The Fleet Report and Daily for Sunday December 31st, 2023

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I'll happily celebrate Champagne Day!  Happy New Year's Eve to everyone; wouldn't it be nice if everyone could meditate on world peace and that it actually happened?  

 

First of all, thanks @kazu for keeping us going with the FR & D; I didn't have issues this morning, but then I don't log out, I just shut the computer down at the end of the day.  I have had the issue before though, just not for a very long time.

 

A cool, dark morning out there, but still no sign of snow.  As each day passes, you can feel the tension growing on farmers in the area, as they need all the moisture they can get.  This past year was terrible for forest fires, but the coming year could be even worse if we don't get the necessary snow and rains.  It is worrisome.

 

Not much on the agenda today - time to clean up the house, do laundry, get everything in shape for the new year.  I made another big pot of turkey soup yesterday and put it into containers in the freezer for later consumption. 

 

I'd really like to try today's drink, would have to reconfigure today's menu suggestion because DH doesn't care for buffalo anything, and I can't eat blue cheese.  We still have colds and don't want to pass them along to anyone, so DH suggested we order in Chinese food (something we haven't done in ages), so it's looking like we'll be having Chinese food at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

And at midnight (I hope we make it that long), we'll open my favourite Cava - Frexinet, will toast to all of you and how fortunate we are to have made it through another year, and will welcome in the new one.  Prayers for everyone who is in need, especially those who have suffered losses this year.  Cheers to everyone!

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

Edited December 31, 2023 by ger_77

[Himself]

It is nice to know where the fleet is on this last day of 2023,

[kazu]

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone.

 

Great days indeed.  No champagne but I do have a lovely ice wine that DD DH and I always had a New Year’s.  Hope that will suffice?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if 2024 began with peace everywhere?  Good quote today - most of George R.R. Martin’s are for me.

 

 

I’ll pass on the meal for today - Ivan and I are going to my neighbours and we two widows are going to have Chinese Food.  I’ll bring a dessert worthy of New Year’s Eve and treats for Ivan (of course). She told me i could come in my jammies if I wanted. 😂  I doubt I will up until midnight.  If I am the Daily will be very late tomorrow.  LOL.

 

 

 

Fanning Island is a port we couldn’t tender to.  A disappointment -   Our roll call had amassed a huge amount of donations for them which the ship delivered to people who needed them later.  Sydney’s fireworks just started.  I hope @erewhon was able to enjoy them.

 

 

 

Thanks Roy @rafinmd for today’s maps.  CC wouldn’t load them for me despite several attempts and edits.  How do you get the ship’s names there though?  It’s not something that comes up for me. (Probably too complicated for moi 😉)

 

 

 

I don’t know about everyone else, but I will gladly bid 2023 good bye and hope that 2024 brings us all much more happiness and health.  Prayers for those on the Care list, those suffering losses, grieving, health problems, pain, worries & those that need them. 🙏 Cheers to those celebrating and cruising 🥂 

 

 

 

Have a good New Years Eve day everyone.

[StLouisCruisers]

Travelogue continues on Antarctica Dec. 31, 2016 - Chilean Naval Base

 

On Dec. 31, 2016 we first stopped at Seabourn Square so the staff could stamp our passports with the stamp of the Gonzalez Videla naval base.  It includes a penguin on the stamp. 

 

 

 

It was another beautiful sunny day in Antarctica.  The weather so far this trip was outstanding.

 

 

The next photo shows one of the two aft storage areas for Zodiacs.  They use the small crane on each side to left them in and out of the water.  And they stack one on top the other, so this one must be a spare.  We were on our way down to board a Zodiac at the time so this one wasn't in use that day.

 

 

Our Zodiac arriving at the Chilean base. 

 

 

 

The "tourist" spot we all had to stop at. 

 

 

There is a rough cement walkway from the water to the buildings to try to keep your boots clean, but with all the penguins who roost here there is a lot of muck around including on that sidewalk.  You have to forgive the penguins because they don't know any better.

 

 

A view of what I call "lawn ornaments".  You can see the Quest back there beside the huge chunk of snow and ice. 

 

 

We all brought our Chilean pesos and US dollars to spend at probably the only place to shop in Antarctica - the base gift shop!  It was quite small but they packed as much in as they could.  I bought one of the T-shirts with different variety penguins listed on the front with little drawings of them.  So cute!

