First a bit of background. We have traveled throughout the world and have eaten in both the northern and southern parts of Italy. There is a difference in cuisine in both parts, but we couldn’t figure out which part of Italy the food on the Lirica represented. We have never eaten bland food in Italy.

Breakfast/Colazione
We usually ate in Bussola for breakfast. We tried most of what was on the menu in the interest of providing feedback on this blog. Don’t expect the selection of pastries that you would be offered on the NCL ships. What was offered was typical of an Italian breakfast – lots of breads. A cheese plate is a daily option for accompanying the breads.

Toast seems to be something unknown to the staff here. Although there are full-size pieces of bread on offer, these for some reason are not possible to use as toast. Whenever I asked for toast with my eggs, I received several cocktail-sized pieces of bread. These aren’t convenient for egg dipping. Even worse was the fact that I requested wheat bread, even tried calling it brown bread, but still never received anything but cocktail white, even though there were slices of brown bread on the tray that comes around daily.

The breakfast menu is a good one with pancakes, eggs, waffles, hot and cold cereals, yogurt, cheese and more. Most of the food was satisfactory, although the scrambled eggs that we had were watery, except for on departure day, when that is the only type of egg offered. Mine were acceptably firm on that day. The oatmeal leaves much to be desired and my request for brown sugar elicited a shocked response from the server.

Lunch/Pranzo
We also usually ate lunch in Bussola, although we also had pizza, hotdogs, burgers and le Bistrot food as well. We especially liked the ice cream in the dining room. This is the only place where ice cream is free. The food was edible, but we occasionally encountered problems with the pizza and hamburger place.

On one day, the only meal option on a port day was the hamburger and hotdog place. I took my place in line and when I reached the bun bin I found that there were only hotdog buns. Wrongly assuming that the hamburger buns simply needed to be replenished, I asked the grill cook if he would get some more hamburger buns. He brusquely replied that there were no hamburgers. How could there not be hamburgers? People in line were not happy about this, not only because the line was getting long, but also because there were no hotdogs available at the time either. Those would take a few more minutes. We ended up having the hotdogs with fries, which tasted fine. We wondered how the one place that served food at this time would not be adequately supplied with food. It made no sense to us.

We also tried lunch in Le Bistrot. (We still don’t know why it is spelled this odd way.) Roast beef was the carving of the day, so I hesitantly tried it knowing my experience with beef on this ship.(Read about that in the dinner section.) I requested medium rare and wasn’t shocked when the only way that I could have the beef was well-done. I took some just to try it and of course, it was dried out and well-done. I also tried a cheese pasta. It was cold, so I didn’t eat more than the first bite.

The pizza place might be more popular if the staff behind the counter weren’t so surly. On that day we had just picked at our food from the buffet, so we decided to try the pizza since we were still hungry and didn’t think that we could survive until our second dinner seating. We found that there were a few types of pizza made and grabbed a piece of the cheese pizza, which was cold. We returned to see if anything else had been made and the guy behind the counter snarled saying that it would be out in 10 minutes. Now just the other day, this same guy was having a heated discussion with a person who appeared to be his boss. Certainly this should have been done outside of a public area, but management obviously feels differently. And from this guy’s attitude, it seems that he deserved a lashing.

We returned later for the fresh pizza and were disappointed to find that the pizza guy made one type of pizza only – bacon. BACON!!! This is surely the most popular flavor of pizza in the world. We grabbed a few pieces not wanting to see if he might make a different variety of pizza. We noticed that he had pulled all the labels from the counter that indicated which type of pizza was on the plate. We didn’t bother with the pizza again. It really shouldn’t be so difficult to get a warm piece of pizza with a more traditional topping.

Dinner/Cena
Not being a fish lover, I usually opt for beef. Big mistake on this ship. It took me until almost the last day to figure out that if you want meat that isn’t well-done that you need to request that it is cooked rare, so that it comes out medium. Most of the cuts of beef were thin, which Bugsy said is how his Italy-raised mother prepared meat in her home. Well-done and thinly sliced made him hate beef and dread having to eat steak for dinner. The food totally lacked spices. One day I did try a lamb curry which was good and had some spice, but spice must be an expensive commodity for this ship.

Fish seems a good bet, although don’t expect the Cajun fish to have any spices in it. Another good bet, which consistently tasted good is the risotto. The portions are large enough to make that the main course and be satisfied.

