My wife & I are thinking of shipping our bags from home (Long Island, NY) to Regent VOYAGER (in Funchal) & then home (Ft. Lauderdale to NY).

Has anyone had any experience with any of these companies?

Luggage Free
Luggage Express
Luggage Concierge
The Luggage Club
Luggage Forward
First Luggage
Virtual Bellhop
Express Baggage

- or with any other company offering point-to-point service?

We have used International Port Service, & while on-time with both deliveries they demolished 1 of our bags (though not its contents) & appear more expensive than many others.(To be fair, because we had purchased extra insurance coverage & were able to send them both a receipt for the recently purchased bag plus photos of the damage IPS did reimburse us quickly for the cost of that bag.)

We expect charges to be hefty but it is a necessary service for us. I am not physically capable of muscling baggage about.

In addition, our flight to Funchal will involve 3 aircraft from 2 different companies (Comair, NY to Boston; SATA, Boston to Punto Delgado; & a 2nd SATA aircraft, Punto Delgado to Funchal), increasing the possibility that something may be mis-directed at some exchange. Our ship will spend 8 days on the Atlantic on leaving Funchal before docking in Florida. There is thus no 'next port' at which mis-directed bags could catch up to us.

The idea of 8 days without a change of clothes chills the blood. Surely someone, crew or fellow passenger, would try to heave us overboard after 3 or 4 days.

We think (hope) that placing our bags in the hands of a single (reliable!) shipper might make such a problem less likely. We are therefore trying to determine which of the shipping companies offers the most reliable track record.

alelpe -

Welcome to LCT - we're on the same cruise - we call it CROSS (Crusing Regent on Smooth Seas). I'm the keeper of the roll call thread and we'd love to add you - just reply with your cruising companion name and stateroom number and I will put you on the list!

We're going to schlep our bags from LAX to Paris and Paris to Monte Carlo, Fort Lauderdale back to Los Angeles, so we can't anser you about shipping your bags. I know some of the cruisers here have used a service that Regent has recommended.

Hi Alepe and welcome to the board! There was a shipping luggage post awhile back with some good info on it, I will try and find it for you!

Hi alelpe,

I am unable to offer personal experience, shipping luggage from home. However, last month the Los Angeles Times Travel section had an informative article that may be of help -

LA Times Shipping Luggage

Welcome to LCT and to the Voyager transatlantic crossing in November, fondly referred to here on LCT as CROSS. My husband, Alan, and I will be cruising with you. We are native NYers, now living in SOCAL. Looking forward to meeting you and your wife!

Here are a few posts discussing luggage shipping services:

shipping luggage post

and here

and here

Hi Alelpe - we too are on this cruise, and will look forward to meeting you and your wife.

I don't have any experience with shipping luggage, we usually just take our chances and take it with us, but I understand your issue with not being able to handle all the luggage yourself.

Hopefully some of the above threads will help you find a good situation for your luggage.

In the meantime, please join in our discussions for this cruise, under "Cruise Roll Calls and Acronym List" then under "CROSS", you will find lots of fun people on this cruise and as time goes on lots of good information.

Welcome to LCT - the best chat board on the face of the Earth!!! :D :lct:

alelpe: I will be interested in your decision on a company - we will be on the Voyager for 2 weeks in June/July and then fly to Rome and that flight allows 40 lbs per person - I doubt we can do 3 weeks with 40 lbs so may be interested in shipping some luggage from CPH back to Florida -

As a LCT person for some time now, I must say it still astounds me (us) just how helpful this group is.....alelpe, you have come to the right place.

To all who responded so quickly to my question about shipping luggage between home & ship-

To all of you, my deep thanks. I had tried 3 other board sites with the most meager results. I stumbled into LTC & found a barrage of excellent, informative replies within hours. We are delighted & impressed.

To ChatKat, keeper of the rollcall for the November VOYAGER cruise, & to everyone else who reported they would be sharing this cruise & offered to meet, my name is Al(vin) Bernstein; my wife is Elly (not an abbreviation of anything). Since she is an old-fashioned goil she has used my last name since our marriage 100 years ago. We will be perched in cabin 860.

Al, we aim to please ;) I hope we can answer more of your questions!

Hey Al - we are neighbors - we are 861, other side of the hall, but in the same section. We were in 862 (next door to you) last time on Voyager, so will look for you and Elly. I'm sure this group will plan to meet up at the pool for sailaway, so come and join us there, or wherever we decide to meet up, it will be posted here at some point.

I'm sure Kathy (Chatkat) will add your cabin to the roll call, if she hasn't already done so.

Al,

So good that you "stumbled" onto LCT. You know what they say - "The third time's the charm!"

See you and Elly in November! How I wish you could sneak aboard some great NY deli and bialys for Alan and me ;)

Al: You and Elly sound like such fun - wish I were cruising with you in November! (especially if you're bringing some NY deli onboard) :D :D :D :ch: :ch: PS Let me know what you decide about luggage shipping

Oh yes - I love bialys too!!!

