The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[BWIVince]

3 hours ago, ryndam said:

Crystal Harmony - February 1996

 

Rob

Deck 8/9 Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah?  😊 

 

I always had the obstructed view version of that on deck 8, which had the verandah stateroom bathroom and closet, but flipped the sofa and desk to be inboard with the beds and tv outboard.

 

Vince

Edited January 30, 2022 by BWIVince

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2015 Maasdam cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Rio.  January 31 was a sea day on the way to Trinidad and Tobago:

 

 

Roy

[SKCruiser007]

From our 2008 Mediterranean cruise on Crystal Serenity. Lehman Brothers collapsed that week. The stock market tanked a few days later. Guests on board had just lost hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, in their portfolios. The band played on, the lobster was still towered high at the grand buffet.

[Keith1010]

I wonder if those who didn't sail Crystal years ago realize the waiters sometime dressed like this.

 

 

 

 

Or that we had other themed nights.

 

 

We've come along way baby.

 

Keith

[BWIVince]

2 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I wonder if those who didn't sail Crystal years ago realize the waiters sometime dressed like this.

 

 

 

 

Or that we had other themed nights.

 

 

We've come along way baby.

 

Keith

 

My two absolutely least favorite dinner themes in the entire history of the company.  hehe. If I could at all skip two nights in the dining room and go to Prego or Kyoto/Jade Garden/Silk Road (I think they were both gone by the early says of Silk Road), I definitely did everything I could to skip those.

 

The family in the pic is a completely different story.  😊 Great pics!

 

Vince

[rafinmd]

I remember a French night but I don't think those were the uniforms for that.

 

Roy

[BWIVince]

16 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I remember a French night but I don't think those were the uniforms for that.

 

Roy

 

Didn't they wear aprons for French night, at least for certain years?  I don't have any theme night waiter pics to check that though.  The Guy Buffet charger-sized chef-series plates also appeared on that night usually.

 

While I avoided the Royal Feast and 50's Night at all costs, I'd move around specialty reservations to make sure I could make French Night and the Neptune Dinner.  Those two themes were really geared to my preferences.  🤤 

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

Vince you are right from what I remember.

 

I think the first photo I posted is the same night when they had things like hit dogs later in the evening.  

For the second one there were goblets on the table and some type of wine was in them. 
 

I didn’t do a blog back then.  

We went to one specialty restaurant each cruise in those days.
 

Keith 

[ijkh]

I remember elaborate themed lunch buffets on my Harmony cruise.   The fancy lunch buffets lasted quite awhile.   On our Turkey/Black Sea cruise they had a famous turkish chef on board to carve gyros on board for lunch one time.   Lots of unique experiences for sure.  I will never be sorry we didn't wait til we were older.  We grabbed the chance to cruise the world thanks to early retirement wedged in,  before the grandkids arrived.   It turned out to be a great strategy. Losing Crystal is a gapping  hole in our travel life.  

 

[BWIVince]

In the spirit of this thread, I thought I'd dig up examples of the Royal Feast and 50's Night menus from the generation of Keith's pics.

 

As a side note, within the context of how subjective food is and how different Serenity may be from Symphony, I usually strongly disagree with people that say how much worse food has gotten over the years.  As someone who regularly reads old cruise menus for entertainment (and not just Crystal's), I'm regularly reminded just how much Crystal's food has improved over the years -- ESPECIALLY under Genting.  Here's some strong evidence to that point.  😉 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vince

[MightyQuinn]

On 1/29/2022 at 10:01 AM, travelberlin said:

We had a trip booked to the Bolivian Salt Lakes and we almost did not go because of fear of being quarantined in such a remote place, which receives lots of international guests. We are glad now that we did that trip. It was magical…

 

Ivi ... lucky you getting to visit the Bolivian Salt Flats!  It has been on our bucket list for a while.  We've been to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and it was utterly breathtaking so I imagine Salar de Uyuni is equally magical.  A few years ago, I researched possible trips to Bolivia and narrowed it down to FIT options with a few well-known international operators.  We eventually abandoned the idea but your picture has me thinking we should reconsider.  Would you mind sharing your travel provider?  Thanks.

[rafinmd]

I sailed Harmony in 2004-5 but don't remember any of those menus.  Perhaps selective amnesia.

 

Roy

[oakridger]

5 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

I wonder if those who didn't sail Crystal years ago realize the waiters sometime dressed like this.

 

 

 

 

Or that we had other themed nights.

 

 

We've come along way baby.

 

Keith

 

Yep, I was there!  50's Night and Medieval Times.  As Keith and I have discussed, the July 2002 San Francisco to Alaska Harmony round trip was my first Crystal Cruise also.  No, I do not miss the costume theme nights!   A food theme is fun though.  I'm watching the Bimini webcam right now......

