The Fleet Report and Daily for Sunday November 27th, 2022

[richwmn]

 

Today is National Pie in the Face Day, National Bavarian Cream Pie Day, and Turtle Adoption Day
 

We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.--Chuck Palahniuk, Diary

Meal Suggestion for today - Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry
Drink of the Day - Cuba Libre
Wine of the Day - Rex Hill 2018 Reserve Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley)
Destination of the Day - Limassol, Cyprus
 

Eurodam

Oranjestad Aruba, Netherlands Antilles 07:00 - 15:00
 

Koningsdam

At Sea Destination Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico eta 11/28
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 07:00 - 17:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

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

Oosterdam

Manta, Ecuador 05:00 - 19:00
 

Rotterdam

Oranjestad Aruba, Netherlands Antilles 07:00 - 18:00
 

Volendam

Macapa, Brazil 7:00am 10:00am
 

Zaandam

Walvis Bay, Namibia 10:00 - 23:00
 

Zuiderdam

Panama Canal

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Exmouth WA, Western Australia eta 11/29
 

Westerdam

At Sea Destination Adelaide, South Australia,, Australia
 

 

 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Report.

 

Another mild (for us) day today.  We should get to 6°C this afternoon, normal is 3°C.  Bertie and I will head out for a walk when it's light out.  We put up some Christmas lights yesterday, but we don't turn them on until December.

 

I don't like "pie in the face" but I do like Bavarian cream pie.  I had turtles as pets when I was younger.

Interesting quote.

The meal sounds good, looking forward to seeing the recipe.

I know I like the drink, hope the wine is tasty too.

I haven't been to today's port.

 

Prayers for everyone.  Cheers for all the celebrations.

Have a wonderful day.

Stay safe.

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich. Off early for a breakfast out with my friend and her daughter and then a hike in one of my favorite State Parks.

 

Hope everyone has a great day!

 

 

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

 

*********

Rex Hill 2018 Reserve Pinot Noir

This Pinot Noir sounds interesting, and I would love to taste it. I found several online distributors and the average price is around $50 BUT one place has it on sale for $37.97, so you might be lucky and find it on sale locally. 

Winemaker Notes

A perennial favorite, the REX HILL Reserve bottling with its deep color and darker fruit profile is perhaps our most anticipated release of the year. Layers of fruit greet the nose: blueberry, blackberry, Rainier cherry, sarsaparilla, a touch of sawdust and sweet tobacco. On the palate, cherry notes lead with fruit compote and again the sweet pipe tobacco note. The wine is replete with fleshy fruit and excellent acidity that carries a long, cherry skin finish. Drink now through 2028.

96 pts - Wine Enthusiast 

[grapau27]

Today's sermon.

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

Thank you for today's daily reports Rich.

Interesting days and thought provoking quote.

Today's food sounds nice.

Nice port of the day.

I hope everyone is safe and well.

Prayers 🙏 for everyone they can help.

Graham.

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning Everyone, thanks for the daily fleet report.  Today’s meal suggestion sounds interesting and look forward to recipes and pictures from @dfish. Not sure what’s for dinner, for breakfast we had some bacon scrapple and it was a nice treat.  Before the rain arrives I’m planning on hitting some stores to take advantage of the birthday cash they sent me before they expire.  After that raking leaves is an option since this is the last week the town will pick them up.

I hope everyone has a good day today.

[MISTER 67]

Good morning from beautiful Southwest Florida.

Foggy and humid this morning with temps reaching the mid 80s this afternoon.

Good quote.

I’ve never thrown a pie in someone’s face but there’s always a first time.

I'd try the stir fry chicken, not sure about the drink.

Michiganders must be ecstatic with the Wolverines trouncing Ohio State yesterday.

One week to go for our Caribbean cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

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

Edited November 27, 2022 by MISTER 67

[summer slope]

Good morning fromMacapa Brazil.  Here for a service call.

 

Cuba Libre cocktail:

 

Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre, is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Wikipedia
Main alcohol: Rum
Ingredients: 1 2/3 oz White rum, 1/3 oz Fresh lime juice, 4 oz Cola
Preparation: Build all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.
Served: On the rocks; poured over ice
Standard garnish: Lime wedge
Drinkware: Highball glass

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by summer slope

[richwmn]

A little bit more on the drink - (since it is one of my favorites)

 

The Cuba Libre is more complex and beguiling than its simple formula suggests. It calls for rum and Coke with lime, but within those three ingredients lies a synergy that has pleased palates for more than a century. Today, it’s one of the most popular Cuban cocktails in existence—right near the classic Daiquiri, which was created around the same time.

