vjmatty

I think what saved Elena is that she finally went out of her comfort zone.... too bad she ended up on another planet! Logic would suggest that with her never having won and having the worst outfit made her the likely candidate to go, but since Venn already got to stay in the last episode where he should have left, I am not broken up by it.

I thought Fabio's looked like a Spartan soldier, not sure how he ended up in the unremarkable category instead of low score.

So what was the purpose of quoting a post that was over 5 years old if you weren't disputing it?

From what I gathered reading her post, the purpose was to provide updated information since as you say the prior post as five years old.

Hi Ginny - Have missed you on our Roll Call for Star Princess next year. Are you still with us? We have a Waiting List for an excursion you are booked on, so please come by and let us know if you are still with us. Hope to see you there - and on the excursion too! :)

Hi Bucky,

Yes, as I mentioned I have a few short vacations during the remainder of this year, then I will focus more on the Star sailing. Thanks for asking. :)

Let me start by saying I am so happy Dimitri finally won... I loved that jacket and while his print wasn't my style I like the way he worked it into his outfit.

That being said, this feels like the most producer-manipulated episode I have ever seen. As much as I hated Ven's first and second attempts, never in the history of Project Runway has Tim Gunn ever been so biting in his critique, or invited other designers to chime in... and never has be been brought out during judging to comment on pre-correction creations by designers. It kind of defeats the purpose of having Tim give out advice if he is made to report on what was done before his critiques.

Then, what happened to Gunner..... I kind of liked his pattern and the jacket. I thought the meaning he gave to the fabric was also important yet it seemed to invite a lot of harsh commentary. I can't help feeling like it was all so, I don't know, contrived? Particularly with him going home instead of Ven, and I got the idea that Tim felt the same way as he told Gunnar how much he would miss him, another PR rarity.

Maybe I am reading to much into all of this, but while entertaining this episode just felt wrong on so many levels. Though I did enjoy seeing Mondo and Anya again... that was a treat.

 

I'm on the cusp of plus size (I don't look at the size tag, I can wear a size 12 all the way to 2X, depending on the clothing designer). Michael Kors is a great designer for plus sizes, he really understands a woman's body. One of the few designers who doesn't make the armholes large enough for the whole side of your bra to show if the piece is sleeveless. So, seeing that the average woman is a size 14 in America, it would serve people up and coming to get to know "plus" sized women and petite women and...realistic women who are slender. Very few women are 6 ft tall that weigh less than 120 lbs. Michael Kors and his team are smart, they make clothing and accessories for everyone.

 

My sister is a sewer, has taken many classes in fit and tailoring. She says that clothing manufacturers are lazy about sizing. Patterns go up in measurement incrementally with size. Which makes sense until you get to the armholes or sleeve length. I've seen many plus sized women with a jacket or shirt that fits them, but the sleeves are way too long. It makes the look sloppy and oversized, just because we weigh a few more pounds doesn't mean we have gorilla arm! I've taken apart the side seam and shoulder seam on quite a few tops to reduce the armhole, so my bra isn't hanging out.

 

Ven and the other designers would do themselves a huge favor by learning this and working with real people. There is a huge market out there for larger bodies, not all of us, even if we can fit into some size 12/14 pants are built with small frame bodies to accommodate slim fitting tops. For the fashion show runway...yes, for the real world...no. They need to be up to the challenge for both.

 

I loved the winning dress this week, finally something with style and an edge to it.

I am so glad you mentioned this... like you, I range from a size 12 (blouses and jackets) to about 2x (Zumba pants) as well. I have very large hips, in the 44-45 range but my bust-line is barely 40. My waist is comparatively small, about 30 inches. The hardest thing for me to fit into is a sheath dress, for the reason you say. If it fits in the hips, it is big around the bra area on the sides. It is too bad because I like sheath-and-jacket suits... they are great for summer so that I can drive from work without the jacket and not be too hot.

Pants, especially now with the low waist being in style, are almost impossible to find. Sure, as Stacy and Clinton always say, I can take things to a tailor and I have a good one here, but that can be time consuming and expensive. Plus, in spite of being average height at 5'5", my legs are short... about a 28" inseam, so I sometimes have to buy petite!

Thanks for the tip about MK.... I've never tried on his clothes. I am supposed to head down to the Albany area tomorrow to meet a friend, maybe we can go to the outlet stores in Lee, MA where they have an MK shop.

