This is Embarassing!

 We had an absolutely spectacular trip to New York in April, which I was certain I documented here. Now, as I prepare for our trip to Alaska next week, I see that I was obviously distracted and haven't managed to write a single post. I have done a reasonable job of managing photos and I have a fairly complete outline of our trip written up, but I never completed the task.

So, with apologies, I'll be working on our April/May trip as we begin our Alaska adventure. I'm certain a good bit will be written during the flight to Vancouver next week.

In the meantime, here's a photo from the trip. The weather was spectacular, we did LOTS of walking and ate some outrageously delicious food. We saw two performances and did a little shopping, too.

Harry Potter 25th Anniversary

 

On May 7th Warner Brothers Studios - Leavesden, will introduce a new program celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosipher's Stone.

Enjoy a new show explaining the secrets of sound effects, as well as demonstrations of the magic used to film quiddich matches and other flying scenes in the series. You'll also be able to experience Wizard's Chess on the same scale that Harry, Ron, and Hermione played before Quirrel met his demise.

As I've previously reported, this tour is one of the best entertainment-based presentations I've ever experienced. If you have plans to be anywhere close to the metro London area, I strongly suggest making time to catch a train to Watford Junction to visit the studios at Leavesden.

Reminder - tickets must be booked prior to your arrival!

Full details on the First Year at Hogwarts can be found here.

Upcoming Trip

 I'm reasonably sure my wife doesn't read my blog unless I tell her there's something I'd like her to take a look at, so here's a sneak peak at our upcoming trip, that I'm almost certain she has forgotten about.

When we took our cruise from Bayonne last November we spent an extra night in New York, the first time we visited that amazing city since our daughter's 16th birthday, in 2012. If you'd like to review the details of that adventure it's right here. (It will open in a new window, so you won't lose your place.)

As luck would have it, just prior to that trip it was announced that Tom Felton would be joining the cast of Cursed Child to reprise his role as Draco Malfoy - the week AFTER we had tickets for the show.

UGH!

While waiting for our flight home at the end of the cruise I thought it would be an epic surprise to go back to New York in the spring and see Mr. Felton.

Then I discovered that Daniel Radcliffe would be on Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing.

The wheels started turning.

Tickets, showtimes, dates, hotel, flights, restaurants; a mass of Venn diagrams. Maybe we visit during our anniversary? Nope - that won't work. Two sequential evening shows? Hmm, those tickets were a bit pricey. Ah, Brilliant Thing has a Wednesday matinee, we can make that work! Tickets for Cursed Child Thursday evening? A bit better than Friday or Saturday.

We had our dates.

Convenient hotel - procured. Rates are decent for New York, location is good. 

Flights booked (again, flying on a Tuesday tends to be a more economical choice.)

The big reach - dinner reservations at a bucket-list restaurant.

Reservations for April opened up this morning, and we now have a table at Le Bernardin. If Eric Ripert makes an appearance during our visit I may just keel over on the spot.

We haven't done a trip of this nature in a very long time, so I'm looking forward to this getaway.

More for Harry Potter Fans

WB Studio Tours in Leavesden (Watford Junction) have announced a new offering for fans of Harry, Ron, Hermione, et al. Currently planned for a limited run, beginning the end of March, 2026 and going through mid-April. Guests who choose this option participate in a behind-the-scenes tour featuring costume design and hands-on creative activities in addition to the studio tour. Guests also receive a collectible enamel-pin badge commemorating their participation.

Workshops are at 15:00 on the days offered, and access to pre-sale registration has just opened.

Check out the Mastering the Magic web page for complete details.

Unless the program is extended I'll unfortunately not be able to enjoy this activity, so let me know what you think.

Not a Vlogger

 The title says it all. We enjoy watching vlog content, and have a few that we follow on a semi-regular basis, but that's not us.

Copenhagen

We like the traditional blog methodology. 

