Ichiban Nekko

@atexsix Bruno - Please accept our deepest condolence and virtual hugs during this difficult time. You had some grand times together and you have been a wonderful son as your dad prepared to leave this earth. Wishing you peace and love, -Cat & Dave

We were on the Rotterdam for 3 7-day segments over Xmas/New Years with friends. We expected lots of families with kids over the holidays. What we did not expect were screaming babies at specialty restaurants, rude and/or absent parents, and horrifically overworked staff. Thankfully, we could retreat to our balcony or the thermal spa since we could never get seating by the pool. Island Magic was a refreshing and a nice change for entertainment from the HAL video history and the One Step dance company, but Lincoln Center is sorely missed. And this was before the Children Sail Free promo. Despite being 4 star Mariners, our next bookings are on Viking (2 7-day segments -- but No Casino, No Children) and Azamara (a true 14-day sailing). Truly, this is a case of 'More in sadness than in anger...'

@seagarsmoker Sending you best wishes and good karma for today. Rest assured that you have many, many cheerleaders here at the FR&D! -Cat

Good Morning Daily-it’s from the Rotterdam! We should dock in San Juan in less than 2 hours. Thanks to HIA, we will take the Yunque Rain Forest excursion. Skies are clear and although there is still some movement, the seas are much more gentle today. A few random and very personal observations: - The new wifi is a vast improvement. We have Surf and have been able to access our email most of the time. - Last night’s MDR dinner was amazing! Yes, it’s not what it used to be but there were varied selections. Hot food arrived hot. Both DH & I enjoyed our meals immensely. Terrific service. - Dinner at Tamarind previous night was a bit of a letdown. Ordering a drink no longer available (old menu) was not a great start. My selections were meh. The lamb chops were ‘chewy’ and my knife had difficulty cutting through. The crispy eggplant was not crispy— more braised. The staff were fabulous— of course. We will return but hope to make better choices. -Breakfast and lunch in the MDR yesterday were very nice. The MDR itself is a stunner. - I think whoever updated the website also worked on the shipboard technology. The day we boarded, staff were handwriting tickets because the computers were down. Using the app to order from Dive In and New York Deli & Pizza is not available. New bar prices result in ludicrous extra charges of $0.30 (or something equally absurd) for HIA passengers that in turn have to be posted to accounts . How can this be efficient? In the Crow’s Nest, the big screens that used to show ship position, etc., say ‘Not Programmed.’ Goodness knows what staff have to cope with that we aren’t aware of. @seagarsmoker went through quite a dance when boarding the NS and beyond. Hopefully, that is all in his rearview mirror. - This is a gorgeous ship. The artworks are amazing. Thanks to @QuattroRomeo, posting so many terrific photos, you have the idea. - The Thermal Spa is terrific. Even more so during the holidays when the pools and hot tubs are overtaken by children. - The Library is great. Quiet. Comfy chairs (not many). Great selection of reading material. - Entertainment: We are not fans of the dance company HAL is so enamored with. Took in a ‘standards’ set at Billboard one evening. We enjoyed the playlist. The performers are not the strongest we’ve heard. We heard a set from Rolling Stone. Again, the Playlist was great; the lead vocalist, not so much. We are among many of you who miss the Lincoln Center offerings. Will check out the comedian tonight. - the Half Moon Bar looks great! - Club Orange DR is very well attended. Much more attractive than the previous iterations we have seen. having a wonderful time on the beautiful ship. love reading all your posts. You continue to inspire with your humor and goodwill. -Cat

We joined you yesterday! We had the fastest embarkation ever!! After the facial recognition with passport, we just kept walking to our cabin! Our cabin attendant visited. No assistant and he has 17 cabins to maintain. Our anniversary dinner at Rudi’s was epic. Truly, they pulled out the stops for us. Followed up on Navigator with appropriate compliments. We slept astonishingly well, despite the angry seas. It’s so good to be on a BHB. Every staff member is working so hard for every passenger to have the best experience. -Cat & Dave

Good Morning Dailyites! Thanks from both of us for the Bon Voyage & Happy Anniversary wishes! You all are so caring and thoughtful. We had an a blissfully uneventful flight to FLL. Bags arrived quickly. Hotel room available on arrival. Yay! PSA for those of you flying over the holidays: pack lots of patience. The crowds at 7am at Dulles were absolutely crazy. We cannot begin to imagine next week. The current weather here could make for an interesting check in & sailaway on the Rotterdam. The wind gusts are wild. NBC6 just called it “brutal marine conditions.” For the those of you who live in this part of FL, please check any holiday lighting outside your home to make sure it doesn’t fly away. Pretty soon we’ll be on our way to board the Rotterdam. Yay! I am looking forward to being able to catch up on the Daily on the ship. The last week has been so crazy that I barely had a chance to scan the FR&D. Best wishes to all with celebrations and/or a cruise on your horizon. -Cat & Dave

Good Morning Dailyites! It is a beautiful morning, with that early morning peachy glow contrasting with snow-covered roofs. Our county schools, along with several surrounding counties, are on a 2-hour delay today. DH Dave was so surprised when I passed on the kind birthday wishes from so many of you on Friday. Thank you all. We had a lovely dinner at a small French restaurant in nearby Gordonsville to celebrate his day. It really was delish. We are so looking forward to our upcoming Rotterdam cruise. We are actually breaking down and using a suitcase larger than a rollaboard! Some of the clothing choices have been made, paperwork/documents set aside. Before I tackle that, I have an appointment with our insurer’s preferred collision repair shop. Someone rear-ended me recently when I was stopped waiting for one of the few traffic signals in town to change. No body injuries thank goodness. However, the $100 damage estimate on the police report is quite different from what our Subaru dealer thought. In any event, the work will wait for our return in the New Year. After that appointment, we will be focusing on departure preparations. Thursday will be an early start since we have a 9am flight to FLL, Then on Friday, we board the Rotterdam. Dinner at Rudi’s that night to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary. Best wishes to all who contribute to this wonderful forum, - Cat

@seagarsmoker Best wishes for a great interview today!!!