I was really astonished by how nice Gunnar was to his model -- it made me not-hate him. He's usually so arrogant and obnoxious that it took me completely by surprise when he acted like a really nice person.

 

Venn, on the other hand...that was almost as bad as season 3 when Jeffrey made Angela's mother cry. Did anyone else think Tim's comments to the designer leaving about his good character were an indirect criticism of Venn?

I noticed that, and remember thinking that he's never done that before when saying goodbye.....I didn't think about it at the time but it would make sense that it was directed at Venn. Although Tim is usually pretty direct so it would surprise me for him to be that subtle. Remember season 8, when he told the designers on Gretchen's team that he couldn't believe they let her railroad them into.....what the heck was it she did that got him so upset? I can recall him being really upset over what happened but can't remember the details.

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly love Tim Gunn any more than I do..... "Size 14? She is barely on the cusp of plus sized!" :) Did I mention I love this guy?

And really, talk about pot meeting kettle.... does Venn really get to comment on someone being overweight when he is no slimster himself? Then being such petulant child, how "unfair" it is that everyone else got skinnier clients. I really hoped he was gone after all of that but I am satisfied they at least scared him a little. And we also got to see that Elena is more human than I thought ;)

Ok now that I am past my hissy fit.... I liked Dmitri's the best, he keeps missing by one. I thought Fabio did the biggest transformation..... though the dress independently was fun to look at but not my style.

I think they are trying to pump the drama a bit next week but I can't figure out where they are coming from.

I thought he looked like Squiggy from Lavern and Shirley! :D But, yes, I can see Eddie Munster too.

 

I think the Ukrainian girl creates a hostile work environment and should go soon, so that they can all work in peace and quiet! :rolleyes:

DH calls him Squiggy too!

I thought that about Elena as well, but past experiences tell me that her attitude will keep her on longer for dramatic purposes..... remember Santino and Gretchen?

Hi Peter and Ginny - We have missed you on the Star March 2013 Roll Call. Are you still with us on that cruise? We have waiting lists for some of the excursions, so we are looking for people we haven't heard from in quite some time. Hope you are still with us.

Hi! Still with you, just busy planning other vacations. We have a couple of time share weeks expiring at the end of this year so I have been involved with that.

I don't understand why they didn't bring two contestants back given that there were two walk-offs, won't that make it one episode short this season?

Funny about the Flintstone reference, because I actually thought Heidi looked like Bam Bam.

I was glad to finally see Dimitri make it out of the "unremarkable" category... he has been passed over too many times.

It's back! Just watched the "road to..." so far. I find it interesting how they always have exactly one older person.

Some interesting characters so far and already having little bickering matches :rolleyes: I don't know if you have watched the first episode yet so I won't be a spoiler, but this should make for an entertaining season :)

I do have to say that I loved that rose blouse with the white suit....in fact I'd buy that blouse right now if it were for sale.

Vjmatty,

 

I was thinking about booking on deck 8 also, are you saying that the smoking area on the Lido deck is toward the rear of the pool area on the Pacific Princess?

 

Thanks,

Tammy

Let me qualify this.... I was last on the PP in December of 2010 and one side of the outdoor section in the rear by the Lido was a smoking section. I don't know whether or not that remains to date. And not being a smoker I also don't remember which side :o

I might not recall correctly, I can't access the plans with this device, no flash, but I don't think there are any cabins on the Lido deck.

That is correct.... best plan would be to go down one deck to 8 and get a cabin toward the aft. In fact, there are two insides right near the aft stairs, 8036 and 8039.

I am willing to wait until encountering them to see if I have any limitations.

That would appear to be the most common-sense approach. :) If the world operated as you did there would be half the controversy we have today, not just with smoking but with most things.

And that is exactly what Austin has done:

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/blogs/project-runway-blog/austin-scarlett-new-york-bridal-fashion-week?cmpid=Social_Facebook_ProjectRunway_04102012_2

 

You can bet that wedding dress will be a star of his collection.

Wow... he is really talented with gowns. Great segue into my latest obsession....since I'm suffering Project Runway withdrawal I've been watching Say Yes to the Dress. TLC did a marathon of episodes Easter Sunday and I am now addicted :o

But that's only for a short period on the embarkation day.

All it takes is one little mishap in the span of seconds....:eek:

I love them!! Are they all Italian Greyhounds? We call them Iggies at our house!!

