Ken_W

I can't really get into looking for ducks,so instead how about emeralds? 

On 5/14/2020 at 5:11 AM, zitsky said:

@jules181 thank you for that interesting post.  I'm glad this thread hasn't died yet. 

 

I cannot judge people in 5 minutes.  For me it takes longer.  My turnoff is hitting on my husband while I'm standing there.

Some people are more guarded when meeting strangers because they've been burned in the past and don't wish to repeat the experience, but do open up as you get to know them. And your turnoff is my turnoff, I once experienced a nitwit who not only hit on my husband while we were all standing together (and we'd introduced ourselves as married) he actively insulted me more than once. My husband, bless him, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Pardon, there are some people over there we'd like to talk with" and off we went to a large circle of strangers and introduced ourselves while Mr. Nitwit looked puzzled.

On 2/18/2019 at 8:49 AM, ownedbypets said:

 

I'm sure that people are also having sex on that couch/bed. Possibly on the floor and balcony too.

The walls and ceilings, too. Never underestimate human ingenuity.

11:53 PDT, no Med voyages on the website yet -- strange, since I've already received an email from VV touting their Med cruises and inviting me to book. The linI'k in the email takes me to this years Caribbean itineraries.

I'm sure it's something they'll fix, but it doesn't leave a great impression when a company can't coordinate its own website with their sales department.

I was hoping for better, but not surprised (which is a sad thing to say).

I just received an email touring Mediterranean cruises in April of 2021, but those cruises are not available to see on the website; April 2021 consists only of Caribbean outing, nothing at all on the Med at any time. They sent me an ad for something they're not sellilng at the moment, and that's... sloppy. 

• The husband and I did a renewal of vows ceremony on Queen Mary 2 a few years ago, with the captain officiating. Not a problem anywhere along the way, all the staff we worked with were incredibly supportive. One of favorite cruise memories.

4 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

P&O had a competition for their latest ship's name, which ended up as Iona.

 

Meet the winner of our ship naming competition

 

Cunard would probably end up with Queenie McQueenface if they tried it

That should probably be Queen Queenie McQueenface.

I think you mean Bermuda, and I hope you can get the mods to correct your thread title.

 

(Good news, obviously.)

Don't believe I did that, mods can you please (pretty please) amend the thread title? Many thanks!

While the Supreme Court of the Bahamas has ruled that the repeal of marriage equality was unconstitutional, it has also stayed the decision six weeks to give the government time to decide whether it will appeal the court's decision.

I believe the only other place in the world where marriage equality was made illegal was California in 2008.

Showing up on a cruise won't help the queer groups named in the article. Sending a check to them will.

I can't help but think that you're right. For all the years the community tried the "winning hearts and minds" approach, real progress was made when hard-money alliances were made (I'm thinking of Harvey Milk's campaign to protect local SF unions and their pension funds) and a good deal of both public disobedience and straight-shaming.

The Governor of Bermuda has decided to assist in the repeal of marriage equality in favor of domestic partnership http://www.joemygod.com/2018/02/07/bermuda-uk-appointed-governor-approves-repeal-sex-marriage-replaced-domestic-partners-law/

No more marriage equality on Cunard, who had promoted themselves gathering the gay $'s with weddings at sea.

Cunard isn't the problem (well, that's a matter of opinion) but how do you feel about Bermuda eliminating same-sex marriage?

Bermudian parliament has decided that gay and lesbian cannot marry (the Bermudian high court had ruled they could) and now only qualify for domestic partnership. Will this change anyone's travel plans? It seems our relationships only qualify as second best...

If I understand correctly, the Jones Act covers shipping and freight only; the law that prevents non-U.S. built, owned and staffed vessels from carrying passengers between two U.S. ports only if they stop at a foreign port in between is the Passenger Services Act of 1886. It protected American passenger lines (yes, there was once such a thing!) from foreign competition. All of the American lines disappeared over time, but the law remains on the books.

Names, names, names... for all the Queens England has had, you'd think there were a few more names to go around.

Queen Anne (Boleyn? Of Cleves? Of Bohemia? Neville? Of Denmark?)

Queen Catherine (of Aragon? Of Braganza? Of Valois? Howard? Parr?)

Plus there are three Marys, a couple if Margarets, and my personal favorite, Queen Gunhild of Wenden. She was married to Sweyn Forkbeard, who was King of England from Christmas Day 1013 till three days after New Year's in 1014. A brief reign, but a short one.

And let's not forget Queen Henrietta Maria, who married Charles I and had nine -- count 'em, nine -- children. She deserves to have something named for her, right?

Seriously, I love the suggestion of Queen Alexandra. I think that name would be a great addition to the Cunard fleet.

This cracked me up! I Iike my G&Ts but, being a Yank, have never heard of Fevertree tonic. Think I'll request it on my Princess cruise to the British Isles come September.

