.......idle jottings

[flygod]

And the SD waiter who told me a passenger had once asked for a decaff Expresso.

 

And the next morning said there was a passenger onboard who wanted a decaff, lactose-free cappuccino!

 

To SD's credit, the passenger was not disappointed!

[ctbjr1309]

SDI. & SDII: Gustavia yesterday: rare and beautiful sight.

 

Thanks for this, h2. Hoping to observe the same in person Jan. 27-28.

[kathyanddanny]

Hahahahaha!! :)

[ho-hum]

This has been "doing the rounds" amongst a few chums; if you missed it, then here it is:

 

Waiters

 

All food servers have their stories, but cruise ship waiters have a unique one: They are always asked if the fish is fresh -- but in truth almost all fish on cruise ships and even land-based restaurants comes frozen because you can’t keep fish truly fresh for more than a few hours. But invariably another passenger will reply for the waiter, “Of course it’s fresh, we’re on a boat!”

 

As former cruise ship comedian Jimmy Dunn points out in his book about leaving ship life, Boat Hack, “I have never seen a crewmember on deck with a fishing pole, pulling in fish and saying ‘here’s your dinner!'”

 

Shore Excursions

 

Shore tour managers get some of the silliest questions, like “Will I need my bathing suit?” for a snorkel tour. A surprisingly common one is, “Do you allow water skiing off the back of the boat?” Even if he could get started a professional skier might manage to stay up for a few minutes but once he fell down it would take the cruise ship about two miles and 30 minutes to make a U-turn and pick him up again.

 

One shore excursion manager taking a group of people to the ballet was asked what language it would be in. Another person asked why ancient ruins are always found “underground” (because any settlements not hidden away have been ransacked over the years). One tour guide at the Acropolis in Athens said he has been asked if any local sects still worship Apollo.

[ho-hum]

And the SD waiter who told me a passenger had once asked for a decaff Expresso.

 

And the next morning said there was a passenger onboard who wanted a decaff, lactose-free cappuccino!

 

To SD's credit, the passenger was not disappointed!

 

 

 

Great one flygod.

 

Blondie and ho hum were on the west coast of Ireland staying at Drumolland Castle with chums for a long weekend about 10 years ago.

 

We all had had a hearty breakfast and went out for a long walk.

 

The rains lashed down after about an hour and it became a tad chilly. We returned to the hotel and as is our habit, headed straight for the bar.

 

Someone suggested an Irish whiskey for themselves and as is the way with these things, everybody ordered an Irish whiskey (Irish whiskey incorporates an "e", Scottish whisky does'nt, in case you all are thinking ho hum cant even spell the damn word).

 

Well three rounds later everybody was having a great time. The fire was now roaring, we were lubricated and the "craic" was flowing (craic is the Irish word for verbal enjoyment, the telling of jokes, stories etc..). And as anybody who has encountered ho hum and blondie on Sea Dream can testify, if they are with chums, the drinks are flowing and when something is "in the air", it can be a little loud but inclusive.

 

An elderly New York couple wander into the bar and see the fun and the drinks and say to Sean, the barman "I'll have what they're having. By the way what is it ?"

 

Sean explains the simple ingredients that make this magical concoction (Jameson, Irish whisky, Demerara sugar, coffee and cream: with the cream floated off the spoon onto the gently swirling black coffee. The finished article resembles a porter. Guinness to you, though in the early years there could be as many as 45 breweries just in Dublin brewing the "black stuff").

 

So when this lady hears the ingredients, she is aghast and fears she will become inebriated and hubby's arteries will be clogged. So she asks Sean whether she could have an alcohol free whisky, de-caffeinated coffee and sweetener and to leave off the cream !

 

Sean says that he could but insisted that she has the cream. Mindful of her concern about the fat in the cream he tells her that he will go out to the dairy personally and take Daisy the cow out for a canter before taking the cream in the milking !

 

"That would be so kind" she says. Well we all collapse into laughter at the absurdity of it all which her husband does too......eventually she relinquishes her leash on the poor man and seeing the friendliness around, orders a full Irish whisky.