Welcome, Al and Elly! I know nothing about shipping luggage but am happy you found some guidance here at LCT. It truly is a wonderful forum with the most helpful travelers, as you quickly discovered. My husband and I will be on the Voyager crossing in November with you. I look forward to meeting you!

Joanna & others,

I haven't forgotten your wish to be informed of our decision about shipping luggage. I simply want to warn you to be patient. With so many companies on my list it will take time to sort them out- to the degree we can. Sailing is still >6 months off, & with the companies all willing to go into action at short notice (days or even hours) we can take the time to make the best search we can & get back to you then. We will not charge you by the hours invested.

I am aware that extending search time does not necessarily guarantee better results. Years ago my friend Alex, the Mad Hungarian, decided he needed a new car. He spent weeks researching every available make, tormented us with endless questions. Finally, he decided (on a Rover); we all sighed with relief. He bought 1 & drove it home. Making a sharp left onto a busy street there was a loud Clunk!- & his transmission fell onto the road.

Finding good delis or bagels or bialys is becoming very difficult. One of the best delis (2nd Avenue Deli, if you know NY) closed. Apparently a landlord/rent problem. The wonderful bagels of my youth -baked rock-hard with a bright, shiny surface (due to earlier boiling says Elly) & chewy, gummy & fragrant inside are all but gone, replaced by great, soft tasteless pillows made of a bizarre assortment of flours, with blueberries, raisins & the kitchen sink embedded.

Good Bialys (pletzls to Initiates) are also disappearing.

The tragic decline of these treasures is in no way compensated by the growing scourge of Burger Holes, Blimpies, Taco Bells, Subways, et al.

As my father said: "Progress can be hard to take".

Best wishes to everyone from Lawn Guyland.

Elly & Al.

Al and Elly: I am so appreciative of your research and love your fees!!! AND your wonderful sense of humor!!! Joanna

Al and Elly,
I echo Joanna's sentiments. I have been following this because I have a 16 day vacation cruise/land trip in September, and I am dreading the amount of luggage I may have to lug around.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Lynn

Al - love your sense of humor! Welcome to LCT! :)

Masaki

Hi Al and Elly,

Welcome to LCT! My husband and I will also be on Voyager's CROSS but, unfortunately, only on the 1st segment so we will not get an opportunity to meet :( .

Hope you find a good company among all those choices. Keep us posted!

Welcome Al and Elly - I am Nini and my husband is Bud - we will also be with you on the Voyager in November and look forward to meeting you then.

Nini

We have a GREAT Bialy bakery in Los Angeles in "the old neighborhood". I get them all the time from the Back East Bialy Bakery on Pico. My family was in the bakery, grocery and meat business in LA -via Brooklyn, San Francisco, Boyle Heights, and originaly Bialystock. My great grandparents owned the first Jewish Bakery in Los Angeles - circa 1906 and continued into the 1960's by my great uncles and cousins.

ChatKat - My grandmother was married to a man named Bialyes (I think) - he was from Bialystock. I was born in L.A. and lived there for my first 16 years and remember the Fairfax area very fondly. We would often shop there for Jewish goodies that you can no longer get here in S. Florida.

P.S. the bagels on the Navigator were terrible.

NIni

Nini,

I am in Boca as we speak...have you tried bakery goods from Ben's? Bonnie (BeBop Bonnie) was helpful a while back and I sent some takeout to my friend's mother who was recovering from surgery (Chicken Soup - what else!) from there and some other goodies. They have bakery goods. My friend liked them, but, I haven't tried them. Maybe tomorrow for brunch!

When I flew in , you could see the Mariner in port and the many passengers on my plane were going to be sailing on her. There were Regent luggage tags all over the place at baggage claim and the port agent was there too (sniff). My luggage had a tag too - but - I was not sailing! Just visiting for a long weekend.

The Bagels on Navigator were frozen Sara Lee or Lender's. Yes, not the best. We have Western Bagel in California, which are pretty good - not great but better than the Lenders.

Where is Ben's? I'll definitely try it for baked stuff - I make my own chicken soup.

Thanks for the info - have a great weekend in Boca.

Nini

When we lived in Queens, we used to buy bagles from the small bagel/bialy stores. Nothing beat the smell of those being baked. You could smell the onion and garlic blocks away!

We also had a bakery, located in Bayside, Queens - The Cake Box. Superb German/Jewish bakery. It was open in the mid-1950's and is still in business.

Nini, I make my own chicken soup, too.

Al, You have a marvelous sense of humor!

I lived in Bayside (I think it was called Belle Bay Apartments) and remember the Cake Box. It was wonderful.

Nini

OMG! What a small world, Nini! We lived in Bay Terrace on Bell Blvd. I know exactly where you lived! When did you live in Bayside? We moved from the Bronx to Bayside in 1955. I graduated Bayside HS in 1968. My parents both passed away and we finally sold the cooperative in 1997.

I love small world tales. What a very small world Denise & Nini!!!!!

