Saint Greg's Alaska Jewel - Live - August 28, 2023

[Beav1279]

2 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

It's been years since I've been there - I wonder if "The Patio" still exists...

I live in McAllen - Progresso has a ton of "Patios" on the street now! A lot less parking and a lot of bars with patios with tables and chairs. The sidewalks are packed with vendors. I love to take friends and family when they visit - we go early before it gets too hot/crazy. We get breakfast at the pharmacy and then walk the streets and shop and drink cheap beers!

[Beav1279]

2 hours ago, Mommapadraig said:

 Now We usually go to Jessica’s. One stop shopping.Pharmacy,restaurant, bar and musical entertainment. Plus bathrooms that flush.We aren’t sure what we pay for drinks. We think it’s 2.00 for a beer and 3.00 for a margarita that is too strong for me!

I love Jessica's! The staff is great and the huevos rancheros are the best I've ever had... I make it over there 4-6 times per year.

[Mommapadraig]

1 hour ago, Beav1279 said:

I love Jessica's! The staff is great and the huevos rancheros are the best I've ever had... I make it over there 4-6 times per year.

We really like Tony. He’s the waiter who has been there for years. He always pretends he remembers us when we come back for the winter. he also makes Banana fosters at the table.very fancy! Lmao. We go about the same. We walk across. 

[Beav1279]

2 hours ago, Mommapadraig said:

We really like Tony. He’s the waiter who has been there for years. He always pretends he remembers us when we come back for the winter. he also makes Banana fosters at the table.very fancy! Lmao. We go about the same. We walk across. 

Tony pretends he knows everyone! LOL 
I also walk.. I don't ever want to be stuck in that traffic on the bridge!

[Von & John]

On 9/2/2023 at 10:51 AM, eileeshb said:

That looks like the sport 99% of the world calls football. But there are many sports that are called football …

soccer = football to the vast majority of the world’s population

Gaelic football = Irish version that shares a common ancestry with multiple other football variants 

caíd = precursor to Gaelic football, rugby, afl, nfl,… 

Aussie Rules football = Australian version of Gaelic football with enough commonalities that there are occasionally “compromise rules” games played between a national selection teams from Australia and Ireland.

Rugby Union football = rugby

Rugby League football = league

flag football = weird American version of tag rugby

NFL/ American football / gridiron = the unfittest football players in the world, supposedly professional elite players sucking down O2 from a tank after being on the pitch for 5 minutes and wearing more padding than every other version of football in the world. And only a single player in the entire squad ever actually puts boot to ball so really doesn’t justify the use of the term “foot”ball. 

 

We played Gaelic Football on the Ice...

First Official Gaelic Football on the Ice

Since the guys didn't allow the women to play Rugby - we didn't let the men play Gaelic Football...

Played w/ the Kiwis - McMurdo & Scott Base 🙂 
I had never played previously - but Jean registered everything to make it official.

Edited September 11, 2023 by Von & John

[icft]

6 minutes ago, Von & John said:

 

We played Gaelic Football on the Ice...

First Official Gaelic Football on the Ice

Since the guys didn't allow the women to play Rugby - we didn't let the men play Gaelic Football...

Played w/ the Kiwis - McMurdo & Scott Base 🙂 
I had never played previously - but Jean registered everything to make it official.

Can't click both the like and laugh buttons on your post so:

 

💙 😆

[eileeshb]

9 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

We played Gaelic Football on the Ice...

First Official Gaelic Football on the Ice

Since the guys didn't allow the women to play Rugby - we didn't let the men play Gaelic Football...

Played w/ the Kiwis - McMurdo & Scott Base 🙂 
I had never played previously - but Jean registered everything to make it official.

That would have been interesting! There is a fair bit of cross-over between rugby and Gaelic football in Ireland, it’s the reason more Irish rugby players are capable of kicking the ball and catching in the air rather than just the specialists within the team. You can even spot that a player had a Gaelic football background based on their kicking technique. The women’s rugby development officers here did a lot of recruiting in Gaelic football as they tried to grow the player base. There’s been a couple of occasions when the women’s sport supporters here were able to slag off the men when the women’s rugby team won tournaments or had significant wins while the men were rubbish or when the women’s boxers did better than the men. Most recently the women’s soccer team qualified for the World Cup while the men’s team can’t seem to buy a win at the moment. 
you may want to look into tag rugby.. it’s non contact mixed teams where the women’s tries are worth more than the men’s. Despite it being non-contact it was the sport that put me in cast and caused certain employers to refuse to allow their staff to finish early on league nights. Lots of finger injuries. 

[Happy0810]

Great review as always Greg!  Glad you had a good trip...well, except for the flights home.  Thanks for taking us along.

