The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday October 5th, 2023

[richwmn]

 

Today is Do Something Nice Day, Random Acts of Poetry Day, and World Teacher's Day
 

We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know. --W. H. Auden

Meal Suggestion for today - Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice
Drink of the Day - Smmmores
Wine of the Day - 2021 Chris Baker Pinot Blanc
Destination of the Day - Tromso, Norway

Today in History:
1864 Most of Calcutta destroyed by cyclone, approx 60,000 die
1947 Harry Truman makes the 1st Presidential address televised from the White House
1962 "Dr. No", 1st James Bond film based on the novel by Ian Fleming and starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress, premieres in London
1962 The Beatles release their first record, "Love Me Do"

Ship Locations
 

Eurodam

Ketchikan, Alaska 0700-1300
 

Koningsdam

Ketchikan, Alaska 1100-1900
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

At Sea Destination San Diego, California eta 10-06
 

Nieuw Statendam

Heraclio, Greece 0700-2300
 

Noordam

At Sea Destination Los Angeles, California eta 10-06
 

Oosterdam

Istanbul, Turkey 1300[+1]0900
 

Rotterdam

Aarhus, Denmark 0800-1700
 

Volendam

At Sea Destination Hilo, Hawaii eta 10-08
 

Westerdam

At Sea Destination Kushiro, Japan eta 10-12
 

Zaandam

At Sea Destination Port Canaveral, Florida eta 10-06
 

Zuiderdam

Portland, Maine 1130-2100
 

 

[seagarsmoker]

Good morning Dailyites and thank you for the Daily Report. 

No side effects or soreness from my flu and covid booster shots! 🙂

I hope everyone has a great day! 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Report.

This is a nice place to start the day. 

Another summer-like day for us, according to the weather forecasters, it will be our last one.  It's been great.  Today we should get up to 24C (75F).  Yesterday I got "bit" by something while cleaning up the shed.  Ouch!  Thank goodness for AfterBite and Benadryl.

I like the days.  I try to be kind everyday, not much into poetry writing, and all teachers deserve a big THANK YOU!

Amusing quote.

The meal sounds tasty, looking forward to seeing recipes.  The drink sounds like dessert.  I'm sure the wine is terrific.

I've been to Norway but not today's port.

Interesting days in history, love the Beatles.

Prayers for everyone.  Cheers for lots of celebrations, no matter how small.

Bertie and I will go for a walk soon, as soon as the sun comes up.  Have a wonderful day.

[StLouisCruisers]

 

Good morning friends!  This morning I have a temp in north central Georgia of 58F.  Today will be 81 and partly cloudy.  I have a morning hair appointment so will head out by 9 a,m.

 

Thanks to Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report!  All good days of celebration today.  Doing  something nice is an excellent idea and I feel should extend to every other day.  I'm interested to hear how random acts of poetry happen.  Hmmm.  And finally World Teacher's Day!  Hurray for all the hard working, dedicated teachers out there.  I'll notify DD and tell her how much parents and students appreciate her.  I know her students do because she recently received many emails from last year's students telling her how important she was to them.  Their assignment was to email a former teacher to tell them how they made a difference in the student's life.  She said it was so special!  DS is not teaching this year due to his current interim dean position and it is not allowed.  But he still has a lot of knowledge he can extend to his graduate research students so I will thank him too.

 

Next, we have a nice quote this morning.  The stuffed butternut squash sounds interesting.  Can't wait to hear about the drink/cocktail, and a little more about the wine of the day.  Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today.  

 

Lots of interesting things have happened on this date in history.  Many are positive like Harry Truman's 1st presidential address, The film "Dr. No", and of course the Beatles song Love Me Do dropping.  But a sad day in Calcutta's history.

 

Prayers said immediately upon starting up the treadmill earlier. 🙏 So many in need of help!  Hoping for further good news about Scott, and anything in the way of improvement for DB and Mark. Prayers said for all of you here too.  Hoping for great days for our cruisers, and all who have a nice celebration this morning.  🥂  Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists. I hope you had an enjoyable evening spent celebrating your birthday!🎂

 

Hurray, another new port!  I love any port in Norway and that includes Tromso.  No links today, but lots of photos.  Thank you Rich for adding this port for us.  I will post my photos when finished here.  On one of our three visits there DH and I were locked up in Covid jail - June 2022 on Island Princess.  The first visits were in 2013 on Crown Princess and 2016 on Prinsendam.  

