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Thank you to all the Daily posters who make this a special place. I do not celebrate Dandelion Day. My DH calls them flowers and asked me why I was on my hands and knees digging them up yesterday. They are the invasive weeds to me. I will salute these Dandy Lions. I prefer thin crust brick oven pizza. I love banh mi. Thank you for the wonderful recipes @dfish (if you don’t like tofu, try them with meat!) It was a dreary day when we were in Barbados in February. We had been there before so we just took a walk along the boardwalk and through town and ended up getting soak, glad we changed our mind about the catamaran trip. Wishing everyone the best day possible.

It is a sunny 70 degree day in MD so I decided that I should get to work on cleaning out the native garden I created along the woods line in my yard. Unfortunately, I had to deal with two invasive plants. The garlic mustard was easy to pull because of all the rain we had over the weekend. The Multiflora rose was the problem, I was wearing long leather gloves to cut the vines by hand but still getting stuck constantly. Next step will be to spread wildflower seeds to attract the butterflies and birds. It will be worth it when everything is blooming this summer. There has been a 20% decline in the number of school librarians in the past decade. Unfortunately, the schools lacking librarians are often the ones that need them the most; smaller, rural districts, and those with higher proportions of English-language learners, Hispanic students, and low-income students were more likely to lack a librarian. There has been a rise in attempted book challenges and bannings nationwide. This will inevitably affect school librarians and their material selections. A great way to appreciate school librarians is to advocate on their behalf so they can focus on making their facility an excellent learning center. Please support school librarians not just today but everyday. Sending positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

@BSinPNSThank you for your comments. We will be doing the same trip from January 29-February 20, 2024. Did you do any private small group excursions? If you liked them could you please share the tour company you used? Where did you see the most penguins? What was your favorite excursion? Why? What was your favorite port? Why?

There are no self service laundries on any HAL ships. There was a small section of reference books in the Crows Nest in February 2022. The Zuiderdam is currently on a World Cruise and there are three threads by regular posters. You may want to begin following them if you have specific questions about the ship.

@Vict0riann Thank you for you live thread. What time were you told to report to the World Stage? I hate waiting. Hopefully you will be released soon. I posted the comment below on Rich’s WC thread. Have the MDR menus changed on your cruise too? They are still showing the old format in the Navigator app. I just realized the MDR menu format has changed. I like that the Vegetable Plate is offered daily because I frequently request extra vegetables. I am concerned with the fine print comment “complimentary off menu items are no longer available”.

I just realized the MDR menu format has changed. I like that the Vegetable Plate is offered daily because I frequently request extra vegetables. I am concerned with the fine print comment “complimentary off menu items are no longer available”. Thoughts?

@TayanaLorna @AryMay I greatly appreciate your replies. I have booked the Falklands tour with Patrick and the Alma Calma tour with Nick. I really want to see penguins and am trying to book tours in every port where that is a possibility. @GeorgeCharlieI enjoyed the review of your trip!

Thank you for your detailed review. Sorry you were sick on your catamaran trip. Could you provide a minimum amount of detail about your negative spa experience? What type of service? Cost? Quality?

Thank you to everyone that make the Daily a special place. Reading is one of my favorite activities, probably because I was read to so much as a child. My grandmother told a story about how she thought I could read when I was 2 until she realized that I memorized the book. She always told me, if you can read you can do anything. I always give a book called “I’ll Love You Forever” as a baby shower gift. Check it out if you haven’t heard of it, sure to bring a tear to your eye. I prefer peanut butter without the jelly on apples, bananas and raw sweet potatoes. PBJ as recently seen on the Food Network. It is important to think about the Wilde quote in the context of the novel. The steamed fish recipe looks good to me. I frequently order it that way in Asian restaurants. Hoping everyone has a bit of sunshine in their life today!

@Cruiser_M If you are sailing the Caribbean to find out if you would like HAL for a 50 day cruise, you must sail the same class of ship. The Zuiderdam is currently my husband’s favorite HAL, small enough that you can get to know people on board but still has plenty of verandah cabins. We will sail the same class of ship on a 22 day South America & Antarctic cruise next winter. We were on a Caribbean cruise the Rotterdam in February. It is a more modern ship with more dining options. It did seem crowded. BTW,Grand Turk is a fabulous port for snorkeling.

We received the same menu on the Rotterdam in February. We were told it was a special menu for the 150th anniversary.

Thank you for letting us know about the eaglets. I’ve become obsessed with them. Dad brought a large fish to the nest this morning and M & D took turns feeding their babies. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, if it’s not too much trouble, could you let me know when Punta Arenas, Chile was the port of the day. We are there for 12 hours and I don’t know the best way to spend our time. The wonderful pictures posted by the Dailyites always inspire me. @seagarsmokerThank you for your “trip report”. I am extremely happy to hear that the rules, particularly that the Seaview Pool is adults only, are being enforced. I’m off to take a walk in the park, 45 and sunny. Hope everyone is having the best day possible.

@Vict0riannCan you watch TV from the bed in your sideways room? The balcony is very nice!

Good Morning and thank you for all who make the Daily a special place. I love manatees. Did you know that many think they are the inspiration for mermaid legends? I believe that in addition to celebrating magicians, Smoke and Mirrors Day is to remind us to be wary of all the deceptive practices in daily life. @dfish I never thought about cooking ham in a slow cooker. I might try that for Easter. The pineapple salsa seems like the perfect compliment. @TiogaCruiser I love Dulce de Leche, reminds me of caramel. That was quite a large serving of gelato you were holding! @RMLincoln Thank you for the link to the tour company. @JazzyV The second eaglet hatched yesterday. I am addicted to the live feed. Here is the link for any who are interested. Hays Eagle Nest Positive thoughts to those on the cares list. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising. I will be watching for our friends on the Rotterdam during Sailaway today.

