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Sony PlayStation 3 Super Slim Crystal White Limited Edition Bundle ( 500GB)
While it will begin to cede its position to the PS4 in 2015, the PlayStation 3 still delivers impressively strong value for gaming and video entertainment.
Samsung BD-H6500
The Samsung BD-H6500 is simply the quickest Blu-ray player we've seen, delivering lightning-fast access to your movies on disc and streaming services like Netflix.
Microsoft Xbox One ( without Kinect)
The cheaper, no-Kinect version of the Xbox One gives buyers a better deal by eliminating the one part of the console they probably didn't want to begin with -- but the PS4 remains a compelling alternative.
Sony BDP-S3200
The Sony BDP-S3200 will play your Blu-rays just fine but it doesn't do enough to embrace streaming media like its competitors.
The LG BP530 has built-in Wi-Fi and a good selection of apps, but there are just enough quirks to keep it from being a top Blu-ray player pick.
Samsung BD-F5900
The Samsung BD-F5900 is an excellent Blu-ray player with the right mix of usability, performance, and speed.
Microsoft Xbox One Madden NFL 15 Bundle
Its high price and imperfect voice control and TV integration keep the Xbox One short of must-have territory, but the inclusion of Titanfall for free (for new purchases) helps Microsoft's console hold the line against Sony's compelling PS4.
Sony PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4's beautiful graphics, smart interface, blazing performance, near-perfect controller and better indie offerings give it a slight edge over the Xbox One as both consoles enter their second year.
Sony BDP-S5100
The Sony BDP-S5100 Blu-ray player offers a wealth of services and very good image quality for the money.
Panasonic DMP-BDT230
The Panasonic DMP-BDT230 is a mostly solid Blu-ray player, except it serves up obnoxious ads in its onscreen interface.


text: If you aren't interested, or get a duplicate of this message, hit delete now. Just a note to let my friends know that I got home from the hospital last Friday. I've been sleeping a lot - drugs and the after-effects of anesthesia do that to me - so I haven't felt like writing very much. I wanted to publicly thank Arabella, Maria, and Donnel for helping Llywelyn and I through this tough time. His project has hit crunch time (and we do like to keep those paychecks rolling in!). Llywelyn got Arnbjorn and Sam packed up and off to Scout Camp, so the dogs and I are being quiet and philosophical. Not many people will get up in the wee hours of the morning, drive you to the hospital, and sit with you until you are taken into the operating room - Arabella did that for me. Not many people will be there for you when you get out of surgery and go to battle with the floor nurses to make sure you aren't starved to death - Maria did that for me. Not many people will safeguard your home your pets, and your children - Donnel, Maria, and Arabella did that for me. THANK YOU!!! Those who called and wished me well, or sent me an e-mail to cheer me up - thank you for reaching out the hand of friendship. As for the surgery, my right foot - the weightbearing one - has "THE BOOT" on it (you know the one - looks like a stormtrooper's tap shoe) and five stitches in the heel. The left one looks like a Q-Tip for the Jolly Green Giant wrapped with an ace bandage around it. It must be elevated just about all the time or it feels like someone is taking multiple tourniquets and winding them very tightly around my ankle and foot. The Darvoset and Soma combination does a lot of good, but my knitting is suffering (Oops, dropped another stitch, but who cares? Snore......) I get to take it off next Tuesday and get a cast on it. yahoo....If I make it to Coronation, I'll bring the multicolored Sharpies again for the C & I folks:) Anyway, I've ordered chinese food to be delivered and it's here. Hugs to you all, Xene Tomorrow, Llywelyn and I celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. Fortunately, Macaroni Grill has a take-out:)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Safe journey sir. I know you are bursting to see you kids. And I know a ton of emotions will be erupting tonight.
And while I agree in principle with Bigger, I am going to take a contrarian's viewpoint. You see, I am assuming you are the kind of man that would take a bullet for your kids. In fact, I am betting you will do everything in your power to make them feel loved and safe. So, I don't think it is even worth commenting that you should consider doing this.
No, I think you put others first probably way too much.
And if it has not already, it is going to eat away at you. Give, give, give and give and get hurt, hurt, hurt and hurt is not healthy in any way, shape or form.
And brother, you need to find healthy. Your kids need you healthy. I say this with as much respect for you as possible, because I know you love her, but your wife is some kind of "messed up." While I am sure she is good mother, coming to terms with what she has been, what she has done, and what she is facing is going create challenges that even a healthy person would find daunting.
That is likely to spill over to parenting.
So, please, SWAT. Continue to take care of yourself. Your kids need you! Find what you need to help your healing. And if that means (legally) crushing OM, so be it. If that means separation, so be it. If it means meditating while standing on your head, well, good luck with that.
Strength and blessings to you.
[This message edited by reallyscrewedup7 at 7:38 PM, May 15th (Thursday)]
Basically my parents lied to me more often than not..... I don't think they were evil at all.....I knew they loved me in their own ways....Looking back I just don't think they knew what the heck they were doing when it came to handling their kids in this kind of situation......
As a result of being the kid of my parents in this kind of mess, I got so confused.. During those years I lost all trust in adults in general. I believed that all of the gown ups in my life were liars..I was in my early teens when I learned that not all grownups were liars and that some adults actually kept their promises..
When I think back on those years, the one thing I would have appreciated was to have somebody TALK to me and tell me what was going on..My adjustment to the tension that was ever present in our house, would have been smoother had my parents not underestimated my perception of things.. All they had to do was tell me the truth in a way a young kid would understand, of why they were always upset....I didn't know if somebody died, if my parents were upset with me or what the heck..I was fed the "Everything is gonna be okay" line without being given specific information I could process and make sense of..
You have so much on your plate and here I have written you a mini novel, I apologize... I just wanted to say that I like the advice seen here on letting your kids know what is happening in an age appropriate manner and maybe getting them some GOOD counseling somewhere along the way if it is possible..Whatever it takes so these kiddos don't lose trust in their adult peeps...
...and what screwedup said totally resonates with me in how I think you are handling your situation..I admire you...
Sending you and your family prayers...((((SWAT))))
[This message edited by doggiediva at 8:24 PM, May 15th (Thursday)]
After they fell asleep I hung out for a while and drank some beer with FIL and BIL. I told BIL we needed to have a talk but now wasn't the time. WW warmed up a bit and seemed to calm down after the kids went to sleep. I was polite but I wasn't able to comfort her, I'm very angry with her right now and didn't want to push the issue in front of everyone. I told her we would to have a talk soon.
I was calm on the outside but good lord my guts were churning. I'm dreading the coming conversations and I'm not even sure what I'm going to say.
So I am home in my own bed and I am sorry if this all makes no sense. I'm pretty tired right now.
I'm glad you're home because you will have a ton of things churning in your mind, stomach, and heart and it's come home to roost. I'm nowhere near the level of expert many others are here but I can assure you they will have more words of wisdom.
Just know you've got lots of people listening.
yeah. we all went through this in some form or another and its never pretty.
i know what helped me. i made an outline to follow so i didnt forget anything. i took notes on what my wife said.
dont be rushed into a decision. you have time. you can think and make up your mind over time. you made a commitment when you got married and followed it, she broke it, its up to you what you do about that - and you do NOT need to decide now.
from 09/11 - 05/13
2 ONS, 10 sexting partners, 1 LT EA/PA
??/06/13 DD/1 - admits to LT EA, begin false R.
01/13/14 DD/2 - LTA was PA.
01/18/14 DD/3 - sexting 5 guys.
01/19/14 DD/4 - 2 ONS with different guys
Swat, I am so sorry - I've been reading this thread (and your wife's), and I cannot imagine the pain that you are enduring. Ultimately, though, as William said, this is going to take time. And in that time you will know if you want to R or move on. I understand children are involved so that makes it all the more difficult for you. What a mess.
Of course we don't know her as you do, but it appears as though she is "listening" to the advice being given to her on this site. I hope very much that she continues to receive advice and support...and hope she gets the help she needs so she can be a better person no matter what the outcome of your M.
Sending strength...
I am happy that you were able to spend some time bonding with your babies. That's the most important thing right now.
Remember you and your kids are the priority. Base you actions on how you can best care for those people, and I bet you will make smart good choices.
I hope you were able to get some well deserved sleep.
(((and strength))))
If/when you feel up to it let us know how you are doing this week. Lots on your mind I'm sure.
