The Fleet Report and Daily for Saturday August 31st, 2024

[Sharon in AZ]

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Sharon, DH had the Morimoto lobster at least on Koningsdam last winter, and is looking forward to having it again on our upcoming cruises.  He really enjoyed it.  I had a taste, and it was good, but it was hard for me to taste the lobster with all the other flavors used.  

 

Lenda

Lenda, I had a taste of Debbie’s @dfish Morimoto lobster and it was overcooked with no other flavors or spices. So that’s why I want to try it if I have OBC to use. I definitely thought the lobster in the PG was much better. 

[dfish]

3 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Lenda, I had a taste of Debbie’s @dfish Morimoto lobster and it was overcooked with no other flavors or spices. So that’s why I want to try it if I have OBC to use. I definitely thought the lobster in the PG was much better. 

Sharon is right.  As far as I am concerned it was a one and done.  Maybe it is better in the pop up.

[ottahand7]

@NextOne prayers for Sandy.

 

Nice food in the shopping district @grapau27.  

 

John had the Morimoto lobster in the MDR and he was disappointed.  

[wdw1972]

Hello - after weeks of reading on a daily basis I felt it's time to step out of the shadows of "lurkdom" and admit my presence here 😉 What a wonderful community you've all created here! So many screen names I recognize from the HAL boards, too.

 

I'm strictly a HAL cruiser, still working so unable to do the multiple/long cruises at this point, but they're definitely in the relatively near future (3 years or so)! I'll be retiring older than most, but by choice. I love seeing the port photos of places I've yet to see in person. As an annoyingly picky eater, most of the meals are lost on me, but the cocktails and wine are great for ideas! DH has accumulated a ridiculous amount of liquor to stock his bar - despite not a single bottle being opened! Tonight that will change, as we're having another couple over for painkillers made with a certain rum (not Pussers) that she gifted DH with on his birthday last month. He nearly had palpitations when I told him he WOULD be opening the bottle!

 

I have actually met Bruce/Aliaschief many years ago on a 10-day ABC cruise that might have been on Noordam. He hosted a wine tasting in his suite, which my son (Chris) & I attended. Chris is 37 now but was probably early 20's back then - might have been 2012.

 

Sue/WDW1972

[ottahand7]

Welcome aboard @wdw1972!  

[AV8rix]

2 hours ago, atexsix said:

I know right.  I  think we need to do a cruise critic member rendezvous sometime, we talked about it a few years ago but then the pandemic hit and everybody interested sort of scattered.

Bruno, we've actually had quite a few cruises where Dailyites have sailed together.  But those occurred during your dad's illness so you weren't cruising then.  Now that you're cruising again, I'm sure you'll join in on some.  I haven't seen you since that Hawai'i cruise a few years ago on Eurodam (think it was Edam, could have been another) when you organized that get-together in the Tamarind bar. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

1 hour ago, atexsix said:

I remember the revolving lights on the aluminum trees, in fact you could always tell if someone had one if the drapes were open to show off the tree because it seemed to illuminate the entire room.  

 

Streaming services have ruined live sports.  First they screwed up our Sounders viewing when they went to almost 100% internet; now this year our Kraken are doing it but it's with Amazon Prime, but it's gotten so hard to track which sports can be viewed in which way, it was especially difficult for Dear Dad because he couldn't get to anything in person, but he didn't want to pay for umpteen subscriptions.  

 

The 2026 solstice was a slightly different itinerary, I looked because I thought about changing to it, but then I saw the Noordam 14 day out of Seattle, the interinary is really kewl and unique for Alaska because the ship leaves Seattle then darts all the way to Kodiak, then works it's way back down, like a mini crossing. 

 

Bruno, I looked at the 2026 14 day cruise, and it is an interesting cruise.  The itinerary is so different from the one when they were using the R and S class ships, but the cruise is still going to interesting places.

 

46 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Lenda, I had a taste of Debbie’s @dfish Morimoto lobster and it was overcooked with no other flavors or spices. So that’s why I want to try it if I have OBC to use. I definitely thought the lobster in the PG was much better. 

 

40 minutes ago, dfish said:

Sharon is right.  As far as I am concerned it was a one and done.  Maybe it is better in the pop up.

 

39 minutes ago, ottahand7 said:

@NextOne prayers for Sandy.

 

Nice food in the shopping district @grapau27.  

