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Good Morning from Ocho Rios! I read the Baltimore Sun every morning. The wonderful photo by Jerry Jackson was on the front page this morning. Sending everyone peaceful and healing thoughts.

I will try to find out for you. If Cesar’s is on board I will tell him you ask about him but unfortunately do not remember your name or your husbands. (I know I should but unfortunately I just recognize people by their screen names. Sorry.)

Good afternoon from the beautiful Nieuw Statendam as we sail towards Ocho Rios. The sea day activities have been a bit different than what I experienced in the past but I found it truly enjoyable. Prior to lunch they taught some line dances by the Seaview pool, although I did not participate, it was extremely amusing to watch. After lunch, they had trivia by the Seaview pool, music from the 50s and 60s. It was very fun to watch people sing-along, and dance to the music. Jose, the entertainment Director, has done a wonderful job and I have had a pleasant afternoon. Time for a nap before dressy night. Sending you peace and all good wishes.

Review of brunch in the MDR on the Nieuw Stemdam this morning. We arrived at 9:25 and were seated immediately at a table for 2. A beverage server greeted us immediately and took our order for fresh squeezed orange juice and a Bloody Mary. We were presented with menus and received our drinks. Ten menus after we were seated, no one had taken our food order. I waved to a man in a jacket. He came over, his name tag said Asst maitre’ d. He asked if I wanted another drink. I told him I’d like to order my brunch. He took out a pad and wrote down our order. Ten minutes later our food arrived. Both courses arrived at the same time which I thought was odd. I had goat cheese and mixed berries and a vegetarian black bean taco bake. Both were delicious. My friend had banana bread French toast which she said was ok and eggs Benedict which she said was very good because the yolks were still runny. I flagged a random server and ask for hot sauce which was brought to me immediately. Water and coffee were frequently refilled.At 10:15 we were finished eating and left the dining room.

The temperature in CO last night on the NS was perfect, definitely not cold. No wait at 6, outstanding service, delicious food. My BFF liked her Peruvian chicken so much that we reschedule our Pinnacle dinner for next Sunday because our server told us it would be the special again next Sunday. Sea day. Going to try the MDR for brunch. The menu looks nice.

Thank you @ger_77 and @Vict0riann! It’s pouring rain but the sun will shine tomorrow☀️🌞🌅

Skies are black and it’s thundering. Ascent is dropping their lines. NS is next.

Thanks @Cruise Suzy The Captain said we will be departing at 3:45. Sea you then🚢

ValueTrips was no trouble. They took my credit card when I reserved but was not charged until I arrived at the hotel. The hotel shuttle was $15pp, was on the Uber app , it was as going to be $16. A cab pulled up, we said, how much to the port. He said $20 and we hopped in. Now waiting in the terminal. I will be wearing White, my friend Navy Blue. We will be waving to you from our aft balcony at Sailaway. Thank you to everyone who wished me Bon Voyage. @dfishIf I was home, I’d make the butternut squash soup tonight. You all know I like butternut squash🤣

Good Morning from Ft Lauderdale! It’s wonderful to be in warmer weather. We are at Hyatt Place on 10th Avenue, one block off 17th. It is a nice hotel that I booked through ValueTrips because of the price. (There are many pilots and flight attendants at the breakfast bar which I always think is a good sign.). We walked to the Boatyard for dinner last night. Excellent setting next to the intercostal, excellent seafood but a bit pricey. Plan on Ubering to the Nieuw Statendam about 10. I did request a wave for Sailaway. We will be on deck 5 in an aft cabin. Wishing everyone the best possible Sunday.

My DHs Leatherman was confiscated when we boarded. We had one very rough night on the cruise with several slamming closet doors that did not latch properly. We tried towels and tying them shut. All he kept saying was,”If I had my Leatherman , I could fix this problem.” I doubt maintenance would have assisted us at 2 am. We found it amusing that it was returned to us the day before we disembarked. I guess they didn’t think it would cause any harm during the last 24 hours of the cruise. BTW, the blade on his Leatherman is 2.6 inches according to the company literature. The rule on HAL 2.5 inches.

Onboard event services provided us with a room for the three meetings of our book club on a TA in October. We arranged it in advance. You could try these emails.From:<JRudolph@HollandAmerica.com> <TManning@HollandAmerica.com>

Today is Read Across America Dayand Dr Suess’ 120th birthday. Was notified my flight was delayed prior to leaving for the airport. Happy to relax at home instead of the airport. Just another reminder of why it is important to fly the day before the cruise. Wishing everyone the best possible weekend.