 

 

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Fevertree is available at most megamarts such as Safeway here in the U.S. It has reduced carbs, but is not carb free, about 7 carbs per serving.

Schweppes Diet Tonic, OTOH, has zero carbs per serving, which for anyone with diabetes is good news.

If Cunard was so looking forward to being able to offer same sex marriage at sea...then why did Cunard register their 3 ships in Bermuda at a time when Bermuda did not permit same sex marriage. It's all about the revenue.

So they wouldn't have to pay non-EU employees the same amount they pay EU employees. They wanted to keep their two-tier pay structure in place, and pay non-EU crew less money.

According to the Royal Gazette, marriage equality has arrivedin Bermuda via the court system. Since Cunard's QM2 is registered in Hamilton do you suppose that on-board same-sex marriages will soon be plannable? (Uh, is QM2 still registered in Hamilton? How about Victoria and Elizabeth?)

Not that Bermuda is going to welcome the court's decision with open arms, mind you...

There were two uses for the Medallion I found on the PDF file on the Princess website that I found most interesting. The first is "Significantly enhances interactions with crew members andguests (for example, a room attendant or bartender will have the ability to assist you with booking Lotus Spa services or specialty dining reservations.)"

Do you think this may leave your room attendant less time to be your room attendant, or your bartender to be less attentive to your drink orders? Staff can already work very hard on a cruise ship and somehow, to me at least, promising to increase their workload makes me wonder. Staff my work in different areas and have different jobs throughout the day, but I think they do better if they concentrate on "the task at hand". (Just my opinion!)

The other one is

" Locates friends and family around the cruise ship."

Great for families, great for security, and potentially life saving in case of a crisis. But the old "I was there and couldn't find you" excuse will no longer work. Also inoperative is "No, I wasn't out in the middle of the dance floor without you. Why would you think that?":rolleyes::confused::o

It's actually the new version of America's Test Kitchen. Chris Kimball, the originator of the show was let go last September after a disagreement with the new CEO. The season airing now is Kimball's last.

America's Test Kitchen has been expanding their brand by becoming an online store for products that they have rated highly, they're engaging in sweepstakes with prizes, etc., in an attempt to generate more income and liven things up.

Full disclosure, I'm one of those people who didn't think the show needed livening up and am very disappointed that, besides their own books, they are now selling products that the show has rated as "best". It's probably all perfectly legit, but I don't think they're familiar with the old saying, "Caesar's wife must be above reproach"; that absent any devious activity, there can be no appearance of devious activity either.

Never heard of that one, but while we're discussing gross wines, does anyone remember Boone's Farm???

Yes, I do remember it. And the simple act of remembering it made me throw up in my mouth a little.

"28 Day Aged Onley Grounds Beef Sirloin"?

That's humiliating. If something like that can go into print and appear on a menu handed to someone at dinner, either someone somewhere is very foolish or else they simply no longer care.

Thanks for the tips, I'll check them out; I have... a few, I guess... ship photos I want puzzle-ized.

And very happy to hear that QM2 still carry wooden puzzles for sale on board!

This question is for those whose memories go back as far as the Oceans Bookstore on QE2 during final years of service.

The bookstore sold wooden puzzles in various sizes, mostly of QE2 herself but also various British scenes (I have the "Cities of the world -- London Tower Bridge" in front of me now. Most of the pieces are standard jigsaw puzzle pieces, but some of the pieces are in the shape of a ship's wheel, a cannon, a shield, etc.)

I've looked over the box and there's no manufacturer and the only informative bit on the box says "Made in England".

So, does anyone know the maker, whether they're still in business, if there are any more ship puzzles made of wood? I've googles wooden puzzles but cannot find any jigsaw puzzles featuring great ships. Thanks!

 

The last time we went to a HAL M&G, one lady (a passenger) was walking around the room telling everyone to "please do not talk about private tours because it might insult the Officers." We were sitting with about a dozen folks and all of us quickly left to the room.

 

Hank

On Prinsendam last November? Or has this happened on more than one ship?

Is there any way to avoid having to stand outside in the heat during muster drill? On our last (Carnival) cruise, we ended up having to stand outside for almost an hour and I nearly fainted and threw up. It's really difficult for me to stand for that long. I was crowded by much taller people and it was extremely unpleasant. I have no problem with doing the safety drill, but it lasted WAY too long and was full of trivial, non-safety related drivel. Can I get a chair to sit in? Is there any way to better endure this?

If you go to Amazon or just Google "cane seat" (without the quotation marks) you can find walking canes that convert into either a monoleg or tripod stool. I used one after a surgery that left me unable to stand for long periods of time, and it was a lifesaver. Mine ran about $30 dollars or so and was quite sturdy.

Whether HAL would allow it or not at the muster station I'm not sure; it takes up no more room a person standing, though. What can they say? Stand up straight? (Don't slouch? Wash behind your ears?)

I used mine on a trip whenever I had to give my back a rest, and it was great.