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We had the same menu everyday in our October 15 day TA on the Rotterdam. We ended up having 10 sea days because we had to miss a port. The MDR lunch menu be came extremely boring but luckily we had the NY Pizza & Deli, Dutch Cafe and Dive InI’m hopeful the MDR menu will continue to change every day on all cruises with many sea days.

@NavybikermomWe found the best time to visit the Dutch Cafe was when we returned from a shore excursion for a quick bite. The lines were extremely long all morning.

Does the tax apply to drinks or specialty dinners included in the HIA packages? Wow! 35 foot waves! Sorry you are missing Maui. I’ve heard green apples and an outdoor view of the horizon assists in fending off mal de mar. Thanks again for your wonderful thread. Edited to say I have seabands, ginger and MotionEaze packed for my trip through the Drake passage. I avoid the pharmaceuticals because I don’t want to be tired.

@57redbird I’m getting ready to board the Oosterdam for a 22 day cruise. I look at the menus on the Navigator app every day. The MDR lunch menu is different every day that it is open. The MDR is usually closed for lunch on port days. Here is today’s menu

I started following the Daily because of the wonderful port information and pictures. Whenever you are able, I would enjoy learning about the ports you visit, regardless of the ship you are sailing. Wishing you a wonderful cruise.

Good morning! I will Phone a Friend today and take the time to catch up after the busy holiday. Today’s quote is from the Disney movie Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin. I prefer the original A. A. Milne writing style. I’m sure we are all sending out positive thoughts to @dfish as she has her procedure this morning.. The last time I covered for Debbie, we had a copycat version of minestrone soup. Today I present you with some recipes from some of my favorite cookbooks. Minestrone comes from the word minestra, which is Italian for “soup”, more specifically a soup that’s filled with a mix of vegetables, beans, and sometimes pasta, which was traditionally part of la cucina povera, the frugal country cooking of Italian peasants. Iterations of minestrone abound in both Italy and beyond, with most involving carrots, tomatoes, sometimes zucchini or green beans, as well as white or kidney beans and occasionally small pasta. Giada de Laurentiis’ Winter Minestrone Soup adds pancetta to the pot for added flavor and includes lots of Swiss chard. She calls for potatoes instead of pasta and blends some of the cannellini beans to thicken the soup. Ellie Krieger’s Minestrone Soup is fast and streamlined. It features all the usual suspects but is heavier on tomatoes than the others and calls for green beans and kidney beans. Ellie opts for pasta rather than potatoes. Marcella Hazan’s Minestrone alla Romagnola skips pasta and calls for potatoes, as well as lots of cabbage, diced green beans, zucchini, and cannellini beans. The starkest difference, though, is that she simmers her soup for a full three hours. I’ll finish with a copycat recipe that is similar to the one I posted in August. Dinner at the Zoo’s Olive Garden Minestrone Soup claims to be a copycat recipe of the version at Olive Garden. It includes pasta, two types of beans — kidney and cannellini — and in addition to the usual vegetables, it also features sliced zucchini and baby spinach. Sending you peace, healing and all good wishes.

@kazu I always appreciate your wisdom. ( That’s why I bought the MotionEaze.) I may have told you this story on the TA but for the rest of you…DH and I had a reservation at Canaletto. The seas were high but we were fine. We entered the restaurant and were greeted by the hostess, “How are you this evening.” “Fine, thank you, how are you?” She hesitated, “Not perfect, the high seas.” I said, “Have you ever tried sea bands..they work for my Mom”. She responded, “I know this sounds silly, working on a ship, I always get sea sick. I use them, I just came back onboard, I left them at home.” I told her I would run down to my cabin and get her my unopened package. “No, no” she said. But that didn’t stop me, I got her the sea bands. By the time we finished our dinner, she was feeling better. For the remainder of the cruise, whenever she saw me, she bowed to me. 🙏 I did nothing more than those who read the Daily would have done.

@StLouisCruisers What made you think of the Drake passage today? Have you been reading Norberts nieces blog? I am prepared for the Drake passage with Sea-bands, ginger and MotionEaze (thanks for the tip Jacqui). I do not like to take pharmaceuticals and definitely do not want be tired which is their primary side effect. I have never been seasick (knock wood) but am prepared just in case. Does anyone else have any comments/advice about sailing through the Drake passage? @Quartzsite Cruiser You won’t starve! @superoma has stepped up to cover while Debbie and I are cruising this February. Thanks Eve.

