The Daily for Monday Mar 22, 2021

[TiogaCruiser]

2 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I do have a question for regular HAL cruisers.

 

I get a kick out of reading @richwmn's meal of the day recommendation and @rafinmd's alternate suggestion.  I also get a kick out of the fact that the alternate suggestion actually comes off of HAL menus.  The soup from the HAL menu is, more often than not, cold.  Is this consistently the case in HAL dining rooms, or is @rafinmd showing his personal preference?  If the latter is the case, I am perfectly fine with that.  

 

Expiring minds want to know.

There had been discussion about the disappearance of the chilled soups prior to covid hitting. I think they disappeared about a year before. I do know there were none on our 2 week Prinsendam cruise in June 2019.

Edited March 22, 2021 by TiogaCruiser

[Sharon in AZ]

Good afternoon everyone!  Thank you for the Daily Rich and thank you for your lists Roy. 
 

Good collection of days. I don’t think anyone would like to hear me sing and I goof off most days. The meal suggestion sounds really good and so does Roy’s. However, we are having our Rabbit Ragout which never got finished last night. Craig started too late for everything to be done in time so tonight I’ll finish it up and shred it and simmer it in the sauce. I think we will have it with papperdelle. 
 

We haven’t been to today’s port and don’t think I’ll need to put it on a future cruise list. I have enjoyed all the pictures and memories everyone has shared. 
 

Today was Blue’s pedicure. He has prettier nails than I do. The weather turned chilly and windy today but it looks like it’ll be in the 80’s the end of the week. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

[kazu]

2 hours ago, XBGuy said:

I do have a question for regular HAL cruisers.

 

I get a kick out of reading @richwmn's meal of the day recommendation and @rafinmd's alternate suggestion.  I also get a kick out of the fact that the alternate suggestion actually comes off of HAL menus.  The soup from the HAL menu is, more often than not, cold.  Is this consistently the case in HAL dining rooms, or is @rafinmd showing his personal preference?  If the latter is the case, I am perfectly fine with that.  

 

Expiring minds want to know.

 

I wish it still was.  HAL used to offer a delicious cold soup and a hot one.

 

The cold soups are gone now pretty much except on some Grand and World and special cruises and sometimes by special order.

 

the hot soups always remain.

 

Myself, I loved the cold soups.  I would sometimes have one for dessert.  They were delish 😄 

 

But as to your question, never fear, there are hot soups every night.

[ger_77]

4 hours ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

 

The Museum of Tomorrow, which was closed today. Amsterdam in the background.

 

That really made me laugh - of course it was closed, it's called the Museum of Tomorrow, not the Museum of Today!  LOL

 

Re: cold soups - I'm one of those who dearly misses the cold fruit soups on HAL; they were like starting your dinner with a fruit smoothie every time.  Loved them!    DH is happy that he can order French Onion Soup every night if he wants to - and he usually does.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[Mary229]

19 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I wish it still was.  HAL used to offer a delicious cold soup and a hot one.

Cold soups used to be available on many lines.  Maybe there is a health issue.  I can’t remember the last time cold soup was on the menu.  I love soup.  

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Cold soups used to be available on many lines.  Maybe there is a health issue.  I can’t remember the last time cold soup was on the menu.  I love soup.  

 

No health issue.  From what I heard, it was too much work with unknown orders.  There are times you can specially order apparently.  I found that out too late 😉 

[Red Haired Lady]

32 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

No health issue.  From what I heard, it was too much work with unknown orders.  There are times you can specially order apparently.  I found that out too late 😉 

Many times I have sat at a table when people ordered the cold soup...not realizing it was not hot.  Took one taste and got mad.   They did not realize there was such a thing a COLD soup. Might be part of the problem?

Edited March 22, 2021 by Red Haired Lady

[JazzyV]

49 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Re: cold soups - I'm one of those who dearly misses the cold fruit soups on HAL; they were like starting your dinner with a fruit smoothie every time.  Loved them!    

 

 

Count me in as one who really liked the cold fruit soups. I did find them on my Panama Canal cruise (NCL Bliss) in 2019, in the small buffet in the Observation Lounge.

[rafinmd]

9 minutes ago, Red Haired Lady said:

Many times I have sat at a table when people ordered the cold soup...not realizing it was not hot.  Took one taste and got mad.   They did not realize there was such a thing a COLD soup. Might be part of the problem?

That's really strange.  They are always labeled "Chilled", "Iced", or "Cold" right on the menu.

 

Roy

[Red Haired Lady]

Just now, rafinmd said:

That's really strange.  They are always labeled "Chilled", "Iced", or "Cold" right on the menu.

 

Roy

I know..I think people see the word "soup" and assume it is like the soup they have had all of their lives.  Especially people who have never been on a cruise.  (I like the cold soups...especially fruit ones)

[Tbay]

@Mary229@highscar   When you have lived thru a long COLD winter in Thunder Bay, you know it is NORTHERN Ontario. LOL

 

Summers, however, are very nice, daylight until at least 10 pm, and  cool at night to sleep.  It's beautiful country if you are an outdoor person.

