Niagarawine

2 hours ago, AV8rix said:

Sorry you are finding Kdam this way, @Niagarawine.  I'm finished with the Pinnacle-class ships (expand my signature).  I've posted this before and I'll repeat here.  If I were asked to characterize the Pinnacle-class ships using only one word, I'd reply:

 

***LOUD***

 

Don't know what the problem is with the MDR acoustics on those ships but I have found it impossible to converse with tablemates in that venue. 

 

I try to play blackjack in the afternoons only on sea days.  If I MUST be in the casino in the evening hours I obtain ear plugs from Guest Services, as the noise from the Music Walk one deck below makes it impossible to chat with the dealers/hosts in the casino.  Apparently Guest Services are used to being asked for ear plugs because, as soon as you ask, they pour a bunch of ear plugs into an envelope and hand it to you.  They NEVER look surprised at the request.

 

Food quality has definitely deteriorated.  But I don't know if this is due to staffing problems post pandemic. Just seems worse on the Pinnacle-class ships.  JMO.

Today I went to the spa so I thought a respite from the drama. We had a nice lunch in the mdr ,met nice people from Australia.we went into the hydro pool and there were pools of water everywhere. Yesterday was the same but today was more. We were in the pool when an assistant walked in and I mentioned that it need mopping as per health hazard. Could she send someone in the mop. She left. No one came. I had hubb lay towels across the soaking wet floor so I could leave. We went into the next room with the heated beds. Someone was folding towels. I again mentioned that the hydro pool area needed to be mopped as someone could fall in there as a health and safety issue and that I would be at guest services later . Some employees came in and went into the hydro pool area. This day three.

I do feel the layout is problematic  and I have sailed on the other Pinnacle ships with no issues . The wait times are not my main concern but the quality of food is. It is chaotic and loud for Holland. These are my observations.

23 minutes ago, ricka47 said:

We've never been on anything bigger than the Signature class but are booked on the Koningsdam this coming January. But reports like this and others reporting poor service and long lines are not encouraging. Are the problems due to the design of this class itself or something else?

13 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Have a great cruise.

Wish I could

20 minutes ago, ricka47 said:

We've never been on anything bigger than the Signature class but are booked on the Koningsdam this coming January. But reports like this and others reporting poor service and long lines are not encouraging. Are the problems due to the design of this class itself or something else

9 hours ago, ski ww said:

Enjoy your cruise.

Nope

9 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Have a great cruise.

16 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I spent 35 nights on Koningsdam in Feb/March. Agree that the physical layout of the ship is lacking. She just doesn't move people well. Too many dead ends and poor design features for crowds. Took me a few days to figure out how to zig when everyone else was zagging. 

 

With that, I found the service exceptional (although I steered clear from the main dining room where most of the service issues appear to be). 

 

I agree

11 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

I was on her a few weeks back, the Koningsdam is completely unmanageable, especially with breakfast and lunch.

Yes I tried the Lido last evening and for the first time ever on a cruise  I walked out leaving my meal uneaten. The server ordered me to get in the right line which I did with my cane and some beautiful gentleman gave me his place. I tried the roast lamb from the carvery with Yorkshire pudding and gravy. It as so rare blood ran out of it , cold as was the gravy. The pudding was stale and cold. To avoid food poisoning I took one bite and pushed it away. We went to the Dive in for burgers and they were good. I left a comment on the Navigator and they called and apologized. They sent me a cupcake.room service tasted better this morning. 

On board and finding long lines for everything. Embarkation took two hours and was a mess. Finding some cuts in food and quality. We ordered room service twice and both times not good. So we went to the Alaska brunch this morning. After finally getting in to the dining room we waited with a nice couple we met on board. We waited for an hour for orders to be taken although bloody Mary’s were right away. Then we sited another hour and really got to know our table mates. We ordered the chowder in the bowl, crab cakes and berry crisp. I found the chowder very good, also had the smoothies also good. When the solitary minuscule crab cake arrived  topped with an egg. Our partners had the steak and egg combo and could not cut the steak. The crisps were outstanding topped with ice cream. Very good.  Am finding this ship very crowded everywhere. The spa was very nice but the floors were soaking wet so do be careful.its foggy here now.