I would love to cruise with you Debbie! We’ll have to share our notes when we return. @kazu I hope you know that I give you three cheers too. 🥂🥂🥂 You are a knowledgeable and generous woman.

@g-murdAre you going in February of 2024 or 2025? You posted on the 2025 Roll Call. It may be too early to book excursions for 2025. Keep checking back on the HAL site. The private tours are about half the price. I would definitely make a reservation prior to arrival to be sure you don’t miss the penguins.🐧

I just finished this excellent book about the Belgica’s voyage. They over wintered in the ice 17 years before Shackleton on the Endurance.

Mods will probably move your post to the Florida departures. See similar topics

Thank you. Hoping for another (less expensive) offer for an upsell to a Signature Suite so I would now accept a port side cabin too.

Good Morning! If you haven’t read (or watched the movie) The Fault in Our Stars I highly recommend it; the story of Augustus & Hazel, teenagers with terminal cancer who fall in love. I hesitate to explain the quote because it is from a eulogy at the end of the novel. Suffice it to say, the character is hurt by the death but happy to have loved the person. There is a wonderfully unique experience in Grenada, the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park which can be viewed by divers, snorkelers or even a glass bottom boat. According to National Geographic, it is one of the 25 wonders of the world. https://suzannelovellinc.com/blog/molinere-bay-underwater-sculpture-park/. Photo is from the article. Wishing everyone the best day possible.

I have always used the “let us know” for any type of issue. The “In Room Amenities” was not on the Navigator when I sailed the Rotterdam in October. Has your shower been fixed? And the other noise problem been resolved?

@HogladyriderHere is a link to the Breakfast Room Service menu you hang on your door before going to bed. Thanks @Crew News https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Room-Service-Breakfast-2023-24.pdf

My PCC told me to book starboard so I would have a view of the land while sailing the South American ports.

I always appreciate @dfish posting the MOD. Sometimes I make the recipe and sometimes it brings back fond memories. This meal is essentially PA Dutch chicken pot pie. When I was growing up, it was always what I asked my grandmother to make for me on my birthday. The key is a rich flavorful homemade stock. The flavor permeates the tender homemade noodles. She added potatoes, peas, and sometimes carrots. If you are ever lucky enough to be in Lancaster county at an Amish restaurant, I suggest you try it. (I do not eat at chain restaurants so have never experienced the Cracker Barrel version.). Her version looked more like this one.

Maybe the first sentence would be helpful…You know what happens when you dream of falling? Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly. I am not a fan of Gaiman, but many of my students enjoyed his graphic storytelling. (Think about reading comic books when you were younger.) Gaiman creates tales of the forces that exist beyond life and death by weaving ancient mythology, folklore and fairy tales.

@Chrissy6299Nothing to see at HMC but there is excellent snorkeling in Grand Cayman and good snorkeling in Cozumel if you go out on a catamaran. I always take my own mask but not my fins.

My niece made a Yule log for us last night. Center was a chestnut mousse. Icing was milk chocolate. Delicious! Thanks for this thread!

Rodgers Forge is near Towson. The Miracle on 34th Street is in Hampden. A different and also beautiful display.https://www.christmasstreet.com/

My niece is vacationing in the Azores; she sent the family stone crab claws from her home in Florida for us to enjoy last night. We also had raw oysters, oysters Rockefeller, shrimp scampi, lasagna and a Yule log. Today we will have ham with the traditional fixings. I am always asked to bring Mac & cheese. I use Emeril’s recipe. https://www.emerils.com/126572/macaroni-four-cheeses Big football game tonight! Thank you to all who post on the Daily. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Everyone who sails has a story about a rough night on a ship but I didn’t remember my DH falling out of bed until @leerathje reminded me. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt and it gave us a reason to hug each other tighter that night. For me, the small negative incidents fade and wonderful memories remain. BTW, I have seabands, candied ginger and MotionEaze in my toiletry bag in preparation for our trip through the Drake passage.

Thank you for all the detail you have provided. Based on this guide, the “Enrichment” talks are given be the Cruise & Travel director. Are these the “canned” HAL presentations? Does she have any actual knowledge about the subject or is she just reading from a script? Can these presentations be viewed in your cabin TV? Are they recorded so they could be viewed later on your TV? How are the Hawaiian ambassador activities? My niece made a Yule log for our dessert tonight. Beautiful and delicious, especially if you like chocolate. (Besides, you can get bread pudding every day.)