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Safe travels. Excited to start our journey.

Sending special thoughts to all who are caring for a loved one. It is a difficult job. Take care of your self too. The best advice that I received from the nurses when my husband was being treated for cancer was, “Let us take care of him while he is here. You take care of yourself. He will need you healthy when he comes home.” Positive thought to all who need them and best wishes to everyone celebrating.

I sail HAL because of the smaller ships, great service and interesting ports.

I agree that aft means “towards the stern” or the back of the boat. My understanding was that you used aft when you were referring to the inside (onboard) rear of the ship and stern when you were referring to the outside (offboard) rear of the ship. I am just interested in how the words are used. I agree….Wake, wake, wake.

@cabinluvnUnfortunately, there is as no “expert” on board the Zuiderdam in February 2022. There was a very poor, scripted presentation in the Crows Nest the day before but no “live” commentary. We did watch 3 excellent documentaries on out stateroom tv prior to the transit. We were traveling with another couple and moved around the ship all day. We went to the bow as we entered the first lock, we spent time on the promenade deck while in the lock and moved to our aft cabin when leaving the lock. Important note, be sure to save room for the Panama buns! Served all over the ship during the transit.

Although you will want to move around the ship during the day long transit, an aft cabin is the way to go!

Here is a thread that may assist you in planning a Eurodam Alaska cruise. You can view the Where & When from last summer.

Explorations usually opens around 7. You may benefit from reading some “live” threads from people on the Alaska cruises this past summer. People often post the daily “Where and When” which contains more specific info.

You can order fresh squeezed oj in the Lido or MDR at breakfast and fancy coffee is available from Explorations cafe in the Crows Nest. Both are included in your drink package.

Leaving on 11/5. Decided I would screen shot my passes from the app. They are no longer there! I usually don’t print a hard copy because I’ve found the the check in time frequently changes but I will definitely be printing hard copies for this cruise. Hope this doesn’t cause a problem for everyone boarding today

@cwd79 Please let us know how the boarding process goes for you. Have a great cruise 🚢

From the Holland America website. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/suites-staterooms.html?xid=HPVD0201202010199&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy-LBxtv3-gIVyMqUCR1a7QriEAAYASACEgKDSPD_BwE

Queso" is cheese in Spanish. A quesadilla is a Mexican dish consisting of a tortilla that is filled primarily with cheese, and sometimes meats, spices, and other fillings, and then cooked on a griddle or stove. Traditionally, a corn tortilla is used, but it can also be made with a flour tortilla. Here is the “ultimate” quesadilla recipe. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quesadilla/ These quesadillas contain a meat filling. https://www.recipetineats.com/quesadilla/ Here’s a breakfast quesadilla. https://weelicious.com/mexican-egg-cheese-quesadilla/ The Food Network has provided us with 27 delicious melty quesadilla recipes to make on repeat. Included is a recipe for a dessert quesadilla to satisfy your sweet tooth, tortillas filled with fresh strawberries and chocolate-hazelnut spread. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/photos/best-quesadilla-recipes

Pepper Ricotta Primavera: Primavera means Spring in Italian. Pasta primavera is a dish combining pasta and lightly cooked vegetables along with some fresh herbs and spices. Despite its Italian-sounding name, the dish was actually invented by Ed Giobbi during his hunting trip to Nova Scotia. He brought the recipe to New York City and gave it to his friends Jean Vernges and Sirio Maccioni, who used it in their new restaurant named Le Cirque. The original pasta primavera incorporated ingredients such as ripe tomatoes, chopped basil, parsley, and garlic, olive oil, and spaghetti. In 1976, it was the most talked-about dish in Manhattan, and it is still popular today. Garlic, peppers and herbs top creamy ricotta cheese in this meatless skillet meal you can make in just 20 minutes. Zucchini and peas are included in this recipe. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pepper-ricotta-primavera/ The principle behind this recipe is an even combination of pasta and vegetables. This will keep it flavorful as well as colorful. Asparagus is included in this recipe. https://spicetrekkers.com/recipes/pasta-primavera-with-ricotta Here’s a recipe from the Dairy Farmers of Canada. It includes mushrooms. https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/canadian-goodness/recipes/herbed-ricotta-primavera-pasta This recipe uses lemon ricotta. https://elkeliving.com/2020/07/23/pasta-primavera/ This recipe uses ravioli instead of the traditional noodles used in primavera. https://www.giovanniranausa.com/recipes/spinach-and-ricotta-ravioli-alla-primavera.html

IMO the best benefit is booking the least expensive room in a category and upgrading to a better room in the same category. It has been my experience that the cost of adding CO is less than the cost of the upgraded room within the same category.

