Cordon Bleu, Internet Access on Voyager & Newspapers

OK, so here are three sets of totally unrelated questions:

1: Has anyone taken the Cordon Bleu course? If so, can you provide impressions and particulars? I'd particularly like to know how many days, how many hours per day, how much time working vs.. watching, etc. I've taken some cooking classes in the past and am trying to figure out if it is worth doing, or if I should just bring an extra couple of books.

2: How is the internet access on Voyager? How extensive is the WiFi? Does any one know if this is being upgraded as part of dry-dock or other upgrades? What kind of packages do they have to bring the price down?

3: I'm really intrigued by the condensed newspapers delivered to your cabin. I take it that they are condensed in size but not content. Has anyone used this service? Do copies of papers circulate in public rooms? I'll admit it, I am an info junky (see question 2!) and the idea of getting the full WSJ in the middle of the Atlantic really tickles me.

Thanks!

My husband and I recently do the LCB course on Voyager. It was an amazing amount of fun.

There were three sessions, of about 3 hours+. The first hour or so was a demo, watching the chef prepare the dishes. Then we moved into the galley, and did our own cooking. Then we ate the results, if we wished. There were 2 special dinners, one for our class in La Veranda, and a final graduation dinner for the whole group in Signatures. There were about 15 people in our group.

We prepared a main course, a dessert, and a three-course meal, appetizer, main and dessert.

Thanks for info. Sounds like fun, but since I've done some relatively serious cooking in the past and have taken some courses, it is probably a little "lite" (with extra butter?) for me. My wife may well enjoy, however.

Thanks for info. Sounds like fun, but since I've done some relatively serious cooking in the past and have taken some courses, it is probably a little "lite" (with extra butter?) for me. My wife may well enjoy, however.

My wife did the course last year and really enjoyed it. I (and all spouses/companions) got invited to all the social/eating events, so it was win-win for both of us!

Scott, thanks for that info. Sounds like the perfect compromise. My wife loves to have something to do so she can take the class and I can consume the results.

I've done Le Cordon Bleu twice - both times it was a lot of fun. I am a cook as well and we made dished that I'd never dreamed about; Much of it is about technique. But the real fun is with the people taking the class with you.

Part of the class is the Galley Tour, which I missed on Voyager - I forgot to note it and just missed it!

I've taken it on Mariner and on Voyager and they are held in different venues. The class on Voyager uses the Signatures Galley.

I agree with Kathy. Just because you know how to cook does not mean you would not have a rewarding time--I think everybody in our class learned lots of new techniques, ingredients and presentation. Everybody asked lots of questions, and were coming from different skill levels. Cooking in the Signatures galley was alot of fun, plus we got hands-on help from the Chef de Cuisine, as well as LCB chef. That being said, being a spouse of a participant puts you in a particularly nice position, all the perks, none of the work!

Double the perk

Halve the work

We're fairly serious cooks and have enjoyed each of the 3 times that we have taken the RSSC Cordon Bleu classes. These classes are taught by master chefs who are teachers at Cordon Bleu schools around the world. We have never been bored and have always learned something. It's one of the best activities on board. If you sign up, you won't regret it. We like it so much that we are booked to take the class for a 4th time in November on the Voyager transatlantic.

The Voyager has a variety of newspapers to select from if you want daily delivery to your cabin. Having the WSJ delivered to you may tickle you as you said, but read the fine print at the bottom of the request form before signing it.....it will cost you $4.95 per newspaper per day to get tickled...

Also, I never saw any newspapers around any of the public areas. Hope this helps!

The "newspaper" delivered free every morning to your cabin is a condensed collection of news put together by a satellite news service from newswire services. There are US issues, which I think everyone gets, a British issue for UK cruisers and presumably others for other nationalities. It is only a fold-over sheet so don't expect miracles.

While the news handouts used to be eight page, edited excerpts from larger newspapers, I thought that RSSC was now using the NewspaperDirect service that reproduces the entire newspaper (ads and all), albeit in a physically smaller form. Can anybody confirm this?

http://www.newspaperdirect.com/

http://www.newspaperdirect.com/solutions/cruiselines.aspx

I have seen those smaller newspapers on board on previous cruises. They put them in the library, and on occasion, I have seen them in the Connoiseur's club. I believe these are the ones that you can pay to have delivered to your room. Not sure what papers they have other than USA Today.

As I recall there's a list of eight or so newspapers to choose from, but they seemed pricey to me, so I wasn't even tempted. There are usually newspapers in the library area. I'm not sure if they're distributed by the ship or left by other passengers, but they were adequate for me. Being a news addict, I work at abstaining while asea.

I wish I had the intestinal fortitude to not read papers on vacation but.....

I checked on the RSSC "virtual butler" and they have about a dozen papers, half of which or so are foreign. They have the WSJ and the Miami paper, but not the NY Times, so no new crosswords for the wife and me.

The papers are pricey indeed - $5 a pop I think. However, in the grand scheme of things an extra $100 for the 2 week trip doesn't seem like too much to get a fresh, full paper each day (although I may need a magnifying glass to read the consensed size.)

When traveling in Europe getting my daily copy of the International Herald Tribune is always a high point, and I think that costs almost $2 now, so this seems worthwile, if pricey.

One thing I am unclear on is whether Penthouse B gets one paper free. In some places I read that all "Butler" level suites get this perk, and in other places read that it was only higher end suites.

An odd thing to be focusing on, I know!

FWIW, the online butler form I just looked at said "For all guests in Master Suites, Grand Suites, Mariner, Navigator & Voyager Suites, one newspaper per day is free of charge.", implying by omission that penthouse Bs are not included.

JoAnne B : As a fellow admitted news addict, I can understand trying to kick the habit. But I would rather struggle through the rougher withdrawal symptoms (the shakes, room spinning, etc.) when I'm at work, not while I'm on holiday.