 

John had the Morimoto lobster in the MDR and he was disappointed.  

 

Sharon, Debbie, and Nancy, the difference might also be in the cooks and/or executive chefs on the different ships.  As I said, DH really like the lobster on Koningsdam last winter.  I thought the other ingredients hid the flavor of the lobster.  But then, I'm a purist on some food and don't want anything to mask the flavor of the main ingredient.

 

33 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

Hello - after weeks of reading on a daily basis I felt it's time to step out of the shadows of "lurkdom" and admit my presence here 😉 What a wonderful community you've all created here! So many screen names I recognize from the HAL boards, too.

 

I'm strictly a HAL cruiser, still working so unable to do the multiple/long cruises at this point, but they're definitely in the relatively near future (3 years or so)! I'll be retiring older than most, but by choice. I love seeing the port photos of places I've yet to see in person. As an annoyingly picky eater, most of the meals are lost on me, but the cocktails and wine are great for ideas! DH has accumulated a ridiculous amount of liquor to stock his bar - despite not a single bottle being opened! Tonight that will change, as we're having another couple over for painkillers made with a certain rum (not Pussers) that she gifted DH with on his birthday last month. He nearly had palpitations when I told him he WOULD be opening the bottle!

 

I have actually met Bruce/Aliaschief many years ago on a 10-day ABC cruise that might have been on Noordam. He hosted a wine tasting in his suite, which my son (Chris) & I attended. Chris is 37 now but was probably early 20's back then - might have been 2012.

 

Sue/WDW1972

 

Welcome to the Daily, Sue.  Like you, some of us were lurkers before we posted, and were welcomed.  I hope we see more of you in the future.

 

Lenda

[NextOne]

2 hours ago, atexsix said:

For 2025 I'm on the 28 day Solstice but I'm not yet sure I will be doing it because I have that Cunard cruise in September, so decisions decisions!  

Here's one vote for you staying on the 2025. I'd love to meet you!

[Petunia1950]

54 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

I'm strictly a HAL cruiser

I am mostly a lurker, although I do post once in a blue moon. 

 

I sail only HAL now -- I started with Royal Caribbean until a transatlantic from Southampton to Ft Lauderdale one year when we missed an All Ship's Tour beause "they couldn't find us"!  We had upgraded our cabin, and their list didn't get updated.  But we'd been at sea for several days and there had been no Man Overboard announcements, so they should have looked a bit harder.  We weren't hiding -- other crew on board knew where we were.  But that was it for me and RCCL and now their ships are way too big.  HAL is the best, by far !  And HAL has never lost me 🙂

[NextOne]

DS & I got our covid & flu shots today. I'm attending a convention next month, so I wanted to make sure I was covered. And, of course, for the TA in October!

[grapau27]

Pauline liked this.

[atexsix]

42 minutes ago, AV8rix said:

Bruno, we've actually had quite a few cruises where Dailyites have sailed together.  But those occurred during your dad's illness so you weren't cruising then.  Now that you're cruising again, I'm sure you'll join in on some.  I haven't seen you since that Hawai'i cruise a few years ago on Eurodam (think it was Edam, could have been another) when you organized that get-together in the Tamarind bar. 

Oh my gosh, now that brings back memories.  Yes it was the Eurodam.  That was a lot of work, organizing that, about 40 of us.  And then Dear Dad couldn't even go because the seas were so rough and here we are on the highest deck we could practically go for it.  

[StLouisCruisers]

6 hours ago, marshhawk said:

Good Saturday Morning Dailyites!  We had a heck of a night last night.  I had just done a sale, it was around 5:20 , and I sent it through, notified my bosses. and was just about to call my ADA person back, and BOOM! we lost power.  I called my boss to see if he could reach my patron, and he said -cant you call when your power comes back on?  Um, no. It was lightening, thundering, pouring rain, the wind was howling, um, no. I texted him all the info, and left it at that.  Battery was low on the cell phone.  I texted him, that he was awesome, and that we had received news that the power would be on in two hours.  

