Imperial Palace

Location: 136-13 37th Ave., Flushing, NY 11354
Cuisine: Chinese, Seafood
Hours: SUN-SAT (11:30am-12am)
Phone: (718) 939-3501, (718) 939-3502
Prices: About $10 per person
Credit Cards: Cash only

Food: 7
Service: 7
Value: 7
Environment: 7

Frequency: Frequent


I was exhausted from taking notes and planning out these blog posts in my head, so I took a day off with this one. Maybe I'll do a full review of this restaurant in the future, but this time around, I just ate without paying attention to what the dishes were!

Queen Mary 2

On the last day, we just had breakfast at King's Court. It was more crowded than usual because everyone was scrambling for their last meal, but not as disorganized as the first day. This being my first cruise, it felt a little odd when we were disembarking. I'm used to flying away on vacations, so the whole process felt like we were checking out of a hotel. But we skipped the flight and went immediately to baggage check.


I really enjoyed every part of the trip. My favorite days were the 2 days at sea though. I wouldn't have minded if there were no stops. Cruise stops tend to be rushed as we only saw a little part of Halifax and Boston. Each of those cities could easily be a 5-7 day vacation. I preferred life at sea with all of the activities. There are cruises to "nowhere," but unfortunately those tend to be 1-2 night trips only. I would certainly love to come back to Queen Mary 2 as everything else is going to feel small (except Freedom of the Seas), but it'll take a while to save up money again!

Thanks to...
Kenneth for making our rooms look nice and neat
Arnold & Devendra for the great service at Britannia
Trish for the great morning workout
Brandan for setting up custom gym equipment

Please check out my Picasa Web album for a gallery of general Queen Mary 2 shots.

King's Court

Location: Queen Mary 2 (stern)
Cuisine: International
Phone: (800) 7-CUNARD
Website: www.cunard.com
Prices: included w/ cruise

Food:
American: 9
Chinese: 5
Japanese: n/a
Italian: 4
Desserts: 8
Drinks: 6

Service: 8
Value: 5
Environment: 9

Frequency: Common

King's Court was probably the one place we visited the most on the ship. We would go here for some meals, second meals and snacks. Located right by the Canyon Ranch Spa, it would also be a refueling station after workouts. The food wasn't anything spectacular, but they just had a lot of the basic items that were good. After going here so many times, I noticed the pattern and adjusted my visits. The food during normal meal hours (noon & 6pm) wasn't as good. The kitchen would try to make fancy stuff, but most of it didn't taste that good. They would try to get exotic and make Asian dishes. I'm probably a tough critic since I'm spoiled with living in NYC. During the off-hours (3pm & 11pm), they would go back to the basics (salad, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, etc.) and it would be great.

The service was pretty good. The staff would work almost around the clock and were constantly cleaning the place and clearing tables. Despite being a general dining area, being open almost all the time and taking up over half the length of the ship, King's Court was always very presentable.

Burgers & Ice Cream
"Burgers & Ice Cream" was the name I gave to our late night supper because that's what I would go for. I would ask everyone, "who wants burgers & ice cream @ 11?" None of us were really full, but this meal had to do with... "we already paid a boatload for this cruise and have to eat our money's worth." I4 had no intention of going for a late night burger, but went for them when he saw me enjoying mine.

Britannia Club

Location: Queen Mary 2 (stern)
Cuisine: International
Phone: (800) 7-CUNARD
Website: www.cunard.com
Prices: included w/ cruise

Food: 7
Service: 9
Value: 5
Environment: 10

Frequency: Common

I thought I'd give Britannia it's own entry and today was appropriate because we ate here for all 3 meals. Other than the lecture and meals, I just had 3 workout sessions mixed into the day. For breakfast, it was just Dad, Mom, Emily and I for breakfast. Dad was telling us how breakfast was better in here because you can have the eggs cooked in any way... egg whites and benedict. Those were 2 options not available at King's Court.


For lunch, we got everyone together. It was the only time all 17 of us ate at the same time and place. It's something my parents try to do once on each cruise. They've been on 2 other cruises, both with large groups. Britannia was especially packed as everyone was trying to get in for the final lunch.

