Live From Celebrity Constellation 3/11-3/23

[jam19872016]

The menu.

 

 

[jam19872016]

Smothered burger for me the pasts for my mom.

 

 

[jam19872016]

Strawberry shortcake for me and my mom got the cobbler.

 

 

[jam19872016]

Stopped off at al bacio for a snack for later.

 

 

I think I may try for a nap 😴 

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

😀😀Actually I do like ginger ice cream, at least when cold so it might be a goer.

 

so, I am imagining light comedies with perfect teeth and perfect children and even a perfect dog.

 

Television did badly for Nixon when he was running against Kennedy, simply because of his uncouth appearance against Kennedy’s burnished charisma.

Yes it was about how light the shows were portraying the "perfect" families in "perfect" houses with "perfect" lives. A note able exception was The Honeymooners which portrayed a working class family.

 

Yes I do recall now that you mention it how badly TV went for him against Kennedy, that further fascinates me how he did so well in 1952. He was accused (and admitted) to embezzling tax payer money. He did not deny the accusation but rather justified why he did it, and he was forgiven. Amazing, and a piece of history I had never heard before. Realizing the power of TV, politicians going forward began hiring PR to help with their campaigns. I guess he forgot how important TV was when it came time to debate Kennedy.
 

 

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

And houses full of modern conveniences like automatic washing machines, which we in the UK could only dream of.

Lots of good information about advertising as well and how it was designed to be one big commercial. It wasn't just an automatic washing machine, it was meant to make you feel like you needed to also buy one because everyone but you has one. Very fascinating.
 

[jam19872016]

1 hour ago, Mike981 said:

 

Years ago I booked our family of four on a cruise that left from Tampa. I read about how cool it was to cruise under the bridge and more than one person said you need to get your spot early because it will get crowded. So I made a huge deal out of us getting a good spot right away and then the wait. A very long wait, unfortunately by the time we cruised under the bridge it was anticlimactic and I felt more than a little embarrassed.

Not to say it isn't a neat thing to see, but when you have two young kids and they are ready to go have fun it was a bit of a let down for them. 

Yes, I can't imagine waiting around for it which is also part of the reason I didn't have a great view. And for kids? No I don't think they would find it all that interesting 😅. I probably would not rearrange dinner for it again, unless it was dark, but I am glad I got to see it. 
 

 

[jam19872016]

Lunch was good. The mozzeralla sticks were not the frozen food variety but rather freshly breaded hunks of cheese. Super yummy. I would like a little more sauce.

 

The burger was good. Nothing amazing, just a really good burger with loads and loads of mushrooms. The bread was almost stale, I would have liked a fresher bun but overall it was still a good burger. The fries continue to be dreadful.

 

The shortcake didn't look like much but it was quite good. I thought I had enjoyed this previously but it was a huge let down on Reflection so I am glad that I tried it again, this was, indeed, very very good. 
 

[exlondoner]

12 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

Yes it was about how light the shows were portraying the "perfect" families in "perfect" houses with "perfect" lives. A note able exception was The Honeymooners which portrayed a working class family.

 

Yes I do recall now that you mention it how badly TV went for him against Kennedy, that further fascinates me how he did so well in 1952. He was accused (and admitted) to embezzling tax payer money. He did not deny the accusation but rather justified why he did it, and he was forgiven. Amazing, and a piece of history I had never heard before. Realizing the power of TV, politicians going forward began hiring PR to help with their campaigns. I guess he forgot how important TV was when it came time to debate Kennedy.
 

 

Lots of good information about advertising as well and how it was designed to be one big commercial. It wasn't just an automatic washing machine, it was meant to make you feel like you needed to also buy one because everyone but you has one. Very fascinating.
 

Of course you want to keep up with the Joneses, but ownership of an automatic washing machine really was transformative for housewives, much more so than other convenience goods. Not for nothing did Hotpoint call their machine the Liberator. It really was.

[jam19872016]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Of course you want to keep up with the Joneses, but ownership of an automatic washing machine really was transformative for housewives, much more so than other convenience goods. Not for nothing did Hotpoint call their machine the Liberator. It really was.

I liked the TV dinners best, fondness for food that I have 🙂

 

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, jam19872016 said:

I liked the TV dinners best, fondness for food that I have 🙂

 

A TV dinner is hardly an advance on a sandwich. 😀

[hcat]

We recently  had a  presentation abt NASA and the Space Race on ASCENT....Cruise after ours  had an expert on Underwater exploration.

 

Sometimes you get sports, movies,  lots of variety! Luck of the draw..unless it's an itin where they bring on a naturalist...

 

What else do they offer on board? Are you able to walk..inside or outside?  Is they gym up to date?

How are the shops?