Why do you think the OM is going crazy now? Why not a year ago when your WW claims she ended the affair after you got hurt?
That's a gap of nine months between your WW claim of ending the A, and your DDay!!!
I'm not even sure what I'm going to say.
That's ok. We talk about not making decisions for 6 months to a year. Don't force it. Watch, observe, get a feel for the lay of the land.
My suggestion of having the WW stay at her parents for a few days was predicated on the idea of what it's going to feel like co-parenting after the D if that's the avenue you choose. See what that's like. Focus on your kids.
Another option is one that I took for the first 10-11 months.(It took my FWW 7-8 months to really reach *remorse*, regret? Within the first day). I didn't have a term for it until another member pointed it out and that was *not divorcing*. In my eyes, it was not really R because I wasn't yet ready to really try, but not really headed to D because I really, really didn't want that, but didn't see any alternatives. So *not divorcing* it was. I gave her the time to *show* me who she really was and what she was willing to do to save the M. It gave me time and removed the pressure of forcing the issue one way or the other. Quite honestly, had I been forced, I'd be posting to you from the D side and recommending you dump her immediately.
Just wanted to throw a viable alternative out on the table for you. I/we will support you in any decision you make.
The pain I see and can actually feel for you both is really something. You both love one another so much that is a fact.
What you explain in your last post of your gut turning, I remember and still get that way but my wh is still in a non remorse state really and feels entitled to keep OW in phone and text... So I know that feeling when it is time to confront and talk about it all. For you, however, I think it is a real turning point no matter the outcome that you are both here.
I know you are hurt and angry and feel validated. We all know that feeling.. however again as the others have said, OM is pissed and it was I bet because your wife is having strong NC and it pissed the crazy man off.
I am glad your babies got to see daddy! That little girl squeal is because she was so excited to see you. I remember that with my dad.
You have a beautiful family and you sound like a wonderful man. Your wife to me sounds like a wonderful woman you lost her way and needs some help. Sounds like she is getting it on the other forum.
I wish the best for all of you. I really do.
"You never know how strong you are until being strong is all you have left"
Just having the conversation to say " I don't know what I want right now," might help to break the tension.
Sometimes keeping stuff to yourself makes it worse KWIM ?
It is your call, but if you were anything like me you are having practice conversations in your head with your W. Maybe you are more sane that me, but I have to tell you if you are doing that is not constructive and is making you feel worse.
At some point the anger you feel needs to be expressed. If you keep turning that inward it is going to morph into depression. BTDT.
Just hoping to help you in your journey and pass along advice that I wish I had at the time.
There is usually a pretty decent beer discussion in the Menz forum on Fridays, stop in. It might do you some good to focus on something else for little bit.
Dday 8/31/11. ONS that occurred 3 years earlier. Lied to for 3 years.
Every truth comes to light in a long enough timeline.
I'll only reference your thread though, to keep to your boundary.
I feel that while it's natural for her to be 'hurt' by your distance. A more mature woman would suck it up and after being told that you need space, wouldn't push it at all. Someone that actively wants to take responsibility for not only their actions but the aspect of their personality that led them to this; should, in my opinion, be much more diligent in burdening you with their emotions that require anything from you right now.
If anything she should be doing her darn best to make things easy for you instead of trying to push to cling to you and not hiding her hurt that you don't want her to.
Just from my perspective, if I had pulled that stunt she did, I wouldn't be expecting any sort of hug. I instead would be very wary of how I should act. It's just the results of those sorts of actions
D-Day, June 10, 2012
I am so sorry for the meat grinder you have been through. One day, one hour, one minute at a time some days is all you can do.
Your SI twitter account is alive and well when you need it.
Take some time to reflect on that and allow yourself to feel proud of that. I know it is hard, but as many people have said before, this isn't on you. It is on your W.
The thing that struck me when my IC presented it to me was that my W could be married to someone else and this would have still happened to that guy. The point is there are things broken inside of your wife. Big things that allow her to make destructive choices. As much as you wanted to avoid this, it was unavoidable and out of your control.
the sad fact in life is that bad things to happen to good people and vice versa.
Right now spending time with your IC figuring out what is important to you in life would be key. Therein lies the info you need to decide what path you ultimately take. Keep your options open and protect yourself.
You have more than earned your way out of this M if you want it, but remember what I told you about when I was going to move out. Sometimes it helps to realize there are greater purposes in life much larger than one person. You live your life everyday doing selfless acts for others so I know you get what I mean.
Spend some time with your kids. As Bigger pointed out they are likely going to need some comfort and support. Just like you, they did not deserve any of this.
Keep posting, it really does help.
Now get some rest and, when you have some time, please let us know what you decide to do. You've got about a zillion of us rooting for you!!
SWAT you handled everything in this honorably. I know that is a small consolation to you right now, but it makes a big difference later on.
Take some time to reflect on that and allow yourself to feel proud of that.


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WTLN AOM - Eastland Baptist
Arnold Overby
Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 7:00 PM - Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 8:00 PM (EDT)
Orlando, FL
The cost to attend this AOM event is $35.00
To register, simply click on the GREEN REGISTER link above
Eastland with hold the Art of Marriage on Wednesday nights beginning September 4th and on five more Wednesday nights for individuals that find the arrangment better for their schedule.
In order to purchase these tickets in installments, you'll need an Eventbrite account. Log in or sign up for a free account to continue.


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ST. PAUL LEGAL LEDGER CAPITOL REPORT Minnesota's best hope for reducing disparities and achieving broad improvement in educational results was on display last week at a packed ballroom at the St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center. Some 300 of the "Granite City's" most involved citizens, from CEOs to principals to parents to social workers to new immigrant leaders, turned out to applaud the unveiling of St. Clo... Read More
ST. PAUL LEGAL LEDGER CAPITOL REPORT The dear hearts and gentle people of our own small towns in Chisago County were in the national spotlight recently, targets of a New York Times Sunday blockbuster (Feb. 12) headlined, "Even Critics of Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It." The article, complete with an interactive map showing "The Geography of Government Benefits," displayed the percentage of income from entitlement... Read More
ST. PAUL LEGAL LEDGER CAPITOL REPORT In the lakes-and-woods landscape surrounding Grand Rapids in north central Minnesota, a wide array of community leaders have banded together with seven school districts in several counties to chart a comprehensive road map toward improved student success, beginning with stronger early childhood education and going all the way through to career preparation. In and around our farm-belt food-processing ... Read More
Optimism rising among rural Minnesota manufacturers, except when it comes to health care MinnPost.com I feel a strong kinship for rural Minnesota business owners, having enjoyed a corporate career that included managing a manufacturing firm in Olivia, the Corn Capital. I'd like to think I can feel their pain. And the pain that I felt at a recent southern Minnesota economic conference was mostly centered around health-care bills... Read More
ST. PAUL LEGAL LEDGER CAPITAL REPORT The usual debate has broken out over whether it's an investment in short-term job creation and long-term economic health, or profligate use of a "credit card." One of the outstanding things I noticed about Minnesota on arriving here in the early 1970s, right up there with the refreshing coolness of the summer mornings, was the high quality of the state's physical public infrastructu... Read More
Web Development by Creative Arc, a Minneapolis Web Design firm.


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Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD)
Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) seeks part-time sibling support coordinator. Read more.
Kennedy Krieger Institute leaders, Dr. Harolyn Belcher and Ken Capone, win Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) awards for their exemplary service. Read more.
Oct. 22-28, 2014: Review Sessions of the Community Pathways Waiver
DDA forum to receive feedback on Community Pathways waiver that would affect individuals with disabilities. Read more.
November 1, 2014: Autism Conference on the Eastern Shore
A one-day conference on autism topics at Chesapeake College. Read more.
November 17, 2014: Town Hall Meeting with Director of the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)
Bernard Simons, DDA director, will speak about DDA priorities, initiatives and answer questions. Read more.
Our State Sister OrganizationsMaryland Disability Law Center: State Protection and Advocacy Agency
Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council: State Council on Developmental Disabilities
The Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities is one of a national network of University Centers for Excellence (UCEDD) federally funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. We are committed to helping people with developmental disabilities maximize their potential and enjoy success in community life.
