Cruising Carnival Horizon with Nut Allergy

Day 1 - Started out from Peterborough ON,at around 3 am to go to Pearson Airport in Toronto for our 7:30 am flight on Sunwing to Miami. So after waiting forever at the airport for the crew to arrive at the desk at the gate I went up and asked about pre boarding and was told by the unorganized desk lady no in which I told her "um no I will be pre boarding" so she just said fine. So they finally called us to pre board and when I got to the plane the flight attendant was super nice and said "oh yes we were waiting for you we new about a passenger with allergies" so no problems had time to wipe down seats with travel wipes I bring with me and settle in for the flight. Flight was uneventful except for a horrible landing of which I kinda think we almost touch the wing on the ground but we lived so its all good.

Embarkation: Took a cab from airport with our 3 travelling partners and got an amazing cabbie name Rosalita we asked if she could stop somewhere so we could grab wine and pop so she did and stopped at a great grocery store for us. So we all stocked up and headed to the port. When we got to the port it was smoothest embarkation ever just we got through security and then into building walked right up to desk got our pictures taken and then basically right on to the ship which maybe took 20mins total.

Got on the ship and headed up to the Lido deck ten as we had to wait for about an hour till we could get into room. Had my first Guys burger as I knew from previous cruises that it was allergy safe for me.

So after getting settled into room I read in the documents in room that for allergies and special dining requests to head up to desk on deck 5 which was just before the coffee shop and talk to the people there. This was very convenient I went there and was able to pre-order my meal for the evening. I also found out with the help of and email to John Heald and his assistant Jacinta they arranged for us to have a table for 5 reserved at 530 in the Meridian Dining room.

The first nights Dinner we got introduced to our Dining room staff of Alex, Katarina and Mirko

And Wow what a great group of people. The were always smiling and joking around and made sure my needs as a food allergic person were met and even suggested things for me (something that did NOT happen on NCL Bliss). Alex and Katarina even gave us some tips for what beaches were good in the ports and things to do.

All the ports were great that we visited Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao and Aruba. Normally if we are exploring I take in our day pack some snack especially to the beach either some boxed safe cereals from the buffet or I pack some safe granola bars like https://madegoodfoods.com which make fantastic products.

One great thing I found was at the SEA Day Brunch and that was that since they are new brunch menus to the Horizon and the fleet they actually marked which items contained nuts and seeds and also were vegetarian.

Now I still notified my server that I was allergic but this definitely helped choosing what I was going to have for brunch. I hope this is a good sign for the future of how Carnival is going to do in the future I would be very happy.

There are so many options for food we didn't even touch on the specialty restaurants this time. We did eat at the Pig and Anchor free lunch BBQ which I spoke to one of the chefs prior about allergens and he said I was OK and it was AMAZING great BBQ. Also Guys Burgers and Blue Iguana was safe for me as well as the Pizza and of course the soft server 24/7 ice cream which is fantastic.

So once again another terrific trip on the Amazing Carnival Horizon and we will most definitely be back for another cruise on this ship.

Once again special thanks to the amazing staff with special shout outs to Alex, Katarina, Mirko, Anthony, Leo, Sari and Tyler who made the cruise amazing. And extra special thanks to John Heald for making special dinner seating arrangements for me.

Cruising NCL Bliss with Nut Allergy

So this is first attempt at travel blog even though we have cruise 8 times before and a few all inclusive. So to start off we left Peterborough ON on Dec 7 to travel to Fort Lauderdale from Hamilton Airport via FlySwoop Airlines. First off FlySwoop which is a Ultra Low Cost airline in Canada was incredible for my nut allergies. I indicated my allergy previous when I booked my ticket online and when I got to the gate to check in I was told because it was the first flight of the morning they had already wiped down my seat for me but still allowed me to pre-board to do anything I needed to do. The flight was awesome they made an announcement for the whole plane to please do not consume any nuts on the plane and I had no problems. I always fly with two epipens and handiwipes in my pack but I also had additional epipens in my backpack that I used as a carryon.

We arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport and preceded to go and find the Tri-Rail shuttle to take us to the tri-rail station which was pretty easy. The tri-rail which was around $3 pp took us right to Miami Airport which then we got a taxi to our hotel (because we didn't want to wait an hour for hotel shuttle).

On Dec 8 we then took our hotel shuttle and boarded the NCL Bliss.

 Embarkation was actually pretty smooth and we got in and got our paperwork and sign and sail cards and we were assigned a group number 2. We then sat and only waited maybe 30 mins and we were on our way onto the ship.

Now my previous 7 cruises have all been on Carnival so that is my comparison experience. Of course we could not get into our rooms until 2pm and we were on board at approx 1230 so the first place you go is to the buffet to eat.

As a Severe Peanut Allergic person the buffet on a cruise ship can be a minefield to traverse. So I asked the nearest person for someone to help me. They called Nicholas

who was the executive sous chef. He was excellent he walked me through the entire buffet and told me exactly what I could and could not have and the areas to avoid all together. He even pointed out the few pastries and breads that would be ok for me but because they were right beside ones that were not it was a high risk of cross contamination on a buffet so that was a hard NO for me. So I played it safe and sampled the burger and pizza and fries the first day. The were ok but Carnival Cruise Lines far surpasses the pizza on this ship.

So we made our way to the stateroom when we were able and dropped our bags off. There was a letter in the cabin telling me because of allergies I was to go to the Maitre 'D's office located in the restaurant reservation area. This was ok but it didn't really specify where that was so we went to guest services. The redirected me to the area called The Social which is where you can make reservations the first night. After waiting in line for 30 mins I finally got to speak to a person and they were nice and pleasant and offered me the menu for the dining room that night to pre-order. A lot of items on the menu had nut items in them so I played it safe and got the steak and baked potatoes and fruit plate for dessert ( no chocolate melting cake😒).

We went for Supper with a group at Taste one of the 3 main free dining rooms on the Bliss. They all have the same menus and draw from the same kitchens. So I told them I had pre-order and when everyone's  meals came out so did mine exactly as I had ordered so that was a good start and the food was very good no complaints. After that meal I was offered a menu to pre-order for the next night however that was the last time that was done without me prompting for it.On Carnival I never had to prompt they were right there with the menu.

I won't bore you with details of every meal but with a lot of menus that I saw a lot of items did have nut items as part of them so I did play it safe and stuck with things that were safer like chicken, steak and prime rib. Not once was there ever a suggestion for a waiter or wait staff of a food item that they could alter for me to have this was a little disappointing as I guess I was spoiled on carnival with this but that also goes to the difference between freestyle dining of NCL and  the set dining times with same waitstaff every night of Carnival.

I did eat at The Local which was the irish pub restaurant also complimentary a few times. And I have to say as soon as the waitstaff came to the table the first thing they always ask was if anyone had any food allergies which is very good. And they checked to see if what I had ordered was safe for me.

One BIG WARNING for Nut Allergic folk is the Bars on the NCL Bliss and I assume any NCL ship. All the bars serve containers of nuts for people. While at most bars i didn't see a lot of these the one particular area I did was The District Brewhouse. I went in with my friends and quickly left as the nuts were everywhere in there and I watched several patrons just eating them and wiping there hands together so I was out of there quickly and did not return.

So All in all my experience on the Bliss in regards to food allergies was pretty good. I didn't utilize any of the up charge restaurants but I am sure they would hand things the same. However in my personal opinion my overall experience on the Bliss was not as enjoyable as my previous Carnival Cruises. I didn't like that fact that you had to book a lot of the entertainment a head of time especially with a group of 14 people it can make it hard to co-ordinate. I didn't find the staff with a few exceptions to be overly happy or friendly And it just didn't have the same fun vibe that Carnival seems to have.

I can say I tried it but I think I will be returning to Carnival very soon.

PMC Issue fact or fiction!!!