Isn't it amazing...such a small world. From NY to LA and FL...and then to LCT!

Ben's I think is off Yamato somewhere....

I make my own soup too, but, you can't send it from LA to Boca very easily. My friend's mother is still talking about how I cooked for her for a week from 2500 miles away with a phone call and help from an LCT friend.

Thanks - I'll have to look it up. There is also a wonderful Kosher take out in North Miami Beach where we fill in with stuff that I don't bother with for the holidays (like gifelte fish - I couldn't possibly make it as well as they do).

Nini

Several people have commented on the smallness of the world simply within the LTC universe. That caught my attention & forced me to set aside my reticent nature & take up space here again.

At least 3 native Noo Yawkuz spoke up:- Denise & Nini from the middle-class strivers of Queens, & ChatKat from the riotous outpost of Brooklyn. My own roots are buried within the cement of B'klyn, & I wondered whether her roots & mine had achieved any early intertwining.

My own world was south Williamsburg, at the foot of the W'burg Bridge, behind the Navy Yard. North W'burg was made more famous by Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"in the '40s. It brought travel agents & tourists. Once, a large bus loaded with gawkers mistakenly came to our southern streets (hi yizall), forcing a halt to our punchball game so it could pass. We could hear someone inside describing our tenements & jammed streets in unkind terms (in retrospect, probably accurate). Enraged, we threw garbage at them. The windows came down; the description ended; the bus fled & never returned. I always remembered this, with some embarrassed sympathy, whenever a ship deposited us on the unfortunate population of some small & doubtless backward island.

The world of my childhood in the streets of W'burg was, I believe, vastly different from that of today's non-ghetto children. We hit the streets after breakfast (after school on week-days) & were free, unsupervised. We had only to re-appear for lunch, then resume our street lives until dinner. Seldom asked what we had been doing, we almost never volunteered anything. We spent the hours in invented seasonal games. Without supervision, arguments constantly interrupted every game, requiring countless "do-overs". When a do-over resulted in an undeniable outcome, the complainant in whose favor this went jeered his opponent with cries of "Chinky-Cho".(Probably originally 'Chinky-Chose'. I don't know the origin of this but it seems ugly now & best forgotten.)

Most games were innocuous, a very few dangerous (jumping roofs; a little thievery), & some disgusting (eg, playing marbles in April, rolling glass balls through puddles of accumulated filth along the curbs). This exposure probably gave us all robust immune systems.

Middle-class children now seem never to be alone. I dislike Little League because it seems to stamp out spontaneity & to press the child with the need to live out the parent's fantasy. I understand parents even make formal social appointments for their youngsters, planning every party, hovering, directing. It saddens me that these children never seem to know the joy of full, private freedom & getting away from adults.

Here endeth today's lesson. To continue, please deposit another 25 cents,

On review, this ramble seems out of place here, so after this indulgence I shall try to restrict any comments I might make in future to matters more cruise-ian.

Al

Hi Al,

Your "indulgence" put a smile on my "punim." Please don't restrict yourself to just cruise discussion. I am so enjoying your posts.

I fondly remember punchball, stickball, potsy and skully (remember that game with the bottlecaps?). It was a kinder time, where children could play outside without the warnings and fear today's youth has pounded into their heads at such a young age.

My Grandmother lived on Brighton 4th Street, a half a block from the boardwalk and beach. I have such beautiful memories of many, many precious times spent with her wandering on the boardwalk, sitting on the beach and atop the jetty, stopping in the old Pavillion to listen to her Russian contemporaries speak of the "old country" and sing Russian folk songs. The best pizza and knishes were right across from the Pavillion. My Grandfather played cards in the card club right next door to the knish store.

We would go shopping on the Avenue, visiting the "Chicken Lady" who, after you chose a chicken that was dangling in the window, would take her meat cleaver and cut up the chicken to my Grandmother's specifications. My Grandmother would then prepare chicken soup with that chicken - feet and all - in the sumptuous broth! Then off to Ebinger's for cake or Charlotte Russe for desert.

Lots of fond and loving memories! Thanks, Al, for starting such a great dialogue!

Please keep the conversation going!

Al, don't think about stopping - I have a handful of quarters sitting here!!!!!! Joanna

Can't help chiming in to this great conversation. First of all, Denise - I remember my grandmother's chicken soup, feet and all, and it was wonderful. She was also from Russia.

I grew up in Southern California and lived there until I was 16. We lived on the "wrong side" of Beverly Hills (south of Wilshire) and, as Al described, were always outside and totally unsupervised. It was just a different (and probably nicer) time to be a kid. We moved to NY when I was in my last year of high school - I lived in Manhattan, Queens and back to Manhattan until 1971, when we finally made it down to Florida.

Back to my Grandmother, for a minute, she lived with us and for a while, shared my room and I fondly remember some great times with her. When I would read a book for school (such as Little Women), she would read it along with me. I only hope that our grandchildren will have such great memories of us.

It's funny - Bud and I are pretty much loners and almost always travel alone. However, since I got up the nerve to join this board, I am really looking forward to meetiing everyone on CROSS.