 

But that didnt happen.  Because on the street behind our house, a huge tree had fallen and taken out more power lines, so DH and I went to get dinner, and came home to a very dark neighborhood.  We opened the windows, because it was now cooler outside than in, we sat with a few candles lit, and the rechargeable lantern on, and I said, this is ridiculous, why don't we just go to sleep.  We were tired, but the heat was oppressive.  So we listened to the the outdoor sounds.  At 10 we heard something make a woofing noise, it sounded like it was right outside our window,  earth creature or flying creature?  the sound moved down the street, and then to the back of the house.  MIght have been some weird owl call.  Then after dozing for about an hour, we both heard an animal screaming, and heard the coyotes going in for some kind of attack. (Now I really know why Roofus climbs up the dogwood to get on the roof at night)

 

I heard the porch door slam shut a couple of times, and then woke up at 3 to the sound of the TV, the air conditioner, felt the ceiling fan moving air, and the lights came on on the ones I had not turned off. I got up, closed the windows,  turned off the lights. and the TV and went back to sleep. Got up this morning, checked my cell phone, and my boss had said that my patron was AWFUL.  So I dont know how that was resolved,  if at all.

 

We did not get to the museum yesterday, but had a lovely breakfast, went to WM to get cat food, which I have to stack today, 4 cans per meal, feeds 12 cats, ( the 8 inside, and the 4 squatters outside) times 2, and thats a lot of cat food to buy.   

 

I just finished reading yesterday, and I am now ready for today!  And now I can say I have 3 days off.  

 

Wow, you had quite a night, didn't you?  We saw the sky was dark north of us during dinner last night but I had no idea the storm was as far north as you are.  Not a drop down this way.  We have chances of rain coming up in the upcoming week.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Cat update: leaving Vet now w/a grumpy but otherwise healthy cat. His urinalysis was good and no fever. Vet says continue trying to get him to drink, but he's likely getting enough water by way of the canned food. She says add some water to it.

Thanks for ALL the prayers - they worked!!

 

That's certainly good news Elizabeth.  I hope he continues to do better.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, NextOne said:

I got an update on DSIL (DD DH's younger sister) last night. They found a large mass on her right kidney and several spots on her lungs. I'm sad, but not surprised because she's been a heavy smoker all of her life.

She was released while the hospital made arrangements for her to meet with an oncologists and decide next steps. She still has the Sept. 10 CT scan scheduled to see if she also has an ulcer. Please keep her in your prayers -- her name is Sandy.

Thank you!

 

Edi, I'm so sorry to hear about the mass on the kidney and spots on your DSIL's lungs.  She'll be in our prayers.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, wdw1972 said:

Hello - after weeks of reading on a daily basis I felt it's time to step out of the shadows of "lurkdom" and admit my presence here 😉 What a wonderful community you've all created here! So many screen names I recognize from the HAL boards, too.

 

I'm strictly a HAL cruiser, still working so unable to do the multiple/long cruises at this point, but they're definitely in the relatively near future (3 years or so)! I'll be retiring older than most, but by choice. I love seeing the port photos of places I've yet to see in person. As an annoyingly picky eater, most of the meals are lost on me, but the cocktails and wine are great for ideas! DH has accumulated a ridiculous amount of liquor to stock his bar - despite not a single bottle being opened! Tonight that will change, as we're having another couple over for painkillers made with a certain rum (not Pussers) that she gifted DH with on his birthday last month. He nearly had palpitations when I told him he WOULD be opening the bottle!

 

I have actually met Bruce/Aliaschief many years ago on a 10-day ABC cruise that might have been on Noordam. He hosted a wine tasting in his suite, which my son (Chris) & I attended. Chris is 37 now but was probably early 20's back then - might have been 2012.

 

Sue/WDW1972

 

Sue, welcome to the Daily!  We're glad you enjoy coming here each day.  

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, NextOne said:

Here's one vote for you staying on the 2025. I'd love to meet you!

 

Bruno @atexsix I vote you stay on the 2025 Solstice cruise, too.  DH and I are booked, and in fact I just purchased airfare for that cruise today.  I did not choose Flight Ease, but rather booked through the airline which was hundreds of dollars less than Flight Ease.

 

 

 

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

Pauline liked this.

 

That's so funny!  I like it too!😄

[rafinmd]

I have a sunset today rather than a sunrise.  It's from my 2016 Crystal Serenity Northwest Passage cruise.  August 31 was a sea day from Cambridge Bay to Pond Inlet:

 

 

Roy

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

8 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Bruno @atexsix I vote you stay on the 2025 Solstice cruise, too.  DH and I are booked, and in fact I just purchased airfare for that cruise today.  I did not choose Flight Ease, but rather booked through the airline which was hundreds of dollars less than Flight Ease.

