The Fleet Report and Daily for Saturday April 1st, 2023

[StLouisCruisers]

April Fools' Day

 

Today is International Tatting Day, Atheist Day, and International Fun at Work Day
 

Every dogma has its day. - Anthony Burgess

Meal Suggestion for today - Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa
Drink of the Day - Bourbon Renewal
Wine of the Day - Cambridge Road Martinborough Dovetail 2020
Destination of the Day - Hammerfest, Norway
 

Eurodam

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 06:30 - 16:00
 

Koningsdam

Dry Dock Vigor Ship Yard until 4/12
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 08:00 - 15:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

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

Oosterdam

At Sea Destination Manta, Ecuador eta 4-02
 

Rotterdam

At Sea Destination Half Moon Cay, Bahamas eta 4-02
 

Volendam

Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 07:00 - 15:00
 

Zaandam

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Riviera 17:00 Depart
 

Zuiderdam

At Sea Destination Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands eta 4-02

Eastern Hemisphere
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Hobart, Tasmania Australia eta 4-04
 

Westerdam

Keelung, Taiwan 07:00 -17:00

 

 

 

Sandi for Rich and Roy

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[lvhh]

Good early Morning everyone! Thanks for all the info,

[grapau27]

Thank you Sandi for today's daily reports.

Rabbit 🐇 Rabbit 🐰 white Rabbit 🐇.

In Great Britain April fool's Day runs to midday and anyone playing a prank after that is an April Fools.

Nice to see so many people cruising.

Healing thoughts to all who are unwell.

Take care and hopefully have a wonderful day.

Graham.

[StLouisCruisers]

Rabbit, Rabbit, White Rabbit!🐇  Good morning friends!  It's the calm before the storm here.  We are at 65F and anticipate thunderstorms anytime between 7 am and 1 pm. ⛈️ Then sunshine and a high of 77F.  Time to test out the new larger gutters and configuration!  Looking at the Port Everglades webcam I see 4 ships all lined up heading for the entrance to the port in Fort Lauderdale.  By the time I finish typing this up they may even be passing the condo camera.  Nieuw Statdendam is first.  Some of you may even be up watching the parade.  Have fun!  

 

Thank you Rich @richwmn for today's Fleet Report and Daily.  We hope all is well on the Zuiderdam right now even if there is no lettuce for anyone's sandwich or salad.  At least that's what I read.  I'm sure they can find some in Tenerife!  As you all know April 1st is April Fools' Day so don't believe half of what comes out of anyone's mouth today.  And watch out for Redneck Bob!  Rich has chosen International Tatting Day, Atheist Day, and International Fun at Work Day.  Tatting is a fine art but I can't do that, am not an atheist, and don't work (haha) so I am pretty useless today. 😄 Let's see what you all can come up with on those subjects.  An interesting quote I guess.  The menu suggestion sounds pretty good.  Even though I rarely eat avocado I would give it a try because I love chicken tacos.  No thanks to the drink, and I have no idea what type of wine that is so will have to wait to pass judgement.  🍷  A big thanks to our Food and Beverage Department ladies for their help on those items.

 

Thanks to our friend Vanessa @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists.  Prayers for all on the list and that includes those in Nashville, Ukraine, and any other places suffering from disasters.🙏  I haven't seen the aftermath of yesterday's tornadoes yet but I'm sure there are many who need help and prayer today.  🌪️  A big cheer to all on the Celebration list, and those cruising.  If you are joining a ship today we hope all goes smoothly and you are onboard enjoying yourself quickly.  We are enjoying hearing from our friends on cruises because we live vicariously through you all.🚢  So keep it up!

 

Our port of the day is the great Norwegian city of Hammerfest.  It is a small town but lovely and worth a visit on your Norway cruise.  We have had that port before on March 8, 2021 (at the beginning of the port of the day on the Daily) and October 22, 2022.  Here are the links for your convenience.  I will post my photos afterward.  

 

 

 

 

Hammerfest, Norway is a port we saw on what we call the Best Norway Cruise Ever of 2016.  If you ever see a cruise itinerary that includes ports like Hammerfest, Bronnoysund, Trondheim and Narvik, book it.  I always look for cruises that include a couple of new ports and this one was it.  Little did we know we'd meet the very personable Captain D. D. on that Prinsendam cruise.  He later told us the surveys that were returned after this cruise made it the highest rated cruise in recent Holland America history.  We had a ball!