You are correct! Bacalhau means cod. This is the second time in seven days we have dish made with salt cod. Bacalhau com natas is one of the most famous Portuguese dishes made with salted cod. The dish is a combination of soaked or boiled cod topped with diced fried potatoes, generously doused with cream, and baked until golden brown in color. Since it is extremely popular, it appears in numerous versions. The dish often incorporates onions, béchamel sauce instead of cream, cheese, white wine, and a variety of spices. A staple restaurant dish, bacalhau com natas is also an indispensable part of Portuguese Christmas tradition. This bacalhau com natas recipe is a mixture of cod cooked in milk with cream, bechamel sauce, potatoes, and fried onions. All this is baked and covered with a crispy gratin cheese crust. https://www.authenticfoodquest.com/bacalhau-com-natas-recipe-portuguese/ This recipe reminds us to plan ahead because the salt cod need to soak in water for at least 24 hours to remove the salt. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/fish/cod-with-cream-bacalhau-com-natas.html This recipe uses fresh cod that is cooked in milk prior to proceeding with the recipe. https://portugueserecipes.ca/recipe/925/14/Portuguese-Cod-with-Cream-Recipe BONUS RECIPE: Last time we had cod, I told you Croquetas de Bacalao reminded me of Baltimore coddies. Today’s recipes remind me of crab imperial casserole. Here is an easy delicious recipe for it. High quality blue crab meat is the key to this dish. https://www.seriouseats.com/crab-imperial-maryland-recipe

There was pizza in the Lido every day at lunch but it is not like what is served at the pizzeria.

Kaldereta is a Filipino meat stew that is traditionally served with a side of white rice. Although any kind of meat can be used in the stew, beef and goat are the preferred options. The dish is influenced by three centuries of Spanish colonization, and the word kaldereta is derived from the Spanish caldereta, meaning cooking pot or cauldron. Besides meat that is used in the dish, other ingredients include mashed liver, tomato sauce, and seasonings such as onions, salt, pepper, and garlic. It is often garnished with sliced tomatoes, chopped onions, or fried potatoes on top. Remember, if there is an ingredient you don’t like such as liver you can substitute or leave it out. This is a straight forward beef stew type recipe. It also suggests using a pressure cooker (Insta- Pot) to tenderize the beef. https://panlasangpinoy.com/beef-kaldereta? Here’s a recipe for the stew using goat meat. (I don’t eat meat, but my husband says goat is delicious. If it is on the menu in a Caribbean or Indian restaurant, he always orders it) This recipe suggests using peanut butter instead of liver spread. https://www.seriouseats.com/filipino-kaldereta-recipe-with-peanut-butter This pork Kaldereta recipe is very different from the first two, it is made by marinating pork with pineapple juice, soy sauce and pepper, then cooking it with gravy made by butter, onion, garlic, peanut butter, tomato paste, liver spread, fish sauce, banana ketchup, bell pepper and chili, until the meat become tender and aromatic. This Chicken Caldereta version of Kaldereta, uses chicken legs but you can use other chicken parts or use the whole chicken. https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/kalderetang-manok-or-chicken-caldereta-recipe/ In Manila, you can buy Del Monte Quick 'n Easy Caldereta Sauce, it even contains the liver paste. https://lifegetsbetter.ph/our-products/culinary/del-monte-quick-n-easy-caldereta-sauce

Probably the best ship tour I have ever done on HAL was in Puerto Vallarta. On the way to a protected reserve we saw many birds. When we arrived, they provided wetsuits for the snorkelers. The water was cold In February. We spent 30 minutes in the water then the tour leader said, anyone who wants to go back to the boat should go now. Only 5 of us stayed with the guide. In addition to the sights under water the nesting birds were incredible. We had a unique experience swimming into a cave. On the sail back we saw several whales. The captain respected the whales and did not approach them. I look forward to returning.

