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What intrigues me most about this dinner is the galley tour. I always have to skip courses at the Cellar Masters dinner (but I never skip the wine). I am waiting to see a menu posted before I sign up.

It is too early to look for flights for 2027. I usually start looking about 1 year ahead of my cruise. FlightEase has found less expensive flights in the past. I continually check and often find price go down so I rebook. I also set a flight alert on Google to monitor prices.

Thank you for this live thread. I am looking forward to hearing about what you do in the Norwegian ports, particularly any private tours.

Good Morning! Love the quote, the world needs more compassion and empathy. I think I’ll have a Caipirinha for happy hour today. I appreciate learning about different culture’s traditions. After @erewhonposted about Matariki last night, I looked it up. It is known as the Māori New Year in Te Ao Māori. Closely connected with the maramataka, the reappearance of the Matariki stars in the early morning sky brings the past year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year. Matariki is a time to consider what we have gathered in the past year, remember those we've lost, and set plans for the future. A time to be together. Ngā mihi o te tau hou Māori – the best of wishes for the Māori new year.

I would not give up an aft balcony for a Signature Suite. The larger room is nice but there are no additional benefits from an upsell. I love an aft view more than additional room.

@lazey1You are not computer illiterate; you are able to post on this forum. Here is some info that may help you learn how to post a picture. Give it a try and let us know if you need more help. Tap / click Add Files. Follow your system method for adding a picture. My iPhone uses photo library. Once selected you should have a display similar to the one below, without the red highlight 😀 Place your edit cursor where you want the top left corner of the image to appear in the edit. You can add spacing by tapping enter several times. Tap / click the Insert link. The image will be added. Repeat for each image you want included. You can remove an image by tapping / clicking the black circled x top right corner of an image in the UPLOADED IMAGES section.

Thank you to @JazzyV for getting us started every day and to all who make the Daily a special place. Alaska on the Veendam in 2018 was our first HAL cruise. In Juneau, we rented a car from “rent a wreck”; it certainly was a wreck but it got us where we wanted to go. We visited the gardens and Glacier National Park. We were able to do a hike with a ranger and saw several bears. We all had whistles and were blowing them constantly. @ottahand7 pictures our very similar to mine which are predigital. I tended bar in Baltimore for 10 years and have never heard of a Baltimore Bang. The Orange Crush was designated as the official state cocktail of Maryland this year. It is a mix of vodka, triple sec, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and lemon-lime soda. On another beverage note, Charleston’s restaurant in Baltimore won the James Beard Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. Chef Cindy Wolf, wine director Lindsey Willey, and the entire team finally brought home a win. The restaurant’s menu is inspired by its namesake city, as well as Wolf’s French fundamentals, and is known for its expert wine pairings and deep cellar, with more than 1,100 labels. Highly recommend if you are ever in Baltimore celebrating a special occasion. I’m sorry for all who are experiencing sleep issues. Perhaps this article will help you: Top 12 Remedies for Insomnia To Help You Sleep Better I am excited to meet @wdw1972 and reconnect with @kazu on the October 2026 TA on the Rotterdam. Jacqui and I will on the Arctic Journey & Northern Lights prior to the TA. It would be fabulous to meet others from the Daily on these cruises. Be well, stay safe, do good deeds.

You should be able to board at 11. You may find this thread helpful.

I will celebrate the nutritional value and health benefits of fresh vegetables on National Fresh Veggies Day. I support my local farmers with CSA membership. Here is what I got last week.Be kind, stay safe, eat your veggies.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads reading the Daily. I just finished assembling a lasagna which I will bake for lunch for my 87 year old Dad. Thanks to all who post pictures on the Daily. My Baltimore Orioles are finally winning more games so I will salute them with a nature photo.Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

This thread may assist you. Or this one…

Thinking of all those impacted by the Canadian wildfires this morning. You can see the smoke in the air and MD smells like campfire. A bird left a gift for me in my coreopsis bed. Looking forward to this afternoon’s gathering. Be well, stay safe, do good deeds.

Happy Friday! I frequently make Beans and Greens alla Vodka but usually use white beans. The vodka sauce is delicious. i attended a birthday party at an axe throwing venue. It was a good time. Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

You should’ve able to book them now. I have booked my excursions for October 2026. With so many people with HIA, the popular ones sell out quickly.

