The Fleet Report and Daily for Friday April 14th, 2023

[ClippyJoe]

cruisin sister, I am so sorry for both you and your friend. You both are in my prayers today.

[rafinmd]

6 minutes ago, Lady Hudson said:

Yesterday was interesting.  Repair men here to repair a toilet, a dishwasher and an ice maker.  When did appliances less than four years old start to need repairs?Frustrating!

My ancient dryer and fridge are both having issues but I suspect they may give me fewer problems than today's new ones.

 

Roy

[GTVCRUISER]

🙂 

[smitty34877]

Good morning. As @aliaschief, Bruce stated , I am grateful for my ex husband in that we had an incredible son. I refuse to honor him and had experiences similar to Annie @marshhawk.I was alone and all of 21 with DS and there was no assistance at all. However, I met my precious DH several years later and we blended our families. Somehow things always work out for the best, right? 
I hope all the Ft Lauderdale travelers are able to get to their cruises. 
We are sweltering. It has been in the high eighties for three days now and the old house is toasty! DSIL is putting in the two air conditioners that usually manage to keep things comfortable in a little while. We worry about Tana too as the oxygen machine keeps things warm as well.Help is on the way.

All the best to all of you.

Terry

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  We don't speak about she-who-shall-remain-unnamed without usually adding in a bad word that would end up having to make a contribution to the swear jar.  We both tend to laugh every day, most times it's unintentional; I'll try to think of something to make DH laugh today.  We love looking up at our sky because most of the time it's a clear, brilliant blue, except when there's a celestial event happening, then it's usually cloudy.  Go figure.   I like today's quote.

 

@cruising sisterI can't begin to imagine how you feel, but please know I reach out to you in prayer for comfort.

@marshhawk you have the patience of a saint!  I'd last about 30 minutes in your job.

 

NOTE:  I just heard from @Sharon in AZ who has landed in Miami.  She's had great service from the HAL reps and was met at the luggage carousel by the driver who took her luggage straight into his car.  She's now on her way to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

 

We had a busy day yesterday, but didn't accomplish everything we wanted.  The deck still hasn't been touched, but I did get a week's worth of laundry done and put away all in one day, so that was newsworthy!  LOL  While we were our getting groceries I had a message from our young Ukrainian couple who have invited us over for a traditional Ukrainian meal on Saturday.  We are pleased to have been invited, and do look forward to getting together to see how they've progressed while we were away.

 

Friends are coming over for coffee this afternoon, so I think I'll put a brownie in the oven to have something to serve.  We haven't seen this couple for almost a month, so there will be lots of catching up to do.  I'm sure the visit will go late, so because it's Friday and nobody wants to cook, we'll check the online sites to see what kind of pizza everyone wants.  It's looking like it'll be friendship and pizza around the dinner table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them, and cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

Edited April 14, 2023 by ger_77

[RedneckBob]

1 minute ago, GTVCRUISER said:

🙂 

You might be a Redneck if you think the muster station is condiment station for a hot dog.

See I was right on this one!

[marshhawk]

@smitty34877I suspect that being cooler makes Tana less uncomfortable too,  but I did see Al Roker say that by Sunday things will be more "normal" .  @StLouisCruisers and I are in some weird, spring is holding off pattern.  Yes the plants bloomed, but I think this year they did that by memeory, not because of the weather.

[rafinmd]

@cruising sister my condolences as well on the loss of your son's friend.  How sad.

 

For those on the Zuiderdam I have a suggestion if you don't have plans for the port.  Close to the port is the Dover Castle

 

 

It has an interesting network of rooms and tunnels and served as an a communication and information center in World War II.  I don't think HAL stops there often but I have twice boarded the Crystal Symphony there,

 

Roy

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Hope and prayers for many.

[puppycanducruise]

@cruising sister So sorry for your loss.  Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends.

[StLouisCruisers]

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a cloudy, windy day in central Texas. it is currently about 60F and will be about 78F this afternoon.  This will be quick as I need to head to W-M this morning, and I want to get it done early.

 

We will not be celebrating ex spouse day.  Laughter is very important every day, and we look up in the sky often.

 

An interesting quote by Ursula Andress.

 

Artic char is good, but I'm not a fan of fish tostadas or tacos.  We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds nice.

 

@TiogaCruiser  Laura, wishing you the best as you head to Florida today.  I hope your luggage makes it there too.  Glad you have air tags to track the bags.

@JazzyV  Vanessa, hoping for the best possible outcome today at the doctors.

@mamaofami  Carol, I'm glad your second cataract surgery is scheduled.

