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Of course, I was at the Lido pool, sorry for my error. Luckily, the Lido excellent servers made trips to the Lido Bar unnecessary. 😊 BTW, they had “football oriented” snacks in the Lido such as pigs in a blanket and sliders.

Last night, my DH wanted the lamb chops but did not like the sides. He asked our waiter if he could change the sides. “Of course sir. Would you like a baked potato and string beans?” Yes, it was perfect. My experience has been that they are happy to alter the menu to satisfy our taste. This includes asking for extra vegetables(which I often do). Warmer today with less wind. I went to the lecture again this morning, “Daredevils: Longer and Deeper “ I found the topic interesting.

I really enjoyed Stevie Jo, tonight’s comedian.

This morning Dr Hardy the guest lecturer spoke on the marine life in Atlantic. Much better than his first lecture. Happy to be watching the Ravens by the Seaview pool!

For those interested in the fish, my dinner tonight. Perfectly cooked and delicious!

I clipped the video to 30 seconds and I still cannot get it to upload. I have the regular HIA internet. Generally, it has been good this cruise; I can send iMessages, check my email and access CC. However, I cannot stream any type of video. I believe that the medical disembark was by boat. We heard the ship’s horn and then saw a boat leaving the ship. I do not believe there is any “fresh” Halibut on the ship. It would be flash frozen and IMO not worth a $25 upcharge. That being said, I have had fish at least once a day. Previously, I found most fish dishes to be overcooked and dry. This cruise, I have been pleasantly surprised to find the fish slightly undercooked, just the way I like it. In addition to smoked salmon at breakfast, they have smoked trout and herring. The fish (cod) & chips at lunch is very good if you get it fresh out of the fryer, a nice light batter. Every fish dish I have had at dinner had been excellent, a very pleasant surprise.

Will we be able to dock in Ponta Delgada? We have made 3 attempts, pilot is leaving the ship. We will make another attempt in an hour.

One thing I always look forward to is the guest lecturer. I missed the 1st lecture yesterday due to the M & G. I went this morning.Dr. Hardy was a bit dry. My DH left after 10 minutes. Perhaps it was the topic. I will give him one more chance on Sunday when he speaks about the marine life of the Atlantic.

We had a wonderful dinner at Canaletto tonight. I put my phone on the table; I had every intention of photographing each dish. We started with warm olive and rosemary bread with delicious tapenade & roasted red pepper spread. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take the picture until we had eaten all the bread.) DH loved his veal and sage meatballs. My grilled shrimp was delicious too. We shared a Canaletto salad. I had the spaghetti with clams and shrimp. I love their homemade pasta. DH had osso buco, one of his favorite dishes. Oops…forgot to take pictures. We share the gelato trio: rum raisin, pistachio and chocolate hazelnut. (Still not thinking about taking pictures.) We really like Canaletto for many reasons and had a delicious meal with excellent service there tonight.

It was nice to wake up in Brest, France without an alarm clock on Wednesday morning. We did a 4 hour tour of Quimper in the afternoon, just right for us after several long days. My DH is fascinated with the architecture We saw our first show in the World Stage tonight,Tom Crosbie, the Performing Nerd. Although billed as a comedian and magician, nerd best describes him. He was very entertaining and funny using The Complete Works of Shakespeare, a Rubik’s Cube and Scrabble tiles as props. We will return for his second show! Very much looking forward to our 1st sea day.

This morning we needed to present our passport to British immigration. To say the least, the process was unorganized. Late in gratin arrival…people lined up before 7:30 on deck 2 to enter the World stage….ship not cleared on time…LONG lines…tours assembling in BB Kings…gridlock. Using our HIA credits, first we went to Abbottsbury Gardens Beautiful view from the hill Onto the Abbottsbury Swannery.

We questioned why we weren’t able to “walk in” when we saw many empty tables and were told that some tables weren’t being used because there was no one to staff them. @badtwinYou can change your specialty dining reservations. Just cancel and rebook.

