Starbuck

Starbuck is the name of Canada’s most famous bull, the sire of most of the Holsteins in North America. It is also a delightful Canadian comedy about a middle-aged man, David Wozniak [Patrick Huard] who discovers that just about every ounce of sperm he donated to a clinic as a young man ahs produced an army of young people suing the clinic to find him. His curiosity gets the better of him and he gradually seeks out several of his issue with heartwarming and humorous results. It is full of laughs but also some touching encounters that cause David to rethink his life and we watch him transformed slowly and, at times, painfully into a father. The suit is brought by 142 of the 533 children he fathered and in the process of establishing their case discover that they are all brothers and sisters in more than biological ways. It’s a lovely examination of what it might mean to be a father. It has distribution all over the world but not in the states so put it in your Netflix queue in case it never makes it to our ever diminishing art-house cinemas.

DV

The first film today was Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel” written and directed by her granddaughter-in-“law. Over some 50 years she dictated style to the American woman and, indeed, women all over the globe. A blend of archival material, interviews with the likes of Angelica Huston and Lauren Bacall, and a smattering of animation portray her influence on 20th Century fashion sensibility that reflected everything that was going on around her. Perhaps her greatest period was the Sixties when at the helm of Vogue Magazine she made models of all the luminaries and super stars in the performing arts. She spoke of working every day of her adult life but the film left me thinking she was simply playing dollhouse with the rich and famous. It’s an affectionate portrait of an extravagant but ultimately shallow visionary “accidently” caught in the right place at the right time. It is fun to watch and will strum lots of nostalgic strings but ultimately I found her to be an annoying little jingle that I have difficulty getting out of my head.

Last Night On Board

It's our last night on the ship and we just had a lovely Thanksgiving feast and a lousy 49s game. We watched the game in a large room on a big screen and there was one Ravens fan in the room…how embarrassing. I am completely snockered and trying to pack. We must leave our packed luggage outside our doors before 1AM. They promise we will be reunited with them once we disembark. I’ve gone over the room twice to make sure I am not forgetting anything. Of course, I can’t fit everything back into the two bags I came with. We have paperwork to turn in as well. We are scheduled to leave the ship at 10:15AM. I will fetch the car and pick up the Walters at the terminal. We will then make our way to the Del and, hopefully, an early check in. Another Presidential Suite??? Not likely.
Tomorrow I turn my phone back on groove back into Internet nirvana. We are looking forward to the zoo and other local offerings. More to come when we resettle.

Cabo

Coming into to Cabo San Lucas this morning was promising. There was another fiery sunrise slowly lighting Land’s End and El Arco. The Carnival Splendor was already anchored off the harbor and a ship from the Princess Line was following us in. The harbor isn’t big enough to accommodate cruise ships so we all had to be tendered in. The day took a turn for the worse. Everyone wanted to get off the ship early as we had a very early [1:30PM] “All Aboard” and a 3PM departure. We were using several of our own lifeboats as tenders and the swells were pretty hairy. Loading took longer than anticipated and there was some frantic rushing and shoving by those trying to make it to their tours on time. The planners dropped the ball and created a real headache. Once we were ashore we strolled along the edge of the harbor for about a half hour. 8:30AM and every other guy was hawking a fishing tour or happy hour at the adjacent bar/restaurant. Breakfasts were offered with free beers, two free beers, a free margarita or a free bloody Mary. What a hole! The culture is not much different from Aruba except for the glaring presence of “DEEP SEA FISHING!” As the sun came up fishing boats were rounding Land’s End by the dozens. Then the speedboats came and they were followed by dozens of jet skies, followed by kayaks and inflatables. I saw a guy on a jet ski leaving the harbor talking on his cell phone. The front seats of all the bars along the harbor were filled with drinkers by 10AM. We took refuge in a luxurious mall but most stores were still closed. Disappointed we headed back to the ship hoping to see some whales or dolphins on our departure. No such luck. The Mexico I remembered and loved from so many visits in the 70s and 80s no longer exists. It all bars, jewelry stores and inebriated tourists. It’s a two-edged sword. You won’t find any of the real Mexico in any of the resort cities and if you choose to go very far afield you face the very real risk of being mugged, kidnapped, and even beheaded. Scratch Mexico from the vacation choices for now. Hopefully it will come around in another 30

