New Orleans - A Travelers Overview

New Orleans is one of those cities that people often put on their bucket list.   The way people talk, you’d think it you didn’t live a full life unless you saw it.  The truth is, New Orleans is a unique city, but it is not for everyone.

Food

Yes New Orleans is a foodies dream.  They have almost countless dining locations and range from street food to fine dining.  It also has a somewhat unique cuisine.   Shrimp, fish, and chicken dominate most menus.  If you can find a menu without a Poor Boy, Gumbo, or Jambalaya, you must be in a McDonalds.

Booze

I normally wouldn’t put this in a review, but New Orleans deserves it.  Out of all the cities I have been to, none of them drink as much as New Orleans does.  There is booze everywhere.  I’m surprised the fast food chains don’t sell it.  You will see drinking options here that make you shake your head.  There is a battle between who can offer the biggest or strongest drink.   I saw a place on Bourbon Street that said they had the strongest frozen drink.  I thought it was a joke.  After all, it was coming out of a frosty machine.  It was not a joke.  That wasn’t just a strong drink it was huge.

Now to the next level.  There are a few things you can get in New Orleans that is illegal in some states.   The first one that you can readily find in the French Quarter is Everclear.  This brutal liquor is a 190 proof moonshine.   Do not drink Everclear straight.  It tastes awful and burns like a match.   If you want to try this, look for Cherry Bombs.   A Cherry Bomb is a cherry that has been soaking in Everclear.  Even these are hard to get down.

If you want something you will actually enjoy, try Absinthe.  Absinthe is a high alcohol liquor that is contains small amounts of wormwood.   Absinthe has a liquorice flavor that comes from the Anise root.   Half of the fun of drinking this stuff is the show they put on in preparing it.  They pour the liquor, put a sugar cube on a metal filter and then run cold water over it, and into the booze.    Drinking Absinthe is a unique experience that you cannot get in many places.

The French Quarter

Okay, I am breaking Bourbon Street and the French Quarter into two different sections.  You’ll know why when I am done.

The French Quarter is a truly unique area.  The architecture is fascinating.  Between the tall windows that you can walk through, the real gaslights, and the iron banisters, it’s worth seeing.

Away from Bourbon Street you find some nice shops, decent places to eat and a fairly safe environment.  Now for Bourbon Street.

Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street is a moral cesspool.  It’s a disgusting, smelly, pit of humanity.   It’s a shocking contradiction.  In one building you will find a find dining location with $30+ entrees.  Sharing a wall with that restaurant you will find a sex shop followed by a dive bar.

Bourbon Street is all about hedonism.  There are multiple “Hustler” sex clubs, dirty looking strip clubs, sex shops with wild window displays, and bars whose only goal is to get you to drink too much.  One of the dirtiest places we passed advertised “World Famous - Acts of Love – Both Men and Women.”

In a one mile span there are no fewer than one hundred bars / places to get a drink.   Drunk people (and I mean sloppy drunk, not buzzed) are a common sight.  Not even Las Vegas, in all it’s depravity, matches Bourbon Street. 

If you are a family with small children, do not visit Bourbon Street.  It is a foul place.

River Walk

If you are a family visiting New Orleans, than don’t fear, they did build a place for you.  It’s called the River Walk.  It’s less than two blocks from the French Quarter.  It runs up and down the river and offers a number of things to do. 

One of the better options for families is a river tour.  There are a couple of different ones you can pick from.  One is a historic tour of the Mississippi River that stops at site of The Battle of New Orleans.   It’s about a two and a half hour tour. 

The other cruise option is a Jazz cruise.  If you enjoy Jazz, it would be a great option.  It’s also about two and a half hours in length.

River Walk also offers shopping and some decent family dining locations.  There is also a nice sports bar if you want to catch a game.  It’s within walking distance of a number of hotels.

The Garden District

The Garden District is an area of New Orleans that is actually nice.  It was fairly safe, clean, and had a large police presence.  If you want to check out this area, the best way to get there is to take one of the cities street cars to the large city park they have.

Once you have checked out that park, there is not much more to see in the Garden District unless you have a specific destination in mind (like a museum).

The street cars are dirt cheap.  You can get a day pass for three dollars.  That's a lot cheaper than a taxi.  Another interesting thing about these cars is that some of them have been running since the 1920s.  The picture below shows one of those cars.  When you step inside of them, you know it's old.  They feel like antiques.

Getting to New Orleans From the Louis Armstrong International Airport

There are a couple of options for transferring from the Louis Armstrong International Airport to New Orleans.   Most hotels do not offer a shuttle service, which is somewhat annoying when you consider that you find that service in most major cities.  Seriously, even Disney World offers that service and it is not even close to the airport.