 

 

More goodies.

 

 

Here is the guest book you could sign.

 

 

One of the first penguins we saw here at Waterboat Point which is the actual name of this area, was this very rare leucistic, or blonde, penguin.  We were told she came here every year to nest.  I suppose that is her mate peeking out from behind her.

 

 

Here's one sitting on her egg and grooming her feathers at the same time.  A multi-tasker.

 

But the way this penguin was siting wasn't very safe because you can see the egg in front of her.  I hope it wasn't stolen out from under her. There was a lot of squawking going on that day as they tried to keep their eggs safe from predatory birds like skuas. 

 

 

 

Moving on, this was the residence for the naval officers stationed here.  On top you see the watch tower which had a very, very steep ladder which was barely wide enough to go up. 

 

 

This is the view from the watch tower of Waterboat Point and the Gonzalez Videla Base.  You can see we were good at following directions to stay on the sidewalk.  The gift shop was on the left.  In the residence we saw the kitchen, dining area and living room which was decorated with a Christmas tree.  Bedroom doors were kept closed for privacy.  It was very kind of them to let us come visit them and invade their space like that.  But I imagine without visitors things would get a little dull at times.

 

 

I can't imagine where they would find a real tree in Antarctica so this must be a well used artificial tree.

  

 

From the Seabourn video, here is Alex who is a marine ecologist and official penguin counter trying to get an official count of nests this visit.

 

 

 

Returning to the ship DH and I enjoyed the nice day in Antarctica.  You can see my cruise keycard in my white armband.  It makes it very easy to check out and in when going to shore with all our gear on.

 

 

 

That's all for our visit to Waterboat Point, but I will be back with some ship activities on New Year's Eve.

[StLouisCruisers]

Back on the ship it was time for lunch so we went to the Patio Grill for some delicious burgers under the heat lamps.  Looks like someone ordered a Bloody Mary, too!  The macadamia nut white chocolate chip cookie and chocolate chip cookie were probably mine!

 

 

A pod of Orca whales was spotted off the ship and many of us were able to get good photos of them.  The rest of us have to be content with the videographer's images as contained in the Seabourn video.

 

 

 

Here's the best photo I took of them that day.  I was in the middle of drying my hair before our nightly meeting and dinner.

 

 

Next I have another photo taken by Boris Federer the passenger on the Zaandam at this same time.  He saw the Quest off in the distance again on Dec. 31 and took this fine photo of us, then later shared it with me.  He must have some very good lenses!  We sort of blend right in with all the snow.

 

 

My photos of the scenery that late afternoon.

 

 

Before dinner we had our nightly meeting by the expedition staff who explained what the plans were for the following day. They were fantastic!

 

 

 

Our place setting at dinner included this scroll with our menu on it.  According to my cruise diary the menu was a caviar appetizer, lobster consomme', sauteed escalope of foie gras, passion fruit sorbet as a palate cleanser, then either filet mignon or Chilean salmon followed by Chocolate Piano for dessert.

 

 

Our dessert

 

 

Dinner was followed by a comedian in the theater and a dance party until midnight with champagne toasts. 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year!!

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Report.

Happy New Year! 🎉  I doubt that I will be awake at midnight but I'll probably be up later to pee.😉

We're having Chinese take-out for our dinner, that's our tradition. 

It's snowing, I hope we don't get too much.

I'm praying for Peace.

Interesting quote.

The recipe sounds good, I think we'll have it one of these days.  Thanks.

I'll pass on the drink.  I hope the wine is good.

Thanks for the pictures of Fanning Island.

A good day in Canadian history.

Prayers for everyone.  Stay safe.

[RedneckBob]

Chief, but we never ate chocolate ice cream from this!

 

[Nickelpenny]

Good morning to all from a windy and rainy Zuiderdam in the Caribbean Sea though the sunrise was beautiful. Happy New Year’s Eve which I will celebrate with pseudo champagne and wish for peace around the world. The meal sounds delicious but I will be eating on the MDR tonight but not with the drink or wine. Never been to the port LOVE the quote and what a momentous day in history. 

I had a wonderful day yesterday and the walking was very manageable. I touched a sloth, saw monkeys and a poisonous viper, a caiman and lots of flora, fauna and birds. Drank some local beer and bought a refrigerator magnet. I was extremely tired by the end of the day and hit the sack early in anticipation of today’s evening activities. I rarely stay up for NYE but will try tonight. 
 