We were in aSignature suite on the Oosterdam in November. Requested and received nightly turn down and fresh fruit. Did not have any flowers but did not ask for them so I don’t know if they would have been provided. Excellent service from our two cabin stewards. Called the dedicated concierge phone and was able to make dinner reservations for the dates and times we wanted.

@TiogaCruiser Thanks for the websites and the heads up about the ice cream. I will definitely be trying some! I hope you have a wonderful time tomorrow. Your decorations are beautiful and the food sounds delicious. @Cruisercl I had to see what other food was available on a stick. Spaghetti & meatballs on a stick? Here’s the link if anyone else is interested. MN State Fair Food on a Stick @Seasick SailorWelcome home!

Thank you for your reply. I am DH's Excursion Officer too! I will try to contact her again after she has time to recuperate from her cruise. Thought the quote was "weird"; never heard of Ron White so I looked him up. Comedian, 65, politically incorrect, unapologetic and edgy, also know as Tater Salad. Not sure if that helps me understand the quote or not.🤣

Thank you for the Daily. Welcome @sunviking90 Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising. @Tbay Thanks for the tour company recommendation; unfortunately, we will not be in Brazil this trip. @TiogaCruiser Thank you for the details of your South American tours. I have contacted enpatagonia.com to get more details about their tour. I am doing some more research into gvtourschile.com because of your negative experience with the company. Any one else have experience with this company? Could you provide any more information about the National Park tour you did with Edgrdo in Ushuaia? I tried Googling but couldn't find that name. @aliaschief Did you or your DW organize any South American tours? I appreciate any additional insights the Dailyites can provide for tours in these ports: Montevideo (in port 15 hours) & Punta Del Estes, Uruguay Puerto Madryn & Ushuaia (thinking Tierra del Fuego National Park), Argentina Punta Arenas (in port for 12 hours) & Puerto Chacabuco & Puerto Montt, Chile (want to explore Patagonia)

@bennybearThanks for your comments about the Shore Excursions Group. Based on your comments I will probably only book one tour with them and report back on my experience when I return. @marshhawk I never wear a lanyard. I carry a small crossbody bag with my key card and my cell phone which I use to take pictures and check the Navigator App for the Where and When schedule.

On Feb 4, 2023, we sailed on the Rotterdam out of an extremely windy Port Everglades on the roughest Caribbean cruise departure we have ever experienced. In the evening I vacated the Seaview pool bar area because water was crashing over the pool sides. I estimated at least 2 inches of standing water on the deck because my jeans below the knees were soaked. At 5:30am my DH rolled out of bed in our deck 8 aft cabin due to the ship’s motion. He was fine and immediately went back to sleep. Luckily, the motion for us is like being rocked in a crib but I’m sure there are many who were a bit seasick. The seas calmed down as we approached St Maarten. We had a wonderful cruise with good food and excellent service. (We love aft cabins and always book them if they are available.)

@Cruise Suzy @Cruising-along Thank you for the info about the Shore Excursions Group. I am probably going to book this tour from Puerto Chacabuco https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/casa-penaflor/sapcpena and this one from Ushuaia https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/tierra-del-fuego-national-park/sausfuegopark I believe some of the Dailyites are planning the 2025 South America & Antarctic cruise. Chime in if there is a port you are particularly looking forward to visiting. I’m all about the penguins! 🐧🐧🐧 Just needed to add this for scribbles day

Trying to plan shore excursions for our South America & Antarctica trip in January 2024. Has anyone used a company called the Shore Excursions Group? Does anyone have any specific guide recommendations if using Tours by Locals? We prefer nature to museums. I am specifically looking for recommendations for these ports: Montevideo (in port 15 hours) & Punta Del Estes, Uruguay Puerto Madryn & Ushuaia (thinking Tierra del Fuego National Park), Argentina Punta Arenas (in port for 12 hours) & Puerto Chacabuco & Puerto Montt, Chile (want to explore Patagonia) I have booked tour to Volunteer Point with Adventure Falklands. Thank you!

Good Morning from sunny 60 degree MD. Hoping to do some more work in the yard today. I put some planters with herb seeds on my deck yesterday. Unfortunately, I woke up to dirt scattered around the planters, probably because we are out of bird seed. Trying to plan shore excursions for our South America & Antarctica trip in January 2024. Has anyone used a company called the Shore Excursions Group? Does anyone have any specific guide recommendations if using Tours by Locals? We prefer nature to museums. I am specifically looking for recommendations for these ports: Montevideo (in port 15 hours) & Punta Del Estes, Uruguay Puerto Madryn & Ushuaia (thinking Tierra del Fuego National Park), Argentina Punta Arenas (in port for 12 hours) & Puerto Chacabuco & Puerto Montt, Chile (want to explore Patagonia) I have booked tour to Volunteer Point with Adventure Falklands. I have posted on my very quiet roll call and the South America board too. Thank you for any insights. you may be able to provide.

I thought all that talking was the DJ and music from the Regal, made me think I’ll never sail Princess. Was it actually the “camera crew”?

We had a similar night light on the Zuiderdam. I loved it. My husband hated it, said it woke him up every time I got up. On the Rotterdam, we left the bathroom light on with the door closed, just a bit of light slipped through the crack for me to see. On the Oosterdam, we tried to leave the door cracked but sometimes it slammed shut.