 

This was the furthest north port before arrival at Honningsvag and North Cape.  The weather was sunny but very windy so we required tugs to get to the dock.  That made our disembarkation about an hour and a half later than planned.  Little did we know that we would be leaving early as well as arriving late!  More about that later.

 

 

We took the shuttle bus to the downtown area and started a walk up the steps to Mt. Salen's peak.  The port has a bit of distance from where we docked and then a curved road around to the other side of the harbor to the downtown area.  Here is a pic from Mt. Salen that shows the distance involved, somewhat.

 

Mt. Salen isn't terribly tall so most of us could make it up the slope to the top.  There's a gentle ramp so you could stop and rest if necessary.  It's worth the view of the town.  

 

 

 

After leaving there we walked along the main street towards the Hammerfest Kirke built in 1961 which featured unusual architecture inspired by fish scales.  We passed some cute painted mailboxes in front of homes which I couldn't pass up without a photo.  Can you tell this is a mailbox?

 

The front of the church and then the side of the unique church.

 

 

Across the road from the Hammerfest Kirke is an older church built in 1937 called the Hammerfest Church.  It was the only building left standing after World War II. 

 

 

We wandered through the cemetery looking at some of the old headstones there. 

 

 

This is the Museum of the Reconstruction.  When I looked up the name of the museum, the description read that like most of Northern Norway, towns were razed by the retreating German military forces at the end of the war.  Looks like somewhere to visit if you have time on your next visit.

 

We took the shuttle back around the bay to the Prinsendam, but stopped to see what this object was nearby.  It's called the Meridian Pillar.

 

Not being able to read the words on the monument I looked it up.  Lonely Planet says this about it:

 

Historic Site in Hammerfest On the Fuglenes peninsula, just across the harbour, is the Meridianstøtta, a marble column commemorating the first survey (1816–52) by Russian scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve to determine the arc of the global meridian and thereby calculate the size and shape of the earth.

 

Back on the ship, we were surprised when the ship left the dock several hours early to let a ship (waiting nearby) take our spot.  Someone in charge had made an error and double booked this dock and that ship needed to be there at 6 pm, not 8 pm! 

We watched HAL crew members out at the dock trying to hurry folks along so we could leave.  As soon as we moved away from the pier the other ship slipped right into our spot.  We sailed out further to the edge of the harbor and anchored, and the port agent brought passengers who were left behind out to us on the pilot boat while we were at dinner!  Can you imagine their panic when they saw the Prinsendam was gone?  We heard some of them were enjoying themselves in the local bars although who can afford an alcoholic drink at a bar in Norway?

 

Hoping you all have a Spectacular Saturday!

 

[JazzyV]

Today’s care list:

Roy recovering from pneumonia and working on getting stronger

RMLincoln’s DH recovering from eye surgery 

Luvteaching’s DH in the hospital 

Seasick Sailor not feeling well

Everyone in the path of storms and tornados

Nashville school shooting victims

Citizens of Ukraine/Tornado victims in Mississippi and Alabama

From the rotation:

Jacqui recovering from elbow surgery

Marshhawk’s abnormal lung scan, going for PET scan

Bennybear’s test results

 

Celebrations and Shout outs:

Welcome to the Fleet Report/Daily senorjim

Luvteaching’s DH showing improvement

Mamaofami with improved vision 

Many Dailyites cruising or with upcoming cruises

 

1 Days for Mister 67 (Celebrity Reflection 4/2 to 4/9)

1 Days for cruising sister’s trip with DSIL to Tucson

2 Days for Overhead Fred’s Anniversary cruise (Rotterdam 4/3 to 5/6)

 

Norseh2o (Oceania Marina to 4/6), Cruzn single (Rotterdam to 4/19), Vict0riann (Rotterdam to 4/19) Kplady (Grand Princess to 4/28), Sailingdutchy (Rotterdam to 4/29), St Pete Cruiser (Noordam to 5/2), USN59-79 (Westerdam to 5/7), and Cat in My Lap, Gail&Marty, Richwmn and HorizonChaser1957 (Zuiderdam to 5/12) at sea

 

 

[richwmn]

On this day in history:

1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs' parents house in Cupertino, California

 

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet Update and General Info SLC, JazzyV, grapau27.

 

Sorry to report that RNB has no more jokes or stories to report on this thread today or in the future! Ok, all together now, April Fools!

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning, thanks for the daily fleet report. It’s going to be a rainy but warm day today.  Today’s meal suggestion sounds good if I give DH the avocado.  Not sure what’s for dinner today, I’m thinking of going to our local Greek restaurant. I haven’t done an April fools joke in a long time. I hope everyone has a good day today.

