Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Four

[Mudhen]

Greetings Coolers! Freezing rain and snow in the forecast for later this afternoon and overnight. Frantically waving a white flag here Mother Nature! I surrender! Please turn up the heat! This is what the current temp feels like for me:

 

 

However, I might be able to put up with it if my window view actually looked like this. This was taken on our Alaska cruise in 2010 and I would much rather be there now than here.

 

JP..glad you got some sleep!

 

Have a great day all!

 

You are not alone....it's doing some sort of freezing rain on top of this slushy mess we've got outside. Have serious case of the "blahs" today. I understand "mud season"...ya gotta get thru that to get to spring, but this frozen gray mess outside with NO sun is really getting to me. Trying to play movies of cruises in my head, but it's not helping!!

[Joc123]

To all Coolers who are members of the Commonwealth, let the Games begin.

The opening ceremony is about to start - love it (just don’t mention the cricket!)

[rosepark]

To all Coolers who are members of the Commonwealth, let the Games begin.

The opening ceremony is about to start - love it (just don’t mention the cricket!)

 

Looking forward to watching it all, great fun and we are not mentioning the cricket either

Rp

[Lois R]

Good morning.:)...just to give you some new info about the meds......The Dr is ok with one of the choices the insurance company is giving me. Now the patient advocate (who works at the Dr's office) needs to do what she is supposed to do on my behalf concerning the drug company and co-pay plan. This is what actually pays for the cancer medication which is ridiculous in price:(

 

 

Will let you know more information when I have it............thankfully I have enough of the meds I am on now to last through this month. So we have some time to get this done properly.

[jpalbny]

That sounds encouraging! Hope that it works out.

 

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[Mudhen]

Good morning.:)...just to give you some new info about the meds......The Dr is ok with one of the choices the insurance company is giving me. Now the patient advocate (who works at the Dr's office) needs to do what she is supposed to do on my behalf concerning the drug company and co-pay plan. This is what actually pays for the cancer medication which is ridiculous in price:(

 

 

Will let you know more information when I have it............thankfully I have enough of the meds I am on now to last through this month. So we have some time to get this done properly.

 

I'm thinking positive for you, Lois! As Bob Marley would say "everything's gonna be alright!"!!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon all ..

 

Today’s kofta and some sumac on my hummus for JP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Lois R]

Good morning:)

 

More positive news.......I am still eligible for the drug company's co-pay plan and the Patient Advocate called me

about it. The PA (Physician's Asst) has called in the new prescription too.........still have a few more things to be taken care of BUT when it is time for me to order this new script (later this month), everything should be in place for a smooth transition. I did find out some other news (good)......right now I have to take 4 pills per day........2 in the morning and 2 at night. Well, I only need to take ONE pill per day on this new one:).......

 

 

Will continue to keep you all posted on the process. I appreciate all the good thoughts.:)

[jpalbny]

That's great news, Lois! Glad to hear.

 

Jeff, appreciate the picturesque use of sumac. I do like that stuff.

 

Two days ago I made some chorizo sausage using pimenton which I had brought back from Valparaiso last November. I love bringing spices back from my travels. The taste and smell always bring back nice memories.

 

This morning I slept until the alarm clock went off at 5:45 which only happens a few times a year. Maybe in a few days I'll feel caught up.

 

3 of my 4 siblings are coming to our place next weekend for a late birthday celebration. They were disappointed that I ran away to Australia for my 50th instead of having a party. So they will be there with the kids and it will be fun. Not sure what I will feed them but we have time to think about that later.

 

Have a great day all!

 

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[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! Nothing much to say except BRRRR!

 

 

Have a great day all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon all,

 

M, hope you get warm soon … it's a lovely warm early summer day here. Had a walk in the village and everything is showing the lovely optimism of early summer.

 

Lois, keep the chin up.