 

 

Sandi, it looks like we're going to finally meet next summer.  We booked the Solstice cruise in late June.  We've wanted to get to Nome, and figured this was probably safer than flying there, and more fun.

 

Lenda

[USN59-79]

I think some of us who say they have never used diatomaceous earth may be wrong.  It was once widely used as an abrasive in tooth paste.  Not sure if it is still commonly used, though.

I remember a deposit of it along the Columbia River near Vantage, Washington, along with a lot of petrified wood.

Think I am mostly packed for tomorrow.  Need to remember things like the charger for my phone, toothbrush, razer, hearing aids, etc and some cords to attach to all of that stuff.  Our son will come over tomorrow morning to drive us to Pier 91.

[atexsix]

49 minutes ago, Petunia1950 said:

I am mostly a lurker, although I do post once in a blue moon. 

 

I sail only HAL now -- I started with Royal Caribbean until a transatlantic from Southampton to Ft Lauderdale one year when we missed an All Ship's Tour beause "they couldn't find us"!  We had upgraded our cabin, and their list didn't get updated.  But we'd been at sea for several days and there had been no Man Overboard announcements, so they should have looked a bit harder.  We weren't hiding -- other crew on board knew where we were.  But that was it for me and RCCL and now their ships are way too big.  HAL is the best, by far !  And HAL has never lost me 🙂

HAL irks me from time to time (looking at you the person that eliminated LC) but I always stick with them because the laid back vibe on HAL's ships are a perfect match for my laid back brain post stroke.

 

53 minutes ago, NextOne said:

Here's one vote for you staying on the 2025. I'd love to meet you!

Thanks, likewise.  And I love the handle "NextOne", isn't that how we all feel on disembarkation day?

 

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Bruno, I looked at the 2026 14 day cruise, and it is an interesting cruise.  The itinerary is so different from the one when they were using the R and S class ships, but the cruise is still going to interesting places.

 

 

 

 

Sharon, Debbie, and Nancy, the difference might also be in the cooks and/or executive chefs on the different ships.  As I said, DH really like the lobster on Koningsdam last winter.  I thought the other ingredients hid the flavor of the lobster.  But then, I'm a purist on some food and don't want anything to mask the flavor of the main ingredient.

 

 

Welcome to the Daily, Sue.  Like you, some of us were lurkers before we posted, and were welcomed.

Nothing wrong with being a lurker.  I lurked for about 12 years before I became a member.  I first discovered CC in 2005, most of the "regulars" from those days are long gone and I often wonder what happened to everybody, Lisa @LAFFNVEGAS and Copper-John are about the only two I know that go back that far. 

 

That's why I couldn't pass up the Noordam, it's also a ship I've never been on, so it's got bucket list appeal.  But I've been on two of her sisters: Oosterdam and Westerdam.  

 

22 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Bruno @atexsix I vote you stay on the 2025 Solstice cruise, too.  DH and I are booked, and in fact I just purchased airfare for that cruise today.  I did not choose Flight Ease, but rather booked through the airline which was hundreds of dollars less than Flight Ease.

I'm going to try, the hard part is finding a sitter for that length of time.  Otherwise it's a super easy cruise to do as it's RT Seattle.  The other incentive is the deposit is not refundable.  It would be a sizable forfeiture (although donating to HAL is always a good cause).

Edited August 31 by atexsix

[atexsix]

8 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

I think some of us who say they have never used diatomaceous earth may be wrong.  It was once widely used as an abrasive in tooth paste.  Not sure if it is still commonly used, though.

I remember a deposit of it along the Columbia River near Vantage, Washington, along with a lot of petrified wood.

Think I am mostly packed for tomorrow.  Need to remember things like the charger for my phone, toothbrush, razer, hearing aids, etc and some cords to attach to all of that stuff.  Our son will come over tomorrow morning to drive us to Pier 91.

I used it to combat a silverfish problem in a townhouse I had.  Not too many options to combat

those nasty things.

12 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Sandi, it looks like we're going to finally meet next summer.  We booked the Solstice cruise in late June.  We've wanted to get to Nome, and figured this was probably safer than flying there, and more fun.

 

Lenda

When I worked in Naknek which is about due south of Nome (King Salmon nearest airport), it required a transfer in Anchorage to the most rickety prop plane I've ever been on in my life.  No thank you, never again.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

6 minutes ago, atexsix said:

I used it to combat a silverfish problem in a townhouse I had.  Not too many options to combat

those nasty things.

