KenzSailing

Once again, I'll come down on the side of yes and no(hey, can't lose!) My point, and it's documented on this site; we have a budget that precludes us from surveying the lux lines in anything approximating a reasonable timeframe. Crystal, having punched all our important buttons, motivated us to stay with them. If they hadn't gone Tango Uniform, we probably never would have strayed(don't draw to an inside straight.) But things happened, and now we have a booking on Regent we are most keen on. May turn out to be genius, maybe disaster, maybe in between. TWT. Point is, the interregnum opened the door.

I dunno. It's always hazardous to get crosswise with your gimlet eye, but I would put my money on the Gentlemen Hosts back in full frequency and force, even if the program takes a while to ramp up. The other stuff, yeah, that might go the way of the language classes.

On this 14th of February, a little counter-programming from the golden age of music videos:

Designers are the marketing department of the physical world.😁 More seriously, I am one of those people who can look at a floor plan but can't really get a feel for a layout until I do a walk thru. I'm not alone. I've been looking a lot at Regent. There newest ships are Explorer and Splendor, same class of ship, almost identical. One change they made from Explorer to Splendor: they reversed the direction of the grand staircase that leads to the MDR on deck 4. In Explorer, the bottom of the stairs dead ended into the back of the elevator bank that everyone else was exiting to head to the MDR after an early show, so the folks coming off the stairs had to do a u-turn into that same flow to get going where they wanted to. On Splendor, they reversed the stairs so the bottom of the stairs flows directly toward the MDR. I'm sure someone eventually thought "what were we thinking?"

But never at Waffle House? Well, I just can't take you seriously then.

I almost forgot. OLoPP wants to pass along: The Chez is tranquil tonight.

Vince, Well, a tidbit about a new local purveyor of a cuisine that does interest me(we have a rez for next month, after the review crowd dies down.) Uuuuuummmm, sweetbreads.... https://wapo.st/3jUIgsR

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Agreed, to the extent that Nobu wasn't the one doing the fusing. He was popularizing a process that had happened organically. For more on this: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/global-flavors/nikkei-peruvian-japanese-cuisine

Some timely advice:

I made a Venn diagram to visualize this: Venn Diagram Template (1).pdfVenn Diagram Template (1).pdf

I can't fault the logic of the Voice of Reason. I just took a flyer figuring my lure would still come back with the bait on it. Leap of faith I guess(former altar boy in me.) With that, I've mixed enough metaphors for one post.

Having no interest in any of the 2023 sailings, I got my $500 back. It cleared my Amex today. That actually happening is a step in the right direction for New Crystal.

Ha! 1) I remember that carpet. I think it was down for our first couple of Crystal Cruises. 2) I took teamwork, but I can't believe you all tracked down the subject of an obscure, random joke.

This thread sponsored by Lexmark Carpet Mills. "Lexmark, we've got you covered."

Life imitates art:

Well yeah, but describe the carpeting on deck eight when the photo was taken. 😁

Viking seems to be doing OK.

Well, that's great, and happy for you. But since the Nobu Empire has some twenty plus restaurants in the US(plus hotels) and another twenty-five or so worldwide, I'm not going to really take notice until some city announces the first Nobu Drive-Thru. 😁 I imagine it will be kind of like this:

I do not know your origin story skybluewaters, but every time I see your screen name something I haven't seen since I was a kid pops into my head:

Why yes, it does. I fact, that reminds me of a story. Debbie Downer was a character originated and played by Rachel Dratch on Saturday Night Live, a few years ago. (Now, my story diverges at this point, but I'll get back to Debbie/Rachel, I promise.) The Kennedy Center here in DC runs a very well done series they call Broadway Center Stage. They team with a Broadway production company to bring top Broadway musical talent to DC for their own unique productions(as opposed to just booking a road show version of Hamilton, etc.) They can entice this top talent here with one clever wrinkle: it's only a four week commitment(Broadway contracts are typically for multi-month runs.) It's an abbreviated and compressed schedule: two weeks of rehearsal in NYC, down to DC for four days of technical rehearsal for integration with the KC orchestra, sets, costumes, and then eleven performances over ten days. Then poof, it's over, almost like it never happened. The shows are fully staged and tremendously good, it's been a huge success. So this past fall the production was "Guys and Dolls," an old chestnut and sure-fire crowd pleaser, and we were there. It was fantastic(the folks sitting next to us were theater culture-vultures down from NY to take it in.) Now, and you probably know this, but G&D revolves around a lot of NY gamblers/hustlers/low-lifes trying to get a craps game together. One of the key participants in the craps game is a character from out of town called "Big Julie." Big Julie is a domineering, comically menacing figure, typically played by a large man with a baritone voice. In this production Big Julie was played by, wait for it: Rachel Dratch. Now, understand Ms Dratch cannot be five feet tall. She is a diminutive person. And here she comes lumbering on stage in this padded suit, over sized fedora on her head, and cheesy fake mustache affixed to her upper lip. The crowd knew it was coming and still howled with delight. Needless to say she chewed the scenery, dominated her scenes, and left everyone laughing to tears. It was a great and grand evening. And that is my Debbie Downer/Rachel Dratch story. As the kids say, video or it didn't happen: Encore, encore:

Hey, thanks for asking. No major worries here(thank you vaccines) just a little worn down from some antibiotics I'm on and, as you may have noticed, a little cranky. 😁

OK, enough. This little backwater is for folks trying to stay off topic, and have some fun doing so. There are plenty of threads for you old bulls to lock horns with the same tired old fights. Please head back there.

DennyDeckPlan: sounds like the mess hall on an aircraft carrier. Yeah, that's not a very good comeback, but with this darn covid recovery, I may have lost a step(protip, don't catch this stuff.) Anyway, glad for the excitement of the last 48 hours or so, it's helped keep me going. Gonna be a little while before I man the stoves. Also, and while it's completely predictable, there is a WHOLE lot of "but this isn't the new Crystal I had in mind" consuming the board. I mean, of course it isn't. But there are turndown chocolates.

Roy, Yeah, rest up. And for gosh sakes ignore the rest of us for a while. It's a zoo over here(more than usual!)