The Fleet Report and Daily for Monday November 21st, 2022

[richwmn]

 

Today is National Gingerbread Cookie Day, World Television Day, and Odd Socks Day
 

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman.--Anaïs Nin

Meal Suggestion for today - Butternut Squash Curry
Drink of the Day - Sunset Daiquiri
Wine of the Day - Antigal 2017 One La Dolores Vineyard Malbec (Gualtallary) Mendoza Province
Destination of the Day - Longyearbyen Outer P/S,
 

Eurodam

At Sea Destination Puerto Limon (San Jose), Costa Rica eta 11/23
 

Koningsdam

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico 11:00 - 18:00
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 08:00 - 15:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

Grand Turk Island, Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos 08:00 - 16:00
 

Oosterdam

At Sea Destination Oranjestad Aruba, Netherlands Antilles eta 11/22
 

Rotterdam

Half Moon Cay 08:00 - 15:00
 

Volendam

At Sea Destination Philipsburg St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles eta 11/22
 

Zaandam

At Sea Destination Cape Town, South Africa eta 11/23

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Darwin eta 11/24

 

Westerdam

At Sea Destination Sydney eta 11/23

 

Zuiderdam

Huatulco, La Crucecita, Mexico Riviera 08:00 - 14:00

[richwmn]

Posted from my tablet since I  haven't had power for a couple of hours. 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[MISTER 67]

Good morning from beautiful Southwest Florida.

Going to be a little warmer today with a high of 77. November is one of our driest months in Florida but we had quite a bit of rain yesterday.

Good selection of days except for odd socks day, don't get that one.

Interesting quote.

I'll pass on the meal as I don't care for curry.

I'd try the drink.

World Cup is underway in Qater, USA plays Wales today at 2PM EST.

Thanks for The Daily, everyone stay well and have a great day.

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Report.  Hope you get your power back soon.

 

I'm not a fan of gingerbread cookies, I watch too much tv and I don't think I have any odd socks.

Interesting quote.

I'll pass on the meal, hope the drink and wine are good.

 

Prayers for everyone.

Have a good week.

 

[grapau27]

Father David's Sunday sermon.

[summer slope]

Today's drink of the day is brought to you from the crow's nest of the Volendam.  Fantastic sunrise.

 

Sunset Daiquiri:

 

Ingredients
3 parts Cruzan® Aged Dark Rum
2 parts Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 part fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 part Grenadine
Cherries

Instructions
Add all ingredients to a blender with ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a cherry.

 

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

Thank you for today's daily reports Rich.

Gingerbread is nice.

I buy socks which are easily matched up with logos on them.

I like to watch TV.

Strange quote.

I will pass on today's food and drink and the photo is my dinner last night.

Best wishes for all those who are unwell and those currently cruising.

I hope everyone has a nice day.

Graham.

 

 

[rafinmd]

Thank you for the Monday report, Rich and I hope you have power back soon.  I like the first 2 days and would gladly have used some odd socks my first few days on the Eurodam.  Longyearbin is a great port (2011 Prinsendam), and I'll describe the quote as "interesting"

 

I think I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Classic Caesar Salad, New York Strip Loin, and Red Velvet Cake a la mode as served on MS Eurodam November 19,  2022.

 

Today’s care list:

Sharon recovering from bronchitis
Kazu severe foot injury
Ottahand7 Brother in rehab
Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications
Jazzyv digestive issues
Colorado shooting victims
Cruisin Terri continuing autoimmune flareup and visit to Mayo Clinic
From the rotation:
Marshhawk’s friend Jesse with throat cancer and poor attitude
Luvteaching DH recovering from fall and facing dimentia
Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1) and JAM37 (7/7)
HAL Sailer Sister in Law with aggressive cancer therapy

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Alianchief in California
StlouisCruisers meeting Summer Slope in person
7days for SusiekIslandGirl (Island Princess 11/28 to 12/12)
5 days for Ichiban Nekko and Himself (Nieuw Statendam 11/26 to 12/3)
5 days for Jazzyv (Apex 11/26 to 12/3)
GTVCRUISER (Koningsdam 11/19 to 11/26), Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30),  StLouisCruiser  and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) at sea
Welcome home RednckBob and CrazyForCats                              
Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23),  Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23), and  Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea

Roy

 

[Mr. Boston]

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily report, I hope your power returns soon Rich.  A gingerbread cookie sounds perfect today.  What would we do without our televisions?  There always seems to be an odd sock or two in the drawer!  I’ll pass on the meal suggestion but the drink sounds nice. I haven’t been to today’s port, hope to see some photos of it. Prayers for everyone on our prayer list including our dear friend Father Rene McGraw from St. John’s University who died peacefully yesterday.  Cheers to everyone celebrating happy events today. 🥂

[kazu]

Thanks for our Monday Daily, Rich.

