The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday December 22nd, 2022

[richwmn]

 

Today is Mathematics Day, National Cookie Exchange Day, and Zimbabwe Unity Day
 

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. Helen Keller - Author

Meal Suggestion for today - Roasted Squash and Pumpkin Seed Mole Bowls
Drink of the Day - Red Greyhound Pinn Tini
Wine of the Day - Te Mata 2018 Coleraine Red (Hawke's Bay) New Zealand
Destination of the Day - Hakodate, Japan
 

Eurodam

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 08:00 - 16:00
 

Koningsdam

San Diego, California 07:00 - 16:30
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 08:00 - 15:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

Willemstad Curacao, Netherlands Antilles 07:00 - 20:00
 

Oosterdam

Montevideo, Uruguay 08:00 - 23:00
 

Rotterdam

At Sea Destination Grand Turk Island, Cockburn Town, Turks and Caic eta 12/23
 

Volendam

At Sea Destination Panama Canal, Colon, Panama eta 12/23
 

Zaandam

At Sea Destination Puerto Plata-Amber Cove, Dominicana eta 12/23
 

Zuiderdam

Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 07:00 - 16:00

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

Wellington, New Zealand 08:00 - 23:00
 

Westerdam

Kaikoura, New Zealand 10:00 AM To 6:00 PM
 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet update and general info.

 

Ok boys and girls, it is Mathematic Day and hear is some Math facts.

 

1. Issac Newton, who I nicknamed Fig, was the inventor of Calculus; the subject that almost ruined my career in high school and college. In addition Mr Newton came up with a math theory that I think was wrong. He, Mr. Newton, stated that for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction. Not so; for me, every bad action against the Misses, there is an equal and opposite reaction squared.

 

2. Speaking of squared, the area of a circle equation is pi r square. No, pie are round.

 

3. Before calculators to solve math problems, there was the slide rule. For the younger group hear, Google it. The slide rule was the super calculator many years ago. It was two pieces of wood that you slides back and forth very fast, like rubbing sticks together to start a fire. And boy did that slide rule get hot at times, especially during final exams. And we had no WD 40 to lubricate it.

 

That’s my math facts for today.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Rich for the Thursday report (your last in-person of 2022 although you are continuing the vital role of content creation).  I will certainly salute mathematics as an actuary, and love the idea of cookie exchanges although I have none to contribute.  I'm not sure I would celebrate Zimbabwe Unity Day, it is quite a despotic country.  I love the Helen Keller quote and have not been to Hakodate, although I believe it was on my 2017 Amsterdam Grand Asia segment until the itinerary was shuffled when China objected to us visiting South Korea.  I'll pass on the meal.  My alternative is a custom lido omelet (ham and bacon for me), enjoyed my final morning on MS Prinsendam December 22, 2013 (the photo is from the Eurodam:

 

 

Today’s care list:

North American winter storms
My positive covid test
smitty34877 recovering from hip replacement
pauline’s friend losing daughter
USN59-79 with leg fracture
Marshhawk DH family illnesses
StLouisCruisers DD recovering from foot surgery
From the rotation:
Ottahand7 DB in rehab and trying to leave per-maturely
Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1) and JAM37 (7/7)
HAL Sailer Sister in Law with aggressive cancer therapy
Cruisin Terri leak damage

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

 

Zuiderdam in Everglades

Hannukah day5
Mamaofami successful bivalent boost
smitty34877 at home doing well
Quartzite Cruiser DH home doing exceptionally well
Good post surgery report from StLouisCruisers DD
5 days for ottahand7 (Volendam 12/27 to 3/18/23)
Bon Voyage Av8rix (Koningsdam 12/22 to 1/7/23)
Bon Voyage richwmn and HorizonChaser1957 (Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12/23)
Welcome home SusieKIslandGirl
Cruisin Terri (Insignia  to 12/28) at sea
Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23),  Kazu (Koningsdam  to 1/7/23 Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam  to 1/14/23), Seasick Sailor (Rotterdam  to 1/25/23), and indaler (Volendam  to 3/18/23) at sea

Roy

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Report.

We've got a Winter Storm Watch.  A big bad storm is forecast starting tomorrow and continuing into the weekend.  A flash freeze, high winds and snow.  I feel sorry for anyone travelling, good thing my hubby and I are staying home.

I salute mathematics and I give cookies to friends and family. 

Great quote.

I'll pass on the meal.

I haven't been to today's port.

Prayers for everyone.

Stay safe.

