Yodalicious

I have been reading this thread each day for a while, and even posted once or twice.  We retired in Dec 2019, and expected to cruise in 2020, well, that “ship sailed”. 😂. 
My husband and I have been trying new recipes, making our own sourdough starter and bread.  For New Year day, we had a Soufflé’,  with homemade bread and Caesar Salad

We will miss our ski vacation this year also.   We are looking forward to the vaccine, so we can travel again

Baked butter garlic chicken sounds yummy

To Durangoscots:  if you can't find yeast, make your own sourdough starter.  Google King Arthur Flour, sourdough starter.  It makes great bread, and is fun.  It takes about a week of feeding it, before it is ready to use.

On 11/8/2020 at 9:18 PM, cat shepard said:

Why “Hello there!” 
Dinner sounds delicious! The wine sounds perfect! Welcome to posting to the Daily, or has my memory failed me (yet again)?

This  peaked my interest, since I love cooking and wishing for a vacation

Just now, Yodalicious said:

 

I just found this thread!   We had been planning a cruise to Alaska to celebrate retirement, then “this” hit!  I have been reading a lot ofthe HAL postings
 

On 11/8/2020 at 9:18 PM, cat shepard said:

Why “Hello there!” 
Dinner sounds delicious! The wine sounds perfect! Welcome to posting to the Daily, or has my memory failed me (yet again)?

Tonight’s dinner was boneless pork chops with cranberry thyme sauce and a California Chardonnay. 
 

We are in the Metro NYC area.  I will only consider a round trip US cruise at this point. A NY/NE to Canada and back.  I’m not willing to take a plane yet.  Once there is a vaccine or a therapeutic, I would love to go back to Alaska.  
 

And as a child of the 50’s,  I have to ask, what the heck is wrong with a vaccine? We did eradicate Polio, and I, personally, have not the flu, or Pneumonia since I started taking the shots.  
 

On 8/18/2020 at 12:59 AM, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

HAL's Noordam (1984-present*)

 

*the former Noordam's current name is "Mare," not a good omen since it's the type of name usually reserved as a final name prior to arriving at the breakers (her former "N"-class sister, Nieuw Amsterdam went to her end as "Mare S").

 

Mare was named Marella Celebration and operating for Marella Cruises (the former Thomson Cruises) before her current name change  

It was an elegant ship!  We were in our mid 30’s and felt quite sophisticated!   We were invited to the Captains table one night, an elegant evening.   What a wonderful way to travel.  
We hit a gale, where the waves were breaking over the bow of the ship!  The Captain high tailed it into the Inside Passage, to get into smoother waters.  Our only regret is that we went in Sept.  the only bears we saw, were stuffed and in the Anchorage Hilton!
We loved it, loved the formal nights, a throw back to a kinder, gentler time

1994 Noordam to Alaska.! 
 

Are there ever whale sightings during the as the ship is at sea?

Tedferg, first time in NYC, cocktails at sunset, at the Marriott Marquis!   
 

We had to cancel our Cape Cod that should have started yesterday. 😢 We recently retired, so lots of cooking and baking, which we planned to do anyway.   We just made our first sour dough bread, starting with making our own starter!

Thanks! 
 

Are there any Passengers.  I thought that all cruises were over?

We have have cruised the Caribbean in the past, but want to stay in the US for the short term.  Did anyone have problems disembarking during the corona virus crisis?  I would love to cruise, but don’t want to get stuck on a ship.

Thanks for answering. 
 

 For the folks that had been confined To their cabins.  Could those with a balcony go out there, or did they have to stay inside the cabin?

Has anyone booked a cabana on the ship yet?  Is it by the day or for the cruise?  I could not see any info on the pricing.

If money is not a consideration, Hotel Del Coronado,  On Coronado island.    It is where they filmed Some like it Hot.  It is a beautiful old classic with gorgeous views.

Treat yourself to a cabana!

11 hours ago, avian777 said:

👍👍👍  Spot on - great use of the rhetorical question!!! 

No,  we had 2 lounge chairs and rented one of the little pop up covers on HMC.   Not a chair, a little tent where you had to sit in the sand.   My husband had been on his lounger until he had to use the restroom.  I would use the chair until the sun got to be too much.  I would sit under it for a bit, then go back to the chair.    He was gone for maybe 10 mins.   So we each had 1 lounge chair.  There were tons of other chairs.  No other ships were at HMC Are you insinuating that you cant leave a chair to use the restroom?   As to leaving a towel or flip flop on the chair.  We each had a towel on our chairs, which were thrown on the the sand.  As to a flip flop, as I mentioned before.  I am both bigger and louder than a flip flop and spoke up as soon as they started to sit on our chairs. Outside of a physical confrontation, there was no deterring them.   We are a little too civilized to get into a fist fight.  

23 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Am I right in understanding that you had staked a claim on four loungers for the two of you and were upset when another couple sat in the pair you weren't using? 

No.

See above

We always pay for the lido cabanas so we do not need to worry about chair hogs And/or chair thieves.  We have our shaded lounge chairs whenever we want them.  They are ours for the duration of the cruise.  I burn very quickly and always seek shade.  People can be so rude in claiming their spots.  

Once on HMC, we had 2 lounge chairs by the water and also rented a pop up sunshade.  My husband left to use the restroom.  (Maybe 10 mins)  I was in the sun shade, next to the 2 loungers .   Two people came and started to pull our loungers away.  They claimed that since I was not currently sitting in the chairs or had a flip flop on them, the chairs were up for grabs.  Considering that I am both bigger and louder than a flip flop, I vehemently disagreed.   Outside of tossing them off the chairs (which I was sorely tempted to do) they planted themselves 2 feet away from us and stayed.  

Honestly, I expected better of HAL customers

The Neptune is a little bigger, has a bigger balcony, and you have access to the Neptune lounge.  Overall, just a little more luxurious.   That being said, I love the Signature Suites. A nice step up from a regular balcony. 

Does anyone know the weekly cost of a cabana on the Oosterdam?   I need a place out of the sun.