graphicguy

You’ll get no arguments from me…by a damn big margin, to boot!

Oh yeah…go ahead and gang up on me!!!! 😉

Are you mocking my age? 😉

OK. I’ll give it one more try! You’re on the hook!

I know. I keep thinking I should go back to LeBistro, but they haven't given me a reason to do so. I've heard their steak is decent, but it comes with foie gras, which I'm definitely not a fan of. Maybe the escargot? I've heard it's good. French Onion soup is good, but I can get that at Cagney's, too. So, why bother at all?

I put all the doilies on the furniture…so, all fancied up awaiting your arrival!

National Holiday, perhaps? LOL! Looking at those cruises now!

We could go off on a whole litany of jokes about Ward, June and the Beav!!!!!! Not saying I would, but I could!!!! 😉

True....you did NOT order an entre at Cagney's. So, you owe ME that dinner back in my Latitudes account. Always wondered if they'd let me dine inside if I dressed like "Madea" or Eddie Izzard?

IKR? Just silly! In all frankness, I know I'm in the minority, but I've never had a good meal in LeBistro. Two in particular stand out...one, Coq a Vin....so salty I literally choked with my first bite. The 2nd I had Lobster Thermador. They broke the sauce and it was a greasy, unappetizing mess. They brought another, same thing. The Maitre 'D came by and gave me a dining credit after seeing it for himself. I never found a good reason to go back. In both cases I ended up going to the Garden Cafe. So, for all intents and purposes, I have no reason to put long pants on to go to LeBistro, unless of course I owe a LeBistro dinner to @Sugar Magnolia and @debenson0723, which they will make a point of not letting me forget. When I have dined there al fresco, I could literally see the diner next to me in the window. If there weren't a window there, we could have toasted each other without even reaching. I'm welcomed in to Cagney's in shorts. LeBistro? Nope..unless I'm outside. Just laugh at the absurdity of it.

That, too!

My valet throws dirty socks into my burlap potato sack and ships it to the wrong address just so he can get a chuckle every time I cruise!

The other issue with formal wear (suits, too), aside from being uncomfortable compared to shirts, shorts, tennis shoes, etc, is for those of us who have to fly into ports. That means more luggage. For just me, as a solo, I could not do carryon only, which means luggage fees with the airlines. Plus, you have to schlub another large piece of luggage to and from the ship. Good luck keeping that formal wear unwrinkled, too!

You may be onto something!!!!

I have a whole closet filled with suits, and even a tux. Up until about decade ago, I wore them all weekly, mostly daily! What I learned was regardless of the cost or cut of the suit, or the shine of their shoes, none of those were ever a good gauge of who the person wearing them was! So, hard for me to see how it’s in any way important to wear anything that isn’t totally comfortable on a cruise ship, regardless of how “formal” someone thinks everyone should be!

Amen…Amen…AMEN!

I've relayed this story before. This happened quite a few years ago on a Royal cruise. It had been a while since most got dressed up for "formal night". But, I'm of the mind you dress as you like....your vacation. Not a lot of folks, but a few dressed up in Tux/Gown. One such couple was getting their picture taken. I was waiting to the side for their pics to be done vs cutting in front of or behind them. As I was standing there, the lady warned me not to cut into their pic as I would ruin their ambiance. Should have let it go, but I didn't. I proceeded to tell her that I was not part of their background and wasn't sailing to affect the "ambiance of their cruise". She was rather speechless and the husband demurred and looked down and away as this exchange happened. Moral of the story....dress as you like. You won't ruin my pictures if you're in a suit, tux, dress, gown. And, I won't consider you part of my background as I sure ain't part of yours, no matter what you think, do or say. I do believe it's disrespectful to try to dictate how others should dress on vacation. If a hat bothers you, find a venue that doesn't have anyone wearing a hat. If shorts bother you, find a space that there are no shorts being worn. I do draw the line at dirty fingernails, over powering cheap cologne and perfume, however.