Dinner was another elegant casual night. I managed to bypass the 2 formal nights and never wore my suit with white shirt & black tie. Tonight's dinner service was especially fast as all employees were vying for a good rating. Passengers get to fill out a survey at the end of the trip and employee recognition is based on those.

Overall Impression: The food was above average, but not as good as the names given to the dishes. Service by the wait staff was good overall. The kitchen was a bit slow. The environment was unparalleled. Every square inch of this place was clean and shiny and nothing beats a view of the Atlantic.

Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos. This particular album contains images starting from dinner of the previous night + lunch & dinner from today.

Bermuda Triangle

By Dr. Joseph M. Bishop

This 40-min lecture was a continuation of Secrets of the Sea. Here are some quick facts:

• Reports of lights were actually meteor showers
• Reports of planes burning fuel too quickly can be explained by hi-speed jetstream winds
• Jetstream winds were used in WWII by the Japanese to speed up bomb delivery
• QE2 went on emergency power as it disappeared from radar for a short while
• The Gulf Stream has 50x the flow of all Earth's rivers combined
• Methane hydrate (burning ice) is half ice & half gas, is a form of natural energy and also decreases water's density by 20-30%, taking away its buoyancy


• Other "triangles" are located in the Great Lakes & Devil's Sea (Kuroshio Current)
• Not all incidents can be 100% dispelled
• Oceanography is considered to be in its infancy

Paddy O's

"Yankee" Dining

Location: 33 Union St., Boston, MA, 02108
Cuisine: Pub, Seafood
Phone: (617) 263-7771
Website: www.somerspubs.com
Prices: About $18 per person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 8
Service: 6
Value: 7
Environment: 7

Frequency: Unique


Finding a lobster place was a lot easier in Boston than Halifax, as there were many more to choose from. We had a group of 11, so Paddy O's seemed more realistic as far as price. Most of us went for the lobster, which was just $13.99. We started out with appetizers. The table ordered 2 plates of fried oysters. There were 5 on each plate for $6. I ordered my own fresh oyster for $1.25, which was really good. Most of the table didn't like the fried version. When it came time for the entrees, the staff counted wrong. There were supposed to be 8 lobsters, but they only brought out 7. It wasn't a hard order to take... 3 lobster rolls + 8 lobsters. Once everyone got their meals, we all enjoyed the experience... digging in, lobster juice flying all over, etc.

Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos.

Enemy Territory

I got up early to head to the gym again. No one else made it this time. According to Edwin's rules (he's a pro body builder), I should only be working out 4x a week, but I'll start following that after the cruise. My legs are still killing me from the the jogging and cardiobox class, but I was trying to keep weight gain to a minimum while enjoying all the food.


Queen Mary 2 docked in Boston at about 8am, but there were some slight delays. The port had some problems getting the gangway setup. There were also reports of traffic jams on the way to the city. So instead of waiting on long lines, we decided to have a relaxing breakfast first. When we finally got past immigration and made it outdoors, Emily, Edwin, I4 & I split away from the rest of the group so that we could head out more quickly. The aunts & uncles were all standing around deciding what to do. Both groups ended up going to the Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall first. A bunch of them went shopping at Crocs for the longest time because those clown shoes are nearly twice the price in Philippines. Emily & I caught up on email with the free city wi-fi.

We all met up for lunch at Paddy O's, which I will cover in a separate post as a full review. Then we split up again. Uncle Mike's family went for the major sites in the area. Us cousins headed off to the New England Aquarium. Everyone else went shopping and then back to the ship. The aquarium was kind of disappointing to me. It seems like it's a big deal in the city. It was crowded and the line was long, but there was nothing spectacular inside. Just about every other aquarium I've been to was better than this one. Also, they had no mammals other than the seals on the outside.

Even though we weren't hungry, we made it a point to get some New England clam chowder (chowda) while we were there. So we headed back to Quincy and got some at a stand in the food court. I4 & Edwin went around a few more shops. Emily did some more work on the Internet and I checked out the Cheers restaurant/replica.

Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos.