 

Hoping all here have a safe, healthy and happy Thursday!

[rafinmd]

Thank you Rich, Vanessa, Debbie, Ann, and Dixie for the Thursday report.  3 great days to celebrate and I'll salute teachers in particular.  I don't think I've been to Tromso.  I like the quote but am not sure about the meal.  My alternative is Chilled Mango Banana Soup, Ribeye, and Strawberry Ice Cream, my final dinner in QM2's Princess Grill.

 

We are getting very close to Quebec.  I will likely pack up my laptop soon and posting very little from my IPAD until I settle into my new room.  I'm hoping the transfer from Pier 22 to Pier 30 won't be too difficult.

 

Roy

[JazzyV]

Today’s Care List:

Cruising sister’s great niece Baby Murphy post-surgery, on ventilator

HAL Sailer’s DH hospitalized with pneumonia and afib

StLouisCruiser’s friend Susan’s DH Scott hospitalized, post-arrest, off vent

1Angelcat’s friend Stephanie with leg fractures, post-surgery

Cruising-along’s friend Rhonda with kidney stones/abcess & new DM dx

Crazy For Cats not feeling well

 

All Dailyites going through worries and stress, whether mentioned or not

Recovery from Wildfires in Maui, Canadian/US wildfires

Citizens of Ukraine

 

From the Rotation:

StLouisCruiser’s friend’s DB Mark with bile duct cancer

Cruising-along’s DBIL diagnosed with prostate cancer

RMLincoln’s DH with glaucoma issues

Lady Hudson’s DH Bill with bronchitis

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Welcome to the Daily Smmessineo

Smitty34877 finding a new aide

RMLincoln’s progress toward the move

 

The Daily Gardening Club posting wonderful flower pictures

All the contributors to the Fleet Report/Daily

 

Upcoming Cruises or At Sea:

2 days for Kazu (Rotterdam Oct 7 to Oct 22, Atlantic Sojourn)

2 days for 0106 (Rotterdam Oct 7 to Oct 22, Atlantic Sojourn)

2 days for St Pete Cruiser (Rotterdam Oct 7 to Oct 22, Atlantic Sojourn)

3 days for WannaSea (Eurodam Oct 8 to Oct 12, Pacific Coastal Cruise)

3 days for Horizon Chaser 1957 (Eurodam Oct 8 to Oct 28, Panama Canal)

 

Vmax1700 (Rotterdam to Oct 7, Jewels of the Baltic), WannaSea (Koningsdam to Oct 7, AK Inside Passage), Mr. Boston (Oosterdam to Oct 8, Med Tapestry, Greece & Adriatic Antiquities), Nickelpenny (Noordam to Oct 8, Wine Country & PNW), Ichiban Nekko (Zuiderdam to Oct 10, The Atlantic Coast),  Cruzn single (Zuiderdam to Oct 10, The Atlantic Coast), Rafinmd (Crystal Serenity to Oct 13, Quebec City to NY), Live4cruises (Westerdam to Oct 28, N.Pacific crossing & Japan Collector) and Lindaler (Volendam to Nov 22, Tales of the South Pacific) 

[summer slope]

Smmmores cocktail:

 

Ingredients
1 part Pinnacle® Whipped® Vodka
1 part DeKuyper® Creme De Cacao Dark Liqueur
1 splash Soda Water
Marshmallows

Instructions
Serve over ice. Garnish with marshmallows.

 

[puppycanducruise]

@StLouisCruisers Good news about Scott, hope he continues to heal.

[StLouisCruisers]

 

We have visited Tromso three times over the years.  First was July 8, 2013 on a Crown Princess above the Arctic Circle cruise, round trip Southampton.  Our friends Susan and Scott were with us that cruise.  The second time in Tromso was during the 2016 Prinsendam Best. Norway. Cruise. Ever!!   Thirdly, we were physically docked in Tromso in July 2022 while we were under Covid quarantine on the Island Princess.  However being “locked up” we were unable to actually go off the ship to see it once again.

 

Our first time there it was rainy unfortunately but that didn’t stop us from walking around town.   Check out the Tromso Domkirke, circa 1861

 

 

And a closer look at an obelisk surrounded by beautiful summer flowers

 

 

Typical street scenes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could ride around on this tram but I noticed the windows were all fogged up!

 

 

Across the water was the Arctic Cathedral but we wouldn’t get to that side of town until next trip in 2016

 

 

For the Garden Club, this beautiful variegated-petal hydrangea

 

 

 

We stopped at the oldest watering hole in Tromso, the Olhallen brewpub.  We also saw a display about the Mack brewery.  We were too early for a tour.  Also a picture of an old time delivery truck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the pub

 

 

DH enjoying his $14USD beer

 

 

That concludes the 2013 Tromso visit.  On to 2016!

[Smmessineo]

Thanks for the fleet report! 

Reading the ship  locations brought back memories of our first  HAL cruise, the almost new Westerdam back in 2005. That was a wonderful experience, through the Baltics and 2 days in St. Petersburg. Only our second cruise ever ( first was to Alaska).  We had our teenage daughters with us, and it sparked their interest in  world travel. 

@seagarsmoker Glad to hear no side effects! I  just scheduled our shots for tomorrow! 

 

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is 15°C and raining here.

Do something nice is the best way.

Excellent quote.

I hope everyone is safe and well and you all have a great day.

[StLouisCruisers]

 

 

On our 2016 visit it was a cloudy morning but generally those skies turned sunny in the afternoon.  At least it wasn’t raining.

 

 

When we headed out for our adventure that day, we walked as straight as we could to the base of the Tromso Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the bridge curved I was able to take this photo of the Arctic Cathedral and even where the cable car goes up the adjacent mountain.

 

 

At the end of the bridge we passed by the cathedral in order to get to the cable car before the crowds.  There was another ship in port with us.

 

 

But I couldn’t pass these beautiful flowers without a photo.  For our Garden Club!  

 

 

The base of the cable car and not a bus in sight!

 

 

10 minutes later this is where I was

 

 

Without using zoom you can see how high up we were

 

 

Shots of the Arctic Cathedral and the bridge, this time with the zoom!

 

 

 

The beautiful Elegant Explorer, Prinsendam

 

More from the 2016 visit coming up next!  I told you there were a lot of photos!

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet Update and General Info from all the contributors.

 

I will Do Something Nice Today and honor y’all with another short poem for poetry day.

 

You move like a bass with excites me in May

You aint got no scales but I luv you anyway.

[StLouisCruisers]

Well, look down there!  A long line of people waiting to go up the mountain via cable car, and the buses that brought them!

 

 

 

Leaving the cable car we headed back to see the Arctic Cathedral up close.  Whoops!  Still lined up!

 

 

It has an impressive exterior but we wanted to see a little of the interior.  Unfortunately since it was Sunday church services were about to commence, so we ducked back outside.  Being Sunday was going to haunt us again later.

 

 

 

 

Time to walk back

 

Looks like a fun way to travel

 

 

We decided to go find the Olhallen brewpub again and passed the Bibliotek (library) and the Tromso Domkirke on the way. 

 

 

 

 

And here we are in front of the brewery and pub we visited last trip.

 

 

Oh no!  Closed on Sunday!!  So I took a photo of DH in front of the pub door with our Holland America umbrella right next to him.  We take it with us if there’s a threat of rain and it always chases those raindrops away.  Guess we saved our $14USD this trip.

 

 

In fact as the Prinsendam sailed away that afternoon here is what the sky looked like.  We even chased the clouds away that day!

 

 

And under the bridge we went

 

That's quite enough!  I hope you enjoyed Tromso, Norway.

[Heartgrove]

Thank you Rich, thank you Debbie, thank you Vanessa, thank you Ann, and thank you Dixie for all your work. And thank you everyone for being here! 

 

Avery forthright quote for today!

 

On our SAS flight to Copenhagen, I watched the British movie "Empire of Light" with Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, and Colin Furth (Recommended!.) The poetry of Philip Larkin was quoted twice. I now have his poetry book "High Windows" on order.

 

Stay Safe, and prayers for those in need.

 

- Jack

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s FR & D, Rich! A pretty morning, following another pretty day. Hopefully today will be as nice. Bindi is getting spoiled by this weather. So am I. 
 

Vanessa, hope you had a wonderful birthday repast. Thank you for taking such great care in keeping up with us. Praying your pain lessens. 
 

Bindi walks, picking a friend up at a medical center & taking her home, repotting some plants, cleaning & polishing my Mom’s silver serving tray, chores, and ending the day at my neighbor’s for supper. 


 

 

 

Praying for all who need our support. @smitty34877 Terry, keeping you, Tana, your families, and your support teams in my prayers. Let your new aide know that this includes her - if she takes good care of Tana & stays!

 

Cheers to all who are celebrating. May we each find a reason to smile today!
 

 

********

2021 Chris Baker Pinot Blanc

Another Naked Wines entry. It is a lovely Pinot Blanc, and sadly this vintage is sold out. Hopefully there will be many others. This Willamette Valley vintner also sells other wines outside of the club, and consumers seem to like them all. This vintage sold for $22.99. 

Distributor notes 

A refreshing Pinot Blanc for those warm-weather days

This citrusy white will be a huge hit this spring and summer with its zippy flavors of green apple, kiwi and Asian pear—and a nice long finish!

The majority of this fruit comes from a vineyard Chris owns—that Angels helped him buy!— in Willamette Valley, the first he has farmed himself from start to finish. “The fact that I now own a piece of this is astonishing,” he said.

Pinot Blanc is rarity in this part of Oregon—most vineyards are planted to Willamette's #1 export—Pinot Noir!—but your support gave Chris the chance to grow a special tiny parcel of a fresh white you'll love. Scoop it up quickly while it lasts!
Ready to drink now. It will be fantastic this summer on warm evenings while grilling. If you lose it in the wine closet for a couple years, it will still be stellar, but I doubt it will last until June.
Drink it cool! The fine attributes will not disappear if seriously chilled. That said, as the wine warms in the glass, the citrus flavors and acidity fade and serious complexity will develop. I recommend warming at least one glass up with your hands a bit to gain the full appreciation of this wine.
Flame-kissed meats and seasonal seafood. For me grilled halibut plus Pinot Blanc equals bliss! Playful citrus flavors also make so much sense at my favorite, a Dungeness crab boil on the beach. Who needs lemon when you are pouring this?

[luvtoride]

Good morning all.  Being a month out from our first cruise in over 6 years, these articles seem to popping up (or maybe I’m just more attuned to them).  This one on cruise etiquette from our local Gannett newspaper seems pretty basic/ common sense, but I guess you must all see and experience all types of crude and rude behavior on cruises.  What are some of the worst behaviors you’ve experienced on a cruise?

 

A nice day here in NJ today, before another rainy (the term monsoon has been used) Friday night and Saturday expected.  I’m meeting a friend (also retired) for breakfast this AM.  This is my first ROMEO meal since I retired in July.  Man, I’ve been busy.  

 

@StLouisCruisers where is Tromso?  Beautiful photos though.  I’m also curious as to how a Random Act of Poetry might happen today.  

 

Yesterday, I did get Tacos for lunch!  LOL.  

 

Have a good day all.  

Brian

PDF document 3.pdf

[smitty34877]

@cat shepard, I just told our new aide about you and the group and she was very happy to hear it! Thank you for your encouragement, support and prayers. We are all hoping that this works out.

[grapau27]

50 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Well, look down there!  A long line of people waiting to go up the mountain via cable car, and the buses that brought them!

 

 

 

Leaving the cable car we headed back to see the Arctic Cathedral up close.  Whoops!  Still lined up!

 

 

It has an impressive exterior but we wanted to see a little of the interior.  Unfortunately since it was Sunday church services were about to commence, so we ducked back outside.  Being Sunday was going to haunt us again later.