As a Peterborough Laker Fan and a City of Peterborough tax payer this whole issue right now about the PMC floor repairs is very concerning to me. Not only does the fate of the Lakers home season next year stand in the balance but also the fate of 100's of minor lacrosse players and other events and uses for the PMC during the time period in question of June till possibly November of 2019. Its not just a question of the ticket and sponsorship revenue I am concerned about which as a fan I obviously am but also the $3.5 million price tag attached to this repair by the city.

What concerns me the most about this situation is the very confusing and mixed stories that are coming out about the reports and version of what is happening. So as a concerned citizen I emailed both the Mayor and the two councilors in my ward being Henry Clark and Don Vassiliadis. I will put my initial email and there responses to the email and you can read for yourself the variations in the  of the issues. And the versions that we have heard in the media.

My Email.


 Good Afternoon, As a concerned taxpayer and yes a Lakers Fan. I feel
you really need to get a second opinion on the structural integrity of
the PMC floor before spending 3.5 million dollars of our tax dollars.
Not only because its a lot of money and you will be messing up the
Lakers fan base for an entire season. But also its all the minor league
players that will be displaced both lacrosse and hockey in the fall and
with no extra floor or ice space in the city to replace this facility
during its down time that is a huge void that won't be filled. I hope in
your plans for the new facility at Trent University you have included a
fair amount of seating on at least one of the ice services much like
they have at the Cobourg Community Centre.
> 
> A Concerned taxpayer and voter
> 
> Rob Rutherford


The Mayors Response:

Rob

That would be a forth or fifth opinion on the building condition,I am sending some information to try and establish some of our reasoning.

I have assured everyone who has asked ,we would not be spending any money unless it was absolutely necessary.

The Memorial Centre is not scheduled to be demolished nor has any decision been made to decommission the building. A new Major Event and Sport Facility would cost $80 million to $100 million, according to early estimates. That study is underway. No decision has been made. If the community decided to build a new facility, it would take an estimated eight years for consultation, planning, design and construction for that substantial facility. We would need the Memorial Centre to last at least until we have a new facility. The community could also decide to re-purpose the Memorial Centre for other types of uses as a community facility. That is part of the current facility review that's underway.

A facility review of the Mem Ctr was commissioned in 2009-2010,then the structural review in 2016 all being reviewed by our own maintenance/engineering staff.

The structural engineer commented that the south wall is a critical component of the overall ice rink and the rink slabs and it needs to be replaced as scheduled prior to winter 2021. The engineer also reported that the findings show that the deterioration has been progressing at an accelerated rate. Waiting until the very end of the expected viability of the floor would be risking failure of the structure before we can replace it - leading to a longer closure and a more costly emergency repair. The repairs are slated for next year, 2019. We have been discussing this with the major tenants for more than a year and it's another year until construction.All of the reports are available to the public and they have been discussed at open Council meetings.

It is far better to be pro active rather than reactive when you have the magnitude of potential safety issues surrounding this facility repair.

The Lakers and the Petes are the two major sports activities the Lakers play 9 home games the Petes 34. There are many other users of the facility.

On the Trent Arena site ,we are years away from completing that facility as we are working to obtain Federal and promised provincial funding.

We are all in this together and we are trying to accommodate as best we can all the community.

I appreciate your interest.

The City of Peterborough has a new toll free phone number: 1 855 738 3755

 Henry Clarke's Response:

Mr. Rutherford.  Thanks for speaking up on this important issue.   just so you know, the city actually obtained three opinions, but I know everyone for some reason thinks it was just one.   I’ve seen the photos of the east wall that is failing and it’s enough to make me very concerned.  Its crumbing, with concrete spalling off, and creating a situation where we could see a structural collapse.

We are working with all of our user group, Lakers, Petes, minor leagues, trying to find the least intrusive schedule that those at the table can agree to.  staff felt we had reached that point, having waited a full year at the request of the Lakers and petes, and proposed the schedule of 22 weeks downtime as the best of a bad situation.

I am sure we are all open to ideas that can help that as we can all see how the teams and fan base will be impacted.