 

In the times of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland (which "ended" soon after 9/11), it was sometimes felt necessary to obscure your religion which could be difficult when you went to the bar. If you ordered a Jameson whisky you were considered a Catholic but if you ordered a Bushmills you were considered a Protestant. And to the ignorant, your religious identity suggested your political persuasion and so on and so on. Some reprisals for being the wrong religion were being "knee capped" which ho hum will not explain.

 

But the Irish (North and South) have a great humour (the "craic") and one of the jokes was about one's identity.

 

So two members of the IRA were patrolling their patch and a stranger walks by. They go up to him and say "Are you a Catholic or a Protestant" Well I'm a Buddhist actually. Well this stumped them for a while until they said "Well are you a Catholic Buddhist or a Protestant Buddhist".

 

The Irish and the Brits will find something funny in any situation.

 

Well a kind of peace has been restored in Northern Ireland and it is a most beautiful country but the bigotry in some poorer residential areas of Belfast will never completely go, it is imbued in every part of society from bars to football. Not exactly great proponents of their particular sub-division of the main religion are they.

 

Odd is'nt it. Most muslims killed are by fellow muslims (Shia and Sunni and now Jihadists).

 

Well how did we end up here ?

 

More funny stories tomorrow.

[gcmv]

And as anybody who has encountered ho hum and blondie on Sea Dream can testify, if they are with chums, the drinks are flowing and when something is "in the air", it can be a little loud but inclusive.

 

Indeed, gcmv can testify this under oath! :)

 

As Seadream offers an "All-inclusive"-concept, it' s hardly surprising that ho-hum and blondie take every chance to commemorate this intensively. :D

[Jim Avery]

Ho-Hum, there is a recent post over on the Princess board that fits your funny ship stories to a "T". A poster, apparently not a put on, loves fishing and asks about bringing tackle on board to fish from his balcony. He wonders what kinds of fish might be caught. Tis true, as Casey Stengel used to say "You can look it up". By the way, Cousin Jack's Tennessee Whiskey also has the "e".:D

[ho-hum]

Ho-Hum, there is a recent post over on the Princess board that fits your funny ship stories to a "T". A poster, apparently not a put on, loves fishing and asks about bringing tackle on board to fish from his balcony. He wonders what kinds of fish might be caught. Tis true, as Casey Stengel used to say "You can look it up". By the way, Cousin Jack's Tennessee Whiskey also has the "e".:D

 

Always the fount of knowledge Jim.

 

Ho hum would love to fish off the boat too.......why not ?

Jim any views on this ? Or anyone else, naturally.

[Jim Avery]

Always the fount of knowledge Jim.

 

Ho hum would love to fish off the boat too.......why not ?

Jim any views on this ? Or anyone else, naturally.

 

Not much into fishing, not really good at it. Hard to shoot em! But I would like to bring my little dog and my wind chimes.:eek:

[ho-hum]

Indeed, gcmv can testify this under oath! :)

 

As Seadream offers an "All-inclusive"-concept, it' s hardly surprising that ho-hum and blondie take every chance to commemorate this intensively. :D

 

Haha

[Poppy1966]

Thank you Ho hum for your info on Auckland. Very much appreciated. Apologies for not replying sooner but I have been WORKING all week:eek: Had to dust down the old calculator, refresh my memory on producing spreadsheets, pie charts and PowerPoint docs. My brain is officially mush. Presentation is now complete, now where's that bubbly?

PS. I didn't see your name on the 'Famous Guest List' on the website of the hotel you stayed at in Auckland. Did you request anonymity? Looks gorgeous.

[ho-hum]

This has been "doing the rounds" amongst a few chums; if you missed it, then here it is:

 

Guest Services

 

The workers at guest services, also known as the purser’s desk, get the most abuse, because that is where people bring complaints. So a good silly question can make their day, the hard part is keeping a straight face.

 

Far too many angry passengers bring them ship’s brochures containing photos of staterooms taken with a fish-eye lens -- which makes them appear much bigger than in real life. They expected a much larger room, despite the fact that exact room sizes are always given in cruise brochures.

