ottahand7

Good morning everyone. I am happy to report my arm is almost pain free. Yay! I didn't take any more pain med before bed time and I slept well other than a nightmare where I was yelling help (it felt like that) and John had to wake me up. Bad dream over right back to sleep. After a lot of sturm and drang we picked up the truck after dinner last night. The FedEx with the number with the GM discount never arrived after a day of waiting. My salesman called my brother and worked him through going through the computer for it again and he got it at 5:30 to get the truck. We couldn't wait because the rebate $6000 expired yesterday and they didn't know what would be offered today. All done. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports and the maps @kazu and @rafinmd. Cheese curls day I would love to celebrate today but we are trying to get the holiday and cruise weight off. On long cruises sometime some junk food from home is a craving and it was cheese curls for us. We didn't have a lot of luck finding the real thing. Thanks everyone for your kind words about my arm, all is well. Bandage changing needed daily. @grapau27 in memory of your dear father, I am sure he is greatly missed. @Heartgrove so sad to read about your beautiful dog Sam. @Quartzsite Cruiser Happy birthday to Steve! 🎂 Prayers for everyone on our care list. @StLouisCruisers so happy to read your DGD has found a new place to live. Prayers for Ukraine and the innocents in Gaza. Have a lovely day! Nancy

@Haljo1935 I love your photo of the solo cat looking imperiously down on you. I always love to include the local creatures in my travel photos.

Good afternoon. Thank you for all the kind messages about my surgery today. It went well. It wasn't Mohs surgery so it was over rather quickly. I understand melanocytes which I had do not work with Mohs so they just took out a big piece. I tried to count the surface stitches which were 15. My incision is 7 centimeters long. She said take Extra Strength Tylenol, I decided to take Tylenol #3 and it is still starting to sting. I'll be just fine. We still haven't picked up the truck as we are waiting for the GM Friends & Family number for the discount. My brother has applied so many times they gave him a bunch of odd security questions and he couldn't answer them. So it is coming by Fedex. Thanks everyone! Nancy

Good morning everyone. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports and maps. I will pass on all three comestibles again, the Saturn looks good but who to make it for me? Thanks for the Cares and Celebrations lists. Prayers for everyone needing them and the people in war zones, Ukraine and Gaza. Thanks for remembering my skin surgery today @JazzyV! We have to get a cashiers check for the new truck and will be heading to my Dermatologist's office 25 miles away. Have a lovely Monday! Nancy

Good morning everyone! Thanks for the Daily Reports and maps Jacqui and Roy. Quote is typical for Woody Allen. We have not been to today's ports but thanks in advance for the photos and thanks for yours Sandi. I will pass on all three comestibles. Butternut squash is back after a brief hiatus. We are have tenderloin and a 2005 Malbec from Catena Zapata that we paid a lot for in 2008. We had a couple of sad bottles on the last cruise so I need to work on drinking some prizes earlier. I never got a chance to ask the Cellar Master on the Eurodam if all the vibration from the engines and rough seas could have affected our last two bottles we brought on. @JazzyV I am happy to read you are getting some relief from your procedure. I am sad you had to wait so long for treatment. Very good news about Baby Murphy. Prayers for everyone on our care list and those in war zones, Ukraine and the innocents in Gaza. It is a beautiful day here with brisk south winds, John did the heavy lifting and emptied the truck out yesterday so I am going to store all more cruise clothes which have been sitting by the stairs. Once that is done I will start my spring plant sale happy work bringing some or all of the plants behind the garage to the sunny pad behind the other. Have a lovely Sunday! Nancy

@0106 Bon Voyage Tina! 🍾 Have a wonderful time!