My comments about the food and the fact that I rarely ate more than a few bites made our table mates think that I was a picky eater. I really am not, but I sure don’t want to ingest excessive calories when I am not really enjoying the food.

On the last formal night, lobster was on the menu. Not one person at our table enjoyed the lobster as it was tough. It would be better to not even put it on the menu if it is of inferior quality.

Overall, the food was disappointing. It was definitely edible, but certainly not notable. The presentation was always good. It’s too bad that the quality of the food didn’t equal the presentation.

I especially don’t want to waste the calories that come with dessert. I found most of the desserts to have odd textures, and I have issues with texture along with lots of other issues.
Ice cream is the best choice, although the chocolate pecan pie, which was a lunch choice was the best dessert that I had.

Food is a very personal issue and I did meet some folks on the cruise who thought that the food was very good. Perhaps they were on a bland diet. I was not.

Next Time: More on the food on the MSC Lirica

Sail Away

We found plenty of space to store our belongings and an adequate amount of hangers in the closet. Too bad that our luggage wouldn’t arrive until later. As we had already eaten lunch, we decided to explore the ship, but first I checked out the bathroom. The toilet seat looked like it had been through several battles with claws. Perhaps a dog had inhabited this stateroom before us. Two of the floor tiles were scratched and cracked. Neither of these things bothered me as much as the dark hairs that covered the floor. I had read numerous times about the cleanliness of the ship. Maybe that only referred to the public areas. I called and requested that the floor be cleaned. Obviously, it wasn’t thoroughly cleaned after the previous occupants left. The housekeeping person assured me that it had been cleaned and that I was wrong, but would send somebody to look at it.

We went to the top of the ship hoping to find a suitable spot for walking. There is a jogging track, but you had better keep your elbows close to your body and watch out for all the others standing in the middle of the track. We don’t run, but enjoy walking and wish that all ships had a nice promenade deck, which this one lacked.

The gym, although small, comes equipped with decent equipment. It’s necessary to sign a release before you are allowed to use any of the equipment, a new concept to us. Right next to the gym is a relaxation room from which you can access a sauna and steam room. The spa is just outside the gym and consists of only five treatment rooms. Unlike other ships, there were no spa tours or drawings taking place.

Our tour was interrupted by the muster drill, which was done in five languages – English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. This takes place on Deck 6, which looks like it might have a promenade deck. Don’t be fooled. This deck stops at the stern and bow, so would only be good for doing short turn-around walks.

The ship itself is very pleasant with an understated, but elegant decor, which we found quite pleasing. The areas seemed well maintained and clean. We found the Lord Nelson’s Lounge quite overwhelming with a strong stench of tobacco smoke. After all, it is a designated smoking lounge, but it’s necessary to walk through it to get to the Broadway Theatre.

Next time: The Food on the Lirica

Sail Away

The port of Fort Lauderdale is divided into three distinct areas as far as cruise ships go. The Lirica will be in berth #4, which is the closest to the 17h Ave entrance into the port. There is the North Port parking garage at the area, which we are opting not to use after having done some research. According to the port parking website, we would have to pay an additional $4 surcharge because we have a van and a tall one at that. Adding that to the $15 per day charge, the cost to park our van would be $19 per day. Considering this is a 10-day cruise, that charge adds up. In fact, from some destinations, that charge is comparable to airfare.

Some searching on the internet found another lot that charges $12 for cruise passengers, but only $10 for airport passengers. Why the difference? It makes no sense. Supposedly, the lot has a fence dividing the two areas and the shuttle goes either to the airport or to the cruise port. You can’t simply park on the airport side, pay the lower fee and get a shuttle to the port. It’s time for us to look for some land down here and open a parking lot that charges $10 per day. Why should cruisers pay a premium? We don’t know.

More details after we park and return from the cruise.

Sail Away

The breakfast and lunches in the main dining room were good, but the quality of dinner varied, although the food was always edible. My worst meal was the one that I decided to choose what the server recommended rather than what I was originally drawn to. Of course, I could have ordered something else, but never felt the necessity to add yet another course to the already huge meals.

We had an assigned table at the second seating and sat with a couple and three siblings, whose company we enjoyed. We were lucky to have such pleasant dining companions. Our servers were very good and always aimed to please.