3 hours ago, ger_77 said:

@1ANGELCATI'm so sorry for you, but grateful for Houdini that you allowed him to venture over the Rainbow Bridge where he'll have the most amazing time with his friends.  Huge hugs coming your way.

 

@NiagarawineI found a number of tutorials on the internet, this one is the closest to what I actually do.  I don't use batting, just place the backing piece good side up and start laying the triangles on it before sewing.  I've found it much easier to piece them together by ironing the triangles first, but that's just my method.  If you quilt (which I obviously do not!), I'm sure you'll have other ways of doing them.  They're easy, and I have to admit, some of them are really nice looking when you use coordinating fabrics!

 

 

Thanks so much,I will try tgese

15 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Good morning, thanks for the Fleet Report and Daily!  I had no idea what foam rolling day was, thanks for the explanation.  Being the recipient of a number of root canals, I'm very appreciative of the relief they bring, even though getting one is a major ordeal.  I feel for those who suffer from chronic immunological diseases and wish there was a cure for them.  Finally, an accurate weather forecast.

 

I hope everyone who was able to, enjoyed the northern lights last night . . . here the clouds started rolling in around 8 last night.  I went out around 10:30 and was able to make out a few streaks in the sky and by the time I came back in to tell DH maybe we should get in the car to head out of the city, he was sound asleep.  Oh well, I'm enjoying all the photos on the computer this morning.  

 

Bon Voyage to @MISTER 67, @StLouisCruisers and @Niagarawine; I hope you all have wonderful cruises.  @StLouisCruiserslooking forward to seeing you on the webcam at sail-away!

 

@1ANGELCATmy heart breaks for you as you take your sweet Houdini to the vet to make his way across the Rainbow Bridge.

 

@smitty34877I'm so glad to hear extra family have arrived to help with Tana, giving you some much needed rest.

 

@marshhawkI hope you had some OTC meds that helped with the pain from your oral surgery.

 

Not a lot on our agenda today, just dismantling my sewing station at the dining room table and putting it back to it's normal function.  After completing the 8 sets of 4 coasters, I now have 53 sets made, which I hope will be enough to give 1 set per household at our Summerfest barbecue in July.  As the replies start coming in, I may find myself making another few, who knows?

 

I'm taking a hard pass on the drink (not a fan of bitter stuff), would gladly drink the wine, and did you know right now Wendy's has a decent Cobb salad?  Thinking about that, I'm going to suggest because it's so nice out today that DH and I take the roofless car to Wendy's to pick up a Cobb salad for me and a junior whopper for him to enjoy at the kitchen table tonight.  And wine.

 

Prayers for everyone who is in pain, in need, in turmoil, in wars, in the paths of devastating storms, and now in the paths of forest fires in northern BC, Alberta and northern Saskatchewan.  Cheers to all with celebrations today.

 

Smooth Sailing!  ☺️☺️☺️

Gerry

Hi Gerry how do you make the coasters?

4 minutes ago, Overhead Fred said:

@StLouisCruisers and @Niagarawine -

 

Thank you

39 minutes ago, marshhawk said:

@Niagarawine

 

Ah kittens! Thank you

1 hour ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

We were blessed with a great display from the northern lights last night.  If you looked through your phone camera, you could see them even better as the camera filters really picked up the colors.  My photos aren't so wonderful, but what I saw was.  There was a great display right out in our back yard.  

 

Today I am working on getting my quilt ready for the quilter.  I was supposed to get it in this week, but it will have to be next week.  Sue is waiting to hear if River's soccer game is rained out.  The maps show rain until mid afternoon where they play.  

 

@1ANGELCAT I am sorry Houdini took a turn for the worse.  May his trip across the rainbow bridge be peaceful.  

@StLouisCruisers Sandi, I hope you and Dennis have a great time on your cruise!

@Niagarawine Enjoy that cruise!

@MISTER 67 Bon Voyage!   Drive safely!

