problem is:: There is a big gap between YC and what by the few renderings seems to be Explora experience!... Explora seems far more opulent than Viking as some others have noticed!... Apart the few ones going on those few royal/owners suites on the YC, there is no way the clientele to be the same. On that the best butlers might to fly Explora, that is for certain, but on the clientele there won't be any changes at all! Distinct apples for distinct cruisers!...

 

So, now: What MSC needs is a mid priced product to cater for those of us for whom current MSC is too "poor" but whom doesn't have interest on small enclaves like the YC or don't want the more Americanized experiences provided elsewhere. Then yeah, that day, the YC could be rebranded to suit a newer generation and to be just another top mainstream experience.

 

I believe that a Princess like Italian flavored brand would to be more than accepted in the market. 100k GT ships with 3k guests, half inclusive, classical "old style" Affordable Elegant cruising experience, tweaked here and there to cope with the contemporary needs, at basically starting around, maybe little bit above current Aurea average prices would to be great! Some markets are having a surge on demand for upper mainstream, these days.

 

Have a nice day!...

So far there has been no sign that YC pax would move to a Luxury small ship product.   The numbers of YC pax who also cruise on the Luxury lines are very few.  The MSC Luxury product will be competing with the other Luxury lines.  The MSC Yacht Club will remain a singular venue onboard the larger MSC ships and MSC customer service will continue to be problematic but slowly improving.  

1 hour ago, Rotterdam said:

We sailed several times in OCEANIC..the bon voyage  parties were crazy...the Home, Sitmar  & Italian Lines really knew how to throw a party, play music, with the best food with the best service & the crew wasn't too bad to look at either...and that was the first day.

The decor was chic....

Fabio all the way..we were SPOILED 

The Bon Voyage parties and sail-aways were totally insane.  Friends would be coming onboard with coolers filled with booze and ice.  There would be streamers tossed from the ship to the crowds waving from the pier.  I remember one visitor on the Amerikanis who got so loaded by the time he woke up he ended up going on the cruise…LOL.

46 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

Yeah, I don't question its popularity.  That's not the question I raised.
 

Yes…and “don’t plan on it” was my response to your question…

23 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

It makes me wonder: 

I have to think that a lot of the high wealth folks who occupy the luxury suites, and Yacht Club members may think about abandoning their favorite roosts for a while and give these new gals a looksie.

Will that potential drop in reservations make MSC think about making those experiences more affordable, and thus intice a little "upward mobility" within its regular fleet?

Don’t plan on it.  The YC is snowballing.  It is becoming tremendously popular.

1 hour ago, marco said:

I couldn't find a "Sitmar" thread, so I'm posting here.  While cleaning out my closet, I found a belt with "Sitmar Cruises" on the buckle. Again, a "thank you for cruising with us" gift.    Must have been on the back hook for many years.  And ya....it still fits!

Sit at from the 1980’s…and it still fits??  I am impressed!!