Monday December 18th, 2023 -- The Fleet Report and Daily

[richwmn]

 

Today is Bake Cookies Day, National Twin Day, and Flake Appreciation Day
 

I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to.--Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love

Meal Suggestion for today - Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Drink of the Day - Dancing With The Devil
Wine of the Day - Chaos Theory red
Destination of the Day - Brest, France

Today in History:
1642 Abel Tasman's expedition sails around Farewell Spit and into Golden Bay, first sighting local Māori in New Zealand

Ship Locations
 

Eurodam

At Sea Destination Half Moon Cay, Bahamas eta 12-19
 

Koningsdam

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico 12:00 - 23:00
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 0700-16:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 09:00 - 16:00
 

Oosterdam

Montevideo, Uruguay 08:00 - 19:30
 

Rotterdam

San Juan, Puerto Rico 13:00 - 22:00
 

Volendam

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico Riviera 12:00 - 18:00
 

Zaandam

At Sea Destination Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida eta 12-19
 

Zuiderdam

At Sea Destination San Juan, Puerto Rico eta 12-19

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Sydney, NSW Australia eta 12-20
 

Westerdam

Surabaya, Java Indonesia 08:00 - 16:00
 

 

[JazzyV]

Today’s Care List:

Cruising sister’s great niece Murphy post-surgery, on CPAP

Kazu’s DBIL’s DM with pancreatitis

Cruzin Terri with + skin biopsies and PMR not well controlled

Marshhawk’s DH Chuck not feeling well

Nickelpenny having a steroid injection today for leg numbness

JazzyV with right leg pain, tingling and numbness

 

Citizens of Ukraine, Israel and Gaza

All Dailyites going through worries and stress, whether mentioned or not

 

From the Rotation:

57Redbird recovering from spinal fusion surgery, with some issues

Rafinmd with cardiac issues and elevated PSA

Haljo1945 with a frozen shoulder, PT for now

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Happy Birthday Ottahand7 (Nancy)!

Cruising sister’s g-niece Murphy extubated, and on CPAP 

Lady Hudson’s DH Bill with good report from doctor/good bloodwork results

Aliaschief visiting DD for her and DGD’s birthdays

 

The Daily Gardening Club posting wonderful flower pictures

All the contributors to the Fleet Report/Daily

 

Upcoming Cruises or At Sea:

1 day for St Pete Cruiser (Zaandam Dec 19 to Jan 4, Southern Caribbean Holiday)

3 days for Haljo1935 (Koningsdam Dec 21 to Jan 6, Circle Hawaii Holiday)

4 days for Richwmn (Volendam Dec 22 to April 21) 12d Mexico & Sea of Cortez Holiday + Jan 6 94d Grand Australia & NZ Voyage + Apr 6 15d PC Cruise

4 days for Nickelpenny (Zuiderdam Dec 22 to Jan 3) 12d Panama Canal Sunfarer Holiday

 

Suslor (Rottendam to Dec 22, Eastern Caribbean), Crazy For Cats (Rotterdam to Dec 22, Eastern Caribbean), Seagarsmoker (Nieuw Statendam to Dec 27, Southern Caribbean), Petunia1950 (Nieuw Statendam to Dec 27, Southern Caribbean), Ichiban Nekko (Rotterdam to Jan 5, B2B, 7d Eastern Caribbean + 14d Western/Tropical Caribbean), Av8rix (Koningsdam to Jan 6, 5n Mexico + 16n Circle Hawaii Holiday), and Seasick Sailor (Rotterdam to Jan 14, 51d B2B2B2B Eastern/Western Caribbean (14n) + Tropical/Southern Caribbean Seafarer (16n))

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Report.

We've got a snow squall warning for this evening.  I hope they're wrong.

I think I'll bake some shortbread cookies today.  The ones I baked last week seem to have disappeared.  Happy Twin Day!  Flake appreciation?  Well, each snowflake is unique so I guess that's the flakes I'll appreciate.

Interesting quote from a man who died too young.

The meal sounds good, looking forward to seeing recipes.  Not sure about the drink or the wine.

