ottahand7

Our Mariner reception. A strange time, smack dab in the middle of the dinner hour. Maybe will lighten the load in the MDR. We have a beverage package so have no need for us to go. I am paranoid of getting sick so will avoid large crowds if avoidable. Influenza is pretty prevalent right now and it really doesn't matter if I have had my vaccination I usually get it if I am in crowds.

For the football fans. Many but not all of the games.

We are wide awake both tapping on our phones. Our room is very quiet but the seas appear to be rough and there is a lot of creaking and rocking. Not a problem for us, reminds us of the Volendam in the South Atlantic. I hope we get out of it for HMC today. Speaking of quiet, even though the MDR was crowded last night we could still have normal conversation. A wonderful man named Bill who I was derelict in not noting his last name on Facebook took an array of photos of our sail away and posted them. I will share one of our Facebook group with their orange flags and John taking a photo of me waving my Baltimore Ravens flags. So nice of him to share these when HA ships depart.

Will get photos of the new bar menu. So unremarkable I forgot. Unlike being citrusy like so many Kiwi SB it was weedy and saline.

@aliaschief we looked at the Zuiderdam longingly as we sailed out a bit before 4 pm. I hope someone shares something about the passenger riding the Segue we saw in the lobby today with the gang heading on the World Cruise. Photo attached. Breezy and chilly. We can't wait to get further south. I have horse back riding tomorrow. At this point I think I will only do the land riding and forego the water part. Poor planning on my part. I should have scheduled it last time HMC. I am at the point I don't want to get laid up Day 2 of cruise after being kicked by a horse underneath the water. Met some nice people already and two people who shared our Lido table and they have been following our "Two Midwesterners" thread. Have a nice night. Nancy

We finally are settled after a lot of activity. Dinner in the MDR. I had pot roast and John had Lasagna. Trying several of the bars. We will probably settle into the Pinnacle bar. That is the bar with the Mixology on sea days usually at 3pm. Nothing for sure right now. Sadly my favorite whisky Laphroaig is not onboard on the Eurodam. At least they are no longer selling the cocktail Penicillin which had Laphroaig as an ingredient. At least they have Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace and Bulleit bourbon which I can be happy sipping. Wine selections in the Sommelier packages have dropped significantly. No more Meomi. No more of our favorite Cote du Rhone in package 3. It is now on the bottle list at $44. The new Sauvignon Blanc is from NZ but dreadful. Ditto for the Pinot Grigio. They do have Chateau Michelle Chardonnay at $11 per glass that is tolerable. We will probably have to buy package 3 for some dinner wines we like. We had one shot to get drinks with dinner. I am sure the kinks will work out tomorrow. We were able to get a table on level 3 with our favorite waiter. Casino was packed and slots tight. Sail away was WINDY! Our little January 3 Facebook group had a get together at the Seaview pool for sail away and there were many dancing to the Macarena there for sail away. A nice start to our day 1 on the Eurodam.

Tamarind bar.

A few shots of our hotel lobby full of passengers heading on the World Cruise on the Zuiderdam. Note the lady on the Segue. 😮

We got onboard shortly after 11:30. Lunch in the Lido. Heading to Maitre D to ask for our favorite waiter Aframe. We met a nice couple at lunch, Kathy and Tom. We have a nifty Aft Neptune Suite on Deck 7.

Our ship has come in. Thanks to @rafinmdfor the screenshot of the webcam. We will head over around 11. One elevator is broken so we will go downstairs early. We are 4* and in a suite so we shouldn't have any issues.

Good morning everyone! Our ships have arrived. Eurodam behind the crane. Thanks for our ship's photo this morning Roy. Fewer ships in port today so we can see things better. The new building really has put a crimp in port viewing. We had a nice happy hour at the Boatyard for dinner last night. Breakfast next. Nancy

We had a nice dinner at the Boat House next door. Their Happy Hour is the best.

I was told of a hotel that allows long term parking as their lots are bigger than they need. I can't tell because they may sell out if everyone finds out. I would say call the hotel brand you use most often about 12 miles outside of Fort Lauderdale and ask if they do long term parking. Two trips ago we parked in the garage at the Renaissance for $7.50 a night although it was top level in the sun. We had to find something further away when we did 81 days on the Volendam last winter. Another way would be to do a Google search on long term parking options by city and drill down. Sorry I can't be more precise.

Walking to the Rite Aid helps in keeping airplane bags underweight too. We went and bought full sized hairspray and mouthwash. Have a wonderful cruise!

Hahaha about UT's jinx. Roy said he was when he watches the Ravens they lose. Most times we drive to Baltimore for a game we lose.

SeeWell, we are getting close. Just like the sunrise we have a beautiful afternoon. We looked for Chinese but there was a line and no tables to sit so we walked a little past Kelly's Landing to The Southport Raw Bar. It really looks like a dump from the front, it is the view from the back that counts. All kind of smaller (26 feet) or less can pull in and tie up for an open air lunch on their back deck. They are on the canal that runs behind the Boatyard and the yacht brokerages. We started with onion rings and John had a really good tomato basil soup. Mains were fish and chips for me John had a yummy slider, all good. Nearby this place is a Ross store popular with ship's crews it appears. Also a great place to get cheap luggage in case anyone has a luggage fail somewhere along the line.

Our first voyage itinerary. Originally we were going to Key West but Bimini has been substituted. It's okay we have never been there. I cropped out Roatan Honduras by accident.

Nancy and John will be aboard. I will see if I have signed up soon. We are boarding the Eurodam tomorrow.

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale. Thanks for the daily Jacqui. To everyone on our care list I hope that everyone is feeling better and had a good night's sleep. Debbie I was happy to read you are recovering from your surgery. Vanessa I hope that you are going to get some good news for treatment of your leg pain. Prayers for all in war zones especially Ukraine and the Innocents in Gaza. Thanks to everyone who make the daily what it is especially @richwmn @kazu @JazzyV @summer slope @cat shepard and @dfishand @rafinmd. We may celebrate buffet today with Chinese for lunch. There is one near Ross Stores. I left my sweatshirt in the truck on purpose as it was hot where we left the truck. I need a sweatshirt here so I will check their clearance rack. Probably wrapping the day up at Happy Hour at the Boatyard. Beautiful sunrise this morning with the Mouse in view. We got an end of hall room at the Renaissance with two direction windows. Like Sandi we were thrilled with the tough MI win. I fell asleep before halftime for the WA TX game. Sorry Lenda and @Haljo1935 with.WA winning in a thriller. Have a lovely day! Nancy

@RMLincoln Happy anniversary to you and your DH. 🍾❤️

@mamaofami Happy birthday to your DH! 🍾🎂

We were on the Nieuw Statendam in February 2021 and there were 1200 on board. Heaven!

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale! We can see the Mouse.

We are also joining that cruise backing it up with Hawaii South Pacific in February.