Nini

Memories of those carefree days are wonderful! We, too, left the house (summer) after breakfast, returned for quick lunch or maybe didn't ate at friend's house (we never called home and no one worried), back for dinner and outside again until you heard your mother calling your name from the back porch as it was getting dark- we entertained ourselves all day!! Today I am afraid to leave my granddaughters out of my sight for too long - my grandfather had the most wonderful Irish brogue. He lived with us until I was 11 yrs old and when I would fall or cry for being punished I always felt so safe hearing him sing to me hoping to make me feel better: (settle down Lassie he'd say before singing)

Over in Killarney
Many years ago,
Me Mither sang a song to me
In tones so sweet and low.
Just a simple little ditty,
In her good ould Irish way,
And l'd give the world if she could sing
That song to me this day.

"Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, hush now, don't you cry!
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li,
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, that's an Irish lullaby."

And I loved his Irish lamb stew and his sense of humor. I have told Denise I know I was born to a Jewish family and was accidentally switched at birth and was sent home with an Irish family! OY!

One common thread for all of us, regardless of where we came from, what religion, race, or nationality - we all have wonderful memories to reflect upon, hold within our hearts and share!

Joanna, You were switched at birth, but my sister, nonetheless :hug:

And the lesson is that these memories must be shared with our children and grandchildren. My grandmother never told us anything about her childhood, etc. so, as a result, I know nothing about where she came from, which is very sad.

Here you go Al ~

What a terrific exchange you have inspired here, on this thread!!! Please don't stop!!!!

Ollie: So true - we went to Ireland to find the old stories that were never told at home..I think they wanted to forget the "sad times"...my favorite story is walking in some town in Ireland- an old old gentleman with cane asked "are you from AmeriCAR? and your family name?" I said "yes I am from AmeriCAR and my name is....." - "Oh and now you are coming home!!!!" :lct:

Yes, Joanna, when I met cousins in Ireland, they used the same phrase "coming home!"

I remember Ebinger's...they had positvely the best black-out cake anywhere!!!

Hey, Nini,

I lived on Palm Drive, just south of Wilshire and grew up at Pico/Robertson on Bedford Street.

We had our West Coast Version of those games. Pickle was big on our block. Actually, my kids from the neighborhood are still my friends - we gather for dinner and to tell stories all the time of growing up in our 'hood.

We had Pico Poultry - they slaugtered the chicken in the back. We still have a kosher butcher on Ventura that for the Holidays has live chickens. I still get the feet for soup at the store. What I miss are the eggs you can't get any more to put in the soup.

Kathy - I remember those eggs, too. I seem to remember a man that delivered chickens with all the extra parts that we don't get today. In fact, several years ago, Bud and I were having Dim Sum in Calgary and they brought around chicken feet. I got very excited - Bud was more or less grossed out. (He just didn't have the right grandmother to cook for him when growing up).

What schools did you go to? I know I am much older than you so we probably wouldn't know the same people, but I went to Beverly Vista and Beverly High.

Melinda,

Oh, yes! Their black-out cake was THE best!

Kathy/Nini,

I remember those eggs, as well. I thought they were very small and hard-boiled type egg yolks. My mother had told me that those were "unfertile" eggs. I loved them in the soup.

Since there is a fair amount of reminiscing going on here, thought I'd add this link:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

As a young lad, I loved the architecture of the old Omaha Post Office Building, downtown. Unfortunately it was torn down years ago and replaced by a hotel/federal building. However I saw it plus some other sites that brought back many fond memories.

Cheers! Ray

Nini,

I went to Hamilton High (Class fo 1973)- my sister went to BHHS, but, she is 6 years younger. My mother went to Fairfax but for the last year, BHHS - class fo 1949.

Yes, the eggs were unfertile and are not allowed for human consumtion anymore. They were the eggs still in the slaugtered chicken.

Not sure what I've been doing to be too busy to log onto LCT recently, but here I am again.

Welcome Al from another LAwnGuyLinder! I noticed you said your location was LawnGuyLand - with an A.
As Arlene will be quick to point out, it should be an "i" at the end, not an "a" (It was such a conversation that led to our meeting).

Reading all the reminiscences about the "neighborhood", I am struck by how much alike it was in other places. Although I grew up in NE Philadelphia, it was pretty much the same atmosphere - you left the house in the morning to go o ut & play (stickball, baseball, fort, whatever) & got back for dinner. The kids were just THERE. No need to make play dates, arrange carpools, have adults set up teams, etc.

As for BAgels/Bialys, I'd like to recommend Let There Be Bagels in Port Washington. And, of course, H & H in NYC.

I'm surprised that Nini & Bud describe themselves as loners. Elly & I thought we were the only such on something as socially tuned as LCT. Unexpectedly, I have become very fond of it, as witness my frequent participation.

In fact, Elly & I are beyond loners. We have completed 2 previous cruises on VOYAGER, +7 or 8 before that, all but 1 on Celebrity (our favorite until we found Regent).

