surfcitygirl

Just had to join the group of Dailyites who are so pleased that Roy has news of what seems like a good alternative after several "no's". Wishing you all the best. 

Good morning all and thanks to the whole gang of Dailyites who put this together every day.

We were in Tenerife in November 2019 and went on a four wheel drive tour led by a Dutch guy, so was an extra treat.  Were very impressed to have a beautiful day and drive from being in the clouds to above the clouds. Attached is a picture of the volcano, Mt. Teide above the clouds.

Just caught up on this week's Daily. I missed quite a lot, including the anniversary! I really want to express my appreciation to all who participate and especially to those of you who take a special part each day: Rich, for starting it, with the quote, port, locations, etc of the day. Roy for his sunrises and care and celebration lists.   Cat Shepard for the wines,  SummerSlope for the drink of the day,  @dfish for the recipes, and @kazufor the laughs.

Also Copper 10-8, I have a few of those Volendam pictures by the same fireplace.

Thank you all for making this such a treat every day.

Thank you Rich and Roy and all the wonderful ladies who give us this gift every morning.

My mother had no middle name, so she gave me two Peta Beatrix,  Beatrix in honor the the then Princess of the Netherlands,  The was a BIG royal lover.

Thank you all for creating this treat every day.

@rafinmdMy heartfelt condolences on the unexpected passing of your brother Roger.  Thank you for continuing your sunrise photos. Since joining this thread,  when I see a sunrise picture, I think of you and your wonderful tradition and am appreciating my own sunrise and sunset pictures all the more.

Best wishes for your own upcoming heart procedure.

Adding my compliments also to the wonderful group of people who do so much to keep this going every day. I would never say no to ice cream or yogurt at any time of the day, so breakfast sounds good to me.

12 minutes ago, kazu said:

Thanks for the Daily, Rich and our morning smile 🙂 

 

USO is a wonderful organization & deserving of a day, indeed.  Yay on stuffed mushrooms. 

 

Definitely grateful for my mail person (it’s a woman) here.  I got my first batch of mail order seeds yesterday.  Expecting my 2nd batch possibly today so that will keep me busy and hopefully help take me out of the winter & covid doldrums.

 

 

LOL on the duct tape quote.  It certainly is something a lot think can fix everything 😉 

 

Good luck with your shot today, @richwmn

 

The meal sounds good but I have no kale in the house. Someone will have to get inventive in the kitchen.  If only.....

 

 

Our Premier has announced that he will not lift our Code Orange to move us back to Code Yellow until our most vulnerable have been vaccinated.  (The UK variant has been identified in 3 cases where people travelled). That’s certainly a while away 😢 And a wait.  Whenever I find myself feeling despondent about all of this, I look back on this FB post of mine from last year:

 

 

 

Prayers for everyone on Roy’s Care list & for those that need them and a toast to everyone on the Celebration / Shout Out list.  It’s nice to see the Celebration list is longer than the Care list today 🙂 

 

Have a good Thursday, everyone!  Stay safe and don’t forget your masks 😷 

 

 

Love the Anne Frank reminder. I am actually now rereading the diary after about 40 years. Quite a sobering place to visit.

Thanks to all of you who make this my "go to place" every morning. My husband and I were lucky today to be able to get our first jab too. Our previous appointment was for mid March so we are very happy.

Sloppy Joe pizza sounds great to me. And love the "wonderland" cartoon. Have a great day, everyone.

15 hours ago, rhohea said:

Very sorry to hear this news.   Our sympathies to Stan & their families.

 

Both Jim & Stan helped me many times when we first started cruising Oceania.

 

Rhonda & Glen

Australia

Same here. Their help was invaluable to this then Oceania newbie.

Great way to think back on the wonderful cruises I have experienced, but very hard to choose, so here goes:

1. Antarctica, including South Georgia

2. Norwegian coast and fjords to North Cape

3. Western Med

4. Eastern Med

5. French Polynesia

Have only done a partial Panama Canal to date, but have one booked for January 2022, so am hoping to add this one next time.

12 hours ago, rafinmd said:

One year ago today was a Sunday and I was in Long Beach awaiting departure on the Crystal Serenity's World Cruise.  I was staying on the original Queen Mary and was joined by @Copper10-8 and his lovey wife for Brunch the ship's Grand Salon.