[cruisetonowhere10]

4 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

Lunch was good. The mozzeralla sticks were not the frozen food variety but rather freshly breaded hunks of cheese. Super yummy. I would like a little more sauce.

 

The burger was good. Nothing amazing, just a really good burger with loads and loads of mushrooms. The bread was almost stale, I would have liked a fresher bun but overall it was still a good burger. The fries continue to be dreadful.

 

The shortcake didn't look like much but it was quite good. I thought I had enjoyed this previously but it was a huge let down on Reflection so I am glad that I tried it again, this was, indeed, very very good. 
 

I probably should not be having this much fun looking at food pictures, but keep them coming.  

[jam19872016]

I never did get a nap. I ended up having a lazy afternoon. Did my exercise in the gym, spent some time in the sauna, and watched a little TV. They don't have the on demand movies like on a lot of Celebrity ships. I was looking forward to watching a movie with my mom to keep her occupied. 

 

Loaded my $100 in freeplay and cashed out $110. Didn't get rich but didn't do too bad. 

 

I also did a tour of the bars for happy hour. Cellar Masters was the only slow bar and he walked away as I was trying to tip him. Odd. I probably won't have but a few glasses tonight, I am pretty worn out from going too hard last night. The ABBA singalong I did not see offered is tonight so I would like to make it to that, TBD if I can stay awake for that but I'm going to try.
 

[jam19872016]

3 hours ago, hcat said:

We recently  had a  presentation abt NASA and the Space Race on ASCENT....Cruise after ours  had an expert on Underwater exploration.

 

Sometimes you get sports, movies,  lots of variety! Luck of the draw..unless it's an itin where they bring on a naturalist...

 

What else do they offer on board? Are you able to walk..inside or outside?  Is they gym up to date?

How are the shops?

I enjoy going to presentations when they are offered, although I don't usually make it because I am not a morning person. I barely made this one, the time change worked in my favor. 

I'll post screen shots of the day's activities on the next sea day to give you an idea but there are a lot of things going on.

 

The walking track is outside but it is tiny, and people tend to set up their lounge chairs in the middle of the path, just not a great spot for a walking track. I have been using the gym, the machines are nice. They have games on them to keep my mind distracted and have vents blowing cool air out to keep me from getting too hot. Not a large gym, but big enough for the amount of people using it.

 

I have not been to the shops yet, I asked my mom her opinion. She was not impressed. Not a great variety and things she was interested in were expensive. She is an extreme bargain hunter though, so you can take that with a grain of salt.

 

5 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I probably should not be having this much fun looking at food pictures, but keep them coming.  

No calories when you consume just the photos 🙂

 

[hcat]

I like to look..but seeing all those plated carbs makes me nervous..

 

I follow a carb limited meal plan for health needs,  but of course with  some cheats along the way ....

 

That's why I was asking about  places to walk and the gym.

[jam19872016]

Sunset tonight out my streaky window. Blocked by the clouds.

 

[hcat]

 

Very nice photo!

Is your mom enjoying the cruise?

Edited March 12 by hcat

[jam19872016]

.2 lbs gained today, not bad for the amount of food I ate.

 

Lots of steps.

 

[jam19872016]

Effy drawing at 7, then we will brave the dinner line.

[jam19872016]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

I like to look..but seeing all those plated carbs makes me nervous..

 

I follow a carb limited meal plan for health needs,  but of course with  some cheats along the way ....

 

That's why I was asking about  places to walk and the gym.

I count calories but go crazy in vacation. 

 

1 minute ago, hcat said:

Is your mom enjoying the cruise?

I think so, too soon to tell though.

[Celandine]

Yay following you live again! 
 

for your time in Panama, not sure how far it is as when I went for a few days my dad drove me around, but the Panama Canal museum was fantastic and I highly suggest it if it’s possible! 
 

 

[jam19872016]

My free wifi ran out at dinner and I'm thinking I've learned the casino minutes are consecutive, not log off and then back in so didn't want to activate them at dinner.

 

Line was much shorter but still took a while to reach the front.

 

 

The wait for the pager to go off.

 

[jam19872016]

The menu.

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

Posting the pictures of the meals and I'll provide commentary later, I'm determined to stretch this free wifi until tomorrow to see if the cost goes down 😆. 

 

We didn't get starters. She wanted to mains so I convinced her to skip a starter because I will take any chance to eliminate a course amd the starters just don't excite me.

 

We both got the scampi.

 

 

My seared duck.

 

 

My mom's grilled lamb t bone.

 

 

Checking in on the salt and pepper.

 

[jam19872016]

Dessert menu.

 

 

 

 

I got after nine ice cream and chocolate cake. I ordered after eight but the waiter informed me they were out and only had after nine 😆.