@Sharon in AZ Sharon, @AV8rix Susan, and @Dismomx5  I hope your travels to FLL go smoothly and that you have a great cruise.

 

We have been to Prince Rupert on a ship, but not on a BHB.  We arrived there on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry Matanuska in August 2011.  It was very early on a rainy morning, and I only have one picture as we approached the ferry terminal.

 

The Matanuska in two ports.  The first is in Haines, AK, where we boarded.

 

 

Our cabin which was spacious but spartan.  We had two huge windows overlooking the deck where the crew went to smoke and relax.

 

 

Their version of the Crow's Nest.  People who did not have cabins slept there too.

 

 

The Lido, but it's not included in the "cruise" fair.

 

 

Lenda

 

 

Lenda, interesting photos of your "cruise" on the ferry to Prince Rupert.  Amazing that some passengers slept in the lounge.

 

 

 

35 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  We don't speak about she-who-shall-remain-unnamed without usually adding in a bad word that would end up having to make a contribution to the swear jar.  We both tend to laugh every day, most times it's unintentional; I'll try to think of something to make DH laugh today.  We love looking up at our sky because most of the time it's a clear, brilliant blue, except when there's a celestial event happening, then it's usually cloudy.  Go figure.   I like today's quote.

 

@cruising sisterI can't begin to imagine how you feel, but please know I reach out to you in prayer for comfort.

@marshhawk you have the patience of a saint!  I'd last about 30 minutes in your job.

 

NOTE:  I just heard from @Sharon in AZ who has landed in Miami.  She's had great service from the HAL reps and was met at the luggage carousel by the driver who took her luggage straight into his car.  She's now on her way to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

 

We had a busy day yesterday, but didn't accomplish everything we wanted.  The deck still hasn't been touched, but I did get a week's worth of laundry done and put away all in one day, so that was newsworthy!  LOL  While we were our getting groceries I had a message from our young Ukrainian couple who have invited us over for a traditional Ukrainian meal on Saturday.  We are pleased to have been invited, and do look forward to getting together to see how they've progressed while we were away.

 

Friends are coming over for coffee this afternoon, so I think I'll put a brownie in the oven to have something to serve.  We haven't seen this couple for almost a month, so there will be lots of catching up to do.  I'm sure the visit will go late, so because it's Friday and nobody wants to cook, we'll check the online sites to see what kind of pizza everyone wants.  It's looking like it'll be friendship and pizza around the dinner table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who needs them, and cheers to all with celebrations.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

 

Thanks so much for the update on Sharon.  I'm relieved to hear she's made it to Florida and won't miss her cruise!

 

 

 

31 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

@smitty34877I suspect that being cooler makes Tana less uncomfortable too,  but I did see Al Roker say that by Sunday things will be more "normal" .  @StLouisCruisers and I are in some weird, spring is holding off pattern.  Yes the plants bloomed, but I think this year they did that by memeory, not because of the weather.

 

No kidding on the nutty weather!  Everyone up north is burning up and I had to add an extra layer to keep warm.  Hoping for improvement next week.  Meanwhile everything is blooming and green.  Funny about them blooming out of memory!😆

 

[aliaschief]

We found out the crew are having a big raffle down in crew quarters tonight which includes prizes, money etc. It’s the big buzz. So we have had fun handing out dollars to our favorites to buy an extra ticket. Few bucks bought back a lot of grins and laughs.

 

New for us and for those fortunate to have breakfast in Pinnacle Grill. Long cruise special of two different menu items. Today was a Chili Scramble special and Crepes Suzette’s. Nice touch. Hope they offer in MDR also.

[summer slope]

@cruising sisterprayers for his family. 

[kochleffel]

No ex-spouses here. One of my friends is a certified laughter therapist. I look up at the sky when there is something to see, but most of the time here it is just wall-to-wall clouds. However, it was sunny yesterday and is again today, with wildfire warnings. In a few minutes I'm going to mow the front lawn, before the temperature gets to 85°.

 

I'm not sure that I've ever had Arctic char, but it's listed as a sustainable fish. Bourbon would be OK in hot apple cider but the cocktail strikes me as an excuse to sell Maker's Mark, which would be wasted in it. I will drink Pinot Grigio if it's being served, but I don't like it enough to buy it. I haven't been to Prince Rupert; my only Alaska cruising has been on the Alaska Marine Highway System, including the Matanuska (see above) and the Kennicott.

