The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday October 19th, 2023

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

These are a few of the pictures I took on our tour of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar in 2015.  Some of the pictures are not that great since I took them from the bus. There are a couple where the western sun mess up the pictures too.  We were a bit disappointed in our tour since it wasn't quite what was describe, but at least, it got us off the ship for a few hours.

 

We saw this creature from our aft balcony, shortly after we docked.

 

The view of Valparaiso from the ship

 

What we saw from the bus heading to Vina del Mar

 

 

Museo de Arqueología e Historia Francisco Fonck.  We spent some time in the museum, but the pictures are not that great.

 

The little bit we saw of the beach in Vina del Mar

 

The upper part of Valparaiso

 

One of the not so nice areas.  I'm still trying to figure out how they got the cars on the deck of that house.

 

The harbor area

 

We stopped for our obligatory shopping venue near a sidewalk overlooking the lower part of town.  We had a good view of the town and the harbor.

 

 

 

A street on the way back to the ship.

 

Lenda

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[Lady Hudson]

Good morning.  On my way to NJ.  Thanks for all the well wishes yesterday and today.  
 

Prayers for all in need and for everyone around the world living in stress.  
 

Best wishes for a great day.  Katherine 

[ottahand7]

Good morning everyone.   Thanks for the Daily and Fleet reports. Today's Evaluate your life seems to be in conflict with today's quote, one is backward thinking and the quote forward thinking, a good quote.  It is always important to try resolve conflicts.  I dress like a dork a lot at the cabin when working in the garden.   Many layers that usually come off during the day, beat up shoes etc. and no care to matching.   Nobody is up there most of the time.   @dfishthanks for the recipes the second one with just a bit of sauce would suit me.   The mule would be good with sugar free ginger beer.  Pass on the wine, I like my bourbon separate from my wine.   I have not been to Valparaiso.   Thanks for the port photos @StLouisCruisers and @Quartzsite Cruiser thanks for the article about the port @rafinmd. Streptomycin made TB a life long decline into something that could be cured.   It fell out of use when newer ones were discovered because of the side effects.    Glad today isn't a Monday, stock market has been shaky for the last couple of years.  

@Lady Hudson Bon Voyage!  

 

Thanks for the Cares and Celebrations reports @JazzyV, I hope that the procedure helps your pain.   Prayers for everyone on our care list and the people suffering the ravages of war in Israel and Ukraine.   

We have literally decided to pull the plug on the ovens.   I ordered a new one from Costco and it is scheduled to be delivered next Thursday.    We have to remove the old one, something John neglected to tell me but he came up with a heavy duty table on wheels just the right size and height to pull it out on to.   Thankfully they take the old one away.    I got all of my calla lilies dug and even though I gave some away last spring it seems I have more than ever.    My Daffodils are planted too, the tulips will go in our next sunny day on Monday or Tuesday.  It is raining here and will be for the nest couple of days.  I have a dental cleaning appointment and garden club at 6:00 with an Audubon Society member speaking on feeder birds.   Have a wonderful Thursday.   Nancy 

Edited October 19, 2023 by ottahand7

[GeorgeCharlie]

We took a tour of the Valparaiso area last December and the first stop was at the Fish Market. Besides lots of birds looking for scraps, there was also some sea lions - including this big fellow, who seemed to have his own table😉

 

 

A short video clip of the big fellow at his table.

 

 

[RedneckBob]

2 hours ago, summer slope said:

Mexican Mule cocktail:

 

Ingredients
1 part Hornitos® Plata Tequila
2 parts Ginger Beer
1/2 parts Lime Juice
Lime Wedges

Instructions
Build over ice, garnish with fresh wedge of lime.

 

This drink is double trouble. Comes with a real kick and I rate it two tums up! 👍👍

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

@Lady Hudson  Katherine, safe travels to NJ today.  Have a great cruise with your sister and a wonderful birthday Saturday.  BON VOYAGE

 

 

Lenda

 

 

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Dailyites 

 

Prayers have been lifted for our Daily family. Hoping we get some good news so Vanessa can move someone to our celebration list. 

 

We had a great evening with friends last night. The weather was perfect. The gals sat around the fire while the guys finished watching Rangers/Astros game.

 

Tonight I believe is my last birthday celebration with my game girls making all my favorites and playing Mahjongg. 

 

I wish all my friends here a peaceful, blissful day. Know you are loved.

