A Try Lujaika on Aptekarsky Prospekt. The actual theme of this really good Asian restaurant is a chi

traveltruth.com is produced by Churchill and Turen Ltd. for the use of our cruise and tour clients excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv nationwide and travelers seeking expert advise from our award-winning consultants and travel journalists.
Q We ve been listening to the horrific news reports about the virus that got everyone sick on the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. We have never cruised and are scheduled to take our first stab at cruising this October with two other couples from our church. As luck would have it, we re booked on the same ship. My husband and I can t fathom what it must be like to be sick at sea like those poor people and we are thinking about cancelling excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv our cruise. Just how high is the risk of it happening on our cruise?   We booked directly with the cruise line and the agent handling our reservation seemed excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv to downplay the incident. We can use a little travel truth.
The 600 or so guests and 95 crew on the Explorer of the Seas were suffering from a Norovirus . A norovirus can be passed through contact with a person who has it. It can be passed by drinking or eating an item that is contaminated. It is also possible to get it by just touching an area that has been tainted.
Norovirus outbreaks are common and generally unreported when they happen off cruise ships. They occur in office buildings, stadiums, concert venues, movie theaters, and shopping malls. An outbreak can be triggered by a single carrier and the disease can infect and spread rapidly. The illness usually passes in a few days but it is debilitating and serious when it occurs.
The percentage of norovirus outbreaks is significantly higher on larger cruise lines, particularly those that cater to a mid-range and budget travelers. When you are on a ship carrying several thousand guests, each of whom paid an average of $150 per day for their cruise, logic would dictate that on-board services do not rival those provided aboard ships costing three and four times that amount per day. Personally, when we travel with our families, we avoid mega-liners with thousands of guests. Of course, when we are working on a story or inspecting one of the large ships for our client reports, we try to pack a few quarts of Purell,  sani-wipes, and we wash our hands twenty times a day.
If you believe that a budget cruise line provides the same levels of cleanliness and vigorous safety inspections found on a smaller, more expensive, luxury vessel, you are being naïve. But this is an extremely complex subject because it is likely that the virus on the Explorer excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv and most of the other viruses reported on other lines such as Carnival, Princess, excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv and NCL. were brought onboard excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv by guests. So, one could argue, how hard the crew works to keep the ship clean and sanitized is largely irrelevant if an infected guest is coming onboard.
We think you should cancel your cruise. We do not say this because we think you will get ill. In fact, Royal Caribbean has a fairly good record when it comes to issues of sanitation and hygiene. We think you should cancel because you are already experiencing excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv anxiety about a vacation you should be looking forward to with great anticipation. Instead of a floating mini-city, try to find something more intimate and refined for your first cruise experience.
traveltruth.com is a collaborative effort designed to offer the vacation consumer real world advice without exaggeration, deception, or sales bias. It is the ultimate insider's view of how things really work, written by an award-winning team of travel consultants and journalists. We are the owners, managers, and staff at Churchill Turen Ltd.
A The Pushkar excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv Fair takes place in the fall every year, with the exact dates being determined by the Hindi calendar.　 This somewhat dusty and frenzied annual five-day gathering brings  100,000 local people together, along with an onslaught of camera-toting tourists, to trade camels and other livestock.　While truly memorable, it would require adding 2 days to your travel plans, it is a tremendous experience for those seeking great photo opportunities, to see India's holy men, and to be up-close and personal with the local culture.　 As you might imagine, the fair is also very crowded and 'colorful'. Most of our clients who have attended come home believing that the photo ops were well worth the hassles and travel time. It is as much of a movie set panorama as one is likely to encounter during excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv travels in India, perhaps the most colorful country on earth.
The biggest gaffe is ordering cappuccino after 12:00 noon. Italians have a deep-seated belief that only infants and morning Cappo drinkers should indulge in milk.  The proper course of action is to always order an espresso at the end of dinner. excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv This will assure that you remain awake for the following three days.
Do not think about adding Parmesan cheese to your dish after it is served. If it is a good idea, and deemed appropriate, the waiter will offer to grate some atop your dish.  Italians tend to like fish relatively excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv unadorned. Don t add cheese excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv to any fish dish.
