Vict0riann

You need to add your request to the current listing. This thread is closed, if you look at the post just before yours...

Check on timing! We watched the safety video as soon as we boarded and then went down to have our cards scanned, no-one was there. Went down again after lunch, no-one there, later all the TVs were re-set and we had to watch the safety video again to activate the TV, and finally, someone was there to scan our cards. This was on Oosterdam, but better to know in advance, no fun for those in their 80's to be traipsing around the ship all afternoon...

Hi, Jacqui, we cancelled our 29 Sept. '24 Panama Canal cruise, and instead booked a 17-day Circle Hawaii out of and returning to Vancouver, October 5, 2024. No more flying for us! Thanks for making the changes for us. Pat and Ann

Good afternoon, Dailyites, and thanks for all the anniversary wishes. Yesterday, to celebrate, we bought new suitcases for both of us - (Black Friday sale), and today I went to the grocery store for my Black Friday 15% off my whole order (and found some sugar!). Plus we booked a new cruise on the HAL Black Friday sale, so I have made the most of the BF sales. I had a long chat with my cousin, in the time we were away they have had a number of catastrophes - her DH has pancreatitis and suffered a couple of severe attacks, her son has MS (as does she) and is having problems, one daughter (a piano teacher), has severe RA and having hearing problems, and her other daughter was given an antibiotic she reacted to with an Achilles tendon attack of some sort which left her almost paralyzed and they were very worried about her. I don't quite understand all that, I asked if it was Guillaume-Barre syndrome, but evidently not. So it has been a time of great worry for her. Pat and I both had good reports from the doctor, who telephoned this morning. His chest x-ray was clear, and evidently, he is not anaemic. We're going to have to work on that tiredness that he is experiencing, and I guess the cough will sort itself out over time. My hip arthritis is not severe enough yet for a replacement, he said we could talk about a steroid shot under x-ray before we cruise next in that hope that will help for a while. So, that's all my news. The sun is shining, they keep promising rain and then it doesn't come, but we had a lot of frost on the roof when I headed out early this morning. I'll be thinking of Jose and Jacqui today, and those with ailments and losses. And sending Bon Voyage wishes for those lucky ducks who are heading for the sea!

Good morning, Dailyites, and Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends! I am especially thankful for you all.

Good morning, all, good wishes for improvement in health for those needing it, and those travelling! I am still getting organized. Today I went through all the pills I take with us, and put out a number of ones that had expired for Pat to return to the drug store. Then I organized the jewelry I had taken and put it away in my jewelry box. I'm done for the day! I had a piece of toast this morning, now I'm waiting to see what happens. I did my three days of clear liquids, but might need more. I know it's not Tauranga, my pictures are like the others, but I wanted to show you what I found to be the most interesting phenomenon in NZ - the Moeraki boulders (on the South Island). They "hatch" out of the cliffside, and roll down the beach into the ocean. This must have been going on for a long time. If you go to NZ, don't miss them!

Good morning, all. There is a lot of excitement going on, accidents, puppy accidents, surgeries and ailments, it's hard to keep track. I hope all goes well for all of you. I've had a few bad days myself, and am on a liquid diet, doctor's appointment today about my hip, but I will ask him if it would be a good idea to delay my next week's colonoscopy for a bit. The plan is to contact our PCC this afternoon, but I know she will be busy with the Black Friday sale. Perhaps I'll just email. We had an amazing red sky this morning; we're due for rain, that will be a good thing. We went to Israel twice on Prinsendam, the first time I was recovering from noro and was isolating in our room, Pat and DD went ashore, then the next day, they came down with the dreaded noro. The next time we went from Asdod to Jerusalem and then a dip in the Dead Sea, my pictures are like the ones already on the thread. The Dead Sea area we visited was crowded, a lot of people took sand away with them so there were big holes you could fall into.

That would have been so much better...

