ottahand7

Good morning everyone from the Atlantic heading toward Barbados. I am skipping the gym and we will have a day savoring our sea day. We both did a little pre-packing so when our bags return from storage we will have an easier time of it. Today is crew show, I have never been to one so I am looking forward to that event. Then Happy Hour in the Ocean Bar meeting up with Santa Richard. I am going to write my TY notes for gratuities for our special bartender Catherine and the other guy whose name escapes me. @summer slopeI am going to pull up that cocktail this afternoon and ask Catherine to make it for me with sugar free syrup. Thank you for doing these every day. MDR for dinner. Sandi thanks for doing the Daily for us and Vanessa for the care reports. Prayers for all on our list and the people of Ukraine. Thanks to @cat shepard and @dfish for each days contributions! Food porn from last night's Cellar Master Dinner.

@RMLincolnDeepest sympathy on thel oss of your cousin and pray that you don't have COVID so your DH an get his surgery. Glad your cruise was great.

@AncientWanderer we made a personal decision to stay aboard. I am immune compromised and they were so adamant about it we decided to err on the safe side. When we boarded they had a collection box for them at GS. We handed in our signed ones never to be returned. If we return here we will give them our copies. No communication about not being able to disembark. Nancy Jeanne

Good Friday morning. We are at Devil's Island today and they are expecting many to tender off. We didn't get our Yellow Fever vaccination so are staying aboard. It is beautiful here. I am enjoying my port side balcony with a lot of morning sun on it and a nice breeze. I have a very good phone signal so the place must be more civilized than we had imagined. Cellar Master Dinner tonight. They pulled a fast one on us and changed dressy day to tomorrow. We will have to slink into the MDR tomorrow, I kept a nice dress unpacked but I am afraid anything John has might not fit or went out to storage with our winter clothes. It was supposed to be tonight. Sandi thank you for the Daily Reports and Vanessa for the cares report. Prayers for everyone needing them and the people of Ukraine. We spoke with our regular waiter last night and he sometimes does room service. He said the isolation cabins get served first. We asked how many and he said 14 which he said is much better than the Volendam last November which was 73. Sandi I think that was your ill fated voyage on the Volendam. 😥 We had a beautiful sunset last night. Nancy

Good afternoon from the Atlantic on our way north west to Devil's Island. Thank you for all the wonderful reports each day and the beautiful port photos. Prayers for everyone on our Care list and the people of Ukraine who went through more Russian bombardment last night. Today they had a 100 bronze award meet up in the mainstage. I guessed it would be 350 but captain said it was 420 so there were be 2 ceremonies because of occupancy restrictions. They were offering wine, mimosas and soda. Today is the King Neptune event at the Sea View pool. We may or may not go. Have a wonderful day. Some photos from MDR Lido lunch preview of Amazon fish last night and the dessert display in the Lido today. Nancy

Good morning everyone! I have the luxury of using my laptop which is so much easier to use. Happy International Working Woman's Day! Today they had several beautiful cakes in the Lido to celebrate the women that work to make things work for us here each day. Sandi thank you for starting us off every and to Vanessa for doing our cares report. We are cruising the Amazon and will cross the Equator today. It mentions Neptune Ceremony on our bi-weekly entertainment report but no details in today's Daily Program. We are hoping to enjoy the last of the Amazon from our balcony this afternoon. I worked out early today and had a Lido lunch. South America is behind us, we were given our passports back to us today. @lindaler We don't share your same emotions we really aren't ready for this cruise to end. It has been great. We will have many more days until we sleep in our own beds because we drive. Last night we were late leaving port because of a tour bus breakdown and it blocked the other HA bus behind it. It took an hour to get another bus to the spot and they all had to load into one bus to get to the port. I think we were 2 hours plus behind. Have a wonderful day! No photos other than Canaletto food porn from last night. They are on my phone. Nancy