 

Some people want to switch to a different room because all they can see is a parking lot and they bought an “ocean-view.” In fact, “which side of the ship is best” for any given cruise is one of the most common questions heard by travel agents. There is no easy answer, because a ship can dock on either side and it depends on a number of factors that can change at any time.

 

Some people will point out a certain activity on the ship's daily schedule and ask, “It says it takes place on Deck Five Forward, but which Deck Five is “forward?” Then there is “I know I’m on deck five, but which way is forward?” The trick is to look out the window and see which way the water is flowingSpeaking of forward, that is where the ship’s bridge (steering control room) is always located, and the navigational officers have their sleeping quarters directly behind it. One guest services person told a loyal repeat cruiser looking for the captain that “the captain is forward in his quarters.” The properly shocked lady replied, “Young lady, that’s none of my business.”

 

Questions You Should Never Ask:

 

To the crew: “Do you get to eat the leftovers from dinner?” No, it isn’t the kind of cuisine they like, and unless the food is completely untouched, eating “leftovers” from other people is gross.

 

“Do you get paid in your own currency?” No, Russian rubles don’t go very far in Puerto Rico.

 

“Does your family ever come and stay with you?” No, guests are not allowed to come and stay on the crew deck.

 

And finally, the one question every crewmember has gotten at least once and cannot stand:

 

“So, what do you do for a real job?”

[ho-hum]

Thank you Ho hum for your info on Auckland. Very much appreciated. Apologies for not replying sooner but I have been WORKING all week:eek: Had to dust down the old calculator, refresh my memory on producing spreadsheets, pie charts and PowerPoint docs. My brain is officially mush. Presentation is now complete, now where's that bubbly?

PS. I didn't see your name on the 'Famous Guest List' on the website of the hotel you stayed at in Auckland. Did you request anonymity? Looks gorgeous.

 

 

Poppy a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.........so impressed you know how to do all this stuff !

Ho hum did request anonymity so no ho hum's name does not appear on the famous guest list.

[ho-hum]

Well two nights ago, the crew of both vessels met up at Foxy's !!

What a party that must have been !!

[commander courageous]

Might the recent acquisition of Prestige Cruises by the Norwegian Lines cause other mega cruise companies to eye SeaDream to fill a void similar to the

one Prestige had experienced? The acquisition made Norwegian a player in the upscale market that heretofore "they didn't have a footprint in", said industry analyst Jamie Katz.

 

Faced with an aging fleet and competition (like Norwegian), whose great diversity

of brands and marketing strength give them an edge in managing costs, might SeaDream not look for a similar partner to "stay afloat " in the years ahead?

 

Interested in the hearing the opinions of others. Can you all think of some cruise

lines where a marriage with SeaDream might fill a void similar to that experienced

by Norwegian.

 

[Jim Avery]

Might the recent acquisition of Prestige Cruises by the Norwegian Lines cause other mega cruise companies to eye SeaDream to fill a void similar to the

one Prestige had experienced? The acquisition made Norwegian a player in the upscale market that heretofore "they didn't have a footprint in", said industry analyst Jamie Katz.

 

Faced with an aging fleet and competition (like Norwegian), whose great diversity

of brands and marketing strength give them an edge in managing costs, might SeaDream not look for a similar partner to "stay afloat " in the years ahead?

 

Interested in the hearing the opinions of others. Can you all think of some cruise

lines where a marriage with SeaDream might fill a void similar to that experienced

by Norwegian.

 

 

Go full circle, back to Cunard.:eek:

[popper]

Well two nights ago, the crew of both vessels met up at Foxy's !!

What a party that must have been !!

 

Yes, both ships in Great Bay and tendered to Foxy's until 1am! Fun night for passengers and some crew too!

[whatnot]

Oh that must have been such a fabulous evening! Any pictures of that?

[ho-hum]

So a couple of chums from Baltimore, USA were coming for a weekend to London and had asked ho hum and blondie and two other chums from Glasgow, Scotland to meet up.

Of course, we would love to !

