bobmacliberty

I just emailed them yesterday since I missed 140 and 210. Sounds like I shouldn't hold my breath waiting for a reply and just call them.

Muir Woods is definitely on the list. We plan to stop there in the morning on the drive back to SF from Napa, check out the Marin Headlands, and then maybe have lunch in Sausalito before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Micheline's only requirement for this trip is that we see Redwoods. Thanks for the Laird Winery suggestion. Sounds like the kind of place that we would really like.

Yes, and they're very cute. On the outside chance that you're referring to the James Bond version of Bambi and Thumper (doesn't really sound like you 😉), they are also cute, but a little more dangerous:

Sounds like you had a good trip, other than doing the splits. If you had been posting in real time, I might have prescribed some Kraken. I'm not a doctor, but I do play one when it comes to alcohol. I'm not a fan of the Hilton Head beaches. They're good for walking and bike riding, but too hard packed for much else.

Not necessary. All you need is your seapass, which you can show on your mobile phone or can be printed as a single page.

I was pretty sure, and just confirmed, that you and I were on the same Freedom sailing in 2015. Your section won The Quest thanks to a "wardrobe malfunction" from a guy named Jerry, according to your reply in my review. It is still one of the best...maybe THE best...Quest's that I've seen. I was laughing so hard that I was crying. The same woman donated both her bra and her false teeth at various points. That's commitment to winning.

We sat next to 8 members of the Mama Mia cast in Giovanni's. They were all dressed up and enjoying a night off together. The guy who played Sam was a dead ringer for my wife's nephew. I mean, true doppelganger. So of course I had to approach them with this info. I told them how much we enjoyed the show and that Sam looks just like our nephew. They had those polite smiles on their faces that said, "sure...please just leave us alone". I showed them a picture and their expressions quickly changed when they saw exactly how close they matched. I then sat down and left them alone. It took all of about 5 minutes before someone else approached them and asked if they wouldn't mind going out to Central Park to take a group picture. Really? I felt bad enough interrupting them but asking them to get up from their dinner table to take a picture? They politely agreed. Unfortunately, things like that must happen to them all the time. Local celebrities in a contained space.

Your pictures are looking great! I see that you're channeling your inner @twangster. Lots of pics of the ship lit up but with no one in your pictures. I never wake up early enough for that. Keep them coming!

Does breaking your first quarter into a B2B2B mean that you'll need to disembark/re-embark at the end of each leg? I would certainly hope not, but I'm not sure why else they would change from one long cruise to a series of shorter cruises.

I got used to, but never really liked, the layout on Quantum and Ovation. My engineering brain much prefers the symmetrical layout of the V/F/O classes. Had the same issue with Serenade. That would really piss me off. We also have a model of every ship we've been on. Maybe you can guilt them into sending one to you when they become available.

On Quantum and Ovation, we found ourselves hanging out in the Two70 Lounge. We had good bartenders there on both ships and the views are fantastic. It's not outside though.

Very good idea. I just assumed that all would be OK in another 3 weeks. Pro golf is at Pebble Beach next weekend and I'm guessing they'll discuss it.

It all depends on the chefs onboard. Creme Brulee is one of my favorite desserts and I get it on almost every cruise. I've had it range from outstanding (great taste, great texture, perfect "crisp" on top) to worst I've ever had (literally...tasted like undercooked runny pudding with no caramelized top).

Bon Voyage to the both of you!

Rutherford Hill is on my list. My problem though is that my list is too long. Need to narrow it down to 2 or 3 a day or we'll pass out.

I tried also but it's booked solid. Looks like they open booking at the beginning of each month for the following month, i.e. start booking on Feb 1 for March. I'm guessing it books up in a matter of hours. Would be a once in a lifetime thing. We have friends who ate there and said it was well over $1000 per couple with wine, but worth every penny.

That looks like a lot of fun also. Choices, choices...

Thanks so much for these ideas Mark. We were thinking of maybe doing a hot air balloon in Napa but those vintage planes look like they could be a lot of fun (for me at least...maybe not so much for Micheline). And I especially appreciate the tip about the Pebble Beach green!

I've recently been getting this strong desire to go somewhere. That would normally mean booking a cruise, but we decided to lay off cruising for a while since the "Wow" factor has been lacking for us lately. The whole absence makes the heart grow fonder thing. I had a bunch of Delta upgrade certificates that were expiring at the end of January, so I called Delta and we're booked in about 3 weeks to fly to San Francisco. We'll spend 3 days in Napa, 3 days in San Francisco, and a couple of days in Monterey. Looking for advice from any Napa fans here. What wineries should we visit? What activities would you recommend? What restaurants? We're staying at the Hotel Yountville. Unfortunately, The French Laundry is fully booked. 😁 Any ideas for San Francisco would also be appreciated. We'll probably visit Alacatraz and drive across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito and the viewpoints on the Marin Headlands. Of course, we'll go to Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf and drive down Lombard Street. What other lesser-known things do you like about San Fran?

When it's time, just make sure that you have something to walk away to. You hear too many stories of people whose entire life was centered around their work and when they retired, didn't have anything to do.

I never minded flying international business class. Comfortable seats for sleeping/napping, decent food and drink, lots of time to read or watch a movie (or 4). I tried not to do work while on the plane (although I sometimes had to) and treated it more like a mini vacation.

I never had a chance to fly the Concorde, but I did fly to Paris in the mid-80s, landing at Orly. We pulled up to a gate that was right next to a Concorde. I was very surprised at how small it seemed.

Ding, ding, ding. Winner. I figured that the two of you would know the answer. 😉

The Ritz Carlton near us has a trivia contest every Wednesday night in their bar/casual restaurant. We usually go with 2 other couples and have an ongoing rivalry with another group that is there regularly. They usually win and we usually take second place. 🤬 Last night, I made a somewhat educated guess for one of the questions and we were the only team to get it right. I'm pretty sure that at least 2 people here will know the answer. "To what city would you need to travel to visit the Sixth Floor Museum?" Our rivals were not there last night, but we still finished in second place. ☹️

How have the volume levels been in the music venues?