 

As the story goes, the Cuba Libre’s origins can be traced to 1900 and to a U.S. Army captain who was stationed in Havana during the Spanish-American War. He added Coca-Cola and a little lime juice to his Bacardí rum and toasted his Cuban comrades by exclaiming, “Por Cuba Libre!” (“To a free Cuba!”). The drink, and the name, stuck.

 

Naturally, Bacardí has embraced the drink, cozying up to its creation. And according to company lore, Bacardí rum was readily available during Cuban independence to quench thirsts and celebrate the island nation’s freedom from Spanish rule. But technically, the drink does not call for a specific rum, which means you can choose whichever rum you prefer.

 

From liquor.com

 

[kazu]

Thanks for our Sunday Daily, Rich.

 

Certainly seems to be pie day, today with 2 days on pies 😆 Turtle adoption is a good cause helping to save turtles.  Good quote today and in the spirit of it:

 

 

I saw this yesterday and couldn’t help but think of our cat lovers here like

 

 

And don’t want to leave the dog lovers out.

 

 

Guess it’s rain we are getting and not snow.  Rain is ok as long as it doesn’t freeze.  I am no shape to de-ice my driveway - and I know it 😱 

 

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

 

Have a good Sunday, everyone and stay safe.

[Cat in my lap]

Happy Sunday!  Meal, drink and wine all are good!  Best wishes to all!

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

We are supposed to be on the warmer side today, but rain is moving in.  I told Sue that we had to hang pictures today inside and work on the garage door getting it to pair with my car.  We spent a good part of last night trying to get the fireplace to work, but no such luck.   I'm not sure what the problem is, so I can hear cha ching loud and clear and will probably have to call in a fireplace repair person.  

 

The Sesame Chicken Stir Fry is a dish that is easily adaptable to individual preferences.  You can overload it with veggies and no problem.  Or, leave them out.  No problem.  This first one is an easy basic recipe.   https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sesame-chicken-stir-fry/

 

 

If you are feeding vegetarians, you could substitute tofu for the chicken.  I'd probably try it with shrimp, too.  https://iwashyoudry.com/honey-sesame-chicken-stir-fry/

 

 

On this next one I would leave out the brown sugar and go from there.  https://www.gohealthyeverafter.com/easy-healthy-sesame-chicken-stir-fry/

 

 

And there you have it!

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful day.  

[0106]

@summer slope Thank you for posting the drink of the day while you are on your cruise.  This would have been impossible last week on the Oosterdam.

 

I hope the Volendam’s service called was scheduled and there was not a serious problem that caused the doctor to miss the coffee chat yesterday.  Wishing you and  @StLouisCruisers a fabulous cruise.  It’s on my bucket list!

The Orioles loved to shove pie in their teammates’ faces when one of them did something spectacular. Unfortunately, the sons of Baltimore have been forbidden to do so, because when you hit someone in the face with something, you risk hurting that person. And if that person is an athlete whose effectiveness depends on their not being injured, then you want to avoid injuring them.

 

Adam Jones, one of the most enthusiastic pie-shovers, wasn’t going to let a rule stop him, however. The outfielder found a loophole to get around the ban: He used cake instead, smashing it into teammate Matt Wieters’s face after Wieters hit a single to win the O’s Opening Day game in 2016. 
 

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by 0106

[seagarsmoker]

Thanks for the Daily Report and I hope everyone has a great day! 

I am feeling better from covid and today should be the day to know if I am close to normal as yesterday was last day of meds.

[Lady Hudson]

Thanksgiving weekend coming to a close and has been successful here in PA.  Weather has been good, most of the leftovers gone, family made it here and back home safely. DH was able to eat some Turkey and stuffing and now back to the dentist tomorrow for some more work.  But we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

I will bring out a few decorations this week so not to come home to a Christmasless house.   Much of the time between now and Thursday will be spent packing and getting hair and nails done.  But can’t wait to board ship to get away for a little bit.  Hope all have a great Sunday.  Katherine 

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  It's warm and sticky outside but I stepped outside after breakfast and snapped a couple of photos of Macapa.  Not much to say about it, that's for sure!  It's definitely a scheduled service call.

