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Although I enjoyed the new MDR brunch, I have never had a good crab cake on HAL. I try one in a different venue every cruise and have always been extremely disappointed. Perhaps it is because I am from MD. We make our crab cakes with blue crab, and just a little mayo and egg to bind, definitely no onion or peppers to mask the flavor of the sweet crab meat. 🦀🦀🦀

Although we enjoyed 13 Club Orange breakfasts on the Nieuw Statendam in March, the brunch was a nice change of pace and the only time we ate in the MDR. I wanted to mention that our brunch menu was similar but not the same as the one that has been posted. My friend started a banana bread, different from the banana French toast offered daily. For my main, I had a delicious Mexican style skillet with beans and cheese served with tortilla chips.

@dfish @Seasick Sailor i try to creatively use all of our leftovers. I prepared ham for my family’s Easter dinner. After dinner, I removed the majority of meat from the bone, placed it in a stock pot and covered it with water. I used the ham stock to make two traditional PA Dutch recipes this week. Monday, I made ham, bean and rival soup.Last night, I made green beans, potatoes and ham.I do not use a recipe and did not take these photos. Recipes and photos can be found on Savory Moments. Positive thoughts to all who need them, here on the Daily and around the world.

@NavybikermomAloo Masala is available in the MDR and is delicious.

@aliaschief I started reading the Daily because of the port pictures and descriptions. I have to admit I am a bit jealous of your adventures but am truly enjoying your pictures and commentary. Many times the “port of the day” photos are from other cruise lines. There is a regular poster on the Daily who has never cruised on a HAL ship. @RMLincolnBanana bread French toast is on the MDR menu on HAL. Yummy

Happy Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, my DHs favorite sandwich. Peanut butter was considered a delicacy in the early 1900′s and was only served in New York City's finest tea rooms. In a May 1896 article published in the Good Housekeeping magazine, a recipe urged homemakers to use a meat grinder to make peanut butter and spread the result on bread. The first reference of peanut butter paired with jelly was published by Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics in 1901 using currant or crab apple jelly. In the late 1920′s the price of peanut butter declined and the sandwich became very popular with children. According to the Peanut Board, during World War II, both peanut butter and jelly were part of the United States soldiers military ration list. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

I never believed HALs “fresh fish” PR until I saw it being loaded on to the ship in Montevideo. @CruiserBrucecooking fresh salmon to 145 degrees kills bacterial pathogens and parasites.

@Terry in NJYou will have more luck posting in your Roll Call

🐰🐰🐰Generally, I don’t think teachers are fans of April Fools Day but I once helped students pull off an epic prank. The students were at school late for play practice on March 31. My roll was simply to unlocked the classroom doors. They took all the wall coverings, books and furniture from Teacher A’s room and swapped it with Teacher B’s room. What surprise on the morning of April 1. The prank was enjoyed by the entire school. The afternoon was spent returning the belongings to the proper room instead of practicing for the play.

On the Oosterdam, in February the lectures were standing room only. Although they were streamed into The Rolling Stones lounge, there was still not enough space. The passengers went to guest services and used the Let Us Know feature of the app to ask that the lectures be recorded so they could be viewed in the cabins. The seas were rough and there were many mobility challenges people on the ship. Our comments focus on safety. I hope the lectures can be viewed in your cabin too.

@POA1Thank you for your amusing and informative posts. I found my first ”Finlay” novel in the library of the Oosterdam and have now read the entire series. Not to let this wonderful thread drift too far but @Ready2go11 my favorite novels set in Florida are by Carl Hiaasen. I also like Tim Dorsey’s main character Serge.

On the Oosterdam in February, we found it on our bed with a generic note. There was no ceremony or in person recognition. I left mine in the cabin when we disembarked.

I have never seen a “Broadway” type show on HAL. Check out the band in BB Kings too. They are often much better than the band in the Rolling Stone Rock Room. It may be helpful to look at the Daily programs posted in this recent LIVE thread for times and types of evening entertainment.

Happy Saturday! Earth hour was the 23rd. It was when people around the world turned off their lights to show support for the planet and to raise awareness of the environmental issues facing it. Here is a picture of the Sydney harbor before/during Earth hour. Positive thoughts for those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising

I like tiradito, a traditional Peruvian dish. (I loved the fact that the chef incorporated traditional Argentinian and Chilean dishes while I was on the Oosterdam in February but I digress.) The fish is raw, like most sushi; it differs from ceviche in two ways: tiradito is sliced, while ceviche is cubed; and tiradito is sauced immediately before service, hence raw, while ceviche is marinated beforehand, hence "cooked". I admire you for trying new things.

Did you book a guaranteed verandah? If so, they choose your cabin, anywhere on the ship. The least expensive verandahs are the VH cabins located on deck 4 above the World Stage. Next are VF cabins on that deck 4 and 8; they are the next least expensive. We usually book the VF cabins on deck 8 aft. This time we splurged for a true aft cabin on deck 8. I like being able to run up to the Lido and the Seaview pool area. I have never been bothered by being under the pool. They do set up the chairs in the morning but I am up by that time. I am out of the room when they take the chairs down in the evening.

@Haljo1935 I would love to meet you and other Dailyites on the Oosterdam November 2-17, 2025: Cultural Crossing With Andalusia & Morocco

Happy Mermaid Day! Positive thoughts to all who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

It is now a Rolling Stone lounge. I hope you have a good band and have a great time.

I believe this is your Roll Call

When in Club Orange, we ask to be seated in the same section with the same waiter for every meal. We do this for a variety of reasons but mainly because DH has some health issues that we prefer not to explain every time we are seated. We also have some special requests (no bread, extra vegetables, tea after dinner) which a regular waiter quickly accommodates. On the NS in CO this March, we had an excellent service from our waiter($20), his assistant ($10) and the beverage server ($10). As a former server, if the service is excellent on the ship, I always provide an additional tip.

Gone from all ships except the Pinnacle class.😢

Happy Opening Day! I hope it doesn’t rain. Baltimore deserves some good news. @ger_77 @marshhawk I will be on the November 2025: Cultural Crossing With Andalusia & Morocco too. Join the Roll Call to discover what other popular Dailyite will be sailing across the Atlantic with us. Anybody else want to come aboard? Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Although they look similar, jackfruit is very different from durian. In a Thai cooking class I learned how to make a delicious coconut jackfruit sticky rice that I frequently serve as a dessert. The ripe fruit has a banana/mango flavor. The green fruit makes an excellent substitute for meat. I have made bbq with it and people did not know they weren’t eating pork. It is easily found in a can. Durian is the “stinky” fruit; I have never tasted it.

I am a bit confused. Isn’t Weymouth about 3 hours by car from Falmouth? We visited a Abbottsbury Subtropical Garden and a swannery in Weymouth when our ship docked in Portland. I like that the MOD has expanded to include sauces, side dishes and desserts. These things can make a plain meal more exciting.