It allows us to make notes as things happen, then assemble those notes into a post and add photos (almost always our original photos) then get the post online in short order. If we're cruising we can do this while sitting at a bar sipping umbrella drinks. If we're staying in a hotel we can type things in the evening while relaxing, or in the morning while others are getting ready for the day. No cumbersome video editing, no concerns with being intrusive or disturbing anyone else's vacation, no need for additional equipment, no concerns about licensing issues associated with random music playing in the background.

It's just simpler.

It also fits my slight neurodivergence. I'm a reader more than a listener, and I tend to get annoyed when vloggers are redundant at any level. I prefer to read, so I prefer to write for others with the same preference. 

This means Google downgrades my ratings because I don't have videos to keep people entertained and tells me I have "low quality" content - even though it's 100% original, doesn't promote partner links, and contains exactly zero links that earn commission on anything. We link to the services and products we use and find useful. That's all.

Our goal is, and has always been, to share our experiences and, hopefully, inspire others to seek out and enjoy their own experiences.

So, if you find something you enjoy, please share it with others and help spread the word. In the meantime, if you're looking for some vlog content, some friends have been working on getting their YouTube channel established along with their FaceBook presence. Art and I trace our connection back to Silicon Valley during the emergence of Linux as a market force back in the late 1990's. He has upgraded his preferred form of transportation from freelance rail travel to the luxury of a modern cruise ship.

You can find Team Tyde on YouTube and on Facebook

Munich 

Disembarkation and Flight Home

16 November, 2024

The port in Bayonne may not be much to look at, but it is one of the best ports we've sailed in and out of. We were up, dressed, and in line for the dining room by 7:30. A significant number of dining room staff were scheduled to rotate off and return home for their between-contract break, so staffing was a bit thin in some areas. I rolled the dice on one final order of Eggs Benedict, and hit a winner.

Our driver sent a text at 8:00 indicating he was on his way, and at 8:30 he was at the port. By 8:45 we were in line to disembark, and by 9:00 we were waiting by the curb with our luggage. Our driver arrived just a few minutes afterwards, which was somewhat miraculous based on the number of people waiting for rides. We loaded up and headed to LaGuardia. Traffic was nearly non-existent on a Sunday morning, so we made it across Manhattan to Queens in record time and were checked in for our flight and on the way through security by 10:15. Other than a small glitch when my belt was swept out of the bin in the x-ray machine our transit through the TSA checkpoint was perfectly seamless.

We strolled across the walkway over the ramp and arrived at the American Airlines Admiral's Club only to be turned away because our First Class tickets were for a domestic flight. Given that American doesn't operate any international flights from LaGuardia this stipulation is just an excuse to pry $85 per person out of travelers for use of the lounge. Perhaps one day the airlines will focus their attention on customer service again, but apparently that isn't a concern for them today. Oh well, just another reason to look at other carriers for our air travel needs. Why bother with loyalty when it gets you nothing?

Next year we'll likely take advantage of one of the direct flights to Newark for our New Year's cruise, which puts American out of consideration, anyway.

We found a convenient spot to hang out for the two or so hours before our flight was scheduled to board and have no complaints other than the lady down the way who insisted on blaring a streaming church service at full volume. My noise-cancelling headphones muted her public broadcast quite well, so I passed the time in peace. Our incoming flight was slightly delayed, but an efficient cabin crew made up a bit of time on the turnaround and our arrival home was only a few minutes later than originally scheduled. All in all a smooth trip from door-to-door.

Back Up North

13 November, 2024

Today was warm, but gloomy. As a result of the rain and gloom Two70 ended up being a reincarnation of Romper Room. Young kids were bouncing all over the furniture while their parents sat at tables outside the venue and played cards in their blissful ignorance. One of the gentlemen they kept bouncing off of eventually corralled them and escorted them out to their parents, relieving the venue of the annoyance. 

