CGTNORMANDIE

6 hours ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, bringing this thread back up........CGT....especially😀.  Well, I found some local rye that I am VERY HAPPY about...........not sure if some of you have a "FRESH MARKET" in your region or not but I really like that store. Publix is my "usual" place to shop but Fresh Market is more specialized and I was there recently and they have a variety of bread choices and their rye? It is REALLY GOOD........the texture is excellent and it toasts beautifully. The store is about 20 minutes from where I live, which is A LOT closer than having to buy it from out of state!   

Great to hear it Lois!  Now if you can find some really good brisket, corned beef or pastrami!  So glad you finally found a rye source.

10 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

We use Kaiser Rolls.....seeded or not slightly toasted.

 

More room....bread out inside...More room for Bacon,  Iceberg and a Uniform slice of Beef Steak Tomato...And U Have To Use Hellmann's.....NO OTHER....

Well…if I’m going to build a big fat cheese burger with all the trimmings…lettuce, tomatoes, onion and bacon, I’d definitely have a fresh fluffy onion roll grilled in butter.  Although the grilled Kaiser roll would definitely be an option.

3 hours ago, Lois R said:

Toasted, yes, white bread, no. 

Some old habits are hard to break.😇

17 minutes ago, Lois R said:

LOL😀. I love a good BLT!

Hi Lois!  I like mine on good old toasted white bread.  

Hi Hank, sounds like you were on the right ship!  The Celebrity Meridian was originally the Gallilao.  She was built for the Australian route from Europe and could take a heavy sea.  We were onboard her when Chandris had just acquired her before the Meridian refit.  I was actually sitting by myself having a cocktail while the Chandris executives were at the next table with plans unfolded designing the soon the be Meridian…the first Celebrity ship.  We also hit some rough seas while onboard…enough to cancel our Gala Dinner…lol.  

I can’t remember the last time I saw real hash browns at sea.  You always see that pre made McDonald’s type of hockey puck.  Better than that would be real home fries with onion done on the grill with garlic salt and pepper, a little butter, oil and a touch of bacon fat.  

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Update: I did successfully make a BLT - at breakfast - one time, and another time semi-successfully. I looked around the buffet before beginning, and all ingredients were there: freshly toasted bread, hot bacon, lettuce (shredded) and tomatoes at the Continental area, and mayo in a big dispenser.  It was good.

The second time, I did the same, but could not find any lettuce.  I made the sandwich anyway.  When I got to my table, a nice waiter asked if he could get me anything else.  (Juice? Coffee?) I said "If you could find some lettuce that would be great".  He took off, into the kitchen.  When he came back, he said "No lettuce, but for something green they offered cabbage or cole slaw".  I declined.  Not a bad sandwich anyway; the elements I had were all good.

I will probably to it again in the future.

Maybe we should set up a contest to see who can build a BLT?  LOL!

8 hours ago, as3369 said:

Yes, we were booked on a Northern TA but decided against it.  I don't mind a day or so of rough weather but can't imagine several days of worry.  

North Atlantic crossings can be dicey in April and October-November but the Queen Mary 2 can really handle the North Atlantic in all its’ guises.  It is the best ship to sail on North Atlantic crossings bar none.

5 hours ago, as3369 said:

Wow.. the Cruise Weather Gods certainly haven't been kind to you.  I think after the first experience, it may have been my last cruise.  Happy Sailing!

We have had many other bad weather experiences but the good thing is that it only lasts one day or one night most of the time.  We did run into a storm on the SS France while headed home.  That storm lasted two days.  I have pictures of me in the pool and the waves crashing ten feet in the air.  They had to close the pool right after that…lol.  I remember sailing on the Gallilao out of Newport RI to Bermuda.  The waves were hitting the ship broadside.  We both got sick and took A pill that knocked us out.  When we woke up all was well but we had missed breakfast…lol.  We loved every cruise we were ever on and would not trade it for the world.

5 hours ago, as3369 said:

Wow.. the Cruise Weather Gods certainly haven't been kind to you.  I think after the first experience, it may have been my last cruise.  Happy Sailing!

It was an adventure to be sure…lol.  I never had a bad cruise thanks to Bonine.  The first time on the Bremen on my honeymoon I had my arms wrapped around the toilet bowl.  A kind stewardess came with a pill.  It knocked me out and the next morning I was starving so we went to breakfast.  The funny thing was I had sailed on a ship and my wife had not.  It was her first time.  My bride kept saying that she really loved being all snug in her bunk and being rocked to sleep lol. I knew then that I had a cruise mate for life.  51 years later we are ready to sail again…just as soon as I have my kidney transplant!  

Book a sailing on a smaller ship like Windstar if you want to go to interesting ports.  The MSC ships are too big and too fuel hungry to do much else.  We have resigned ourselves to just enjoy the ship and no longer seek tours or excursions to the islands…seen it, done that and been there.  When I first went to Nassau in 1971 it was quaint and interesting.  Paradise Island was still referred to as Hog Island…the original name.  Landing in Nassau today consists of making the 300 yard dash through the throngs of people and jumping on the Atlantis shuttle so I can make my deposit at the casino and return to ship.😳

On 11/6/2022 at 7:31 AM, Ryan82 said:

Not that I intend to turn up with dirty clothes packed, but getting everything neatly pressed for the start of the cruise appeals more than having it cleaned towards the end. Not sure about you but not matter how well I pack, it ends up creased.

 

So can you buy the back home clean package but use it on the first day does anyone know?