I want to express my gratitude to everyone here who makes this blog a gathering of love, sharing and caring. It has become a place I come to every morning to make me smile, laugh and check in on a lot of you to make sure things are going well or to share in your sorrows - sending you a virtual hug.  Thank you and I wish for all a Happy New Year. 
 

Have a wonderful day everyone!

 

[cunnorl]

 Good Morning from a cool but sunny day at the beach

       Happy New Years Eve to everyone. We will not see midnite. A few years ago, one of our friends had a New Years Eve parry at noon. It was great. In my early years, I always worked New Years Eve  I was an ER nurse. So never was much of a party time for me.

      We went to Fanning Island on the Eurodam in 2019. Very rough tender ride. I really enjoyed the visit. They had told us how primitive it was but still passengers were looking for the ATM! I have some very fond memories of that visit. Sandi @StLouisCruisers We were told that they process seaweed for the Japanese. They trade seaweed for supplies. Not sure if it is true but thats what we were told.

    We had a wonderful visit with our cruise friends from the Noordam. There was even a heavy rocket launch which they have never seen before. They are going to stop again in March on their way back to Canada.

       Hope everyone has a safe and healthy New Year.

Charlene

[tupper10]

Happy New Year to all and thank you to all who post here.  

[0106]

@StLouisCruisers I agree with @cunnorl your picture is probably an algae/seaweed farm.

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning.

Happy New Year’s Eve.

We plan a quiet day and evening.

Have champagne on ice and bought some steaks for dinner.

Thank you to Jacqui @kazu for the Daily and Fleet Report.  You are doing a great job taking over for Rich.

Thank you to Vanessa @JazzyV, who, in spite of your own health problems, keeps track of everyone’s cares as well as their celebrations and cruises, Kudos to you. i hope you have some relief soon from your leg pain.

Thank you to Tina @0106 for taking care of our nuitrition needs as Debbie recuperates

Thank you to Ann @cat shepard and Dixie @summer slope in the Beverage Department.  

You all do a wonderful job all year with your dedication to this thread.

Thank you to Graham @grapau27 for Father David’s sermon and for the explanation of the days we celebrate.  Always a welcome addition.

 

Not much to report today.  Got my end of year finances in order yesterday.  Today i plan to take it easy.  I always find that I have so much to do.   Today i am going to ignore it all.

 

Have to make breakfast now and then watch Mass online.  

 

More later.

God Bless.

Terri

[cruising sister]

Good morning from the plane,

3:30 AM came early. I have a looong layover in LA before the one hour flight to SD. I may find a sleeping pod!  
 

Have a great NYE!

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing.

Happy New Years Eve to all.

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Good morning from the plane,

3:30 AM came early. I have a looong layover in LA before the one hour flight to SD. I may find a sleeping pod!  
 

Have a great NYE!

 

Safe and smooth flight to you.  I hope you can get some sleep on the plane if not during the layover 🤞. Just don’t miss your connection please.

[dobiemom]

Thank you for the Fleet Report and Daily information. I haven’t been able to stay up on NYE until midnight for years. I’ll watch the ball drop in Times Square on ABC’s “Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2024” and be in bed shortly after 9pm. 

 

Hope everyone has a safe and happy NYE. Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous 2024. And lots of cruises! 

[kochleffel]

I once tried to persuade my doctor that I suffered from champagne deficiency. She said there was no such thing, and since she was a graduate of Harvard Med, I didn't argue.

 

I don't think I would like the casserole and I would have to alter the recipe anyway; I'll opt for Roy's alternative and I request delivery of it at 6:30 p.m. I might like the drink, if made with lactose-free ice cream, or I might not. For a white blend, Lakewood Long Stem White. I haven't been to Fanning Island.

 

I couldn't even understand the "prove you are human" puzzle and it took four or five tries. If this is going to be a regular feature, I'll be gone from CC for good.

 

 

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by kochleffel

[marshhawk]

Good Sunday Morning Dailyties!  It is 31 degrees, and the computer says that temps will drop.  The weatherman says it will get up into the 50s.  