[Von & John]

On 9/3/2023 at 1:21 PM, Saint Greg said:

Do they have water slides on this ship? Can’t recall seeing any 

 

 

The water slides were removed on the renovation end of 2018/2019.

Our TransPacific was the 2nd to last cruise b/4 renovation - if I remember correctly.
On our final night we made use of the slides - just b/4 they closed the pools for the evening w/ one of our Peeps we met on the ship...

 

The slides were old & worn - many expressed frustration w/ the equipment.

As a life-long water rat... 

I didn't have any troubles w/ keeping the momentum going by accelerating w/ my hands.  Terry had some challenges on the first couple of runs (including stopping) - but then I showed him the solution... 

Our spur of the moment obstacle course of slides, pools & hot tubs was quite fun & a great memory... 

Happy we did it 🙃

The Pool Crew & our Fave Bar Teams joined in the laughter & fun - I will neither deny nor confirm if there are pic's & video's of us

 

[Von & John]

On 9/3/2023 at 2:59 PM, Saint Greg said:

Yeah. For those not in the know I’ve been carrying my own straws since the start of the ongoing straw strike of 2019. I keep them with my valuables but haven’t needed them on this ship.

 

 

 

 

Yes...
Straws & Whataburger Ketchup make an appearance - I was starting to lose hope!

[Von & John]

On 9/10/2023 at 11:12 AM, Mommapadraig said:

We winter in Mission (Fiesta Village) and go to Progresso. I don’t remember the Patio but there is one that sounds very similar called the “Rose Garden” .It’s  kind of in an alley on the left hand side about 2 blocks down from where you come in. We normally don’t drink there. No bathroom. We used to go to our favorite bar called Elsa’s but the owner wouldn’t pay the cartel so now it’s a pharmacy. Now We usually go to Jessica’s. One stop shopping.Pharmacy,restaurant, bar and musical entertainment. Plus bathrooms that flush.We aren’t sure what we pay for drinks. We think it’s 2.00 for a beer and 3.00 for a margarita that is too strong for me!

 

The Rose Garden may be the old Patio...
I'm not sure that was the official name or rather one Dad & Cronies made up...
Location sounds fairly accurate & there were flowers everywhere!

 

I don't recall the name of the restaurant we used to love...

It was also on the left side of the street - I am thinking first block or so - I know it was b/4 The Patio.
This was the first place I had "true" Queso Flameado - topped w/ brandy & served flambe table side.

We always walked across - one time I was hauling lots of tequila (it was still inexpensive then & much cheaper than I would find in Shreveport-Bossier).  I had a GREAT bag I brought along for just this purpose 🙂  Wow - left Shreveport in 1998 - so just a year or 2 ago...

My visits to them in Mission, w/ day trips to Progresso or Reynosa, lasted until a few years before they sold their place.

I haven't been back since.

[vswan]

Did I miss it or did St. Greg not do a wrap up of his thoughts on NCL vs Carnival? Just wondering what he felt were the good and bad of both lines and if he would choose one over the other for future sailings, or if they were about even. Some good, some bad on each line.

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, vswan said:

Did I miss it or did St. Greg not do a wrap up of his thoughts on NCL vs Carnival? Just wondering what he felt were the good and bad of both lines and if he would choose one over the other for future sailings, or if they were about even. Some good, some bad on each line.

Thought I did that on the ship. I’m a busy man. I have a website that posts two articles a week and I had nothing queued up when I got back…so since I’ve been back I did the two that posted Friday and today. And i updated my CD schedule, movie schedule, comedy schedule. I had four sets of fun times sent to me while I was gone I had to post.

 

I had to get caught up on movies. I watched three last week. Oh I’m a saints season ticket holder so I just traveled to/from New Orleans. MNF tonight, gotta watch movies the next two nights, TNF get together Thursday, more articles for Friday and Monday. A new set of movies that gets released on Thursday. I got a lot of stuff going on. Check out this range of posts.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Saint Greg

[Saint Greg]

2 hours ago, vswan said:

Did I miss it or did St. Greg not do a wrap up of his thoughts on NCL vs Carnival? Just wondering what he felt were the good and bad of both lines and if he would choose one over the other for future sailings, or if they were about even. Some good, some bad on each line.

But the short answer is I’m on Princess in two months, I already had four carnival cruises booked next year, but I’ll consider all lines after that. Probably not NCL during football season. Unless it’s a super great deal on the saints bye week.

 

[rwest898]

What date for Princess so I know when to go to Princess for your review. Thank you!

[detroitavant]

28 minutes ago, rwest898 said:

What date for Princess so I know when to go to Princess for your review. Thank you!

He's usually pretty good about posting to his last cruise thread when the new one starts.  Just make sure you're subscribed to this one.

[rwest898]

12 minutes ago, detroitavant said:

He's usually pretty good about posting to his last cruise thread when the new one starts.  Just make sure you're subscribed to this one.

