The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[FLcruiser2011]

Anything less than a 2-to-1 ratio -- two bottles per passenger per day -- will not be adequate.  But I am not going to book until I see an exact number of bottles per voyage.😉

[krb1000]

1 hour ago, FLcruiser2011 said:

Anything less than a 2-to-1 ratio -- two bottles per passenger per day -- will not be adequate.  But I am not going to book until I see an exact number of bottles per voyage.😉

This.

I’m with @FLcruiser2011 !

None of this “nearly” 1:1 ratio nonsense for me … I demand to know the precise, exact, down to the very liter ratio of wine to pax…or I will come here to cruise critic every ten minutes and demand that Vince and/or Keith get the ratio … Right. This. Minute.

[BWIVince]

4 minutes ago, krb1000 said:

This.

I’m with @FLcruiser2011 !

None of this “nearly” 1:1 ratio nonsense for me … I demand to know the precise, exact, down to the very liter ratio of wine to pax…or I will come here to cruise critic every ten minutes and demand that Vince and/or Keith get the ratio … Right. This. Minute.

For you Kathie, I’ll work all night to make up..err..get an answer!  😁 💜. I’ve started by doing my own research on ideal ratios though [setting down glass], so I promise to get on this right after I take a slightly induced nap…. 😁 

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

I also want all the wine purchased now and not a minute later.  i don't want to worry that it won't be on board the day I board because if it is not my cruise will be ruined.  

Can you imagine if one bottle is delayed.  Or can you imagine if I don't know in advance which wine will be on board when I get to my room.

 

These are major world-wide problems.

 

I suspect people living in Turkey, in Ukraine, near the rail derailment in Ohio and in countless places around the world are tossing and turning in their beds this evening because they dom't know the ratio of wine per guest and which wines will be on board.

 

Can you imagine booking a cruise or boarding and not knowing everything. 

 

Does anyone remember the days when we booked a cruise and board the ship and didn't know who the officers, entertainer, lecturers would be. Can you imagine?

 

Keith

[TER777]

Please note that not all bottles are equal. Varietals that I don’t like get only a partial count. 

[krb1000]

2 hours ago, TER777 said:

Please note that not all bottles are equal. Varietals that I don’t like get only a partial count. 

I suppose it’s too much to hope for Nobu’s Chardonnay to magically reappear…

[BEAV]

4 minutes ago, krb1000 said:

I suppose it’s too much to hope for Nobu’s Chardonnay to magically reappear…

One can dream….. 

 

I have friends that boarded Oceania Riviera today, only to discover there’s not a drop of Maker’s Mark onboard. 
 

They considered disembarking…

[KenzSailing]

1 hour ago, BEAV said:

One can dream….. 

 

I have friends that boarded Oceania Riviera today, only to discover there’s not a drop of Maker’s Mark onboard. 
 

They considered disembarking…

 

Since we're talking hooch, I'll have a brief update tomorrow. Stay tuned....

[BEAV]

8 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Since we're talking hooch, I'll have a brief update tomorrow. Stay tuned....

Can’t wait. 
 

Searching the world wide Interweb for front row tickets…

[Keith1010]

While we are on the subject of "I want to know" I want to know who will win the 2023 World Series. Baseball is 162 games plus playoffs.  If someone would tell me who will win I could save myself a lot of time if it's not my team and just focus on other things such as wine.  I think I have the right to know who will win.  After all......It's baseball.

 

Keith

 

 

[May B]

13 hours ago, BEAV said:

One can dream….. 

 

I have friends that boarded Oceania Riviera today, only to discover there’s not a drop of Maker’s Mark onboard. 
 

They considered disembarking…

Yikes. That’s not funny.

 

I’m trying to think of my second choice. 

[Roland4]

11 minutes ago, May B said:

Yikes. That’s not funny.

 

I’m trying to think of my second choice. 

