CGTNORMANDIE

And don’t forget the flaming Crepes Suzette!

Absolutely make it yourself. It might take you 2-3 tries but you will “make the recipe yours”.

After you have tried a cooked ripe sweetened pineapple slice swimming in brown sugar at the bottom of a moist yellow cake moistened with crushed pineapple…you might change your opinion.

Yes Len you might be older than I but I started crossing and cruising in 1965…lol. I think that makes us even. 🙂

Back in the time I’m talking about men wore tuxedos and evening jackets depending on the climate. (You wouldn’t want to see Humphrey Bogart wearing a tux in Casablanca would you?) Everyone was dressed formally and the MDR was decked out along with all the waiters.

It got to be cheesy but years ago it was a fun spectacle that pax expected at the end of their cruise. This was in a time when cruises lasted two weeks or more. Everyone was dressed in their best formal attire, the lights were dimmed and the waiters appeared marching in cadence to the Radetsky March. It was a right of passage and a grand tradition.

Some of you might know that I am an ocean liner historian. I spent most of my productive life collecting ocean liner ephemera from the age of 16 onwards. A few years ago I donated my extensive collection to a marine library. My collection contained a complete library of ocean liner history including rare books and thousands of menus along with passenger lists and various brochures etc. When I collected menus I would obsessively go after complete sets of a particular cruise or crossing. Thereby giving the viewer a clear idea of what it was like on that particular ship in that particular time. “What Ever Happened To” is, in my mind, a good place to remind CC readers and bloggers of The RMS Caronia II. Why is Caronia so important? RMS Caronia II, from a historic perspective, is a major link to modern day cruise ships and cruising. RMS Caronia II was born as a major gamble taken by the Cunard Company right after WW II. So much so that a Caronia failure would have meant the demise of Cunard. The Cunard board of directors placed all their available chips on this bet that Caronia would be a success. World War II had just ended and Cunard was just beginning to refurbish their fleet. Great Britain was virtually bankrupt and in desperate need of American Dollars. Cunard calculated that they could build a magnificent cruise ship that would double as a transatlantic liner in the high season thereby attracting the desperately needed American Dollars. WW II had just ended and there were millions of wealthy Americans with a pent up desire to see the world…in luxury. Cunard calculated that Caronia was to be a cruise ship of such luxury that Americans would flock to Cunard for a chance to cruise on Caronia. Thankfully Caronia exceeded all expectations and became the icon of post war cruising that slowly led to the cruise revolution that we are seeing today. The history of RMS Caronia II is worth looking at for any armchair liner enthusiast. The Caronia history is one that is not only historic but full of drama and human stories above deck and below. Begging the indulgence of the rulers of CC, since the interest here is purely historic, I would call your attention to an incredible historic record of RMS Caronia II. Google…Caronia Time Line. You will find the most complete and extensive history of any famous ocean liner ever created. It was my privilege to donate important liner ephemera to this historic record. The Caronia Time Line took 20 years to build. It was created by a former crew member, Peter Stevens. “Steve” has spent the past 20 years painstakingly putting together a complete day to day record of this magnificent and important ship. The Caronia Time Line is an incredible historic record that is unsurpassed in detail and well worth perusing by any ocean liner enthusiast. CGT Normandie

An Arnold. Palmer? How about a Virgin colada or a virgin Bahamas Mama? An iced virgin mocha in the blender? How about a Virgin Bloody Mary or a Virgin tropical punch?

Very well thanks. I had a kidney infection about three weeks ago…5 days in hospital. Then my fistula/access on my arm failed after five years…it finally got too clotted…another three hours in the OR to install a heart catheter…pain in the butt. That was my 15th time in the OR since 2017. Now they hook me up to the catheter at dialysis. The good news is that I passed my MRI prostate exam and I am now at the top of THE LIST for my kidney transplant!! HOORAY!!! Cause for celebration. Hopefully in August I’ll be reporting the good news here.

That was The Regent Sea…she was originally the Swedish ship Gripsholm. She was one of the most comfortable ships I have ever sailed on. They had a great product…food and service. I was lucky enough to have made it to Cartagena Columbia on our cruise. Cartagena is beautiful. Sailing into the Panama Canal was another great memory. Thanks for reminding me of that wonderful time on The Regent Sea.

That’s a good idea. They should make the cruises that are outside school vacations Adults Only. That would give everyone better choices while still allowing parents to bring the kids during school breaks.

Hello Mica and welcome to the MSC site. Pay no attention to the negative reviews. Not everybody is going to love MSC. You must remember that for every three or five bad reviews there were a few thousand pax on the same ship same cruise who had a perfectly or almost perfectly delightful time. Go with an open mind and try to enjoy the things that interest you. Not every cruise is a winner, as you have already found out, but you should enjoy your time with MSC. Bon Voyage and report back here to let us know how you made out. Happy sailing.

I love hot dogs but I’m very aware of the ingredients and especially the salt content. 18% is my limit. I do have some favorite brands and they vary between mixes of beef and pork or all beef.

You win some, lose some and some get rained out. Not all cruises are up to previous standards. It looks like you found one of the lesser ones. Sometimes it’s the Chef and a lack of cohesion among the kitchen and the servers and their managers. As you said…a lack of dining staff? Sometimes it’s the supply chain…perhaps the ship departed Australia with a shortage of high quality comestibles. Some of these big ships are still trying to recover from their Covid hiatus. Better luck next time.

Your information is correct…getting from Boston to Logan is a nightmare and there is no guarantee that they’ll be done by August 31. The quickest way in and out of Logan is using the C1 from Revere. For those trying to get into or out of Boston i think there might still be a water shuttle. There’s also a water shuttle from the Encore Casino in Everett…which is also a great hotel…And an easy ride to Logan.

The Omni Parker House is about as classic as you can get. It is in the middle of everything and has a huge history…Charles Dickens stayed there. It is the home of Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Rolls! Just an Uber or taxi away from Black Falcon cruise terminal.

Chilled Coca Cola served on ice is wonderful. I hadn’t had a Coke in more than 40 years until recently when I accidentally poured one. I haven’t stopped since then. I keep the big bottles in my spare fridge. Another hot weather favorite is a sherbet cooler or my homemade iced tea on ice.

I was never crazy about Brussels sprouts until I learned they could be prepared with bacon.😄

SS France, TS Bremen, TS Leonardo DaVinci and Marguerite’s in Montego Bay Jamaica. The SS France was the best…better than any land based restaurant I have ever been to.

You will want to stay in a hotel overlooking or near the beach. All the best hotels are oceanside. You will have a huge selection of top rated hotels. You can cab or Uber to the port…your hotel will help you with that. Make sure your hotel fare includes breakfast.

Azamara web site still not working in Google. I cannot access future cruise prices. Very frustrating.

Thank you MM…this is just what I thought. We would definitely be thinking Prima Classe especially with beverages included!

Thank you so much for you quick response. Does the luggage space get better in Prima Class??