Ira Digs the Big Ditch - Live From Regatta 04/24

[I_r_a]

Hi All,

 

Two things I missed from the creative Polo Grille menu - my Lady Wife says that the lobster bisque was almost tasteless. We agreed that the Key Lime pie was unlike any other we had come across. It was a very pale, slightly beige cross between a Washington, DC idea of cheesecake and a mousse.

 

Yesterday was spent passing through the Canal, followed by the Enormous Fish Special Buffet at the Terrace Cafe.

 

We were surprised that it was poorly attended. Might have been due to the GDR offering a seafood night as well.

 

Upstairs we had, Ocean Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Red Snapper, Grilled Lobster/Jumbo Shrimp, seafood chowder, two kinds of Asiatic fish dishes, Jacques Pepin's roast chicken, steak, lamb chop, assorted delicatessen meats and herring; too

Edited April 30, 2016 by I_r_a

[I_r_a]

many desserts to recount.

 

Jacques Pepin knows how to roast a chicken.

 

It was all very good.

[I_r_a]

Hi PS,

 

We won't be going back to PG because I can't have seafood, my LW berates me if I eat steak and she had the only thing on the menu that appealed to her. :)

 

I'll give you a report on Toscana later.

 

Ira

[Floridiana]

We agreed that the Key Lime pie was unlike any other we had come across. It was a very pale, slightly beige cross between a Washington, DC idea of cheesecake and a mousse.

 

 

Did you have the grass green ones before?

[PirateShark]

Hi PS,

 

We won't be going back to PG because I can't have seafood, my LW berates me if I eat steak and she had the only thing on the menu that appealed to her. :)

 

I'll give you a report on Toscana later.

 

Ira

 

Thanks Ira! Hope you are having a lovely time (and sneaking a bite of steak in here and there ;) )

[I_r_a]

Hello again

 

May 1

At this time, they have set the clocks back 2 hrs. I’m told that they will set the clocks back one more hour.

That makes 3 hours lost from my life. Later, we shall fly from San Francisco to ATL. That will be another 3 hrs lost.

Will I be 6 hrs younger or 6 hrs older?

 

I’ve been drinking Chaipirhinas – Brazilian rum, lime juice and sugar. My Lady Wife tells me that there is too much sugar in them, so I have switched to 1 shot of Benedictine + I shot of Cognac in a glass over ice. Much better than B&B.

 

Up early (after losing an hour) to go off on a tour from Puntarenas. I don’t know if I can mention names of guides, but you can find them if you THUMB through tripadvisor dot com and look them UP.

 

Somehow we ended up as a private tour for 2.

 

We went to a private beach where we hung out with some local families who were out for the day and watched some Cappucino monkeys at play.

Then it was off into the jungle where we joined about 6 other folks for a boat ride along a crocodile-infested river. Lots of birds – some very beautiful.

 

The crocs spent all of their time just lying there. I was certain they were stuffed dummies until we stopped to feed one. Replayed two more times. The guide also caught a couple of babies, which were passed around. They were very cute – like all babies (mostly).

 

After the boat ride it was off to a small resto were we had a “typical” Costa Rican meal of beans, rice, fish, cole slaw and fried plantain, along with some Imperial beer. I put typical in ( ) because my knowledge of CR cuisine is somewhat limited. I’d have had to accept anything they gave us as typical. Anyway, it was good.

 

Off we went into the rain forest, stopping at a resort hotel that had been built to look like a 19th C village – church and all. Lovely plantings.

Soon it began to rain. It was a pleasant experience walking in the rain in the rain forest. I couldn’t help but sing.

With relative humidity now above 100% and the temperature above 90 F, it was nice to get back in the van.

 

Up and up we went to a boutique hotel overlooking the ocean for some scenic views. We also came across a crew of several thousand leaf-cutter ants vigorously shuttling back and forth (or was it forth and back?) each ant that was backing carried a chunk of leaf to the nest, while those that were forthing were off to get another piece of leaf. New to us. A bother to those who live in CR.

 

A quick stop, at our request, to pick up a few souvenirs, and it was back to the boat.

 

That reads like a very touristy day, but it was interesting and (except for the high heat and humidity) fun.

 

Dinner that night in the GDR. “Healthy Living Choice” for me (I can be so virtuous) of Dorado ceviche, a mixed salad with apples, rack of veal and a proper key lime pie.

 

And so to bed.

 

 

I'm hoping to catch up to date, today.