On every 1 of these we have been voted the most boring couple aboard, & we have every confidence we shall retain our title on CROSS.

We never lie by the pool; never play bingo; never play cards- never play any games'; dislike Las Vegas-style shows; never participate in any organized mass activity; etc. We take occasional walks (my walking is called staggering), stare at the horizon, sit on our porch counting wavelets & thinking profound thoughts, &, much of the time, reading.

We do enjoy talking with others, over coffee/drinks/dinner, 1 or 2 other couples at a time. I have lost some hearing (& vision), & with any greater numbers find myself unable to decode what is being said. This leaves me frustrated & on returning to our cabin I may beat up Elly, if I can catch her.

We are astonished at having been given so warm & flattering a reception & want to avoid injuring any feelings. If we sometimes do not join you please never take it personally.

Some of you mentioned slaughtered chickens, chicken feet, & immature eggs. My mother sometimes took me to a nearby poultry market. Offered several live chickens she would grope each, fingering it fore & aft in a way I thought unnecessarily humiliating for the birds. A price settled, a slaughterer would slit the bird's throat & set it on the floor to wobble about, gurgling on its own blood, until it fell dead. It still fills me with horror. For pennies more a crone wearing clothes a half-step from rags would pick up the corpse & pluck it.

Like Bud, I cannot think of eating chicken feet. My Chinese daughter-in=law & her family however love them for their crunchy texture.

If you love Chinese food I strongly recommend having a Chinese in the family. (Just how you accomplish this is your business.) Mine takes us to wonderful, often tiny, not too neat places where nothing is in English & Big Noses seldom are seen. She discusses options with servers, & sets before us endlessly varied & wonderful dishes. (We have learned not to ask what anything had been before it was served us.)

Another chicken story. I came home from school 1 day to find a live chicken resident in our bathtub, clucking & defecating. I soon learned its purpose. A day or 2 later the bird was compelled to take part in a barbarous ritual, as irrational as it was cruel. Grasping it by its crunchy feet, my father whirled the chicken in a circle 3 times above my head & that of my brother, reciting a prayer asking that all our sins & the divine punishments that would inevitably follow them be transferred to the chicken.

Shortly afterwards I returned from school to find the bathtub clean & our resident chicken gone. When asked about it my mother gave evasive answers, but that evening we had chicken soup & boiled chicken. I refused to eat it on the grounds of cannibalism. My father grew angry, said we could not afford to waste food (true enough, but still....), & forced me to eat it all. I've never entirely forgiven him. Probably because of the opposition of my brother & myself (but possibly because the attempt to shift blame didn't seem to work), my parents never tried this again.

I'm surprised that ChatKat reports immature eggs are no longer allowed for human consumption. I'm not expert here, but to the best of my knowledge the problem with these eggs is the same as that with chicken flesh & livers- possible salmonella or campylobacter infection. If properly cooked, all should be safely edible. (??)

Has this infection spread to flocks on the west coast too?

Gil, you're right! Lawn Guylinder, not Lawn Guylander! I surrender to more discriminating ears.

I see you grew up in another city & in another generation. The leave-em-alone Theory of Child Rearing thus was spread beyond Brooklyn & lasted beyond my childhood. I wonder where, when & how the current fearfullness for one's children & mistrust of their good sense began.

Al (from Elly & Al)

"We never lie by the pool; never play bingo; never play cards- never play any games'; dislike Las Vegas-style shows; never participate in any organized mass activity; etc. We take occasional walks (my walking is called staggering), stare at the horizon, sit on our porch counting wavelets & thinking profound thoughts, &, much of the time, reading."

I do sit at pool - same likes/dislikes you and Elly have for cruising - "most boring" I doubt it!!!! - this board had been boring for a few weeks - thanks for joining - I see in your profile retired Prof - hope it is math or science and NOT writing - the pressure will be on if it is writing - oh Professor Bernstein an "A" please - my husband,too, is hard of hearing but will not admit it - huh? what? what'd you say?? you never told me that fact - yada yada (denial) - again, a big welcome!!!!!!!!!! Ok going to check spell check and grammar site for the Prof!!!

1st - I remember that Chicken in the bath story too from my mother's telling it...vaguely. I don't recall the why (I did get kicked out of Hebrew School for eating an ice cream cone and verbalizing my displeasure about it when my mother gave me money to buy it)

As for Chinese-Jewish relations, a friend of mine adopted a baby girl in China 13 years ago and is going to be a Bat Mitzvah this year. I have a side business of photography and I am photographing the event. I found a box of Kosher Fortune Cookies in Florida this week :D in a Take Out Box with Hebrew Style Writing. Fun, huh?

Al - you sound anything but boring to me - I think you are very funny and look forward to exchanging funny stories in person. I think these "chicken stories" are hilarious.

MY brother was married to a Chinese (actually Tawainese woman) - so we have 4 half Asian nephews with whom we have just reestablished contact. When we visited them in Taipei, they took us to some wonderful places to eat - with the exception of the 1000 year old eggs. Yuck!!!

