Von & John

2 hours ago, Laszlo said:

A few years ago while in Vegas and staying at the Bellagio I had a couple for the breakfast buffet. It was amazing, they had a station that all they did was make fresh hash browns while you waited. Best I've ever had

This sounds wonderful!!!

We've done both interior & balcony for repositioning...
And would happily do either interior or balcony again.
For $100 more - we'd jump at the balcony - unless it messes up your perks/amenities.
 

4 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

The thing is the “proper hash browns” are rare to have a layer of crispiness in most restaurants and I’ve unfortunately been served barely thawed soggy shredded potatoes with no crispy top layers. 

That’s truly unfortunate. 
Hashbrowns cooked properly are amazing. 
Must be a Mid-West thing …

”Here hold my beer”

10 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

 

Submerging hockey pucks of frozen potatoes into a deep fryer and calling them hash browns is blasphemy. Proper hash browns are created with shredded potatoes on a griddle.

 

Absolutely - Hashbrowns are fresh shredded, seasoned, scattered on the griddle & occasionally covered w/ cheese. 

We were in the Large Picture Window OV on APR/MAY - our room had the bed under the window. 
 

However there were others in the same category w/ bed not under the window.   

From my younger days serving @ a Diner…

Hash browns  

Scattered, Smothered & Covered

Actually for me just scattered & covered w/ good cheese 😎

Just like Mom taught us to cook - well seasoned…

Grilled them for Brunch yesterday.  

2 hours ago, laudergayle said:

As a dumb American…I thought that was synonymous.  Lol

Also from the US...
Just never connected the 2 until we were in Barcelona 🙂

Enjoy your cruise!

We sailed LAX to FLL on the Coral Princess over Christmas 2011/New Year's 2012.

It was an amazing trip...

We traveled from MIA to SEA on the NCL Sun in April/May this year - also a great trip 🙂

Wow - All caught up & hope you are enjoying/enjoye your first evening in Barcelona!

The view from your hotel is fantastic - what's the view from your bathroom?

It looks like you are in a great location for traveling on foot - the underground, trains & buses provide wonderful travel options to get around to other areas.

I think on one of our trips, we may have used the HOHO one day - it provides a great overall view of the area - including getting to the water/beach.

We hit the Boqueria & Gothic Quarter on each visit and enjoyed the Maritime Museum on one of the visits.  I just looked up the Born Cultural Center - when we make it back to Barcelona, we'd like to visit.

On 11/14/2023 at 4:48 AM, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

I had not heard of the Born Cultural Center. I'm going to take a look to see if I'm interested. Same with the Maritime Museum. I was already planning to wander the Gothic Quarter and Boqueria, so ChatGPT did align well with what I want to do. 

Laughing on the Gaudi/Gaudy Connection...
Learned the word gaudy as a child & understood it meant over the top, etc.

However, until we were in Spain & visited both Park Guell & Sagrada Familia as well as viewing the Gaudi architecture - neither Johnny nor I had linked Gaudi w/ gaudy 🙂

On 11/15/2023 at 7:22 AM, schmoopie17 said:

I'm happy to find another person who is not into anything Gaudi. It's all just so...appropriately enough...gaudy. There...I said it.

 

In Barcelona we did our own self-guided tapas tour in the Gothic Quarter. We're back in Barcelona next fall, so will have to find something else to entertain us.

Thanks for the fabulous walking tour & photos of Barcelona...

Brings back many memories of our trips 🙂

Enjoy the rest of your time there & the cruise to come!

Cheers from Talkeetna  --  Von

Always nice to Iowans fall in love w/ Alaska...

I grew up there & my first trip to AK was when I was living in Orlando - stated I'm going to live here (AK)...
Started the move to AK about 9 months later & LOVE IT!

We had nesting Bald Eagles across the Massey Slough from us @ our cabin on the Mississippi...

We see lots of Golden Eagles @ home in Talkeetna & some Bald Eagles as well.
The Baldies once again have a nest near our home 🙂 
Did you see any owls during your trip up here - they are plentiful?

"Alaska and only three eagles? Wow! That's like a record. I can't imagine being in Alaska and not seeing dozens of those birds!

Crazy right!  I expected to see tons.  We saw tons of crows and ravens though.
But a mated pair of bald eagles nests a few houses down from me, and I see them most mornings, and there is another mated pair that lives on the Iowa river and I see them many mornings when I row.  (The real win is when we can see the owls coming in at the end of the night, those are rarer.)"

On 11/14/2023 at 6:41 PM, Saint Greg said:

Yeah they had some people going up and doing it. I’m not sure if there was a line for that or what. Each pour is very brief. A couple seconds just for a photo op. I don’t think it’s actually champagne because at the end they dumped it all in a bucket.