 

As I mentioned in yesterday's Daily just before Rich posted today's Daily, there was an announcement that the Coffee Chat with CD Ryan had a change in the guest.  The doctor would not be the one chatting it up with us (hoping nothing terrible is happening down the hall in the Medical Center), and instead the guest would be pianist Naki Ataman.  So I ran down there and sat in the front row.  Near the end I mentioned I had a friend from Abilene who had met him while they were cruising and highly recommended going to his performances.  I gave first names of Lenda and Steve saying hi.  And by the way, what was your connection to Abilene.  He laughed and said yes it's surprising how many people he's met over his many years from Abilene.  He then told everyone he had been an exchange student in Big Springs.  Everyone enjoyed that information, since he hadn't mentioned it earlier.  He's a very nice person and I'm sure we will enjoy the second show, which he said is even harder to perform than the first one. 

 

Limassol, Cyprus was our port of the day on May 25, 2021.  Here is the link to that date's post.

 

 

I haven't been to Limassol before so thanks everyone who posted photos.  Lenda has been there before so hopefully she can post hers again.

Edited November 27, 2022 by StLouisCruisers

[StLouisCruisers]

The “bustling” port of Macapa, Brazil. 

[kochleffel]

Pie in the face and Bavarian cream pie seem to go together, but I don't understand what turtles have to do with them. The meal would be OK with me and I wouldn't mind the drink. I would really like the wine, although I don't think it would go with the meal.

 

Yesterday I got up with pain in every joint. I took acetaminophen and went back to bed, although I didn't sleep then. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my blood pressure medicine and didn't notice it until the afternoon. I took it then -- I'll take it late today, earlier tomorrow, and get back to first-thing-in the morning over two or three days -- but needed to limit activity until it took effect. As a result, my sole accomplishment was organizing the spice racks, which is more than it sounds like since bottles of herbs and spices seemed to be everywhere.

 

Dinner was leftovers from Thanksgiving. Lunch today will probably be the sweet potato with black beans and avocado that was posted here several weeks ago. I'm teaching until noon but I baked sweet potatoes last night.

 

 

 

[4966and556]

Thank you for the Daily Fleet Report!    My husband suggested Chinese food for supper tonight, so I'm sure we will have some stir fried chicken.  I will pass on the wine but not the drink as it is my favourite! I have been to Cuba close to 40 times and I have brought home numerous bottles of  Havana Club rum over the years.  Before 1959 Bacardi  was available in Cuba and there is a beautiful building in Havana where their office used to be. The bat symbol was still on top the last time I was there in 2012. One of Cuba's major exports after  cigars and coffee is rum.  It can be purchased in Canada for @  $25 CDN for the least expensive bottle.  In Cuba the exact same bottle is $3.80 CUC (Convertible Cuban Dollars which can only be used on the island).   Basically it's a rum and coke with a wedge of lime thrown in.  The bars in Cuba don't measure the rum when they make the drink and they can be very generous.  Because they don't import Coca-Cola, they use Cuban cola which has a slightly different taste.  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from central Texas.  The sun is just beginning to make an appearance, and it is clear with no winds.

 

Prefer my pie in my stomach than on my face, thank you.  I'll also celebrate Batavian Cream Pie, and turtle adoption day.

 

I like the quote by Chuck Palahniuk.

 

The sesame chicken stir fry looks good.  A Cuba Libre made with Captain Morgan's spiced rum is very good.  I learned that it was rum and coke without lime, and Cuba Libre with lime.  The wine sounds like a winner, but it is a little higher priced than we usually pay for wine.

 

We were in Limassol, Cypress, in 2017, on Prinsendam.  I was just ready to post the link to Rich's @richwmn post for May 25, 2021, when Sandi@StLouisCruisers beat me to it.  Thanks for the link, Sandi.  I post my pictures in a few minutes.

 

 

@Crazy For Cats Jake, and @cat shepard Ann, I liked your memes about cats and trees.  Our first cat climbed DH's DB's real tree, and we "rescued" her before she did any damage.  That added to our reasons to have an artificial tree especially when we had cats.

@kazu  Jacqui, I hope you just get rain and no ice or snow.

@seagarsmoker  Glad you are feeling better.

@Lady Hudson  Katherine, I'm glad your DH was able to enjoy some turkey and dressing.  Glad your family had safe travels for the holiday.  Hope the dental appointment goes well tomorrow.

@StLouisCruisers  Sandi, I grew up in Abilene.  Naki spent his high school junior year in Big Spring, and then graduated from the same high school in Abilene, but in a different year.  He was sponsored by the Catholic chaplain from the UF Air Force base in Ankara, Turkey.  My guess is the chaplain was stationed in Big Spring one year, and transferred to Dyess AFB in Abilene the next year.  IIRC, the Big Spring facility was not a full base but an installation attached to Dyess.

 

We  were in Limassol in 2017 on the Elegant Explorer.  That morning we took a tour to Nicosia, and then took the shuttle into Limassol on our return.  I'll post the pictures of Limassol here and then the pictures of Nicosia in a later post.