For our part, we were far enough removed from the chaos that our activities were not impacted. With headphones in-place we sat and sipped beverages while we knitted, read, blogged, and investigated potential future travel plans. Our Viking River Cruise last spring was a big hit, so we're giving strong consideration to a Viking Ocean Cruise. (I'd love to take the Viking Adventure cruise to Antarctica, but that's not a viable choice until I win the lottery.)

The Book had several new cast members, so we had the opportunity to watch assorted rehearsals of the production. The energy that we enjoyed when we saw the show earlier in the week was evident in the interaction among the cast, everyone just appeared to be having fun. Lourie had the opportunity to speak to the actor in the lead role and extend her congratulations on a job well done.

We had our last specialty dining experience, dinner at Giovanni's. Unfortunately we couldn't locate our appetites, but that isn't a reflection on the amazing meal we shared. The caprese salad was spectacular again, thanks to amazing sun-dried tomatoes and very nice grape tomatoes (the fresh tomatoes were better than earlier in the week, but still a bit unimpressive; November is a challenging time of year for fresh tomatoes in the northern hemisphere.) We selected  chicken parmigiana for an entree, not earth-shattering for anyone who has been to Italy, but very good by any measure. The evening was made even better thanks to the thoughtful service of Navneet. For dessert we chose the nutella & banana calzone, which never fails to satisfy.

We finished up the evening with a drink in Boleros, mixed perfectly by the cheerful and attentive Tricia.

14 November, 2024

The day before the last day at sea. I wasn't about to miss breakfast (another win with perfectly poached eggs) which was followed by some preliminary packing. With a strong move towards packing things up (mostly dirty laundry and items we knew wouldn't be used for the remainder of the trip) we took a walk around the ship to gather photographs to share with the family in advance of our trip on Odyssey in December, 2026.

After a nice walk in the fresh air, watching some pickleball, and discussing the pros and cons of the arcade with a few youngsters, we returned to the cabin and collected our devices and distractions. With our movement north and cooling temperatures Two70 was becoming increasingly crowded, but we still managed to claim our usual seats for the afternoon. Large groups of children were present again, but with much better behavior than the day prior.

We stopped by NextCruise to get a few questions answered, visited Guest Services for WOW Bands (a good concept, but still needs a lot of work to be viable, IMHO.)  The RoboBar was exceptionally popular this afternoon, with larger crowds than I've ever seen. It was lobster night in the main dining room, and the lobster was spectacular. The last several times we've had lobster on a cruise the meat has been chewy with an excessively, overly-sweet flavor. 

The entertainment tonight was MO5AIC (Mosaic) - a group of five instrument-free performers who use nothing but their voices to make music. We chose seats for the show based on the ease of escape, in case we weren't inclined to stay for the entire show.

Boy, did we ever miss that mark! Their show was one of the best guest performances we've seen on a cruise ship. The arrangements, their vocal range, and the incredible instrumentation they produce from their mouths is nothing short of incredible. They blend musical talent with humor to provide a unique and entertaining production.

15 November, 2024

Our last day at sea. 

Of course there was breakfast in the main dining room, and yes – I had Eggs Benedict, with perfectly poached eggs. Lots of coffee (it was exceptionally good this morning) and some extra bacon to take the edge off of my protein craving.

We put most of the finishing touches on packing and (you guessed it) made our way back to Two70 for a final day of quiet relaxation and doing whatever we wanted to do.  As we sat I did some research on the New York theater schedule for next spring and started working on plans for an anniversary trip. There isn't a traditional gift for the 36th wedding anniversary, so I'm making it theater tickets. I think they are more practical than the rather dull modern gift of bone china.

We distributed a few tips to people who were particularly helpful during the cruise, and had a drink or two. As the afternoon wound down we changed for dinner and stopped in at Boleros for a couple of pre-dinner cocktails. After dinner we were pretty well tapped out, so we returned to the cabin, finished off the remaining bit of packing, and watched a movie before making sure we had an alarm (BLECH!) set for Sunday morning.