 

Interesting collection of days.  I confess, my TV will be on - not much else I can do with my foot up other than watch TV, work on my insurance claim for my trip and my LIVE thread.  I think everyone ends up with odd socks at some stage or another 😂 

 

I sort of get the quote.  I’ll pass on the meal since I’m not going out to shop for groceries at this stage.  I see left over pizza in my future for dinner tonight 😉 

 

 

It is too cold here for November  to suit me (-8 C).  Can’t remember it being this cold this early but it’s probably because I enjoyed so much nice weather on my cruise.  But, at least we are not getting the weather bomb Newfoundland is or the dump Buffalo is (at least, I hope not).

 

 

@richwmn sure hope you get your power back soon 🤞 

 

@summer slopehow nice of you to continue to do the drink of the day while you are cruising 👍 

 

Prayers for everyone on the Care list & for those that need them and a 🥂 to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

 

Have a great Monday everyone !!! Stay safe & don’t forget your mask when/ where needed.

 

[richwmn]

Power restored at 7:00am, had to spend some time putting everything back together.

[MISTER 67]

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

Thanks for our Monday Daily, Rich.

 

Interesting collection of days.  I confess, my TV will be on - not much else I can do with my foot up other than watch TV, work on my insurance claim for my trip and my LIVE thread.  I think everyone ends up with odd socks at some stage or another 😂 

 

I sort of get the quote.  I’ll pass on the meal since I’m not going out to shop for groceries at this stage.  I see left over pizza in my future for dinner tonight 😉 

 

 

It is too cold here for November  to suit me (-8 C).  Can’t remember it being this cold this early but it’s probably because I enjoyed so much nice weather on my cruise.  But, at least we are not getting the weather bomb Newfoundland is or the dump Buffalo is (at least, I hope not).

 

 

@richwmn sure hope you get your power back soon 🤞 

 

@summer slopehow nice of you to continue to do the drink of the day while you are cruising 👍 

 

Prayers for everyone on the Care list & for those that need them and a 🥂 to those on the Celebratory / Shout Out list.

 

 

Have a great Monday everyone !!! Stay safe & don’t forget your mask when/ where needed.

 

Hope you recover quickly from your foot injury.

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is a chilly start to the day in mid-Michigan, but it is supposed to warm to the 40's.  That will be welcome.  

 

2 minutes ago, richwmn said:

Power restored at 7:00am, had to spend some time putting everything back together.

That is good news!   Any idea what caused the outage?

 

Busy morning planned here.  I have to stop by the credit union and write checks from my Ohio account to my Michigan account.  I can transfer funds electronically but the Ohio credit union only allows a transfer of $750 per day.  I want this done a little sooner than that would allow.  After that I am taking my brother in for blood work and seeing if I can get an appointment.  I dropped off my paperwork three weeks ago and they said they would call me, but haven't.  I'm running out of medication.  Then, I'm stopping by the grocery store for the last minute shopping before Thanksgiving.  I figured DB would want to stop there on the way home as well.  

 

We seem to be focused on butternut squash lately.  I love the squash as well as acorn squash.  The first recipe is a Thai red curry.  Remember that curry doesn't have to be really hot.  https://littlespicejar.com/thai-butternut-squash-red-curry/

 

 

Today's meal should be a pleaser for the vegetarians/vegans in the family.  https://www.noracooks.com/butternut-squash-curry/

 

 

If you have carnivores among you, you can have a bowl of shredded chicken or shrimp for them to add to the curry.   https://healthynibblesandbits.com/vegan-butternut-squash-curry-with-spinach/

 

Time to get moving!   Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the fleet update and general info.

 

I think I mentioned to y'all that I needed to go on another cruise so I could find more material to write more cruise stories. Well, it did not take long. Just got off the Celebrity Beyond yesterday and I have a new cruise story that I call:

 

It's always sunny in Florida

 

NOT! Got off the boat yesterday in Port Everglades and it was not close to sunny in Florida! Wind and rain and guess you heard that the Port was shutdown and boats did not leave until 10 PM to midnite.

Disembarkation ran up to 2 hours late with our family barely making a flight out of FLL at 11:30 AM. Celebrity was blaming immigration for the delay but I do not think so. It appeared that the late exit from ship was due to one, slow baggage handling from ship and two, passengers going to terminal before their bag number was called. When we departed the ship at 9:45 Am or 1-1/2 hours later than planned, there was a huge line of passengers on the 2nd level of the terminal. I heard that immigration was not allowing these people to the first level baggage claim because their bags had not been unloaded yet; apparently leaving ship before bag number was called. What a mess. We were escorted by these people and it only took five minutes to exit the terminal into the pouring rain.