I've never been to today's port.

Prayers for everyone on the Care List.  Cheers for all the celebrations.

Have a great day. 

[puppycanducruise]

@ottahand7  Happy Birthday! 🎂

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning to all Dailyites.

I realize that I never got to post yesterday.

Today I am up bright and early.

Yesterday was a busy day and while I tried to get here, it just didn’t happen.

I am posting now because this afternoon, again, we have a busy time.  Jim is having an MRI on his brain.  Then he will have a cognitive test on Wednesday.  We will see the Neurologist again on January 11.  So maybe we will have some answers soon.

In the meantime, we are proceeding along as usual.  

Thank you Rich for the Daily and to Vanessa for the Cares and Celebration list.  I hope you manage to get some relief soon.

@ottahand7 HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 

The Days are interesting.  I don’t bake cookies, I don’t have a twin, and am not sure about how to appreciate a Flake!

Interesting quote by Jimi Hendrix.

As for the F&B department, thanks in advance to the ladies who run that department.

I think I will take a pass on the food, and drink and maybe the wine.

I have not been to Brest France.

 

I feel so behind the eight ball.  I have not written any Christmas Cards.  I have a very busy week and don’t know if I will ever get to them.  Part of all this is dealing with PMR and also with DH and his situation.  I will try the best I can to get them out.  Even if they arrive after Christmas.

 

That’s all I have folks.  Have a great day.

God Bless,

Terri

 

[aliaschief]

Good morning! As soon as the granddaughters get off to school we will start our 4+hour drive home. We usually drive straight through. Not looking forward to Jacksonville morning traffic.

Short but enjoyable visit.

So I’ll make this short as we prep for trip home.

Have a great week and thanks for report. Bruce

 

[cunnorl]

@ottahand7Happy Birthday!! Enjoy your special day. 

[grapau27]

Good morning.

It is a mild 53°F and cloudy.

Thank you Rich for today's daily reports.

3 good days today.

Jimi Hendrix was an amazing musician and his quote is typically him.

Not sure about today's food.

We have been to Brest a few times.

I hope everyone is safe and well.

Best wishes for a nice day for all.

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by grapau27

[summer slope]

Dancing with the Devil cocktail:

 

Ingredients
1 part DeKuyper® Triple Sec Liqueur
2 parts Jim Beam® Devil's Cut®
1 part Lemon Sour
1 part Passion Fruit Juice
2 dashes Tabasco® Hot Sauce
Garnish with Maraschino Cherries

Instructions
Shake all with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or orange slice.

 

[grapau27]

Happy birthday Nancy @ottahand7

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  The rain is gone and the temp is 40 this morning.  We should be partly cloudy but hopefully mostly sunny with a high of about 54.  Thanks to Rich @richwmn for posting the Fleet Report and Daily for us this morning.

 

Wow, some nice days to celebrate including baking cookies, twins and flakes (of snow)!  I'm not planning on baking or eating any cookies today unfortunately.  I celebrate being a twin every day!  And though I don't appreciate snow anymore I do think the flakes are beautiful when seen up close. ❄️  An interesting quote, and I'm sure the soup is good.  No idea what the drink is like and probably would skip the wine. 🍷  It must have been very special in 1642 when Tasman sighted his first Maori people.  Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today.

 

Prayers for all on the Care list here on the Daily, especially Vanessa @JazzyV who is hurting so much.  Also to Terri @Cruzin Terri's DH Jim as he has his MRI today.  Hang in there Debbie @dfish!!  Prayers also for DB and friends in need of them.  Special prayers to the people of Israel and Ukraine, and keep the military members of those two countries and our own service members safe.  Praying for hostage release every day! 🙏  As for the celebration list, happy birthday to Nancy @ottahand7 and to all who have a reason to celebrate their special events.  Hope everyone is having a great cruise!  🚢 Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the updated list each morning!❤️

 

The port is Brest, France which I'm sure is a lovely place.  I have not been there before but would love to.  Having seen that port here before I'll post the links to those dates, Oct. 7, 2021 and Sept. 11, 2022.  Please feel free to re-post your photos from these links.