The mission of the Maryland Center For Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger is to maximize potential and create change to increase the capacity of the community to incorporate state-of-the-art advances so that persons of any age with, or at risk for, developmental disabilities can achieve independence, productivity, and inclusion within their communities. This is accomplished through interdisciplinary pre-service training, exemplary community service, technical assistance, research, and dissemination activities.
The Maryland Center For Developmental Disabilities envisions that all persons with developmental disabilities lead fully inclusive and meaningful lives.
- Excellence: Leading through innovation, best practices and collaborations
- Integration
- Choice/Self Empowerment
- Dignity/Respect
- Individual and Family Centered
- Cultural Competence
People with developmental disabilities are increasingly assuming their rightful place in society. Staff of the projects of the MCDD adhere to high ethical standards of professional practice and respect and support the legal and human rights of people with developmental disabilities and their families.


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Photo by Matthew Rodgers Todd Barry's twenty years in the comedy scene and far-ranging television credentials (Wonder Showzen, Sesame Street, Chappelle's Show, Sex and the City, Hot Off the Grill with Bobby Flay -- plus one of his more recent stints on the tube, the insane bongo-player who nearly b ... More >>
View a larger image of the full wall. As always, it's back to the CIA wall where RTD honcho ACEE, HOME from BTR crew and Double from GuerillaGarden have sprayed down an homage to the Dave Chappelle character Sir Smoke-A-Lot, from the 1998 cult classic, Half Baked. It's the little touches that c ... More >>
View a larger image of the full wall. As always, it's back to the CIA wall where RTD honcho ACEE, HOME from BTR crew and Double from GuerillaGarden have sprayed down an homage to the Dave Chappelle character Sir Smoke-A-Lot, from the 1998 cult classic, Half Baked. It's the little touches that c ... More >>
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After scorching the screen with 'Yeh mere dil'- DON, Kareena Kapoor is back with another sizzling number. Her camaraderie with good friend Tushaar Kapoor is no secret. The two often hang out together and have common friends, Tushaar recently told us in an interview.
Well the buzz is the lady has agreed to appear in a promotional item song in KYA LOVE STORY HAI. The film stars Tushaar and Ayesha Takia and is directed by debutant Lovely Singh. Apparently Kareena has waived off her fee since Lovely is a good buddy. The song will be shot at an exotic location. Lovely was assisting director Satish Kaushik earlier. The film is produced by N.R Pachisia and the cast and crew is presently shooting in South Africa. Tushaar and Kareena were seen together in MUJHE KUCH KEHNA HAI and JEENA SIRF MERE LIYE earlier.
Kareena looks every bit of the enchantress in 'Yeh mere dil'...So lets hope her next number is even more rocking.
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Shippers and carriers view this year's East and Gulf Coast longshore labor negotiations with a sense of trepidation and an eye on the calendar.
The coastwide contract between the International Longshoremen's Association and United States Maritime Alliance expires Sept. 30. As the union and employers prepare for negotiations this spring on a new agreement, cargo interests are tweaking contingency plans.
At this point, it's watchful waiting. But if the ILA and USMX don't show progress by midsummer, some importers may begin trying to line up alternative gateways, as they did a decade ago on the West Coast when negotiations got sticky before a 10-day lockout of International Longshore and Warehouse Union members.
The big question: What does Harold want?
This year's ILA negotiations will be the union's first under its new president, Harold Daggett. His election last July coincided with growing signs of militancy by the ILA, which hasn't had a coastwide strike since 1977.
Cargo interests' nervousness increased last summer when Daggett told ILA convention delegates he was "against automation" and would resist job cuts resulting from labor-saving technology.
The current ILA-USMX contract frees companies to introduce technology with six months' notice, but allows the union to negotiate the impact on jobs. That process is occurring now at Global Terminal, which plans to install remote-controlled yard cranes and truck-gate scanners as part of an expansion of its Bayonne, N.J., terminal.
Port employers are adamant about not allowing the ILA to veto new technology needed to keep pace with rising cargo volume.
In a statement this month, Daggett acknowledged the inevitability of technology, but called for job guarantees in exchange for its introduction. He cited contracts negotiated by Local 1804-1, which he previously headed, and Local 1964, which has organized vessel planners and other carrier employees in New Jersey.
"We know technology is coming, and we know we can't stop it forever, but we will not be deterred from protecting our work and our jurisdiction," Daggett said. "Companies will want technology that makes them more efficient and profitable, but the ILA will make sure that such technology does not adversely affect our work force and our members."
Technology is only one of several likely bargaining issues. Although neither side has detailed its bargaining position, employers hope to use the coastwide master contract and local contract negotiations to secure productivity gains and control costs.
The current contract was revised and extended in 2009. It reduced carriers' costs in the first year, but provided back-loaded wage increases and eliminated caps on carriers' tonnage-based container royalties, which fund annual bonuses and other ILA benefits. As cargo volume has recovered from the recession, carriers' container royalty payments have soared.
The shape of contract negotiations will become clearer in the next several weeks. The ILA's 200-member wage scale committee will meet in late March to hash out initial proposals and hear from USMX representatives. Formal negotiations are expected to follow in April.
-- Contact Joseph Bonney at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @josephbonney.


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best cruise food
We'd like to take a cruise but wonder which lines have the best food? We took a cruise on Carnival and the food was a notch above Applebees. Any suggestions?
I've heard from my parents, frequent cruisers, that Holland America has the best food.
I've been on Royal Caribbean and Princess and enjoyed the food on both -- Princess a bit more because they had the additional a la carte restaurants, which are always a treat.
I would always vote the smaller ships. The one thing I hated about cruise ship dining was how institutional it felt -- like I was in a mess hall with nicer linens.
re: Covert Ops
If you go on Holland America, go to the Pinnacle Grill. Much better than the main dining room, and if you do your homework early, you can get comped(we got it twice - once from the line(they wanted to fill the room the first night)and once from our travel agent)and we liked it so much we went back two other times. The casual food on the Lido deck is quite good too.
Well, I can tell you with certainty that it isn't Carnival Cruise lines!!!
my foodie blog:
I wasn't that impressed with Holland America's, except in their specialty restaurant, the Pinacle.
I think the top 2 are Silversea & Seabourne, by far. I love Silversea's La Salletta restaurant & their galley tour brunch is the only buffet I'll do - it's delicious!!
We've done quite a few Celebrity cruises, and have always enjoyed the food: It's not Michelin 3 star, but they do a pretty darn good job of feeding tasty food to lots of people. Try to get a tour of the kitchen -- amazing place! The kitchen is also very willing to cater to special dietary needs. A word about the service: It beats just about anything you'll find on land!
Interesting question. I am looking to take my girlfriend on a shorter cruise (5 days or less) and I'd like to go to something that is on a 3 star Michelin level.
3 star Michelin means the best food on the planet -- I don't think you're apt to find this on a boat, given the sourcing constraints. It's not like the chef can go to the local market and buy what's best that day. Cooking on a cruise presents many challenges that land-bound chefs don't have to deal with. It's really not fair to make a comparison between ship and land chefs.
Celebrity is better than any of the other "Mainstream Cruise lines". You typically get what you pay for, all round.
In September, my parents went on a cruise with Crystal Cruises, on the Crystal Symphony. I hear this is the end-all, beat-all cruise line in terms of service and quality of dining. They went on the cruise with 10 of my aunts and uncles, and my grandparents, and none of them could stop raving about the gorgeous food. They even brought home menus for my brother and I to be jealous over!
Here's a sample menu from their website:
re: operagirl
that looks excellent, thanks for that!
re: jpschust
You're welcome. Bear in mind my grandparents are quite the gourmets (my grandma used to cater with Narsai David), so nobody was exaggerating!
re: operagirl
Second or third the recommendation for the Crystal cruise line and Seabourn. My grandparents were avid cruisers who would only travel on the "best" and Crystal was their line of choice (after the Royal Viking Line went out of business).
Seabourn took over several ships from the Royal Viking Line, which was their former favorite. I've been on a couple of Crystal cruises and the food is excellent. My all time best trip was on the Royal Viking Queen (which is now the Seabourn Legend). All food was top-notch and included in the price. You could order (beluga) caviar as an appetizer every single night, which I did for the entire three week cruise (this was in 1992, before the beluga crises).