If you need to get to your hotel and do not want to rent a car, here are your options:

OPTION #1

If you do a Google Search on this subject, you will quickly find a shuttle service.   They offer transfers to area hotels for a flat fee per person.  On the surface, this sounds like a nice solution.   It is a little costly.  The fee runs about $$$ per person.  That can get very expensive when you are dealing with a family.

When you arrive at the airport, you’ll also notice that these shuttle services have booths setup inside the baggage claim area.   

Beyond the cost, these companies typically offered a shared ride, so it could take quite a while to reach your destination.

OPTION #2

Uber does offer service to the airport.  There is one massive drawback.  Due to a foolish amount of red tape and restrictions, they are considered a “town car” service and treated like a limo.  That means they have to charge $90 a pop.   My guess is that you would not even consider that.  It’s foolish expensive.

OPTION #3

This is a rare case when the classic taxi service comes out on top.   They have their fees clearly posted, accept credit cards, and it’s reasonable.   In fact, it’s not just reasonable, it’s by far the cheapest option.   

A taxi will run you $33 plus tip for up to two people.  You can add two or even three more passengers (they use mini vans) for an additional $14 per person.  Without a doubt this is fastest and cheapest option for getting to your hotel in New Orleans.

One trick you will notice.  Going from the airport to the city, they will often run the meter in hopes that the traffic pushes the bill over $33.   Going from the city to the airport, they often will avoid the meter.  They want to leave you happy.

Review - Le Bayou Restaurant (New Orleans)

The Le Bayou Restaurant is a middle range, creole style restaurant, located on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

The French Quarter is packed full or places to eat.  They range from street carts to high end a la carte restaurants.  In the middle of that range is the Le Bayou.  From the exterior of the building you can tell that it's not a cheap dive.  That statement might sound funny to someone who has never been to Bourbon Street.   Anyone who has visited Bourbon Street knows exactly what I am talking about.

Wedged between run down heaps, strip clubs, dive bars, and sex shops you find nice dining locations like this one.  It has a classic French Quarter look, with tall windows, iron banisters, and outdoor fans.

The food is classic New Orleans fair.  You'll find an offering of poor boys, red beans, catfish, and other similar offerings.  The pricing lands in the 12 to 20 range for most of the entrees.   We grabbed the red beans and rice.  They served it spicy sausage and fried chicken.  All of it was decent quality.  The only thing that stuck out to me was the chicken.  It wasn't really fried chicken.  It was generic chicken tenders.  They just tossed them in a fryer to heat them up.   Other than that, it was an excellent dish.

We grabbed some of the fried cheese cake for desert.  It was warm, rich and creamy.  With a nice graham cracker exterior and strawberry compote on top, this was worth saving space for.

Le Bayou also offers a number of beers on tap.  A few of them are nice local beers.  They normally offer a number of different kinds to meet all tastes, including a local IPA, Stout, and a few Ales.   The prices are higher than you'd normally pay, but it's the typical Bourbon Street up charge.

The atmosphere of Le Bayou is nice, but if you want to do it right, ask to sit on the balcony.  They will take you to the second floor, and walk you through a large window.  Just remember to duck as you go through if you are over five foot six.

As you sit outside you can watch people go up and down Bourbon Street.  It's a classic experience that anyone who likes to people watch should do.

The view is decent and at night it really takes on a new feeling.  From the photos below you can see how odd Bourbon Street can be.  The decent Le Bayou is next to a cheap eatery and across the street from the Hustler sex club.

Imagineered Death Is Out!

Imagineered Death has been released.  Kinda...

Since I am an independant author, I rely on editors who are willing to work for credit.  I managed to find two editors.  One of them just bought a business and has no time.  The other bought a house and has no time.  That means I had two options.  I could wait years to release the books or I could release them in a draft state with the promise that they will one day be fully edited.

That being said...more than Imagineered Death is now available.  The following books have all been released in a draft state.

Imagineered Death
Nemesis
The Shoals
Sojourn

Within the next couple weeks Titan One will also be released.

You can get all of the books here.

What Is Wrong With Euro Disney?

Some people were surprised by the news that Disney had to bail out Euro Disney.  Why would a company need to bail itself out?  That line of thinking exposes one of the biggest misconceptions about Euro Disney.

There are a number of reasons Disney had to bail out Euro Disney.  The first reason is simple.  Disney can’t really afford to let it fold.   They can’t let it fold because Disney does not own Euro Disney.  In reality, Disney only owns a 40% stake in Euro Disney.  If Disney wanted to fold the operation, they’d have to buy out the other 60%.  The 1.25 billion Euros is far less than the cost of buying out all of Euro Disney.  In the end, Disney could still find itself owning all of Euro Disney if investors force their hand or are willing to take pennies on the dollar to get out.

Beyond that, what is wrong with Euro Disney?  There are a number of things.