I'm a neophyte when it comes to insurance claims. I went from corporate insurance (in which I turned any sort of dispute over to HR) to Medicare/Anthem. Frankly, neither my surgeon, you nor me can figure out why they held this up. My surgeon was under the impression that a single surgery to repair and abductor muscle as well as replacing a hip (being they are all in the same place), would be the most efficient and least invasive vs doin one surgery for the torn abductor and another to replace the hip. I have no clue what Anthem is thinking. And yes, they'll be paying AGAIN for a physical and blood work. But, we start the process again. Originally, my surgeon was thinking next month to do the surgery. But, the appeal process is an unknown as far as timing is concerned. We're now thinking Sept is off the table. Then, I start looking at the Holidays to be deep into immobility and rehab....something I don't want to do. It's a toss up as to what to do. It hurts all the time, but I'm managing. So, may as well cruise in the interim.

NCl has been hawking that one for a while. Kind of surprising, given that's a really nice ship and Alaska is a good itinerary, albeit, this would be at the end of the season.

Thanks. Frustrating. But, there are worse things that could happen, I suppose. I'm able to walk around. It hurts. But, I refuse to do the "scooter thing". Not really sure what happened. Dr's office said it was insurance (Anthem) being obstinate as they would only approve 2 separate surgeries, where my surgeon said he could repair a torn muscle and replace the hip, all at the same time. Insurance will approve two separate surgeries, which makes no sense. Some insurance "mucky-muck" trying to show me and my Doc that they are in charge, I suppose. Anyway, surgeon appealed. I requested another person look at my case other than the person who said I needed two surgeries. That's it in a nutshell. Will have to get approvals all over again, given the blood tests, physical, etc will no longer be relevant once all the insurance "futzing" is done. So, the clock is reset. That said, got me a nice wooden antique cane at an antique store that I'm using. I kind of like it as people tend to get out of my way at the grocery store. 😉 At the end of the day, it's not going to stand in my way of booking a good cruise deal. LOL! I do appreciate the concern and well wishes. I'll be fine...a little slower for a bit, but fine nonetheless.

Be careful what you ask for…😃

No sympathy on this end. I’ll b e dodging vendors in Cozumel trying to sell t-shirts. You’ll be touring historically significant western civilization sights!

Join me on the Getaway on December 1, and LeBistro dinner is on me!!!!😎

Not a "Schmoopie" cruise candidate, but if you're looking for something fun out of New Orleans and a deal... December 1, 2024-Getaway-7 nites-Harvest Cay, Cozumel, Roatan Balcony If you have a 15% off coupon, deduct~$200-$300 (depends on if you're a solo) If you're active mil, or a vet, deduct~$150 (that's what they deducted for me, even though it's less than 10%) If you're solo-deduct ~$400 from the total below If you have any Crusiefirst/Cruisenext, deduct those I got this for under $1,000, all in, after all my deductions AND that includes Free at Sea. STATEROOM 2 Guests Balcony $2,090 Guest 1 $679.25 Guest 2 $679.25 70% OFF 2nd Guest $1,358.50 FREE AT SEA PACKAGE Specialty Dining $39.60 Per stateroom $39.60 Open Bar $305.20 Per stateroom $305.20 Shore Excursions Included WiFi Included +MORE OFFERS 70% OFF 2nd Guest Included Subtotal $1,703.30 Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses $410 Guest 1 $205 Guest 2 $205 Total Due $2,113.30

Never had an issue dining at Ocean Blu while wearing shorts. LeBistro is the only restaurant where I got pushback. I had to remind their hostess that I was dining outside, and long pants were not required. Silly rule. I can dine outside (which I prefer) in shorts. And, 12" away, at a window I'm sitting next to, they require long pants. I say, quit the facade. There is no difference between LeBistro or Cagney's. They're both specially restaurants with different cuisines. Actually, the atmosphere at Cagney's is probably a little more upscale than LeBistro. Yet, one requires long pants and the other doesn't. NCL, who began to bury all the "formal" stuff to begin with, should just be done with it, once and for all. (stepping off soapbox)