[aliaschief]

Good morning! Up bright and early and getting ready to travel after first light. I would imagine I-10 East will be fairly busy today with holiday traffic. Got the outside spigots insulated and will be leaving the heat up inside the house as wind chill factors are forecasted to be in teens! At present it’s fifty but it’s a coming.

So it’s one cup of coffee off to the showers and pack the Lexus.

Roy with that positive Covid test are you feeling OK? Hopefully a false positive.

Rich thanks for the Report and best to you on the World Cruise. Bon Voyage!

 

May all of you have safe travels, stay healthy and have a wonderful Holiday Season!

 

[seagarsmoker]

Thanks for the Daily Report and I hope everyone has a great day 

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

Thank you Rich for today's reports.

Thank you to our food and beverage experts for their interesting contributions.

Thank you everyone who post photos.

Thank you Roy for today's lists including Pauline's friends sad loss of her 28 year old daughter.

3 interesting days.

Quote is true.

I will give today's food and drink a miss.

Wishing everyone a lovely day.

Graham.

 

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning Everyone, thanks for the daily fleet report.  I’ll pass on today’s meal suggestion, instead we are having chicken.  I do like @rafinmdmeal suggestion but DH wouldn’t want that for dinner.  This morning is the calm before the storm.  We are expecting lots of rain and very strong winds as the storm passes.  If we had travel plans we would have to cancel, I’ve come down with something.  I tested negative so it is either a bad cold or flu.  So I’m staying home until it all passes.  I hope everyone has a good day today.

In this house it’s the girls that are the early alarm clocks.

[Seasick Sailor]

Good morning Daily-ites.

 

Thank you Rich for being a trooper in posting the Fleet Report. I know whoever helps pick up for you will do well.

 

Roy, how are you feeling? Thinking and praying for all those on our care list.

 

Today is a sea day. Trivia has moved back to 1:00 and the usual 7 pm. We have an afternoon tea today at 3.

 

Jets and Jaguars play on the big screen tonight, so no movie.

 

I was careless going from our balcony into the cabin. Caught my hand and thumb in the door.

 

Wishing everyone a blessed day. Be kind. Call a lonely friend.

 

 

 

 

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich! Hope your embarkation goes smoothly & you enjoy your cruises!
 

I am just wrapping up loose ends here, before dropping Bindi off and heading to the airport. I should just beat the wind & rainstorm predicted for Southern New England. 
 

 

Thank you for our lists, Roy. Hoping you really do not have COVID, but if you do - may it be a very mild case.  
 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! 
 

Get well & stay well everyone!

 

********

Te Mata 2018 Coleraine (Hawke's Bay) New Zealand

This red blend sounds amazing, but it is out of my budget. Superb ratings from consumers and critics - a bit elusive, but I did find it online for $89.99.

 

Winemaker Notes

A deep midnight-magenta, Coleraine ’18 is symphonic in its harmony and presence. The aromatics are immediately varietal with grace notes of cassis, raspberry leaf, fresh roses, dark chocolate, lifted black cherry, espresso and cedar. The palate deepens the opening theme. There’s tapenade, darkest blackberry and ripe plum while underneath, quietly, a precise, profound tannin structure resonates.

Critical Acclaim

JS97 James Suckling

A very concentrated nose with impressively rich blackberry, raspberry and dark-plum aromas. Dark chocolate, violet and cedary oak here, too. Very youthful. The palate has a very rich, intense and plush feel with fresh acidity and depth, amid long, fine and compressed tannins. Good freshness and concentration. Drink or hold.

WE96 Wine Enthusiast

Te Mata’s top wine comes mostly from the Havelock Hills, the first legally protected vineyards in New Zealand. This vintage is a strong one, showcasing the power and ageability of a world class red with the precision and linearity of this traditional estate. Notes of black currant, plum, black olive, baking spice, dried green herbs and vanillin and chocolaty oak are present throughout. Chalky tannins are taut and powerful but wellintegrated, hinting at a long life ahead. Drink 2022– 2040.

RP94 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2018 Coleraine (the current release) is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. It's fresh and floral on the nose, with hints of green herbs and dark chocolate both complementing vibrant cassis fruit. Medium to full-bodied, it's richly textured and actually a bit chunky in its youth, possessing a slight excess of flesh that will require age to ameliorate. Of course, that also makes it relatively approachable young, for folks who don't mind a bit of tannin. Long and concentrated on the finish, this looks to be another very successful vintage of Coleraine.