1 – The economic collapse is still crushing Euro Disney.  Their occupancy drops as low as 75%.  I wouldn’t be surprised if at times it goes even lower.  Most resorts that can only muster 75% lose money.   75% might sound like a lot, but all resorts aim for above 100%.   How do you do that?  Dual occupancy in all rooms is considered 100%.   By adding more adults or kids into a room, it pushes the occupancy beyond 100%.  That’s why a resort can hit 100% occupancy and still have rooms available.

2 – The Exchange rate.   Despite Europe’s economic woes, the Euro is still worth a good amount more than the dollar.  This results in sticker shock for Americans.   Most American’s cannot afford to go to Euro Disney.  Between the airfare and exchange rate, it’s far cheaper to go to Disney Land or Disney World. 

The exchange rate means something else too.  It means Europeans can go to Disney World for not much more than it costs them to go to Euro Disney.   That kills Euro Disney, since Disney World is a much better resort.

3 – Location – Euro Disney is roughly forty minutes outside of Paris.   That might not sound like much, but most tourists outside of France or nearby countries, are not going to drive.  This means you are facing a 40 minute bus ride, a train ride, or the large expense of renting a car, if you want to stay in Paris and visit Euro Disney.  That leads to another issue.

Unless you are fairly affluent, the odds of you being able to visit Europe on a regular basis are fairly small.  For the cost of Euro Disney vacations, you could see Paris and take the train to London to see that too.  I think it’s safe to say that a Paris / London trip is on more bucket lists than Euro Disney is.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of why Euro Disney has always had its share of economic problems.   There is no easy fix to the problems.  Even if Disney had total control and no investors to worry about, they’d still have issues.  They’d be eating more of the losses than they are now.  That would drag down their stock value.  Now maybe you see what Disney is in a catch 22 when it comes to Euro Disney.

Around the "World" Has Been Released!

Well this one seemed to take forever.  Almost one year after I finished the first draft, Around the "World" has been released on Kindle.

You can get it here.

It will be available in paperback in the next week or so.  The paperback is not going to be the best option.  Because of the size of the book, it costs 19.99.  That sounds foolishly expensive, but I actually make the same on that 19.99 as I do on the 3.99 eBook.  Since I have a small volume, I can't get a good rate on printing.

The other books are coming along.  Imagineered Death is with one of the editors.  Nemesis and The Shoals are queued up for editing.  The second draft of Sojourn is almost done as well.

The early reviews I received on Around the "World" were positive.  Most people who read the book said it was much better than "World" Killer.  I don't know if that means "World" Killer was that bad, or if Around the "World" is that good.

Movies You Didn't See: The Lone Ranger

My journey of movie sadomasochism continued this week when I sat down watched The Lone Ranger.  As I did so, I tried to maintain a positive attitude.  I tried to put abominations like John Carter out of my mind.  My positive attitude lasted about two minutes.

When the credits rolled I found myself facing an enormous challenge.  How does one sum up, what is wrong with this movie?  After I few minutes it occurred to me.  This is the only way to sum up The Lone Ranger:

“Ruth Wilson was great.”

Why is that the perfect way to sum up The Lone Ranger?  Because, it is literally the only positive thing I can say about this festering pile of monkey feces.

Trying to explain why this is such a bad movie, is like trying to explain how bright the sun it.  Unless you see it for yourself, you will never quite understand.  

I’m going to list a few of the worst aspects.  Keep in mind that what I am going to list is a minuet fraction of the actual issues this film has.

Tonto:  Tonto’s role in this movie is offensive, foolish, and discredits the original character.  The only thing more offensive than Tonto, is the fact that Johnny Depp is playing him.   Casting Depp in this role should be ranked as one of the biggest casting mistakes in the history of film. 

The Lone Ranger:  I hated this guy.  I wanted him to die so the movie could end.   Giving this guy the tile of The Lone Ranger is disgusting.   This is not the Lone Ranger!  Everything about this character was wrong.

Writing: I harp on this a lot.  There is no excuse for a story to be poorly written.  There are plenty of talented, creative writers out there who could craft an excellent and exciting plot.  I scratch my head and wonder how a plot this terrible makes it to paper.   The only explanation I could come up with was that someone with too much power, and too little talent forced his ideas through.  The plot of this movie is so bad it makes you want to cry.  I can honestly say that it was so bad I sat down and penned out an outline that would be far superior.  It took me less than five minutes.

Violence: This really angered me.  The Lone Ranger is a disgustingly violent movie.  In my opinion, it should have been rated R.  The number of people who die graphic, violent deaths in this movie is shocking.  This is without a doubt the most violent movie Disney has ever made.  If I had brought kids to this, I believe I would have walked out.  This is not a family movie my any stretch of the imagination.