 

JP, it was jolting seeing you're 50th as I think of you both as 40 because you and Chris are so lucky to have a vibrant life and full and fully energised partnership and both look so young in your pics. It's a shame we aren't here for your September trip. Perhaps also the Cooler has been rolling on for longer than it feels. Today has been sort of landmark for us as although we “sort of” retired when we were 50'ish we are only taking UK state pension starting this week. It feels like a landmark of some sort but I can't work out whether to feel great about it or sigh as another step up the escalator.

 

We had some good news that our favourite hotel in Vienna has put off closing for a rebuild and renovations for a bit longer so we have another year of energetically doing nothing there. They have a lovely Club lounge in the hotel which would be a fitting place for a temporary Cooler bar for 2019 Christmas Market jaunt for us all. Dreams.

 

There was also a bit of a jolt this week when for no apparent reason BA withdrew all First class redemption flights from January 2019 to anywhere so that left many in a state of stress. But Neil Desperandum as it is now all back. Who knows what they have in mind but the speculation is a more cash plus miles model. We are down now to around 1.3m BA miles so I hope they do not do anything daft.

 

Today was ribeye with Dijon- horseradish, fries and mushrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[mysty]

J...that meal looks scrumptious! Where is my bib? :) Great news about your hotel and I hope all works out for you with BA!

 

You are not the only one hoping that things warm up soon for us. This poor wee guy is hoping the same thing!

 

[Camillus112]

Greetings Coolers.

 

I am feeling under the weather today...sort of literally...this morning we had high wind and blowing, heavy snow, that has only just tapered. This is April 5th, for goodness sake!! I rarely do, but today I'm feeling depressed. There's more snow in the forecast for tomorrow... Mysty, your funnies are so very welcomed...sniff!!

 

It makes me feel better thinking about how Lois is resolving, and how close are several Cooler friends to boarding heaven-on-sea. It makes me smile just to think how lovely it will be to stand in deck and marvel at the sea kissing the horizon. Yes, feeling better already!

 

All, have a great day!

[spinnaker2]

Hello all.

 

where the heck is Spring?

 

We have unreasonable heat here in South Florida and many coolers are having snow. its so wrong!

 

Hmmmmm. Mother Nature is up to something, I can just sense it.

 

In about two weeks we are off on the Muse. Likely it will be a chilly cruise across the North Atlantic. Surely we will need rain gear once we are in Ireland? or not?

 

The houseinvaders left yesterday, but not before I caught a cold from one of the smaller guests. I am too weary and ill to put the house back to rights or to start the packing for the cruise.

 

Jeff your food looks so appetizing. Yum.

 

Cam the dreariness of winter is a downer. Hope you feel better soon.

 

Good to hear Lois woes with the prescription med may be solved.

 

Mysty I am enjoying the Canadian humor about winter.

 

Ms Sophia, how many days until your cruise?

 

JP, another birthday celebration, it just continues on, how wonderful!

 

enjoy the day all!

[Dolcevita Diva]

So did anybody else receive a survey from Silversea today?

 

The good news is they are apparently using a research firm now rather than trying to conduct their own survey with SurveyMonkey as they have done in the past. This was a price elasticity study using discrete choice analysis in simulated purchasing scenarios for choice of suite at different price points at different times of year.

 

Major flaw in the survey, though. They based the choices on a cruise in a specific area (Alaska), without first determining whether or not you had any interest in an Alaskan cruise! Not very high on my list currently, which definitely impacted my responses.

 

Even if they are rotating the geographic areas they’re asking about, they should first determine the level of interest in that area! What a shame to see the time and money wasted on this type of research when the results will be biased due to a flaw in the survey design....

 

 

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[Camillus112]

As somebody dealing with statistics for a major part of my life, I so much agree with your analysis. In my case, I answered the last column all throughout since I do not plan to visit Alaska, unfortunately due to living in a very cold climate all year. However, they are particularly interested in this destination and hence their price elasticity study. With regards to their overall clientele, not much sense.

[UKCruiseJeff]

The research company would have been provided with a list supplied by SS. SS brochures are both general and specific. The vast majority of customers cannot recall what they ticked or specified many years earlier when they were first asked online what geographics and brochures they would like to hear cruises about in the future. Most probably don’t even recall ever being asked and most tend to tick “all”.