[aliaschief]

Good morning. Slept late. Wonderful. We have been today’s port and pictures posted brought back great memories. We sailed on the MS Veendam from Val P to Buenos Aires via Antarctica. Pre cruise we did Machu Picchu and after we also did Iguazu Falls on our own. It was a great adventure.

I believe I have everything I’m taking on the cruise spread out in guest bedroom. Now just need to roll them up and put them in designated packing bags. Sue needs a new pair of SAS walking shoes and that  I’m also taking her to lunch. So my day has been planned.

Will finish my coffee and get ready for today’s itinerary. Starting to realize that there is probably going to be some changes to our world cruise itinerary. Such turmoil and hatred in the world.

Thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily. Bruce

 

[Overhead Fred]

Beautiful sunrise over Deer Bay this morning!

 

[superoma]

We got our flu and Covid vaccines yesterday. Both dh and I had a rough night, not sleeping well. I think mine was because I couldn’t sleep on either side since each arm got a shot. Woke up at 4:30 and gave up trying to sleep at 6:30. Will probably fall asleep watching the 6pm news! No other effects of the vaccines.

 

hope everyone has a good day. We are in for three days of rain! Yuck!

[Mr. Boston]

Good morning everyone.  Thanks for the daily updates.  Beautiful day to evaluate my life here, blue skies and a refreshing breeze.  Wouldn’t it be nice if all of the world’s conflicts were resolved today?  I’ll skip the last day.  I like today’s quote.  The meal and drink suggestions sound nice.  I haven’t been to today’s port.  Prayers for those that need them.  Cheers to all of you who are celebrating happy events today!

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

The port of Valparaiso and the big city of Santiago are interesting places to visit.  Valparaiso seems to have been replaced by San Antonio the past few years in my experience.  In 2012 and 2015 the Star Princess and Ruby Princess stopped at Valparaiso during our South American cruises.  In 2016 we flew to Santiago and stayed the night, then were driven to Valparaiso to start our Seabourn Antarctica cruise.  In 2020 we flew to Santiago again for an overnight stay but that time we were driven to San Antonio to begin our Coral Princess Antarctica cruise.  Rumor was there were too many problems with dock worker strikes in Valparaiso. 

 

In 2012 we took a ship’s tour which included Valparaiso highlights, the Fonck Museum and Vina Del Mar, the seaside getaway for Santiago.

 

An overlook as we left the bus to walk around a bit

 

The Naval Museum

 

 

A funicular we did not ride on

 

 

The Hotel Reina Victoria on Plaza Sotomayor

 

 

The Blue Armada de Chile (the Chilean Navy headquarters) also on Plaza Sotomayor

 

 

We drove around Vina del Mar and stopped to take photos of the famous flower clock

 

 

The cathedral in Vina del Mar

 

 

Then stopped at the Fonck Museum

 

 

 

Later, the view of the funicular we saw earlier, from the ship’s deck

 

 

In 2015 we had a delayed start to our day due to some cranes blocking the Ruby Princess’s Skywalkers nightclub and the bridge, which both extend over the edge of the ship.  It took quite a while for them to get someone to move the cranes out of the way.

 

 

There was a Holland America ship already docked and I took a photo of it.  Can’t read the name very well, but it might say Zaandam.

 

 

This time we caught the local bus to Plaza Sotomayor.  But first we had to walk past the market to the bus stop.

 

At Plaza Sotomayor we saw the same hotel and naval building as the first time but got to check out the Heroes monument up close.

 

 

 

Doesn't look blue anymore.

 

Nearby was the entrance to the Ascensor El Peral funicular, one of the oldest in the city.  We used it to get to the top of the hill where you have the Paseo Yugoslavo, which offered a sightseeing balcony with a vista of the bay and mountains.  There are 22 funiculars in Valparaiso which save the citizens many steps per day.

 

 

And two of the cars passing each other

 

At the top, we saw the Baburizza Palace, a museum and historic monument.  It was built as a residence in 1916 for a Croatian businessman

 

 

Time to take a bus back to the ship

 

 

The remaining two visits are coming up in the next post.

 

 

 

Interesting photos Sandi.

Nice photos of you two.

[Mr. Boston]

27 minutes ago, superoma said:

We got our flu and Covid vaccines yesterday. Both dh and I had a rough night, not sleeping well. I think mine was because I couldn’t sleep on either side since each arm got a shot. Woke up at 4:30 and gave up trying to sleep at 6:30. Will probably fall asleep watching the 6pm news! No other effects of the vaccines.