 

 

 

 

I hope everyone here has a great day even if it is a Monday!  We're retired here for the most part so enjoy!  Stay safe and well y'all!

[rafinmd]

Happy Birthday Nancy @ottahand7.  Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann,and Dixie.  We don't usually get a lot of flakes here, and when we do they are not much appreciated.  I have no twin and haven't tried to bake cookies in many years. 

 

I like the Hendrix quote. 

 

I haven't been to Brest.  I wonder how the Maori feel about today.

 

Not sure about the soup.  My alternative is Chilled Pineapple and Pina Coloda Soup, Sirloin Steak, and Butter Pecan Ice Cream as served on MS Prinsendam December 18, 2013.

 

Heavy rain overnight and high winds today from the storm that just left Florida.

 

Roy

 

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning from the Rotterdam,  thanks for the daily report. The seas are much calmer but still a bit bumpy at times. We moved our clocks ahead an hour and when we went for breakfast in the lido there was no waiting. 

@ottahand7 Happy Birthday. 

DH saw the cat treats and gave me a look. He knows where we are going as part of our walk around San Juan. 

At DH's insistence we watched Musicology last night. IMHO it wasn't any better than the other performances we've watched.

We plan on watching El Morro as we sail past later this morning. 

I hope everyone has a good day today. 

[GTVCRUISER]

🎄🎅🎄

[seagarsmoker]

Good morning dailyites and thank you for the Daily Report. 

Chilly morning on the NS nearing the private island.

We had a different first day getting onboard yesterday. 

No issues finding a parking spot in the palm garage at port everglades. 

Embarkation at the port was excellent.  

Then the different part started to occur.  Security said I had no account.  Wanted to know how I made it this far without being stopped.  So after explaining everything I had done,  they turned me over to an officer who gave me a paper ticket for entrance.  We go to our cabin, I try my cabin key, it worked,  so I thought everything was good now....

After a nice lunch in our room, we go to muster drill to check-in.  The lady says, sorry sir, you have no account, go to Customer service and get a new card. So after waiting in line, they issue me a new card and we go back to muster station and same issue, no account. So she takes a pic of my card and says, you are fine now....

At around 3, I hear my name called that I need to check in with security or customer service, so I go down there and they want to know why I didn't checkin at the port....

I'm thinking OMG, I couldn't have got on the ship without going through the check-in process,  shouldn't they know that... Next I hear them call Suzi over the loudspeaker she needs to report since they can't locate me...

So after explaining everything that happened, an officer came to my rescue and said obviously something is wrong with the system. He apologized and sent me on my way. 

[Denise T]

Good Monday morning. Thanks for the daily and Fleet report. 

It will be another soggy day. It has been raining for two days now. It is somewhat warm. 

Working from home today. Last week of work before holiday break. Looking forward to it. 

Thinking of all on the care list 

Celebrating with all who are celebrating. 

Have a safe and healthy day. 

 

[seagarsmoker]

We had an ok dinner, food was fine, but everything was cool or cold.

Ship is full, mucho kids everywhere.  I estimate hundreds. 

Many changes to ship since March. No more tea or lemonade selve service,  just coffee and water now. They have ice machines, but no ice (at least when we tried).

Casino is rearranged to the better and I won last night, highlight of the day. 😀

Children are now allowed in what has been the adults only section of the lido deck.

Strange to see kids sitting in the bar and smoking section, probably just me, just seems like an odd decision. 

Will check-in later as we are staying on the ship when we are at Half Moon Cay.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful day.  

 

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet Update and General Info from all contributors.

 

I’m back! Yes RNB is back and just had a great time on a 14 day cruise. Thanks for all the Bon Voyages and don’t come, I mean welcome back greets from all my CC friends.

Since HAL doesn’t like anyone to post cruise reviews of other cruise lines on a HAL site, let’s say the name of the cruise line I cruised is like a famous Hollywood Star and ship like what a mirror does. Further I will let y’all know that my review will be in Chapters to confuse HAL further. And no, I will not post pictures of the food I ate cause how many photos of grits can you stand like grits with butter, grits with bacon, grits with shrimp, and on and on…The Chapters will be listed in Roman Numerials starting with I and ending in my new t shirt size which is the same Roman Numerial as this years Super Bowl!