We had similar "supply" issues on Quest in September, Grandeur in November and even here on Silver Moon when we boarded last week. They had a MAJOR resupply in Montevideo, six containers and multiple transports at 8:00 AM, and they were still loading skids aboard at 6:00 PM!! The "larder" is now apparently fuller than at anytime in months according to some staff, so there is hope this supply chain issue is finally resolving.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Roland4

[Keith1010]

4 minutes ago, Roland4 said:

We had similar "supply" issues on Quest in September, Grandeur in November and even here on Silver Moon when we boarded last week. They had a MAJOR resupply in Montevideo, six containers and multiple transports at 8:00 AM, and they were still loading skids aboard at 6:00 PM!! The "larder" is now apparently fuller than at anytime in months according to some staff, so there is hope this supply chain issue is finally resolving.

Larry is it a wide range of supplies which had been the problem or more specific ones?

 

Keith

[Roland4]

15 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

Larry is it a wide range of supplies which had been the problem or more specific ones?

 

Keith

I suspect it was "across the board", but the Maker's Mark issue (not that we drink it!) has been common to all three ships, though Moon still did have some in a few bars when we boarded last week. It definitely was an issue with the wine lists on all three ships, but especially on Regent Grandeur. The "display" wine racks in the various restaurants looked a little "sparse" on Moon a week ago, but now they are all full and multiple varietals are available in all of the bars. The load-in at Montevideo was probably the biggest we have seen since the 2020 WC load-in in LA! They even had fresh cherries on the buffet this morning, something we have never see on a ship buffet before!!!

Edited February 21, 2023 by Roland4

[Keith1010]

1 hour ago, Roland4 said:

I suspect it was "across the board", but the Maker's Mark issue (not that we drink it!) has been common to all three ships, though Moon still did have some in a few bars when we boarded last week. It definitely was an issue with the wine lists on all three ships, but especially on Regent Grandeur. The "display" wine racks in the various restaurants looked a little "sparse" on Moon a week ago, but now they are all full and multiple varietals are available in all of the bars. The load-in at Montevideo was probably the biggest we have seen since the 2020 WC load-in in LA! They even had fresh cherries on the buffet this morning, something we have never see on a ship buffet before!!!

Thank you.  I don't drink that one either.  Can't. Long story.

 

Keith

[2bobs]

In reference to Keith's post # 3446 above -- it will of course be The New York Yankees !!

It ought to have been them every year at least since the radio broadcast days of Mel Allen and Red Barber.  Bob & Bob

[KenzSailing]

About four months ago our local county liquor stores had no Makers Mark for eight, maybe ten weeks.  I drank some suspect hooch during that period.

[BWIVince]

28 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

About four months ago our local county liquor stores had no Makers Mark for eight, maybe ten weeks.  I drank some suspect hooch during that period.

 

Your county has state stores?  😄 (Sorry, MoCo native humor...)

 

Vince

[Texas Tillie]

4 hours ago, 2bobs said:

In reference to Keith's post # 3446 above -- it will of course be The New York Yankees !!

It ought to have been them every year at least since the radio broadcast days of Mel Allen and Red Barber.  Bob & Bob

 

Come on Bob, you KNOW it's going to be the Astros again! Know there are those who are still bent out of shape about the Astros and the 2017 season and sign stealing. There's a new book out that says that the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, etc. were also stealing signs, it's just that they weren't doing it in a new high tech way like the Astros (well, high tech until you get to the trash can lid!). No sign stealing last year and they did better than 2017!!

 

Patty

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, BWIVince said:

 

Your county has state stores?  😄 (Sorry, MoCo native humor...)

 

Vince

 

Have a friend who lived in NoVa in the 90s to early 2000s. Worked at a building in Roslyn. At lunch, 2 of them would drive into the District, one would keep driving around the block as the other went into the liquor store. Booze was so much cheaper in the District than the state liquor stores in Virginia!!

 

Patty

[BWIVince]

22 minutes ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Have a friend who lived in NoVa in the 90s to early 2000s. Worked at a building in Roslyn. At lunch, 2 of them would drive into the District, one would keep driving around the block as the other went into the liquor store. Booze was so much cheaper in the District than the state liquor stores in Virginia!!