 

A friend of ours called yesterday and spoke to DH.  She invited us over for a New Years Day party.  He said yes.  She has been sick for over a month.  But since he said yes, I said OK.  I called her back and asked what I can bring....we ended up deciding I can bring a cheese platter.  So now I need to go back out to the store. Yes, I should have gone last night, but after dinner with Penny and Jesse, I was cold and wanted to go home.

 

We watched The Endurance, on tubee?  @dfish was this the same film that you watched?  It was a documentary narrated by Liam Neelson.  DH kept asking me if I wanted Gelato last night, and to tell you the truth, I got home cold, I sat and watched cold, and it was a no for the Gelato.  And today I just cant seem to warm up at all.

 

The computer didn't want to turn on this morning at all.  I couldnt get online for about 30 minutes.

 

 

 

We stay home on NYE, too much wild out there!  The cats need us to help protect them from all the noise, gunfire and fireworks.  I would love to go to bed around 8 at night, but cant.  

 

We have a bottle of NA champagne, which has sat in the fridge for 3 years, and we have junk food snack food, DH has a bag of caramel popcorn which he is looking forward to.

 

Well, off to the store.  Argh!  I really just wanted a day at home.  Maybe get a nap in this afternoon..

[cruising sister]

It is cold on the plane!  The only working bathroom is in the rear of the plane. They have to escort the pilot for safety. Poor guy. Everyone knows his business!

[dobiemom]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

Is anyone else getting this “prove you are human” before trying to post?

Yes for my first post. 😡
 

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

Yes and I couldn’t load any photos to my post. Prove you are human really made me nervous.😬 Checked it out as best I could, seemed legit so I clicked.  Failed the first time I played.🤣 When I returned to CC I thought my entire post was gone.🥺 When I clicked the reply box, thankfully it was there And I was able to add the photos.😊

Same for me. 😉

 

So I just logged out, closed the browser, and logged back in.  Let’s see what happens now…  

 

Nope, still had to prove I’m a human. 🤷🏻‍♀️😡 

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

I am still sore and tender and my belly is still really bloated from the gas they put in there.  I think that is my major source of discomfort at this point.  I'm going to try some gas reliever.  Fingers crossed.  

 

The dinner looks good and I would try it with cauliflower rice.  We are having leftover spaghetti tonight.  I made up a bunch of meals before surgery so that we didn't have to resort to pizza every night.  

 

Sue and River are off to their New  Year's Eve party at the Center for the Arts.  Two hours of peace and quiet!  My celebration will be taking a shower and putting on clean jammies.  Then I'll turn the fireplace on and settle in for some Netflix.  

 

@marshhawk That is the same one we watched.  It was very interesting and amazing that the entire crew survived.  

Safe travels to those who are on the road or in the air.  

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

[StLouisCruisers]

The lights on our pre-lit Christmas tree are finally giving up the ghost and as of last night the lower half lights are all dead!  We should run to the store to get some replacement lights before they run out, but like Annie @marshhawk, I'd really rather stay home.  I'd rather not wait until next year to replace the lights.  Besides they're half price right now!  And I may or may not be home next December anyway depending on whether we cancel our 42 day Mediterranean and passage cruise which no longer stops in Israel.  I haven't found a good replacement yet.

 

Meantime, I've opened the stocking kit and have quite a lot of work to do to get started.  All that thread has to be sorted and wound onto floss bobbins marked with their number.  Then the center of the cream color aida cloth has to be marked and that's where the first stitch goes.  Looks insurmountable but I have to remember step by step, one day at a time.

 

 

 

The center of the pattern is actually on the face of the cow/calf.  Make a mistake on that and you're cooked!

[StLouisCruisers]

10 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

Yes for my first post. 😡
 

Same for me. 😉

 

So I just logged out, closed the browser, and logged back in.  Let’s see what happens now…  

 

Nope, still had to prove I’m a human. 🤷🏻‍♀️😡 

 

I've had to prove I'm human three times today.  First post, the Antarctica travelogue posts, and the post I just made.  I'm sick of it!  DH says it's AI tracking us.  🤬

[Cruzin Terri]

I posted on my roll call first this morning and had to prove nothing.  When I came over here to post I had to prove I was a human.

Interesting.

Terri

[puppycanducruise]

When I posted on a several games on the Floataway Forum, I didn't have to prove anything.  But when I came to post on this thread, I had to solve a puzzle.

Very interesting.