I'm going to start today wearing my English teacher hat. Daisy says these words in the beginning of the novel when she is explaining her hope for her infant daughter to Nick. Daisy is intelligent, but she was raised in a society that does not value her intelligence. The older generation values subservience in woman, her generation is all about beauty and pleasure seeking. The quote reflects the values of her generation which she does not seem to challenge. Daisy is bored and the quote implies that her daughter would have more fun if she is beautiful and simplistic, a part that Daisy often tries to act by conforming to the standards of the 1920s. Daisy feels her daughter's life would be happier if she lived in ignorance. She feels the best way for her to survive is to rely on her beauty rather than her brains. Now I will put on my Chef's Hat. Pani puri is a street snack that is extremely popular in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. Small in size, it consists of a hollow puri that is fried until crispy, then stuffed with a combination of flavored water called pani, tamarind chutney, chaat masala, potatoes, onions, hot chilies, and chickpeas. Golgappa Puri, a round shaped small crispy puri that is small enough to easily fit in your mouth, is a basic ingredient in pani puri. This puri is hollow that allows you to make a hole on top and fill it with varieties of stuffing like boiled potato, sprouted moong beans, boiled chickpeas, ragda, topped with sweet and spicy chutneys to make tongue tickling chaats. Many like to enjoy it alone by just adding boiled mashed potato, coriander, few drops of lemon and a sprinkle of chaat masala powder. Making golgappa puri at home is easy but time-consuming affair if you want to prepare it in large quantity but, you can buy them from grocery store. However, store bought ones are generally large or very hard and ruins the excitement just after few mouthfuls. However, with this step by step photo recipe of golgappa puri, making right sized melt in the mouth puris for pani puri at home is super easy. Here is her recipe for homemade puri. https://foodviva.com/indian-recipes/golgappa-puri/ Her recipe continues with directions for the Pani and the Marsala and how to assemble the finished product. This recipe contains through, step-by-step directions. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pani-puri-recipe-mumbai-pani-puri-recipe/ The interesting part of this recipe is that it explains how to make puri in an air fryer. https://www.spiceupthecurry.com/pani-puri-recipe/ I like Indian food and would like to try pani puri but I will wait until the next time I go to an Indian restaurant.

@sansterreI am so sorry about your flowers. I was planning on doing the same thing when my cruise stopped there later in the month. I think it would be helpful if you did a separate post.

So glad you are able to get your steps in. The waiting must be unbearable. Remember, patience is a virtue. Hoping this is you tomorrow.

And the ones they served on the ship are not even close to being real MD crab cakes! I was talking to the Pinnacle Grill chef. I was asking him what to order since I don’t eat meat (but do eat seafood). He said, definitely get the crab cakes. I said, I’m from Baltimore. He then said, don’t order the crab cakes.🤣 I also told him I felt like most of the fish was over cooked. He told me to order the halibut “rare” and that he would know it was for me. That’s what I ordered, it was delicious.

Arugula Pizza is one of my favorites! Fresh arugula leaves have a distinctive spicy kick that will turn up the flavors in your salads, pastas, sandwiches, and sauces. The flavor can be bright, tart, peppery, and slightly bitter, depending on its maturity. You'll find that baby arugula is delicate and mild, while mature arugula is much spicier. While the pizza bakes, toss together the fresh baby arugula with the parmesan cheese. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, arrange the arugula on top with a handful of fresh basil. Then simply slice and eat! Most of these recipes include directions for making homemade pizza dough. I buy my pizza dough in frozen ball at the grocery store. I have also used naan, pita bread, tortillas when I wanted a pizza and didn’t have any dough in the freezer. Cauliflower crusts are easily found in the grocery store and can be substituted if you are watching your carbs. Fresh pizza dough topped with homemade roasted cherry tomato sauce, basil pesto, a blend of Italian cheese, prosciutto, and topped with parmesan tossed fresh garden arugula. https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/arugula-tomato-cheese-pizza/ This is a sheet pan pizza with homemade pizza dough, pizza sauce, smoked gouda and mozzarella and topped with arugula. https://www.acouplecooks.com/arugula-pizza/ Mushrooms are the ideal stand-ins for traditional cured meat toppers; a mix of wild mushrooms adds meaty, umami-rich flavor and earthiness to this pizza. https://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/251178/wild-mushroom-pizza-with-arugula-pecorino/ This “white” pizza uses store bought dough and is topped with ricotta and mozzarella. After baking a mixture of arugula and prosciutto is placed on top. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/arugula-prosciutto-pizza-recipe-1973868

How are the robe and slippers working out? Recently, there have been have some amusing replies to the question you posted in-the “New to HAL” thread. I’m enjoying all your photos and commentary!