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Dang, I won't be here to wave at the 3 BHB's; we're heading out for brunch for 1PM (we're 2 hours behind FLL), so will miss the excitement. Safe travels to all!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Happy Anniversary to the FR&D; thanks go to @richwmn for getting this started. In the past 4 years, we've gotten to know each other and our families; we've laughed together, cried together, celebrated the birth of babies and the loss of loved ones. We are spread across a few countries and still come together as a family almost every day. We are so fortunate to have this welcoming space to come to share our life's ups and downs. Saluting the black press, after everything I thought was wrong, I'm happy to do everything right today, and it's important to have freedom of information. Bon Voyage to our Daily-ites: @Suslor, @Crazy For Cats, and @RedneckBob. @Nickelpenny, Congratulations on another win; you just know that Martina was sitting on your lap giving you the best ju ju ever!!! @marshhawk, congratulations on your sale yesterday; I hope it's just the beginning of a winning streak for you! @RMLincolnI hope DH's eye pressures even out - why do things always go to heck late on a Friday night??? Yesterday when we were out, I stopped to get some milk and discovered there was ground beef on sale, so bought a couple of large family packs, which today will be made into porcupine balls, packaged and frozen for later use. Around 1 we're meeting our friends Wayne & Fran for brunch and will catch up on how he's doing and maybe what we should look at planning for a future get-away for the 4 of us. Unfortunately, because we'll be at brunch, I won't get to watch sail-away to wave to any of you who will be heading out of FLL. I think I'd like to try the drink of the day, will say a definite yes to the Cardboardeaux, and do love a rotisserie chicken. Because I'm making up all the porcupine balls to freeze, I'll save some for us and serve them up with mashed potatoes and air fried asparagus at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in turmoil. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

I'm so pleased to see you're back to cruising; I do hope you feel well throughout the entire voyage. I'll be watching for you tomorrow with the sail-away gang; we'll try to get a screen shot to share with you. Bon Voyage!!!

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Beware the Ides of March! I'm not often dumbstruck, and I really hope everything I think isn't wrong. I wonder if Christopher Columbus brought back a bunch of fridge magnets from the new world? It's a nice morning out there for us, currently we're sitting at a temp of +2 (33F) and we're looking at a high of +5 with a wind that should start up in a couple of hours. Combined, that will help bring down the mountains of snow occupying our yard. I noticed the neighbour was out on his roof yesterday with a snow rake, getting the edges of their second story cleared, as a few years ago they had an ice dam problem with a lot of damage to their bedroom ceilings and walls. @Lady HudsonBon Voyage; I hope you have a wonderful cruise! @NickelpennyCongratulations on your big win; maybe the spirit of Martina was with you helping give you some joy, despite your sadness. Today I have to run to the bank to get a charge reversed from my credit card; when I withdrew the refund from HAL, my CC charged a fee as a "cash withdrawal". No, it wasn't a cash withdrawal, it was getting my own money back. I had to do this once before when we cancelled a previous cruise, so I know what to do this time. One of the tellers has to call the CC company and get them to reverse it for me. Not much else on our agenda, except enjoying the day. I'm going to give a pass on the drink, would like the wine, and have honestly never had today's menu suggestion. I'm pretty sure DH wouldn't appreciate it, although I'd try a sample to see what it's like. It's Friday night pizza night at our house, so later we'll look at the offerings to see what we'd like to eat, and because it's the Ides of March, we'll have a Caesar salad to accompany it at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, in poor health, and who just needs a boost. Cheers to all with celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I think scientists and geniuses go hand in hand. Little known fact: Einstein was a self-taught violinist and often played chamber and solo recitals for his friends and family. It's important to ask questions; how would we know where the next cruise is going if we didn't? Lots of birthdays today - Happy Birthday to @bennybear, may you have a wonderful day and a great year ahead! Happy Birthday also to @Mr. Boston's DM, and @StLouisCruisersDB. @Denise Tsending good vibes for both Fiona and Chase. We had a great time with our friends at dinner last night; as expected, there were lots of laughs and good food to be had. It was nice coming out of the restaurant at 7:30 and still having a little daylight left. Yesterday we had a couple of bunny rabbits that stayed in our front yard. I don't know if they were a couple, just friends, or siblings, but one (I call it a girl) stayed under cover of the front juniper tree while the other (I'm saying it's a boy) was more adventurous and hopped all over the snowbanks in the yard. I cleaned up a few large carrots, snapped them into pieces and tossed them in their general area; after a few hours I looked out and they had been eaten, which made me feel good. I don't know if they'll be back today, but I've got more carrots that I can give them if they reappear. @marshhawkI'm sorry to hear you had such a terrible time with your DH yesterday. Yes, pain is a terrible thing and can make people incredibly difficult to be around. Is there a way to get additional medication to help with his pain? This morning we're off in a while so DH can have a blood test to see if all the opaquing dye from his CT scan has left his system, then we'll stop for breakfast and pick up a few groceries from a store across town. Nothing more planned, so I'm sure the afternoon will be spent cutting, ironing and sewing more coasters. I'm giving a pass on the drink, would like to try the wine, and think today's menu suggestion sounds really good! As suspected, the restaurant we went to had really large portions, so we each brought half of our dinners home and will be enjoying fettuccini alfredo and a skirt burger at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in pain, in grief, and in turmoil. Cheers to all who have celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! I guess a reminder to fill our staplers is like the one to check our batteries. I recall many times at work when I'd go to use my stapler only to find one of my colleagues had used it previously and left it empty for me. I like to have girls win, but only fairly. A huge shout out to K-9 Veterans who have served so valiantly alongside their handlers. It looks like a grey day out there for us this morning, and checking the forecast it's only getting to 0, but I'll take it. Yesterday's sunshine and warmth helped to settle lots of the snow, although it'll take a good while before we're seeing any bare spots on the lawns. @grapau27please wish Pauline a very Happy Birthday from Canada. @fruitmachinewelcome to the Daily; we hope you enjoy the company here. Not a lot happening here, just routine things like getting groceries, picking up DH's monthly blister packs of meds and that's about it. I'll continue cutting out fabric and sewing, while DH will work on the computer. Our friend (the fellow who has post-polio syndrome) is turning 81 today, so they've invited us to go out for dinner with them this evening. I'm sure I'd like the wine, would like to try the drink - I know we've got some Campari in the liquor cabinet, but no OJ, so will try it after getting groceries. Bran muffins aren't really a meal, but could be if you heated one up and put a decent glob of peanut butter and a slice of banana in the middle. I'm relieved of kitchen duty tonight due to our friend's birthday dinner, so I'm not sure what I'll be ordering, but I know it'll be yummy. We'll enjoy the company of good friends, good food, good conversation, and lots of laughs at the restaurant tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in grief, in pain, and in wars. Cheers to everyone with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