Nini

Jumping in here to say Hi, Al...I am Nini's daughter, so also another generation from you, but I have to say I fall more closely to leave 'em alone than to micro manage my daughters' lives...mom, tell them. I'm quite different from my sisters in this regard, too. My kids did have play dates, I confess, but that is because there weren't any kids in our neighborhood. My kids are pretty well adjusted and have never played on teams that I arranged, though I must confess my older daughter doesn't eat Chinese food, which is almost a requirement to be in our family! You sound like a hoot, Al, and I know you and your wife will have a blast on Cross with my folks and all these people. I convinced my mom to introduce herself after reading posts and telling her how much fun you all sound! And Al, what kind of professor were you? I am an elementary school teacher in South Florida.
Melinda

Al,

I find your wonderfully written posts to be so refreshing. You have a fantastic sense of humor and I have no doubt that you and Elly will be a pleasure to meet and swap more chicken stories with. Hopefully, none of these stories "lays an egg!" OY!

Nini,

Really looking forward to meeting you, as well. I'm almost afraid to ask about those 1000 year old eggs. Now I'm beginning to question the expiration dates on the eggs I have in the fridge. Have I been tossing them too soon? Is an early expiration date a poultry/dairy conspriacy to drive up egg prices?

Melinda,

Sorry you will not be on CROSS with us. I sure would enjoy meeting you too! We can spend hours talking Ebinger's!

So glad you convinced your Mom to post!

Melinda and Nini,

The Chinese Fortune Cookies in the Take Out box were at Ben's in Boca, which is a Kosher Deli - "We're Meat" was the response when I went in for an Eggs and Bagels with Cream Cheese on Sunday.

"I find your wonderfully written posts to be so refreshing. You have a fantastic sense of humor"

Amen and halleuliah!!!!!

The fortune cookies are going to be quite a hit at the Bat Mitzva, Kathy. My younger daughter is in 7th grade this year and the season is still going quite strong as the school year winds down; we even have one Labor Day weekend! Not sure why, but after reading your post I starting thinking about chocolate egg creams, which you can't find here anywhere. There used to be a Coney Island restaurant on 163rd Street in North Miami Beach, and they were pretty good there. I guess if you get Foxes U-Bet you can make them at home, but it's never quite the same!

Love Fox's-U-Bet. When we moved to SOCAL, I couldn't find a decent egg cream. I managed to find Fox's U-Bet syrup, located a man who delivered seltzer and made my own!

Ok, Denise, we have some serious chocolate addictions I see!

Yes we do. A chocolate egg cream and a black and white and we're good to go!

Yes...black and whites are the best!!! And of course the afore-mentioned blackout cakes. Yummy. It is Teacher Appreciation week at school and my kids know I love dark chocolate, so they bring me Godiva's all the time!

I bet you're a great teacher and get lots of Godiva, Melinda. Well-deserved, I'm sure!

I need a trip back to NYC to satisfy my egg cream/B&Ws/black-out cake/Cantonese shrimp in lobster sauce/pizza cravings!

Denise - take me!!!!!

But of course!

Ray's Original Pizza...of course all the Ray's claim they are the original, but they do have amazing slices.

You're joining Joanna and me in NYC, Melinda!

Ray's is so great!!!

Have any of you ever been to Flushing (eons ago) and tried Gloria Pizza? OMG!

My bags are packed! Mom, you coming, or can I leave the girls with you? hahahahaha

My bags packed too!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're on! We need Nini, too. The more "fressers" the better!

Too much "Fressing" will put you on the Weight Loss thread....

I'm ready - when do we leave? The other day I was "killing" time in Borders and almost bought a diet book that claims that every day, you must have 2 ounces of dark chocolate, 5 oz. of red wine and 2 oz. of nuts. It's supposed to make you live longer - I figure you would live happier, if not longer.

Nini

Good to see you're joining us on the NYC Fresser Fest! Dark chocolate on the B&W's, red wine to toast and sip with our pizza and nuts on the black-out cake. Here's to a longer, happier life - L'Chaim!

Let's not forget the shrimp in lobster sauce -

Denise - I was thinking that on a cruise without mu daughters, I would not gain as much as I did on the Navigator during the holidays. I am beginning to suspect that I was wrong.

Do you know a good Chinese restaurant in NY (midtown Manhattan)? We will be there for one night before we board the QM2 in October.

Nini

How did I miss this thread until this morning! You all have made my day! Unfortunately I have no live or dead chicken stories but have truly enjoyed yours! And I too miss the 2nd Ave deli as they were great about shipping to us poor folk in the Midwest where good delis are hard to find. If we can add a deli I'm in on the New York "satisfy all cravings" jaunt!

Sue - of course we can add a deli - we're happy to welcome you to our jaunt.

Nini

Sue, You've been added to our fressing roster. A very welcome addition, I might add! Corned beef, chopped liver on rye, potato knish, Dr. Brown's Cream soda! Yes!