Legacy: This movie has crippled the genre.  It’s a blight on anything called a Western.  It took a beloved subject and characters, and crapped all over them.

I hope The Lone Ranger serves as a lesson to all the studios out there.   Invest more in your stories.  Don’t take something from the past, throw some actors in it, and dump it on the public.  If you are going to remake anything, make sure it’s a quality product.   Thanks to Disney’s horrific efforts in this movie, The Lone Ranger is unlikely to ride again.  If he does, it’ll most likely be decades from now.  It’s going to take a long time for the stench of this movie to dissipate.

New Books Coming Soon!

I finally have an update in regards to the squeal to "World" Killer.

Around the "World" (The DW Mysteries Book Two) -  It's being edited now.  I found a new editor who was willing sign on.  I'm hoping it will be done sometime in June.  It should be released within a few days after editing is completed.

Imagineered Death (The DW Mysteries Book Three) - It's being edited now.  My normal editor is currently working on it.  I hope to have it in hand sometime in September or October.

Nemesis (The Advocates - Book One) - Principle writing has been completed!  At this point I don't know who will edit this book.  My guess is, whichever editor finishes their book first, is going to get this one.

I've received some feedback on the rough drafts of Around the "World" and Imagineered Death.

Around the "World" is a great step up from "World" Killer.  "World" Killer laid the foundation and Around the "World" really takes off with the story and characters.

Imagineered Death had the best results by far.  I was worried about this one because it takes a bold path.  I thought that might alienate some people.  It actually did the opposite.  It seemed addict the reader instead.

No one has read Nemesis yet.  That book is going to irk some people, but in a good way :-)

Bob Hoskins Has Died

Bob Hoskins has died.   He was 71.  Most Disney fans have fond memories of Mr. Hoskins.  His performance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit was legendary. 

Sadly there is a connection between Mr. Hoskins and the loss of another Disney Legend, Jim Henson.  Both of them died of Pneumonia.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit wasn’t the only role he was known for.  Many also remember his role in the film Hook and numerous other projects.   One of his last roles before his retirement was Snow White and the Huntsman.

Twisted Disney Is Back!

Twisted Disney is back up.  It's in both Kindle and paperback formats.  The paperback is a 6x9, black and white print.

The cover has been swapped out with a more fitting picture.  The description has been updated to stress that it is a collection of short stories.  For some reason, a number of people thought it was something different and complained.

The grammar has been overhauled and it should have very few mistakes now.

You can see a preview or but either version here.

CMDTA Hits the Road: PAX East

Sometimes you do something with little to no research.  A couple years ago, a friend of mine told me about the Penny Arcade Expo East.  I like video games so I decide to check it out.  It took me a couple years to actually get a ticket and make it down to Boston.

I did little to no research before going.  As a deek you might wonder how I could do something so foolish.   It was simple.  I thought "Why would I need to do any research?"

Reason number one: Thousands of people.  The photo above is the queue area.  They line you up in massive holding pens.  This is about 60% of the final crowd.  There was also a lot of people behind me. If I had to guess at the number of total people, I'd say about 10,000 were there.  It was insane.

Reason number two: The cosplay.  I'd seen cosplay on TV before.   That does not prepare you for the real thing.  The dedication of some people is mind blowing.  Some people pay thousands on their costume and it shows.   As a homage to the truly dedicated people, I'm starting a new blog.  I'm calling it People of PAX East.  There will be roughly 50 of my photos on there and any other people submit.

Reason number three:  The Boston Convention Center is MASSIVE.  It's three floors high and has dozens and dozens of rooms. At any time there are more things happening than you can imagine.  You really have to plan your day to get the most out of it.

 Since I'm still a deek, I have to cover the Disney aspect.  Disney was not there but that does not mean there were nothing Disney there.

Princess Elsa was there!  There area a number of Disney cosplayers in attendance.  Wreck it Ralph was a popular one. I saw three or four Ralphs there.

Now for a side note.  I thought the Disney Community was the most obsessive community out there.  I was wrong.  Sorry friends but we've been surpassed.  The Mass Effect community is the most obsessive community.  The best cosplayers at PAX East were Mass Effect, but that's not the reason why they are the most obsessive. 

I attended a Mass Effect Cosplay event.  I captured it on video and uploaded parts of it to YouTube. My most popular video attracted about 15,000 hits over three years.  One of the Mass Effect videos attracted 500 hits in a day. That blew my mind.   I can't even fathom that kind of volume.  You can see that video here.  If you want to see all the channels, check out my channel.

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide Now Available In Paperback

World Killer and CMDTA's Pictorial Guide are now available in print for the first time!

World Killer is available on Amazon.  It's 11.99 but sometimes Amazon discounts that price.  Why is it so expensive?  I didn't opt for the cheapest format.  It is available in a 6x9 format which is much better than the usual mass market paperbacks.  The quality is much higher as well.