Yup.. all Iggies, and most with appropriate Italian names: Prada, Versace, Fendi... the last one is named Anubis because she always puts her ears straight up in the air which makes her look like the Egyptian god.

I would love to get a full sized greyhound.... they are so docile and such sweet dogs. Maybe someday.... :o

Interesting. And do you also do the same at hotels, motels and resorts?

 

Hank

No, but I don't join Roll Calls for hotel stays, or have year-long discussions with others who will be in the hotels during my vacation. I've also never stayed in the same hotel room for two straight weeks, as I have with a cruise cabin. :)

I think a cruise ship is a little bit tighter community than a hotel or resort..... you have the same people together for one or two weeks, whereas hotels have people coming and going daily. Even beyond fellow CCers, I find I get to know and recognize people on a cruise ships, whereas the person in the hotel room next to mine, I probably couldn't pick out of a crowd of two. ;)

And cello56, these are for you, glad I'm not the only one with a 4-dog minimum-

Thank you sprinkles for the thorough and humorous report.... totally LOL about the nose-holding lady who stuck around in the smoking section rather than getting out of the area that she found so offensive. Kind of like someone going to a concert to complain about the noise. :rolleyes:

Most people don't want to start conflict, which is why those nonsmokers who you directed to the nonsmoking section in the pool area happily moved to their proper area. I am hopeful that this will all work itself out over time as everyone adjusts to the new policy. What concerns me is the switcharoo on which side of the ship is smoking vs. nonsmoking.... I think that is a recipe for disaster as people with balconies above promenade will be irate that they chose the wrong side of the ship.

If I smell smoke in my cabin and on my balcony, Princess will have to deal with it. They can change my room, clean my room extensively on a daily basis or stop the offender.

 

They advertise a smoke free cabin and balcony. They either deliver or risk being charged with false advertising.

Well the daily extensive cleaning they do already.... twice a day in fact ;)

I'm afraid though if you have a balcony room near a smoking area, Princess might not have to "deal with" anything as long as the smokers are only smoking where they are supposed to be.... there may be no "offender" in spite of most port side balconies being exposed to smoke. Think about it, rather than smokers being intermittently scattered among hundreds of balcony cabins they will all be in the same place, creating a very dense and concentrated zone of smoke.

I agree that while the new smoking policy was based on good intentions it now is almost impossible to navigate any where on board without walking through clouds of smoke. Maybe we were just one of the lucky ones but we were never bothered by it on our balcony. Now all the smokers are 'outed' and there still appear to be a lot of them. Maybe we're simply not as sensitive as some but we notice the smoke now and never did before.

Oh boy.... sounds like it might be a case of "careful what you wish for". I'm sailing on a transatlantic with many sea days next month. Over the years I have gone from being a pack-a-day smoker to an only-when-drinking smoker to a one-or-two-a-year, so I sympathize with those in the smoker's camp, paying $10 per pack to be treated as second-class citizens. However it looks like the so-called solution is only going to make things worse. I guess we will see how it goes :rolleyes:

I do hope the OP had made a complaint to Princess or at least the stateroom steward's supervisor about the smoke. The OP should also mention that the stateroom steward acknowledged the issue and chose not to do anything about it.

As stated in earlier posts, it really shouldn't be the steward's job to act as tobacco police. Their training is in hospitality, which is the polar opposite of the confrontational nature of security and management positions. Not to mention it creates a conflict for the steward if two of his or her passengers are at odds.

I don't think that one should put the onus on the steward to enfore the smoking rules. That is hardly their job.

Totally agree.... anything confrontational should be the job of security or management, they are trained to handle confrontations. Stewards are not.

He will watch "What Not To Wear" at times with me. I think it's the snide remarks from Clinton and Stacy that amuse him.

 

My sister and I discuss PR in detail, our husbands just roll their eyes. We're both glad that Jerell is gone and we're both crazy for Mondo :)

 

Mondo kind of reminds me of the Bob's Big Boy mascot with that hair molded and the little boy clothes, but ya gotta love him!

DH actually is the one who got me into "What Not To Wear"... is that still on these days, I haven't seen it in a while.

Big Boy is right! I was trying to figure out who he looked like, it was driving me nuts :)

My husband runs screaming from the room when I watch Project Runway.

LOL... I didn't even try to get him into it, now he is as hooked as I am :rolleyes: