The Fleet Report and Daily for Friday August 18th, 2023

[aliaschief]

I struggle about our fellow Hawaiians and what they must be going through and what the future faces. Not trying to sound political but besides coming to their aid, which I’m sure is more difficult because of distance  we should also show our concerns and unity by flying our flag at half mast in remembrance of their lost loved ones.🇺🇸

[ottahand7]

@Vict0riann lovely Dahlias, one of my favorites.  Prayers for safety with the approaching fires. 

@jodi58 and @bennybear Prayers for your safety that the fires are extinguished.  

 

 

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@kazu, the Hawaii port thread by the San Diego poster has now been locked. How long till he starts a new one?

Interesting that since I first looked at the thread post lock there were 12 posts and now it's down to 8 with the OP getting the last word.  Do we know if it's a him or her?

 

Roy

[1ANGELCAT]

@rafinmd, it’s a him(Cliff)

[kazu]

21 minutes ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@rafinmd, it’s a him(Cliff)

 

Yup, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him on the K.

[USN59-79]

I agree with @aliaschief about breaking up a long flight.  We have found that we can live with a ten hour flight in coach and have done that Seattle to Tokyo or Seattle to Taipei one way.  Two choices I see are Seattle to Honolulu, overnight, then Honolulu to Sydney.  Another is Seattle to San Francisco, then SFO to Fiji and Fiji to Sydney on Fiji Airlines.

I noticed the Roll Call is kind of sparse on Seabourn.  One reason may be that they don't have a Meet and Greet.  Anyway, looking forward to something different after 1200 days on HAL.

Ray

[dfish]

Good evening 

 

 Just popping in to say all of you need to be safe, whether it is because of light fixtures that don’t work or natural disasters.  Thinking of you all.

[aliaschief]

1 minute ago, USN59-79 said:

I agree with @aliaschief about breaking up a long flight.  We have found that we can live with a ten hour flight in coach and have done that Seattle to Tokyo or Seattle to Taipei one way.  Two choices I see are Seattle to Honolulu, overnight, then Honolulu to Sydney.  Another is Seattle to San Francisco, then SFO to Fiji and Fiji to Sydney on Fiji Airlines.

I noticed the Roll Call is kind of sparse on Seabourn.  One reason may be that they don't have a Meet and Greet.  Anyway, looking forward to something different after 1200 days on HAL.

Ray

I agree. We love Hal but after so many days it was getting repetitious. Same menus, same entertainment. How many times can one watch same dance shows? We look forward to more cruises with Hal but enjoying some new experiences. Azamara reminds us so much of our Prisendam days and has excelled.

We’ll be back with Hal and their great itineraries but our days of loyalty to one line are over.

Most importantly, is we love being at sea and cruising.

[bennybear]

1 hour ago, ottahand7 said:

@Vict0riann lovely Dahlias, one of my favorites.  Prayers for safety with the approaching fires. 

@jodi58 and @bennybear Prayers for your safety that the fires are extinguished.  

 

 

We are ok here, they are bringing thousands here who are being evacuated.  Thank you!

[Mr. Boston]

9 hours ago, Mr. Boston said:

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily report, recipes and lists and especially for all of the birthday wishes, I’m flattered!  Nice collection of days, I believe that there is a monument in the Public Garden celebrating the first use of helium in surgery at Mass General Hospital.  I made the Olive Garden minestrone yesterday so I guess I’ll pass on today’s meal suggestion as there’s quite a bit left over.  Think I’ll pass on the drink.  I’ve been to today’s port several times and enjoyed it.  Prayers for everyone on our prayer list.  Cheers to those of you who are celebrating happy events!

I guess I’ve finally woken up and realized that the monument in the Public Garden is for ether and not helium!  Wouldn’t that have just made for some interesting surgeries!  My bad  😳 !

Edited August 19, 2023 by Mr. Boston

[aliaschief]

1 hour ago, USN59-79 said:

I agree with @aliaschief about breaking up a long flight.  We have found that we can live with a ten hour flight in coach and have done that Seattle to Tokyo or Seattle to Taipei one way.  Two choices I see are Seattle to Honolulu, overnight, then Honolulu to Sydney.  Another is Seattle to San Francisco, then SFO to Fiji and Fiji to Sydney on Fiji Airlines.

I noticed the Roll Call is kind of sparse on Seabourn.  One reason may be that they don't have a Meet and Greet.  Anyway, looking forward to something different after 1200 days on HAL.

Ray

Yes they have no Meet and Mingles. B.

[1ANGELCAT]

Just a heads up, Smithsonian channel is showing Mighty Cruise Ships tomorrow evening at 8pm eastern is Nieuw Statendam.

[aliaschief]

4 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Ugh.  So sorry.  That’s tricky.

 

 

I am so sorry to hear the news of your BIL.  I know it may be a blessing but it is still hard and will be a sad time.  Prayers for him, Sue’s sister & you and all of your family 🙏 

 

 

Thank you Jacqui. We are all in the zone and expect these events but also realize we are in a line and fortunately do no not know our number.

We continue to enjoy every day as if it was our last. My BIL Don had a wonderful life and he Believed their was more to come. 

[marshhawk]

For @RedneckBob, yesterday I saw a woman wearing a Halloween T shirt, way too early for that.

 

That and the drink of today-Yesterday was the start of the Pumpkin Spice season.....yuck.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

4 hours ago, Vict0riann said:

Good afternoon, Dailyites, and thanks for all the news.  Eurodam is in Victoria today!  Happy Birthday, @Mr. Boston, and many happy returns of the day!

 

We were warned on the news last night to start thinking about what we might have to grab to take with us if there are fires nearby.  Scary.  And what is happening in the Okanagan and the NWT is just terrible.  
 

I will add some dahlia photos.  Mine are terribly late this year, many are just starting to bud- I think they were visited by the deer earlier, but I have now put fences around them.  But the white one has been blooming furiously since early July and is taking over the courtyard!

 

  
 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

Ann, I hope you will not be in a situation where you have to evacuate, but having a plan and knowing what to take is always good..  your flowers are beautiful.

 

3 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Hello everyone. We’ve had a busy day with our morning tour of Cape Spear, seeing sights in St. John’s and Signal Hill. Our guide Susan F. was outstanding!  Then we got back to the ship for lunch, curled up for a restorative nap and just watched sailing out of the narrow little opening to the harbor. No wonder we couldn’t get in here on some previous cruises when weather was bad. 
 

Thanks for doing my posting this morning Lenda. Tomorrow our tour in St, Pierre and Miquelon is in the afternoon so no problems trying to post. I just hope it isn’t planning on raining all afternoon because we have a boat tour of Sailor’s Island.  
 

Here is the new lighthouse of Cape Spear

 

the old one

 

The harbor in St. John’s with Zaandam

 

Signal Hill

 

view across harbor entrance to Fort Amherst

 

The weather was great. Wish it would continue. Time to head to Ocean Bar before dinner. 

 

Sandi, it was no problem doing the links and posting the pictures.  I'll do the same thing Wednesday so you won't have to worry about it while you are disembarking and flying home.  I imagine your DH will have his computer packed.  DH has an appointment at UTSW at 9 am that day, so we'll have to leave no later than 7 am, but with some help from Rich @richwmn, I have a way to get done.  Ifmit will help, I help also do the links on Thursday to give you time to settle in at home.  Just let me know.

 

I enjoyed your pi tures.

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Thank you Jacqui. We are all in the zone and expect these events but also realize we are in a line and fortunately do no not know our number.

We continue to enjoy every day as if it was our last. My BIL Don had a wonderful life and he Believed their was more to come. 

 

Bruce, it is never easy to lose a loved one even if it's a blessing.  Dementia makes it doubly hard as you lose them during the illness and again when they die.

 

Lenda

[Cruzin Terri]

First of all, I hope Ann and Pat remain safe during the fires.  Prayers that the fires can be put out soon. 

Debbie @dfish, glad you are feeling better.

 

Well, all my predictions have materialized.  I have not heard from the floor guy.  The contractor is on vacation and will not be back until Tuesday. So I can remain aggravated until then.

At least I let the Contractor know about his flooring guy and and he may want to find another.  I made quite a bit of noise.  However, I am still not going to get any action until at least until the beginning of next week.

 

i am very tired, not having slept very much last night.  That is not helping.  

Sorry for dumping on you all.

Good night,

Terri

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

59 minutes ago, Cruzin Terri said:

First of all, I hope Ann and Pat remain safe during the fires.  Prayers that the fires can be put out soon. 

Debbie @dfish, glad you are feeling better.

 

Well, all my predictions have materialized.  I have not heard from the floor guy.  The contractor is on vacation and will not be back until Tuesday. So I can remain aggravated until then.

At least I let the Contractor know about his flooring guy and and he may want to find another.  I made quite a bit of noise.  However, I am still not going to get any action until at least until the beginning of next week.

 

i am very tired, not having slept very much last night.  That is not helping.  

Sorry for dumping on you all.

Good night,

Terri

 

Terri, don't apologize for venting to us.  We've all vented on occasion.  We're all here to cheer and support each other.

 

Lenda

[erewhon]

Thank you Rich  @richwmn for the posting the HAL Fleet locations, and the Daily.

Thanks to those who posted photos of today's port, which we have not visited.

@JazzyV  appreciate all your work with the Care/Celebration lists.

@kazu   A big thank you for continuing the Future Cruise Lists and Bon Voyage messages.  Ten years shows true dedication to cruising.

Also thank you sharing photos of your beautiful Dahlias.  Pleased that Ivan is improving, he looks very much at home.

@Mr. Boston  Wishing you a very Happy Birthday.

@Vict0riann  thank you for sharing photos of your Dahlias, hope that the fires will be kept under control, so you do not have to evacuate.

@Cruzin Terri  sorry that you are once again having so many problems, hope that your flooring will soon be dealt with  competently, and you are satisfied with the result.

                

Had intended going for a walk, changed my mind when I went out to pick the first flowering Daffodil in our garden, the wind is bitter, straight from the Antarctic.!

 

[Sharon in AZ]

Good evening all!  Had a busy day taking DM for pedicures and getting her new glasses and lunch. Lunch was difficult because she couldn’t hear me over the sound system. We ordered pizza and salad each and I asked for mine to go and then forgot about it until I got home. 

 

Happy Birthday @Mr. Boston!  Enjoy. 
 

We visited St Thomas on our very first cruise in 1987 on the Noordam. Since then we have been many more times and a few watches too. 
 

With final payment day coming in October on our Hawaii cruise I finally have started to do some work on excursions.  I have been waffling about whether to even go, mainly due to a certain poster being on the same cruise, but after looking at current prices decided that we should do it now. We haven’t been to Hawaii since 1984. 
 

6 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@kazu, the Hawaii port thread by the San Diego poster has now been locked. How long till he starts a new one?

Thiis is who is on our cruise. I finally stopped reading the roll call. I decided that I can’t let one person determine my enjoyment and will actively avoid said person. I won’t be attending the M&G. 
 

Have a great evening!

[Hobar]

On 8/18/2023 at 11:07 AM, aliaschief said:

That’s good news on your health. We are booked on Seabourn Quest end of October. Montreal to Miami. It will be our first time on Seabourn. Their CC Roll Calls are pretty much non-existent. We have found it’s refreshing to experience cruising on other cruise lines.

Our flights to New Zealand/Australia we break up. Like Atlanta to West Coast spend a day or two. Last time we went to Honolulu from West Coast and overnighted a day or two. Does shorten the long haul. Bruce

@aliaschief 

You will love Seabourn.  Have been sailing it for over 20 years.  I just booked HAL for the first time for a cruise with my mom and sister next year so that the three of us can be in one suite comfortably together, and need a port of embarkation/disembarkation that we can drive to due to my mother’s more limited mobility, and we were looking for a cruise with lots of activities, venues to hang out in on board, and dining options.  (We booked the Neptune Suite that will accommodate us in one suite and I like the benefits it includes.) I will tell you that so far, with the drink packages, it looks similar in cost to what my husband I spend on Seabourn, per person, (in a regular veranda suite, not a premium suite) and will no doubt be more given the extra / upcharges. It is truly all-inclusive; just order whatever you want wherever you want - unlimited; no one is counting. There are no extra charges on SB for anything other than super premium wines, spa services and excursions.  All tips are included.  Caviar is included.  Lobster is plentiful and included.  BUT SB is not for everyone as there are limited activities and entertainment; it is definitely more sedate.  I am very much looking forward to a fun “girls” trip and lots of memories to be made.  

Edited August 21, 2023 by Hobar