Ka Honu

I made 72-hour short ribs at home about two weeks ago but used a Sansaire sous vide immersion circulator set at 135°F and then finished them on a hot grill for 5 minutes with some BBQ sauce. I don't know what would happen if you tried to traditionally braise them for that long but I suspect that you might well end up with pulled beef floating in melted fat and collagen. The meat was medium (pink) and as tasty and tender as I've ever eaten but the texture is a bit different. The connective tissue pretty much either melted out or tenderized nicely but much of the fat was still "whole" (easily removed/discarded). I may make them again but will probably cook them for 36-48 hours instead of 72 - I like my short ribs with a little more "tooth."

I know I'm missing something here. I can't imagine that the brand of "free" champagne available would be either a deal-breaker or worth more than about 10 minutes of my pre-cruise planning time. The only issue would be if I wanted something specific out of the ordinary and arranged well beforehand for them to stock it (possibly at additional cost to me).

Just wondering...

Thank you all for your feedback. I will steer clear of them unless I have no choice.

I must have been reading different posts. I saw two disparaging comments (one from someone who had never used the service) and the rest seemed neutral to positive.

I read the overall tone (with those two exceptions) as "Do your homework and you'll have a good experience." I don't know how much more you can expect.

We had good experiences on our TA last November-December with their vendors in Barcelona (a day trip to Montserrat) and Rio (a full day ending at the airport). In both cases the guides were knowledgeable, spoke good English, and adapted to our requests.

Ours may not be a totally representative experience but we'll use them again. I'd recommend contacting your assigned guide after booking and, if he/she doesn't seem to be what you're looking for, go back to the company for a substitute.

We spent a couple of days in Rio a few months ago and recommend two services...

A couple of the jewelry stores run shuttles and factory tours. The tour takes about 15 minutes and the stores are located about two blocks from Ipanema beach. We took the shuttle and spent a couple of hours at the beach before returning to the ship (again on the shuttle which ended up being a taxi).

We also booked a private tour using a guide we found on the "Tours by Locals" website which connects with private operators worldwide. We've used their vendors in several places and have always received excellent service.

I'd strongly recommend a licensed guide in Rio, especially if you're going someplace with waiting lines (e.g., Sugarloaf & Christ Reedeemer) since they are able to "jump the line" and save you hours of standing around.

As I understand the policy and its intent as they apply to US citizens (and this is my personal reading, NOT an official interpretation), if you're on a cruise ship that includes Turkish ports of call you do not need a visa unless you begin or end your cruise in Turkey or you obtain lodging ashore during the cruise.

Day trips (shore excursions) in the port area (e.g., Ephesus from Kusadasi) are considered in the "respective port city" and do not require a visa.

If the ship remains in port (e.g., Istanbul) overnight and you spend that night in a hotel, you need a visa. If you return to the ship that night, you don't.

The biggest difference between port and starboard usually has more to do with your preference for afternoon or morning sun than anything else.

... ping pong table there to be very annoying, the noisy of the game and people chasing their balls under my feet.

What rocket scientist decided to put ping pong tables outside in the wind on a rolling ship's deck to begin with?

On to the original subject. I'm a former smoker and don't like the smell of ashtrays any more than the next guy but I think Oceania is quite reasonable in their policy. Be a little charitable and give the smokers (and the cruise line) a break on what, if you really look at it, is an almost completely avoidable and relatively minor irritant.

Thanks for the responses.

We're taking our first Seabourn cruise this year (on Odyssey). Thanks to the Seabourn web site and Cruise Critic I think we have a pretty good handle on what to expect. We were lucky enough to book a Penthouse at a reasonable price and wondered if there were any suite-specific "perks" included similar to those we've experienced on other lines.

Mahalo.

I think Salvador and Rio are on opposite (east & west) edges of the same time zone but Salvador observes DST while Rio doesn't. I didn't know that when we were there so expected them to be on the same time or perhaps an hour later in (more easterly) Salvador. I was obviously misinformed and/or confused. Now I'm just puzzled.

Just got off Marina last week and ate at Jacques three times. There were several tables for two by the windows - great location.

Why couldn't you purchase (or have someone "gift" you) shipboard credits (no fee as a Bon Voyage gift) before sailing and withdraw them in cash as necessary?

In the world of oversized pepper mills, is a "Rubirosa" larger or smaller than a "Dillinger?"

... We are judged clever enough to help ourselves to salt and (what I call sneezy) pepper on the table, so why not ground black pepper?

 

Is it for the drama; the crowning touch to a superb meal? Or is it that nobody has questioned this waste of resources previously?

I guess they think it's classy and that tabletop pepper mills are high maintenance, low return items which might be perceived as desirable keepsakes.

The part I don't understand is how they expect you to know you want pepper on your food before you've tasted it.

Thanks for chiming in with the invaluable experience factor. We opted for 8000 as it seemed to be the "safest" available choice - not under anything likely to wake SWMBO before she's ready to be awakened (not something you wish to experience).

We're looking at booking a PH3 on Insignia for an upcoming cruise. This will be our first time on an R Class and we're looking forward to it but have questions on cabin selection. Available staterooms are 8000, 8001, 8058, 8059, 8060, 8061, and 8062. Any advice on which would be better choices?

What is in the space between 8000/8001 and the bridge?

Is there a noise issue with the aft cabins being directly above the Terrace Grill?

Any other advice?

Thanks.

It rarely (if ever) makes sense to book a cruise with an airline; why would I expect a great deal when booking airfare with a cruise line?

Having said that, I have to agree that the air credits suck. We got something like $1400pp from Honolulu to Papeete earlier this year but only received $550pp for Honolulu to Barcelona/Rio to Honolulu this November-December.

I must be the only person in the world who puts his CPAP in checked baggage. Been doing it about half the time for six years on a total of a dozen or so cruise and non-cruise trips and never had a problem. Knock wood.

Accept/except really made you chuckle? Why?

Because I have a weird sense of humor.

NMnita,

Your post made me chuckle....The expression, I think, is "dyed in the wool" ... What made me chuckle is that some would rather "die" than except Anytime, so your expression might actually work better.:)

Tin - "Your post made me chuckle," too. I would have thought that anyone correcting someone else's use of a homophone (dyed/died) would have used the correct one themselves (accept/except).