 

On a happier note, our sommelier at dinner was a lady who we had has before on a previous cruise, on a HAL cruise!  She was let go with HAL since HAL does not have that position anymore.

[4966and556]

Thank you for the Daily Fleet Report!  The Toronto Argonaut's won the Canadian Football League's 109th Grey Cup by 1 point last night.    I will pass on the meal and the wine, but the drink looks good.  We have had lots of snow this weekend but nothing  like Buffalo.  We have also had a lot of wind where I am, so most of the snow got blown away.  

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Cloudy again, but I will take it over 77” of snow any day! I mean, where do you put all of it?

 

Roy, thank you for sharing your journey with us & keeping our lists. So much happening. I am so grateful for this wonderful community that Rich created. @Quartzsite Cruiser Lenda, how encouraging Steve’s progress is!  I hope that discharge date does not change! @ottahand7 Nancy, wonderful to read of your DB’s progress. Clearly his siblings’ support made a difference. But please keep that snow to yourself. 
 

Off to the gym for just one class. Then I need to finish my To Do list. That should burn some calories. 
 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone!

 

*********

Antigal One La Dolores Vineyard Malbec (Gualtallary) Mendoza Province

Some Malbecs are too much for me, even with food. But I love to try them, because when I least expect it, I encounter an amazing one. This one is popular with consumers and critics. It is a bit pricey, but I found several online distributors with prices starting at $46.99.

Distributor’s Notes

The grapes of this wonderful wine come from Uco Valley – Tupungato, Gualtallary, and La Arboleda. Areas highly recognized for their excellent quality. The vineyards are located at 1100 meters above sea level, with a great thermal amplitude between day and night, which allows the development of aromatic elegance and concentration. The exceptionally gentle treatment of hand-selected Malbec grapes is made possible by the winery’s gravity-flow system, which eliminates the need for forceful pumps and pressers. The care taken through all stages of winemaking - from initial cluster-chilling through sorting, maceration, fermentation, and barrel aging - produced an unusually elegant Malbec with great balance and supple tannins.

 

93 Wine Enthusiast 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

A very early good morning from a chilly and still dark central Texas.  It's 42F outside.  I'm up early to finish the house cleaning I started after I got home yesterday.  I got the bathroom and kitchen cleaned.  Now I just need to vacuum and mop the floors and dust.  I'm doing the floors this morning and will dust if I have time, or when I get home this afternoon.  

 

Since gingerbread cookies are a family tradition, I will celebrate their day.  I'm not sure if Ill be making them this year.  The other two days are interesting.  Speaking of odd socks, I usually get one sock out  of a pair with a hole, but this morning I noticed a hole in both socks I wear to sleep in.  A very different odd sock story.

 

The quote is interesting.

 

We'll pass on the meal since we're not fans of curry.  We'll also pass on the drink, but the wine might be worth a try.

 

Longyearbyen was the destination of the day on June12, 2022.  Here is the link to Rich's @richwmn post that day.

 

The Daily for Sunday 06/12/2022

---

By richwmn,
June 12 in Holland America Line

 

@richwmn  Rich, I was happy to see you have your power back on.

@Mr. Boston  Our condolences on the death of your dear friend Father Rene McGraw.

@kazu  Jacqui, I hope your foot gets better soon.  Are you going to see a doctor there about the injury?

@dfish  Debbie, I hope your DB's tests turn out all right, and that you can get your tests scheduled soon.

 

This is my post from June 12, 2022.

 

We were in Longyearbyen in 2016 on the Prinsendam..  It is a rather bleak looking area without much vegetation, but we enjoyed our day there.  

 

It was cold and windy that day, but clear.  We walked into town since the wind was at our backs. After exploring the town, we stopped at the hotel to use the wifi. They called a taxi to take us back to the ship as walking into the wind was brutal.

 

 

Longyearbyen as the ship approached the pier.  There were t-shirts and souvenirs for sale in the white tent.

 

The airport

 

The power plant

 

Our walk around town

 

An interesting museum

 

The hotel which had a comfortable lobby and displays of various local animals

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

I also posted this on June 12, 2022.

 

Since I doubt that the polar ice cap will be a port of the day, I'll add these pictures

 

On August 11, 2016, the day between our calls at Longyearbyen and Ny Alesund, Captain Tim Roberts took the Prinsendam as close to the polar ice cap as he could safely steer the ship. 

