scluvsrain

Food porn alert!

i had dinner in the Tamarind tonight. While it was very good, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Service was excellent. Appetizers were very good. But I was disappointed in my entree it was wok seared shrimp and lobster with shiitake mushrooms and bok choy. While tasty, the lobster came in little pieces still inside the shell. They didn’t even bring me a little

fork to make it easier to dig out. I don’t mind eating food by hand, but on a gala night I wasn’t happy about having to use my fingers to assist my getting the meat out. Dessert was fantastic. A mango posset. 

5 hours ago, scluvsrain said:

There is an ATM in the casino (imagine that....). 

I stand partially corrected. There is a space at the entrance to the casino for one, but the machine has not arrived yet. It’s located in the same place as it is on the Koningsdam. 

4 hours ago, cruise06355 said:

This is an awesome post!   It looks like a beautiful ship.  Wondering if you noticed any ATM’s on board?  Keep those posts coming and enjoy your trip across the pond 😊

There is an ATM in the casino (imagine that....). 

3 hours ago, Muushka said:

We are new to HA and are going on this brandy new ship for 2 weeks over Christmas.

Does anyone know if the Vista Suites have footstools on the balcony?  We will bring one if no.

DVD players?

 

Thanks!

 

PS We are enjoying reading this thread and the adventures of Snort.

Footstools on the balconies. Regular verandas have two semi-adjustable lounge chairs and two footstools. One small round table. 

No DVD players. Instead there is a very large flatscreen tv mounted to the wall opposite the bed. It is an interactive system which has a lot of movies and tv shows as well as need and sports stations. Kind of like what they have on airplanes now. 

2 hours ago, stickey_mouse said:

What is that odd looking thing lying next to the sole? 

Yes it’s the roe. I had never tried it before. It was okay. Probably wouldn’t have it again. The server asked me if I wanted it or not when she was removing the bones so I said sure, I’ll give it a taste. 

3 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Looks like Sherita is managing with the photos now. I will give it a try.  

 

Funchal is looking very festive.  But my pictures won’t upload.

 

It was just announced now at Happy Hour that there will be a book exchange tomorrow morning, for passengers to trade their already read books.  That may be a better idea than the book exchange shelf they used to have when there was a library!

My photos I posted from a cafe along the waterfront with free WiFi. And Jacqui sent the one of Snort for me. So I’m not being too successful with the ship’s WiFi at the moment. 

But as my Dad always said to me “don’t let the bastards get you down!”

We’re coming up on 7 days at sea to “cross the pond”. We have a cabin crawl tomorrow afternoon. 

Does anyone one have questions or did we miss any photos ? Now’s the time to ask. 

1 minute ago, Despegue said:

Is there still the free sushi at the Distant Lands Asian station at the Lido Market?

when Celebrity introduced “sushi on 5”, they completely eliminated the free sushi at their Seaview buffet and I would like to know if HAL is doing the same cheapening practice...

Yes!!! Love it. I have some every day at lunch along with custom stir fry. 

Jacqui thanks so very much for posting my video. 

And i I have to be quiet right now as Snort is taking a nap......must be all that wine...

3 hours ago, puppycanducruise said:

Great pictures.  Thanks for posting them everyone.

That food looks very tasty.

And lots of comfy chairs near the pool.  What more could anyone want?

Free drinks come to mind......😜😜😜

Enjoying a great day in Funchal. My 3rd time in 2 years. Today I visited the botanical gardens, ride the cable car, tasted Madeira wine, and strolled down the street of painted doors, near the fruit and flower and fish market. The New snort and I enjoyed a glass of wine along the waterfront before walking back to the ship. Perfecto!

I can’t email my video Jacqui. File too large. It was cute. A little girl on the ship - about 2 years old - had gotten onto the dance floor by herself and was dancing to the band’s music. 

I remember on past cruises when the end of the cruise reminder for books to be turned back on went out, the librarian would arrive at their desk the next morning to find stacks of books piled high on the desk and the book drop bin also full with books on the floor beneath. 

Orlando also reiterated that it was $2 million not $2.5 million. My notes from his talk also confirm that. 

I looked in at the Crows Nest yesterday and saw no shelf or place for book exchange. 

On an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT note - hint hint - we had a comedian/magician last night named Neil Austen and while he was quite silly, the audience was laughing throughout his set, at least at the early show. I enjoyed it. 

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

already missing?  But the cruise isn't over?  Are passengers not allowed to take the books to their room to read?  Or are they missing from when the VIP's were on I wonder?

It must be Orlando. I hear he’s s big reader .........😅😅😅😅

The billboard pianists are Debbie Johns and Nate Hopkins. They’re terrific!!

We talked with Captain Albert at dinner about the library books issue. He said that over a third of the books on this ship are already missing. 

Unbelievable. 

Well. I’m pretty excited to report that I got to have dinner with Captain Albert tonight. He’s apparently old friends with two of my table mates Donna and Ike. We had an open seat at the table and he just came and plopped himself down. I was super impressed with him. What a nice man and full of great stories!! A thoroughly enjoyable meal.  

1 hour ago, orangeglitter said:

thanks for this great update. Cant wait to be on this ship next month. Do you know if there is pickleball play? Thank you

I studied the sports deck for a bit the other  day and I can’t see how the marked lines on the basketball court could turn into a pickle ball court, so I’m going to say no. There’s also no mention of any pickle ball play. 😞

The globby thing on the steak are two lobster filled dumplings. They were yummy. 

The billboard has a self serve appetizer buffet for happy hour. It looks smaller

than on the Koningsdam but maybe that’s due to the placement of it here. 

49 minutes ago, floridababa said:

Does anyone know where you can smoke cigars?

There’s a smoking area outside on Aft pool area starboard side. I’m assuming cigars are allowed there. 

Yes the beets are new. No more brussel

sprouts. And I too will miss that lemongrass soup. It was my favorite. 

Had a good day in Malaga too. It was my second time. First time I went out to Granada and the Alhambra. Today I walked into town and visited the cathedral, Picasso museum, had a sangria at an outdoor cafe, went to the Alcazaba and then walked through the Christmas markets on the way back to the ship. We had fantastic weather ! 

I like the dueling piano bar from the Koningsdam well enough but I haven’t yet heard the pianists on this ship, as I’ve been going to sleep really early - my sleep

cycle is all screwed up. But I’ve got 10+ days to get straightened out!!