The Stateroom - We had been upgraded to a Superior Ocean View from an ocean view. Although this was a short cruise, we still enjoyed the extra space. The one odd thing about the room was that the desk chair had large arms that prevented it from being slid under the desk. It stuck out into the traffic path, but really was no big deal. It just seemed that somebody wasn’t thinking when they chose that style of chair.
The bed and linens were very comfortable and in good shape. The room came equipped with a refrigerator, which we only used to store milk for my tea.

The Public Areas – This ship is a smaller ship put still carries many passengers. We kept looking at the tonnage and the passenger capacity and compared it to the other ships. The reason seems to be that there are far fewer public spaces than on other ships. There are not many alternative restaurants at all. In fact Jade is the only alternative restaurant, which we never tried. The gym and spa areas are small. We never felt crowded on this ship, except the night of the chocolate buffet when people lined up for miles and screeched at every person coming off the elevator.

Although the ship is older, everything is well-maintained and clean. We did find a lack of rest rooms, especially on Deck 7, even though the conference room, Boleros and the upper level of the Sound of Music Lounge are on that deck.

The Entertainment The shows that we went to were good, but there was a real problem with seating. The first night, they only offered one seating of the show. What a mistake that was. We stood as did many others. The staircases became seating areas and people squeezed in wherever they could. The theatre is another poorly designed one, with poor viewing from much of the balcony. Sit on the main level or get some of the first row balcony seats, but be aware that even some of those have obstructed views.
Johnny O, the cruise director, ranks as one of my favorites. He is immensely talented and even plays with the musical groups onboard. His demeanor is that of a calm, yet enthusiastic person rather than of a carnival hawker.
I did not enjoy one of the lounge singers who played the piano well, but couldn’t sing at all. Some woman joined him in singing. At first I thought that it was karaoke. It definitely wasn’t.

The PortsMonarch of the Seas visits San Diego, Catalina Island and Ensenada. Although there were some jokes about cruising to San Diego, we found each port interesting enough to entertain us for the entire port call.

The Passenger Mix The shorter cruises have a reputation for their party atmospheres. There wasn’t any noticeable difference in the level of partying from longer cruises that we had been on. We met some very nice people on this ship, but we have never seen so many people who must have spent their money on the cruise rather than on the dentist. Each to his own.

Locals are bemoaning the fact that the Monarch will be moving to a new home port on the East Coast. It’s easy to understand that sentiment because this short getaway was definitely one worth repeating.

Sail away

Although we had booked an ordinary ocean view cabin, we got an upgrade to a Superior Ocean View, cabin 9572. What a bonus that was. Our stateroom seemed palatial. The Monarch is an older ship and it’s easy to see and compare the high style of the era when it was built with more modern ships. We found the ship clean, pleasantly decorated and very easy to navigate.

Once we dropped our carry-on in our rooms, we headed to the Windjammer for lunch and were struck by the difference between this buffet and the Market Cafe on the NCL Star. There were tables of all sizes arranged at different angles throughout the dining area. The many food stations offered every type of food, including lots of Asian obviously to appeal to that significant component of passengers. We tried the Asian, which was tasty. The only time we do buffet is when there is no other option, but we weren’t disappointed with this.

Monarch has a marketplace set up where you can get samples of food from the specialty restaurants, samples from the liquor store and demonstrations of products. They also have a raffle giving passenger one entry for each of the individual booths that they visit. We had nothing to do, so attended this and entered into the drawings.
I won something, but more about that later.

To win something, you had to attend an event in the theater, which was followed by a shopping seminar. At the first draw, I won a game of bingo. Not really my cup of tea, but I did go attend the big event. Of course, I didn’t win. There are lots of complaints about the cost of bingo and the poor payout for the games. I am always amazed at how much people spend on bingo, but that is because I am neither a big gambler or addicted to bingo. Obviously bingo makes huge profits for the cruise lines.

Not being big shoppers, or maybe I should say, not being jewelry shoppers, we weren’t sure if we would learn anything here or be interested in what they had to say. We noticed that the crowd expected to get prizes from the shopping guide who had several things to give away. He simply asked people to raise their hands if they wanted something. He should have paid attention because he gave one woman several prizes. That seemed a poor way to distribute his stock. We sat way in the back and would never been within tossing range of a prize.