 

The previous few days, the wind was blowing the ice floes toward the ice cap, and he thought we would be able to get very close.  Unfortunately, overnight the wind changed directions and was blowing the floes away from the ice cap.  

 

We could only get as close as about five miles, but we could see the edge of the ice cap from the upper decks.  We were still about 500 miles or so from the North Pole.

 

The polar ice cap with the ice floes in front

 

Later they lowered a tender so the photographers could take pictures of the ship, and bring back a chunk of ice.  This pictures give a better idea how far from the ice cap we were.

 

A group of walrus relaxing as we cruised toward the ice cap.

 

Seals resting on an ice floe

 

Evidently, we had a couple of stowaways that day.  I guess they were trying to get warm.

 

The ice chunk

 

This was about as far north as we could sail

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

These pictures are courtesy of Sandi, @StLouisCruisers.  The map was from another post Sandi made that day.  As usual, her words are in Italics.

 

Arriving at the dock in Longyearbyen at 8:30 am on July 5, 2013.  

 

The people there to attend to the ropes were women.  Equal opportunities for all in Norway!

 

Off we went along the road lined with bits of coal, towards the town of Longyearbyen.  It was even more grey there that morning than it is here in Georgia today.

 

The first thing we saw was the offices of a coal mining company.  

 

An art sculpture along the way

 

Our first glimpse of the "city".

 

This was a school/university.

 

 

Looking inside we see lots of shoes.  Hopefully you can wear a different pair in there so you don't have to attend classes in your socks!

 

Walking further into town we saw a statue of a coal miner.

 

And a daycare.  Love the little guy peering out the window at all the strange people in town.

 

The busiest place in town was this supermarket.

 

Inside the doors in the "foyer" of the supermarket was this beautiful picture of a polar bear.  We had been advised you were not allowed to venture outside the city limits without an armed escort due to polar bears.  Made you wonder if the bears knew about that walk we made from the ship to the downtown area?

 

It was nice inside, just like any grocery store.  There were signs in the liquor and wine department telling everyone only local residents were allowed to buy alcohol, due to limited supplies.  Who could afford Norwegian prices anyway?  

 

From there we went to a couple of shops in town with unique souvenirs.

 

 

A monument along the road on our walk back to the ship (watching for polar bears!).

 

An overview of the town.

 

Coal, and more coal

 

Back on the ship in the early evening

 

 

When we sailed from Longyearbyen that evening, the weather began clearing right away.

 

 

 

All in all, a very interesting day spent 800 miles from the North Pole!

 

This map shows you Svalbard, where Longyearbyen is located.  You can see how far off the mainland of Norway it is and how close to the North Pole.  The Arctic ice cap is not that far off.

 

[MISTER 67]

8 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

A very early good morning from a chilly and still dark central Texas.  It's 42F outside.  I'm up early to finish the house cleaning I started after I got home yesterday.  I got the bathroom and kitchen cleaned.  Now I just need to vacuum and mop the floors and dust.  I'm doing the floors this morning and will dust if I have time, or when I get home this afternoon.  

 

Since gingerbread cookies are a family tradition, I will celebrate their day.  I'm not sure if Ill be making them this year.  The other two days are interesting.  Speaking of odd socks, I usually get one sock out  of a pair with a hole, but this morning I noticed a hole in both socks I wear to sleep in.  A very different odd sock story.

 

The quote is interesting.

 

We'll pass on the meal since we're not fans of curry.  We'll also pass on the drink, but the wine might be worth a try.

 

Longyearbyen was the destination of the day on June12, 2022.  Here is the link to Rich's @richwmn post that day.

 

The Daily for Sunday 06/12/2022

---

By richwmn,
June 12 in Holland America Line

 

@richwmn  Rich, I was happy to see you have your power back on.

@Mr. Boston  Our condolences on the death of your dear friend Father Rene McGraw.

@kazu  Jacqui, I hope your foot gets better soon.  Are you going to see a doctor there about the injury?

@dfish  Debbie, I hope your DB's tests turn out all right, and that you can get your tests scheduled soon.

 

This is my post from June 12, 2022.

 

We were in Longyearbyen in 2016 on the Prinsendam..  It is a rather bleak looking area without much vegetation, but we enjoyed our day there.  

 

It was cold and windy that day, but clear.  We walked into town since the wind was at our backs. After exploring the town, we stopped at the hotel to use the wifi. They called a taxi to take us back to the ship as walking into the wind was brutal.

 

 

Longyearbyen as the ship approached the pier.  There were t-shirts and souvenirs for sale in the white tent.

