The Virtual Explorers' Lounge

[CurlerRob]

19 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

So true, with the exception of Thursday Island, all great ports

 

Cairns - perfect for walking, with a walkway from the dock, around the hotel to the lagoon and then the promenade. I spent all morning one day. While most want to do the GBR, Cairns has lots of other brilliant tour options available, including the evening dinner in a candle-lit forest. Right at the end of the gangway is a brewery on the dock, just perfect after a long hot walk.

 

Darwin - again a great waterfront with parks, beach, wave pool. Great for walking. Also has a number of great tours available and a brewery between the shops and the ship.

 

Bali - has so many options available that a single day isn't enough. Downside is while private tour operators are available, you really can't walk into town from the ship.

 

Singapore - ensure you read their restrictions, especially if taking public transport. Hopefully they will be at the closer dock and not out by the industrial port. You can easily purchase a transit pass and do everything on your own, or hire a local guide and take the transit.

 

We've been lucky enough to visit Cairns, Darwin and Bali a couple of times and Singapore once - I completely agree with your observations.

 

Every Aussie city I've been to  demonstrates how well they deal with their waterfront - while there might be lots of building, the water, and access to it is always protected by a large buffer zone of parks, facilities and promenades for the public. Brilliant - wish we knew how to do that equally as well here!

 

 @Clay Clayton, if you do decide to go, I'll offer up a couple of additional thoughts for those ports, just to add to the wealth of options 😈. Cheers - 🍺🥌. 

[LindaS272]

4 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

So they did it!  Are you?  Thirteen days at sea sounds heavenly.

Looks like 21 by my count! 😄

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Sorry had to look up - what is cilantro - somehow I thought it was something to do with keeping mosquito's away - realise now thats citronella.  

However in the UK cilantro is called coriander.  Definitely a flavour that splits opinions.

 

Plus, at least in my supermarket, coriander looks like the flat Italian parsley and they are displayed side by side. You have to make sure to read the labels on the bunches.

[TayanaLorna]

23 minutes ago, LindaS272 said:

Looks like 21 by my count! 😄

Was just counting out of Hawaii to first port.

 

 

[LindaS272]

27 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Was just counting out of Hawaii to first port.

 

 

Oh! I see 😛

[CharTrav]

6 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Viking posted Orion’s post Hawaii cruise today. https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/asia-australia/honolulu-to-bangkok/pricing.html#modal/OOR221013C13174065/search/sfym=2022-10&sftcm=13-174065

So .. it looks like I'll be updating my spreadsheet and posting it later today!

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

However in the UK cilantro is called coriander.  Definitely a flavour that splits opinions.

Yes, but in America the seeds are called coriander, and I use them ground in cooking.  The leaves and stems are called Cilantro. This is used a great deal in Southwest cooking, and we love it so much we grow it in our garden.  It’s also sometimes called Chinese parsley.  But you are right.  There is no in between.  You love it or hate it!

[CharTrav]

57 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

So .. it looks like I'll be updating my spreadsheet and posting it later today!

and btw -- Viking added two cruises for Orion from Oahu (Honolulu).  One (13 days) to Cairns and another that goes all the way to Bangkok, arriving on the embarkation day for Bangkok, Bali, and Beyond.  The names given these two new cruises are really unimaginative: Honolulu to Cairns and Honolulu to Bangkok.  Exciting in a marketing sense?  Not! 😄 Will post the updated schedule tomorrow (have something else I need to get done today).  Check out my thread dedicated to this topic: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2651194-viking-ocean-combined-cruise-schedule/

 

Edited September 2, 2022 by CharTrav

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Sorry had to look up - what is cilantro - somehow I thought it was something to do with keeping mosquito's away - realise now thats citronella.  

However in the UK cilantro is called coriander.  Definitely a flavour that splits opinions.

Interesting notes on the types of people (a decently large group) that either cannot (allergic) or will not eat cilantro .....

According to a 2012 study published in the journal Flavour, the aversion was determined to be most common among East Asians (21 percent), followed by Caucasians (17 percent), those of African descent (14 percent), South Asians (7 percent), Hispanics (4 percent) and Middle Eastern study subjects (3 percent).

Scientists were able to pin down most cilantro haters as people with a shared group of olfactory-receptor genes, called OR6A2, that pick up on the smell of aldehyde chemicals. Aldehyde chemicals are found in both cilantro and soap. Uh, yummy?

 

I had indeed heard we can't help ourselves - the dislike is in our genes.  Believe me I wish I could eat it, it would make things simpler, since it seems to be found everywhere nowadays.

 

[Clay Clayton]

10 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

 

We've been lucky enough to visit Cairns, Darwin and Bali a couple of times and Singapore once - I completely agree with your observations.

 

Every Aussie city I've been to  demonstrates how well they deal with their waterfront - while there might be lots of building, the water, and access to it is always protected by a large buffer zone of parks, facilities and promenades for the public. Brilliant - wish we knew how to do that equally as well here!

 

 @Clay Clayton, if you do decide to go, I'll offer up a couple of additional thoughts for those ports, just to add to the wealth of options 😈. Cheers - 🍺🥌. 

I’ll take them when/if we book. Thanks!

[CharTrav]

@CurlerRob We'll be doing Australia/New Zealand this January with Viking's Best of Australia post extension. I've also been having fun watching series produced in Australia, as well as, New Zealand streamed on Acorn. The New Zealand accent is a hoot. Am looking forward to seeing what makes Australia special. 😁

[Twitchly]

16 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Scientists were able to pin down most cilantro haters as people with a shared group of olfactory-receptor genes, called OR6A2, that pick up on the smell of aldehyde chemicals. Aldehyde chemicals are found in both cilantro and soap. Uh, yummy?