Here's the Seabourn website:
I've sailed on Princess twice now, but my parents are frequent cruisers and won't go on any other lines. In general, I've enjoyed the food on the ship, but after seven days worth of the stuff I always seem to find something particularly junky like Taco Bell or McDonald's to be oddly appealing... Here's a quick rundown of the food on Princess ships (This info is based on the Star Princess, but applies for the other Grand Class ships as well.)
Dining rooms: There are options for either traditional fixed seating dining (you eat at a specific time)or Personal Choice dining, where you can choose when you eat. We generally opt for the personal choice, since we don't usually know when we're going to eat. For dinner, the menus are four courses (appetizer, soup/salad, entree and dessert) and for each course there will be some items always available, and other items which change on a daily basis (roughly 3-4 of each.) A lot of the items do use some fairly costly (and even soem rather exotic) ingredients, with the most expensive items (like lobster tails) served on the second formal night (there are 2 on a 7 day cruise.) Even when it's not formal night, they'd like you to dress up a little nicer than usual for the dining rooms (a button-up shirt and khakis will do.) I'm not familiar with breakfast and lunch items in the dining room, since we didn't ever eat those in the dining rooms. Also keep in mind that alcoholic beverages are charged separately from the meal, which pretty much holds true throughout the ship. There are plenty of options for those, and there are non-alcoholic options as well.
In addition to the usual dining room fare, the Princess ships also have an steakhouse option (very good steaks,although they come with an additional $15 charge per passenger and you'll probably want to make a reservation when you board in order to get the seating you want) and Sabatini's, an Italian restaurant which is supposed to be very good, but I haven't tried it ($25 per person service charge, and same warning on reservations.)
On the less formal side, there's the Horizon Court Buffet, which is open 24 hours, and is about what you'd expect from a buffet (although oftentimes the entrees from dinner do make their way to the buffet later in the evening if you find something you want seconds on.) It's a lot more informal, and you can take the stuff from here pretty much wherever you want. Also during the day, there is a pizzeria (with limited selections that change daily, but the pizza is much better than the usual chain pizza) and a grill (standard burger-and-fries fare) found near the outdoor pool area. There's also an ice cream parlor open during the day, but this comes with an additional charge as well.
Overall, the food on Princess is quite good, as long as you don't mind the selection being somewhat limited. You have to keep in mind they need to be able to feed 3,000 passengers a day (plus another 1,000 crew) and most of the time they're not going to be able to restock food during the cruise.
re: Vexorg
I ate at Sabatini's once, it was quiet, dimly lit and relaxing, a nice change from the mess-hall dining room experience.
I don't recall the meal (it was several years ago) but I remember it was about 5 courses and had limoncello at the end. ;-)
re: Vexorg
Why do I remember our Princess cruise where every meal was included in the price of the cruise and it was usually 'all I could eat". They would give me 2nds or an entirely different entree if I couldn't decide which one I wanted.
This was in a 1990 Panama Canal cruise
re: Vexorg
I went on a Princess Cruise and went for the flexible seating. I found I couldn't just eat there whenever I wanted though. If I didn't want to wait for a table, I had to make reservations.
The food on Princess was pretty good, although I didn't always think it was imaginative. I remember enjoying some of the stuff in the buffet - like the pesto lasagne.
I had dinner at Sabatino's one night. I did enjoy it, but I don't know if it was worth the extra cost.
I never did try the pizza. I"m a little sad about that. I've heard it's pretty good.
Holland America has top-notch service and some of the best and friendliest staff around, but their food tends to be rather bland and mediocre. My parents just got off a HAL cruise, and they were not impressed with the food (although they raved about the crew, as usual).
Princess actually has excellent food considering how many people they're serving.
Crystal's food is also excellent, and their specialty restaurants are to die for. What's nice about Crystal is that the supplements for their specialty restaurants are really reasonable, so it pays to make a run for the restaurants to make reservations as soon as you board.
NCL to Bermuda, most of the dining room food was just awful. Knowing that the destination to port was a short one, we just hung on for local fare. Reminder: if you drink coffee-cruise java is by far the worst experience.
Our first cruise was a Princess cruise and we found the food so bad that we wouldn't get on another ship for 5 years. Now, to possibly give Princess an excuse there was a new chef on the ship that cruise.
We met a woman in Ft. Lauderdale once who had worked for a few cruise lines. She told us that the more a cruise line charges on average means the more they spend on food per passenger and the quality improves. So, taking her advice we have been on 3 Radisson/Regent cruises. The food quality was light years ahead of Princess but we felt like we were on a floating retirement community. Last year we tried the Queen Mary 2. Overall not as luxurious as Regent but we enjoyed the food outside of the main restaurant. This was the best balance of good enough food and finding people our own age to meet.
My wife and I are planning a food and wine spotlight cruise on the Reagent Voyager through the Mediterranean. Any one been on one of these cruises or heard of anyone else's experiences?
Try www.cruisecritic.com Great site, forums there would be a great place to post this topic. You'll get the low down from lots of people about their opinions about the food on every cruise line imaginable.
I've only been on NCL and found that it varies. My first cruise to the Eastern Carribbean the food was fantastic and service was tremendously professional - but we also were seated each night in a separate smaller dining area set off from the main larger room (not a specialty restaurant, just a smaller room with tables for 2 and all ocean views).
Second cruise to Bermuda was mediocre at best, and service at dinner was actually pretty awful on some evenings; like HillJ mentioned above. The waitstaff were horribly under-trained and many pompous and acting as if they knew better than you when you'd complain about something wrong with the food or wine. The saving grace on that cruise turned out to be that the gentleman in charge of the dining room turned out to be the same one in charge of the 1st cruise I took 3 years prior (our honeymoon, different & better boat/destination). He actually remembered us (not just making it up - he specifically had details to relay back to us!) and from that moment on made sure that we were very well taken care of.
re: sivyaleah
I did a western carribean NCL cruise and found it sort of uneven. Dining room was mixed. Terrible cheeses in the cheese plate. French restaurant was great and so was the steakhouse. The Japanese hibachi was fun, but they used enormous amounts of butter to cook things - hardly traditional and not very good for you.
Buffets were everywhere on the ship and the one by the pool often had themes (like one day it was all German). No better and no worse than any other buffet.
You really get what you pay for at a cruise ship. Princess, HAL, Celebrity, RCCL, and Carnival are the mid-range ship for the masses.
Crystal, Seabourn, Regent, QMII etc are the luxury lines and their fares are about twice as much as the mid ranged ones. Some of those ships serves caviar and Don Perignon for free...
Never been to the luxury lines (not likely until my son is much older), but out of the mid range ones I had the best luck with Princess. But generally if you are picky about the food the mid range cruises won't give you spectacular food. At best it's more like a good hotel quality one. Buffets are generally bad. Sabatini on Princess was very good and worth the extra cost.
I've also sailed on RCCL, and their dining room food was solid. Celebrity had great desserts on our Alaskan sailing but the dining room fare was hit & miss (they tried to be too fancy and failed on the execution). Carnival was the pits for our Med cruise this summer. My siblings sailed on NCL and said that the food there was worse than Carnival, believe it or not.
I've heard good things about the food on Disney Cruise Line, but haven't been. Cruisecritic is a good site for cruise line info, but from my experience not many reviewers are foodies.
re: notmartha
I would certainly not put Carnival in the mid-range category! Carnival is for people who can't afford a decent cruise and just want to board a ship to drink and party. I'm met people on who were turned off of cruising because their first cruise was Carnival.
I think NCL and RCCL are the next step up, and then would be Princess, HAL, and Celebrity. I agree that the luxury cruise lines would have better quality food, but you certainly pay for it! I'd also expect them to have a higher quality because they typically have fewer guests on board.
We went on HAL to Mexico from San Diego and thought the food was pretty good. We had one meal in the "upgrade" restaurant and it was outstanding. Because we went early, the staff had time to talk with us and we enjoyed that. We had hit-or-miss coffee, but found that we could ask the dining staff to brew a new pot if the one they gave us was too weak. After a few days, we just ordered espressos when we sat down. I think any of the higher-up mid-level lines (does that make sense?) have decent food and you can always order 2 servings if you find something you really like. We had lamb chops two nights and after wishing I ordered double the first night, I definitely did so when it came up on the menu again! Surprisingly, our filet and lobster night produced the most tender and tasty lobster tail I've ever had. Didn't even want butter!
