Century...in my humble opinion.

[cechase]

On this, I respectfully disagree.

 

I don't want to be considered a mossback, but I do recall that the man responsible for all of CNN's foreign news, in an op ed in a major newspaper [hmmm! the NYT] admitted that CNN did not disclose the abuses of Sadamm's murder, torture and rape, so they could stay in the country and get an interview with him. The same man several months ago in a foreign forum [i.e., outside the United States] made the flat out statement that the US targeted journalists and killed 12 of them and then frantically attempted to back down, even though he was being cheered by the islamofacist crowd. After a huge uproar, this same man, very recently resigned his position from CNN.

 

I prefer to receive both sides, not just one side, or the side that the bias of the journalist prefers.

[beckers]

I don't want to be considered a mossback, but I do recall that the man responsible for all of CNN's foreign news, in an op ed in a major newspaper [hmmm! the NYT] admitted that CNN did not disclose the abuses of Sadamm's murder, torture and rape, so they could stay in the country and get an interview with him. The same man several months ago in a foreign forum [i.e., outside the United States] made the flat out statement that the US targeted journalists and killed 12 of them and then frantically attempted to back down, even though he was being cheered by the islamofacist crowd. After a huge uproar, this same man, very recently resigned his position from CNN.

 

I prefer to receive both sides, not just one side, or the side that the bias of the journalist prefers.

 

 

I prefer to receive both sides also.

[Danno]

Ahhh guys...maybe you should start a CNN vs Fox thread elsewhere....

[Lois R]

Hi Dan:) I was going to say something if you hadn't....sort of getting off topic of your review.

 

Now, where IS day 3?:D ;)

[Host Walt]

The discussion is of Danno's experiences on Century, not on news media and the relative merits of specific cable channels.

 

Let's get back to Danno's issues.

 

Tell me more about temperature control of the water in the bathrooms. And I bet Wayne Gretzky isn't the right answer. And who won the match next door; mom or daughter?

 

Inquiring minds need to know.

[Danno]

:D I'll take this up tomorrow...thanks all.

[Lois R]

And we will be waiting;)

[cechase]

The discussion is of Danno's experiences on Century, not on news media and the relative merits of specific cable channels.

 

I concur, and apologize to all of you. It is just, I would like news from someone other than CNN when on board. You are abolutely right about it being off topic.

 

Tell me more about temperature control of the water in the bathrooms. And I bet Wayne Gretzky isn't the right answer. And who won the match next door; mom or daughter?

 

Inquiring minds need to know.

 

After three cruises, all in royal suites, neither Nedra nor I have figured out the knobs either in the bath tub or in the shower. Perhaps we just don't understand how to use them. On our last cruise, the bath tub had really hot water - the separate shower had luke warm water. When shaving, if I used the wash basin on the left, I got really hot water, and if I used the wash basin on the right, I got luke warm water. To compound the problem, when you are brushing your teeth and used the right wash basin, turning to the far right for cold water, you got luke warm water, so I used the left basin and got nice cold water.

 

Go figure? Did we cope, you bet that we did, and loved our cruise.

[Host Anne]

Danno ~ the decision is looming and the only thing that is certain is that they WILL play hockey :) Even saw a game tonight!

 

Looking forward to the next Century installment! Thanks for writing it.

[jsaadat]

Danno,

 

It is a joy reading your posts and enjoying your wit.

 

Thanks,

 

J

 

28 days till the Century

[Danno]

Random thoughts...days at sea.

 

I just passed my Sail/Piloting/Seamanship course (15 weeks)....so next cruise I'll be available if the captain needs me :D !!

 

How many cruises does it take to figure out, while walking the halls, which is forward and which is aft...I always become so disorientated, I have to find a window to see which way the water is moving.

 

Turn down the volume a bit on the PA around the pool...some of just want to read.

 

Less "flogging" of merchandise so far...I wonder how much of the bad experience on Zenith was due to an over aggressive manager in that dept onboard and perhaps not so much cruise line policy.

 

The captains on X seem to be becoming younger and much less gruff seeming...a nice change.