Related: Cheers: Boston, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, New England Aquarium, Paddy O's

QM2 Dress Code

QM2 has 3 dress code categories for the sit-in dinners:

• Formal = tux or suit w/ white shirt & black tie; evening dress; military awards
• Semi-formal = jacket & tie; cocktail dress; no jeans
• Elegant Casual = jacket; dress or skirt; no shorts or jeans

I think these were just presented as a general guideline as they were not really strictly enforced. I saw many passengers that didn't follow the dress codes. I actually broke the code slightly tonight because I didn't have a collared shirt under my jacket. My parents mentioned that the rules were more strict on NCL and they actually turned passengers down who didn't follow the dress code. I was surprised by that because QM2 is classified as an "ultra-luxury line." I guess they just wanted passengers to be comfortable and didn't want to embarrass anyone.

Some people took it too far though. I saw people in King's Court wearing pajamas & bathrobes for breakfast. There was an 8-year old boy running around naked in the pool area... not cool!

McKelvie's

Delishes Fishes Dishes

Your fish is our command!

Location: 1680 Lower Water St., Halifax, Nova Scotia
Cuisine: Seafood
Phone: (902) 421-6161
Website: www.mckelvies.ca
Prices: About $20 per person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 6
Environment: 8

Frequency: Unique

After passing by several pubs in search of Halifax lobster, we asked two local women on the street for the answer and they directed us to McKelvie's. Ironically, they were both employees of a Mongolian restaurant we passed by. Shhh.


We ordered 5 dishes and ate family style... fresh lobster (of course), crunchy haddock, potato crusted haddock, poached salmon & lobster roll. I'll leave the details to the Picasa Web album, but the food was great overall. My only complaint would be the pricing. Shouldn't a city that's abundant with lobster charge lower for it? Maine & Massachusetts have the best lobster, yet they also charge the lowest for it.

Halifax

Based on the map of Halifax, many of the historical sites were within walking distance, so we didn't need to hail a cab or sign up for a tour. We did things at our own pace. Things started out slowly because there was a sign saying "FREE gift," pointing Del Sol. Our group was made up mostly of shoppers, so they were magnetically pulled into the store. After that, our first stop was the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. We were just passing by, but they had some pretty nice sculptures on the outside and in the lobby area. Our next stop was Scotia Square Mall where everyone went shopping for souvenirs and sale items. The mall was empty... like much of the downtown area and it was a Saturday! Halifax must really depend on tourism to make profits.


After the mall, we visited the Town Clock of Halifax for scenic picture taking. We parted ways from there. My parents, aunts & uncles headed back to the boardwalk for shopping and planned to have a late lunch back at the ship. They're not as into the vacation for the 5 senses as the younger generation. Emily, Edwin, I4 & I headed off in search of local cuisine... lobsters & haddock. We settled on McKelvie's, which I will review in a separate post following this one.

After lunch, we went souvenir shopping at the boardwalk & the port shops. I couldn't really find the right items to buy. I always look for something that represents the city, but isn't cheesey. I stay away from t-shirts and shot glasses and tend to look for local crafts. I ended up getting a DVD & book about Nova Scotia. Since a 1-day stopover is a bit of a rush for a major city, I wanted to get more info.

The rest of the afternoon was free was we got back around 3:30pm. I went to the gym for a workout and jogged a mile immediately after. We had dinner at King's Court again. With about an hour 'til the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3, a bunch of us walked around QM2, looking for nice spots to take pictures. During halftime, we had a late night supper.

Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos.

A Day @ Sea

Almost the whole group got together for lunch at King's Court. It was a lot more comfortable than yesterday. We at at about 12:30pm and it wasn't even crowded. All 15 of us were able to sit together. The food was also a lot better today, but I still kept it to a minimum because I knew we'd be eating again soon. I did a little more exploring of the dining area this time around, walking towards the stern of the ship. The rear area of King's Court was called Chef's Gallery, which offered grilled foods and custom deli sandwiches. Unfortunately, I waited almost 15 minutes for an OK swiss cheese burger & fries.