[Lois R]

Yes, I got a survey too.

[jpalbny]

No survey here. They must not be interested in what we "kids" are thinking...

 

Jeff, thanks for your kind words. I am pretty shocked that this year has come. But it is true; I am old enough to have one of these...

 

 

Tonight's dinner was creative. I found some Brussels Sprouts that we'd bought prior to the Australia trip and they were still good, just a little yellow around the edges. But I'd also started thawing a piece of tuna steak yesterday to have for dinner today. Not your usual combination.

 

So I went Asian. I marinated the steak in a sesame-soy mixture which was thickened with tahini paste so that the sesame seeds would stick to the fillet when I seared it. Just about 2 minutes per side was plenty. We cut the sprouts into slices and stir-fried them with a little peanut oil and rice vinegar, and a pinch of Chinese five-spice mixture, then finished with smoked sesame oil and a sprinkle of seeds. All over Jasmine rice. It was a nice combo!

 

 

I was excited that the tahini paste had solved my problem of having the sesame seeds fall off my seared fish. I suppose I could have used corn starch but I liked the sesame flavor of the tahini. I made a little sauce, similar to the marinade but thinned with some water and rice vinegar, to go with the meal.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Lovely plate JP!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers,

 

There is a new phrase that is increasingly cropping up in emails I receive. It seemed to start with the Indian Amazon CS a year or so back and now I'm finding it more and more. Instead of replying to me people now write that they are "reaching out to me". If I send a note to a CS, I am increasingly thanked for "reaching out to us". It is making me cringe. I want it to stop! :D

 

Is anyone else noticing this? Can anyone shed any light on it's origin. Does it make others cringe?

 

[Camillus112]

Good morning Coolers. Jeff, without giving it much thought, the phrase (which may have originally be coined as a nice plea), may now be an off-shoot of the marketing word "outreach". Outreach is a very attractive word and implies inclusion and honesty. When people now use "thanks for reaching out to us" they are validating your good values of inclusion, and therefore, making you feel good! What do you and others think?

[jollyjones]

 

In about two weeks we are off on the Muse. Likely it will be a chilly cruise across the North Atlantic. Surely we will need rain gear once we are in Ireland? or not?

 

 

Hi Spins,

Always assume rain in Ireland and you'll not be wrong too often. But it might be just a gentle mist rather than a hard downpour.

Hope your cold clears up in time to regain your zest for cruising and that you have a great time!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi Cams,

 

I just did a word search through my emails. I first encountered it around a year ago. You know those black bags that hotels put your daily newspaper in? I asked that they didn't remove them automatically as they were doing so before we read the paper. I received the following reply.

 

"Thank you for reaching out to me. I hope your stay has been better since we last spoke"

 

This is an email from Amazon a few days ago:

 

"Hi Jeff,

 

Greetings! Thank you for reaching out to me and giving me an opportunity to assist you.

 

I hope this email finds you in the best of health."

 

I felt like giving them a rundown on my current medications!

 

A weird response from Photobucket.

 

"Presumably you reached out to them but they haven't reached back. I have received no resolution or further help as promised. "

[MissSophia]

Hi All.....trying to catch up! Food offerings look so delicious....JP being very creative!

 

No SS survey here but l did receive a lovely Fortnum & Mason Easter Hamper from them following a complaint that had taken three months to sort out! ☺️

 

Jeffers......l can’t be doing with the current day approach with email responses and thankfully don’t get many of the kind....I’m currently dealing the old fashioned way with a company who I’ve ordered a mirror from and have been phoning them which seems to be working for now.....the so called research/questionnaire stuff l tend to ignore as they quite simply don’t seem to ask the appropriate questions...only wishing to have the praise?

 

Spins....not long now until your Musings.....it’s six weeks until we join the Spirit....tickets are in hand and the cruise rail will be going up in three weeks!

 

A builder free weekend again but all hands on deck on Monday when the full team are in....😳

 

At least the weather is improving....for now!!

 

Happy Day 😊