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Thank you to all who make the Daily a friendly place. It was wonderful to see everyone cheering and giving advice to those with flight delays and lost luggage. Bon voyage to all on the Volendam and sailing on other ships. I will celebrate Laundry Day. It is a chore that I really don’t mind. My only problem is what to do with the leftover socks. I appreciate my DH. We met in 1983, married in 1989 and have lived happily ever after since that time. He is very helpful sound the house but he is not allowed to do any of my laundry. It’s not really the mess, it is because he ONCE washed my red shirt with white pants Our accountant finished our taxes in February, worth it when I read about people spending days completing their taxes. The rain last night will be good for the wildflower seeds I planted. The dreary day will not spoil my fun at My Lady’s Manor Steeplechase. Wishing everyone the best day possible.

I have stayed in an aft balcony on the Navigation (deck 8 ) of the Oosterdam. The Lido is not above you; the chair area of the Seaview pool is above you. The only time I heard noise was if I happened to be in the cabin when they were putting the chairs down in the morning but I was usually at breakfast. In the evening they picked the chairs up and cleaned the deck but I was usually at dinner. The noise was never a problem for me.

An aft balcony is what we always book if available. The ability to see both sides of the ship adds to our pleasure. We have never smelled exhaust.

I celebrated Plant Appreciation Day by planting wildflower seeds along my woods line. Here is an “international” plant photo that I took last your in Spain and had made into a print on canvas for our home. My library has a bookmobile called the Rolling Reader. The Rolling Reader visits YMCA programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Head Start, Title 1 Early Intervention, Youth Centers and Child Development Centers, and after-school programs and summer day camps at various community centers. I love anything made with peaches but my first thought when I hear cobbler… I am addicted to watching the Hays eagle nest. They showed a different view this morning. The eaglets are growing quickly. Sending positive thoughts to those who need them. Hoping everyone arrives in a timely fashion for their cruise. Cheers to those celebrating.

Some may find the flavor of pesto intense, imo, if it’s made with too much garlic or store bought. I love pesto made with fresh basil but the sun dried tomato sounds delish too. @TiogaCruiser Regardless of when you made the reservation, Uber starts to search for a driver and sends the ride request a few minutes in advance before the scheduled time for the pickup. 1. You will get the notification for the ride 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Uber cannot guarantee there will be Uber drivers online at the exact time of the pickup. 2. You will be assigned a trip based on available drivers. Uber cannot guarantee that a driver will accept the ride request. In the case a driver cannot be found, you’ll be notified at the end of your selected time window. At this point Uber will cancel your ride request and you will not be charged. So if an Uber is not available for you reservation, it will not be available on real time. 3/4. I usually tip 20% in US. If I have a lot of luggage or the driver personable, tip more. @kazuVery impressive begonias. @bennybear Loved hawk picture. I have been checking in on the eaglets on the Hays Eagle Nest daily. The are growing quickly. The hummingbirds have return to MD. 😊

@FlaMarinerI will be on the Oosterdam in January for the South America & Antarctic cruise. Were there any guest lecturers or cooking demonstrations? We board in Buenos Aires.Where did you board? Any issues with boarding? Any outstanding tours you would recommend in Argentina or Chile? Thank you for your insights.

Is it Big Wind Day or Wednesday? I love grilled cheese. Have you ever tried using mayo instead of butter on the bread? Delicious. Thanks for the recipes Debbie. Always makes my dinner preparation more creative. Seems like many do not like pesto. Usually pesto is made with basil. Arugula pesto tastes completely different, peppery. This is my family’s favorite pasta salad. The “dressing” is arugula pesto (called gremolata). Farfalle with Arugula Gremolata, Gorgonzola, Golden Raisins, and Walnuts Thanks to all who makes this a wonderful place to visit.

Is “For the Love of Bread & Baked Goods” @11 a cooking show? Thank you for your live thread.

Thank you for your posts.Do you have a speaker onboard for a daily lectures? Have there been any cooking demonstrations?

Captain- Bas Van Dreumel.