Nini,

Are you implying that I may be a bad influence on CROSS? I will certainly try my hardest! ;)

Sorry to say I don't know of any good Chinese restaurants mid-town. We visited the City about 3 years ago and I can't recall the name of the restaurant we dined in. It was not really mid-town. I can do a search on Zagat later today, if you like.

Joanna,

We could never forget the shrimp in lobster sauce!
We need to add duck sauce and crispy noodles, won ton soup with hot mustard, lo mein, and b-b-q pork spareribs!

The first time we put hot mustard in our won ton soup in Banff (we have a wonderful Chinese restaurant there, Silver Dragon), everyone looked at us like we were totally nuts. I'm so glad to see that we aren't.

Nini

Corned beef, CHOPPED LIVE ON RYE, bbq pork spareribs - I think I'm in heaven - We don't have any good Chinese restaurants here, though, and nothing close to a NY deli - :mad: :mad:

Our Teacher Appreciation luncheon was catered by Too Jay's...I had a roast beef sandwich on rye bread with 1000 Island Dressing!!! You will never guess what I had for dessert...B/W with DARK chocolate!!!!!
Mother, I resent the implication that I may have been a bad influence, haha. We are fressers from way back in our family; we graze pretty well, too.

My friend lives off Yamato not far from TooJay's; I am probably coming to Boca for a week to work and I will stay there too. Boca is a haven for Deli with all those NY transplants.

You will all notice that I accept no personal responsibility - it is way easier to blame my pigging out on someone else (be it my children or new found friends).

Nini

Rumor has it, they are putting in a TooJays here, only a few blocks from us. If that happens to be true, I've a feeling, Larry & I will be hanging out over on the weight loss support thread much, much more often!

TooJay's is great - my favorite breakfast thing there is blueberry blintzes. Very fattening but very great!!

Nini

Kathy when you come back to Boca you should call Nini and me!

I was just going to write what Melinda did - maybe we can get together for lunch.

Nini

I am not sure when the job will come through, but, I will be there for about a week. I'd be working 10-6 probably, so not sure lunch will work. I will definitely let my So Florida friends know. Keeping my fingers crossed since it's a good consulting job for me.

Forget about luggage - this topic should now be called the weight-gain thread!

Just reading this makes me gain weight! - well, maybe not, but it certainly makes me hungry!

Nini,

I was able to find the name and address of the Chinese restaurant we dined in the last time we went back home to NYC. Here you go -

Phoenix Garden
242 E. 40th St.
(bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
Manhattan, NY
212-983-6666

Thanks, Denise - we may very well try it before we sail on 10/19.

Nini

Hope you enjoy if you go, Nini.

You aren't nuts. We, too, love hot mustard in won ton soup.

Melinda, Lucky you to have such a great desert. Glad to hear your well-deserved Teacher Appreciation luncheon was so enjoyable.

Here are current prices & other details of shipment of 4 of the luggage-shipping companies on my list. My focus with each has been shipment from my home (LI,NY) to FNC, & from FLL to my home. If you want further information you may obtain it at the telephone numbers provided.

No one would guess whether or not prices might change for November (CROSS-time). Some thought that if there were changes they would be relatively small. To guarantee current prices several urged shipment reservation now for November.

NOTE: All but 1 of these companies want luggage intended for international shipment to be left unlocked. They claim locks may delay Customs, possibly delaying promised delivery dates. Only International Port Services (IPS) recommended locking each bag with a combination lock & giving each combination to IPS to be forwarded to the relevant Customs office.

To each company I noted the danger of missing delivery date to VOYAGER- being left without a change of clothes for 8 days. If this happened I threatened to fly directly to their office from FLL to have them smell me.

IPS said they target delivery 3 full days before sailing & store luggage in FNC in their own covered facility.

The others said they attempt delivery 1-2 days before sailing & will arrange with "someone in FNC" to store baggage until it can be brought aboard ship.

A spokeswoman for The Luggage Club (Lesly Ford) told me today she is still trying to determine their delivery in FNC. She noted 3 options: 1) "delivery to someone in FNC a couple of days early"; 2) obtaining a courier service on FNC to take luggage from the FedEx location to the ship; & 3) asking us to pick up our baggage at FedEx & take it to the ship ourselves. (I do not know yet whether any of these would carry an extra charge.)

LUGGAGE FORWARD 1-866-416-7447

The cost of shipping 2 "medium bags" (up to 40lbs) LI/NY to FNC, & then FNC to LI/NY would be a total of $762. >40 lbs (I presume a total >80 lbs for 2 bags) there would be a surcharge of $8/lb between NY & FNC; $3/lb between FLL & NY.

Prices are for weekday pickup/delivery. For Saturday there is a $25 charge. Charges for Sundays/holidays are determined for each case. LF CANNOT GUARANTEE DELIVERY FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS. For internat'l shipments customers must list complete contents of each bag & "retain all outer packaging". (No idea what that last means.)