@JazzyV regarding the masks I get concerned when it is brand new people suddenly popping up wearing masks. There are some on the ship that wear them constantly. @StLouisCruisers the Boi Bumba show was the blue team and their music was perfect enough to be exciting but not booming. Maybe you had a different team for your performance. We went to the Legendary Voyages presentation by our FC consultant. Nothing for us as we are already booked for 2024. I was interested in seeing the offerings that are winter cruises that begin and end in the same port in the US. There has been so much interest in the Seattle Japan round trip he printed out ship layouts by deck, available cabin and the price breakdowns so people can fill out a form and get their choices booked. Tomorrow he and Jeremy are supposed to be rolling out 2025 world that he gave us a quick preview on the map which included Amazon, some Australia/NZ, down to South Africa and then through the Suez. That was just a tease so fleshing out stops will be coming tomorrow. Too long for us so we will pass on that presentation. We got back to the cabin and there were 100 day Bronze medallions for us both. I will have 81 days just on the Volendam this trip and I had a Bronze medallion left in my cabin on the NS last year with no fanfare. Tomorrow they are doing a Medallion Reception. I am sure 35% of the ship will be there. The rest all have many more days than 100. Leaving Port a little late today but we have many sea days to get caught up.

@RedneckBob Happy birthday to you! 🎂🍾 Thank you all for our Daily Reports. @dfish thanks for adding the crown roast recipe it looks much more tempting than all the pasta. @Cruzin Terri I hope that you feel better soon. Prayers for all on our Care list and the people of Ukraine. We are in Altar de Chao today and we are staying onboard. Really sick of tendering and way too many people with masks on to huddle up with others. Now our room steward has one on. Yesterday we lucked out leaving Parintins as we had one of the double decker river boats to take us back to the ship. Last night's dinner in Canaletto was very good but not quite as good as the Italian Cellar Master Dinner. Lots of wine but one of them kicked off a migraine. Our group of three couples are getting together for the final Cellar Master dinner in the Pinnacle. Last night was Mediterranean Cellar Master Dinner. Fish was Branzino not my favorite so John enjoyed mine. Our friends had done the Amazon overnight shore excursion and raved about everything about it. Have a great day! Nancy

We just got back from Parintins, it was steaming hot. We found a chuarrisco restaurant and enjoyed two large beers while killing time before Boi Bumba. It was on the water and nice views. We went over to get in line around 11:30 and the convention center was already open so the line was only 5 minutes long. Somehow on the far side were front row seats. Since the dancers cover the whole stage we got great photos and videos. The bull came over with a DVD in his mouth and John was able to muscle it out. Double good luck! PURE JOY! We have a Mediterranean Cellar Master Dinner in the Canaletto tonight. Have a wonderful day and thanks for all the contributions! Nancy

@cruz @Cruzin Terri Prayers that everything is negative at the ER. Prayers for you.

Agree with previous post. There are different seating arrangements in the Main Stage. Less so on deck 5. Plenty to choose from for extra legroom. Feet will hang over the end of the bed, less a problem in an ocean view than in a Vista suite.

Good Sunday morning from Manaus. Thanks for all the work done on our Daily Reports and comestibles. Prayers for all on our Care list and the people of Ukraine. Our triple boat rides (tender included) were fun yesterday except for the deluge that we had returning on our double decker boat and long wait on pier for return tenders held back during storm. It was nice to drag my hand in the warm Amazon as we did our small boat tour. We saw many pink and gray dolphins, a Toucan, Caracara, Egrets and a small water bird on the giant lily pads. We are taking it easy today. We have the Boi Bumba show tomorrow in Parintins. Our wonderful cruise is slowly winding down. 😿 Jupiter and Venus in the night sky on Friday and from our boat rides yesterday. Have a nice day. Nancy

@TAW1963 Bon Voyage! ⛴️🍾 We are arriving in Manaus and will be leaving at 1 for a 4 hour river boat and 10 person motorized canoe trip to get deeper into the Amazon. It was rainy here this morning but it appears to be clearing up. Thanks to all of our daily reports, drinks, recipes and wine reviews. I am sure we all appreciate how you start our days off. Prayers for all on our Care report and for the people of Ukraine. A few photos from yesterday. The crispy duck I was anticipating at dinner was not crispy. It came with a big plate of noodles which I don't eat. I asked for cheese and got 2 pieces that were tasty, John got the Gorgonzola and the one that smelled of goat to me. The river this morning, Jupiter and Venus last night, and animals from town yesterday. Have a wonderful Saturday. Nancy

@smitty34877 great news!