Granted, the food is not up to the standards of the greatest landlocked restaurants, but for what it is, I think it's really enjoyable. Besides, if you're going on a cruise solely for the food, perhaps a cruise isn't the best way for you to travel?
My parents were looking to take a cruise around Hawaii until my mom realized she would just be sitting down watching TV and movies (she wasn't interested in the ports - they grew up in HI) and eating all the food. So, she figured she could take the money they were going to spend and splurge at some high-end Vegas restaurants, the Sterling brunch at Bally's and whatever buffets she wanted to enjoy!
re: leanneabe
Doesn't Carnival own RCCL, Cunard, and Princess? In a way, it's all the same cruise line.
re: Avalondaughter
Carnival owns Princess, Holland America and Cunard.
Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity.
On all routes they basically all provision from the same companies, so there's a good chance they're using similar basic ingredients.
re: mucho gordo
Every ship in any cruise fleet follows the same recipes to the letter.
I've been on several Princess Mexican Riviera cruises and the food is good, but there was no noticeable difference.
re: mucho gordo
It's the economy of scale...down to the nightly production shows.
Every ship in the fleet around the world has the same live production shows for a three year run then change them.
re: mucho gordo
Don't get me wrong, the executive chefs are highly qualified and come with experience from the finest restaurants in the world.
I'm sure they prepare special meals for the captain.
On a Royal Caribbean cruise in Alaska we had a party of 14 and every night someone was preparing special appetizers for our group. One night was the best gumbo I've ever had.
re: notmartha
notmartha, I beg to disagree on the "you get what you pay for" idea. My husband and I have taken several Celebrity cruises and one much-more-expensive Radisson cruise. The food on the Radisson cruise was good, but not quite as good as Celebrity. I imagine that the higher tier ships might be better, but I never expect to find out first-hand.
re: pikawicca
For most cruise site description, Carnival is still considered to be the mid-range - on par with Princess, HAL, RCCL, NCL, Disney and the like. It is a little bit cheaper, and while they do have a reputation as a party boat because of the 3 day iterinaries, it's not like every boat is the same and every iterinary is the same. Believe me - there's more party animal at the RCCL W. Caribbean cruise we went on than the Carnival cruise to W. Med.
Princess seems to command the most premium out of the mid range, and I found that they don't skimp as much on the food as say Carnival. I found fresh fruit (even papayas), shrimp to be abundant on Princess, and even the more relatively expensive/exotic veggie like belgian endives are in the salad bars. On RCCL and Carnival they dole out shrimp like they were gold. This is part of you get what you paid for.
My theory is that they have to save money somewhere as their fare are less, and the most obvious place to save is on food.
I remembered reading that the higher end cruise line the wine/soda are included, as is the service, and also they have the expensive stuff like caviar and such at certain events. That's also part of the you get what you paid for - try having free champagne and caviar at your mid range cruise ships. Soda are also not free on the mid range cruise ships.
I don't know whether there's a huge difference/value between the best mid-range and the worst high-range. Haven't had a chance to find out (give me 10 years after my kid goes to college).
My first cruise was on Celebrity - due to their reputation as a foodie cruise line. Well, nowadays most cruise lines have celebrity chef designed menu, and I think they are mostly hype. The Celebrity cruise I was on had stringy/tough way undercooked duck that the even the RCCL cruise chef was able to master reasonably well, so you never know.
Bottom line is, cruise ship food varies, even within the same cruise line. No guarantee and the worst thing is if the food is bad you can't hop off and find food elsewhere. So I learned to set my expectation low and hope to be pleasantly surprised.
My comments were based on the 5 cruises we went to the past 6.5 years, and the cruises my siblings & parents went on (they are serious chowhounds as well).
I appreciate and agree with many of the points made. I would add that our disappoint in cruise fare is compounded by the amount of spin cruiselines, travel agents and travel clubs place on "how wonderful" the food is going to be on a cruise...and then you get onboard and quickly realize...that much has changed.
In the three years dh and I waited before returning to Bermuda, we didn't recognize the food service: ie: Midnight buffets, Captain's nights, Coffee and dessert bars, service at poolside, specialty restaurants and beverages were all redesigned. Most evident at main dining room dinners.
This hasn't prevented us from cruising but our expectations and destinations have changed.
Radisson/Regent include some drinks - if I recall correctly, wine with dinner, but it wasn't of a great quality. You could upgrade for a reasonable fee to a better bottle. I think they also give you a small 'starter bar' in your cabin, but it's been a few years - not positive about that.
Crystal, although excellent food for a larger ship, nickel & dime you on everything - NOTHING is included. Really irritating after having cruised on an all-inclusive line.
I believe the same for QEII, but have not cruised on her.
Silversea & Seabourne include EVERYTHING - silver caviar service on demand (others may do this - I didn't try on Radisson or Crystal) brought to your suite (they're all suites, not cabins on Silversea - not so on Seabourne) 24/7, as often as you'd like. Your bar is stocked with your requests. ALL drinks, including fairly decent wine with dinner - we usually upgraded, again at a reasonable fee, but the ones service were quite drinkable. Had a bottle of Gaja Chard for $100 once, which I thought ridiculously well-priced & delicious! Dom Perignon is served upon boarding to Am Exp Plat travellers, but the standard 'call' champagne is not Dom (which isn't such a bad thing - I think it's way overrated). Silversea's regular champagne I believe used to be Veuve, but now a lesser known, but good, French brand. Don't know what Seabourne's is now, but it's sure to be high quality. Cigarettes are even free (which still surprises me in this day & age), but smoking areas have happily been greatly restricted. As I mentioned, the specialty restaurants, especially La Salletta on the Silver Cloud & WInd are excellent & should not be missed. You do have to purchase a wine to dine here (only time you need to purchase any drink), but again, very reasonable & excellent wine list. There were $20 - $1K plus bottles. The average age on these deluxe cruises has plummeted. We were the 2nd to the youngest on our 1st SS cruise in our early 40's. 4 cruises later, not the case at all - many our age & some younger & most not much older. Generally, you do find older travellers on Holland America & the QEII cruises & on most of the longer cruises that can not be broken up into sections.
re: torta basilica
The average age on our Holland America Alaskan cruise had to be about 75 - kids included!
re: calabasas_trafalgar
I believe it - ours too - even over the holidays. A lot of motorized scooters parked in hallways...
I've taken two west coast princess cruises and I'm a foodie. The food on the first was very good and the second was "ok to pretty good". Princess cuisine staff management include many italians. The onboard pizzeria is terrific. The italian food is quite good. Stay away from the mexican, asian, etc. We found caviar in the buffet one night and took it to our cabin to enjoy.
Princess also lets you bring your own wine and champagne..as much as you want. Corkage is only $10. If you enjoy wine, bring your own glasses too.
The pizza on the Dawn Princess was some of the best I've ever had. Talking to one of the cooks-he said he makes 100 pounds of fresh pizza dough every day. I ate it everyday is was so good.
First of all don't expect cruise food to be much above what you might get at the Cheesecake Factory. Go with that in mind and you won't have high expectations and be disappointed. On cruise lines its all about presentation, profitability and feeding masses of people.
One thing to understand about cruise lines is they basically all get their provisions from the same purveyors where they port. There's basically two classes in cruising...call it middle class and high class. Carnival owns Holland America so the food quality isn't going to be much different. I will say I've had better prepared meals on Holland America and I attribute that to the fact that they have smaller ships than Carnival. Holland America also claims a lower crew/passenger ratio. On Holland America I've had Alaskan King crab legs and Maine lobsters. Downside is Holland America ships are not mega ships with all the bells and whistles that the other lines have. Royal Caribbean has decent food-the maitre de told me now that when you order a steak its cooked to order and not cooked ahead of time. NCL is just ok, their freestyle dining makes it somewhat interesting.
Bottom line is with todays cruise ships carrying 2,500+ passengers, food is prepared like an assembly line. They're preparing up to 10,000 meals a day.
Disadvantage of the high end cruise lines is the average age of the passenger is also way up there. (more disposable income).
I have been on three cruise lines, Seabourne, Celebrity and Princess.
Seabourne - look at the prices and one would expect top tier everything and that's pretty uch what you get. Nice staterooms and exceptional food.
Celebrity - I thought the food was very good, different varieties, well prepared and as good as a "pretty good" resto.
Pricess - Like Celebrity in food quality and variety. Their "anytime" option is not exactly anytime, but it gives great flexibility. You get the same base food and each resto will have one specialty in addition.