I subscribe to all his reviews.  I just didn't know if he was going to post his link here.

[Saint Greg]

I’ve had departure times pushed back, but not up. Stinks for people flying in day of. 
 

ITINERARY AND FLIGHT GUIDELINE CHANGE

 

Please be advised that due to operational considerations, Regal Princess will now depart Galveston, Texas at 3:00 PM rather than 4:00 PM as previously scheduled. As a result, flights into George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) should arrive no later than 11:00 AM on embarkation day and flights into William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) should arrive no later than 11:30 AM. All guests must be in the terminal no later than 2:00 PM. If you have already booked a flight that will arrive later than the required time, we ask that you rebook your flight to an earlier arrival time. We understand this change may cause you to incur unexpected expenses. Reimbursement requests may be submitted for review at http://www.princess.com/refund-request; please complete and submit this form and any relevant receipts and documentation for our review. If you purchased independent vacation travel insurance, please submit your claim through your carrier before submitting a reimbursement request. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notification.

[Saint Greg]

1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

I’ve had departure times pushed back, but not up. Stinks for people flying in day of. 
 

ITINERARY AND FLIGHT GUIDELINE CHANGE

 

Please be advised that due to operational considerations, Regal Princess will now depart Galveston, Texas at 3:00 PM rather than 4:00 PM as previously scheduled. As a result, flights into George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) should arrive no later than 11:00 AM on embarkation day and flights into William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) should arrive no later than 11:30 AM. All guests must be in the terminal no later than 2:00 PM. If you have already booked a flight that will arrive later than the required time, we ask that you rebook your flight to an earlier arrival time. We understand this change may cause you to incur unexpected expenses. Reimbursement requests may be submitted for review at http://www.princess.com/refund-request; please complete and submit this form and any relevant receipts and documentation for our review. If you purchased independent vacation travel insurance, please submit your claim through your carrier before submitting a reimbursement request. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notification.

As for me, I’m driving and I heard the drink package doesn’t kick in until we hit international waters so I’m all for leaving an hour early.

 

[Mommapadraig]

12 hours ago, Von & John said:

 

The Rose Garden may be the old Patio...
I'm not sure that was the official name or rather one Dad & Cronies made up...
Location sounds fairly accurate & there were flowers everywhere!

 

I don't recall the name of the restaurant we used to love...

It was also on the left side of the street - I am thinking first block or so - I know it was b/4 The Patio.
This was the first place I had "true" Queso Flameado - topped w/ brandy & served flambe table side.

We always walked across - one time I was hauling lots of tequila (it was still inexpensive then & much cheaper than I would find in Shreveport-Bossier).  I had a GREAT bag I brought along for just this purpose 🙂  Wow - left Shreveport in 1998 - so just a year or 2 ago...

My visits to them in Mission, w/ day trips to Progresso or Reynosa, lasted until a few years before they sold their place.

I haven't been back since.

One of the favorite restaurants on the left hand side for many is Arturo’s. Fancy! White table cloths. We also love the flaming cheese. It’s no longer a deal to buy booze in Mexico. After paying the duty it’s about the same price stateside. 

[Saint Greg]

10 hours ago, rwest898 said:

What date for Princess so I know when to go to Princess for your review. Thank you!

I’ll post it here in early November.

 

[dallasdan]

8 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

As for me, I’m driving and I heard the drink package doesn’t kick in until we hit international waters so I’m all for leaving an hour early.

 

I wonder why Princess and Carnival treat the drink packages differently on embarkation from Galveston.

[AstoriaPreppy]

10 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

As for me, I’m driving and I heard the drink package doesn’t kick in until we hit international waters so I’m all for leaving an hour early.

 

 

Curious to hear how other lines handle this compared to Carnival. I know they all have limited menus out of Galveston, but when we did the Vista, the Red Frog pub ran a pre-departure discount pitcher of tropical drinks happy hour that was unadvertised, and also mobbed with repeat cruisers who knew about it. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by AstoriaPreppy

[Saint Greg]

8 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

Curious to know how other lines handle this compared to Carnival. I know they all have limited menus out of Galveston, but when we did the Vista, the Red Frog pub ran a discount pitcher of tropical drinks happy hour that was unadvertised, and also mobbed with repeat cruisers who knew about it. 

 

They did that when I was on Vista in 2021 but I don't think they have that special on embarkation day anymore. On Magic I think we had it on a port day.

 

With Carnival I think it's a little more difficult because you pay specifically for the drink package. Per day. On Princess, it's bundled with princess plus. Carnival would probably get more complaints about people not getting what they paid for.

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Saint Greg

[Uff da]

Greg, could you kindly tell me how to find your website? I think it's in here somewhere, but 100 pages is a lot to sift through.