@cunnorlthanks for sharing your lovely daughter with us. Back from Boca da Valaria already. Tenders started at 8 am. We got there before 9. In addition to the crayons a lady asked if we were going ashore and gave us three bags of swag from Effy, necklaces, wallets, paper pads and a bracelet. For my labors I snagged an Amsterdam World voyage t shirt out of the swag bag. didn't wait to find the kids with animals but just started handing it out. It was a grab fest but I really tried to give the crayons to the toddlers. Some of the adults with little ones got the rest of the swag. Even the ship photographer caught the melee. They kept grabbing at me and my skin is paper thin so I told them no. I bought a beautiful t shirt and some animal photos for tomorrow.

Good morning from Boca da Valaria. We will be going ashore soon to deliver about 6 pounds Crayola 12 packs for the kids. I bought them for $.25 and $.50 on clearance at Walmart in October. I hope they have access to paper. It is partly cloudy but a big storm brewing to the north. Thank you for the Daily and Fleet Reports Sandi and thanks to Dixie, Debbie, Vanessa and for the wine reports too. Prayers for all on our Care list and the people of Ukraine. Food continues to be great. Last night was a tasty seafood spring roll and smoked carne asada which we pounced on before photos. Tonight crispy Asian duck for main course and chicken Tikka as a starter. I have had to go back to fasting so I eat my first meal in the Lido at lunch and dinner. Cutting way back on 50% off Happy Hour too. We finally spotted some pink dolphins. Have a wonderful Friday! Nancy Boat with a lady holding a sloth, Boca da Valaria, sunrise today, sunset and spring roll from dinner.

Good afternoon from Brazil. Thanks for the Daily Reports each day Sandi and thanks @JazzyVfor the cares report. Prayers for all on our list, the family of the NS entertainer and the people of Ukraine. @smitty34877I pray things go well for your DH at the cardiologist. I have friends on the NS and I see they are heading to Port Everglades. What a somber way to end a cruise. We are in Santarem and did the piranha fishing trip. Few fish were landed but they were biting with a lot of bait used up. The boat ride through the flooded during rainy season areas was nice and we got to see local small scale farming up close. It was a partly sunny day with a breeze and not a bit hot. They really handled it well. We boarded our fishing boats off a barge tied to the ship. No taking a boat ride to take another boat ride. I would like to sit on the balcony but we are low on bug repellent. Maybe we can find some in Manaus. Have a wonderful day. Nancy

@aliaschiefHappy birthday! 🎂🍾 Thanks for the Daily and Cares reports each day. Thanks for all the information on the beverages and the great recipes. Today's cocktail sure contains some strange liquor, the things they are coming up with. Today's wine we have had a Syrah, not the exact vineyard but from Bocksberg winery on the Volendam as a substitute as a cellar selection that they were out of. It was okay. We are now cruising the Amazon. We had to stop for paperwork and to pick up our Amazon pilot. March 1, our cruise is beginning to wind down. Since this is a sea day I will do more with photos and start organizing stuff that I want to bring home. Of course the gym too Prayers for all on our Care list, the three police officers in KC and the people of Ukraine. Have a great day! Nancy

@Quartzsite Cruiser Today we did go north of the equator and I think our changed route confused many of us. The Captain said at 1 am we crossed to 1 degree north in our circuitous route out of Belem. We are now heading west into the mouth of the Amazon and back below the Equator. So we will have 3 Equator crossings on this cruise. ⛴️ Nancy