 

The airport

 

The power plant

 

Our walk around town

 

An interesting museum

 

The hotel which had a comfortable lobby and displays of various local animals

 

Lenda

I've never heard of the port of the day, thanks for the photos but I don't think I'll add to my bucket list.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you for the Monday report, Rich and I hope you have power back soon.  I like the first 2 days and would gladly have used some odd socks my first few days on the Eurodam.  Longyearbin is a great port (2011 Prinsendam), and I'll describe the quote as "interesting"

 

I think I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is Classic Caesar Salad, New York Strip Loin, and Red Velvet Cake a la mode as served on MS Eurodam November 19,  2022.

 

Today’s care list:

Sharon recovering from bronchitis
Kazu severe foot injury
Ottahand7 Brother in rehab
Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications
Jazzyv digestive issues
Colorado shooting victims
Cruisin Terri continuing autoimmune flareup and visit to Mayo Clinic
From the rotation:
Marshhawk’s friend Jesse with throat cancer and poor attitude
Luvteaching DH recovering from fall and facing dimentia
Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1) and JAM37 (7/7)
HAL Sailer Sister in Law with aggressive cancer therapy

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Alianchief in California
StlouisCruisers meeting Summer Slope in person
7days for SusiekIslandGirl (Island Princess 11/28 to 12/12)
5 days for Ichiban Nekko and Himself (Nieuw Statendam 11/26 to 12/3)
5 days for Jazzyv (Apex 11/26 to 12/3)
GTVCRUISER (Koningsdam 11/19 to 11/26), Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30),  StLouisCruiser  and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) at sea
Welcome home RednckBob and CrazyForCats                              
Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23),  Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23), and  Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea

Roy

 

Thank you for today's lists Roy.

I hope you are safely home now.

Lunch today.

[marshhawk]

Happy Monday Morning!  My tiny weather update says it's sunny and 31.  My body went outside to feed the feral and the stray, and it's sunny and COLD!  

 

Odd socks?

 

 

I know there is a monster in either the washer or dryer, that takes at least one of my socks every few weeks.  But instead of tossing away the odd sock, I will save them and then tie all the strays together to make door stop.

Edited November 21, 2022 by marshhawk

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Mr. Boston said:

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily report, I hope your power returns soon Rich.  A gingerbread cookie sounds perfect today.  What would we do without our televisions?  There always seems to be an odd sock or two in the drawer!  I’ll pass on the meal suggestion but the drink sounds nice. I haven’t been to today’s port, hope to see some photos of it. Prayers for everyone on our prayer list including our dear friend Father Rene McGraw from St. John’s University who died peacefully yesterday.  Cheers to everyone celebrating happy events today. 🥂

@Mr. Boston.

Sending our condolences for your friend and to the family of Father Rene McGraw.

Graham.

[grapau27]

39 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

These pictures are courtesy of Sandi, @StLouisCruisers.  The map was from another post Sandi made that day.  As usual, her words are in Italics.

 

Arriving at the dock in Longyearbyen at 8:30 am on July 5, 2013.  

 

The people there to attend to the ropes were women.  Equal opportunities for all in Norway!

 

Off we went along the road lined with bits of coal, towards the town of Longyearbyen.  It was even more grey there that morning than it is here in Georgia today.

 

The first thing we saw was the offices of a coal mining company.  

 

An art sculpture along the way

 

Our first glimpse of the "city".

 

This was a school/university.

 

 

Looking inside we see lots of shoes.  Hopefully you can wear a different pair in there so you don't have to attend classes in your socks!

 

Walking further into town we saw a statue of a coal miner.

 

And a daycare.  Love the little guy peering out the window at all the strange people in town.

 

The busiest place in town was this supermarket.

 

Inside the doors in the "foyer" of the supermarket was this beautiful picture of a polar bear.  We had been advised you were not allowed to venture outside the city limits without an armed escort due to polar bears.  Made you wonder if the bears knew about that walk we made from the ship to the downtown area?

 

It was nice inside, just like any grocery store.  There were signs in the liquor and wine department telling everyone only local residents were allowed to buy alcohol, due to limited supplies.  Who could afford Norwegian prices anyway?  

 

From there we went to a couple of shops in town with unique souvenirs.

 

 

A monument along the road on our walk back to the ship (watching for polar bears!).

 

An overview of the town.

 

Coal, and more coal

 

Back on the ship in the early evening

 

 

When we sailed from Longyearbyen that evening, the weather began clearing right away.

 

 

 

All in all, a very interesting day spent 800 miles from the North Pole!

 

This map shows you Svalbard, where Longyearbyen is located.  You can see how far off the mainland of Norway it is and how close to the North Pole.  The Arctic ice cap is not that far off.

 

Thank you Lenda for posting Sandi's photos.