 

 Chapter I, “Did that really Happen”.

 

Made it to the port in our assigned time, checked it at Terminal 19, and boarded the boat. Now that was not easy. One ramp from the building to boat straight up, I would say 25-30 degree slope. Half way up I asked when does this walkway start moving? So now we are on board and I am not wearing my designer Air Walmart tennis shoes but those “NB” designer shoes, or what is called New Balance. Well, for the whole cruise the simulated stone floors were so slippery that I renamed these shoes to “No Balance”. One day while in their Lido Restaurant the boat rocked and one of those drink carts on wheels started moving and rear ended me. That goodness I had a soft, I mean solid rear end bumper.

 

I forgot to mention, for those who wish to see that mask man RNB, someone took a photo of me at the Port Everglades sailaway. Not on the 12/3 sailing cause we left two hours late but on the 12/9 sailaway. Wait, I was still wearing a mask, Sorry.

 

That ends Chapter I.

 

 

 

So the 

Edited December 18, 2023 by RedneckBob

[puppycanducruise]

@seagarsmoker Wow, hope they get the system straight and you enjoy your cruise.

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Rich, thank you Debbie, thank you Vanessa, thank you Ann, and thank you Dixie for all your work. And thank you everyone for being here!

 

Stay Safe, and prayers for those in need.

- Jack

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s FR & D, Rich! It is still windy, but the sun has shown its face for the first time since Friday! 

Last night was a bit blustery, but we made it around the Festival of Lights & even got to see Santa!

 

The newest addition - clearly Santa’s GPS is pointing to my place. 😎

 

 

Vanessa, thank you for keeping up with all of us. Praying that your visit with the neurosurgeon leads you down a path to pain relief. I admire your strength and determination. 
 

Gym, Bindi walks, chores & starting to think about what to bring North with me for the Holiday. 

 

 

 

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Especially those suffering from debilitating pain and conditions. And those dealing with the loss of a loved one. 
 

Thinking of you & Tana, Terry. 
 

Cheers to all who are celebrating! 
 

May we each find a reason to smile today!

 

 

**********

Chaos Theory 2020 red

I won a bottle of this Napa red blend at my local wine bar’s charity raffle. It is bold, but smooth with a rich, lingering finish. I used the 2020 vintage info because it is ready to drink with a decent number of distributors. Online prices start at $32.99. I apologize for the screenshots of the additional info. 

Winemaker notes 

Chaos Theory began as a one-off blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel that David created for our first participation in the annual Premiere Napa Valley trade auction. It made such a splash he went back to the cellar to dial in the details toward making it a permanent addition to our lineup. Over the years this proprietary blend has become a shape-shifter, each vintage its own unique blend. This 2020 vintage is officially our most chaotic — and possibly most miraculous — Chaos Theory ever due to a wild range of circumstances that impacted that production cycle. Such has been our journey through the world of wine, a constant adventure that reminds us year in and year out that no matter how random or chaotic things may seem, amidst the mayhem there is reason if not always rhyme… and from each season, great wine.

[smitty34877]

Good morning. Oh my. We are blowing in the wind and rain. Thank goodness the doggies were both quick earlier as it is presently what I would call a torrential Florida type rain.The roads will flood for sure today.

I have not been to the port but celebrate twins everyday. My DGC’s are twins and have just turned teenagers. I had the pleasure of seeing Jimi Hendrix when I was in high school.He played with Leon Russell at Central Parks’ Wollman Rink.Honestly I do very much remember this concert as I have never seen anyone play like that. My DD DH would always remind me that he spent three days at Woodstock and saw him there. As if we would ever forget, haha.

I actually enjoy snow now that I no longer have to drive to and from work anymore.The recipe sounds interesting today.

 

Happy Birthday to Nancy @ottahand7!

[cat shepard]

@ottahand7

 

Nancy, may your new year be filled with laughter, love, great health, & wonderful cruising!

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..