 

~Nancy

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Ivi ... lucky you getting to visit the Bolivian Salt Flats!  It has been on our bucket list for a while.  We've been to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and it was utterly breathtaking so I imagine Salar de Uyuni is equally magical.  A few years ago, I researched possible trips to Bolivia and narrowed it down to FIT options with a few well-known international operators.  We eventually abandoned the idea but your picture has me thinking we should reconsider.  Would you mind sharing your travel provider?  Thanks.

It was really a fantastic experience. The town Uyuni is very simple. There is a good hotel (probably the best there ) called Hotel Palacio de Sal. This Hotel is at the border of the Salar de Uyuni. Our trip was organized by Hidalgo Tours from Bolivia. Our travel agent contacted them. Very good. We were picked up at the airport and we had a driver and an English speaking guide the whole time. I am posting some pictures of the hotel.
 

By the way, we were also at the Makgadikgadi Pans many years ago. At that time we were camping, just my husband and me. No organized tour. We drove all the way from Lusaka in Zambia. Our destination was the Kalahari dessert and from there back to Zambia. It was also fantastic. 
 

Edited January 31, 2022 by travelberlin

[BEAV]

45 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I sailed Harmony in 2004-5 but don't remember any of those menus.  Perhaps selective amnesia.

 

Roy

It must be selective, Roy, because ‘04/05 were the two years we sailed Harmony, and I have vivid memories of all these “event” menus. 
 

I’m with Vince in that I highly regard the Waterside menus of the past few years over those of the Crystal Dining Room. IMO, Crystal has evolved nicely with the dining trends of today. 
 

Another glaring contrast to me would be Kyoto/Jade vs Umi Uma. And with regard to Umi Uma, this lunch that I had 1 year ago today at Uncle’s on Oahu is about the best thing on land that comes close to comparing! 
 

 

[MightyQuinn]

51 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

It was really a fantastic experience. The town Uyuni is very simple. There is a good hotel (probably the best there ) called Hotel Palacio de Sal. This Hotel is at the border of the Salar de Uyuni. Our trip was organized by Hidalgo Tours from Bolivia. Our travel agent contacted them. Very good. We were picked up at the airport and we had a driver and an English speaking guide the whole time. I am posting some pictures of the hotel.
 

By the way, we were also at the Makgadikgadi Pans many years ago. At that time we were camping, just my husband and me. No organized tour. We drove all the way from Lusaka in Zambia. Our destination was the Kalahari dessert and from there back to Zambia. It was also fantastic.

 

Ivi, many thanks for that super helpful info.  I'll be in touch with Hidalgo Tours to see what they offer.  I like that they're local to Bolivia and that you had a fantastic experience with them.  Your accommodation at Palacio de Sal looks wonderful.  Most international operators that I found were promoting a multi-day Deluxe Airstream trek over the salt flats, ending with a stay at Palacio de Sal.  It seems a little hokey but does get great reviews!

Like you, our visit to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans was also many years ago.  We did a combo of FIT and small group touring in several countries in Southern Africa.  After wild camping in Okavango Delta (where I spotted a leopard in a tree with an impala kill) we treated ourselves to a stay in Jack's Camp.  I will always remember the eerie silence of the vast salt pans so I'm keen to visit those in Bolivia.  Thanks again!
 

[KenzSailing]

OK, as to the menus, ahem...

 

(Ken cracks knuckles)

 

First, if you picked carefully, the Royal Feast sounds like it could be a lot of fun and a good meal (depending on the execution.)  Things like pithivier are making a real come back in land based restaurants these days.

 

"Dover Sole a l'Orange" however is, to put it mildly, disastrously ill conceived.  And, while I know it translates to something completely anodyne (bread course) I'm putting "Menage de Pain" on the Chez's menu just like that.  Figure it will further diversify our clientele.  Gonna have to buy more leather for the front of house staff, though. 

 

Second, except for the meatloaf and the desserts, there's nothing really 50s Diner about the 50s diner menu.  Real bait and switch, that one.

 

I love menus (cruise or otherwise), they're like one or two page history books.

 

 

[travelberlin]

14 minutes ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

Ivi, many thanks for that super helpful info.  I'll be in touch with Hidalgo Tours to see what they offer.  I like that they're local to Bolivia and that you had a fantastic experience with them.  Your accommodation at Palacio de Sal looks wonderful.  Most international operators that I found were promoting a multi-day Deluxe Airstream trek over the salt flats, ending with a stay at Palacio de Sal.  It seems a little hokey but does get great reviews!

Like you, our visit to Makgadikgadi Salt Pans was also many years ago.  We did a combo of FIT and small group touring in several countries in Southern Africa.  After wild camping in Okavango Delta (where I spotted a leopard in a tree with an impala kill) we treated ourselves to a stay in Jack's Camp.  I will always remember the eerie silence of the vast salt pans so I'm keen to visit those in Bolivia.  Thanks again!
 