The Pictorial Guide is over $20.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, it's in full color. That alone raises the price.  Second it's full sized.  I'm not talking about 6x9.  I'm talking about a full 9x11.5 format.  The thing is beautiful. With the larger size, I didn't have to scale back the size of the photos.

You can get World Killer here.

You can get the Pictorial Guide here.

Cruise Line Comparison

It’s time for the shake down!  Royal Caribbean vs. Carnival vs. NCL – Who comes out on top?

First let’s talk price.  This section is not about value, it’s about price. All considered, NCL is the cheapest of the three cruise lines.  Coming in a very second is Carnival.  It’s so close that this can change depending on the specials they are offering.  You’ll want to compare them to see who is cheaper if your main focus is finding the cheapest cruise.

In third place is Royal Caribbean.  They are not close to Carnival or NCL but they are dramatically cheaper than Disney.

Food is our next category.  Coming in first is Royal Caribbean.  They still offer high quality food outside of their specialty restaurants.  In second is Carnival.  They have decent food outside of their specialty restaurants but you will have to pay for the high quality food.  In a distant third is NCL.  Every time I cruised with them, the food was not good.  It wasn’t good in the specialty areas either.

Service is our next category.  This is not customer service / problem resolution.   This category represents the employees you’ll run into.  In first place is Royal Caribbean.  They consistently offer am acceptable to high level of service.  In second place is Carnival.  They offer okay service.  Sometimes it’s lacking but overall it isn’t bad.  In last place is NCL.  There are going to be times when you wonder if the employees are slaves or employees.

Entertainment is next.  In first place comes Royal Caribbean.  They tend to have a better selection and the quality is good.  In second place is Carnival.  Their entertainment isn’t bad but they focus too much on Vegas style entertainment.  In last is NCL. They have some entertainment (term may or may not be used loosely).

Customer Service / Problem Resolution, is our last category, before we talk about value.  I’ll be blunt.  Two of these companies rank as poor and the other one is abysmal.  Royal Caribbean and NCL tie for first, but keep in mind they are both poor and need to improve.  In some ways NCL beats RC but it’s very close.  NCL was apathetic when I ran into an issue.  Royal Caribbean didn’t offer anything in the way of a solution to my problem when I brought it up. Carnival is just awful.  I had two major issues I presented to them and they blew off both of them.  If I had to give a letter grade to the three it would be: NCL = D, RC = D-, Carnival = F.

Now how does all that boil down to value? Royal Caribbean, even though it’s the most expensive, offers the most bang for your buck.  Carnival is a distant second.  NCL, even though they are the cheapest, comes in last.

Now for the most important question – Would I cruise on them again?

Royal Caribbean – Yes.  However, I am neutral towards them right now.  I would not recommend them and I would not tell someone not to cruise on them.

Carnival – No. I would not recommend them either. The only way you could get me back on Carnival, would be to give me a free cruise in a category equal to last one I paid for aka a Vista Suite.

NCL – No. The answer is just no.  I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d cruise them again. Even if it was free, I wouldn’t want to waste my vacation time on them.

World Killer Is Back!!!

World Killer is back up.  It has a new cover that makes it easier to see the text and it's been through an extensive grammar overhaul.

You can buy it here.

The Pictorial Guide is Back!

The Pictorial Guide is back up on Amazon.  My editor finished cleaning it up.  Originally they were going to finish World Killer first but I asked them to switch after someone left a comment for me on here.  It only took my editor about an hour to blow through the book.  They've been working on World Killer for almost four months. :-/

It's up now.  You can get it by clicking HERE.

Calling All Deeks! Old School Disney World Videos!

Recently I was asked by some family members to convert some old home movies into digital files.  At first it was a painful process.  The video is captured in real time.  That meant I had to sit through hours of boring footage.  My boredom suddenly turned to surprise.  I stumbled across some old school Disney World footage.  All of it was from 1996, the golden age of Disney World.  Not all of it was usable but I trimmed it up and found some real gems on there.  There was footage of the monorail from riding with the pilot, the old double decker buses in Epcot, a good chunk of the original Illuminatiions and more.

Here is the full list.

Splash Mountain in 1996

Big Thunder Mountain in 1996

Magic Kingdom in 1996

The Monorail from the Pilot's Box (second half)

The Back Lot Studio Tour

Busch Gardens in 1996

Busch Gardens Orangutan Show

Disney MGM Studios in 1996

Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet

Epcot in 1996

Original Illuminations

Review: Suncoast Casio - Las Vegas

Vegas has a massive selection of resorts.  Picking one can be a daunting task.  When deciding which one is the best fit, you need to first decide which of the five categories you would enjoy the most. 