Very yummy! I definitely pick up the perfume note in cilantro (I love aldehydic perfumes and once smelled pure aldehyde at a museum exhibit), but I no longer associate aldehydes exclusively with soap. I enjoy cilantro in the same way I enjoy other “perfumey” herbs or flowers in food, like lavender. 
 

I did used to hate it, though. Not sure why that changed. But I’m so glad it did!

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

Very yummy! I definitely pick up the perfume note in cilantro (I love aldehydic perfumes and once smelled pure aldehyde at a museum exhibit), but I no longer associate aldehydes exclusively with soap. I enjoy cilantro in the same way I enjoy other “perfumey” herbs or flowers in food, like lavender. 
 

I did used to hate it, though. Not sure why that changed. But I’m so glad it did!

 

Likely TMI but there are thousands of aldehydes - the term refers to a specific atomic structure, where a carbon atom is double bonded to an oxygen atom, and a hydrogen atom (-CHO), and this grouping is attached to any number of carbon-based molecules. Aldehydes all tend to have very noticable odours but are quite different.

 

Aldehydes are found naturally in many plants and foods. For example, peas contain traces of acetaldehyde, whereas cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde. Almonds and cherries contain benzaldehyde, whereas anisaldehyde and salicylaldehyde appear in anise and vanilla extracts.

 

A different aldehyde is what gives the 'stink bug' its name ...

 

People react differently to many of the aldehydes - witness that one person can love a given perfume and another finds it disgusting. @CCWineLover's research note is interesting in that it suggests a genetic 'programming' reason why we perceive these smells differently.

 

I happen to be on the 'soapy' side of cilantro, but you give me hope that it may change! Besides, it's the most widely used herb on the planet, so tough to avoid! 🍺🥌

 

[Twitchly]

Interesting, CurlerRob, thanks!

 

In the perfume world, when a scent is described as aldehydic, it has a distinct, identifiable quality. Some think of it as soapy or waxy, probably in part because those products have often used the same aldehydes used historically in perfumes. Chanel No. 5 famously put aldehydic fragrances on the map, and I smell its ghost in Kleenex boxes everywhere.

 

The aldehyde I smelled was part of a museum exhibit on the history of perfume. I can definitely trace a bit of it in cilantro.

[CurlerRob]

6 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Interesting, CurlerRob, thanks!

 

In the perfume world, when a scent is described as aldehydic, it has a distinct, identifiable quality. Some think of it as soapy or waxy, probably in part because those products have often used the same aldehydes used historically in perfumes. Chanel No. 5 famously put aldehydic fragrances on the map, and I smell its ghost in Kleenex boxes everywhere.

 

The aldehyde I smelled was part of a museum exhibit on the history of perfume. I can definitely trace a bit of it in cilantro.

I think my knowledge of the perfume world just increased about 1000%!  😈   🍺🥌

[Azulann]

 

 

The Viking Mississippi  will get  this kind of reception along this mighty river. People of the Midwest living along the river are a welcoming bunch. They also wave a lot! This is at lock #5   along MN /WI border. on the Upper Miss.  

[Peregrina651]

5 hours ago, Azulann said:

 

 

 

 

Audio only?

[OneSixtyToOne]

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Audio only?

I can see the video.

[Azulann]

35 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Audio only?

It is video with audio. It is taken by someone on the Viking Miss. 

[Clay Clayton]

Is it just me or is Viking’s new advertising not being accurate?  When I think of “all inclusive” I don’t think I have to buy any drinks or pay additional gratuities.  I KNOW what they mean but seems to me that they are setting potential customers to be disappointed rather than pleasantly surprised 🤔
 

 

[FetaCheese]

Clay, did you click through to see the offer?  May include bev pkg and grats.

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

18 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Clay, did you click through to see the offer?  May include bev pkg and grats.

 

 

I didn’t on this one, but others I have tried did not. And the most recent brochure  had a similar headline but just “catalog” pricing inside. 

[Twitchly]

Well, we did it — 21 days’ worth of packing in carryons and one personal item apiece! It helps that the personal item is big, but it will fit under the seat in front of me. Especially when I remove the bulky neck pillow that’s inside!
 

Except that there’s no actual seat in front of us, since we’re in the front row. Guess we’ll see how that goes.
 

We leave for London this afternoon, spending a few days there before we hop on board Mars next week. Hard to believe this is finally happening after canceling last winter! I can taste that waffle now …

[Jim Avery]

Seems quite a few of us here in VEL have gone the AWAY route.  🥃

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

Well, we did it — 21 days’ worth of packing in carryons and one personal item apiece! It helps that the personal item is big, but it will fit under the seat in front of me. Especially when I remove the bulky neck pillow that’s inside!
 

Except that there’s no actual seat in front of us, since we’re in the front row. Guess we’ll see how that goes.
 

We leave for London this afternoon, spending a few days there before we hop on board Mars next week. Hard to believe this is finally happening after canceling last winter! I can taste that waffle now …

 

Wow!  We are impressed!!

I've now learned the art of rolling my clothes up - amazing how much space it saves!  As well as having shirts and pants than aren't thick cottin (like jeans and heavy cotton shirts) - ones that don't need ironing and dry quickly!   Our last cruise we flew to London like you.  Only issue is that with all the horrible baggage situations, everyone is aware and so too many people didn't check luggage - it was a competitive battle for bins!!