What I did learn from this seminar is that you can get VIP certificates from the shopping consultant. One just happened to be for very good rates at the spa. This came as a surprise and I never would have expected the shopping consultant to offer such good rates. So, if you want a good deal on spa services, you might want to consider sitting through the presentation or even tracking down the shopping consultant. On the other hand, if you are a big shopper, you will see the shopping consultant frequently.

More next time.

Sail Away

For once, we didn’t have to rush to the airport or to catch a train immediately after disembarkation, so we stayed on the ship as long as possible. We chose not to self-assist and haul our own luggage out as we usually do if that option is available. We packed and had all of our luggage outside by the required time and kept space in our carry-on for our last minute articles and toiletries.

Although we could have stayed in our room longer, we left so that our room steward could prepare it for the next cruise. We found a nice spot in the lounge from where we could see the long disembarkation line. When our color tag was called, we waited a few minutes and then headed to the spot where we had been directed. We should have waited even longer as the line was up the staircase. What poor planning this was. Surely, they could find a spot that didn’t involve stairs. The long line could have gone in some other direction, rather than up several flights of stairs.

In San Pedro, it was required that we go through immigration onboard the ship. The line moved slowly, but fortunately, we were in no hurry. After about 30 minutes in line, we reached immigration, which took just a short time. We left the ship, gathered our bags and turned right when we left the terminal. We headed to the other terminal to check-in for the Monarch of the Seas.

The folks at the terminal didn’t know the answer when we asked if there was a special line for Crown and Anchor members. There isn’t, unless you have achieved a higher status than we had. There definitely are certain advantages to having cruised enough to be able to use the shorter line. We didn’t really wait that long, but the line didn’t move too quickly.
Once we had registered, we went just outside and found an internet connection right outside the terminal. This is a convenience for the crew, but we took advantage of it, not expecting to find any other internet service nearby.

After returning to the terminal, we waited since they were not yet boarding. We proceeded into a line full of people who had obviously never been through security before. They had none of their documents ready, perhaps assuming that they let anybody through this line.
We put our things to go through the machine and got stopped by the attendant. They asked what was in our bag that looked like liquor. Well, it was liquor. We knew that Royal Caribbean doesn’t allow passengers to bring liquor onboard, but since we had bought this on the first cruise when we were in Mexico, we really didn’t have any choice but to bring it onboard. We had already told the people at registration that we had liquor with us and they assured us that they would confiscate it when we went through security.

They took our liquor and tagged it and returned it the last night of the cruise. At least, this time, we remembered that they were holding it. On the first cruise, we almost forgot to pick it up on the last night. It would be interesting to know how many other people like us have bad memories and forget to pick up their confiscated liquor. Although on that first cruise, our bottles were moved to the front desk, nobody called us or reminded us that we had forgotten to pick up our bottles.

Speaking of bad memories, Bugsy had put his cell phone in one of those round dishes when he went through security. He had some issues with setting off the machine, so was pulled aside. He remembered his belt and other items, but forgot the cell phone, which was in a different dish. While we were waiting to board the ship, a security woman was asking who forgot a cell phone. As we both wondered how somebody could forget their cell phones, Bugsy checked for his and realized that he had forgotten to pick it up. We are no longer permitted to ask how anybody could forget something at security. Well, that doesn’t count shoes. Once in Albany, an announcement came asking the person who forgot their shoes, cell phone and camera to return to security. Several of us laughed, but perhaps it would be somebody with questionable motives who would not remember that they had no shoes on their feet.

Once onboard, we went to our room, which wasn’t quite ready and asked our steward if we could leave our carry-ons in the closet. He was amenable and told us to be sure that our key worked. We then headed to the Windjammer for lunch. The formal dining room does not serve lunch on the first day or on others days.

More about this ship and trip next time.

Sail Away.

Some of these old maritime laws protected the shipping industry in the US. As far as the PSA, it seems to apply to the transport of passengers from one point to another. Those laws apparently applied to ferries and it makes sense that we don’t want foreign flagged ships to infringe on the passenger ship business. But, how many people go on cruises and use them as a ferry?

Take for example the ships that are part of the Alaska Ferry System. Of course those should be US flagged ships. They provide transportation, unlike cruise ships, which although they move, aren’t really used to get from point A to point B. They are large recreational vehicles that offer an experience to passengers, not transportation per se.