Even though my body was already aching from the cardiobox class, I was worried about the amount of food I was eating and made myself go for a swim after digestion. The pool was small, but there weren't that many people in it. Originally, I thought the outdoors would be cold on a trip to Halifax, but the direct sunlight brought temperatures up pretty high. The hour of swimming wasn't enough for me because we had a small 2nd lunch afterwards, so I went for a 1-mile jog after a bunch of us went shopping. The "track" on Deck 7 wasn't totally obstacle free as there were slow-moving people to dodge and high winds for resistance. I could've gone with the treadmill, but I just wanted to get outside and enjoy a rare jog surrounded by the sea.

Before dinner, Emily & I went for a workout at the gym... the 4th workout of the day for me! We had dinner at King's Court tonight, skipping out on the formal dinner. I think a few of us were shyed away by last night's disappointing dinner.

Secrets of the Sea

By Dr. Joseph M. Bishop

This 40-min lecture packed a lot of information in the allotted time. Here's a run-through of some facts I picked up:

• Earth's oceans have an avg. depth of 2 miles
• Ocean's are 95% unexplored
• Earth's deepest point is The Mariana Trench @ 36,201 ft
• Jellyfish have a kill rate 5x higher than sharks
• A shark's nervous system can be disrupted by touching its nose
• A pompeii worm can live in waters as hot as 175° F
• 90% of all earthquakes happen along fault lines
• DART (Deep Ocean Assessment & Reporting) is a tsunami detection system involving sensors in the ocean and deep-space satellites
• Largest storm wave recorded was 150 ft high
• OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) is a form of alternative energy that uses extreme temperature differences between deep and shallow waters
• Turbines driven by tides are another form of alternative energy used in France

Cardiobox & Abs

We really got a chance to enjoy life at sea today since it was a full day of sailing with no stops/tours. We planned out a full schedule for the day starting at 7am. Emily & I ordered room service breakfast so that we could get something in our stomachs and digest it before our 9am cardiobox class. The class, run by the Canyon Ranch SpaClub in the Knightsbridge room was the perfect wake up workout. It was a combination of aerobic kickboxing with some pilates. Emily, who is a regular to these types of classes had no problems. I felt very out of shape by the end of it, but the instructor, Trish thought I did OK. How did she miss all of my mistakes? I was at the front of the class! I was also surprised I4 made it to the class. He usually sleeps in and when he signed up, I kept thinking, "there's no way he's going to be up at 9am." But he made it through!

All Aboard

We were all set for the main event after a light lunch. The private bus picked us up around 1:30pm. The check-in process was long and tedious, but not bad considering average airport waits. The difference with a cruise is, once you check-in, you're already at your destination. The crew conducted a safetly drill after we picked up our luggage at our assigned cabins. Then we headed straight for King's Court to get some food for our empty stomachs.


Since it was the first day, the cafeteria was a bit chaotic. Pretty much everyone on the ship was hungry and went there all at once. Our group of 17 was scattered throughout. The King's Court area was a mess. Some passengers stayed their right after the safetly drill, so they had their huge life jackets with them, taking up twice the amount of physical space.

Afterwards, we just unpacked and setup in our cabins. We had a little bit of rest before getting ready for the "elegant casual" dinner @ Britannia.

Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos.

Chen & Chan

Location: 135-28 40 Rd., Flushing, NY 11354
Cuisine: Chinese
Phone: (718) 321-2555, (718) 321-1699
Prices: About $8 per person
Credit Cards: Cash only

Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 8
Environment: 5

Frequency: Frequent


We all met in Flushing for a late dinner as Mom & Auntie Aida had just returned from an Atlantic City side trip. Since we already knocked off Joe's Shanghai & Sentosa, Chen & Chan's was next. We usually take out from this place when we have parties at my parents' house and eat in the restaurant with out-of-town guests.

The food was great and at a price that my parents liked! Please visit my Picasa Web album for details of the dishes we ordered today. The employees were nice and helpful. Our tea kettle was always full. Although the furniture looked great, the restuarant itself had a dirty feel. The carpet had more stains than clean spots. Acoustics are terrible when the place is full. I much prefer to take out than eat in at Chen & Chan.