Thanks again  h

Don Vassiliadas Response:

Rob,

Sorry for the delay of my reply. Thank you for your email. I am a season
ticket holder for the Lakers. I have met with the Lakers organization on
August 29th and I am willing to make or support a motion at Council to
get a second and third opinion for the repair work at the Memorial
Centre. Also, I’m willing to accommodate the Lakers in anyway to make
sure 2019 is a good season for them. Please let me know if you have any
questions.

Best regards,
Don 

So I just wanted to put these responses out there so that everyone knew something isn't adding up and I would hope that before making a 3.5 million dollar decision that the powers that be at city hall would be proactive and come up with a solution that will work for everyone involved.

Cutting the Cable and Gaining More Options for Less

So I finally got around to writing this blog about getting rid of those nasty satellite /cable TV bills but still having lots of options for viewing. So I will tell you my setup and it may sound a little complicated to setup it really isn't and although there is a little bit of money to put out in the beginning its well worth it in the end.

So things I had to buy or already had.

1. So we have two tv's so I bought two Roku boxes on XD and one XS the only real difference is the higher prices one the XD has an ethernet port and usb port so you can put a usb stick directly in it to view Pictures/Videos directly on you TV.

Cost = 109.99 for XD and 89.99 for XS one time cost.

2.You will need a wireless router for your Network an N would be preferably for speed of video files and live streaming service such as Netflix.

3.Most important piece to the system working is your ISP you need one with an unlimited cap or a very high usage cap as you don't want to incur nasty overage prices. The one I have is Nexicom DSL which is 6mb download speeds and NO CAP.

Cost = 39.95 / month

4. Now in order to expand your viewing experiences and channel option you will need to add a laptop or desktop computer attached to your network somewhere preferably something with at least dual core chip as you need the processing power for videostreaming.

5. So now comes to the option channel wise. With the Roku it has a built in Netflix app so I pay 7.99 for Netflix a month which gives you lots of options to watch. But I also wanted more options so thats where the laptop comes in. I also installed a service called http://www.unblock-us.com/11133.html/ it installs directly on your router a slight modification and this allows you to switch your netflix to any netflix feed around the world therefore giving a ton more content options. Also this allows you access to a bunch of US services other wise unable to access you can even just go to US network sites on laptop to watch shows or ipad or smartphone as long as you are on homenetwork.

Cost 4.99 / month

Now Final piece to the puzzle has two options. The free or the Pay option.

The roku allows you to use a channel called PLEX which you run a server portion on the laptop or desktop on your network (which must stay on in order to do this) you can add various plugin (channels) to Plex in order to watch different networks eg. City TV/CTV/Global these are all non-live programs but appear the day after live broadcasts. OR you can install a different service call Playon which is a 49.99 lifetime cost but the channel options included are huge and you can get plugins for it such as Veetle or Justin.tv that allow you to watch first run movies. Also there are plugins available that give you 100's of Channels of LIVE TV from all over the US and a few Canadians plus tons of international and loads of sports.


So now does this save money. So in my breakdown of cost goes like this.

Previous Cost of TV watching

Starchoice service = 65.00 / month
Internet (Explornet) =55.00 /month with cap of 20gig
Total cost per month = 120 /month
Yearly cost = 1440 / year


New Cost after inital output of

Roxu boxes = 189.00
Playon.tv 49.99

Monthy costs are

Nexicom 39.95/month
Unblock-us 4.99/month
Netflix 7.99/month.
Total Monthy Costs = 52.99/month
Total Yearly cost = 635.88 / year

Even if I add the 1 time Cost of Roku/Playon in of so 873.88 I am still saving over $566 a year and Have a ton more viewing options at my fingertips.


Please contact for further help.