The five categories are as follows:

1 - On Strip - MGM Grand, Paris, Stratosphere, etc.

These tend to be the most expensive but are also the most refined.

2 - Old Strip - Four Queens, Gold Nugget, etc.

Classic Vegas environment.  Wildest area to hang out in,

3 - Off Strip - Hooters, Hard Rock, etc.

Sometimes cheaper but not really in the thick of things.

4 - Satellite - Suncoast, etc.

Miles off the strip.  Sometimes they are very cheap.  Most laid back experience.

5 - Timeshare.

If you really love Vegas this might be an option.  If you hate Vegas, avoid these like the plague.

The Suncoast is miles off the strip.  In fact, the Suncoast is not even in Las Vegas.  It's in the neighboring town of Sumerlin. 

Before you rule out staying that far from the strip, consider this list of pros and cons.

1 - Numerous shuttles between the strip and the casino and airport.  All are free of charge.

2 - Large dining and shopping complex directly across the street and two other massive casinos within minutes. 

3 - Shocking amount of amenities inside of the casino itself.

4 - Rates below $50 a day.

5 - Free wifi.

Now let me explain a couple things.  The room rate does not count a resort fee.  Even considering the resort fee, it's not a bad rate.

The amenities here are excellent.  The include (but not exclusively) the following:

- A super cheap buffet of marginal quality.

- A TGI Fridays

-A decent sitdown cafe

- A decent Tex Mex restaraunt. 

- A giant Movie Theater with stadium seating.

- A huge bowling ally.

- A decent spa.

Okay, that's the short list.  There are a lot more that I didn't mention.  Another one I am going to mention is the small gift shop.  Now that might sound insane.  Why would I mention a small gift shop?  The alcohol prices.  I'm from NH.  We have cheap booze here because the state is the only one who sells hard alcohol.  Our prices are some of the best on the east coast.  I am almost convinced that the Suncoast sells their alcohol at cost.  It's hit or miss but some of the prices are crazy low.

The look of the Suncaost is okay. It's nothing fabulous.  They try to pull off an odd mix of modern and southwest.  One example is the stucco exterior mixed with light fixtures that look like they are out of the 1800s.  You can see an example of them here.  One strange thing about the exterior of the building is the natural grass.  Normally the casinos in Vegas use astro turf or another synthetic grass.  They do this because of the arid climate.  Inside there isn't anything to write home about.  There are a few nice features but overall it's a typical casino.  One thing I will say about the inside is that is seems clean.  I don't remember seeing anything that looked dirty.

 

The surroundings of casino are very nice.  It's closer to mountains and things are not as built up as they are on the strip itself.  This allows for some great sunrise and sunsets.  You can see one here.  The mountains have some red accents to them.  They really pop when the light hits.

  

If you like golf than you might really enjoy the Suncoast.  They have their own golf course and off some special rooms.  Some have a nice view of the course.  Others open up to the fairway.  The prices differ depending on what you want, but you can sometimes get a room with a view like this for next to nothing.

You can see a video review of one of the rooms here.
 
Overall the Suncoast is a viable option for anyone who wants to do Vegas on a dime but still experience Vegas.  As long as you are okay with not being on the strip,  check it out sometime.

Dining Review: Aureole - Mandalay Bay - Las Vegas

I've been to quite a few restaurants but Aureole, located at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, stands out.  Does it stand out because it's the best restaurant I've been to?  No.  The only claim to fame it has is that it's the most expensive restaurant I've been to.

For this review I'm going to do a double comparison.   I'm going to compare it to a restaurant that serves a similar cuisine in Disney World and one of Aureole's Las Vegas rivals.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere at Aureole is dominated by it's massive four story wine tower.  This tower really represents the feel of Aureole.  It's modern and over the top which results in a general feeling of stuffiness.  This feeling dominates the restaurant.  Nothing about this place felt welcoming or warm.

The tables and decor beyond the tower are forgettable.  They are modern and overshadowed by the dim light and high ceiling. 

The only other part of the atmosphere that's worth talking about is a fountain at the back of the dining room.  At night they light it up.  It's a nice feature but nothing that it's done much better in Disney World.

Now Disney World has a restaurant called Narcoossee's.  Narcoossee's dining options are very similar to Aureole's.  However, I'd take the atmosphere at Narcoossee's any day of the week.

A few miles down the strip from Aureole is a restaurant called Hugo's Cellar.  The quality is on par with Aureole but the atmosphere is much better.

If you compare the three restaurants, Aureole comes in dead last.

Food

The food at Aureole is mainly seafood and steak.  We tried a couple of appetizers, main courses, and some small deserts.

The appetizers were okay.  Yes I said okay.  You might be able to tell I was underwhelmed.  I got the onion soup.  It was good but that was the problem.  For the price of an entree in Disney World I got good onion soup.  In other words it was was grossly over priced and nothing special.