Sentosa

Location: 39-07 Prince St., Flushing, NY
Cuisine: Malaysian, Thai, Chinese
Phone: (718) 886-6331, (718) 359-7100
Prices: About $15 per person
Credit Cards: Cash only

Food: 9
Service: 8
Value: 7
Environment: 7

Frequency: Frequent

My family started eating Malaysian food many years ago when Penang was around in Flushing. Now, Sentosa is our frequent Malaysian restaurant of choice. We always enjoy the food here. Even when we order something new to try out, it's pretty hard to make a mistake because everything is good. Please visit my Picasa Web album for details of the dishes we ordered today.


The restaurant is clean and visually attractive. Parts of it are a bit too dark though. The 1st floor is OK when the sun is still up, but the back of the 2nd floor is pretty dark. The layout of seats and tables is too tight and it often gets overcrowded. If you're getting a table for two, you'll very likely be sitting right next to another party of two.

Sentosa is a family favorite in Flushing. Emily often requests it when asked where she wants to eat. My parents like the food, but not the prices. We always take out-of-towners here and Edwin enjoyed it as a visitor.

Flushing Mall

Flushing Mall is a large Chinese style mall that's almost always empty. I think the attendance problem is due to its location away from Main St. & Roosevelt where all the action is.


Edwin & I met up with Emily @ Union Sq. after our Circle Line tour. We then headed to Flushing tp meet my Dad. Because we were a little early, we dropped by Flushing Mall where Emily frequently gets a foot massage. I showed Edwin around as we waited for her.

Circle Line

With the upcoming cruise taking up 1 good 5 days of Edwin's vacation and all of the family meals, I wasn't sure how much of Manhattan I would get to show him. So today, I planned out what I think is the best overview... the 3-hour Circle Line tour around the island. I took my other cousins on this before in the past and felt it did a great job. All of the major NYC sites are covered. The narration features a lot of historical tidbits and interesting facts.


We both enjoyed the relaxing trip around the island. Edwin got the pictures he wanted and the ship even got close to the Statue of Liberty... much closer than I remembered from my first trip.

Circle Line Tips

• Bring food. It's a 3-hour cruise and you will get hungry. They do have food on the ship, but everything is overpriced. A hot dog is $4... the same item across the street from the pier is $2!
• Many people rush to the top deck thinking they'll get better shots. Based on the sea level of the ship, angle of view and distance from the coast, shooting pictures from the top or bottom decks should be identical. And there are less people below, so no need to wait your turn to get the shots you want.
• Bring a light jacket. It can get windy at times... even in the Summer.

DVDeals 5/18 - 5/24

DVD Tuesday
There will be 2 editions of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets this upcoming Tuesday. The regular edition is cheapest @ Circuit City... $13.99, but the 2-disc special edition has the lowest price @ Best Buy... $22.99.

Circuit City Deals
- Firewall for $4.99
- Patriot (Extended Ed.) for $4.99
- Fast and Furious for $4.99
- 2 Fast 2 Furious for $4.99
- Dragon for $4.99
- Van Helsing for $4.99
- First Blood for $4.99
- Doom for $4.99
- Unleashed (Unrated Ed.) for $4.99
- Air Force One for $4.99
- Rundown for $4.99
- Top Gun (Collector's Ed.) for $4.99
- Fugitive for $4.99

2 for $12 @ Best Buy
- Independence Day
- Predator
- Alien
- AVP
- i, Robot
- League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
- X-Men
- X2

9th Avenue Food Festival

I could've sworn that I checked the schedule a few months back and saw that the food festival was going to be on May 24 & 25... the weekend of our cruise. Fortunately, my coworker, Frank told me it was this weekend. The timing was perfect because it gave me a nice cultural event I could take my out-of-town cousins to. And today, they had to be back in Queens by 3pm for a wedding. So the length of the event fit the schedule just right. We got there around 11:30pm and walked around until about 1pm, trying various foods.


Be sure to click on the slideshow to access the Picasa Web album as I have written comments for individual photos.