This includes insurance of $500 per bag, with additional insurance available at $10 per $500, NY to FNC; or $5 per $500 FLL to NY..

No protective covering is offered & customers must provide "adequate packaging".

If cancelled within 3 business days of scheduled pickup there is a $25 penalty.

Every company has similar cop-outs regarding delayed, lost or damaged items. For LF, if delivery within the US is delayed they will waive the cost of shipping that item & offer payment for expenses incurred at $200 a day, up to $500.

For damaged shipment (except for "protruding parts" on cases) a claim must be submitted with proof of value (defined how?) & an LF agent must assess the damage. If accepted, LF will pay up to the insured value.

Any fees incurred by Customs are paid by the customer.
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INTERNATIONAL PORT SERVICES- 1-800-395-8810

Each amount cited below is for shipping weight of up to 100 lbs.

Continental USA:$175; >100 lbs, $1.75 per lb.

Alaska or Hawaii: $225; >100 lbs, $2.25 per lb.

Caribbean: same as Alaska/Hawaii but with a $65 Customs Charge added.

Canada: $275; >100 lbs, $2.75 per lb; $125 Customs Charge.

International: $650; >100 lbs, $6.50 per lb' $125 Custom charge.

These include $150 insurance per bag; additional insurance is available at $25 per $1000.

There is no cancellation fee.

If asked, IPS will supply "shrink wrap plastic" over each bag at no charge. However, they warned me that Customs will cut this open & discard it. (So what protection does it offer?)

Last year IPS charged an extra $20 for each delivery, since my home (30 miles east of JFK) was deemed beyond their normal delivery zone. Each delivery was on time, but in returning the bags to our home 1 was badly torn (though contents were safe). Because we had purchased extra insurance & were able to send them a receipt for that bag + photos of the damage IPS sent us full payment for the bag within 10 days. (I cannot say what would have happened if we had not preserved the receipt for that bag. We had it only because we had bought it only some 3 weeks earlier.)
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THE LUGGAGE CLUB- 1-877-231-5131

The cost for shipping 2 "medium bags" (up to 45 lbs each) LI/NY to FNC is $551.84 for Priority Class (6 days in transit); $382.31 for Economy Class (10 days in transit).

Shipping the same 2 bags FLL to NY Premium Class (delivered next morning) costs $353.16. Deluxe (delivered next afternoon) costs $323.82. Select Class (2 days in transit) costs $246.22, Economy Class (4 days in transit) costs $129.56.

These do not include taxes, duties or storage charges for which the customer is liable.

There is also an additional $25 "Processing Fee" to be added.

Bags are insured for $1000 each, with additional insurance available for $3 per $500.

There is a cancellation charge of $75.

No protective covering is available.

Prices are for pickup/delivery on weekdays. Saturday is possible for an extra charge to be determined.
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LUGGAGE CONCIERGE: 1-800-288-9818

I sent them an initial e-mail in early April. They replied (by e-mail) promising that someone would call me very soon. No one did. I then called them some 6-8 times over 4 separate days. Each produced nothing more than a recorded message ending with the comment that there was no one there to respond to my call. I then e-mailed them again, reminding them of their e-mailed promise to have someone call me. This was never answered.

I've heard nothing from them for about a month of trying & will make no further effort to deal with them.


I hope this is of use to some of you. If so I will be happy to continue & will present further information on the remaining companies on my list when I have been able to contact them all.

Great job Al printing out now - thanks for your work!!! Joanna

Tremendously useful and complete information, Al. I am sure those who are considering this type of service owe you a big thank you for all your research!

Al, I am howling!!!

This is really good info, I think I will put it in the frequently asked questions forum in a few days after everyone has read it here.

Looked into this for our upcoming cruise on the Silver Spirit in Nov from Rome-FLL. I liked Luggage Free the best and they were very cooperative when I called them. International rate is $5.25/lb plus a pickup charge of $50. The good thing is that they shrink wrap the luggage when they pick it up. I asked whether customs in Italy would take the wrap off and was told that there is @ a 50% chance of it. The bad thing is that they have to pick the bags up on Oct 23 for a delivery to the ship on 2 Nov. Miss Lynn doesn't like that idea. They are apparently very reliable.

I have used Luggage Free with good results. I got a cheap Pullman at Walmart because our good bags are too heavy. The lightest bag you can find will cut your cost of shipping because they charge by pound and it adds up quickly!


I also used a TSA lock that TSA is supposed to be able to unlock and then relock BUT I have locks damaged and lost.

I Think TSA is a den of thieves!

I have used both "Luggage Free" and Silverseas "Luggage Valet" services. Both are excellent. With Silverseas your butler picks up your bags in your cabin and they take over from there, but with "Luggage Free" you have to claim your bags dockside, walk them through customs and give to courier outside terminal.

Any updated experiences on shipping luggage? We are looking at shipping around 50 pounds back from Beijing to USA. Luggage free wants $7.42/lb or around $370. Any better deals?

Does Regent offer luggage shipping? If so, can we use shipboard credit?

thanks,

Marc