The Power of Technology to Change Young Lives

The Power Of Technology to Change Young Lives

So as most of you know I do work in the IT field and do deal with both adults and indirectly with students in that field. However what I still see today is rather shocking in a way and that is the shear ignorance of the capability and degree in which today's technology and social media can actually be used for the good not just the mundane or evil. Its still shocks me when I have an educator responsible for a large group of teenagers come up to me and ask "What's this twitter thing?" or "What does it mean to put something on someones wall". Yes those are two questions I have been asked. Now I do know that there could be and in some cases are a large generational gap between adults and students and that technology does change at an exponential rate but I really don't believe this is an excuse to be ignorant and oblivious to what is going in the world around you. I hope for any parents, educators or any person that is responsible for the supervision of children now will take the time and learn about today's tech like smart phones,social media, even just the internet and its capabilities. I have now completed a very good training course in Violence Threat Risk Assessment and I could almost guarantee that half of the people reading this blog that have teenagers do one of the major (I don't want to say mistakes) but lets call them guidelines when it comes to tech in the home.

#1. Don't let your kids have computers in there rooms. Standalone computers and laptops both have things like webcams built in which can be a very bad gateway to problems. And you really should have the computers in a central location where you know what is going on if at all possible.

and #2 for bloody well sake learn the tech. You need to know what lol or lmao or POS etc etc mean. It is a new language and if you don't speak it you will be lost in the technology jungle.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we as adults need to educate ourselves  on what the youth of today are doing and using to communicate so that we can keep up know what is going on.

This clip is a very real example of how todays tech can be used for good not evil in helping possibly save young peoples lives.

Thanks for reading!

The Peterborough Exagerrator Strikes Again!!!!

Well once again the Peterborough Exagerrator everyone's favorite local newspaper (not) has put there oh so wonderful slant on another local story. Seems that Mr.Mayor Darryl Bennett had a run in with one of our local umm.... whats the word I am looking for ....... 99% citizens. First read the article from the Examiner http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3549380 and then watch the video http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/1346572--angry-man-confronts-peterborough-mayor-daryl-bennett-outside-city-hall You will see that Mayor Bennett did nothing to "calm" this man down in fact his arrogant 1% attitude just added fuel to the fire. I am sure if the camera was not there he may have had some other words to say. You can certainly tell by Mayor Bennett's body language and attitude in his speech that he doesn't want anything to do with talking to this citizen (who wasn't really doing thing the proper way either). Unfortunately we now have a Mayor that the city must live with that is very much a 1% 'r and the city will suffer. Lets just hope he brings some industry and jobs to this town not just a bunch of garbage retail and call centres like Mayor before him...I think perhaps Darryl should take some Anti-bullying classes to help his term along a bit and bring him down to the common folk.

For Defintion of 1%'er see  see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street .

FIRST CRUNCHY BITE

First Post ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!

I am sure like many other citizens in the Peterborough area we have heard enough about PCVS, yes it is horrible that ANY High School has to close but this is an economic reality. It does come down to dollar and cents no matter what anyone says and PCVS has been on the chopping block since I was in High School (yes over 20yrs ago). I did attend the ARC meeting that was held at Adam Scott CVI (my high school) and quite honestly the only thing PCVS had to defend itself with was some very dramatic and well-read speeches. I agree that school spirit is something that is hard to give up but the argument that student won’t be accepted and tolerance is lower at other schools is a bunch of garbage. If our schools are that horrible for tolerance and acceptance then there is a much bigger problem we as a community have to examine. The High School years are really about what you make of them and the students of PCVS need to accept the harsh unfair reality that there school is closing and move on. Take all this money you raised to go to court and create bursaries for your current students so they can go on and enjoy post-secondary education. All a court case and injunction is going to do is waste more taxpayers dollars that could be used for other more valuable purposes. I know there is a lot of money and influence behind the PCVS case why else did you manage to raise 56K to get a national tv show to recognized your cause (come on it wasn’t just about spreading the net). But let’s get real move on to TASS or whichever school you choose and make the best of it and get on with enjoying your school years. Good fight but time to move on.  Oh and before I get lots of hate mail I do remember a time when I was in school that this process was happening and they wanted to close Adam Scott and luckily that didn’t happen. Guess you can’t get lucky every time.

Thanks for listening that’s my crunchy bite for the week!!!!