When I worked in Naknek which is about due south of Nome (King Salmon nearest airport), it required a transfer in Anchorage to the most rickety prop plane I've ever been on in my life.  No thank you, never again.

 

Bruno, I don't blame you.  I hope to meet you on the Westerdam next June.

 

Lenda

[atexsix]

2 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Bruno, I don't blame you.  I hope to meet you on the Westerdam next June.

 

Lenda

Likewise Lenda, I am also excited to meet anybody here on a cruise.  I only wish Dear Dad was still here as he would have enjoyed it also.  I think Karen @luvteaching, Lisa, and Marcia were the only ones who actually did get that chance.  

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, atexsix said:

Likewise Lenda, I am also excited to meet anybody here on a cruise.  I only wish Dear Dad was still here as he would have enjoyed it also.  I think Karen @luvteaching, Lisa, and Marcia were the only ones who actually did get that chance.  

 

Bruno, between Covid, the shutdown, and health problems for several of us, we missed a lot of chances to meet fellow Dailyites.  I'm sorry we didn't get to meet your Dear Dad.

 

Lenda

[atexsix]

1 minute ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

Bruno, between Covid, the shutdown, and health problems for several of us, we missed a lot of chances to meet fellow Dailyites.  I'm sorry we didn't get to meet your Dear Dad.

 

Lenda

No worries, he'll be with us for sure in spirit.  That's probably what he's doing now, endlessly sailing, now that's my idea of heaven!  

[erewhon]

Rabbits, Rabbits White Rabbits on this first morning of September.

Thanks for the HAL Fleet locations and the daily news.

It's the first day of spring, temperature of 19 C expected today.

Will read all the posts later.

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, wdw1972 said:

Hello - after weeks of reading on a daily basis I felt it's time to step out of the shadows of "lurkdom" and admit my presence here 😉 What a wonderful community you've all created here! So many screen names I recognize from the HAL boards, too.

 

I'm strictly a HAL cruiser, still working so unable to do the multiple/long cruises at this point, but they're definitely in the relatively near future (3 years or so)! I'll be retiring older than most, but by choice. I love seeing the port photos of places I've yet to see in person. As an annoyingly picky eater, most of the meals are lost on me, but the cocktails and wine are great for ideas! DH has accumulated a ridiculous amount of liquor to stock his bar - despite not a single bottle being opened! Tonight that will change, as we're having another couple over for painkillers made with a certain rum (not Pussers) that she gifted DH with on his birthday last month. He nearly had palpitations when I told him he WOULD be opening the bottle!

 

I have actually met Bruce/Aliaschief many years ago on a 10-day ABC cruise that might have been on Noordam. He hosted a wine tasting in his suite, which my son (Chris) & I attended. Chris is 37 now but was probably early 20's back then - might have been 2012.

 

Sue/WDW1972

Welcome, I didn't see that there was another lurker post, and I almost missed you.  I'm semi-retired, it's tempting to go completely but then I'd be giving up full salary and bennies for a job that's fairly easy after 10+ years doing it.  Actually my boss promised me flexibility in exchange for not retiring.  So it's 30 day cruises or less, but like you what I'd give for a 2 to 3 month trip!

[luvteaching]

Good afternoon Dailyites!, 

 

Welcome to the board @wdw1972. We're a friendly group here. 

Today has been somewhat busy. I made up the sour cream walnut cookies before it got too hot this morning. My neighbor came for tea and then I headed into Mount Vernon to attend an open house of a realtor friend. This friend and her husband are sailing with me next Saturday and she is soooo excited. 

I had a friend of a friend come and look at the old PT Cruiser today and he'll take it off my hands so I'm glad about that. Next up is making lemon bars this afternoon, calling DM to check in on her, and folding laundry. 

Tomorrow we're celebrating my DIL's parents' 50th wedding anniversary so I'm making dinner rolls tomorrow morning and then heading to a place called Lake Cavanaugh which is about an hour away for the afternoon. It's supposed to be 80F so a nice day to be by the water. 

 

@atexsix Bruno I so enjoyed visiting with Dear Dad on our cruise. He was a delight to chat with. Now he and my DD DH are both sailing together I'm sure and listening to Lincoln Center!

 

Karen