 

Lots of Canadians amoung the staff...may as well work I guess, no hockey!!

 

The deli area is great...Matt is trying to empty it of all edible items...he's making good headway!!

 

off on my walk...cruise pounds to lose...

[Kirsten T]

We were told on our Jan 29 sailing that the captain was a "reliever" - he takes 2 month assignments on X ships to give the regular Master a break. He was indeed very personable; at the Elite/Select Senior Officers cocktail party, DH and I and another CC member were chatting with whatever officer came by. An energetic, handsome officer stopped to ask how our cruise was so far; DH noticed he wasn't wearing a name tag like the others. After discussing how impressed we were with how the ship didn't anchor in Grand Cayman, instead using the thrusters to maintain position, he asked "you are so knowledgable - are you a bridge officer?" Yup. It was the Captain. He clearly thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard (thankfully) and was most gracious about it. He was quite proud of maintaining a constant position with the thrusters, so at least we managed to compliment him before insulting him. ;>

Cheers,

Kirsten

[Danno]

Ok where was I??

 

After 48 great hours at sea, I love sea days, we tie up in San Juan...actually 50 hours and a few people are cranky. The ship fought tough seas and high winds all the way from FLL to San Juan...you would think the ship was late just to tick these people off. Maybe I'll be like that when I retire...now there's something to look forward to :( .

 

Jill, Matt and I walk around San Juan and find it interesting (I guess)...Matt and I try to find a local beer and end up with two Coors. So much for local colour!! Back on the ship....dress for dinner...I guess that was San Juan...I would have prefered another sea day.

 

Dinner is very good...our wine steward Joseph is becoming the highlight of my evenings...he is so happy and proud of his position. It's hard not to end up in an even better mood after a short talk with him. Our TA has sent us a bottle of X wine, from their own winery I'm told, and we propose to exchange it for a better wine. Joseph encourages us to try it and we do...:D It's really quite good!! Not my favorite but a good choice none the less.

 

I can't comment much on the shows as we didn't attend many...if I see another salute to Broadway I'll gag....the violinist is great and the comedian has some good lines, but after seeing the comic juggle spam some years ago, the rest are minor league :o .

 

St.Thomas...my favorite and least favorite island.

 

I love St.Thomas for what it was...what it is now is seriously overcrowded island being ruined by cruise ships!! The locals have sold out to people from everywhere EXCEPT the Caribbean...the flavor is more that of downtown Toronto than this beautiful Caribben island. We dock at the old sub base a couple miles from downtown Bombay (except busier).

 

The three of us set off on a sailing excursion to Buck Island...this is a great way to escape the crowds, enjoy a quiet sail and get some sailing advice from Skipper Karl...I helm the 37' sloop all the way over :D ...the seas are at about 6' and we bang around pretty good, I love it...Jill snorkles while I attempt to learn everything I can from Karl, Matt has a beer and enjoys the scenery (seems there's a very large CAT anchored near us with a huge assortment of bikinis onboard)...all in all a great way to enjoy a day and escape the crowds.

 

To bed by mid-night...off to St.Martin tomorrow...hope we're not late again, I see the groups of seniors meeting in dark corners and there is some talk of lynching the captain. I don't give it a lot of thought until I saw several ladies knitting a noose.

[Lois R]

Hi Dan:) oh my...you are keeping me on the edge of my seat:D Think Joseph will remember you? I will tell him HELLO for you if you like;)

[raudacruise]

Danno, thought you had it figured out. St. Thomas is a great stopping point for going to St. Johns. Buck Island is and always will be choppy. Honeymoon Beach (or bay) is heavan. You know better ;).

 

Downtown in St. Thomas is a mad house. If you absoulutely have to shop go. Others should skip it. If you really want to see the island you can rent a taxi for about $20 and they'll drive you all over the place, including places you probably don't want to see - its got a lot of poverty.

 

San Juan, been there done that. We went to the two forts and almost became windshield fodder walking between the two. Two cars collided and one came right at us. Thank god for the concrete pedestals between the street and sidewalk. Lot of yelling at us in Spanish about we should be witnesses (I think) but we really never saw anything, just heard the crash and almost wet our undies.