 

Patty

 

I could totally see that, Patty!  I just stayed in VA all last week and went to a VA ABC store for the first time in my life, and was completely underwhelmed.  Just like the Montgomery County stores I'd been in before, it had the same special MVA/utility department vibe and charm, but it was about half the size and the prices weren't nearly as competitive.  I was joking about MoCo, but back when my parents were still alive, I'd actually swing by the liquor store near their house because the selection was better than most of our private stores up here, and the prices were either really competitive, or in the case of sale items, a deal.

 

When I was a kid, for about 4 years (but still long before I was 18), DC had a lower drinking age for beer and wine than MD, so people used to pour into DC for beer just based on access.  MD had raised the age to 21 for all alcohol, but DC still had it at 18 for a bit longer on those items.  

 

...So we have a long tradition of hunting booze across borders for a mix of reasons around here.  Now I know to bring mine with me next time I'm going to be in VA for a while though!  lol

 

Vince

[travelberlin]

Now that we are talking about drinking I have a question. I have a cruise ending in Miami at the start of the Spring break. I like Miami very much and I was considering to stay about 3 nights after my cruise in the South Beach area. Now, I am not familiar with Spring Break but when I see that on movies I am not sure if I should stay at all in Miami or in the South Beach area at that time. What do you think? Any advice?

Ivi

[KenzSailing]

Well, since we're talking booze(my kind of place, this is)

 

It's Tuesday(here anyway.)

 

And what Tuesday is it?

 

It's the Tuesday that is fat. 

 

Fat Tuesday!

\Laissez les bons temps rouler!

 

At the Chez, that means one thing.  No not gumbo, not beads, but the Prince of cocktails, the Sazerac.

 

The primary cast: note the Absinthe is labeled "contains wormwood" so if this is my last post ever....

 

 

 

 No, I don't know how to rotate images.  Or maybe that's the Sazerac talking.

 

The glorious result:

 

 

 

 

 

Now we're talking.

 

And here's a little Norleans this crowd can get behind:

 

 

[mskatiemae]

21 hours ago, Keith1010 said:

While we are on the subject of "I want to know" I want to know who will win the 2023 World Series. Baseball is 162 games plus playoffs.  If someone would tell me who will win I could save myself a lot of time if it's not my team and just focus on other things such as wine.  I think I have the right to know who will win.  After all......It's baseball.

 

Keith

 

 

Okay, this might just be me, but it really doesn't matter any more. The Chicago Cubs finally won and life is complete. 

 

Pass the wine!

[Keith1010]

8 hours ago, travelberlin said:

Now that we are talking about drinking I have a question. I have a cruise ending in Miami at the start of the Spring break. I like Miami very much and I was considering to stay about 3 nights after my cruise in the South Beach area. Now, I am not familiar with Spring Break but when I see that on movies I am not sure if I should stay at all in Miami or in the South Beach area at that time. What do you think? Any advice?

Ivi

Ivi, 

 

South Beach has several attributes including lots of restaurants , a party scene (I'm too old for that), a place to people watch and nice beaches but with that comes a lot of people particularly at night and depending on where you stay and the location of your room can be noisy.  In our case we like visiting it but not staying there.  If we did I would look for a hotel where I could get a room facing the beach area.

 

South Beach is part of Miami Beach and further north there are hotels that would be quieter.  

 

When we go on cruises we stay downtown on Brickell but it is just a city. We like to walk around the city and then Uber or Taxi to places such as South Beach and from there visit that area or walk along the Boardwalk further North.  There are also a few places to stay there.

 

There are lots of hotel choices on or near Brickell at a variety of rates.

 

From around November until April lots of people (some are snowbirds) go to Miami for the pleasant weather.  Within those period you do see some fluctuation of rates depending on factors including Holidays.

 

Key Biscayne which was mentioned in post 3461 is interesting. We've never stayed out there because often we want to walk around a lot so we prefer the city and we don't rent a car but certainly for something very relaxing it has its positives.

 

We do enjoy Miami and have seen it change with each passing year mostly for the good.

 

Keith