We were on Oosterdam a week ago, and show times were really odd, 7:30 and 9 p.m. We had fixed late seating (8 p.m.) for dinner, and really had to rush to make the 9. Our tablemates sometimes would go to the 7:30 for the first half hour, and then the last bit after dinner. Open seating would have been better. For the early birds, I guess they could have gone to either show...

Roy, Now that we are home and settled again after our Oosterdam cruise, I've been enjoying yours, vicariously! One question, I noticed you stayed at a Comfort Inn in FLL. Where was it? We used to stay at an old one just off 17th Street, but it closed, and also one in Dania Beach. You mentioned Comfort Inn S, so I wondered where it was. Also, when we were on Rotterdam in the Spring, I took this picture from our balcony of the lifeboat below us being taken out, it looks like there certainly wouldn't be much space for people to walk when/if the boats are brought in and the railing lowered! Just as well to close it off..

@0106, was it you who was asking about the library on Oosterdam? I took some pictures, a few days after we sailed, and there were gaps in the supplies - I heard they would be loading more books. But I also overheard someone saying they took 10 books!

Are you fixated on those tote bags? lol!!

Disembarked Oosterdam on Wednesday, received the survey email on Friday.

Good morning, Dailyites, and many thanks to everyone who posts, @smitty34877, I'm happy to hear you are going to be able to get away for a week, pizza will be good for the family while you're away! Jacqui, I had a dream last night about "stuff", I have so much old family stuff that I know DD will just toss or sell when I'm gone, I really need to find homes for it all with family members who will treasure it the way I do. But I procrastinate. Graham, where are you now?!! We like butter chicken; we usually just buy the three-packs of butter chicken sauce at Costco, and I brown some chicken thighs and put the sauce over, then add a lot of cauliflower florets near the end of cooking the chicken. I love a lot of cauliflower in the dish. DD made a batch of a vegetable curry last night in her instapot, and I did saffron rice, as I had bought some lovely saffron in the market in Malaga, so we won't have butter chicken tonight.. It looks like we are going to have a nice day here, although rain is forecast. At least the reservoir went up a bit while we were away, from 64% to 70%. Most of the leaves are down on the oaks that surround us, and soon we may see a bit of the Olympics. There are a lot of evergreens in the way. though, which obstruct the view throughout the year. We are going to go for coffee with a neighbour in a little while, so I had better get going. I warned Pat yesterday that we would start putting up the Christmas lights on the 25th - our strata gives us just a month before and a month after Christmas to decorate outside. I probably would just wait and put them up later, but thems the rules!

Hope I can get this done while Pat showers and then he'll be calling me for his "treatment" and I'll have to run. We had a good cruise, Pat mainly slept and I read, and we could easily have done that at home, so why go? Maybe cancel for the future. The medical centre was very good and helpful on the ship. Pat has come back with a cough but I think it's the remnants of the cold we both had before we went on the cruise, so I can't blame anyone but ourselves.. if it doesn't go away in a few days, I'll insist on a visit to the doctor. Sorry I haven't been around more. The internet was spotty on the ship, as Captain van Eerten said he was taking a more circuitous route to avoid the storm. One day it was a millpond, hard to imagine what was going on further north! But it was pouring in FLL yesterday, we both got wet running for a taxi, at least I had a change in my carry-on, Pat just put on his cardigan. The flights yesterday, and airports, were awful. I don't want to do them again. Actually Newark was the best, the wheelchair assistance worked out the best, but the flight to Vancouver left an hour late, premium economy was very uncomfortable, and I thought we were going to miss our connection to Victoria, fortunately that was delayed too, as the transportation in the airport was dreadful; someone helped us to Customs, then we were on our own so quite a hike to domestic, and the absolutely furthest gate in the whole airport. We got home just before midnight, and I think I was in bed, sound asleep by 12:15! Then awake at 2:30.... Today is laundry day, confirming appointments now that we're back, and just recovering from yesterday. I certainly sympathize with Vanessa! Pat is so fed up with me not being able to walk with him (the speed walker!) I just have to try to get something done about my hip, or whatever it is. Thinking of you all - happy to see those back from their travels, Annie, I'm sorry you had such a bad time of it, and I hope you recover quickly. Jacqui, that's a lovely site for Jose's bursary. He'd be proud of you.