 

Now I have something important to do. Listen to college hockey (OSU vs. Miami of Ohio).

 

Be interested on your view of St. Maartan. Orient was a nice beach, but high waves and too many old f"rts walking around naked turned us off. Downtown was just as bad (or maybe worse) than St. Thomas.

 

Our scorecard is, stay on ship in San Juan and St. Maartan. In St. Thomas get to St. Johns ASAP.

[cechase]

[quote name=raudacruise

Our scorecard is, stay on ship in San Juan and St. Maartan. In St. Thomas get to St. Johns ASAP.[/quote]

 

We have to respectfully dissent from the above comment. We loved St.Maartin/St.Martin. So much so that we are thinking about staying their for a week next year. It is a lovely island, the people were so friendly, and there is so much to see. We took the island tour and was able to see almost all of the island, as well as the two principal cities - wonderful resorts, and exceptional restaurants.

[Danno]

Danno, thought you had it figured out. St. Thomas is a great stopping point for going to St. Johns. Buck Island is and always will be choppy. Honeymoon Beach (or bay) is heavan. You know better ;).

 

 

Did Honeymoon Bay a few years ago on a CAT and it was great,,,wanted to sail a mono-hull this time and Buck island was very, very, good...and I love the 6' chop. This is what sailing was meant to be!!! My only thing with Buck Island was, like most things in St.Thomas, it was a bit over crowded.

[pjsugg]

We were also very disappointed in the St. Thomas we had been to twice many years ago. Just wasn't the same, and by the time we thought to go to St. John, it was too late. Next time right to St. John. We also enjoyed St. Martin. We just sat at the beach and had some lunch and a few adult beverages listening to some local music.

 

San Juan........they could skip that. Danno, I agree, another sea day would be just fine with us.

 

Patti (PJ)

[Danno]

I'll try to conclude this rambling, unstructured, mess in the next two days :D .

 

 

Just a note...as we walked through the Rondez Vous lounge the first night, the first minute of our presence...guess what the band was playing. GO AHEAD, GUESS??!!!

 

 

 

SPANISH EYES!!! :eek:

 

The ultimate in cruise dreck...if X wants to change it's reputation as an "old folks" line...banning Spanish Eyes might be a good start...if not because it's a truly awful piece, then because it's been done on every cruise ship, every night, by poor cover bands, SINCE THE VIKINGS!!

[Host Anne]

Danno ~ you're old enough to remember the VIKINGS? Now, that's impressive! ;)

[Danno]

I'm not....but anyone who enjoys this horrible piece must be ;) .

[Danno]

Hi Dan:) oh my...you are keeping me on the edge of my seat:D Think Joseph will remember you? I will tell him HELLO for you if you like;)

 

I tipped him on the last evening...he'll remember me.

[Kirsten T]

The best musical entertainment we heard on board was a middle-aged (okay, "our aged") British gentleman named Nigel, kareoke-ing his heart out to "Quando, Quando, Quando?" one night in the Crystal. If X could hire more talent like Nigel, and fewer duos playing "Spanish Eyes" and "Muscrat Love", we'd spend more time in the lounges after dinner. (Yes, we did indeed hear "Muscrat Love." That was when Princess started looking good.)

Cheers,

Kirsten

[Danno]

Ok where was I...Spanish Eyes, done,....Buck Island, done...bikinis, done...Ok, off the St.Martin.

 

Much quieter seas...darn.

 

We arrive in St.Martin with little fanfare...actually NO fanfare as we are at anchor and not at the peir with the other ships who apparently were smart enought to call ahead and make a reservation. Is that how it works?? This seems to be happening a lot with X, I wonder why??

 

I really don't care for tendering if the lifeboats are used...with a local taxi service, it can be enjoyable. If any cruise lines idea of how to treat valued guests is to (over)load them into a 90 degree, plastic boat with no ventilation and make then sit in those conditions until the occupants are squeezed shoulder to shoulder with one another...perhaps they might want to examine this at the next customer service meeting...this has to be one of the worst experiences of cruising.