Look at this 😃 Lower Zambezi …

Edited February 1, 2022 by travelberlin

[BWIVince]

30 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

OK, as to the menus, ahem...

 

(Ken cracks knuckles)

 

First, if you picked carefully, the Royal Feast sounds like it could be a lot of fun and a good meal (depending on the execution.)  Things like pithivier are making a real come back in land based restaurants these days.

 

"Dover Sole a l'Orange" however is, to put it mildly, disastrously ill conceived.  And, while I know it translates to something completely anodyne (bread course) I'm putting "Menage de Pain" on the Chez's menu just like that.  Figure it will further diversify our clientele.  Gonna have to buy more leather for the front of house staff, though. 

 

Second, except for the meatloaf and the desserts, there's nothing really 50s Diner about the 50s diner menu.  Real bait and switch, that one.

 

I love menus (cruise or otherwise), they're like one or two page history books.

 

 

 

The Royal Feast wasn't the worst thing at sea, but it was like a one-night excursion to Medieval Times in the middle of your luxury cruise.  They put a LOT of work into it, and I think it just came off as a non sequitur of the dinners.  Execution was fine, but there was nothing on that menu that I was in a rush to ever order again either.  The whole experience just left you thinking, "What just happened here?!  Why did this happen??"

 

(Front of the House Leather). If Crystal does liquidate, maybe you could get some of this decor, uniforms,  and such in storage.  😄 

 

I'm probably the only DC native old enough to know this reference, but speaking of the Menage de Pain, I think that was the first time I had a cinnamon roll with dinner since Kushner's (seafood restaurant) in Takoma Park when I was a kid...  Which, talk about a mismatch, was a COMPLETE throwback to the 50's.

 

After a lot of complaints they tried making the 50's night dishes more like modern takes on classics, but it didn't save the menu.  (Prime Rib, meatloaf, shrimp cocktail, etc.). This definitely wasn't the worst of Crystal's 50's nights, but it also wasn't a good example of luxury cruise menus either.  

 

Vince

Edited February 1, 2022 by BWIVince

[MightyQuinn]

25 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

I love menus (cruise or otherwise), they're like one or two page history books.

 

Speaking of menus and history ...

 

This past weekend I found a copy of "Last Dinner on the Titanic" at my favorite second-hand bookshop.  Combo history and cookbook with archival photos and anecdotes of what it was like to dine aboard that fateful nite.  It presents sample menus for all 3 classes along with recipes for some popular items.  Tucked inside was the Boarding Pass of Thomas Drake M Cardeza and Staff, who occupied the most expensive suite on the Titanic.

I also found a copy of "The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion".  Brief history of the restaurant, along with gorgeous photos and exceptional recipes. 
 

[KenzSailing]

30 minutes ago, BWIVince said:

 

 

 

(Front of the House Leather). If Crystal does liquidate, maybe you could get some of this decor, uniforms,  and such in storage.  😄

 

Vince

 

Vince, you're on to something here.  I've got it:  I'll buy up a bunch of the cabin attendants (stick with me here) evening uniforms, spice them up with some accessories, and roll the look out on (and only on) Halloween.  Then at midnight we'll do the Time Warp.  Of course there'll be a "Frank N Furter" on the menu, server with Curry (ha!) Place will be lit!

 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go shopping for a sequined set of tails and a top hat.  And find out if anyone on staff can tap dance.

 

 

[BWIVince]

I’m a little late on this, but just a moment to remember Dennis Smith, one of my favorite writers and firefighter that died of COVID-related complications on 1/21.  In particular, three books — Report From Engine Co. 82, Firefighters — Their Lives in Their Own Words, and Report From Ground Zero changed my life, not to mention his work with forming Firehouse magazine, which multiple friends and loved ones have written for over the years.  Rest In Peace.

 

Vince

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2019 Prinsendam Grand South America cruise.  On February 1 we visited Ushuaia:

 

 

Roy

[Keith1010]

Supposedly Pfizer is going to see approval from the Food and Drug Administration for  a two dosage covid vaccine for children six months up to five years.   

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

My favorite barbecue grills are charcoal.  I've had the gas grill in our last home but I still prefer my Weber Kettle Grills where I've cooked lots of items including Turkey as large as 29 pounds. Ugh getting it off the grill.  LOL.

 

Well you are never too old to try something new so we just received our first smoker pellet grill.  On Sunday, fired it up and seasoned it and now it is ready for cooking.  Although it will be very cold here this starting tomorrow (two Ughs) and we might have a small ice storm early Thursday morning, I am hoping to use it this Saturday.  I won't be testing it out with a turkey and while I won't be able to cook the mother of all Turkeys according to my son who was my advisor for grill selection I could cook two 20 pound turkeys.

 

It won't be the Trident Grill and I would rather be on a cruise but it should be fun.