 

An open plaza

 

This is a fortress and chapel dating to at least the 3rd Crusade and Richard the Lionhearted, if not earlier.  It is believed he married Berengaria here and made her Queen of England.  At one point the island belonged to the Templars, and the Knights of St. John may have stayed here before moving to Malta.

 

If you look carefully, this is a press used to cut the stones for their buildings.

 

Views of Limassol from the top of the fortress.  Limassol is the second largest city in Cyprus after Nicosia.

 

Some different views as we walked around the old city and back to the shuttle pick-up point.

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

On our way from Limassol to Nicosia, we stopped at an archeological site called Khirakita which was discovered in 1934.  It dates to the Neolithic era.  Here are  pictures from the site..  These were the recreations of the buildings, which were on a steep hill, that all but the very fittest chose not to climb.

 

The buildings on the hill

 

The restored/recreated buildings based on the findings on the hill.

 

Our first stop was an Greek Orthodox monastery and chapel.  We were not allowed to take pictures in the chapel.

 

A part of the walls from the time of the Crusades

 

I don't remember what the monument was for

 

Our main reason for taking the tour was to see the Green Line that divides the Nicosia between the Greek side and the Turkish side.  We also brought our passports so we could enter the Turkish side.  Our guide told us we could not do that as the lines to get back across the green line could take 45 minutes to hours. We only had about 45-60 minutes of free time, and the bus would not wait for anyone. 

 

The entire time she was telling us this, we were watching the lines going into and out of the Turkish side, and they were moving quickly.  As soon as the guide left us, we headed straight for the border checkpoints, of which there were four, two each way.  All of the four checkpoints went quickly with no hassle. 

 

Unfortunately, after her warning, we did not spend much time in Turkish Cyprus, but as it turns out, we could have.  Once back across the border,  we had 30-45 minutes left of our free time.  We spent part of that getting gelato and bottled water.  The irony was, we wound up waiting for several late people, but not because they crossed the line.  We were the only ones who did.

 

These are our pictures of our foray across the Green Line.

 

One of the checkpoints

 

The "forbidden" side of the Green Line

Not sure exactly where we were when I took this picture since you can see the green line.

 

Walking back to the pick-up point

 

Lenda

[StLouisCruisers]

Seeing all the nasty discussion in the other thread about water being turned off on Koningsdam in the wee hours of the night and certain people up in arms about it, I've decided I'll post my update here instead!

 

We have a notice at our door that states they will conduct a potable water shutdown in our section for three hours between 1 pm and 4 pm today.  That's not the middle of the night when most of us are asleep, so I can just see the uproar this would cause for some people, but we are adjusting just fine to the news.  Shower beforehand.  Use your HIA and order water or wine or cocktails!   We will live through it - somehow...😁

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info .

[rafinmd]

Thank you for the Sunday report, Rich.  I think if I ever got a pie in the face I would prefer Bavarian Cream.  I won't adopt a turtle but will salute those who do.  I like the Palahniuk quote.  I have not been to Limassol but remember it as one of the places ships hung out during the shutdown.  The meal sounds nice.  My alternative is Honey Dew Melon and Papaya Gazpacho, and Grilled Lamb Chops with Apple Chutney as served on MS Prinsendam November 27, 2013.

 

Today’s care list:

RIP Irene Cara
Mamaofami grandson with Covid and Carol possibly exposed
Jazzyv canceling cruise due to friend’s hospitalization
Safe travels for those returning home
Ottahand7 Brother in rehab
From the rotation:
Kazu severe foot injury
Crabbbi Patti dealing with Dad’s dimentia
Quartzite Cruiser DH in rehab
Cruising-along niece awaiting a kidneyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

New family member for Seasick Sailor Baby Ethan
Welcome aboard lobsternight
Nieuw Amsterdam in Everglades

New furnithre for Cruisin Terri (and responding to prednizone)
7 days for Mister67 (Nieuw Amsterdam 12/4 to 12/11)
6 days for Dobiemom (Discovery Princess 12/3 to 12/10)
4 days for Lady Hudson (Enchantment OTS, 12/1 to 12/9)
1 days for SusiekIslandGirl (Island Princess 11/28 to 12/12)
Welcome home Crazy for Cats
Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam  to 11/30),  Ichiban Nekko and Himself (Nieuw Statendam 11/26 to 12/3)  StLouisCruiser  and Summer Slope (Volendam  to 12/17) at sea
Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23),  Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam  to 1/14/23), and  Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12/23) at sea

Roy