 

 

We did the "Champagne" Pour (Sparkling Wine) & Photo Op many years ago on NY's Eve...
They told us they dispose of it b/c in the past someone had broken a glass & another person found glass in their mouth while drinking...
Also - the women in line b/4 us actually chugged out of the "Champagne" bottle - they of course let her keep it...
Ewwww...

I would say - who does that - but obviously that person did & benefited with the Sparkling Wine Bottle...

Greg  --  Have a Fantabulous Final Day on board!!!

I fell behind this week & I'm currently up to page 37 (a little thing called work has gotten in the way)

As always loving the Review...
It appears you may be off the ship b/4 I am caught up.

Cheers  --  Von

On 11/7/2023 at 7:32 AM, cruiseny4life said:

You are welcome and thank you for your kind words! The Grand Canyon was an amazing experience. I'm already thinking about a 2025 or 26 return to raft the canyon. It'll be like a cruise, except human-powered! We'd definitely take an oar boat and one that offers a bunch of side hikes up into the canyon. Not sure I really want to do the rim to rim again (but never say never). 

 

We have two'ish days ahead of the cruise in Barcelona...

...We thought about going to Montserrat, but it's at least an hour each way and that's too much travel time...

Love the Grand Canyon - Your trip sounds Fantabulous!!

We have friends upper 60's/early 80's & they generally hike into the Canyon, spend a few nights & hike out again.

She hikes w/ a trash bag both ways & collects trash as they follow the trail.
We've attempted to join them a couple of times - but always end up cancelling for work or other reasons.

The Rafting Trip also sounds fabulous!

Love Barcelona - where are you staying?

We've spent a week or so in Barcelona both before & after our two cruises which sailed from there.

I vote for Montserrat & Cava Country - we took the train to both.

For Cava Country we mostly walked to the different vineyards from the train station and for Montserrat it was a combination of train & then the cog-wheel train up the mountain.

The first Barcelona visit b/4 the first cruise - we did everything we could in Barcelona...

The following 3 stays were spent partially in Barcelona & partially expanding out from the City.

If you have any interest - the Olympic Village was interesting, as were the plethora of Museums (Miro, Picasso to name 2) & there was an Artisan Village Complex we went to...

Of course, we also hit Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell & all the historical sites & most of the neighborhoods/beaches.

We loved the architecture & history @ every turn!

As a lifelong water rat - anytime I'm near water - my feet @ a minimum must make it into the water - regardless of the temp.

Las Ramblas & Mercado La Boqueria are always a hit!

We used a combination of walking & public transportation w/ a rare taxi thrown in.

We enjoyed our wine or cocktails every night w/ Tapas & we also found a small Creperia we loved serving both savory & sweet crepes 🙂 

The fun part was hitting a different location every evening.

On one trip we met an older gentleman while we were walking, we were waiting for a light to cross & started talking - I think it was near the Gothic Quarter...
I commented how much I loved his leather jacket & he invited us back to his little shop...

The conversation flowed during the 10/15 minute walk to his shop.

Well - as it turns out - he was the owner of the "little shop".

He used his key to enter & everyone greeted him when we walked in they had an extra special customer they wanted him to greet.

He excused himself - we noticed his "little shop" was very high end & the extra special customer was dripping in jewelry/classic bling & was much better dressed than we would ever be.

We turned to leave & he asked us to stay - he went to say Hello & then returned to pick up our conversation from our walk over.

We attempted to express to him how wonderful his designs & materials were, but that we could never afford them.

He didn't care - he sent someone upstairs to grab the 3 of us some wine and he insisted we try on some of his clothes/coats - he kept selecting different items for us to try on - he didn't care we weren't planning on purchasing anything - he was having too much fun!

We spent an hour or two there with him, enjoying the conversation & wine...

People were being buzzed in & greeted - there were lots of stares & whispers our way, obviously we were not there target clientele...

He gave us both big hugs as we left.

I still have his business card & a few pictures somewhere.

Sitting here laughing & smiling while I recall this encounter - what a lovely man!

Anyhoo - Barcelona - Grand City we're hoping to get back for another visit one of these days.

Cheers - Von

On 11/7/2023 at 7:18 AM, cruiseny4life said:

... Pretty sure both our photos will be retaken upon check-in at the pier! 

Which pup did you use for your head shot?

Laughing - our APR/MAY Cruise on NCL - the Check-in Person insisted on retaking both our photos..
I asked if there was something wrong w/ our submitted photos - No - required to retake all photos...
I may then have "mumbled" - Then why do we need to submit the photos to start with - which of course made her look @ me funny 😎

We get on the ship & I poked my head around - wanting to see my new photo

Imagine my surprise when it was the one I submitted 😏

Cheers  --  Here for the Party - oops of course the Review!!