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning everyone!  Here in north central Georgia it is 39F and cloudy, with a high of 52F expected later on, though it will be cloudy all day.  It appears the rain has passed by already but there is a very small chance some will pop up somehow.  Tomorrow will be sunny, cold and windy.  Brrr!  Still praying for a good travel day on Saturday.  Otherwise, they will starve because we are bringing all the food with us!

 

Thanks Rich @richwmnfor posting this last Daily before you set sail.  I hope the cruise is everything you could want and hope for!  I like the quote, appreciate mathematics experts.  My immmediate family consists of 2 engineers and 1 math teacher so I was always the underdog in math in this house, though I am not bad at math.  It's all relative!  Good luck to Zimbabwe and I too would like some cookies for Christmas though I didn't make any to exchange.  

 

Thanks also to Roy @rafinmdfor keeping up with the Lists each day.  I believe you can remove my DD from the Care list because she is improving daily.  With the boot on she is able to get out and she sent me a photo of her dear teacher friend and co-worker pushing her in a wheelchair as the two enjoyed a dinner out together for the holiday.  Prayers for all on the Care list and for safe travels for each and every one of you.  Stay warm!  Cheers to the Celebration list and I hope all on a cruise have smooth seas and a wonderful Christmas.  Love the photos Joy @Seasick Sailorposted of the beautiful tree and her dinner photos with Allen.   Sorry to see you injured your hand though.  Please be careful, and I hope the bruise heals quickly.  I also want to thank our Food and Beverage Department for their posts each day.  Much appreciated!  

 

Today's port of Hakodate, Japan was first posted here on June 25, 2021.  I have not been there before and therefore have no photos to share but if you did share some, here is a link to Rich's post from that date so that you can easily retrieve them.  Thanks in advance for any and all photos posted here later on today.

 

 

Merry Christmas to all!

[mamaofami]

Good morning everyone. It’s cold, way too cold and I’m preparing for the winter storm. We always lose power and I’m concerned about no heat.,Someone is coming to change my furnace filter (:in the attic and I’m not climbing on a ladder) . Hopefully he gets here ahead of the storm and Christmas.

Wishing everyone a very Merry and warm Christmas.

Stay safe and wear your masks.

Carol

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[grapau27]

21 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning Daily-ites.

 

Thank you Rich for being a trooper in posting the Fleet Report. I know whoever helps pick up for you will do well.

 

Roy, how are you feeling? Thinking and praying for all those on our care list.

 

Today is a sea day. Trivia has moved back to 1:00 and the usual 7 pm. We have an afternoon tea today at 3.

 

Jets and Jaguars play on the big screen tonight, so no movie.

 

I was careless going from our balcony into the cabin. Caught my hand and thumb in the door.

 

Wishing everyone a blessed day. Be kind. Call a lonely friend.

 

 

 

 

Oh no Joy.

That must have hurt.

Sending you our best wishes ❤️.

Graham and Pauline xx

[4966and556]

Thank you for the Daily Report! 

 

@richwmn have an awesome cruise!!

 

It's cold here, but no snow yet.  The weather forecasters have been talking about this horrid storm we are going to get.   News reporters are warning everyone to stay home, not to make any plans to travel for the next week, etc.   A friend that lives south east of us has freezing rain.   I'm sure the stores are busy and grateful that I don't need anything right now. The firewood we brought in a few days ago is still in the wood box. My car is in the garage. We're ready. 

[summer slope]

Good morning.  Spent yesterday afternoon in the Vet's office.  Kitty hasn't been good since we returned from our cruise.  Vet says it's stress related.  Not major but still a concern. Should be back to normal, for a 17 year old, in a week or so.

 

Red Greyhound Pini Tini cocktail:

 

Ingredients
2 parts Pinnacle® Original Vodka
1 part DeKuyper® Triple Sec Liqueur
2 parts Pink Grapefruit Juice

Instructions
Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

 

 

[kochleffel]

Squash again? I have a honeynut squash and might cook it, but not with that recipe. I think that dinner will be Swiss chard with tofu and toasted sesame oil, plus a sweet potato. An omelet is also possible but not with ham and bacon. I plan to bake cookies today but not for an exchange. Hakodate was on the itinerary for a Celebrity TPAC last year that was cancelled, and I went to Greece instead.

 

 

 

[ger_77]

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!

 

Well after a harrowing nearly 8 hour drive yesterday, we made it safely to Calgary.  The temperatures were brutal (-47 wind chill) and there was a stretch of about 3 hours where we were in near white-out conditions.  Thanks to DH’s skilled driving and me keeping him fed and hydrated along the way, we arrived at our destination.  Our first job was to pick up our oldest grandson (age 7) from his after school program.  He was expecting one of his parents to show up, but when we came through the door, his face lit up and he ran to me with such force, I was almost knocked off my feet!  Although we had seen them just a couple of weeks ago, the first thing the said was “I’ve missed you so much!”  Life is good.