Another member of the party got one of the salads.  He enjoyed it, but it was nothing that blew him away.  When you are paying top dollar, you expect to be blown away.

I should also explain that the individual who ordered the salad has been to Aureole before.  He's also been to the original Aureole in New York.  He went in with high expectations which were based on experience.

The main courses were a mixed bag.  One person ordered the octopus and scallops.  One person ordered the blue cheese encrusted filet.  Myself and one other ordered the New York strip.

So what were the results?  The Octopus was amazing.  The filet was decent.  The strip steaks were a huge disappointment.

You might wonder why I ordered a strip steak.   After all what restaurant doesn't offer a strip steak?  That's the very point.  A strip steak is a huge test.  Can you make it something amazing or are you going to present a generic dish?  It takes true creativity and talent to turn a basic offering into something special.

The steaks were mostly bland and not cooked correctly.  One was ordered med-rare and came out almost med-well.  The other was ordered med and came out borderline med-well.  Both were fairly ugly.  They actually put a brown steak on top of brown mashed potatoes, with only a tiny bit of sauce to add color.  Oh, and they charged about 40 a pop for that. 

The portion size is small.  If you want to add something to make it a normal meal you'll need to cough up an extra 9+ for a side.  $9 will get you some generic, roasted vegetables.  They were so generic we didn't even finish them.

The other guy who ordered the strip steak didn't want the mashed potatoes so we asked if he could swap them out.  It was like pulling teeth but they offered to replace them with french fries.  The french fries were nothing to brag about.  You'll get better french fries at Five Guys Burgers.

The deserts were tiny and unimpressive.  One was a lemon tart.  It had nice flavor but really needed a nice sauce to go with it.  The other was a chocolate lava cake thing.  It had great flavor but was gone after about four bites.

Overall the food was a let down.  Narcoossee's is slightly better at a cost of about half, while Hugo's, is at least a third less and is ten times better than anything you'll get at Aureole's.

Service

Now for the bad.  A few years back my wife and I went to Citrico's.  Search the blog and you can read about what happened there.  I thought I'd never run into an experience like that at a high end dining location again.  I was wrong.  Our waiter at Citrico's was non-existent, while the friendly assistant had to do all the work.  At Aureole's we had a very nice assistant waiter and a waiter we wished would go away. 

How can I explain our waiter?  Simple, go watch the movie Dumb and Dumber and then start reading this again.

Our waiter was a virtual clone of "Nicholas Andre" from Dumb and Dumber.  A douche bag that you want to avoid.  Now, that is a little harsh but this guy earned it.  From the start he was pushy.  He hit us with a hard sell on the expensive specials.  Time and again he tried to sell.  It's one thing to explain the specials and do so with passion.  It's another thing to give you the feeling that you are a fool if you do not order the special.

Our waiter also had the bad habit of hovering.  Maybe he thought we'd change our minds and order more if he hung around.  If he did anything it wouldn't have been so bad, but his assistant did all the work.  His assistant also earned the tip.  He was cordial, friendly, and even shared a funny story.  One member of our party made the comment that he wished he could swap the two.  In all honesty we would have asked if we didn't think the douche bag would have spit in our food.

So the waiter wasn't great but did he at least take care of us?  No.  The member of the party with the overcooked steak brought it to his attention.  In case like this, in a place of this caliber, the first words out of his mouth should have been, "I'm so sorry.  How can I fix it?" Instead, all he did was offer to recook the steak.  That's not a great option.  Everyone else has the food.  Unless the meal is inedible, you don't want to return it.  You'd end up taking it home because everyone else would be done by the time your food arrived. 

How does the service compare?  Hugo's beat's Aureole more than the Bruins facing a peewee hockey team. You just can't compare them.  Narcoossee's, with it's standard Disney service,  also blows Aureole out of the water.

Value

Okay I did a little bit of research for this one.  Take what you read above and apply it to the estimated figures below. These figures do not include a tip.  They are comparing similar dishes across a party of four and include two bottles of wine.  I also have to estimate the bill at Aureole since I did not see the bill.

Narcoossee's - $315

Hugo's - $375

Aureole - $475

Now this is not a true comparison. Why?  Because both Hugo's and Narcoossee's include things that Aureole charges for.  So in other words, you get a lot more for you money at both Narcoossee's and Hugo's than you do at Aureole. 

Bottom line is this, if you want to see the wine tower, take a picture of it from the outside.  If you do that you will experience the best part of Aureole without having to sell your firstborn to afford it.

The Crystal Caves of Bermuda

Bermuda is easily in the top three islands you can visit on a dime.  That being said, there are some guidelines you need to follow. If you do not follow the guidelines listed below, you will blow your budget.