We are back home in Michigan after spending three days in Florida before heading north through Alabama. We stopped in Huntsville and then made it all the way to northern Indiana to South Bend. It was a long haul but I wasn't the driver so I went along with the choice to dead head for a comped casino room. We arrived home on Thursday afternoon. Some final comments before signing off. We had the sommelier package 3 and really enjoyed several bottles on that list. We loved the Chamisal Stainless Chardonnay and really liked the Willamette Valley Whole Cluster Pinot Noir. We tried the Rodney Strong and it was not good in our opinion. We tried to get the Arboleda Cabernet but that was unavailable and Rodel gave us a Decoy Cabernet as a substitute so I cannot comment on it. Two winners in that package, one red and one white but we did not try all of them. Since I returned home I got a second survey from HA about the voyage. It said it was brief so I started it before an appointment. It was mainly the first part of the one we get when returning home with some questions about dining and crew. I let them have it about Canaletto and said Pinnacle and Tamarind suffered either from kitchen output capacity or disorganization. Even dining at the very early hour of 5pm did not ensure smooth service. After I completed the survey they asked for more time which I didn't have. We were awakened from our final sleep on the Eurodam around 4am by a sound along the outside of our cabin that sounded like the high pressure spray in a car wash, thank goodness it only lasted 30 seconds. Two trips to St. Lucia and both times the wind or some other reason kept us from doing scenic cruising in Soufriere Bay which has always been a highlight for us. Overall we had a good cruise on the Eurodam, some of the joy affected by the crowding in the casino and the Lido and the casino. Thanks for following along. We will be beating winter in 2025 with 70 days on the Koningsdam doing three back to backs to Hawaii and the South Pacific. We both avoid flying but we will have to fly to San Diego to get to Hawaii. I went there three times in the last century and I truly loved Hawaii and I thought I would never see it again due to the flight. Thanks to HA we can return again.

Good morning, finally back to reality. We had a beautiful drive back from South Bend on Thursday and got home midday. Thanks for the Daily and Fleet Reports and the maps @kazu and @rafinmd. I am not a fan of banana cream pie. I have not been to today's port and look forward to the photos of it. @JazzyV thank you for the daily cares and celebrations lists. It is really helpful for us who are too busy or traveling to stay on top of everyone who may need prayers or an encouraging message! Prayers for everyone on our care list, especially Tana who is always in my thoughts and the people in war zones, the people of Ukraine and the innocents in Gaza. Prayers for the people in the Texas and OK panhandles dealing with the wildfires. I have a good friend who lives in Amarillo and they have a huge ranch north of the city in the Palo Duro Canyon. I have haven't heard anything about if they avoided the blazes. Yesterday was a backwards busy day. I headed to my nail salon to be there at opening at 9:30 because their phone went to answering machine which it never does. I got there and it said we will open at 2pm. So I went to get groceries to fill the empty refrigerator and went to my pharmacy for refills. Then I had a 1pm oil change and instead of that ended up buying a new truck. I had thought I would wait until April based on rebate picture but there was a hefty rebate plus my brother's GM employee discount I decided to buy one they had on the lot, same color almost and same size. I will pick it up on Monday after I get the skin cancer on my arm removed on Monday morning. That used up my day, by the time i got home it was time to start dinner. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, beautiful needlework but what an undertaking! Heave a lovely Saturday everyone! Nancy

One of the last dressy dinners on the Eurodam this month.

@puppycanducruise deepest sympathy in the loss of your dear brother. We made it to South Bend. No bad traffic except some slow spots during Indianapolis rush hour. Have a lovely day! Nancy

@superoma Happy anniversary! 🍾 We are in Huntsville Alabama. It is 68 degrees but will drop into the 40s later. We roll north at 8 and hope to miss Nashville rush hour as it is 120 miles up the road. Carmel Indiana is my goal. John's is South Bend. Depends on whether he wants to keep driving that far and if the casino he wants to reach will comp us a room. If we make that we are only 2 hours from home. Have a nice day! Nancy

Good morning. Our last full day in Florida before we start our drive north. Hopefully making it to north of Birmingham. So much planning to avoid Nashville during rush hour. @kazu, @rafinmd, and @JazzyV for our daily reports and care lists. Prayers for everyone who needs them and the people of Ukraine. @summer slope I hope your surgery goes smoothly today. Have a nice day! Nancy