And, of course, understand that pasta is a mere introduction to the main course, excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv the primo piatti or first plate . This is not the same as an appetizer which actually comes before the first plate. The Entrée, which is substantially smaller than portions in our at-home Italian restaurants, features a meat, chicken, or fish preparation.
Italians, as a rule, go to their favorite bar for a stand-up breakfast of cappuccino and a pastry. Only tourists order ham and eggs. To an Italian, breakfast is merely light calisthenics in preparation for lunch.
excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv Never, ever ask for a doggy bag for leftovers. Italians think this is a uniquely barbaric excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv American practice. No need to carry food back to your hotel. In Italy, good food will always be available fear not. The Panini s at the autostrade rest stops are even memorable. But never eat in your car. No respectable Italian would risk getting crumbs excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv on the leather.
It is considered a bit American to order a gelato at the end of a meal. One earns a Gelato by walking in the slow dance through the village or the city that every Italian loves. In the restaurant, it is most appropriate to end the meal with some fresh fruit. Italians at other tables will sometimes stare at you as they find the American tourists inability to properly peel an orange rather entertaining.
Q Somehow, I know that your team will know the answer to this question. excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv I was doing a quick connection at O Hare Airport in Chicago and walked past this gourmet-looking chocolate store called Vosges. Any good, worth bringing home, or skipable?
A We re not huge fans but it is decent chocolate. The stunner, at the moment, is something called Mo s Dark Chocolate excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv Bacon Bar . You want to grab several of these as they are difficult to track down. Think great dark chocolate with caramel, salt, and deep-seated bacon. If you re flying American internationally, you might want to grab two or three of these and skip the Vanilla Hagen Daz served at your seat in Business Class. Oh, and thanks for the most useless question of the week.
Q Call us crazy, but we re bringing the twins, our eleven year-olds girls, on a Crystal Cruise to the Baltic excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv that will include several days in St. Petersburg, Russia. We want to put together a special day that might include a really nice lunch the entire family can enjoy. Is there anywhere you could recommend where you would trust the food and the atmosphere as child-friendly. Crystal was not very helpful when we called. Thanks so much and best wishes for the long life of this wonderfully helpful web site .
A Try Lujaika on Aptekarsky Prospekt. The actual theme of this really good Asian restaurant is a child s imaginary wonderland. The children can fish in a pond next to outdoor dining areas and the restaurant s pet rabbits roam the grounds. Remember that the ship s blanket Visa will not cover you for any independent time off the ship.
We might suggest that it is unrealistic excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv to seek out advice from cruise line commissioned sales phone agents. Not only is it highly unlikely they have never been to St. Petersburg; many of them have never actually sailed on a cruise. On the other hand, both Crystal ships have uniquely well-qualified on-board Concierge staff who we would certainly trust with this  kind of request. Most cruise lines on-board will only sell you tours, programs, excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv and reservations that are profitable. excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv Five-star lines like Crystal, Seabourn excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv , Sea Dream, Silverseas , and Regent, have some superb people on their respective concierge desks.
Q As we plan a river boat journey, our first, from Basel to Amsterdam next September, excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv we are wondering when it might make the most sense to book. We are looking at Viking River and we know that the boats book up early.
A Two schools of thought. You may want to book this afternoon. excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv The entire bed count on all of the Viking River fleet (the world s largest), would fit into Royal Caribbean s Allure of the Seas, with many beds left over, Book as soon as you are committed. Another strategy is to wait until eleven months prior to your scheduled return date. This will allow you to lock in your air arrangements as soon as the flights are available for sale.
Q We are going to be staying at the Grand Hotel des lles Borromees along the water in Stresa for a week. Flying excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv from LA to Milano, renting an Alfa, and ready for some day trips. Are there any restaurants in the area worth a drive of am hour or so that you could recommend? We hear there are islands near Stresa. Is there a way to get there? We thought this could be a great drive vacation using Stresa as a base. Good idea?
A Actually, it s an excellent idea, although your hotel is old world Europe and you may imagine it smells musty . The three islands are each lovely, excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv different, and easily accessible from the main pier in Stresa with frequent local boat service. We would suggest excalibur hotel casino las vegas nv that you make reservations on Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman s Island) at Ristoranti CasaBella.
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