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@summer slope Thank you for posting the drink of the day while you are on your cruise. This would have been impossible last week on the Oosterdam. I hope the Volendam’s service called was scheduled and there was not a serious problem that caused the doctor to miss the coffee chat yesterday. Wishing you and @StLouisCruisers a fabulous cruise. It’s on my bucket list! The Orioles loved to shove pie in their teammates’ faces when one of them did something spectacular. Unfortunately, the sons of Baltimore have been forbidden to do so, because when you hit someone in the face with something, you risk hurting that person. And if that person is an athlete whose effectiveness depends on their not being injured, then you want to avoid injuring them. Adam Jones, one of the most enthusiastic pie-shovers, wasn’t going to let a rule stop him, however. The outfielder found a loophole to get around the ban: He used cake instead, smashing it into teammate Matt Wieters’s face after Wieters hit a single to win the O’s Opening Day game in 2016.

@Sharon in AZ This is the best key lime juice. My local grocery store stocks it. I’ve also seen it at Walmart, expensive but worth it. I don’t use meringue on my pie but here is a link to the recipe from the Nellie & Joe bottle. https://keylimejuice.com/key-lime-meringue-pie/

@cruisn71Off the Oosterdam last week. There are puzzles and games in the Crowd Nest.

I asked for and received a cheese plate for dessert last week on the MDR on the Oosterdam. It was not on the menu. FYI, I also asked for extra vegetables and an entree without sauce. Modifications and simple requests were not a problem for my fixed dining server.

@ottahand7I look forward to seeing Gerry’s @ger_77recipe too. My Mom often made porcupine meatballs when I was growing up. She used canned tomato soup for the sauce. I prefer to make my own sauce similar to this recipe. Also, I use instant rice because my husband find the long grain rice to firm. These freeze beautifully. https://thesuburbansoapbox.com/easy-porcupine-meatballs/

Here is a photo of our laundry when it was returned. The shirts were beautifully pressed. All this was stuffed (rolled) in one bag for $30 (transatlantic cruise from Spain).1 tshirt, 2 jeans, 3 yoga pants, 2 athletic shorts, 2 short sleeve dress shirts, 2 long sleeve dress shirts

We had the same problem during our trans Atlantic crossing last week. Everyone including the officers were making jokes about the lack of internet. A few suggestions: type up your post in a Word document and paste it into CC. It is very frustrating to lose your message because you lose the Internet. Add a few photos at a time. If you try to load several at the same time you will get the dreaded “upload failed” message. I sent most of my emails at 6 am. We considered staying on the ship for the South American portion but I am working my husband up to longer cruises. I look forward to reading your reports and hope that you and the ship stay Covid free.

@sayvan Thank you for your review. I am interested in the activities on the ship during the sea days. Were there any special events like cooking classes or lectures?

@dfish I love your idea of sharing our Thanksgiving traditions. Marylanders always have sauerkraut. I drain sauerkraut, put it in a crockpot, add some turkey broth and the turkey neck and let it cook on the porch all day. When Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, about one-fourth of Baltimore’s population was German. One of Thanksgiving’s social functions is to ease feelings of social dislocation felt by immigrants, and there is no better way to do that than to add an ethnic dish to an otherwise American meal. Sauerkraut on Baltimore Thanksgiving tables is now regularly served with turkey, with or without the pork, and represents a custom spread across cultures in the region. This illustrates the American ability to adapt and absorb ethnic cultural traditions.

$150 for 4 cartons ( buy 3 at $50 a piece, get 1 free)

People are not big alcohol fans should be aware that a dirty banana included rum, banana liqueur and kahula. It may rock the world of a non drinker.