I lost a 2 pack of rum that I had bought in Amber Cove. Brugal Anejo which was a great deal at $24 per pack. They logged me in to the log book when I came back aboard but I kind of wondered their ability to handle B2BS. On Friday morning my 2 bottles of Don Julio bought in Cozumel were delivered but no rum. I contacted the concierge and they said they would get on it. An hour later I visited the lounge to see if any progress, no. After 2 hours I sent message through Navigator. Within minutes I got a call from the concierge they have contacted the the Maitre d because they keep the booze and give it to housekeeping to return. We were enjoying our last dinner in the MDR and a "suit" showed up and started going over the housekeeping log for delivery. I asked to see the log I signed in Dominican Republic. He had a log for Roseau Dominica. First course ruined. Finally at 8:30 I got a call from the Cellar Master Rodel it was gone possibly delivered to the wrong cabin two cruises earlier. He apologized. A few minutes later John took a call from our concierge saying we would be refunded our $25 times 2 since they lost my rum. If you are on B2BS and surrender alcohol I would have them write in marking pen your cabin number and departure date and hold onto your receipt. $50 may buy me two 750ml (not litres) if I can find them. Caused too much stress last day of a beautiful cruise.

On one of the first days of our cruise a woman Face timed during dinner in the MDR nearby. It was bad enough but she started baby talking with the grandkids. It was only like day 5, can't you wait?

@Lady Hudson bon voyage! 🛳️🍾 We are relaxing at our friend's place in the Villages. Going to meet up with other friends who live here for afternoon happy hour. Our trip here was uneventful except for a 30 minute accident delay in the construction zone on the FL turnpike. Have a lovely Sunday. Nancy

Correct. Never saw him just heard him. Others witnessed him.

A lot of people were talking about it and not in a positive light.

@Cruise Suzy bon voyage! 🍾🛳️

Good morning from Port Everglades. First stop is the Villages.

You are welcome. I will continue to add some additional thoughts during our leisurely drive home. Such as the overnight car wash and my lost Brugal rum. We are tying up now in Port Everglades.

Last moonlit wake until 2025.

Last moonlit wake until 2025.

@RSWBADGER beautiful photos! We were trying to have a quiet afternoon a few days ago. The bagpiper carried all the way down to deck 4 and went on way too long. Ten minutes of piping is enough not 40. Our last MDR dinner. We will miss the wonderful staff in the MDR. Rodel, Allen, Petrus, Aframe, David Cassidy, Hendra and Hanse. We were spoiled. We thought overall MDR superseded PG, Tamarind and Canalletto. Jerk egg roll, tuna and salmon poke, barbequed brisket and crispy shrimp.

Good morning. Contrary to the Daily fleet locations we are in HMC until 2:30 today. It is mostly overcast and the glass bottom boat shorex is cancelled again. I think that is 4 out of 5 times here it was cancelled. I visited Kailua Kona in 1988 at a national sales meeting. We stayed at the brand new Hyatt Regency hotel, it is now a Hilton. The place was massive with three buildings and a train and boats to get around the buildings. It had gorgeous artwork. I did two helicopter rides, one thanks to a colleague who preferred to stay in their room and watch movies. We went north into the valley, not the volcano. Another trip there was deep sea fishing in very rough seas, the seas were so high that the other boats disappeared behind swells. There were 6 of us, the first lady barfed when we hit the first buoy leaving the port. Before we began fishing I looked at my friend and he was turning green and puked. My other three friends were enjoying box lunches and I thought I would grab something. As soon as I got near the inside it started to get to me. I turned around and sat on a box and studied the horizon and read a newspaper. I was fine after that. About 20 boats went out and only one fish was caught, a 500+ pound Marlin. Not in our boat. I loved the area and can't wait to go back again in 2025. Have a wonderful Friday!

@lindaler Happy birthday! 🎂🍰