Also - we saw the Blue Man Group on the Epic NOV 2014

And - we are 0/1 for the Azores
Hoping to live vicariously through your review

Cheers from Talkeetna - Von

Wow  --  Good Coffee...
Much different than our NCL Sun - MIA to SEA cruise through the Panama Canal it seems...

We were so disappointed in the coffee on that cruise & I believe you noted you had switched to Tea b/c it was so bad.

If you didn't mention - then it was someone else 🙂 

Enjoy your B2B & we'll happily follow along on anything you want to share.
Have Fun in the Casino - May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

Cheers from Talkeetna  --  Von

4 hours ago, skittl1321 said:

If no one else starts one next cruise, you should! 

I have been collecting postcards since I was little (do you do postcrossing? I love that though I have to watch how much money I'm spending on stamps)- so this was awesome.

I have a lamp I bought years ago...

I believe from Crate & Barrel - but it may have been Restoration Hardware or another store (I've had the lamp longer than I've had Johnny 🙂 )

The base of the lamp is a revolving postcard stand - There are 10 spots for postcard stacks...

When the twins are over to visit - they like to shuffle the stacks & display their favorites in the front for each slot.

We mix it up by changing all the postcards every now & then.

6 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I was a member for a few years. I didn't renew last year. I'm rethinking that choice!

 

Genius! That seems so simple and I never would have thought of it. I know nothing about cars, is it a pretty easy thing to Google and figure out how to do?

Very easy to disconnect 

1 hour ago, LMHSRN said:

So, what is your question?

My answer was to the question if you could pre-order a water package.

You made a comment and it doesn't even effect you if you don't have a cruise booked with Celebrity.

What am I missing here?

Your Nope response to Pushkin caught me by surprise.

I understood your Nope was stating you could not pre-order a water package for delivery to the cabin.

Simple - I asked if there was a change - as in the past you could pre-order water package for delivery to the cabin.

Wow on the Princess discrimination/upcharge...
Do you have to inform them which cruiseline/ship you are sailing?

Very strange there's a penalty tied to one line...

Can you imagine an Airport charging more for one airline over another?

6 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Here are the prices I updated yesterday Galveston Cruise Parking. With that I checked a few different Breeze cruises for my 4-5 prices. And for my 7 days I checked both my Princess for next week and my Jubilee for next year. 

 

My history with the parking is I did discount last time (2 years ago) for like $65. It's $98 now. Pre-covid I did Falstaff for $75 indoor. I know it was about $95 two years ago. Now it's $145. In 2018 I did Lighthouse covered for like $70. Now it's $95 uncovered and $125 covered. And for some messed up reason princess cruisers can only use uncovered and have to pay $130. 2017 I used EZ Park and walk. I think I paid about $50 for that. Now that would be $118 to park and walk. $138 to park and shuttle.

 

81st Dolphin is out of business now. It looks like Falstaff is in the process of changing their name to Patriot. They have a website for both with the same address and prices.

 

UGH!!!

Even before C-19 most people were no longer doing that!

5 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Boss came in sick.

Thanks - I have a postcard collection... 

1000's & 1000's &...  (or Johnny claims I have that many 🙂)

Sounds like lots of fun & shouldn't take up much luggage space!

For future reference - one great way to ensure your battery is functional, after a longggg trip is to disconnect the battery b/4 leaving 🙂 
My first & only dead battery was jumped & replaced, in Orlando, after my first 6 months in Alaska...

I didn't know better then - since then any planned trip over 30 days & I disconnect the battery.

On 11/6/2023 at 9:56 AM, LMHSRN said:

Nope

 

Has something changed?
We have never purchased a water package on a cruise, we have received it as a perk.

In the past water packages were available for delivery to room

We don't currently have a Celebrity Cruise booked - so I am not able to pull up under manage my cruise.

Thanks for a Fantabulous Review!

Feeling a little jealous on the Galapagos Cruise - 2 of my siblings have done the Galapagos separately from each other - maybe someday...

On 11/3/2023 at 3:09 PM, Jim_Iain said:

I hate to say it but I really like the Ocean Spray Canned -   You know the one where you cut both ends off and serve it with the ripples showing.   As they say you can take the Boy out of the country, but not the Country out of the Boy.

 

 

LOL - every year @ Thanksgiving/Christmas I think of the cranberries Mom used to serve...

Some holidays she served Ocean Spray & some years she cooked the cranberries from scratch.

Not sure how old I was when I asked her about the mold she used to create the round cranberries w/ the design...

All the adults just laughed & laughed at me 😏

After dinner Mom pulled the can out of the trash to show me her mold ❤️ 

I've never been a cranberry sauce lover - but that memory has stuck w/ me for life...

Now if you want to talk about Cranberry / Gran Marnier / Orange fruit relish/dip or High Bush Cranberry Bread, Jelly, BBQ Sauce or Icecream or White Chocolate Craisin Cookies or Craisins whole or, or, or...

I'm all over it 🙂