Huatulco

We cruised into Bahia da Santa Cruz around noon. We walked to town the length of the new concrete cruise ship pier. It’s a small town with lots of jewelry stores, bars and restaurants. The people we met were very sweet and helpful. There are a few too many tour hawkers but they back off pretty quickly after you pull a knife on them. Jim bought Dotty a pair of earrings and a matching ring. She had been looking for these particular silver & onyx rounds. The ring was part of the set. After some good natured bargaining with the proprietor the deal was made. In the process we got to know his sweet wife and computer-weilding niece. As we were departing he told Dotty she could not leave his shop with out earrings in her ears; she had removed the ones she was wearing to try on the new pair. He went to the cupboard and fitted her with a pair of silver drops with lovely blister-pearls…as a gift. Craig found a café/bar that had free Wi-Fi so we won’t see him until 10:30 tonight. We set off at 11PM. We will be at sea for the next 3 days because the stop in Acapulco has been cancelled due to violence against tourists. I am not fond of days at sea as they get pretty boring. The activity director tries to come up with diversions but I think he lives on Sesame Street.

Costa Rica

As we approached the Golfo Dulce we were greeted by hundreds of dolphins swimming along side the ship. Terns flew in front of the bow waiting for flying fish to take their last graceful glide. The day grew gloomy and humid. The dolphins disappeared, the visibility diminished and it began to rain. We did an about face and headed back out to the Pacific. Our next stop was Puerto Caldera a busy shipping harbor not far from Puntarenas at the mouth of the Golfo de Nicoya. Craig and I boarded a modern air-conditioned bus for a 45-minute ride to a nature preserve. There we boarded a small riverboat for a too-short tour of mangroves on the Guacalillo estuary. The estuary ends at the Tarcoles River, which empties into the bay. We saw some wildlife, small crocodiles, iguana, red macaws, assorted lizards, cranes, herons, vultures etc. No monkeys, no sloths, no big cats. Back onto the bus we headed for the old railroad train we would be riding. Two tour buses, another and ours parked side by side at a rail crossing on the two-lane highway. A rickety old 4-car derelict pulled up in front of us and we all boarded there in front of the cars waiting to pass. The antique interiors spoke of a time gone by. Mahogany wainscoting, small coffering by the ceiling suggested that it may have been a private car at one time. It is now equipped with Pirelli rubber floors and fold down benches. There was no A/C but with all the windows open and the forward motion of the train it was not at all uncomfortable. We returned just before the ship was set to depart. We are now on our way to Bahias de Hautulco.

Food

The quality of The Lido [buffet] has dropped significantly. Perhaps they have a different protocol for different cruise areas. The staff seems to have been halved. One now approaches stations along the buffet line rather a single file line the length as in the past. It helps in some cases because you can jump the line, as it were, to the section you are seeking but you often find a glut of diners there and little or no understanding of queuing. I have been dressed down several times for merely trying to see what was offered. There are folks out there who fear the food will run out before they get to select. They have augmented the fresh fruit, salads, and desserts sections but cut drastically on the entrée areas. They have also allowed the prepared food so sit until the piece is taken. You can order a freshly cut slice of prime rib but that last piece on the steam tray will sit there turning gray until someone too shy to ask, settles for it. I find making reservations at the Rotterdam Room much more to my liking.
The Rotterdam Room [the “formal” dining room] is still up there in quality. Again the staff as been cut and the service can be a little unpredictable but on the whole it is top drawer. It seems that they are actually pushing the alcohol a lot more now even to the extent of promotions. Buy an after-dinner liqueur and you get to keep the decorative glass. We have 8 so far, going for a dozen. We need Green and Amber and one more blue.
Last night we ate at The Pinnacle Grill [ups the ante over the Rotterdam Room for a $25. per person charge] for their occasional Le Cirque experience. They have special dinnerware and menu offering similar to what you would encounter at NYCs famed restaurant. It was very good and worth the “this-night-only” upcharge of $39. per. The amuse bouche was whipped fois gras atop rhubarb chutney. For starters I had “the trio,” pate de fois gras, caviar, and shaved salmon with a half dozen condiment. The Family Walters all opted for the poached lobster salad. Our soups were chilled melon with shrimps and Butternut squash with huckleberries and sage Chantilly. Three of us had the chateaubriand and Craig had 5-cheese ravioli. Dessert followed a dish of candies the most remarkable being pistachio nougat. I ended the meal with a Napoleon with assorted berries, Dotty had her crème Brule and the Walters boys had Chocolate soufflés. Our wine was an Ehret 2006 Cab. We like the Pinnacle and have three m