It's too late to edit my post, but I wanted to say to @Haljo1935 that perhaps today's 1:1 with her boss and his boss is to say she's getting a raise or a promotion, not that she's being let go. Keeping my fingers crossed and sending good vibes your way.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! Equal pay for women hasn't reached equal yet, it's high time it did. Yay for the girl scouts, and I'm not so sure about organizing our home office. One of our bedrooms is the designated computer room / sewing supplies room / cruise and travel tub storage room / and DH's library of music books room. Oh, and where Sochi sleeps on a shelf above the printer during the day room. I could start by getting rid of a bunch of post-its that are outdated. Baby steps. @Hogladyriderwelcome to the Daily; you'll find we're a warm and welcoming bunch, where everyone is willing to help and support each other in troubling times, as well as celebrating the good ones. @Quartzsite CruiserHappy Birthday Lenda; I hope you have many happy, healthy returns of the day! @Overhead Fredplease wish Mitzi Happy Birthday from me as well. @smitty34877 thank you for the photo of our sweet Camilla; I can't believe she's that big already. She's still a stunner! @marshhawkI seriously think you could write a book about your life's adventures . . . and no, they aren't inappropriate, just very interesting! @Nickelpennymy heart goes out to you as you grieve for your sweet Martina. Thank you for your good wishes for Maurice yesterday; his CT scan went well. They took him to a separate area of the hospital where there was a larger, more intensive scanner. The technician described is thusly: A regular scan is like a bread slicer where you get 16 slices from a single loaf. The intensive scanner gives you 256 slices from that same loaf. Made sense to me! Now the results go to the cardiac surgeon and we wait to see what will happen. DH remains in good spirits, and is always ready to go for a drive or shopping, even if he has to go slowly. This morning I'm heading out for breakfast with my retired colleagues - it was postponed from last Tuesday when we had so much snow, nobody could get off their driveways - while DH is going off in the other direction to get a hair cut. Not overly exciting, just day to day activities. I think I'd like the drink of the day (just one, as it sounds quite sweet), would enjoy the wine, and will pass on the menu suggestion. I've got some ground beef thawing that will be made into hamburgers for the George Foreman to grill up, and will serve them along with oven fried potatoes and a side salad for us to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in grief, and in need of a boost. Cheers to all with celebrations happening today. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We don't have 311 here on the "frozen tundra", it's good to see some folks debunking things that have been put forward as factual, and I know we haven't seen the last of Covid 19, as one of our neighbours came down with it just last week. March 11th remains forever in my memory because it was on that day in 2011 when the massive 9.1 earthquake struck Japan. Our son and his fiance were living in Tokyo, he was teaching kindergarten in Chiba when it happened. The children were dispatched with their parents and he began his trek of nearly 40 miles to their home, starting at 3PM. Because there were no trains running, he ended up walking most of the way (caught a ride for a couple of miles with another teacher), not reaching their apartment until 10AM the following morning. People along the way were so wonderful, offering him food, drink, and if they had power, a place to charge his phone and laptop. Thankfully he, his fiance, her family and their friends were all safe, but there were thousands of others who lost their lives, their homes, their livelihoods. We'll keep a candle burning in memory of all of them today. @JazzyVthank you for remembering that today is DH's CT scan; I have to wake him up in a little while so he can have a big breakfast, as he can't eat for 4 hours before the scan which is at 1PM. @dfishHappy Birthday to Sue, with many happy, healthy returns of the day! @StLouisCruisers I'm happy to hear Morgan is in a good place now, even without furniture. I'm sure it won't take long before she has enough to be comfortable. Yesterday was productive, I was able to make 3 more sets of coasters to add to the collection. I told DH that I have enough fabric that I think I'll make enough to be able to give a set to everyone who comes to Summerfest in July as a thank you gift for attending. I'm going to let others enjoy the white wine, will take a pass on the drink, and would love to try the menu suggestion, but DH doesn't like lamb, so won't be making it. If I saw it on a restaurant menu, I'd like to try it, especially the one with dried apricots - that sounds yummy. As soon as DH is finished his CT scan, we'll go for a late lunch which means we'll likely just be having some leftovers of yesterday's salmon and salad at the kitchen table late tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, in grief, in pain, and in wars not of their making. Cheers to all who have celebrations. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