Proponents of these laws say that they take away US jobs and contribute nothing to the economy. So, as an example, does that mean that the foreign flagged ships that sail from LA to the Hawaii Islands have no effect on the economy or local jobs? Who provides dock services to these ships? How do the passengers get to LA? Do they stay in hotels, eat the food, rent cars, visit attractions? I am not convinced.

It seems time to re-evaluate this antiquated law. How hard is it to separate cruise lines from cargo vessels and the laws that apply to them? Ok, end of being political.

NCL recently decided to pull the Pride of Aloha from the Hawaiian waters supposedly because these foreign-flagged ships offered too much competition. What do those passengers who had reservations beyond the May withdrawal date do?

The following is from the NCL website:

Guests booked on Pride of Aloha
For guests booked on Pride of Aloha from May 11, 2008 and beyond, NCL is holding space and will offer the same cruise fare as they currently have paid on their Pride of Aloha cruise if they would like to transfer to the same week on Pride of America, departing one day earlier. In addition:
-Guests will receive a $100 per person on-board credit (up to $200 per stateroom).
-For guests who made their air and/or hotel arrangements through NCL, NCL will protect the rates they currently have paid and cover any air or hotel change fees.
-For guests who purchased their own air, NCL will protect up to the first $100 per person of any increase in air costs and cover up to $75 per person in air change fees.
-For guests who made independent hotel arrangements, NCL will cover any hotel change fees up to $25 per person.

Guests may book any other NCL cruise and receive a $100 per person on-board credit (up to $200 per stateroom) if they rebook by March 7, 2008. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. Guests may cancel their cruise and receive a full refund if NCL is notified by March 7, 2008. In addition, NCL will cover up to $75 per person in air change fees and up to $25 per person in hotel change fees. After March 7, 2008 cancellation fees will apply in accordance with NCL’s cancellation policy.

On our NCL Star cruise, we booked a future cruise onboard, planning on taking a Hawaii cruise. We found the cruise that visited Fanning Island intriguing. That is not an option though and it looks like the only option that we would have would be on the Pride of America. Better start looking at other itineraries. At least, we got an onboard credit and a reduced deposit. So much for planning ahead.

Sail Away

Back to the guarantee cabin
Perhaps this should have a different name like the Take a Chance cabin or Try Your Luck cabin. When you book a guarantee cabin, you first find the particular category of cabin that you like. In this example, we will select an outside guarantee. By booking this, we are guaranteed an outside cabin in at least the same category the we selected. Let’s say that we chose a guarantee Category G stateroom. Before I make that choice, I look at the deck plans and see which deck the Category G staterooms are on. If they are on Deck 3 and I want to be on Deck 5 or higher, then I would not go with a guarantee in that category. Although I could get moved to Deck 5 where the Category C cabins are, I have to assume that I will get the deck and stateroom category that I have originally chosen and paid for.

Of course, I am going to hope that I get moved to a higher category. But, a higher category is a relative term. On one cruise we selected an inside guarantee. We moved up several categories from what we original booked, but those categories where all within the inside cabin designation. What makes a certain category of the same cabin style an upgrade is often rather subjective. In our case, our big category jump was because the inside cabin was on a higher deck. We were fine with that.

Sometimes, it is possible to get a guarantee and get upgraded from one cabin style to another, but don’t count on it. When you select a guarantee, the cruise line will assign you a cabin. When you get your cabin assignment, you can’t expect to go back to them and request a change because you don’t like the location, the type of category or because you are superstitious and don’t want a cabin with the number that you received.

For those who want a specific location on the ship, the guarantee is definitely not the way to go. For those who are flexible and find it worth saving a few bucks for their flexibility, the guarantee cabin may be a good risk. Just remember that as long as you are happy with the original cabin that you selected and would be happy with any type or location of a cabin in that same category style; you can’t go wrong with the guarantee.

Sail Away.

Have you considered sailing on the Queen Mary 2? A few dates offer the low rate of just $899*) You can sail Eastbound (from NYC to Southampton) for this rate on April 16, April 28, May 10, and June 8. Westbound sailings on May 4 and June 2, 2008. Book at Cruise Bug Vacations.*This rate is a base fare.