@ottahand7 @SusieKIslandGirl Thank you for your kind words. I highly recommend Overlord Tours 9B. We left at 8 and returned at 6 in an 8 passenger van. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable. Here is part of the tour description from their website. It allows you to see in one day a mixture of history based around D-Day and also the culture of Normandy. Tour includes a visit to famous Omaha Beach and the American cemetery. You will benefit from our extensive knowledge of the History of World War II and the Landing. We will then drive to Bayeux where you can have lunch after which the choice is yours; walk around the city, visit the Cathedral and see the Tapestry Museum. The Medieval city of Bayeux is one of the only towns to survive the bombings and keeps all its old splendor and authenticity. Its old houses and cathedral will enchant you. On the way back we stop a moment in Honfleur one of the pearls of Lower Normandy.

I find that FlightEase offers better prices to Europe, especially premium economy. I used Flight Ease to book a Delta flight BWI to JFK to Amsterdam (it was actually a code share KLM flight). The morning of my flight, I received a notice from KLM that the flight was cancelled due to technical problems. I immediately called Flight Ease. I was on the phone with them for 2 hours but they were able to rebook me with the same day, same level of seats from BWI to BOS to Amsterdam that actually took two hours less time. I was happy I didn’t have to deal with rearranging the flights myself.

Menus should be on the app now. You don’t have to wait until a month before your cruise. However, if the ship is moving from Europe to the Caribbean (basically changing locations) the menus will be different when you board. Click on dining, click on Lido, click on breakfast, lunch or dinner…see the menu. Works the same for the Main Dining Room but the only menu that changes in the MDR is dinner,

The final stop of today’s tour was Honfleur, a very picturesque town. It is where the Seine meets the English Channel.

@ChinaShrekIf you tell them you want to be finished in an hour, they will make it happen.

Next stop was Bayuex, a beautiful old city that survived the war.

Departed at 8 for Normandy with Overlord tours. Incredibly knowledgeable guide. Highly recommended. Views while standing on Omaha Beach. The American cemetery

Thanks to @kazu we had an efficient and inexpensive taxi ride into Bruge. A few of my pictures. My husband was extremely impressed with the architecture. We were on the hunt for mussels. Got a great recommendation from a local. Delicious!

We started our morning at the Rijksmuseum. It is combination of Dutch historical artifacts. And fine art including Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh It has a gorgeous research library. And beautiful gardens surrounding the building. We enjoyed walking back to the hotel, seeing many beautiful flowers along the way. One caution, beware the bicyclists, they are everywhere.After exploring and walking for 6 hours…. Proost!

Woke up this morning to a cancelled Delta/KLM flight which we had booked through Flightease. Although we were on the phone for 2 hours, they were able to rebook us through Boston (instead of JFK). I’m happy that we used Flightease because they did all the work for the rebooking. The train was an efficient and inexpensive way to travel into Amsterdam. It was an easy walk to the Movenpick Hotel. Although my DH was to tired, I went on a fantastic canal cruise organized by Jacqui. A wonderful way to get my first taste of Amsterdam. There are a wide variety of houseboats in the canals. These houses are leaning.

After 2 hours on the phone with HAL/FlightEase, we have been rebooked. Thank you for talking me down off the ledge @summer slope @StLouisCruisers @cruising sister @puppycanducruise @ottahand7 @Denise T @marshhawk @dfish and everyone else who sent me positive thoughts. The Delta flight to Boston (instead of JFK) leaves from BWI 2 hours earlier. We have a direct flight from Boston to Amsterdam, most importantly, premium seats were still available for the international flight. You probably won't see me on the Daily for the next 3 weeks, I will be posting on Jacqui's LIVE thread. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising!

Help! I just received notification that my Delta (actually KLM) flight from JFK to Amsterdam has been cancelled. I booked through Flight ease and use a PCC. I am currently on hold with HAL 1800-628-4771, they say they are checking other flights. What else should I be doing?

Jacqui and friends will be posting from the Rotterdam TA. Follow this thread. We’ll be posting about activities on sea days.