That was disappointing; we used to get some of the very best toots from the HAL ships. Thank for today Leanne, Dave, and the rest of the Sail-Away Addicts! See you next time!

Toots!!! We want toots!!!!

There's the star of the show!

Lots of tooting going on today; maybe trying to make up for the past few where there have been silent departures.

That's a lot of toots!

The next time we get to FLL I'm going to book us a tour on the Jungle Queen, just for fun.

Finally!!!

They're just messing with you!

Departure toots

Reflection just confirmed for 5:15

Caribbean Princess dropping line in about 10 minutes - they have some late arrivals.

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily! We've got a ton of AA and AAA batteries - I checked ours yesterday when I needed one for a small flashlight. We are among the few that never spring forward or fall back - we let others do the hard work while we remain on the same time year round. Wishing those who participate in Ramadan a blessed and peaceful month that brings good health and prosperity to you and those you love. We've had the good fortune of being to Alexandria (Cairo) twice, first by ourselves, and the second time with all 3 of our children and a son-in-law. It has warmed up; when I turned my phone on to check the temperature, I see we're sitting at 0 (32F), something we haven't seen in a long time! The forecast is for bright sunshine again and a high of +4(39) which will help settle the snow. Yesterday a contingent of graders came down our street, smoothing out the ruts and creating large piles of snow on either side, but also issues at the end of the driveway. Once they left our area, I went out and shoveled the large ridges of snow and ice chunks so we didn't have to try to scale them with the vehicle when we want to go somewhere. I'm glad @kazu is back with us; sorry you had such a fitful night. Yay for @rafinmd for stepping in and getting the FR&D on the boards for us. I've said this before, but what a great community we have here where people look out for each other everyone and is caring and helpful. My plans of working on fabric yesterday didn't pan out - DH wanted to go to a clearance centre to see what was there (we hadn't gone for a couple or months), so off we went, shopping. You rarely have to ask me twice! We ended up having lunch out and ran into some old friends from DH's university days, so spent a couple of hours with them reminiscing of their "school days". LOL Maybe I'll get to the fabric today, but there's no guarantee, as I have to get through the book my neighbour gave me so she can return it to the library. I've had a banana daiquiri, and I think you only need one, as they're very sweet. I'll let others enjoy the white wine today, and I'm sure I've had today's soup at the Olive Garden and quite enjoyed it. I've got a package of salmon fillets thawing in the fridge that will be panko-breaded and baked, and served along with oven fried potato rounds, green beans and bagged chop-chop salad at the kitchen table tonight. And wine. Prayers for everyone who is in need, of which there are so many. Cheers to all with celebrations happening. Smooth Sailing! ☺️☺️☺️ Gerry

We do like cruising for the destinations, but more and more it's just for the fact that we can board our floating hotel where someone cooks our food, pours our drinks, makes our bed, provides entertainment, and treats us like royalty for a few days. That's why we enjoy trans-Atlantics so much - those sea days are great!

Here's the 5048 on the sister ship, Koningsdam; it's an accessible cabin if that makes any difference for you. https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/5048-koningsdam/

Thanks for the info; have a wonderful cruise!!!

I'm out of here as well. Thanks Dave, Leanne, and all the rest of the Sail-Away Gang! See you tomorrow!