POA1

Ouch. We were up in the Retreat Cabana area and did the only sensible thing. We just drank champagne until they were done testing the backup generators.

It's definitely Maine lobster in the Pinnacle Grill on the Nieuw Statendam. We lived in Maine for years so I know what I'm talking about. The 12 ounce tail likely comes from a 2 lb or larger lobster.

.. I've been lucky. No issues so far. Both of us are are Android, latest version.

We asked about those the other day and the girl said they did not have the ingredients yet.

Hey, - @Haljo1935 Where was the Egg Nog cocktail? I'll trade you two art pictures from the Lido deck 9 forward. 😁

The struggle is real.

I had kicked around the idea of having the Dover Sole, but I think I'm leaning towards the Tornadoes Rossini. They're a signature item and truffles are involved.

We used Command strips. They're removable. We also use button cell powered fairy lights. They don't heat up. After five years away from cruising, we had to up our game.

I especially like the teensy text in the messaging part of the app. It's made even better with the gray background. Do they think we're all in our teens with 20/20 vision?

The duck is glued down? That's messed up.

Years ago, we rented a house in St. Thomas for the week. We ate at a restaurant in Blackbeard's castle. The view was great and we wanted to get similar photos. The best option is the Skyride. You have to climb somewhere around 60 stairs to get to the platform. It's not super strenuous, but be aware that it's not accessible. The entrance to the Skyride is about 0.4 miles (0.65 km) from the dock HAL uses in Havensight. That part of the journey is flat. You walk up around 30 stairs to get to the loading platform. You climb down stairs to get to the restaurant, bar, and gift shops - as well as the observation decks.

We are in Chef Rudi's tonight (you know, before they close 😉) but here's what we're missing in the Club Orange dining room. Note that since it's not a dressy night nor the Culinary Council night, CO is back to the regular CO menu with the Beecher's Mac and Cheese, the Seared Tuna & Asparagus Salad, and the special CO entrée. I know there's been discussion that there is always a Club Orange special. However, we've been watching the menus for months and the dressy & Culinary Council nights have been an exception. Anyway... Here is what we're not eating tonight. Very glad to see the Weiner Schnitzel isn't on the menu. It was would have been quite the quandary.

Michelle said, and I quote: "Tell her, heck no. I can't even sew on a button." We found PJ's Mile Marker Zero (for US Coastal Route 1) in Key West years ago. After that, we tried in vain to find him shirts in port. The Research Department found a company called Mandy's Moon that does small run, custom imprint shirts in Poohby Joe's size. He's hard to fit. We have a concept meeting to decide what shirts we should create. Then, the Art Department comes up with the art work in the correct format, 300 dpi JPEG or PNG with an alpha channel transparency. We order the shirts and they're back within a week or so. Here are the designs for the current trip: Embarkation Day - Classic HAL Logo We're coming up on the 10th Anniversary Edition of the guide, so there's this collectable shirt. And finally, Club Orange is new since we last sailed. We have a vintage Holland America poster on an orange shirt. He's got a Rotterdam version for our Spring '24 cruise.

Let's get the banner thing out of the way and see if I can salvage this "Live From." We went to breakfast before I remembered to post the morning bumper post card graphic. Without these, ow the heck do I know what day it is? Consider these images the elevator rugs of my thread. I got some great photos from the Skyride. They also had an excellent Bushwacker for twelve bucks. (Not sure of the wisdom of having a really strong drink before you climb down 60+ stairs... But we made it unscathed and are back in the NS.)

Oh no! I left the ship without posting my Greetings from St. Thomas banner. This thread is ruined.

The Orange Party is tonight and Poohby Joe is ready to tear it up in his classic Statendam shirt with orange sleeves. Rip roarin' and ready to party!

Dinner tonight is at Rudi's Sel de Mer. The menu, presented for your perusal.

Today's breakfast is Full English Breakfast for DW and Eggs Benedict for moi.

We are headed to the Club Orange dining room for breakfast shortly. Then we are doing the most touristy thing we could think of this side of Diamonds international: The Skyride to Paradise Point. We've been to St. Thomas many times. We even rented a house up by Magen's Bay for a week. If we were in port later and longer, we'd have headed to St. John for snorkeling. But we're going full tourist mode. Skyride. Bushwacker. Photos. I'll skip the dark socks and sandals though.

The gin was in the glass with ice. There was tonic pouring and botanicals sprinkling.

For the bacon lovers out there: If you have the opportunity, try Benton's bacon. They are in Madisonville, Tennessee. You can get it via mail order, but go to the store and smokehouse if you are in the neighborhood. You will come out smelling like bacon. If you have dogs in the car, they will love you more than they already do.

For dessert Michelle had the Chocolate Soufflé. I had the Crème Brûlée. She had a cappuccino while I had a cognac, Remy Martin VSOP. Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Chantilly Crème Anglaise. If there is a chocolate soufflé on the menu, it will be Michelle's order. Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée. The blow torch puddin' is accompanied by Almond Tuile. There are a couple of berries which makes this a healthful fruit snack. It was very good but I preferred the old "3 Rivers" version with vanilla, chocolate and coffee flavors. Lest you think our experience was flawless, I have three minor markdowns. Michelle's steak knife wasn't very sharp. When I left the table to go to the gents, my napkin was not replaced by the time I returned to the table. Asep's, our otherwise outstanding waiter replaced it without me having to ask. The third issue was not the fault of the restaurant. It had to do with the couple seated next to us. They were genuinely unhappy. They got greasy fingerprints and an oily nose print on the Bubble of Awesome. Fortunately they skipped ddessert and were only beside us for a short while.

The wine for the main course is Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon. It's $19/glass,so we're paying $4.72 pp. ($4+18%) Michelle had the dry aged Delmonico ($25 supplement.) I had the Filet Mignon with Lobster Dumplings. Michelle ordered a side of asparagus. We both chose medium rare for our beef temperature. Dry aged Delmonico topped with onion rings and asparagus. Extra asparagus with Hollandaise (Americaise?) looks on in the background. Beef tenderloin with lobster dumplings. The lobster Bearnaise is fabulous. A good way to appreciate dry aging is to order a dry aged steak and a regular steak at the same time. Then, try a bite of your spouse's dry aged beef and compare it to your own regular meat. Keep "trying" her steak because you "can't quite tell the difference." (Eventually your dinner date will catch on and express displeasure. Try to deflect by complimenting the way her dress brings out her pretty green eyes. Then, get admonished because, "My dress is black - and don't think that I'm not aware that you are trying to steal my steak.")

Next up, we shared the clothesline candied bacon. It's from Culinary Council member, David Burke. The dish originated at David Burke Tavern in NYC. We paired it with the Trignon Cotes du Rhone. (Covered by the SBP.) The bacon comes with half sour pickles. We asked for extra pickles. This dish does not photograph well. Tastes great though.

We're on Day 4 any minute now. I'll swing by to see if any books are left. I'll also check for hobo encampments in the stacks. (This is why we read ebooks. Lots of titles. Fast delivery. Easy returns. And a hobo-free reading experience.