 

MAY 2: Puerto Quetzal, which was to be an anchor port, was cancelled because of heavy waves. Temp in high 80's and very humid.

 

MAY 3: Arrived Puerto Quetzal at 10:00 instead of 13:00.

Turned out to be very good excursion. More on that.

 

May 4: At Sea.

 

May 5: Acapulco was cancelled because of "extreme violence". I believe a couple of drug gangs attacked the hotels where the Federales are staying.

 

Instead, we are in Zihuatanejo. A pretty, picturesque port. Temp and RH each about 91.

 

We are far too worn out by the heat and humidity to even try to visit.

 

 

FOOD Notes:

 

Breakfast: omelet ok, scrambled eggs good, frozen microwaved waffles bad, Bagel not good, English Muffin not good, iced cream good, fruit good, bacon usually good, egg benedict OK, "Greek" yogurt is by Dannon,

Baked goods are consistently very good.

 

More to come

[Paulchili]

 

May 1

At this time, they have set the clocks back 2 hrs. I’m told that they will set the clocks back one more hour.

That makes 3 hours lost from my life.

 

You actually gained 3 hours (which you will lose when you fly to Atlanta) :D

 

FOOD Notes:

Bagel not good, English Muffin not good,

Baked goods are consistently very good.

 

Agree about bagels and English muffins. I believe these are some of the very few baked goods they bring onboard frozen. Therefore I always stick with their freshly baked goods (croissants, baguettes, etc) which are always great.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[I_r_a]

Hey again,

 

Just a few observations:

 

Yesterday at about noon we anchored off the city of Zihuatanejo. High temp was 91. RH was "high".

 

We spoke to various people who went ashore. They all agreed it was too much of a tropical experience.

 

We are now a few hundred miles South of Cabo San Lucas and the stifling heat and humidity have gone. Lovely weather - about 80 F and 40 RH.

 

Last evening we saw dolphins frolicking in the water around the bow of the ship as well as a pair of seabirds performing a beautiful aerial ballet for about 15 minutes.

 

Should one pay extra for a balcony? I'd say "no" for this voyage. Far too hot and humid.

 

More to come

[I_r_a]

Now anchored off Cabo San Lucas.

 

Day started off cloudy, cool and humid, but proceeded to sunny, dry and pleasantly breezy. Went ashore on one of the tenders and walked around.

 

CSL is much like Miami Beach except that they speak Mexican instead of Cuban.

 

Gave the Polo Grill another chance last night. The grilled fish was very good as was the NOT gratinated lobster and the lamb chops.

 

Mango ice cream was fine.

 

More to come

[I_r_a]

Hi again.

 

Sorry for the hiatus.

 

I realize that I gave very short shrift to our TOUR IN CARTAGENA guide.

 

She was very friendly, quite knowledgeable and well received by our group of 10.

 

I also neglected to mention our GUATEMALAN GUIDE who picked us up in Puerto Quetzal and brought us up to his home town of Antigua. Without him, I would have written the city off as something to do only if you have a long time in Guatemala.

 

He was very proud and very well-informed about his people (Mayan), his city, and his country. In addition, he was affable, friendly, a good story-teller and a really nice person.

 

One of the highlights was a visit to a traditional resto, which offered various stews out of clay pots along with sides of rice, beans and exotic vegetables. One of our members spent two days remarking on how unexpectedly good the meal was.

 

Guatemalan tortillas are different from those we are most likely to find in the US. They are puffier and more tasty.

 

More to come.

 

Ira

Edited May 19, 2016 by I_r_a
additional material

[I_r_a]

Along with the good, I feel I ought to post a WARNING:

 

"This is my story, sad but true..."

 

Four of us signed up for, and prepaid $110 pp, "Tehuacalco Archaeological ruins and Country Side Tour WITH INCLUSIONS" from San Juan del Sur.

 

Alas, the morning of our ship's arrival at the port the weather was against us. The captain decided that it was unsafe to try to put passengers ashore in tenders and scrubbed the visit.

 

We so notified Nica-adventures.

 

A couple of weeks later, we were told that they would give us each $14 to make up for not having lunch and an admission to something.

 

I do not expect the tour company to be out-of-pocket for expenses associated with their preparing for our visit. They did send a van 130 km from Managua to meet us, and I have no concern about paying a total of $75 US for the trip. (The FedGov allows 56 cents/mile deduction for use of a vehicle).