Spatchcock for those on those who are unfamiliar with the term...means to butterfly, to remove the backbone, thus allowing it to be completely opened out and flattened. Doing this reduces the cooking time significantly and allows the whole bird to be cooked in different, speedier ways, such as grilling. @TiogaCruiser I'm sure your turkey will be delicious. My DS is hosting Thanksgiving. I just finished preparing my contribution to the meal: marinated shrimp with olives, shaved Brussels sprouts salad with apple and pecans, lasagna with sausage and spaghetti squash lasagna. Thank you to all who post on the Daily. Positive thoughts to all who are ill or struggling; cheers to all who are celebrating.

Carton of Marlboros was$50 last week on the Oosterdam transatlantic. Deal was buy 3 cartons get one free

I’d call a nonalcoholic mudslide a chocolate milkshake🤣

Small items were self serve on the Oosterdam last week. I would prefer to be served everything. I am not comfortable using tongs that have been handled by people who may not have clean hands. I use a napkin to pick up communal tongs.

I can drink Aperol Spritz all day long. In the evening I switch to Chandon. A popular sweet milkshake drink last week was a mudslide: vodka, Kailua, Baileys and cream blended with ice.

You are correct, plane started to board at 9:25 but since the internet was so bad on the ship I was unable to check in 24 hours before my flight so I was part of the last boarding group. I think I lined up about 9:40.

I frequented the FL departures forum prior to my cruise. Everyone said they thought I was crazy. Here’s what happened. Departed the Oosterdam at 7:45 with our luggage . In a cab by 7:55. At MIA by 8:25 ($46 less than the $58 for 2 the HAL shuttle would have charged.). Through security by 8:45. Waited an hour at the gate for 9:55 flight. I know I am giving you a MI A experience compared to FLL. Most importantly, I am able to fly Southwest which gives me many more options if I miss my first flight. Also, we carry our own luggage and lined up at 7:15 waiting for the ship to clear. Bottom line—- I’d be comfortable with an 11:05 flight from FLL.

Last week, all of our wine in the MDR, Pinnacle and Canaletto were served in those same carafes. Thanks to all who posted photos of today’s destination. Like Jacqui @kazu, it seems like it has gotten too cold, too quickly. The port pictures and the photos of 6 feet of snow in Buffalo made me realize a sunny 42 degrees day in Maryland really isn’t that cold.

Jacqui’s fish sandwich looks deliciously. I saw these black scabbard fish being cleaned in the market in Madeira. The dish the captain prepared (red mullet) in the cook off with the hotel general manager was on the MDR menu the last night of the cruise.

Thank you for your kind words. Compared to what you did for the members of our roll call - - organizing the incredible spreadsheet, sail away, meet & greet, cabin crawl, poker run- - I did the small things I could to assist. I hope to cruise with you again too. Maybe you should join me and Helen @HELENPSL on our Atlantic Sojourn in October 2023. 😊

Last night, five people were killed and 18 wounded in shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. The gunfire came on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance on Nov. 20 to commemorate the transgender people who have lost their lives because of anti-transgender violence. In the words of Health & Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra: “Violence or discrimination of any type against a person because of who they are is wrong and inhumane. This Transgender Day of Remembrance, I call on my fellow Americans to stand up against hate and take a moment to honor the lives of those transgender and gender-diverse Americans lost due to hate and senseless violence.”

We ate in the MDR on the Oosterdam 12 of 14 nights on our 11/5-19 cruise. We had a fixed table for 2, excellent server and assistance, never spent more than 1 hour at dinner. After the first night they knew our drink orders and food preferences which is why I prefer fixed to anytime dining. We ate breakfast and lunch in the Lido so we could pick and choose a bite of several dishes. Service was excellent there too.

We are cruising into the port.

I believe Roy was in Puerto Limon which is on the Caribbean side. If people are looking for something to do in Limon, I suggest getting out of the port. There is a nice beach just outside of Limon called Playa Bonita and a beautiful island, Isla Uvita, assessable by a 20 minute boat ride. There is a nearby rainforest with an aerial tram and zip line and a sloth sanctuary close to Limon too.