 

Málaga is a cruise port and is in my itinerary for the fall, so here is a relevant article:

"Were he to turn up in Málaga today, Picasso might be shocked to find a museum bearing his name — the Museo Picasso Málaga opened in 2003 and now draws nearly 700,000 visitors a year. Then again, given his reputation for having an outsize ego, maybe he wouldn’t be surprised at all by the museum, though he’d likely be charmed to find his childhood home, the square where he used to play, the church where he was baptized, as well as the art academy where his father taught — not to mention the city’s famous bullring, cathedral and other landmarks — pretty much just as he left them."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/travel/malaga-spain-picasso.html

The article also discusses the many historic sites and sights.

 

[kochleffel]

35 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Lenda, interesting photos of your "cruise" on the ferry to Prince Rupert.  Amazing that some passengers slept in the lounge.

 

On the Alaska ferries, it's also allowed to sleep on loungers in the solarium, which is roofed but open-air, and to pitch tents on the open part of the top deck. This was on the Matanuska.

 

[rafinmd]

As noted earlier I visited Prince Rupert twice, both times arriving by train and leaving by ferry.  The first was way back in 1995 when I arrived by train and departed  for Vancouver Island on BC Ferries former Queen of the North (sadly, ran aground and sank in 2006),  Absolutely no photos from that era.

 

The second time was part of an eclectic trip.  I arrived in Prince Rupert by train August 26, 2010 and left the next morning on the Matanuska (my first ever shipboard night in 1991) for Wranell the next morning.  After 1 night in Wrangel I boarded sister ferry Columbia for a night in Haines, and then on to Juneau on another sister Malaspina.  From Juneau I boarded Cruise West's Spirit of Columbia, their very last voyage before going belly up, ending in Seattle.  Very few photos from that trip:

 

Of course I HAD to include this

 

Prince Rupert from the Ferry Dock:

 

 

There is only one ferry dock so while we loaded, Northern Adventure, replacement for Queen of the North, hung out in the harbor:

 

 

Not actually Prince Rupert but this lighthouse marks the point where we entered US waters:

 

 

Roy

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

Today is also Gardening Day and it just happens to be the only day lately that isn't raining -- so you can guess what I'll be doing.  (Actually not a lot, I still get too tired too fast).  But those Sweet Peas are ready to be planted, so I'll do that at least. And then probably sit in the sun.

 

No ex spouses here thank goodness.  Every day should have more than a moment of laughter and we always do.  I'll probably be looking more down at the ground in the garden today, but do enjoy looking up at the sky when it isn't cloudy.

 

I like the quote and it's true for many.  Ursula Andress is now 87 years old.  My only memory of her is when I was a child I remember my dear Dad calling her "Ursula UNdress" LOL.  I'm sure Dad and @RedneckBobcould have shared a lot of jokes. 🙂  

 

Wow, Prince Rupert came just in time.  We have never been there, but it's on our little 5-day get away and we'll be there on May 4. The only ports on that short cruise are Prince Rupert and Ketchikan.  An unusual Pacific Coastal, at least for us.   Thank you Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser and Roy @rafinmd for the photos.  I hope to see more.  Like Annie @marshhawk I heard there is a garden within walking distance from the port, so we'll head over to look at that.  No other plans other than to browse around and hope the weather will be ok.

 

I would like the wine, pass on the drink and don't care for fish tostadas or tacos.  

 

Vanessa @JazzyV I hope you get good news today at your doctors' appointment.

Laura @TiogaCruiser What an ordeal you've had!  So glad you have the air tags (we love them).  Let us know when you arrive safely.

Gerry @ger_77 Thank you for letting us know that Sharon @Sharon in AZ made it safely to Miami.  Get some rest Sharon!

Lorraine @cruising sister My deepest condolences on the death of your best friend's son.  How very sad!  Hugs and prayers.

 

 

[luvteaching]

Good morning, 

We have sun shining and blue sky at the moment so a nice start to the day. 

DH is settled in the new rehab facility. The drive down was just about an hour and the drive back about an hour and 15 minutes due to traffic and I left just after 4:00. Today I'm hoping to be out by 3:30. I'll leave here by 9:30 at the latest. The people I've met so far have been very nice and very caring. He's in a room with one other gentleman who is quite gregarious so that's good. We were able to do DH's 65th High School Reunion on Zoom yesterday using my phone and he enjoyed that. His lunch was good and he did OT and PT evaluations before I left. That tuckered him out. Currently (next few days) he'll get therapy almost daily. Then, when we have to go to private pay, it goes to 3-4 days a week which I'm going to ask questions about as that doesn't seem right. There's always something! 

 

Take care and have a lovely Friday everyone! 

