h20skibum

It was so nice to read this, Dani. Glad you were able to get away for some family time. Nice photos of the family.

Looks a little like my dinner tonight, except baby back ribs instead of chicken. You need to add some bacon, cheese and sour cream to those potatoes.

From their press release last month ————————————— In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, Princess Cruises today announced it is joining with Romero Britto, the world-renowned artist known for his bold, colorful, and joyful style, and a global advocate for happiness, to create Love by Britto, an artistic-inspired dining experience celebrating the essence of “Love” aboard Sun Princess. Located on deck 17 at the aft of the spectacular new ship, Love by Britto is a groundbreaking addition to the Sun Princess experience portfolio. The new dining experience serves as an exquisite showcase of the artist’s iconic and joyful designs against the backdrop of a boutique restaurant venue designed to immerse couples in a world of vivid colors, bold patterns, and heartfelt emotions, and create an ambiance of extraordinary service immersion. Love and art converge with taste in an immersive culinary journey, showcasing a meticulously curated menu by culinary virtuoso Rudi Sodamin. With Sodamin’s ingenious touch, Love by Britto transcends into a multisensory exploration, offering extraordinary dishes that embody profound passion, exquisite flavor, and boundless creativity. “Love by Britto on the Sun Princess celebrates the universal language of love, expressed through Britto’s vibrant art and design and promises to be uplifting and transformative for our guests," said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. "With a perfect blend of art, beauty, and soul, Love by Britto is destined to leave a lasting impression.” Set to debut when the newest ship from The Love Boat launches in early 2024, all elements of the innovative new concept - the setting, the artwork, the menu – have been uniquely designed to create an unparalleled dining destination. Love by Britto is a testament to Princess Cruises' unwavering commitment to creating exceptional experiences that transcend the ordinary. “With Love by Britto, we’ve created a one-of-a-kind experience that showcases the harmony between food, art, and the universal language of love, to create an experience that’s meant to be savored,” said Britto. “On the amazing Sun Princess, we’re going to celebrate love for life every evening by pairing an incredibly unique vibe along with exceptional cuisine to create a setting for everyone to indulge their senses and emotions.” “Considered the most licensed artist in history, Britto is the founder of the Happy Art Movement and has created an iconic visual language of happiness, fun, love, and hope all its own inspiring millions worldwide,” added Lucas Vidal, CEO of the BRITTO brand and organization. Brazilian-born and Miami-made, Britto’s work has been exhibited in the most prestigious galleries and museums in over 120 countries, including the Carrousel Du Louvre and he was the first living visual artist to present his work at the Soumaya Museum. He also has created innumerous public and private art installations, not to mention the largest in the history of London’s Hyde Park. He did the opening of the Super Bowl XLI in collaboration with the Cirque Du Soleil, was the official artist for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, ambassador to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, honorary torch bearer and ambassador for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Love by Britto will feature a seven-course, prix fixe menu ($149 per person) beginning with a flute of Champagne upon arrival and features luxury ingredients including lobster, caviar and truffles, and dessert options that always include chocolate fondue. Specifically featured across the seven-course meal are dishes highlighted by delectable and intoxicating aphrodisiacs, like Oysters with Champagne Pearls or Grilled Fig with Prosciutto and Roquefort as featured starters, followed by savory soups like Asparagus and Watermelon Cocktail with Vodka. Also on the menu are savory salad options that feature quail eggs, pomegranate and avocado. Fish dishes like Lobster Thermidor with Clams and Wild Rice, and Honey-Basted Wild Salmon. Meats like Wagyu Chateaubriand Rossini and Roast Quail Farci with Truffles. Champagne flavored sorbet with Rose Petals to cleanse the palate. And heavenly dessert options in addition to chocolate fondue that range from Iced Soufflé Tahiti Vanilla and White Valrhona Chocolate with Hot Raspberries, to Hot Chocolate Soufflé with Hot Bing Cherries. “Food is the international language of love,” said Rudi Sodamin, head of culinary arts for Princess Cruises. “It could not be more perfect for Princess, home of The Love Boat!” Love by Britto headlines a delectable assortment of expanded restaurant options aboard the highly anticipated Sun Princess, the next generation ship from Princess.

Looks like the high price winner so far. Don’t know if Beach Club is capacity controlled, but it said sold out if someone was looking to book onboard. Yet all but two of those OWB’s were open, as were many of the loungers and most all of the beach cabanas.

Cute cake. It must be something about boys, and their 5th birthdays. My California grandson had a truck cake for his 5th. I may have posted these before. The lady who did this, did a lot of special baked, decorated items for George Lucas. Very talented. Everything was edible, including the checkerboard base and tires My job was to balance that, as we drove 10 miles from the baker to the birthday venue. Not an easy task.

Ok, so somewhat of a pro tip here. If you do need to access the internet for a short period, without paying the daily rate, do this…. It will give you about 15 minutes of access. When you log in to the WiFi, it gives you a couple choices. One is to purchase or sign in to the paid WiFi that gives you Internet access. The second option is to use the free WiFi onboard the ship, which is what you are using. The third option is to download or update the app for free. As soon as you click that, it will take you to the App Store, but more importantly, since that is done over the internet, it will give you internet access for about 15 minutes. It will only work once or twice, then it will tell you to visit the voom desk for help. If you just need it briefly, it is an option.

The White House did them for 50th anniversary and for 80th birthdays. My parents got both.

The old app is suppose to go away on February 1.

It seems Daryl has some new competition. Flo Mingo ain’t fraid of no snow.

Happy Heinz Anniversary. #57 Don’t know if they still do it, but if you sent a copy of your marriage certificate and a letter signed by husband and wife, to Heinz, they would send you a gift. My parents got one when they had theit 57th.

It seems we are just the opposite. Deck 6 on Oasis class and deck 8 on quantum class. Just a short walk to Schooner bar on O class. Priorities, priorities.

Plus gratuity. When we bought some on Symphony, it was stale, and a mighty small portion. How was it on Jewel?

it was $32 per day on Allure this month. Maybe higher price was a function of the shorter cruise. We shared our free days and didn’t buy. Just plan to use our free days on Utopia too.

I can beat all your port days.

Take the duck. It could be like a Friends of Daryl live report!

It is on the, soon to be new, Sun Princess. I say soon to be new, because it is just finishing sea trials and has the inaugural sailing in Europe next month. Our sailing is a seven night Western Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale. Fits nicely after the family gets together at our rented beach house next Christmas/New Year. The last time we sailed Princess, they were just starting to roll out medallion, so we haven’t experienced that yet. I am excited to see the new ship. It appears to be very similar in size to Odyssey, and it will be their largest ship.

Yes he did. Now he is trying to figure out how to improve his racing skills.

When we were at the Beach Club a couple weeks ago, only two fools had booked those $4,000 cabanas. The rest sat empty. I guess Royal figures it is easier to find two willing to pay $4,000 than it is to find ten willing to pay $800.

That is a downright bargain. Better book before it goes up.

Ricky is showing more energy. Gearing up for hockey.

Don’t like the lanyards either. I thought I read that the medallions are roughly the size of an Apple air tag, and some people are using air tag holders. I use these for my AirTags, and thinking about picking some up for the medallions I may get leather and silicone to see which works best. Anyone used AirTag holders for theirs?

Happy birthday to Dick. 🎂🎈🎉

Icon not wait for this. Now I have another tab open. All I can say is you all have your work cut out for you, because……

Happy birthday to Jack. 🎂🎈🎉