rkacruiser

😁 I have had some peculiar cruise eve dinners as well with the anticipation of the cuisine to follow! Oatmeal for dinner? Nothing wrong with that whenever and I even like a bowl of Raisin Bran for dinner when Chef RKA is really lazy and not really hungry. Please refresh our memories as to what ship and to where you are cruising. I think it is from Baltimore on Carnival Legend. With a suddenly active tropics, you may have some "extra added attractions at no cost to you". Have a safe and enjoyable cruise, I hope.

On QM2 in a sheltered balcony stateroom, there were two deck blankets available in one of the cabinets.

I agree with your entire post. I regret that I did not sail on my 4th cruise during my last trip to Florida. Had the time, the money, the desire, but, thought: isn''t three in a row enough? The most disappointing cruise on which I have sailed was a trans-Atlantic on QE2 when labor issues on board caused service/food to be considerably less than what I (and others) expected. But, I don't regret sailing on that voyage. It was simply another experience and provided another yardstick for cruise comparisons.

Yes, I think that would be a good addition. Pickled Beets? No. I like Pickled Beets (and Eggs) very much. But, such would not be appropriate in the Hash, I don't think.

Please keep us informed.

Sounds good, but, also sounds like a heavy dinner. Something as a side needs to be prepared and spaghetti sounds OK. A marina sauce sounds better to me.

I think mine was a Top Round Steak. When I was the grocery basket pusher for my Mother as a youngster, I know that she avoided Round Steaks and told me why. I forgot my lessons, but, it has been so long ago.

Thank you and I will do so. There are several on CC whom I would like to meet and join on a cruise. You are among them!

I want to wish you a Bon Voyage and have a safe, Covid free trip! What is your sailing time from New York? I want to toast you as I watch the QM2 sail.

Thank you! Apple Pie: homemade? 😀 My steak dinner was disappointing. My grocer did not have any sirloin steaks and I bought a round steak. Disappointing to say the least. Neither Worcestershire Sauce or A-1 helped. Supposed to have been USDA Choice. I am finding that the "Choice: designation to have changed. I would rank this steak as the level below Choice. But, the Baked Potato and the wine was good.

I don't think he sails until 9/23. Fried calves liver and onions! (Maybe even with some bacon.) My Mother and I loved it; my Father and Brother hated it. When this was on my family's dinner menu--which was not often--it was a dinner with two different entrees my Mother fixed. Cruise ship chefs' usually do a good job with it. I will usually order it when it's on the menu while my tablemates say "how can you eat that stuff?". (I like most organ meats: sweetbreads, heart; tongue, not so much.) I like Chopped Liver whether it is Chicken or Beef. I think fried Chicken Livers--hot or cold--are delicious. I actually like them cold and eat them as a "HH" snack. When I can get them.

This makes no sense whatsoever!

Good questions? Yes. But, with increased capacity in their fleet, the occupancy numbers are going to have to significantly improve for all of the ships on each cruise for profitability to return and debt retirement to begin.

I resemble that! 😀

I thought the most interesting part of the video is the entrance into the restaurant. It does provide a nice "transition" into the dining experience. It reminded me of the entrance into the Tuscan Grille on Celebrity Eclipse. It "prepares one" for the dining experience to follow.

Thanks for the video. An interesting dining concept, but. I'll pass. I might like that if the Alice in Wonderland theme was not part of the experience.

For reasons that I fail to understand, some of our fellow citizens seem not to remember (know) this. Yet, we enjoy the service, the friendliness, the kindness of other nationalities when we sail on the ships on which they serve.

That is what I should have done. I wrapped the thumb in a towel and made my way to the Medical Center not thinking it would be closed at 11:00 P. M. A crew member was walking by when I arrived, saw my condition, and made a call--to the Bridge?--I don't know--and a nurse arrived promptly. When one has such a sudden injury, "panic" and "what to do" is a normal reaction, I think. Quite correct that the Security Officer wanted to see the same type bottle of wine so that it might be determined if it could be prone for more such accidents as mine in the future.

Yes! Did you remember after the last official was off the ship from our last Chinese port? Can't quote it--may have it in a journal--but, it was not complimentary to the them. The Priest was convicted and may still be in prison. No explanation by me why you did not see the Chief Engineer left the ship. But, he did and I am 100% sure of that. When I attended the Welcoming Ceremony after our arrival in Tokyo in the Wajang Theater, the Acting Chief Engineer was introduced and it was a younger man than the person who was introduced at the start of the cruise. How did I learn that the Chief had been injured? And how? Somehow, I learned both, but, 20 years ago and that bit of my memory isn't clear. Whatever! That cruise was and is my Number One favorite cruise and tops my world cruise on the Amsterdam! I won't have another like that.

Understandable. Have you posted on the Insurance Discussion part of CC? There may be folks there that can help you

Yes, it had to have been a phone call. Agree, that does not address the issue. For several years, I would receive a phone call at home from Chase's Fraud Department--often in the very early morning hours on the day after I put a travel notification on their cards--to insure that I had, indeed, made that request. Didn't appreciate the timing of the phone call, but, I was glad to know that I would not have a problem in trying to use a phone call outside of my usual areas of activity.

What about a plan that is not an annual one? Good that you have eliminated them. I cannot recommend them. I bought their insurance for my last three cruises and was not pleased with their customer service and the hoops I had to jump through in filing a medical claim.

Why do you feel that others are staring at you? If anyone is doing something like that--and this has happened--and, I notice it, I return the stare. The stare stops. (If I am in my tux, I might think that they are thinking how nicely dressed I am. And, I have had fellow guests, dressed formally and not, say that.)

Star Princess, I was seated with a family of 5. How is this going to go, I wondered, that first night. It went exceedingly well and the children were all teens or just pre-teens. They finished their dinner quickly; departed; and Mon and Dad had plenty of time to enjoy our dinners and our conversation. If I am seated alone or at a larger table and my tablemates did not appear that evening, I people watch. I watch the servers. I watch my fellow guests. Much entertainment can be obtained during such times. I focus on my dining experience without being distracted by the conversations occurring at my table. If possible, I would try to converse with my dining stewards. I do not read, I wouldn't have a phone with me. (It would be locked in my stateroom's safe where it belongs during a cruise, in my opinion.)

Indeed! That is one of the important advantages of a long cruise. It adds a dimension to my cruise experience that I otherwise would not have had.