Today is Amelia’s 4th birthday.

[grapau27]

23 minutes ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Good Morning, thanks for the daily fleet report. It’s going to be a rainy but warm day today.  Today’s meal suggestion sounds good if I give DH the avocado.  Not sure what’s for dinner today, I’m thinking of going to our local Greek restaurant. I haven’t done an April fools joke in a long time. I hope everyone has a good day today.

Today is Amelia’s 4th birthday.

Happy 4th birthday Amelia.

You are beautiful.

[Crazy For Cats]

12 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Happy 4th birthday Amelia.

You are beautiful.

She’s also very spoiled!

[puppycanducruise]

Rabbit    Rabbit    White Rabbit

 

Good morning.  Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Report.

A rainy day here and it should warm up to 10°C (50°F).

 

No April Fool's around here, I'm letting him sleep in.😉  I don't have the patience for tatting, but I think it's beautiful.  I'm not an atheist but I guess they should have a day too.   I hope everyone has fun at work.

I like the quote.

The meal sounds good, but we had chicken last night.  Maybe another day.

I'm not sure about the drink or the wine, I'll wait until I get more info.

Thanks for the pictures of Hammerfest.

 

Prayers for many.  Cheers for all the celebrations.

Have a wonderful day.

Stay safe.

 

[aliaschief]

Good morning, I’m up early this morning for no particular reason other than it was time. I guess I was anxious to see what Redneck Bob contrived for April Fool’s Day.

It’s 72 and we also have the possibility of thunderstorms. 

Going to be a busy week as we leave for Fort Lauderdale next Saturday for our 20 day cruise on the Eurodam. Upon our return we have only one day before we head to Jacksonville where we will babysit our two granddaughters for a couple of weeks when our daughter and her husband go on a vacation to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

We’ll make a run to the Commissary this morning and we have invited our neighbor over for dinner seeing his wife is away babysitting their grandchildren.

Thanks Sandi for getting the Daily started and great pics of today’s port of call.

Have a great weekend everybody.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by aliaschief

[ocean sounds]

Happy Saturday, Everyone. Thanks to all for the Daily info!

 

Prayers for those in need, cheers and smiles for those celebrating, or joining a ship today, 

 

Stay safe from the storms,! 
 

How can it be April already ?!

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by ocean sounds

[aliaschief]

[grapau27]

58 minutes ago, Crazy For Cats said:

She’s also very spoiled!

👍❤️

[cat shepard]

Thank you for starting us off, Sandi!  Rich, thank you for making sure the Report & Daily continue each day!  Another lovely morning sky. Last night’s dinner with the salmon & strawberry basil relish was a smash! I doubled the basil amount, and probably would have enjoyed even more.  Thank you for hunting that down, Debbie!
 

Vanessa, thank you for taking such great care of us & tracking our events. I have an early visit from my handyman to replace my pool enclosure door closing mechanisms. Both went caput in the same week and I had to detach them from the doors, so I could close them. I sense a conspiracy. 🤔. Then I am joining friends for a brunch at a local restaurant. Bindi walks and going out with my Sister & her Grandson for dinner will round out my day. I usually don’t eat two meals out on the same day, unless I am on vacation. 

Words to live by…

 

 

 

The winners or the Guinness Book of World Records for # of cats in one box!

 

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Get well & stay well everyone!

 

 

*********

Cambridge Road Martinborough Dovetail 2020

Well this NZ Pinot noir - Syrah blend is another elusive wine, except for @erewhon  I hope she & DH  are trying the ones that sound good to them. There are no distributors that ship to me. If I visited New Zealand, I would spend the equivalent of $49.46 for a bottle. 
Winemaker notes

 

Cambridge Road Vineyard is a small family farmed estate established in 1986. We focus our time and energy on perfecting and beautifying our land and cultivating it according to natural biodynamic and eco-farming principles. We believe in minimal intervention winemaking, low yields, and healthy living wines. We seek purity of voice in all our wines with a respect for the taste of place. We source organic fruit from other vineyards within the region and occasionally further afield to offer a wider selection of taste.

A fascinating blend of Syrah and Pinot Noir. This has the beautiful ripe red currants and cherries that you'd expect from the Pinot Noir but it opens up to give a range of lovely licorice, clove spice and other earthy tones.