 

 

 

 

Time to walk back

 

Looks like a fun way to travel

 

 

We decided to go find the Olhallen brewpub again and passed the Bibliotek (library) and the Tromso Domkirke on the way. 

 

 

 

 

And here we are in front of the brewery and pub we visited last trip.

 

 

Oh no!  Closed on Sunday!!  So I took a photo of DH in front of the pub door with our Holland America umbrella right next to him.  We take it with us if there’s a threat of rain and it always chases those raindrops away.  Guess we saved our $14USD this trip.

 

 

In fact as the Prinsendam sailed away that afternoon here is what the sky looked like.  We even chased the clouds away that day!

 

 

And under the bridge we went

 

That's quite enough!  I hope you enjoyed Tromso, Norway.

Nice photos Sandi.

[grapau27]

We went to our local fish and chip shop and took our chips to the beach to eat.

[RMLincoln]

Thanks for the memory jog Sandi on Tromso. We went to the Arctic Cathedral for a midnight concert on our Hurtigruten cruise. Quite lovely classical and folk music, beautiful setting.  Glad you had pix of the bridge. Norway is a grand place for civil engineers!  Beautiful bridges and amazing tunnels. 
 

Today we are scheduled for COVID shots if they have serum. And DH’s oncology phone consult on recent blood work. 🤞

 

Hope Tina made it to Amsterdam. And Roy transfers to his new ship ok. I think Piers 22 and 30 are much too far apart to walk. I think I saw a comment that he acquired another cane! He didn’t mention it in his blog.
 

Yesterday we got scheduled with a second realtor, I made brownies, and we arranged schedules with DGD and her husband for them to make 3 trips to help us. We located and called a storage rental place across from our new community so we’ll probably use that for transition space. And I made a batch of brownies for retreat weekend, will do another batch today. Wrapping them individually is the hard part!  Looking forward to retreat, tomorrow evening and Saturday!  A good opportunity to refuel myself!  
 

Blessings All!  Thinking of those with uncertainty surrounding loved ones in hospitals and at home. One day at a time!  Sending blessings for Healing, comfort and hope!  Focus on What’s good right now!  Breathe. Know you are loved. It’s a privilege to serve our loved ones in their time if need!  (((Hug!)))
 

Safe travels to all away. Rest for the weary. Relief for those in pain. Peace for all- our countries, our communities, our families and in our hearts!  
Maureen

[cat shepard]

10 minutes ago, smitty34877 said:

@cat shepard, I just told our new aide about you and the group and she was very happy to hear it! Thank you for your encouragement, support and prayers. We are all hoping that this works out.

 

Boy, Terry - if only our wishes and prayers could make this happen. 

[cruising sister]

Good morning,

Thank you Sandi for all your pictures. My Norway cruise in May is one of my favorites. It would have been top of my list if DH was still alive and with me.  
 

it is a beautiful fall day. I will venture out into the pollen this evening to watch DGS play soccer. 
 

Prayers and well wishes. Have a great day. 

[StLouisCruisers]

26 minutes ago, luvtoride said:

Good morning all.  Being a month out from our first cruise in over 6 years, these articles seem to popping up (or maybe I’m just more attuned to them).  This one on cruise etiquette from our local Gannett newspaper seems pretty basic/ common sense, but I guess you must all see and experience all types of crude and rude behavior on cruises.  What are some of the worst behaviors you’ve experienced on a cruise?

 

A nice day here in NJ today, before another rainy (the term monsoon has been used) Friday night and Saturday expected.  I’m meeting a friend (also retired) for breakfast this AM.  This is my first ROMEO meal since I retired in July.  Man, I’ve been busy.  

 

@StLouisCruisers where is Tromso?  Beautiful photos though.  I’m also curious as to how a Random Act of Poetry might happen today.  

 

Yesterday, I did get Tacos for lunch!  LOL.  

 

Have a good day all.  

Brian

PDF document 3.pdf 21.48 kB · 1 download

 

Hi Brian,

 

Tromso is a city above the Arctic circle at nearly 70 degrees latitude.