Many of the islands that cruise ships visit have a shared problem.  Public transit is almost unheard of.  There are some exceptions like Bermuda.  Bermuda has excellent public transit.

Here are some guidelines to follow.

1. You cannot use taxis.

2. Avoid hotels. Stay on a cruise ship. The cost of the cruise is cheaper than even the cheapest hotel.

3. Avoid eating on the island except for food stands or other quick options.

4. Buy a bus pass.  Don't pay by the trip.  Buy a pass for your stay.

Bermuda has a surprising number of things you can do.  Some islands are a one hit wonder.  Bermuda has beaches, water sports, light houses, historical sites, and unique natural features.  One of those natural features is the Crystal Caves.

The Crystal Caves are subterranean, tidal caves.  There are two main caves.  Both are worth checking out.  The price isn't too bad if you go it alone but there is a group discount.  If you are an outgoing person, and have a little extra time,  ask people at the entrance if they would like to group up.  This can save everyone in the group.  The discount is sizable.  When we were there we teamed up with a group of strangers.  It saved us $20.

The Slick Stairs

You have to descend into the caves.  This can be an issue for people who are very out of shape or become easily winded.  Keep in mind.  The descent isn't bad, most people can do it without any problems.  The ascent is the killer.  If you are out of shape you will need to stop and rest.  The descent / ascent consists of two sections.  The first section is a ramp.  This is the part people have a hard time with.  After the ramp there are stairs.  Both the ramp and stairs hand railings, use them.  The floor is often slick.

Now the caves themselves are impressive.  The rock formations and colors are amazing.  Now this might sound odd, but the water is a draw in itself.  The water is layered.  The top layer is pure, rock filtered, water.  The second layer is a mix of salt and fresh water.  The final layer is sea water the enters through submerged tunnels.  The layers create an optical illusion.  They magnify the bottom.  This means that the depth appears to be about ten feet when it's really up to fifty.  Whatever you do, don't drop anything.  You can see why as soon as you look over the edge.  There is a collection of cameras, glasses, and other items.

Now for some warnings.  If you are claustrophobic, you can do this, but make sure you do it at low tide!  At high tide parts of the caves could be difficult for people who cannot tolerate tight spaces.

If you are afraid of the dark, do not do this.  They shut the light off at one point.  It's not a problem for most adults but some of the kids in our group freaked out.

If you need fresh air, that could also be a problem.  It can get very stuffy in the caves and the air does not move.  The air is also very humid which can make things worse. 

If you do not suffer from any of those issues you should really enjoy the Crystal Caves.

Slacking

I've been slacking really bad in regards to this blog.  I am going to be giving it more attention in the next few months since Around the World has made it to the editing stage.  I won't be starting Imagineered Death until Around the World has been released so that gives me a little time.

Here are a few things and changes coming to the blog:
1 - Review of the Crystal Caves in Bermuda

2 - Overall review of Royal Caribbean.

3 - Photo of the Week will no longer focus on Disney.  The main reason for this is simple.  I haven't been to Disney in years and have no plans to return.

4 - This change already happened but, this blog is now focused on travel.  It's secondary focus is Disney in general followed by Disney World.

5 - Some Vegas stuff will start showing up in about a month.  I know there will be a review of Aureole.  There might be a few other tidbits too.  Don't expect too much.  I hate Vegas.  I don't go there for pleasure.

6 - Re-release of World Killer.  It's 55% of the way through a massive grammar overhaul. It will also have a slightly different cover.

7 - Re-release of Twisted Disney. Massive grammar overhaul and a very different cover.

8 - Re-release of CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World.  Massive grammar overhaul.

9 - Release of Around the World.

10 - Imagineered Death kickoff.

11 - The announcement of the fourth and final book in the DW mysteries.

That's it for now.  I'm hoping World Killer is ready for re-release by the end of the month.  It all depends on my editor.

1st Draft of Around the "World" Is Complete

The first draft of Around the "World" (the sequel to "World" Killer) is complete.  However, it will not be released anytime soon.

Why?

Let me put it this way.  My editor is currently cleaning up "World" Killer.  After that Twisted Disney is getting a, desperately needed, overhaul.  After Twisted Disney is done, CMDTA's Pictorial Guide to Disney World is getting updated.  Granted, Twisted Disney and the Pictorial Guide will go much faster than World Killer.

I can say this.  World Killer was a fast read. It came in at around 63,500 words which is roughly a 250 page book.  Around the World is bigger in everyway.  The first draft came in at 91,500 words and that's after I bumped two events to the next book.

The story in World Killer was dark, and did not end on a happy note.  Around the World picks up the story a year later.  As you read, you will find out what happened to everyone from the first book.

I'm hoping that by the fall it will be fully edited and ready for release.