Edited April 1, 2023 by cat shepard

[rafinmd]

Rabbit, Rabbit, White Rabbit,  Thank you Sandi, Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Dixie, and Ann.  Temperatures will be warm but with rain and strong winds (but tornadoes should miss us).  I'll pass on the days today and hope nothing destructive for April Fools Day.  Interesting quote by Burgess.  I have not been to Hammerfest, and will pass on the Taco.  My alternative is Papaya with Rainbow of Fruit, Balil Crusted Veal Medallion with Morels, Tiramisu, and Devils Food Cake as served on MS Zaandam April 1, 2017:

 

 

Roy

[cat shepard]

1 hour ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Good Morning, thanks for the daily fleet report. It’s going to be a rainy but warm day today.  Today’s meal suggestion sounds good if I give DH the avocado.  Not sure what’s for dinner today, I’m thinking of going to our local Greek restaurant. I haven’t done an April fools joke in a long time. I hope everyone has a good day today.

Today is Amelia’s 4th birthday.

Amelia, you are gorgeous! But you probably already know this!  🐈

[NextOne]

Rabbit, Rabbit, white rabbit! Happy April, and try not to be anyone's fool today! I've always thought April was a good month -- my bday is the 5th & Dsis is on the 21st.

A busy day today - first a funeral lunch to serve, then getting ready for Palm Sunday. The rain has already started and should be followed by high winds. What fun! But it should warm up after the storms move through.

Stay safe, well, and happy, everyone!

[summer slope]

Rabbit, rabbit, White Rabbit!!

 

Bourbon Renewal cocktail:

 

Ingredients
2 parts Maker's Mark® Bourbon
1 part Fresh Lemon Juice
½ part DeKuyper® Crème de Cassis Liqueur
½ part Simple Syrup
1 dash Angostura® Bitters

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon or blackberries.

 

[Vict0riann]

Thanks everyone for your wonderful posts every day.  They keep me going!  No rabbits here at sea… 

 

Half Moon Cay tomorrow, I want to check on the chickens.  I’ve worried about them ever since they had that hurricane a few years ago.  

[dfish]

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit!

 

Good morning, everyone!

 

We had some wild thunderstorms last night.  We can hear them clear as day in the living room and the dining room, but as soon as I go back to my bedroom I can't hear a thing.  That was good for sleeping.  Today I have a Zoom meeting in an hour, Sue and River are heading back north, and Farkle will be tonight because DB Bill had to work last night.  

 

Chicken tacos sound wonderful and I love avocados.  Avocados are quite healthy for us.  Read all about it here:   https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270406#benefits

 

This first recipe is pretty easy to make.  https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken-tacos-with-avocado-salsa/

 

 

Don't they look great?   Mmmmm  This next one can't get any easier to do.  It marinates the chicken in lime and salt and makes a guacamole from the avocado.  I do think I prefer my avocado in chunks, but I'd try this.  https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/chicken-tacos-avocado-salsa/

 

 

One last version is found here.  Lots of healthy options here.  I'd use the low carb tortillas and fill them with the chicken and lots of veggies.  https://healthyfitnessmeals.com/chicken-tacos-avocado-salsa/

 

 

We're having Claude Monet's stuffed onions tonight, but I'll keep this in mind for a later meal.  

 

Time to get ready to Zoom.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

 

 

[cruising sister]

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit! I need all the luck I can get this month. The wind continues to roar outside and now my Internet is not working. I hope I can troubleshoot it before dear grandson gets up. I go to Norway in May and I am looking forward to seeing a beautiful country.

 

Prayers to all of the care list and I hope everybody has a great Saturday.

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Rabbit, Rabbit, White Rabbit!🐇  Good morning friends!  It's the calm before the storm here.  We are at 65F and anticipate thunderstorms anytime between 7 am and 1 pm. ⛈️ Then sunshine and a high of 77F.  Time to test out the new larger gutters and configuration!  Looking at the Port Everglades webcam I see 4 ships all lined up heading for the entrance to the port in Fort Lauderdale.  By the time I finish typing this up they may even be passing the condo camera.  Nieuw Statdendam is first.  Some of you may even be up watching the parade.  Have fun!  

 

Thank you Rich @richwmn for today's Fleet Report and Daily.  We hope all is well on the Zuiderdam right now even if there is no lettuce for anyone's sandwich or salad.  At least that's what I read.  I'm sure they can find some in Tenerife!  As you all know April 1st is April Fools' Day so don't believe half of what comes out of anyone's mouth today.  And watch out for Redneck Bob!  Rich has chosen International Tatting Day, Atheist Day, and International Fun at Work Day.  Tatting is a fine art but I can't do that, am not an atheist, and don't work (haha) so I am pretty useless today. 😄 Let's see what you all can come up with on those subjects.  An interesting quote I guess.  The menu suggestion sounds pretty good.  Even though I rarely eat avocado I would give it a try because I love chicken tacos.  No thanks to the drink, and I have no idea what type of wine that is so will have to wait to pass judgement.  🍷  A big thanks to our Food and Beverage Department ladies for their help on those items.