@marshhawk I hope your mouth is feeling better after the oral surgery yesterday.  

 

I love Cobb salad.  This one looks like it would more than satisfy me!   They recommend making your own light ranch dressing.  https://litecravings.com/skinny-cobb-salad/

 

 

Here's a recipe for the ranch dressing.  https://litecravings.com/the-best-light-ranch-dressing/

 

 

This Cobb salad uses a blue cheese vinaigrette.  That sounds pretty good!  https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/healthy-cobb-salad/

 

 

This recipe uses a lemon vinaigrette.  All three sound delicious to me!   https://www.wellplated.com/cobb-salad/

 

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!   

Thank you and that Cobb salad looks great!

1 hour ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

@Niagarawine  I hope your cruise is everything you want it to be, Kathi and Ray.

 

 

Lenda

Thank you and I am xcited today

Thank you for the maps and fleet report.

On 5/9/2024 at 9:42 AM, ptbenner said:

Hello!

Can someone confirm the pools on the Rotterdam include stairs to enter and exit the pool itself? I love floating around in the pool, but ladders are really difficult for me. Arthritis. Stairs I can do. I've looked at a few photos but it sometimes difficult to tell with the angle. Thanks!

I used to know a Pat benner

11 hours ago, ottahand7 said:

Bon Voyage @Niagarawine!   

 

Thank you so much!

At Stanley park and saw Seaborn Odyssey in the harbour along with a Celebrity ship. Looked beautiful. The weather here has been amazing. We saw on the news that Nanaimo is trying to attract more cruise passengers and they had a Mountie greeting the Seaborn passengers. They built a new terminal there. We drove over the Lions Gate bridge and went as far as Lions Bay on the Whistler route. I never saw anything so

Beautiful in my life. We saw the ferries loading up there. Got tired and went to Coquitlam for a lovely lunch, Greek restaurant. It has sky train there. I felt like we were in Florida, just those vibes. Highly recommend the Clarion in Abbotsford, because of accessible suite there and they are super nice. I did not find too many hotels here with accessible rooms. Maybe BC needs to address this issue. But hey  not complaining because this area is just the best. Tomorrow hopefully we make it to cruise terminal. We drove down to Vancouver today and it took quite a while to get there. So excited for Alaska.

10 hours ago, ptbenner said:

Hello!

Can someone confirm the pools on the Rotterdam include stairs to enter and exit the pool itself? I love floating around in the pool, but ladders are really difficult for me. Arthritis. Stairs I can do. I've looked at a few photos but it sometimes difficult to tell with the angle. Thanks!

Yes is very easy, railing to hold on to and the stairs worked for me as I have the same issue. It’s a great pool

Good morning from beautiful British Columbia. We are spending a few days here before going on Koningsdam. The flight on AirCanada left me underwhelmed but we landed safely. It is a warm 20 degrees here. First time in Vancouver and I love it. We went to Hope today drove through the mountains. Hope has a statue of Stallone as Rambo. Lovely little town.

Best ship I have ever been on in 15 cruises. 

18 minutes ago, bennybear said:

@kazu glad you got the antibiotics pronto!  Hope they work quickly! 
@JazzyV so sorry to hear about your BFF.  You both deserve a different kind of break!,

@USN59-79 yikes on red tape!  In my case DS is Dear son, it is confusing.  I used to think LOL was lots of luck, lol!  
 

@Niagarawine West jet settled today but not until they cancelled our flight yesterday!  Arghh!   
 

Vancouver is truly spectacular in the sunshine. Love the bluebells 

Sorry you had to rebook flights.the bluebells are beautiful. Have a safe flight home

3 hours ago, 0106 said:

Most of the acronyms used here are in general use, frequently when texting.  BFF is best friend forever.  I usually think of DS as dear son but you may have to guess from context clues.  YMMV (your mileage may vary)😊

I didn’t know that either,thanks

Just now, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Oh, I thought it was regarding Vanessa's BFF ER visit..

Oh how are you doing?

Just now, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Settled what??

West jet had issues with the mechanics 

4 hours ago, durangoscots said:

Oh no!!!!

I think they settled