Joe's Shanghai

Location: 136-21 37th Ave., Flushing, NY
Cuisine: Chinese
Hours: SUN-THU (11am-11pm); FRI-SAT (11am-12am)
Phone: (718) 539-383, (718) 539-4429
Website: www.joeshanghairestaurants.com
Prices: About $7 per person
Credit Cards: Cash only

Food: 8
Service: 8
Value: 8
Environment: 8

Frequency: Frequent

The rest of the crew (Auntie Remy, Auntie Ida, I4 & Edwin) arrived last night. Earlier in the day, my parents took them shopping at Woodbury Commons. I met up with all of them at about 9pm for supper & Joe's Shanghai. We try to take all of our out-of-town visitors here even though it's hard to get in. This restaurant seems to be always crowded, even during the "off-peak" hours. Can you believe that we had to wait in line @ 9pm on a Thursday night!?


Joe's Shanghai is famous for it's Xiao Long Bao or soup dumplings. There are 2 flavors... pork and crab meat. Both have a meatball in the middle and are filled with a tasty broth. They're brought out in a hot a bamboo steamer. The best way to grab one without breaking the skin (and spilling/losing the soup) is to pinch it from the top with chopsticks or tongs. Then you place the dumpling on your soup spoon. The soup on the inside is very hot, so you'll want to bite a small hole and sip slowly. The spoon will catch anything you missed. Once you're done with the soup, make sure the rest of it is cool enough before you take a bite.

Many customers just go here for the Xiao Long Bao. I've seen tables with bamboo steamers at each seat. I always suggest that when I'm there with my family, but I guess they feel weird about going to a Chinese restaurant and ordering only one dish and want to show our guests some variety. The Xiao Long Bao is one of the best foods I've ever had. I rated Joe's Shanghai an 8 because their other foods are just OK... you can do the same or better in many of Flushing's restaurants.

The place itself is very clean and decorated with classical Chinese furniture. There are flat-screen TVs on both sides of the restaurant that are usually tuned into the current game or a Chinese TV series. The only problem with Joe's Shanghai is it's size... especially for the amount of business it rings in. The restaurant is tiny and was never upgraded from its original layout. They could've easily moved into a larger space or renovated the layout so that they could seat more customers. The place would still be full and the lines maybe a bit shorter. Maybe the owner didn't want to take the risk or just couldn't find a low period to shutdown.

Donations to China & Myanmar

After the recent cyclone of Myanmar and earthquake of China, a large portion of the world's population were wiped out and that number continues to grow as the threat of plague increases. I've compiled a list of sites you could donate to based on CNN's old list. I personally link-checked all of them to make sure these 2 recent disasters were covered and easy to get to:

• AmeriCares
• ADRA
• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc.
• Church World Service
• Episcopal Relief and Development
• Food for the Hungry
• International Orthodox Christian Charities
• Islamic Relief
• Lutheran World Relief
• MercyCorps
• Medical Teams International
• Operation USA
• Oxfam International
• Plan USA
• Project Hope
• UMCOR
• UNICEF
• World Emergency Relief
• World Relief
• World Vision

Please feel free to republish this post on your own blog. Click here to download the source code for Blogger.

Thank you.

QM2 Prologue

The upcoming trip won't be be first meeting with Queen Mary 2. On Friday, April 23, 2004, she slowly sailed down the Hudson River, passing by my office. Those with window seats lined up by the windows and alerted everyone else in the office. I think it was Trista that got me as she had just taken pictures from outside with her camera phone. I quickly ran out with the department's outdated and underpowered 1.3 MP PowerShot A50 and was able to get some good shots as the gigantic ship passed by the park behind the Wiley office. Several helicopters were also circling the ship for security and they looked like tiny flies in comparison.

QM2 Stats
Length: 1,132 ft
Weight: 150,000 gross tons
Passengers: 2,620
Crew: 1,253
Top Speed: Approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph)
Power: 157,000 hp

Click here for my 2004 photos

Related: Cunard, Frommers.com

Mother's Day

Mother's Day included more than just my family this time. Uncle Charlie from the Philippines was in town with some of his friends. This was the first group to arrive for an upcoming group vacation on Queen Mary 2. Since there were 9 people in total and a lot of dishes, we ate in my parents' basement. The food was a mix of homemade dishes, Korean fried chicken and desserts from a Filipino grocery.