 

hope everyone has a good day. We are in for three days of rain! Yuck!

DH is in the same boat that you are.  Verrry draggy and a sore are.  Hope you feel better soon.

[durangoscots]

Good morning. Sunny and dry here. Highs will be low 70's and it has been in the mid to lower 30's at night. Next week will see sharp cooling and I hope, hope, hope my heaters get fixed. Otherwise the dogs and I are going to be cold. I have been to Chile several times with various short trips around the ports, but no pictures to share. I remember Santiago was cloudy the one time I was there and we had one of the most obnoxious individuals I have ever met on our tour. Sort of ruined it for all of us. We talked about leaving him behind but the guide wouldn't let us do it. Meal looks good and the drink looks lethal.

 

I will certainly support resolving conflicts. And as rapidly as possible. The current situation is worrisome and disturbing.

 

I am doing overdue paper work today and hopefully will also get another file drawer sorted and shredded. Otherwise nothing on the agenda. Just a rather boring day in store and maybe that is best.

 

By the way, I love the Meme of the woman buying the ticket..... it is the way I feel these days as technology is leaving me behind.

 

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @richwmn.

I don't think I need to evaluate my life today. Worldwide conflict resolution would be a great thing. I don't know if my usual at home dress of sweatpants and a t-shirt qualifies as dorky. Interesting quote. I like the meal, maybe on the drink (I've never had a mule) and yes to the wine. I have been to Santiago/San Antonio as the departure port for my SA/Antarctica cruise (they were striking at Valparaiso). A great day in medicine, and awful day in finance.

 

Today is the pick day of the week. There's sunshine and a high temp later of 66F, after a 41F start this AM. It would be a good day for yard work, but I'll still take it easy. And curbside leaf collection doesn't start until the week of the 30th. Damp and chilly for the weekend. I still had leg pain and tingling in my leg when I woke up, but the pain was probably 1/3 less. So that's some progress, although I wasn't expecting much this soon.

 

@StLouisCruisers Thanks for the photos from Valparaiso, which I didn't get to see. 

@RMLincoln Lots going on! I'm sorry to hear the grandkids are sick, but you don't need to catch anything from them. I hope you get to move on the earlier schedule, with more help from the movers.

@Haljo1935 I'm glad you got the Int'l DL. Sorry you're still feeling poorly from all your shots.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Nice photos.

@ottahand7 I hope you like the new oven; probably much advanced over your old one.

@superoma I'm hoping to get both shots in the same arm, like last time, to avoid that scenario.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those with something to Celebrate.

 

A few photos from Santiago on my 2019/2019 Zaandam SA/Antarctica cruise

View of Gran Torre Santiago

 

Mary Statue, San Cristobal Hill, Santiago

 

Monument to the indigenous people, Plaza de Armas, Santiago

 

Christmas tree in Plaza de Armas, Metropolitan Cathedral in back.

 

Funicular San Cristobal Hill

 

The Zaandam in Port San Antonio

 

[summer slope]

Just found out there is a paper shredding on Saturday so we spent the morning going through files. 

[cruising sister]

Good afternoon,

One of my favorite cruises was out of Chile. I remember Valparaiso for the murals and dogs. 

 

I am busy with grandson today so this will be short. 
 

Prayers and well wishes. Have a great day. 

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

We're enjoying a welcome 2 days of sunshine.  Yesterday got up to 72 and today will be almost as warm.  Very welcome with the rain we've had (and will have a lot more).

 

Vanessa @JazzyV I'm glad to hear your leg pain was about 1/3 less this morning and hope it gets even better.

 

Debbie @dfish My BFF had the parathyroid surgery yesterday morning, as of yesterday afternoon she said she was doing well.  Apparently the surgeon had to "go back in"  before closing it up because her calcium level was too high (!)  I guess they test before it's over?  Did they do that with you?  Anyway, I'm waiting to hear more today.

 

My friend Ronda is still in the hospital (!!) they thought she could go home last night but then the kidney scan was worse than it had been that morning.  I can't believe all she's gone through, she's been in the hospital almost a month now. 

 

Vanessa @JazzyV You can take DH off the care list, I think he's doing well and he says the antibiotics have broken up the congestion.  That's what was bothering him the most.  Of course we'll know more when they do another x-ray next month.

 

Tonight will be salmon, and tomorrow I plan to make the Guinness Beef Pie.  I'm going to use pot roast instead of hamburger.

 

I hope everyone has a nice day!

 

 

[kochleffel]

OK on the special days but I think that the third one might have been chosen specially for me. No on the meal (pork) and on the drink. Yes on Roy's alternative but it's not likely to materialize. For a red blend, I'll suggest Hunter's Red from the west side of Seneca Lake. I haven't been to Chile.

 

Hartford International announced today that registration for the spring opens on Monday, which startled me, and released the course schedule. I needed to check the dates for an RCI cruise in January, and got a bigger shock when I saw that I had missed the final payment date. However, they had not cancelled my booking and were (I think) overjoyed to accept the payment. The ship returns to Cape Liberty on the day of the first class session, but class isn't until 4:00 p.m.

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon from a pleasant central Texas.  This is one of those days that started with thinking I might tackle my to-do list.  However, it turns out, it's one of those days that I just don't want to do anything.  Since this is about the first day that is nice enough to sit outside in the port, I think I'll take my book and other things, and head outside.  It might just recharge the batteries, since a long walk a little while ago didn't. I think I just have the blahs today.

 

I watched the Astros/Rangers game last night.  Living this close to DFW, our neighbors are big Rangers fans, and one even works for them during home games.  However, we became Astros fans in about 1986 or 1987 when our neighbor gave us box seat tickets to a game.  That was the era when Nolan Ryan was their star pitcher and Yogi Berra was a base coach.  While they did not win as often as we'd like, there were a bunch of great guys on the team.  The upside is there will be a Texas team representing the AL in the World Series.  

 

2 hours ago, JazzyV said:

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily @richwmn.

I don't think I need to evaluate my life today. Worldwide conflict resolution would be a great thing. I don't know if my usual at home dress of sweatpants and a t-shirt qualifies as dorky. Interesting quote. I like the meal, maybe on the drink (I've never had a mule) and yes to the wine. I have been to Santiago/San Antonio as the departure port for my SA/Antarctica cruise (they were striking at Valparaiso). A great day in medicine, and awful day in finance.

 

Today is the pick day of the week. There's sunshine and a high temp later of 66F, after a 41F start this AM. It would be a good day for yard work, but I'll still take it easy. And curbside leaf collection doesn't start until the week of the 30th. Damp and chilly for the weekend. I still had leg pain and tingling in my leg when I woke up, but the pain was probably 1/3 less. So that's some progress, although I wasn't expecting much this soon.

 

@StLouisCruisers Thanks for the photos from Valparaiso, which I didn't get to see. 

@RMLincoln Lots going on! I'm sorry to hear the grandkids are sick, but you don't need to catch anything from them. I hope you get to move on the earlier schedule, with more help from the movers.

@Haljo1935 I'm glad you got the Int'l DL. Sorry you're still feeling poorly from all your shots.

@Quartzsite Cruiser Nice photos.

@ottahand7 I hope you like the new oven; probably much advanced over your old one.

@superoma I'm hoping to get both shots in the same arm, like last time, to avoid that scenario.

 

Prayers for the Care List and Cheers for those with something to Celebrate.

 

A few photos from Santiago on my 2019/2019 Zaandam SA/Antarctica cruise

View of Gran Torre Santiago

 

Mary Statue, San Cristobal Hill, Santiago

 

Monument to the indigenous people, Plaza de Armas, Santiago

 

Christmas tree in Plaza de Armas, Metropolitan Cathedral in back.

 

Funicular San Cristobal Hill

 

The Zaandam in Port San Antonio

 

 

Vanessa, I'm glad your leg pain was less this morning.  I hope the steroid injection continues to work.  Thanks for your pictures fo Santiago and Valparaiso.

 

50 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

We're enjoying a welcome 2 days of sunshine.  Yesterday got up to 72 and today will be almost as warm.  Very welcome with the rain we've had (and will have a lot more).

 

Vanessa @JazzyV I'm glad to hear your leg pain was about 1/3 less this morning and hope it gets even better.

 

Debbie @dfish My BFF had the parathyroid surgery yesterday morning, as of yesterday afternoon she said she was doing well.  Apparently the surgeon had to "go back in"  before closing it up because her calcium level was too high (!)  I guess they test before it's over?  Did they do that with you?  Anyway, I'm waiting to hear more today.

 

My friend Ronda is still in the hospital (!!) they thought she could go home last night but then the kidney scan was worse than it had been that morning.  I can't believe all she's gone through, she's been in the hospital almost a month now. 

 

Vanessa @JazzyV You can take DH off the care list, I think he's doing well and he says the antibiotics have broken up the congestion.  That's what was bothering him the most.  Of course we'll know more when they do another x-ray next month.

 

Tonight will be salmon, and tomorrow I plan to make the Guinness Beef Pie.  I'm going to use pot roast instead of hamburger.

 

I hope everyone has a nice day!

 

 

 

Carolyn, I hope your friend Rhonda gets to go home soon, and I hope your BFF has a quick and uneventful recovery.  I'm glad the antibiotics have cleared your DH's congestion. 

 

1 hour ago, cruising sister said:

Good afternoon,

One of my favorite cruises was out of Chile. I remember Valparaiso for the murals and dogs. 

 

I am busy with grandson today so this will be short. 
 

Prayers and well wishes. Have a great day. 

 

Lorraine, thanks for your pictures, too.

 

Lenda

 

[dfish]

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

 

Debbie @dfish My BFF had the parathyroid surgery yesterday morning, as of yesterday afternoon she said she was doing well.  Apparently the surgeon had to "go back in"  before closing it up because her calcium level was too high (!)  I guess they test before it's over?  Did they do that with you?  Anyway, I'm waiting to hear more today.

 

 

They test each of the four parathyroid glands to see which one is sending out too much hormone and then as they remove the offenders, they test the calcium levels and parathyroid hormone levels.  Lots of testing going on to make sure they get the right parathyroid glands - we have 4.  They took 2 of mine.  My sister had three removed.  My calcium is normal and has stayed normal since the surgery.  

 

She'll have a sore throat for a day or two.  I had surgery on Wednesday and came home that day.  I was tired the rest of that day and on Thursday, but was almost back to normal by Friday.   The surgery is a good excuse to eat ice cream for dinner.  But, she needs to be careful.  I had a bit of acid reflux after surgery and some antacid tablets would be smart to have on hand.  That part is normal.  

 

I have an appointment with a general surgeon for consult on my ventral hernia next Tuesday.  It would be nice to get this scheduled and over with.  I look like I'm pregnant and there is no holding your gut in.  It just makes the hernia stick out more.  

Edited October 19, 2023 by dfish

[kochleffel]

1 hour ago, kochleffel said:

However, they had not cancelled my booking and were (I think) overjoyed to accept the payment.

 

After that I booked a hotel in Manhattan for the two nights before embarkation, and  bought a ticket to Nabucco at the Met. FWIW, that opera is apparently wildly popular in Israel even though the other guys win.

[rafinmd]

First, today I finished the online checkin for the Rotterdam and have created my boarding pass.

 

I visited the ports for Santiago 4 consecutive years, 2016-2019.  In 2016 and 2018 it was on the Crystal Symphony to Valparaiso.  In 2019 it was the Prinsendam to San Antonio.  In 2017 I was on the Zaandam for what I think was HAL's last call to Valparaiso, but the photos will be from 2018.

 

All 3 of my calls to Valparaiso docked at the same pier in virtually the same exact location.  In 2016 we had a shuttle to the original cruise terminal about 2 miles from the ship's location.  The terminal was old but serviceable, but was about 1 1/2 miles from the center of town in what felt like a pretty seedy neighborhood.

 

On the Zaandam in 2017 we were probably one of the first ships to use the new terminal.  It was probably less than a mile from the center of town which sounds like a good thing.  Not exactly.  While the terminal location (and the terminal itself) was better, the only way out of the port was a second shuttle from the new terminal to the old one where we emerged in the same seedy neighborhood.  There were 2 ways we could have gotten better access to town.  The new terminal was within sight of a subway station but there was a barrier between the station and the terminal and no access.  The other possibility was even closer to the town square, probably within one or 2 short blocks.  There was an area the shuttle went through that had complete public access but the shuttle was not permitted to stop there.  If they could have done immigration on the ship and used the terminal only for embarking or disembarking passengers, the shuttle could have stopped right in the heart of town.

 

I don't think we have had photos of the Maritime Museum but that was my destination in 2018,  It was at the top of a funicular just a short distance off the main square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While billed as a Maritime  A feature was a model of a destroyer, Latorre:

 

 

The museum courtyard included an interesting outline of an anchor:

 

 

Roy

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Where’s the beach?

 

[RedneckBob]

5 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

 

Now that’s a beach !!! A little different from Florida beaches where you will find a few more sunbathers.