Buffets on latter two - they are horrible. How do people eat this junk? I am glad many people go there as it leaves a more quiet atmosphere in the sit-down restos.
Why dont you have a look at the cruise dining menu's at http://www.Cruises.co.uk so you know the different type of food served on the cruise ships. It usually varies by cruise line.
re: Cruises Fan
Thanks - but I can't see a menus page. Your link just goes to an albeit interesting cruise discussion board. Could you provide the link you intended. TIA
re: Harters
Hi Harters try this link and you should be able to see the menu for some of the cruise lines, although i did think there might be more then this. It might have been another website possibly.
re: Cruises Fan
I think basing decision on menus would be a mistake. An item could sound wonderful but if it is prepared with only average qualify food and poorlly seasoned it won't be a great experience. We had shrimp cocktail served 2x on recent HAL cruise. They were sort of soggy and lacked good fresh taste so just being on the menu is meaningless.
We don't do major cruise lines. Mob psychology. But we were on the Sea Cloud (the original) from Barcelona to Nice and were shocked by how poor the food was. On the other hand, we did one of the French barge trips (and I am ashamed to say I don't recall the company) and were blown away. Now I admit that we both love bistros in France as much as we do three-stars, and will kill for oeufs meurette, for instance, and there were several classic dishes on the menu, but beautifully executed, as though grandmere were in the kitchen instead of a smiling skinny 23-year-old chef.
My friends have taken about 6 Oceania cruises and said the food is amazing. Jacques Pepin is the food consultant and was on their most recent cruise & gave cooking demos. They ran into him & his wife all the time on the ship.
We just returned from HAL Alaskan cruse. I went with low expectations and that is pretty much what I found. They do have great sounding menus. But generally the food tastes like what it is - prepared for masses. Someone on Cruise Critic board had posted a mention of loving the Beef Wellington so when I saw it on the dinner menu that was my choice. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever attempted to eat. The "puff pastry" that was wrapped around it wasn't puffy. It had been sitting for so long it was just a soggy yellow mass of goo. The whippped pototatos on the plate had congealed so that when I put my for in for just a forkful I lifted the whole small mound of potatoes off the plate. What was disappointing was the server who took my basically full plate off the table failed to acknowledge that I hadn't eaten much so he didn't offer to get me anything different. I did make my disappointment know to the head chef who stopped by the next day looking for compliments (poor guy). On the 6th evening they offered ox-tail soup with puff pastry topping. I didn't even consider it but some of my tablemates did and they said it was great. Go figure.
We had thought about popping for the extra $20 for dinner at Pinnacle Grill but had gotten kind of mixed reviews. We did stop in for breakfast one day (no extra charge) and they took over 30 minutes to serve because they said the fritatta took a long time to bake. It wasn't more than 1/4 of an inch thick. So we just stayed with the main dining room.
Because we had booked an upper verandah cabin we were offered access to the Neptune Lounge and this saved our week. The coffee there was better than on Lido deck and they had some deliicious chocolate croissants. Gennerally they just served appetizer and small biite kind of things buffet style but all of their food seemed to be a touch above the Lido deck buffets.
They had chef recipes featured each evening but I can't say they appealed to me more than other menu items.
The food always sounded good and looked relatively appealing but just didn't deliver it taste..There were a few on board cooking demos that were aimed at a pretty novice level of cooks.
re: chocchic
Agree the HAL beef wellington needs to be dropped from the menu, but we always find great surprises as well and the food does differ from ship to ship in quality, service and presentation. HAL has the best fresh baked breads of any ship we have sailed and they automatically serve sweet butter which is a very nice continental touch. Their cheese plate has improved and is quite good now. We have liked the food on the Zuiderdam and the Maasdam the best. But all HAL ships so far have done excellent things with liver which is a huge mass dining room challenge but some of the best I have ever had which continues to surprise me.
Love HAL room service for their excellent french onion soup and we always have at least one room service club sandwich dinner per cruise when we don't want to dress up. HAL now has a master chef program menu which brings in new and more modern menu items that definitely elevates it beyond mass produced banquet food. We have also sailed Crystal several times and there is more fuss in their food but there are major deficiencies as well. Avoid their "Italian" Prego like the plaque but their asian Nobu is credible for a special event dinner. They still don't quite understand fresh and sushi in the same sentance but it is improving. MV Discovery food is very competent, but British and a bit dull for dinners, hit and miss for their speciality restaurant and very good to excellent for their breakfast, lunch and tea buffets.
On our next trip we will try the new special night Le Cirque menu and see how that translates down to a cruise ship on the high seas. Agree, the specialty steak house menu Pinnacle Grill was a disappointment and we have not been back. But over all, we are quite satisfied with HAL food and they do go our of their way to make you happy if something does not turn out well or to your liking. Ships cannot be ranked the same way land based restaurants are judged. One eats well on HAL ships and we save our "dining" for our time in various ports. HAL always gives us the best itinerary for the price with the biggest and most comfortable cabins out there for comparable prices, more traditional and formal old-fashion cruise ship experiences and has settled very nicely into our first choice for mainline cruising. After Crystal we decided we don't cruise to eat. For the extra price we could dine every port stop in Michelin 3 star restaurants with wine instead of choosing them for their marginally better dining offerings. One can only eat so much and after three days or so of having eyes bigger than the stomach one backs off considerably from all the choice anyway and settles on typically a few old favorites that any ship can usually do well. And be thankful in fact the food often looks better than it tastes. That is ultimately a virtue when there is 24/7 cruise ship offerings all inclusive. Be glad the novelty wears off in a few days.
Agreed, with a couple of exceptions. One night they served some of the better stuff, and i ordered a lobster tail that was so good and perfectly cooked I must have snarfed it down instantly, because the waiter brought me another one with a wink and a smile. The second one was just as good. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd take a cruise for the food.
re: EWSflash
I don't think many people actually take a cruise for the food (or at least people who are into food), but it's certainly a consideration for those who care about what they are eating.
Regent Seven Seas (mentioned above I think) has exceptional food. Some of the other lux lines are likely similar.
re: tommy
Tommy, you are probably right about not taking a cruise for the food. But food is an important part of my life and a feature of any vacation. When I used to travel with my son's sports teams I always asked that I eat just one good meal a weekend and I would go wherever. Sometimes the meal ended up being great, just cooked donuts or some weird local favorite but if it was well cooked and distinctive in some way I was fine. The cruise ship I was on just didn't give me any really positive memories. We're talking about doing a Mediterranean cruise and I don't have a clue where to start. I like cruising because it gives you an easy way to go from port to port (or beach to beach).
re: chocchic
We just got back from the Grand Mediterranean (12 day) cruise with Princess - loved every second of it. We chose traditional dining, first sitting, for dinner. Loved the food - probably might have been less impressed if we'd had the buffet every night, but the food in the traditional dining room was great, and our waitstaff were exceptional.
Buffet (breakfast) was ok - pretty good for a buffet, actually. After 12 days I was getting a little bit over it, but I think that's pretty good going, considering. We didn't have many lunches on board as we were out exploring any time the ship was in port.
I regret not getting the chance to try the pizza, as I hear that it is really pretty good... but I was conscious of over-indulging.
This was on the Ruby Princess, which I think is the newest ship in the line. Based on this experience, I wouldn't hesitate to go on another Princess cruise.
re: tommy
One of the couples we went on the cruise with did partially go for the food, they're both plus-size and food-focused, and she once told me that 'overweight people were always afraid of running out of food'. That's not the case with me, actually, but I can see the attraction if you're going to be out of reach of the mainland, and they always have food available on board, even if the food isn't that great.
re: EWSflash
I don't know if I believe any of this, but regardless, I stand by my assertion that "not many people who are into food actually take a cruise for the food." This was in direct response to your comment about you not taking a cruise for the food ("I'm not sure I'd take a cruise for the food."), which was the first time in this thread that this possibility was raised from what I saw.
re: EWSflash
Yeah, the lobster was pretty good - but the sauce they served with it was weird. Don't know why they couldn't just offer butter.
re: chocchic
Wow- that's too bad. Mine was served with butter and a lemon wedge. It even seems easier.
