The SunBreak » caribbean

Shore Notes From a First-Time Caribbean Cruise

Michael van Baker — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:30:53 +0000

The most pernicious misconception I had about cruising the Caribbean was the fantasy where I spent the whole time flat on my back on a lounge chair on the upper deck, working on a tan, harassing waiters for daiquiris, and making plans for "second lunch" at the buffet. You can do that, certainly, and cruise lines like to play up the pampering, but if you have an ounce of explorer in you, stopping at a new island each morning will have you up bright and early, ready to hit to the pier.

Shipboard Notes From a First-Time Caribbean Cruise

Michael van Baker — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:01:41 +0000

That's more or less all I knew about cruising before flying out of Seattle. I knew there was a formal night, that you were expected to eat dinner at either six or eight in the dining room (you had to choose), that I would have a bottle of Evian for each day of the cruise, and that on Thursday, I was going on a coastal bike tour. Royal Caribbean had provided me with a 119-page pdf of ship activities and shore excursions that so daunted me all I could manage to schedule in advance was the biking outing. I never managed to read the helpful What to Pack page, but I had found a few minutes for the online check-in.

The Balvenie Hits the Road to Celebrate Hand-Crafted Rewards

Michael van Baker — Thu, 12 May 2011 23:48:49 +0000

At the tasting at the WAC, in between cheap Scots jokes, Pollacchi schooled us on nosing and tasting Scotch, telling us to aim for a gentle wafting of the aroma, as if we were smelling a passerby's perfume at the airport. Then, holding the glass, you place other tightly on top, and shake once or twice. With a be-Scotched palm, rub your hands together briskly, then cup them and inhale. When you actually taste the Scotch, let it have at your tongue a bit before swallowing, and then exhale so the "finish" rises to your nose--that's when, with the Balvenie, you'll get the smoky notes.