Good morning. Thanks for starting us off with the Daily Sandi! I can comment of floral design which we have little of on the Volendam. There must be a problem with getting flowers. No arrangements in the Pinnacle or at the entrance to the MDR. John started our 81 days with a beautiful arrangement in the cabin but flowers are scarce. Table decor in the PG last night was chrysanthemums. Public sleeping is now evident on the ship. We had a woman who boarded after we left Rio with a 6 month old. She is a well behaved baby. The wine is a nice Bordeaux but is priced too high for my budget or too hard to find in Michigan. Prayers for all needing them and the people of Ukraine. In addition to lack of flowers a pallet of cookie dough didn't make it to the ship so there are no cookies but the pastry department is putting out some beautiful treats today at breakfast. Volendam is out at sea finally beginning to turn west. The river we were supposed to take is too silted so we had to go a ways out to sea to avoid the oil rigs. No shell back ceremony announcement so I guess it is a private one for crew. Our Lido host Esther said a few crew had signed up for it but it is a mystery. Second time no fanfare for Equator crossings. Sandi we enjoyed Belem. I agree Icoaraci was a run down town we drove for a while to get to Belem but thankfully traffic wasn't bad each way. We did the Best of Belem tour. Basilica, horticultural gardens and zoo and the ANOTHER market next to the big cathedral we basically missed due to time and a downpour. The old town is still in decent shape but marred by it seems 50 wires each utility pole for cable. We were not given any time to wander so that took some joy out of it especially at a market. I think he took us to his favorite vendors with a little long lecture at each. No time to buy t shirts or Brazilian beer but way too much time on Brazil nuts and herbal potions. People had to double back to buy beer then right by the potion stand was a street bar with beer. Then the storm blew up and within 10 minutes everyone was back on the bus except one couple who went to the fort and probably rode out the rainstorm there. Our guide, two other security personnel and a host from a Seattle travel company searched for them to no avail. 25 minutes later they arrived back and we're rather belligerent about their delaying everyone. We enjoyed it. Anyone taking in shore excursions I'm Brazil have to factor in the heat and humidity. Thankfully HA had a local ferry tender us back to the ship. We topped off our long day with a Rudi's sel de Mer pop up in the PG. It was great and to top it off they offered the 50% Mariner discount.

Good morning from Belem. A tender ride to shore and then an hour bus ride into the city. Botanical gardens and some other sites and Rudi's pop up dinner tonight. We really stink of bug repellent. Have a great day! Nancy

Today's Rijstaffel lunch. We went early. So glad as soon as the 11:00 program let out the line was 25 couples deep. It was tasty.

Good Sunday morning. Thanks for starting us with the Daily each day Sandi! Your daughter's tree is lovely! Yesterday as we had expected we got the letter about laundry service for passengers ending during our time in the Amazon. We had fun watching horse racing and I cleaned up on the bets even though I recommended favorites for John to bet it didn't shake out that way. The broadcast from Saudi Arabia was strange because they do not bet so there were no odds available. I had to see the entries on a miniscule PDF of the Daily Racing Form. I heard we didn't miss much in Fortaleza other than a fabulous church. We had a wonderful cellar master dinner in Canaletto last night. The food was excellent and the wines were interesting. Today is Rijstaffel lunch in the MDR and it is dressy night. I think we will have a rare dinner in the Lido. Today the captain is giving a talk about navigating the Amazon in the Main Stage. It follows a Brazil expert lecture so we would love to go but I am sure the place will be packed. Too many masked people on board for our comfort Prayers for all on our Care list and the people of Ukraine. We saw a heartbreaking long story on BBC this morning about the destruction of the country. Last evening I got an email from Santa Richard that our friends had made it safely home after their long journey home from Santos. The lady that passed out in the casino the night before was back at her machine last night. Have a wonderful day! Nancy

Thanks for the concern about my siblings with no power. My older sister reported hers came on at 4 am. No word from the other two who live next door to each other. Many thousands without power still in Michigan.

Good morning from Fortaleza. It has been raining a lot today. I never thought this would happen but the day we did not book a tour the sad Sports 24 channel on the ship has a day of horse racing from Saudi Arabia with $30 million US in prize money. We are having a betting contest that is progressive. Right now our pot has about $60 in it at $10 per race. If no one wins $10 each gets added. They worked on the AC this morning and I was afraid our perfect temperature would be ruined. Now I am a bit chilly but there is plenty of room to make it warmer on our thermostat. I am glad they are getting us ready for the Amazon. Thanks for all the contributions to make our Daily what it is and something to look forward to each day. Prayers for all needing them in our group and the people of Ukraine. Last night there was a medical emergency in the casino and John was right there as it was happening. A lady had passed out into her husband's arms just as John had sat down. He asked if he could help but her DH said medical was already summoned. The area was cleared and privacy barriers erected and she was carried out on a gurney. We were dining right next to them in the PG and the table was celebrating a birthday. I hope that it was simply over indulgence. We are missing some friends we see every day so I am hoping they are not in quarantine. I was talking to my neighbor this morning and she relayed that a couple of nights ago at dinner a diner at her table was summoned away by the Maitre d to report to medical. Her roommate had just gone down for a Covid test. Many people wearing masks. Have a wonderful weekend! Nancy