We had an interesting experience on my family's first cruise on Carnival when we went about 10 years ago. My parents and I enjoyed the regular menu cruise food, but after the first meal, the maitre d asked if the rest of our group (we were 4 families) would enjoy Indian food more than what was being served to everyone else.
It turns out that since so many of the crew were from India, there was a really good Indian chef on board for staff meals. Those those chose the Indian food from then on were quite satisfied, and even I had to admit that the quality / taste of the Indian food was better than the steaks, lobster, duck, etc that was served on the regular menu. The Indian food was really a lot better than most restaurants in the US that I have been to.
Check out Oceania, they have two ships that run a Bon Appetite cullinary center on them. You can cook with the big name chefs. I booked my cruise through the agent that invented Cruising with the Chefs, check them out www.cruisingwiththechefs.com and ask for Rodney. He is great and takes care of everything. I think that there were 7 fantastic restaurants on board our cruise ship the Marina.
I've cruised Celebrity too many times, Holland America here we come. My first cruise with Celebrity was on the Horizon, it was fabulous, Dinner was always delicious and the service was exemplary, and this was not a specialty pay extra restaurant. Wait staff presented your dinner and waited for your approval. Formal dining was enforced, don't show up in your cut offs, that is what Carnival is for. My last two Celebrity cruises to Alaska were disasters, very disappointed.
When we visit America next year, we're hoping to include one of the short (4 night?) cruises out of Miami. Can I assume that quality will be in line with the various comments upthread about different cruise lines or do companies adopt a different standard to food on these short trips? Our only previous cruise experiences have been P & O Mediterranean ones, where the food has been OK fro mass catering.
re: Harters
A few thoughts:
I worked on an Alaskan cruise ship for five years. Leave Van.>'Inside Passage' going up>West side of Van. Island going 'down.
'New Territories' owner and officers. Filipino wait staff.
Chinese in the engine room.
Every night was 'theme night' except the first and last nights.
These were buffet type meals. All you could eat huge tiger prawns/Australian lobster tails/rib eyes. You name it!
Second night
Italian'. That was all that was on offer. LOTS of pasta dishes and pizzas. ETC ETC. Each night the menu shunk and the quality plummeted. LOL
On the last night? Huge buffet. The huge tiger prawns and lobster tails and rib eyes were all mysteriously found in the walk-in.
The Chinese workers were NEVER seen by any passenger.
There was a little game on each voyage: A large chart of the inside passage was put up and an officer plotted our course through the Inside Passage each day on it with a grease pen. The game was to guess how many miles the ship had travelled each day. You made your estimate on a piece of paper and put it in a little box. The next day the passenger who had guessed closest got a prize.
Problem was the same officer who came down from 'above' and put the course on the chart each day at four PM was always drunk. The other problem was he always positioned the ship about a twenty nautical miles from where we actually were at that point in the voyage.
Me to the drunk officer: "See? We're passing Sarah Light off our starboard side. You've got our position twenty miles from here". Officer: "No one knows".
Me: "I know". Officer: "I go now".
That was on my first 'voyage'. It happen every 'voyage' for five years!
Food: compared to your basic decent restaurant: 3/10.
We're thinking of taking one of who canal cruises through N. France etc. Any suggestions? The ads look beautiful on TV. How's the food etc?
re: Puffin3
We've never done a canal or river cruise but have been considering one. That follows an acquiantance telling me how good they were,particularly the food. Now, of course, that comes with the usual caveat that I don't know what standards of foody-ness she works to. So, her "very good" may well be my "just OK". But I think it could be a fun week, although I have some reservations about the small boat and the inevitable need to be more sociable than on an ocean cruise.
As for a company, suggest you have a look at Viking River Cruises. They're certainly frontrunner if we run with that idea.
re: Harters
Have done two barge cruises, one in Burgundy and one in Italy. Both small, of course, and both with good-to-excellent food. Italian cruise was on La Bella Vita with an Italian woman cooking who said her idea of fusion food was a first course from Sicily, a main from the Veneto and...well, you get the idea. The Burgundian one was several years ago on the Mirabelle and I've urged a number of people on them since, and all came back moaning happily about the chow. Company has changed names since then, but the boats can be googled. These are all much smaller than what Viking runs, maybe 16 passengers max, and that makes for better food, I think.


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ne day again, as the saint was sitting in his little hut, he said, in prophecy to the same Colca, then reading by his side, "Just now demons are dragging with them down to hell one of the chiefs of thy district who is a niggardly person." When Colca heard this, he marked the time accurately in a tablet, and, coming home within a few months, learned on inquiry from the inhabitants of the place, that Gallan, son of Fachtna, died at the very moment that the saint said to him the man was being carried off by demons.
The Prophecy of the blessed man regarding Findchan, a Priest, and the founder of the monastery called in Scotic Artchain, in the Ethican land (Tiree)
t another time Findchan, the priest and soldier of Christ, named above, brought with him from Scotia (Ireland) to Britain, Aid, surnamed the Black, descended of a royal family, and a Cruthinian by race. Aid wore the clerical habit, and came with the purpose of residing with him in the monastery for some years. Now this Aid the Black had been a very bloodthirsty man, and cruelly murdered many persons, amongst others Diormit, son of Cerbul, by divine appointment king of all. This same Aid, then, after spending some time in his retirement, was irregularly ordained priest by a bishop invited for the purpose, in the presence of the above-named Findchan. The bishop, however, would not venture to lay a hand upon his head unless Findchan, who was greatly attached to Aid, in a carnal way, should first place his right hand on his head as a mark of approval. When such an ordination afterwards became known to the saint, he was deeply grieved, and in consequence forthwith pronounced this fearful sentence on the ill-fated Findchan and Aid: "That right hand which, against the laws of God; and the Church, Findchan placed on the head of the son of perdition, shall soon be covered with sores, and after great and excruciating pain shall precede himself to the grave, and he shall survive the burial of his hand for many years. And Aid, thus irregularly ordained, shall return as a dog to his vomit, and be again a bloody murderer, until at length, pierced in the neck with a spear, he shall fall from a tree into the water and be drowned." Such indeed was the end long due to him who murdered the king of all Scotia (Ireland). The blessed man's prophecy was fulfilled regarding both, for the priest Findchan's right hand festered from the effects of a blow, and went before him into the ground, being buried in an island called Ommon (not identified), while he himself survived for many years, according to the saying of Saint Columba. But Aid the Black, a priest only in name, betaking himself again to his former evil doings, and being treacherously wounded with a spear, fell from the prow of a boat into a lake and was drowned.
Of the Consolation which the Monks, when they were weary on their journey, received from the Saint visiting them in spirit mong these wonderful manifestations of prophetical spirit it does not seem alien from the purpose of our short treatise to mention also here the spiritual comfort which the monks of Saint Columba at one time received from his spirit's meeting them by the way. For as the brethren, on one occasion after the harvest work, were returning in the evening to the monastery, and came to a place called in Scotic Cuuleilne, which is said to lie on the western side of the Iouan island (Hy, now Iona), midway between the field on the plain and our monastery, each of them thought he felt something strange and unusual, which, however, they did not venture to speak of to one another. And so they had the same feeling for some days successively, at the same place, and at the same hour in the evening.
The holy Baithen at that particular time had charge of the work, and one day he said to them: "Now, my brethren, if any of you ever notices anything wonderful and unusual in this spot which lies between the corn-field and the monastery, it is your duty to declare it openly." An elder brother said, "As you have ordered me, I shall tell you what I observed on this spot. For both in the past few days, and even now, I perceive the fragrance of such a wonderful odour, just as if all the flowers on earth were gathered together into one place; I feel also a glow of heat within me, not at all painful, but most pleasing, and a certain unusual and inexpressible joy poured into my heart, which on a sudden so refreshes and gladdens me, that I forget grief and weariness of every kind. Even the load, however heavy, which I carry on my back, is in some mysterious way so much lightened, from this place all the way to the monastery, that I do not seem to have any weight to bear." What need I add? All the other reapers in turn declared they had exactly the same feeling as the first had described. All then knelt down together, and requested of the holy Baithen that he would learn and inform them of the as yet unknown cause and origin of this wonderful relief, which both he and they were feeling. "Ye all know," he immediately replied, "our father Columba's tender care regarding us, and how, ever mindful of our toil, he is always grieved when we return later than usual to the monastery. And now because he cannot come in person on this occasion to meet us, his spirit cometh forth to us as we walk along, and conveyeth to us such great comfort." Having heard these words, they raised their hands to heaven with intense joy as they knelt, and venerated Christ in the holy and blessed man.