We stay at a small hotel (The Levin) fifty yards from Harrods whilst our Scottish chums stay at the sister hotel (The Capital) one building down. Our American chums are staying at the W hotel in Leicester Square.

So we pop into Harrods and have a dozen oysters and a bottle of champagne for Friday lunchtime. The Xmas crowds are throbbing and with people from all over the world.

That evening we meet up at the bar at Galvin at Windows on the 27th floor of the Hilton Hotel. It is a way of showing off London to friends from out of town. We drink copious amounts of champagne before moving onto the restaurant where we have an amazing meal.

Angelo our waiter shows off a white truffle from Alba, Italy which is offered to accompany pasta. Ho hum orders it.....it is divine....ho hum shares it with the other chums and finally takes back the plate for soaking up the oily, truffle residue with french bread smeared with the finest French, Normandy butter accompanied by a Corton-Charelemagne, Bonneau du Matray.....it is divine.

The whole evening is a wonder. And naturally a healthy proportion of subject matter relates to all things Sea Dream....experiences, future voyages, crew, things we love etc..

 

Next day we do our own thing and then meet up for lunch at Scott's; London's famous fish restaurant. Plenty of celebs including a notorious one who was recently accused of ....... his lady at the very restaurant and he is here sitting at the very same table with a new celeb lady.

 

The meal was amazing, ho hum and blondie share a fruits de mer.....it is gigantic...cockles, whelks, oysters, clams, razor clams, crab, prawns.

Three hours later we return to our chums hotel for a few night caps.

 

We will return to Harrods to buy French, Normandy butter, whelks and pork pies. Then a train back to home for a bottle of champagne.

 

On Sea Dream you meet some amazing people and for a few those friendships continue.... We feel so lucky.

[ho-hum]

We hope and pray that the crew and crew family members and all Filipino people remain safe whilst the typhoon passes.

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/more-than-30-million-at-risk-i/38439268

[ho-hum]

Oh that must have been such a fabulous evening! Any pictures of that?

 

Haha.....well yes there are pictures !!

But ho hum assumes they were posted for friends only and really ho hum must assume that they were for private viewing.....not that there was anything to be ashamed of mind you.

Oh no but ho hum wishes to respect their probable intention. Ho hum knows you understand.

 

But ho hum would love to share a most beautiful photo posted by Joy from the Spa of SD2 ........ It is truly beautiful and just for you Whatnot.

[ctbjr1309]

On Sea Dream you meet some amazing people and for a few those friendships continue.... We feel so lucky.

 

One of the primary reasons that we continue to return!

[ho-hum]

Ho hum failed to win the annual "Foot in the Mouth Award" this year.

The winner was the delightful Russel Brand with such wonderful pieces as;

 

On Clashing Cultures:

‘This . . . indifference seems like nerdish deference contrasted with the belligerent antipathy of the indigenous farm folk, who regard the hippie-dippie interlopers, the denizens of the shimmering tit temples, as one fey step away from transvestites.’

 

On Time:

‘People don’t realise that the future is just now, but later.’

 

On Capitalism:

'The economic arm of the individualism and materialism ideologies that keep us framed in a narrow bandwidth of consciousness prevents us from seeing that we’re all connected.’

 

They all make complete sense to ho hum and ho hum applauds him for this rich texturalised, poetic, skit and perfect relevance, as far as ho hum is concerned.

And his free flow speech have to be witnessed live.....they are really not possible to relate with the words alone.

 

Previous winners have been the amazing George Dubbya who kept the world cringeing every time he opened his gob.

Foreign visits were his speciality.

Great days. Wont see the likes of him again, sorry to say.

 

The post of a few days ago was declined as a valid entry due to its failure to meet strict sobriety criteria.....how could they tell ?

Edited December 8, 2014 by ho-hum

[vandrefalk]

Capt. Remi actually did fish off the stern on our September cruise -- don't think he caught anything though!:D

Vandrefalk

[Jim Avery]

Capt. Remi actually did fish off the stern on our September cruise -- don't think he caught anything though!:D

Vandrefalk

 

DW says she bets he looked good doing it too.:eek::D:D:D