Thank you @JazzyV for getting us started every day and @StLouisCruisers for the links and the maps. I appreciate @dfish @Seasick Sailor and @cat shepard daily contributions. They often inspire me to try something new. Halloumi cheese is delicious grilled. I am loving all the meat free recipes! Healthier for you and better for the planet. Try it once a week. We had Mexican food last night and the “drink of the summer” was in the menu. Jalapeño Sauvignon Blanc was very good and I would enjoy it sitting by the pool too. Positive thoughts for those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Good Tuesday morning. Many of you start your post with a weather update. This morning I read an article about severe understaffing of the National Weather Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between brutal layoffs, employees accepting the DOGE buyout offer and resignations, the agencies responsible for collecting weather data have lost hundreds of valuable experts. A Florida Weatherman’s Hurricane Plea. Which brings me to a portion of today’s quote, “failure is not fatal”. There are many ways that failure can be fatal. One example is failure to provide citizens with accurate information about impending weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes can be fatal. BTW, according to the International Churchill Society, We can find no attribution for this quote. It is found nowhere in his canon. Be well, stay safe, remember a good deed can be as simple as writing a letter.

Definitely buy tickets ahead for a better price. Uber to Penn station takes about 15minutes. I’d probably book a 10 o’clock ticket.😉

…and risk getting bumped if 3 people needed it. My PCC does not recommend that the two of us book a cabin that can hold 3/4 because we may be bumped. This is especially important when school is not in session. This was discussed extensively last summer. Here is the policy: Specific stateroom assignments are not guaranteed. Carrier reserves the right to move Guest(s) to a comparable stateroom for any reason including, but not limited to, instances during which a stateroom is booked with fewer than the maximum number of Guests that the stateroom can accommodate; or when a partial Guest cancellation occurs, and the remaining number of Guests do not match the maximum number of Guests the stateroom can accommodate.

I see some on Deck 1, aft, additional F cabins.

Don’t worry, you will have a cabin but it may be assigned when you arrive at the port. This thread may ease your mind.

This is based on double occupancy. I sailed the NS last spring break; the ship had over 3000 passengers, including many children. ( I can’t remember the exact number but it was given during a coffee chat.) The Seaview pool, normally adults only, was overrun with children. Since then, I have cancelled a cruise because of the “kids sail free” promotion. A bit of information: The Rotterdam’s max is listed as 4173 passengers and crew. The number of crew is 1025. The normal 2 passenger per cabin capacity is 2668. So they can only hold 480 passengers above the normal 2 per cabin or about 3143 passengers.

I’ve never upgraded, just read that it is $10 a day and must be done before you order your first drink. When I have the signature package, I just pay the difference for the drink that costs over $11 plus tip. The additional charges have always been less than $10 a day. There are currently 3 beverage packages on the HAL website. Prices are in US$ HIA $60- includes Signature beverage package, wifi, dining and excursion credits. Best deal imo. Signature $50.95- 15 drinks up to $11 Elite $55.95- 15 drinks up to $15

I walked by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian museums this weekend. I watched an interview with Dr. Carla Hayden, former Librarian of Congress last night, her first since her dismissal. This morning I offer you an alternative quote from Dr. Hayden from that interview, "Democracies are not to be taken for granted. And the institutions that support democracy should not be taken for granted. And so, that's what the concern is about libraries and museums. It's part of a fabric. Think of it as an infrastructure that holds up – the libraries have been called one of the pillars of democracy, that you have these institutions in every community that allow anyone to come in and access knowledge." Be well, stay safe, do good deeds.

@WriterOnDeck I’m team chicken fried steak with white gravy! Sorry @Goldfinch01 I don’t trust AI, have seen too much incorrect info. It is really the preparation that makes them different. Chicken fried…you prepare the steak just like you would prepare chicken for frying. Country fried…,you simply dredge the steak in flour. Very different outcomes. Here is a reputable source, Southern Living magazine. Country Fried vs. Chicken Fried: Which Wins The Steak Debate? Chicken Fried Steak recipe

We received several Door Dash gift cards so I had to figure out how to use them. Search using the “healthy meal” button. Also Door dash will deliver from a grocery store if you need more fruit or maybe some thing like hummus. Keep riding that bike!