 

In this exquisite setting we enjoyed an equally exquisite Buffet while accompanied by the music of a great band.

 

 

After our feast we spent an hour or two wandering around this classic ship.  A great afternoon.

 

Roy

Roy, we have enjoyed that great brunch too. It had always been a dream of mine to stay on the Queen Mary, since my parents immigrated to the US from Holland on her after WWII. They sailed in February and endured a very rough crossing.

17 hours ago, kazu said:

 

I don’t clean mine often enough (I fully admit it) so I usually have to do some serious cleaning.  I’ve tried vinegar, soap and water and all that stuff.

I found Bar Keeper’s friend does an incredible job in no time and lasts forever.

 

@kazuI use barkeepers friend all the time for tough jobs. It's the best. Enjoy planning that next trip. I have followed your trip reports and great pics for quite a while.

Thanks all for the daily and for all of your efforts in creating this community. Prayers to all on the lists. Below is my first attempt to attach a photo on cruise critic, so I hope it works. Roy, your sunrise pictures have inspired me to post today's sunrise as seen from my kitchen in NJ.

Another "lurker" checking in. Have been following all year long and really appreciate all the time involved in keeping this going every day. Makes me feel like a part of the community. Blessings to all for 2021.

20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Did you encounter any difficulties related to language.  We have thought about Ponant but our French is far from fluent.

 

Hank

Hank, all the announcements were made in french and english and for the zodiac excursions the passengers were grouped  according to their primary language. Most of the staff were non French speaking, but there were a few waiters that were French. Probably about 30% of the passengers were French, the rest mostly US, Australia, New Zealand with a sprinkling of many other countries. Most of the excursion team were not French speaking.

I would second the above post. Ponant was fantastic. We thought we were crazy when when booked it, but after the trip felt is was worth every penny.

Sounds like a good plan. I think we had to call a number of times to get things straightened out.

We got approval from HAL before booking the cruise. This was for a 2019 transatlantic where we boarded in Barcelona instead of Civitavecchia. We got the letter from HAL before final payment.

I have boarded at the second port myself. The only extra thing we had to get was a letter from HAL indicating that we were boarding to present to the port agents. And yes, you do not get a credit for the days missed.

Very emotional. We had to disembark early in Funchal this November because my husband was ill and couldn't afford to risk the transatlantic. The port of Rotterdam is very special to me since it is the first time I met my grandfather at the old HAL terminal in 1963. Tears were certainly flowing at that video of her last sail in as the RotterdamVI. Will miss you.

My first trip on the Rotterdam V was a round trip transatlantic crossing in 1963 for a trip to meet my grandfather and the rest of my family for the first time. An unforgettable journey. Have also cruised several times on Rotterdam VI and will miss her. Also enjoyed staying at the Rotterdam V hotel. It was very interesteing to see all the areas of the ship we couldn't reach from tourist class! My family is from an area about a half hour from Rotterdam and Zuid Holland is my favorite place in the world. 

Shout out to Cooper 10-8 - I always wondered how you knew so much Dutch, but your recent post indicating your place of birth solved that riddle.

We are also primarily HAL cruisers, but would say that Paul Gauguin is the way to go for French Polynesia. You get to all the major islands during one week, including their private beach stop where you walk off the amphibious vehicle into the water and spend a great day using all the facilities and equipment at your disposal. The service on board was fantastic and the small size of the ship made things easy. If you go, book Patrick's outrigger tour in Bora Bora, a day you will never forget. Where else would be eating your lunch at a picnic table located in the water of the Bora Bora lagoon! (after swimming with sharks, petting stingrays, and snorkeling the coral reef). Worth every penny. I learned about that excursion from at many time HAL world cruiser who had said it was one of the best days in her life.

Thanks wheezedr and JimmyTheSaint - I'm feeling much better after your supportive responses. Everything should work out  fine.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I was thinking it should not be a problem, but it's always so reassuring to get other Cruisers input. That's pat of what makes Cruise Critic so great - it's members.  Thanks again.

We are scheduled to board a transatlantic back to Ft Lauderdale boarding in Barcelona instead of it's starting port of Civitavechhia. We had to get special permission to board on a a different day and that form includes a disclaimer that if the ship doesn't dock in Barcelona, we would be out of luck (we could of course board at another port later). So just wondering how often a ship skips Barcelona as a port. My gut feeling is that it would not happen often.  thanks.