Onboard activities rank high for many cruise ship passengers. Cruise directors develop new activities or borrow them from other ships. One of the ubiquitous activities is Quest. We had heard about this adult activity described in a cryptic way. Fellow passengers claimed it indescribable. Curiosity got the best of us, so we decided to see for ourselves exactly what this game entailed.

When we reached the spot where Quest would take place, we found plenty of people already seated. Knowing very little about this activity, but enough to know better than to participate; we sat away from the forming teams. The assistant cruise director asked for 5-6 people for each team that must include both male and females. A few people immediately formed teams, but for this game to work well, there needed to be several more teams. We watched as unwitting participants were persuaded to join the remaining teams that lacked for members.

The assistant CD explained the rules, noting that it was legal and encouraged that team members use the audience to help them fulfill their quests. The first team that fulfilled the requirement got the most points with the following teams receiving a lesser amount of points.

The first quest was to find a copy of the Freestyle Daily (we did this on the NCL Star). A woman seated in front of us flagged down a participant and pulled the requested item from her purse. She also told the person seeking the item that she had some other items.Obviously, this person had observed Quest before, and felt a need to come again supplied with whatever objects a team might find useful. The game proceeded and this woman donated enough items. Guess that passengers can participate in Quest in anyway that they want.

It’s no surprise that some of the objects or requested actions were risqué and tasteless. The final Quest involved a man from each team wearing women’s shoes and a bra and carrying a purse. The official judges did not choose the winner by the applause of the audience, which was supposedly the criterium to select the winner. The contestant that the official judges chose actually received the least amount of applause from the audience.

For all of their public humiliation, the winning team members won something like a key chain. One visit to Quest was enough for us. It was offered on another ship and we declined to attend. However, if you enjoy seeing people in various states of undress performing strange acts; you might enjoy Quest.

Maritime Quest
photo courtesy of Cunard

Don’t expect this Quest to be similar to the above described. This Quest is a heritage trail that describes the history of Cunard from the 1840′s to the building of the QM2. Definitely don’t expect to find the former Quest as an activity on any of the Queens.

Know your ship and its demographics. I recently heard a woman expressing disappointment that the ship she sailed included such things as the hairy chest contest as an activity. Because of this, she said that she would never cruise again. Had she done some research in advance, perhaps she would have figured that this particular cruise line was not a good match for her. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to realize that all passengers are not required to attend the hairy-leg contest. It’s optional.

If you find an activity offensive or just not to your taste; just don’t participate. Even the ship with the hairy-chest contest had plenty of other activities.

Sail Away

If you have ever thought of cruising with Holland America, you might be motivated by their three day sale starting on January 28,2008. Reduced deposits and coupon books sweeten the pot. This sale is for New bookings only.

I am the first to admit that cruising does have some impact on the environment, but don’t take everything that is written about the topic as gospel truth. We recycle, Freecycle, turn off unused rights and keep our thermostat set low to do our part in conserving resources. We even did a transcontinental trip by bicycle. It’s somewhat disconcerting to hear how environmentally unfriendly cruising is. It does appear that cruise lines are taking some measures to improve their impact on the environment as several ships now have environmental officers onboard. At least it’s a start. Until I thoroughly research the problem, my comments are strictly my own opinions.

Flying is three times greener than cruising, according to a recent article in the Telegraph. Keep in mind that greener is relative.The first paragraph offers a comparison between cruises and airplanes by figuring emissions on a per person basis. The first faulty bit of their equation is that they use the average numbers of passengers on the ship without adding the number of crew. The crew can number close to 1000 people,so adding these people to the equation would reduce the final number by half.

Later in the article, it was pointed out that all aspects of flying are not taken into account when calculating emissions. One must consider that a cruise is more than a means of transport from point A to point B. Cruise ships provide food, entertainment, laundry services and many other services that make it difficult to compare it with something as different as a flight.

Don’t forget that the crew members are not commuting back and forth to work everyday. How does that affect the comparison?

Obviously, the cruise lines need to become environmentally accountable and continue to improve and update their environmental policies. In the meantime, I will be waiting for a solar-powered ship. How hard would it be to equip the top deck with evacuated tubes and photo-voltaic cells? Think of all that sun in the Caribbean.

Which of these would look best on the ship?

Sail Away