 

Today is the last normal day for everyone in this house, so DH and I will be on our own. That likely means we’ll have a chance to go to IKEA and wander around there for a while; one can never have too many napkins or tea lights!

 

My thoughts go out to all with travel plans over the next few days. With the coming storm, I wish you well and hope you arrive at your destinations safely.   
 

I’ll take a pass on today’s menu suggestion, as our DDIL is making us Japanese food that will be served at their new, very large dinner table.  And wine.

 

Prayers for those in need, and particularly for the travellers, cheers to all who have celebrations going on.  Stay safe, be well.

 

Smooth Sailing! 🙂🙂🙂

Gerry

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone!

 

@richwmn

 

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

 

I set a new personal record at the grocery store yesterday.  Part of it is for Christmas dinner and the rest for Sue and me as we hunker down during the blizzard.  She will definitely make it down before the snow flies in earnest.  Her boss was concerned about the storm and didn't want patients or staff to have to drive in it.  It starts a bit earlier up there as they are further west.  So, he cancelled the afternoon and rescheduled those patients.  

 

Today's meal is interesting.  I might like it as a side dish.  @kochleffel I had the same reaction as you did. Back to squash.  I think we're having veggie nachos here.  

 

The first recipe looks good.  The green stuff is the mole.  https://www.punchfork.com/recipe/Roasted-Squash-and-Pumpkin-Seed-Mole-Bowls-Delish

 

 

In this next one the mole looks like we'd expect.  I'd try it.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/roasted-squash-pumpkin-seed-mole/15540/

 

 

This one is a little more involved, but it sounds good and the flavors would be wonderful.  It uses more than just butternut squash.  https://www.food.com/recipe/mole-coloradito-with-roasted-fall-squash-537001

 

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful day.  For those traveling, be safe!  

[marshhawk]

@Crazy For Cats

 

 

 

 

 

@Seasick Sailor

 

[marshhawk]

Good Thursday Morning Dailyites!

 

Preparing today for the incoming storm.  It appears it will be a wind storm with freezing temperatures.

 

I have a question.  BFF has been trying to make reservations for the Tamarind on the NA in May.  It shows booked every night, and to try again later.  would they be booked up so soon?  Or are we trying too early?

 

Stay safe in your travels, stay warm be prepared and many hugs being sent to all of you!

[smitty34877]

2 hours ago, RedneckBob said:

Thanks for the Fleet update and general info.

 

Ok boys and girls, it is Mathematic Day and hear is some Math facts.

 

1. Issac Newton, who I nicknamed Fig, was the inventor of Calculus; the subject that almost ruined my career in high school and college. In addition Mr Newton came up with a math theory that I think was wrong. He, Mr. Newton, stated that for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction. Not so; for me, every bad action against the Misses, there is an equal and opposite reaction squared.

 

2. Speaking of squared, the area of a circle equation is pi r square. No, pie are round.

 

3. Before calculators to solve math problems, there was the slide rule. For the younger group hear, Google it. The slide rule was the super calculator many years ago. It was two pieces of wood that you slides back and forth very fast, like rubbing sticks together to start a fire. And boy did that slide rule get hot at times, especially during final exams. And we had no WD 40 to lubricate it.

 

That’s my math facts for today.

I tried to explain to my grandchildren  how we used slide rulers for calculations  and they were amazed.We found one in the house and demonstrated how it worked....I think they thought we grew up in the Stone Age!

[kochleffel]

If I don't post tomorrow, it might be because I was sanctioned by CC, for saying on another board almost, but not quite, what I really think. I seem to have lost the ability to tolerate entitlement and willful stupidity.

 

[Seasick Sailor]

1 minute ago, marshhawk said:

Good Thursday Morning Dailyites!

 

Preparing today for the incoming storm.  It appears it will be a wind storm with freezing temperatures.

 

I have a question.  BFF has been trying to make reservations for the Tamarind on the NA in May.  It shows booked every night, and to try again later.  would they be booked up so soon?  Or are we trying too early?

 

Stay safe in your travels, stay warm be prepared and many hugs being sent to all of you!

 

We had the same message when booking Rudi's and Tamarind. But onboard I show reservations open for booking. Cannelletto has been pretty empty. Last night there may have been 9 tables filled when we left. The manager said most people book the free restaurants (Tamarind and Pinnacle) then MDR and Lido.