@Judypops Welcome Judy! I started out as a lurker too and was very nervous about making my first post. This is one of the most positive and helpful groups that I participate in. My father is 87 years old and just got his first smart phone last week. We started slowly: phone calls and text messages. I see him regularly and each time I do we add one more feature. He is really enjoying the camera and I have been receiving frequent texts from him with pictures (maybe too many🤣). Anyway, you can learn technology too! This thread may help you. Just tap on it to open.

@kochleffelSeveral Daily posters were on the Oosterdam TA last November. I had a wonderful time, best service I have ever had on a ship. I’ve booked the Oosterdam for a South America & Antarctic cruise in January. If you have any questions or concerns, I’m sure we would all be happy to answer. I ignore the haters and have blocked several posters who have nothing but negative comments. Time to head back out to the garden, I need to continue pulling out invasive ivy. I hope everyone has the best day possible.

We wandered through the game room when exploring the ship. I believe it is part of the kids club during the day but is open to everyone in the evening. There was skee ball, air hockey and some video games. Loved the ship. Perfect size. Excellent service.

Thank you but I believe you should be thanking Ann @cat shepard for her Daily wine posting. I am just a sub when Debbie is unavailable. I like me today’s quote. The port pictures on the Daily help us all “look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice.” Of course, I love the meal, anything with crab! I will be buying a pound of MD crabmeat this week to make crabcakes for my niece who is visiting from Florida. Hope I can find it for less than $40 pound. Today, I will be making bean soup with the ham bone left over from Easter dinner. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Beautiful pictures. Puerto Limon is on the east coast of Costa Rica; Puerto Caldera is on the west coast. @kochleffel I appreciate your explanations of the Jewish traditions. Chag Sameach

Happy Easter to all who celebrate! I will be cooking Easter dinner for my family. I’m cooking the spiral ham in the crockpot (thanks Debbie), macaroni & cheese, pineapple casserole, asparagus, salad with oranges, avocado & candied walnuts. My niece will bring appetizers and my sister dessert. We were in Puntarenas on our Zuiderdam Panama Canal transit in February 2022. We went on a ship tour that began with a bus ride to an aerial tram through the rain forest. There was a guided walk through a medicinal garden. Then back on the bus to the sloth sanctuary. When we returned to the ship we were greeted by the pelicans. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

What is the correct date of your cruise? Thank you for your detailed review.

I’m sure it’s an iPhone thing; I believe the previous instructions only work on an Android. BTW, my name is Tina. Not a problem for calling me Nancy; I usually only use CC names because I can’t keep everyone’s given name straight🤣

Thank you for taking us along!

@Sharon in AZ I have an iPhone and couldn’t figure out how to copy it. I went to YouTube and searched “Easter It’s a Wonderful World”. Hopefully this link will work for you. @grapau27 Thanks for sharing it with Us Happy Easter: It’s a Wonderful World Busy day, preparations for cooking Easter dinner for my family. Sending everyone wishes for peace, love and happiness.

@annandme I should have added the life boats drill to my previous post. In February & November 2022 and February 2023 on three different HAL ships, we walked down to our station, spoke briefly ( less than a minute) to the person manning the station, had our key cards scanned and returned to our room to watch the life boat drill info on the TV. That is the way the drills are currently conducted on all HAL ships.

My TA cruise in a Signature Suite on Oosterdam in November 2022 was extraordinary. I have never had better service. I found the ship in good repair. The guest speaker and cooking shows provided interesting day time activities during sea days. We had fixed dining and our food was good and arrived in a timely fashion.

We were in a SS on deck 8 under the Lido. Early in the morning, I could hear carts rolling as they stocked the buffet. Once I realized what was causing the noise I was able to go back to sleep. I wasn’t bothered by noise at any other time during the day.

Agreed! On our Caribbean Rotterdam cruise in February, I found it ironic that an Aperol Spritz was on the featured cocktail menu every day BUT there was no Aperol on the ship. I refused to sign the paper receipts because I didn’t want to touch the pen. No server had a problem with me refusing to sign. I only had 1 experience in 11 days with an incorrect charge which I reported on the Navigator app. The next day it had been removed. Guess I was lucky. Thank you for your detailed live thread.