 

I do strongly object to paying them $380 for doing nothing.

 

I hope this helps others avoid a similar situation.

 

Ira

[Mura]

Ira,

 

My experience with private tours has been that if we cannot make port for whatever reason, deposits have been returned. Of course, I DO try to book tours that will NOT require a deposit (and one time our guide suffered from that because of a communication glitch). Okay, driving a long distance to meet you costs something ... but not your entire payment. Refunding a small pittance after charging you for the whole amount is really egregious.

 

And in your case I would suspect (as Jim&Stan have often said) that guides check with the ships and in this case probably should have known that the ship wasn't going to make port before they sent the van.

 

I would suggest that you post at Travel Advisor about your experience with this outfit. Other passengers (outside of CC) should know what might happen if they book this outfit.

 

Mura

[LHT28]

A tour guide for Wales returned 50% of the prepaid tour when the ship did not make the port

I claimed the balance on my trip insurance ..it may be an option for you to try but I would certainly press the tour company for a refund first

 

Did they tell you upfront if the tour was cancelled by you there would be a penalty?

More & more tour companies are requesting prepayment so hard to avoid losing the deposit or payment if the ship does not make it:(

[SellaVee]

It's a difficult one, this question of a refund, and I think we've been spoiled by the many tour operators that offer a full refund if the ship doesn't dock. The bigger companies that are using freelance guides and who have a bit of warning that the ship isn't going to arrive are in a better position than many.

 

If the captain tries to dock but "on the morning of arrival" decides not to, plans have already been made and people are waiting for your arrival. That's their day "wasted". They may have turned down a land based tour. We're talking about livelihoods here. For us it's holiday money which we might be able to claim back. Different story for small tour companies. They should have made their policy clear though before you booked. It's frustrating for both sides.

 

BTW, both my dentist and my hairdresser have signs up saying that if anyone fails to turn up for an appointment without giving advance notice they will be charged.

 

I_r_a, I love your style of writing and hope you keep away from Sue ;).

[I_r_a]

Thanks for the suggestions re Nica-Adventures.

[I_r_a]

Hey SV,

 

>... keep away from Sue .

 

I do. :)

[tanny18]

Hi Ira, All in all, did you have a great/good/OK cruise? We are thinking about doing this cruise at the end of the year - holiday cruise. Thanks, Arlene

[I_r_a]

Final report,

 

We left the ship when she docked in San Francisco.

 

It turned out, as I was told earlier on this board, that we didn't need a visa.

 

My travel agent refunded our money. She thought we were from the Georgia that is near Russia.

 

We took a cab to the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square. It's an older building and is being renovated - quietly and cleanly.

 

Very nice location. Good staff, nice room.

 

We enjoyed our stay there in early May, but NOTE it is not air conditioned.

 

A note to SENIORS: Over 65 allows you to ride the buses and metro for $1 each way. This makes it reasonable to take a bus uphill and walk back.

 

Best wishes to all.

[I_r_a]

Hi Arlene,

 

>did you have a great/good/OK cruise?

 

Overall rating: Very good --> Great.

 

We both loved the ship.

 

We chose a forward cabin, 6001, and had a great view of the canal.

(No it wasn't too windy if you sat down.)

 

The food was VG to Excellent.

 

We bought the all you can drink package and probably broke even.

 

The pizza is almost as good as Princess. The baked goods are better. The wine selections were more than OK (but we aren't very fussy.

 

Be prepared for hot and humid when you are not indoors, even at sea.

 

Hope this helps.

[JPR]

IRA,

 

Enjoying all of your posts, but in response to your Baristas experience (Post #10) I have to ask: Do you often drink your coffee while tied to the pier? Seems uncomfortable (to say nothing of kinky) but, as the French and the pretentious non-French say, "a chacun son gout"...

Edited May 25, 2016 by JPR

[SellaVee]

My travel agent refunded our money. She thought we were from the Georgia that is near Russia.

 

Was it your dancing that confused her?

[Mura]

Would it not have made sense to ask a few questions to determine your citizenship? If it was a U.S. agent, it seems a stretch to think the customer is in the U.S. or Eastern Europe?

Mura

[SellaVee]

Mura, I could be wrong, but I think I_r_a was joking. Hence my tongue-in-cheek question about dancing.

[Mura]

I thought so too ... but my comment is apt for certain other pretty basic misunderstandings which prove one should never assume NUTTIN'!

 

Mura