We had to file claim on our 3rd Party Travel Insurance purchased from Travel Insured related to our Sept 30-Oct 10/2023 Zuiderdam cruise. We both tested positive for Covid on the last day before reaching Fort Lauderdale (port stop Port Canaveral). We were very well taken care of by the Medical Unit and HAL gave us terrific documentation to complete our two claims (Medical and Trip Interruption for a missed shore excursion). After contacting TI on return, they emailed the necessary forms for us to complete. We submitted the completed forms electronically with supporting documentation on Friday, October 20th. The funds were in our bank account on Tuesday, October 31rd! And although not a 'claim,' we changed a 35-day cruise in 2025 to a 14-day cruise in 2025. This dropped the premium significantly. A check for the difference was in our mailbox less than two weeks later. Our experience with the customer service at TI has been outstanding so far. We still check on other possibilities, but keep returning to them for our travel insurance needs. Why fix something that ain't broke?

On the Sept. 30-Oct 10 Zuiderdam sailing, there was no Canaletto on Embarkation night. We had made our HIA reservations months earlier in oder to avoid the MDR First Night Circus. We were informed by phone only after boarding. The person calling (Guest Relations?) made a new booking for us at the Pinnacle Grill. Yet another cut to add to The Thousand Little Cuts that Seattle seems to enjoy making.

Greeting from Quebec Dailyites!! it was an early start but everything went like clockwork! Air Canada flights were on time, entering Canada using the ArriveCAN app made it the speediest entry ever. We are pleased with our room at Hotel 71. The weather is gorgeous. We are having dinner al fresco near the hotel. Life is good. Do you think this cute guy is my type? -Cat

Hello again Dailyites! Many of you have made/are making plans to cruise to and/or visit Europe this summer. This article indicates the new Schengen Visa/ETIAS has been postponed to 2025. In any event, it's something for everyone thinking of European travel to keep an eye on. https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/no-etias-wont-become-operational-in-2024-eu-sources-say/?fbclid=IwAR3sWx-jbkZ9bL4Pu2ikeJ-8k3mlilpN_sQIAvMbumJWnjz0hSnJ-LNT1xE

Good Morning Dailyites! The Early Birds among you have already brought more than one smile to my face, along with more than one snort 😆 . Thank you all. Yesterday’s threatened high winds and severe winds did not really materialize. DH grew up in what is now considered a Seattle suburb, and thought he was back there: constant drizzle, windy and raw temps. I made a batch of Ina Garten’s Rigatoni with Sausage & Fennel (subbing in turkey sausage) that just hit the spot for dinner, with salads and a lovely Virginia wine (Ox Eye Lemberger). The remainder was divided into 2-person portions & frozen, so there are now 6 future main courses taken care of! And to finish a great day, The Os got a win in Cleveland. Younger DGS (resident of the Cleveland area and a Commanders’s fan) not so happy, but we certainly were. It has been such a long time since Cal was on the streak. Even watching the games on TV, you can just feel the excitement when they are on a home stand at Orioles Park in Baltimore. Earlier in the day, I starting sorting ‘stuff’ for the trip: power cords, masks, COVID tests, lanyards, bingo dangers, etc. We also now have a new Nest thermostat installed. Yay! When we sold our home last year, the Wi-Fi thermostats associated with its new HVAC system went with it. Of course, our short-term rental had no such item. If the builder offered it as an option here, the pricing was outrageous. It took us a while, but now we have it again. Yay! Just in time for the trip. I will be calling our pharmacy shortly after they open to find out if they have the new COVID vaccines and, if so, try to get an appointment. It may not take full effect before our departure, but it sure won’t hurt. I will lurk throughout the day; all your contributions lift the spirit. Have a great day everyone! -Cat

@kazu Jacqui -- Thanks so much for continuing to do this. And many thanks to the Well Wishers. It makes it all seem a little more real. -Cat

Good Morning Dailyites! OMG, have I actually made it to the first page?! Wow! The Mark Twain quote is fabulous. And all the Food & Bevvie suggestions sound tempting. I will be looking for @dfish Debbie’s recipes later today for inspiration. I haven’t been to our port of the day, but love going most places in Japan. Getting there is another thing altogether. Since every year is a Voting Year in Virginia, we will soon be off to the Registrar’s Office on this first day of Early Voting to make our selections for the State House and local positions. After that, I will treat myself to a pedicure in preparation for our trip next week. Hopefully, Mother Nature will respect our Friday Date Night so that we can grill our steak to accompany our baked potato and salad, before much needed rain arrives for most of the weekend. Oh, there will be wine involved, LOL! Sending virtual hugs to those facing challenges and cheers to our celebrants. Wishing you all a great weekend. -Cat