DVDeals 5/11 - 5/17

DVD Tuesday
Drawn Together: Season 3 comes out this Tuesday. It doesn't matter where you buy it though. It's $19.99 in all stores. If there's something else on your shopping list that allows you to qualify for FREE shipping at Amazon or Buy.com, go for one of those.

Best Buy Deals
- Walk the Line for $7.50
- Kill Bill Vol. 1 for $7.50
- Kill Bill Vol. 2 for $7.50
- Spiderman for $5.99
- Spiderman 2 for $5.99

Circuit City Deals
- Gladiator for $8.99
- Braveheart for $8.99
- Best of Chapelle's Show for $8.99
- Dragon for $4.99

QM2 Cast

Besides my family, the following people will also be gearing up for the Queen Mary 2 Memorial Weekend Cruise:

Uncle Charlie: Mom's brother-in-law, has lived with us in NY during my childhood
Uncle Mike: Uncle Charlie's friend, Uncle Ramon's classmate
Auntie Emma: Uncle Mike's wife
Tin Tin: Mike & Emma's daughter
Mia: Mike & Emma's daughter
Auntie Ida: Mom's oldest sister
Edwin: Auntie Ida's son
Ifore (I4): Uncle Charlie's son
Auntie Remy: Mom's younger sister, I4's Mom
Auntie Day: Mom's cousin
Uncle Hal: Auntie Day's husband
Uncle Mario: Family friend
Auntie Susan: Uncle Mario's wife

Knight Rider (NBC 2008)

Story: 7
Action: 6
Acting: 6
FX: 7
Durability: 7

I missed the original airing of the new Knight Rider because it was during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Luckily NBC has the movie in its entirety available on their website as a steaming video.

The star of the show is KITT, the AI controlled sports car. My favorite part about this movie was that they really featured KITT. He was the main hero and got the most screen time. Unlike the classic version, which was a Camaro, the latest KITT is the new Shelby GT500KR, one of my favorite cars. It would have been interesting to see a version of KITT as the 2009 Camaro, but I have no complaints about the change in models. The GT500KR is the perfect combination of speed and a powerful looking shape. The voice of KITT was Val Kilmer. I never made the connection before, but Kilmer really sounds like KITT. He has a calm, cool voice which is perfect for the personality of the car.

The acting was probably at the level of a regular TV movie... OK, but not as good as a full blown motion picture. The story continues off of the original series with the same amount of time passing by as real life, to put the long-time fans in perspective. The hero of the new movie (and upcoming series) is Mike Tracer, son of Michael Knight. The FX were pretty good for a TV movie. They also did a good job of building up the action, but I just didn't feel it ended in a bang. Maybe it's because they want to ease into the series. More to come in the Fall.

Related: IMDB, Knight Rider (streaming video), NBC Official Site

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem

Story: 6
Action: 6
Acting: 7
FX: 7
Durability: 7
Special Features: 7

I rarely buy movies without seeing them first, but went for this one because I liked the original AVP. I also figured that any movie with both the Alien and Predator in it would at least have OK special effects even if the acting was bad. The story picked up where AVP left off, but the atmosphere is completely different. It doesn't take place on an alien site, but right in the middle of a town in Colorado. It certainly made it more interesting that way and gave it a sense of realism. One complain regarding continuity is that Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) from AVP wasn't in it. If there were creatures like this running around, and news got out, there would be some connection to the incident in the first movie. Requiem takes place immediately after it too.

The action was OK, but I expected more. I wanted to see more rumbling between the Predator, Aliens and Predalien. It also would've been nice to have more than one Predator, like in the first movie. I felt that there was too much screen time given to the humans. The title isn't Humans vs. Aliens after all. The effects were pretty good, but again, I expected more. A sequel should always top its predecessor and I don't think Requiem did the job.

The special features on the DVD were very complete. It has 2 commentary tracks and a handful of featurettes. I ended up getting the 2-disc special edition DVD Tuesday, which included a digital copy on the 2nd disc. I installed it on my PC in WMV format and on my Mac in iTunes and both versions look great. Hopefully more DVD releases in the future include this option.