I must not pass over another well-authenticated story, told, indeed, by those who heard it, regarding the voice of the blessed man in singing the psalms. The venerable man, when singing in the church with the brethren, raised his voice so wonderfully that it was sometimes heard four furlongs off, that is five hundred paces, and sometimes eight furlongs, that is one thousand paces. But what is stranger still: to those who were with him in the church, his voice did not seem louder than that of others; and yet at the same time persons more than a mile away heard it so distinctly that they could mark each syllable of the verses he was singing, for his voice sounded the same whether far or near. It is however admitted, that this wonderful character in the voice of the blessed man was but rarely observable, and even then it could never happen without the aid of the Holy Ghost.
But another story concerning the great and wonderful power of his voice should not be omitted. The fact is said to have taken place near the fortress of King Brude (near Inverness). When the saint himself was chanting the evening hymns with a few of the brethren, as usual, outside the king's fortifications, some Druids, coming near to them, did all they could to prevent God's praises being sung in the midst of a pagan nation. On seeing this, the saint began to sing the 44th Psalm, and at the same moment so wonderfully loud, like pealing thunder, did his voice become, that king and people were struck with terror and amazement.


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Don't take it literally: the Eat Me-Drink Me exhibition opening this month at the Goss-Michael Foundation is more about whimsy and imagination than about actually ingesting anything. Take Ian Dawson's imaginative, brightly-colored "Henri and Henrietta"--a charming, toothy pair of hippo-esque creatures perched on white blocks, their heads thrown back and mouths agape, as if engaged in heated discourse. For all their appeal, though, they're actually a pair of melted and remolded plastic garbage bins. Another non-edible is the John Isaacs' macabre sculpture of a severed unicorn's head (spray-painted red at the stump for extra faux-realism), "You Said You Would Always Be There." The rest of the exhibition continues to explore the theme of altered reality, with influences ranging from Greek mythology to modern-day anime, reflected in the psychedelic, larger-than life colored prints of floating eyes and lips of illustrator Christian Ward. The exhibition opens Thursday, runs through August 22 and features work by several contemporary artists whose work is as colorful and creative (or drug-induced) as Lewis Carroll's. Call 214-696-0555 for more information.
Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: June 18. Continues through Aug. 22, 2009


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- You are here:
- in car internet
in car internet
Every carmaker has seen Ford's success in promoting its Sync technology, and they want a piece of that pie - as do many suppliers. Sync is built on top of a Microsoft-developed software platform and after a couple of years of Ford exclusivity, Kia just announced a similar system called Uvo. At ...
We already know that in-car web browsing is on its way. Both BMW and Chrysler have already revealed that the feature is forthcoming in their vehicles, and more automakers are sure to follow. But telematics provider ATX Group is sticking its nose in to ensure that the web we're one day browsing in ...


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I feel I ought to applaud the announcement from José Manuel Barroso, the Portuguese President of the European Commission, that he is planning to scrap a raft of fatuous or redundant EU directives. It would be churlish to do otherwise. However, as we shall see, it would be a mistake to rejoice too much.
When taken at face value, the claims from Brussels sound like a reversal of the core assumptions upon which the European Commission operates. Previously it had taken as axiomatic that all regulations imposed across national boundaries create a conformity which enhances the liberalisation of trade. It is a fallacy but one that legitimises the thousands of Brussels jobs working out these rules and trying to make sure they are enforced, as well as the hundreds of thousands busy complying with them.
The commission has announced a list of 68 legislative proposals which it plans to withdraw or amend; however, 183 proposals were reviewed so 115 survived unscathed, which shows how limited the proposals really are. Barroso also promises to cull the 80,000-page law book of the European Union (EU) to a more modest 50,000; somehow I dont believe him.
It is nevertheless my belief that Barroso, our supreme bureaucrat, has undergone something of an intellectual conversion over the past few decades. As a young man he was not surprisingly, given how conformist and conventional the young tend to be a socialist. We learn he has mellowed and is now an advocate of plural democracy and open markets.
Portugal, his home, has blossomed since the fall of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar in 1968 and the subsequent relaxation of the fascist ideals of autarchy and state direction. For Portugal, accession to the European Union (EU) was an opening to the world. For Britain, however, it has been a closing.
The commissions declared plan to start reducing the 80,000 pages of petty rules that are its statute book has, comically, provoked members of the European Parliament to voice opposition to the moves. Josep Borrell, President of the European Parliament, has questioned whether the commission has the authority to withdraw legislation which has already gone before the parliament. Procedurally, he may have a point but it gives us a glimpse that the so-called European Parliament has minimal, perhaps zero, control of the commission. The British Parliament is mute and nods through every new directive too. Have we ever heard of the Commons trying to countermand a Brussels directive ? Westminster is merely a provincial assembly now.
Le Figaro, the French newspaper, reports that the exercise is largely cosmetic. It says the majority of the proposals are already obsolete; for example, 22 concern the association agreements signed with the 10 new EU member states, which became defunct when the countries joined last year. Some others have been adopted through other legislative channels, and further ones on the list will only have the most controversial aspects removed.
Our BBC was more gullible. It trumpeted the announcements as a real change of gear. It isnt. It is business as usual in the bureaucracy factory. What I think we may agree is that there has been a change in the intellectual climate. Who believes still that the commission can regulate us into prosperity with a subsidy here and a regulation there ? It may be un-sayable yet in some quarters but the reason the once poweful German, French and Italian economies are now stalling is the slow strangulation of their commerce by the constant drizzle of new rules, mostly from Brussels. We can only trade into prosperity with markets free, taxes low and regulations relaxed.
If this is all too abstract here is an example of a rule in dispute. The French ban all movements of lorries on Sundays. This is not out of religious devotion or sanctity. It is simply an agreeable restrictive practice much honoured by French hauliers and disliked by its neighbours. Will the commission blow away this cobweb ? No. It ducks any responsibility. It chooses silence.
Although the commissions proposals to reduce EU regulation are welcome as a sentiment this is not the bonfire of red tape suggested by the Department of Trade and Industry and Downing Streets overly enthusiastic press offices. What is at work is the need to attribute some success to the otherwise empty presidency of the EU by the UK. Brussels is simply not in the business of liberalising markets. Its business is uniformity and compliance.
The BBCs Newsnight reported that the commission has actually withdrawn fewer directives this year than the 108 proposals that were scrapped last year. The momentum of daft rules is still accelerating even if Senhor Barroso says he is lifting his foot from the pedal.
The British No campaign reacted perceptively in my view: The overwhelming majority of the directives withdrawn would not have affected UK business in any way. It is not red tape in a meaningful sense. Also, many of the directives are simply being withdrawn so they can be revised or amended. Instead of tackling regulations which damage competitiveness, the commission has focused on withdrawing regulations which have been pending for years


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What is Discovery!
Discovery! is who we are...
Here at TTUA major exploration is a part of almost everything we do. It's one of the founding principles of our office, and it guides our advising appointments, presentations, student interactions, involvement with other offices on campus, and professional development. We believe that every student needs to explore, not only to determine a best-fit major, but also to find a Plan B. Sometimes that Plan B is a back-up plan for when things don't go as well as you had hoped. Other times that Plan B is a stair-step plan to help you get to where you want to go. We want you to have multiple ideas and directions in mind so that you're more prepared when some unexpected event arrives.
It's a process, not a program.
Even more importantly, we want you to have a solid process in place for ANY instance in which you need to make a decision. That's what Discovery! really is…a decision making process. We understand that major exploration is different for every student. Each of you has a variety of individualized experiences which inform how you think and feel – that's part of being human, we just aren't all exactly alike. So we know a one-size-fits-all major exploration program doesn't make sense. Our goal is to meet you where you are. By talking with an advisor one-on-one, you can help us to understand what you've already done to explore. Maybe you've talked with some of your parents' friends who are professionals in the field in which you are interested. Maybe you've done some job shadowing. Maybe you have taken classes in a subject area at another institution. Maybe you have job experience that has helped you to determine a specific major or career objective. Maybe you've interviewed your Sorority sisters about their majors. What we need first is a starting point, and then we can help you to determine additional activities that can further your exploration. What do those activities look like?