Karen

[smitty34877]

34 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

As noted earlier I visited Prince Rupert twice, both times arriving by train and leaving by ferry.  The first was way back in 1995 when I arrived by train and departed  for Vancouver Island on BC Ferries former Queen of the North (sadly, ran aground and sank in 2006),  Absolutely no photos from that era.

 

The second time was part of an eclectic trip.  I arrived in Prince Rupert by train August 26, 2010 and left the next morning on the Matanuska (my first ever shipboard night in 1991) for Wranell the next morning.  After 1 night in Wrangel I boarded sister ferry Columbia for a night in Haines, and then on to Juneau on another sister Malaspina.  From Juneau I boarded Cruise West's Spirit of Columbia, their very last voyage before going belly up, ending in Seattle.  Very few photos from that trip:

 

Of course I HAD to include this

 

Prince Rupert from the Ferry Dock:

 

 

There is only one ferry dock so while we loaded, Northern Adventure, replacement for Queen of the North, hung out in the harbor:

 

 

Not actually Prince Rupert but this lighthouse marks the point where we entered US waters:

 

 

Roy

I love these pictures  and really enjoy your descriptions  of your many travels.

[RMLincoln]

Another unseasonably hot day in Maryland. The blooming trees and flowers are happy. 
 

@cruising sister So sorry about this sad loss. Blessings to you and your friend. It’s always harder when we lose those younger than us but but not everybody who dues is old. We grieve for losing them and what we feel should have been. 💔

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  @rafinmdand @Quartzsite Cruiserreally enjoyed the photos of Prince Rupert  and the ferries!   Thankyou! 
 

No exes or hexes here 😀

@cruising sister so sorry to hear your sad news.  Sending my condolences! 
 

34 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

Good morning, 

We have sun shining and blue sky at the moment so a nice start to the day. 

DH is settled in the new rehab facility. The drive down was just about an hour and the drive back about an hour and 15 minutes due to traffic and I left just after 4:00. Today I'm hoping to be out by 3:30. I'll leave here by 9:30 at the latest. The people I've met so far have been very nice and very caring. He's in a room with one other gentleman who is quite gregarious so that's good. We were able to do DH's 65th High School Reunion on Zoom yesterday using my phone and he enjoyed that. His lunch was good and he did OT and PT evaluations before I left. That tuckered him out. Currently (next few days) he'll get therapy almost daily. Then, when we have to go to private pay, it goes to 3-4 days a week which I'm going to ask questions about as that doesn't seem right. There's always something! 

 

Take care and have a lovely Friday everyone! 

Karen

Glad he is settling in,  I have family in Everett, so understand the traffic issue.  Hopefully,  you are staying at the outer edge so hope it’s ok for you.  The monthly amount is eye watering,  makes me again grateful for our health system.  

 

 

[Vict0riann]

3 hours ago, aliaschief said:

@cruising sisterSorry to hear about your son’s best friend.

@kazu As mentioned the two Chef’s dinner are $69.00 per person. Saw yesterday the David Burke was $89.00. Sarah the Pinnacle Grill Manager had no idea about the $100.00 dollar Chefs dinner with Dom Perignon. Probably being offered only on special 150 year Anniversary cruises?

Ours on Rotterdam is not a Chef’s Table, but the Cellar Master Dinner.  I asked the CM if she had approved the food that was to go with her wines and she said she had!

[aliaschief]

4 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Ours on Rotterdam is not a Chef’s Table, but the Cellar Master Dinner.  I asked the CM if she had approved the food that was to go with her wines and she said she had!

Thanks for the clarification. Hope you’re enjoying your cruise as much as we are enjoying ours. Life is good!

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 MS Amsterdam cruise from Cape Town to Fort Lauderdale,  On April 14 Amsterdam visited Praia, Cape Verde:

 

 

Roy

[cunnorl]

Good Afternoon from a sunny and warm day at the beach

    No ex's here-been married for 45 years. Funny this is look up at the sky day, as it is the start of the Air Show. It is actually Sat-Sun but they are practicing today. Simply amazing to watch!  

  Been a very busy week. The painters are done and everything is put back. Looks great. The shelves in the garage are installed and DH is out there putting things away. 

    We did  not get any of that rain that South and North of us received. Other than very high winds for 3 days, nothing. 

    I went out this morning to do all my errands and get groceries. I am now in until Monday. Between the air show, a triathlon and all the cruise ships, traffic will be a nightmare! Best to stay put!

     @cruising sister I am so sorry to hear about the death of your friends son. I will keep all of you in my prayers.

      @luvteaching Glad that DH is settling in. Hopefully he will continue to improve and return home. Be careful with all that driving. 

          Stay safe and enjoy today

               Charlene