Good morning! We’ve made it back to Fort Lauderdale and are about to go for our Last Breakfast. I have a letter written to my grandmother from Prime Minister Mackenzie King telling her my mother and I had been in a prisoner exchange in China and were making our way toNew York.

Internet has been spotty on Oosterdam, even with Starlink, so I haven’t seen CC for days. And no tv news either! But I’m thinking of you, especially @JazzyV, as I struggle to walk. I’m going to have to figure something out if I’m to continue cruising. it’s been a strange cruise with all the cancellations and changes. We’ve had a little money back, and free drinks one afternoon. Lots of time to rest, eat and rest again. Captain van Eerten is very funny. He said he is having to reduce the tooting, and his usual “Silence on deck!” Is a thing of the past. but all in all, it has been a nice break. Just a few days left.

The sea seems to be calming, I think I’ll be able to shower this morning. Pat told me not to yesterday, the ship was rolling so much. There are crackers! At least Carr’s Water Biscuits, which are not my favourites, but they will do. I don’t know if we’re low on eggs, but there was no custard for the bread pudding yesterday, so I didn’t bother taking a picture. las Palmas is this afternoon, with evidently 4 other ships outrunning the storm. We’ll probably just take a taxi to the cemetery to check on Pat’s father, and then head back to the ship. If we can get a taxi. thinking of you all, and I said a prayer for you at Mass yesterday afternoon.

I went down to the dining room to let them know we wouldn’t be there this evening and was told the changes in the itinerary are because of the weather. Perhaps it was all announced and we didn’t know as we were so late back to the ship. So I take it back what I said about the Captain! so we lose Cádiz, Lisbon and Funchal , instead Las Palmas and Tenerife, on the 5th and 6th, Rich.

I think Captainhas been on an extended tapas and wine tour, too! but then again, our itinerary has completely changed! Must be to avoid the big storm , or else we are on the wrong ship…

Instead of a day in Cartagena , we will have three classical music recitals this afternoon and evening in the Explorers’ Lounge. In the “old days” we got a glass of bubbly at dinner if we missed a port.

No, we hovered around nearby for a while, and we might have been able to dock, but Captain said that in that case we might not have been able to leave in the p.m.

Good morning, Dailyites, it’s good afternoon here. Actually not that good, our stop in Cartagena was cancelled due to the wind, (as @kochleffel mentioned), which will be increasing It’s part of the huge system affecting Graham in England, and I’m thinking may affect our future ports in Spain and Portugal. In fact , Pat said at lunch “Won’t it be funny if our next port is Fort Lauderdale!” Not that funny… This morning, we went to the talk given by the executive chef on board. He is funny. I asked the cracker question…. He said he hoped to find some in one of the pallets they are still unpacking. I’m not sure that really answered my question, but we’ll see if they do appear. I did manage to find some in Barcelona, so I come prepared. I knew immediately this morning from all the tooting (to the pilot boat) that we had our old friend, Captain van Eerten, running things. The pilot boat came, evidently there were discussions , and then the pilot left.

I meant to add that the show last night was very good. Five from Lincoln Centre played new arrangements of classical music. It was a bit strange to hear acoustic guitar playing along with the other instruments. The theatre was quite cold, I was glad I had my sweater. Martha had a blanket!

We are on board, too. We haven’t done much, almost slept through our dinner with Martha and Tony in the Pinnacle Grill. The bed is very comfortable, but these obstructed ocean views on deck 4 seem quite small for 2 people. We’ve never had one before. Today is Cartagena. Oosterdam seems a bit old and tired after the new ships. We were told over 2000 on board, so it’s crowded. After the first boarding confusion, with full elevators, it seems to be settling down. We’ll see how breakfast goes in the Lido. Thinking of you all!