Go to your dry cleaner and get the clothing bags they put over the finished dry cleaning.  Then when you pack your clothing do so with the pressed clothing in the bags and on your own hangars.  When you unpack onboard ship you will have perfectly pressed clothing wrinkle free already on hangars.  

13 is my lucky number!  They told me to beware of Friday the 13th.  I told them it was the other 363 days I had to worry about😂

On our honeymoon in 1971 we were onboard TS Bremen we ran into the tail end of a hurricane off Cape Hatteras. We were hitting 50’ waves for one night.  In 1975 were were returning home on a transatlantic onboard QE2 and had head winds over 100 mph.  That night we hit a trench wave…at least 50’.  The ship dropped so fast it emptied out both closets in our cabin.  I actually saw two ladies in mid air in the casino.  We were onboard RCI Jewel Of The Seas in 2009 sailing just south of Bermuda and ran into a freak storm one night.  The bridge  reported winds of 135 mph.  We were pitching at least 45 degrees…quite exciting.  Three aft cabins broke of their steel stanchion supports.

On 12/2/2022 at 8:21 AM, carguy said:

I'm looking at a 15 day itinerary from Cape Liberty to Portugal and Rome on Enchantment. Leaves end of April through Mid May. What type of weather should I be expecting ?

You will be taking a more southern route so you should see smooth seas and moderate temperatures…well at least an 80% possibility…lol.

10 hours ago, RedgeToo said:

I'm with you.

 

I did my first transatlantic (solo) last March from Rio to Marseilles. The moment I boarded, I turned off my phone and locked it in the safe.

 

My time was spent reading and meeting new people.

 

The highlights for me were crossing the Equator, crossing the Atlantic, crossing the Prime Meridian, standing on deck at 6 am seeing the twinkly lights of Africa, Spain and Gibraltar all at the same time, seeing dolphins an a large whale around 1 km (0.5 mile) away.

 

I do my next transatlantic from Barbados to Southampton in March 2023.

 

Can't wait 🙂

Thanks Redge, 

I made my first Atlantic crossing when I was 16 years old and I never got over the feeling of being far out in the Atlantic with no land in sight.  When I’m mid ocean I am at peace.

“A little anxious about being so isolated “?  The best part about taking a transatlantic cruise is the feeling of being as one with the sea…totally unhooked from land.  Sure the Wi-Fi might be spotty…so what.  Cut your shore lines and revel in that rare feeling of being totally out of sight from any land.  The feeling is like climbing to the top of a mountain and communing with God.

What do you do when you are on a cruise and become fooded out?  Go for a burger of course!  I have had some great burgers on Celebrity, RCI and MSC.  A good burger is made from at least two ground meats, like chuck and rib meat, and cooked to a perfect medium and topped with cheddar cheese.  I like my burgers straight up…no tomato and lettuce…maybe a thin slice of onion.  I will usually have a touch of ketchup but sometimes I like my burger on white bread with salt and pepper and nothing else.

8 hours ago, dazey said:

This is a tip question but unrelated to this discussion.  We are Elite and have free drinks from 5-7 PM.  I usually give $5 to the bartender when he/she serves us two drinks.  Does that sound like an acceptable amount?

That’s very generous.  I’ll wager you get great service too!

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

What do you mean the cabins broke away?  Broke away from what?  Dislodge from the other cabins,  shift out of alignment?

At least two stanchions snapped in two.  Each of the three cabins is a metal module so yes they broke away from the stanchions and were out of alignment with a lot of banging and grinding.  Things settled down after the storm passed.  There were three engineers from Meyer Werft, the shipbuilders, that met the ship at our first port.

We were on the RCL Jewel Of The Seas in 2008.  We were somewhere between Bermuda and North Carolina when we hit a nighttime storm with winds that were clocked on the bridge at 130 mph.  Three of the aft facing cabins broke away when the stanchions they were welded to snapped.  The banging and grinding were really loud.  I suspect something similar happened on Edge. Cabins that are welded to stanchions can break loose.  

On 8/20/2022 at 3:51 PM, rkacruiser said:

Lobster Bisque is a favorite of mine.  Ordering it becomes an "adventure" in a sense.  Different chefs prepare different versions of the soup.  Even on the same ship, a specialty restaurant's chef's preparation may--and usually is--different from the MDR's chef if Lobster Bisque is even offered.  

I love lobster bisque but have not found a good one out at sea.  You need to cook the lobster shells and pound them.  Most kitchens are just using the pre made lobster soup base.  

2 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

If you sail on Walmart of the Seas, you are going to get Walmart quality and service.

On my small, elegant, pricey, premium ship, we deliver any type of food you order - including tuna fish sandwiches.

And that premium ship would be???

1 hour ago, AMHuntFerry said:

Cold drinks off the top of my head...sodas like Coke and Sprite, seltzer water, tonic water, still water. The coffee machine is espresso based (caff and decaf)...latte, cappucino, I think Americano, plain ol' espresso.

Thank you AM…now I have a good idea.

29 minutes ago, samiam0403 said:

They usually put out small sandwiches and cookies in the afternoons/evenings - perfect snack after coming back from an excursion before getting ready for dinner. Pastries in the morning. They also have large refrigerators filled with water and sodas. They have couches and chairs for hanging out and watching the news, and provide newspapers. The concierge has set hours (always posted) for any assistance you might need. They have a few computers as well. Access is by key card, so is available 24 hours a day. Hope that helps!

Thanks Sam…I’m starting to get a better picture now.