 

Thanks to our friend Vanessa @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists.  Prayers for all on the list and that includes those in Nashville, Ukraine, and any other places suffering from disasters.🙏  I haven't seen the aftermath of yesterday's tornadoes yet but I'm sure there are many who need help and prayer today.  🌪️  A big cheer to all on the Celebration list, and those cruising.  If you are joining a ship today we hope all goes smoothly and you are onboard enjoying yourself quickly.  We are enjoying hearing from our friends on cruises because we live vicariously through you all.🚢  So keep it up!

 

Our port of the day is the great Norwegian city of Hammerfest.  It is a small town but lovely and worth a visit on your Norway cruise.  We have had that port before on March 8, 2021 (at the beginning of the port of the day on the Daily) and October 22, 2022.  Here are the links for your convenience.  I will post my photos afterward.  

 

 

 

 

Hammerfest, Norway is a port we saw on what we call the Best Norway Cruise Ever of 2016.  If you ever see a cruise itinerary that includes ports like Hammerfest, Bronnoysund, Trondheim and Narvik, book it.  I always look for cruises that include a couple of new ports and this one was it.  Little did we know we'd meet the very personable Captain D. D. on that Prinsendam cruise.  He later told us the surveys that were returned after this cruise made it the highest rated cruise in recent Holland America history.  We had a ball!

 

This was the furthest north port before arrival at Honningsvag and North Cape.  The weather was sunny but very windy so we required tugs to get to the dock.  That made our disembarkation about an hour and a half later than planned.  Little did we know that we would be leaving early as well as arriving late!  More about that later.

 

 

We took the shuttle bus to the downtown area and started a walk up the steps to Mt. Salen's peak.  The port has a bit of distance from where we docked and then a curved road around to the other side of the harbor to the downtown area.  Here is a pic from Mt. Salen that shows the distance involved, somewhat.

 

Mt. Salen isn't terribly tall so most of us could make it up the slope to the top.  There's a gentle ramp so you could stop and rest if necessary.  It's worth the view of the town.  

 

 

 

After leaving there we walked along the main street towards the Hammerfest Kirke built in 1961 which featured unusual architecture inspired by fish scales.  We passed some cute painted mailboxes in front of homes which I couldn't pass up without a photo.  Can you tell this is a mailbox?

 

The front of the church and then the side of the unique church.

 

 

Across the road from the Hammerfest Kirke is an older church built in 1937 called the Hammerfest Church.  It was the only building left standing after World War II. 

 

 

We wandered through the cemetery looking at some of the old headstones there. 

 

 

This is the Museum of the Reconstruction.  When I looked up the name of the museum, the description read that like most of Northern Norway, towns were razed by the retreating German military forces at the end of the war.  Looks like somewhere to visit if you have time on your next visit.

 

We took the shuttle back around the bay to the Prinsendam, but stopped to see what this object was nearby.  It's called the Meridian Pillar.

 

Not being able to read the words on the monument I looked it up.  Lonely Planet says this about it:

 

Historic Site in Hammerfest On the Fuglenes peninsula, just across the harbour, is the Meridianstøtta, a marble column commemorating the first survey (1816–52) by Russian scientist Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve to determine the arc of the global meridian and thereby calculate the size and shape of the earth.

 

Back on the ship, we were surprised when the ship left the dock several hours early to let a ship (waiting nearby) take our spot.  Someone in charge had made an error and double booked this dock and that ship needed to be there at 6 pm, not 8 pm! 

We watched HAL crew members out at the dock trying to hurry folks along so we could leave.  As soon as we moved away from the pier the other ship slipped right into our spot.  We sailed out further to the edge of the harbor and anchored, and the port agent brought passengers who were left behind out to us on the pilot boat while we were at dinner!  Can you imagine their panic when they saw the Prinsendam was gone?  We heard some of them were enjoying themselves in the local bars although who can afford an alcoholic drink at a bar in Norway?

 

Hoping you all have a Spectacular Saturday!

 

Nice collection of photos Sandi @StLouisCruisers.

Thank you for sharing them.

Graham.