 

However once there, St.Martin is very nice...we have been making it a point to buy a piece of Island art on each cruise and we found several great pieces at a store owned by the "Yoda" guy....they are framed and look great in the staircase at home. I am so excited, I found a COLUMBIAN EMERALDS store...what are the chances ;)??

 

Be VERY careful when considering major purchases in the Caribbean...I know little about jewellery but I am fairly well versed on good watches, kind of a hobby...the out and out lies I heard told at various shops was just wild. I think there may be some good deals, but do your homework...these new venders, many of them cruise line approved :rolleyes: , have some interesting views as to what retail is, and what a "discount" is. I could simply buy most of what they had to offer cheaper in Toronto.

 

We decide to have lunch at a small restaurant on the beach before heading back to the orange torture chamber...the food is great, the server is actually a local and the rooster walking around nice touch...really!! He was quite polite.

 

Back to the ship and that's when I realize I should have booked an excursion here...a distance off the aft rail, the "America's Cup Race" excursion is underway...this looks like the most fun any sail boater could have, boats crashing the waves, healed over to 40 degrees, cold beer flowing. I wave at the red and white boat...they salute with a beer...I love being Canadian .I am most depressed at having missed this experience. So I head up to the deli to put an old adage to the test "feed a depression and starve a fever". The wraps are great, the pretzels are even better! There's always next year!!

 

Dinner is nice...the chilled melon soup is my new favorite...Matthew is enjoying this eating experience immensely and our tablemates prove to be quite enjoyable to be around. Thanks agian folks...this cruise was our last with our son for a while (the reality of a job should rear it's ugly head soon after graduation) and you folks made it as good a time as we could have hoped.

 

Matt has found a home at the Cova cafe...just about the time when the pastries arrive...he disappears for an hour or so each afternoon...(Jill and I are delighted).

 

A day at sea....I love these days. Matt and I watch the "pillow, pole, pool" thing...it's a old bit, too loud, but still amusing...it's over in a half hour, the the volleyball starts...we head to trivia. We get clobbered. I can't believe that between us we got 13 out of 20!!! So we tell everyone we were Florida residents and leave (sorry Lois ;) ).

 

Off to Nassau...in a nutshell...last time we were there, there were only two ships in and it was a Sunday, most stores were closed. Based on that experience I was really looking forward to this stop. Fast forward to 2005, 6 ships in and the shopping is open. Picture downtown Toronto 2 days before Christmas...that would have been an improvement.

 

However we only have a few tasks...find a bottle of Nassau Royale for my TA's husband and show Matt around...The Nassau Royale was easy, showing him around was not. We wind up at Senior Frogs...bad idea, we leave...not our demographic. Finally Matt finds a local pub...downstairs on the main street...it wasn't crowded...mostly because who in their right mind would enter this dump. But the beer was cold, the owner friendly and anyone who we might have thought to be a threat was already passed out, head down on their table. We drink some kind of English Ale...kinda like 5W30 motor oil with a head...and off we head back to our beloved Century. Where the beer is cold, the food is great and Matt is due to head to the Cova (Jill and I are delighted...HEY, It's our vacation too) ;) .

 

I'll finish up soon...Oh ya...no sign of the Captain "hanging" around, so I guess the seniors are too busy Bingo-ing or badgering the entertainers for one, JUST ONE MORE rendition of SPANISH EYES!!!

See ya....

[Danno]

... and fewer duos playing "Spanish Eyes" and "Muscrat Love", we'd spend more time in the lounges after dinner. (Yes, we did indeed hear "Muscrat Love." That was when Princess started looking good.)

Cheers,

Kirsten

 

 

When I think of all the GREAT music that came from the 40's thru the 70's, I can't believe the slop that gets served up in the lounges...thankfully Micheals Club actually had a talented pianist/vocalist...I'll try to find his name.

 

On the topic of music...ever since I saw Phase 5 on Galaxy, I'm ruined...they were so good. However they were forced to play usual the cruise ship dreck during several sets...they looked quite pained.