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, Tbay said:

@Mary229@highscar   When you have lived thru a long COLD winter in Thunder Bay, you know it is NORTHERN Ontario. LOL

 

Summers, however, are very nice, daylight until at least 10 pm, and  cool at night to sleep.  It's beautiful country if you are an outdoor person.

I spent 18 summers there.    We would usually start at Sudbury but  most of our time was spent from Bancroft to Deep River then over to Quebec before heading south to Massachusetts.   We would mix it up sometimes and traveled through Thunder Bay once or twice. 

[cat shepard]

This pic is for @DeeniEncinitas, @kazu, do NOT look - just quickly scroll by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[XBGuy]

Well, I guess I've moved this conversation in a bit of a different direction, and I'm going to continue.

 

The first time I ever had a cold soup was on our first ever cruise in 1976--also, our honeymoon.

 

One evening, Gaspacho was offered.  I knew that was served cold.  So, no surprise, there.  Another evening, Vichyssoise was on the menu.  I did not know that Vichyssoise was traditionally served cold.

[kazu]

24 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

That's really strange.  They are always labeled "Chilled", "Iced", or "Cold" right on the menu.

 

Roy

 

Yes, but that means you need to read the whole description or ask your steward if you have a question 😉 😂 

 

Love the cold soups.  But I love gazpacho too 🙂 

[rafinmd]

7 hours ago, JazzyV said:

I've never been to Rio, so I look forward to all the pictures. I'd like to see the Christ the Redeemer statue, but not fond of hearing how people feel unsafe there.

Perhaps consider a cruise that visits Lisbon.  They have a very nice copy:

 

 

Roy

[JazzyV]

3 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Perhaps consider a cruise that visits Lisbon.  They have a very nice copy:

 

 

Roy

 

I was there in 1997 on a land trip, but was unable to get close at the time. All I have is the following indistinct picture. I'll have to go back!

[kazu]

26 minutes ago, JazzyV said:

 

I was there in 1997 on a land trip, but was unable to get close at the time. All I have is the following indistinct picture. I'll have to go back!

Oh Lisbon is fantastic. I’m happy to go back there over and over and over 😉 

 

And yes, their replica is very good.

[oakridger]

@rafinmd and @kazu I was supposed to leave from Lisbon in June 2020 on a cruise.  I knew about the Golden Gate like suspension bridge but hadn't seen the statue.  I plan on going to Lisbon probably next year (if we can get in by then) to use the airline voucher I got from the cancelled cruise trip.  I will also stay at the Hotel Avenida Place that Roy and others have recommended!  

 

~Nancy

[kazu]

11 minutes ago, oakridger said:

@rafinmd and @kazu I was supposed to leave from Lisbon in June 2020 on a cruise.  I knew about the Golden Gate like suspension bridge but hadn't seen the statue.  I plan on going to Lisbon probably next year (if we can get in by then) to use the airline voucher I got from the cancelled cruise trip.  I will also stay at the Hotel Avenida Place that Roy and others have recommended!  

 

~Nancy

 

Enjoy Nancy.  Loved LIsbon.  We stayed at the Hotel Britannia and a few roll call members joined us.

I love boutique hotels and this one did a fine job.  I miss Europe 😞 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

This pic is for @DeeniEncinitas, @kazu, do NOT look - just quickly scroll by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ha ha ha 😂 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, Tbay said:

@Mary229@highscar   When you have lived thru a long COLD winter in Thunder Bay, you know it is NORTHERN Ontario. LOL

 

Summers, however, are very nice, daylight until at least 10 pm, and  cool at night to sleep.  It's beautiful country if you are an outdoor person.

Heck, Georgina Bay was Northen Ontario for me 😉 

Beautiful country though.

[Tbay]

@Mary229 Thunder Bay is a long way from anywhere.  I'm impressed you have been there!

[rafinmd]

4 hours ago, bobpatj said:

We have visited Rio three times, all on HAL!  Our first was on Amsterdam, in 2005,  then on Prinsendam, in 2011, and on Maasdam, in 2015.  We took ships tours on all and were very safe.  We disembarked there two times and really disliked the airport!

I wonder if we were on the same cruise on the Maasdam (Ending with Carnival).  I took a HAL tour to kill some of the time but the flights to North America were late at night.  Despite the tour it was a LONG wait for the flight including 2 hours before the checkin opened with limited seating available.

 

The second time with Crystal could have been a lot better except that I had an early flight to Buenos Aires.  Their transfers usually include a day room at a hotel for later flights.  The bags were sent directly to the airport and when I disembarked the bus there was a cart with all my luggage and a porter.  It was a half hour until the checkin opened and when the porter found me a seat I said "I'm ok from here" but I couldn't shake him.  When the time arrived he escorted me to the right checkin and I think even refused a tip from me.

 

Still not an airport I desire to revisit.

 

Roy

[Mary229]

6 minutes ago, Tbay said:

@Mary229 Thunder Bay is a long way from anywhere.  I'm impressed you have been there!

It is famous for amethyst!  We dug at the mines.