Thank you for this lovely thread and all the Bon Voyage wishes! We leave for FLL this morning, Looking forward to sunshine and warmer weather.

We enjoyed the port. We got off the ship and turn left to walk toward the market and avoid the steep hill to the town center. We walked up the hill to the main plaza and the church without nails, one of the UNESCO churches. We walked back down the hill to the stilt houses.Although it was hilly, it was a nice town to walk around. We had a nice lunch of empanadas, local fish and octopus overlooking the harbor, about a 5 minute walk from the ship. We knew it was going to be good when we had to use Google to translate the menu.😊

Gluten free on board? These threads should help: Partial privacy curtain in the cabin between the main bed and fold out couch in a verandah cabin No ‘shows’ in the theatre, just dance ‘acts’, comedians and singers? Always have trivia

The project was carried out within the frame of an unrestricted grant from the National Dairy Council and of the University of Michigan Dow Sustainability Fellowship. "Our findings demonstrate that small targeted substitutions offer a feasible and powerful strategy to achieve significant health and environmental benefits without requiring dramatic dietary shifts." Seriously…on National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, I was just pointing out that peanut butter is good for you and the planet.

According to a 2021 study by University of Michigan researchers, eating a hot dog shortens your life by 36 minutes while a peanut butter and jelly sandwich adds 33 minutes to your life. A nutritional index published by the School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the Nature Food journal ranked 5,800 foods in the United States based on minutes gained or lost of “healthy” life per serving. With “healthy life gains” explained as an increase in “good-quality and disease-free life expectancy.” The Health Nutritional Index reveals that beef, processed meat, pork, lamb, cheese and sugar-based drinks cause the most healthy minutes lost, while nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide the most healthy minutes gained. @superomaI love the Three Pines series of books! Positive energy to those who need it. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Hi Jacqui! Jonathan and I are also on the Koningsdam 24-Day Baja Peninsula & Circle Hawaii Collector from January 4-28,2025. Thanks for all you do on CC. Tina

I’m a fan of David Bowie, "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise I won't bore you." is the actual quote. Often misquoted, this was Bowie's announcement at his 50th birthday gig at New York's Madison Square Gardens on 9 January 1997. He was talking about the direction his music would take in the future.

I think that you started a very interesting and useful thread Mic. I have Club Orange on my cruise departing Sunday but I am committed to visiting the MDR at least once strictly for comparison purposes.

@ralfrick It is was available on my recently disembarked Oosterdam cruise and is available on my Nieuw Statendam cruise next week (not that I am interested).

The time to complain is immediately, not after the fact on a social media site. I would have spoken to the dining room manager and followed up using the Let Is Know feature of the Navigator App, including checking the box that I wanted to be contacted. I agree. Two nights, Anytime diners were seated next to us. The first couple ordered their steaks medium rare. When they were served, they complained to each other that the steaks weren’t rare (I heard them order medium rare) but continued to eat them. When the server came to check on them, they told him the steaks weren’t rare. He offered to replace them. They declined but continued to complain after he walked away making for a very unpleasant dining experience for us. Another night, the man ordered a nonalcoholic Heineken. The beverage server came to the table with a nonalcoholic Coors saying there was no Heineken. He berated her, I thought she was going to cry. She said she would find some for him. She was gone about 15 minutes and said she had checked all the bars but none was available. He said he had it earlier on the ship, this argument continued until the manager had to intervene. Another unpleasant dining experience created by a passenger. I would have escalated this situation to the Food & Beverage manager if the maitre d couldn’t correct the problem. The original question @MicCanberra ask was, “Was it just our cruise/ ship, or is it occurring fleet wide?, is it cost cutting having less staff doing more?” I believe the problem is less staff doing more. But, I believe the staff is doing their best. And that professional service is improving with each cruise. I had a good experience on the Oosterdam. I am boarding the Nieuw Statendam on Sunday for two weeks. I will compare my service in dining rooms of the two ships when I return.

@Sharon in AZI never saw a B52 on a HAL menu but made plenty of them when I was a bartender in the 80s. In case anyone is interested, it is a layered drink with equal parts of three alcohols: Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Grand Marnier.Also, I remember it being named after the band, not the bomber. However, if you have more than one you may be “bombed” Thanks to all the regular posters. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Our waiter entered our drink orders into a computer. A beverage server delivered them to our table, not our waiter. It was the same two people every night for 22 days. We got to know them too and wherever we saw them on the ship they greeted us by name.