rafinmd

Thank you for the Friday report, Rich, from a stormy Caribbean. I like Apple Cider but haven't had it recently, and will pass on Mickey Mouse and Princess days Kushiro was actually my first port on my Grand Asia segment after missing Dutch Harbor due to storms so it was my first land after many sea days. I think I like the Lady Gaga quote but will pass on the Sardines. My alternative is Classic Caesar Salad, Roasted Lamb Shoulder, and Vanilla Ice Cream as served on MS Amsterdam November 17, 2022: Today’s care list: Medical emergency on Oosterdam Kazu severe foot injury Ottahand7 Brother in rehab Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications Jazzyv digestive issues Cruisin Terri continuing autoimmune flareup From the rotation: cruisin single step-son with double cancer and months of recovery before kidney removal Quartzite Cruiser DH in rehab Cruising-along niece awaiting a kidney Marshhawk’s friend Jesse with throat cancer and poor attitude Celebrations and Shoutouts: Alianchief in California Work about to start on Cruisin Terri’s house and great progress with insurance and contractor 2 days for Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30) 1 days for StLouisCruisers and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) 1 days for Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23) Norseh2o (Sirena to 11/18), Kazu , 0106, jimgev, Heartgrove and ger_77 (Oosterdam to 11/19). RednckBob (Beyond to 11/20), CrazyForCats (Nieuw Amsterdam to 11/20), and me (Eurodam to 11/20) at sea Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23), and Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea Roy

There's nothing official but I do see a few more of the crew wearing masks. Roy

Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Panama Canal and Colon(Part 2) Once out of the upstream locks we anchored near the dam which makes Lake Gatun possible and a number of passengers got off for shore tours that would rejoin the ship in Colon. You generally cannot see the new locks from the old of vice versa, but I did see a ship headed for the new locks from Lake Gatun. On the return to the Atlantic I tried a couple of vantage points as it was raining but by the second chamber I returned to my room for more of the light-dark-light sequence getting some nice closeups of the lock walls, the gates and hinges, the water rushing into the chamber from the bow cam, and even how dark it could get in my room in the depth of the chamber. After leaving the locks I stepped out to the Seaview pool for a couple of other views, first a remnant of the original canal as dug by de Lesseps. It isn’t much of a canal. A bridge has been under construction for the past several years, and was opened just a couple months after my last transit on the Prinsendam. It’s quite majestic. https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/colonbridge1.jpg I did something I’ve never done before in Colon, stayed on the ship without ever getting off. I had been to Colon on the Crystal Symphony in 2018 and knew there was nothing there that interested, so I never even crossed the gangway into the terminal. It was just me again at Table 30. Banyu and Agus even prepared a setting for Diane and Sharon with their ice tea at the ready but we never saw them. (Could they have been on a tour?) My choices were Radicchio and carmelized pear salad, Parmesan coated Veal Loin, and Butter Pecan Ice Cream. The show in the mainstage was billed as the Step 1 dancers with “Off the Charts” I went with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. They were joined by the Billboard piano duo so it was a full live experience, music, vocals, and dance. We gained an hour overnight to get on Costa Rica time but my sleep schedule seems to be out of whack, dozing off during the show and not sleeping much if at all. Quick parting shot, I need my sleep schedule back. Roy

Today's sunrise is from yesterday, taken from deck12 forward as Eurodam was preparing to enter the Gatun Locks. Roy

Today's sunrise is from yesterday, taken from deck12 forward as Eurodam was preparing to enter the Gatun Locks. Roy

Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Panama Canal and Colon(Part 1) I don’t think I will ever get tired of the Panama Canal. While this is my first partial transit, I have been through the entire canal 8 times (6 on Crystal Symphony plus Crystal Serenity and Prinsendam). I got a bit of a shock when I first stepped outside. Since my first time on Queen Victoria in 2010 I had seen the signs at the aft of the promenade deck that the bollards at those aft corners might be used on the Panama Canal and the area might be closed, so I was not surprised at that today, but was surprised that the front section of the promenade deck was also closed off. I have way too many photos and rather than take the day chronologically, I think I’ll mostly talk about various viewing spots and perhaps save some things for future days when not much is happening. I had thought Deck 12 above the Crow’s Nest would be a great place. While the vantage was nice, the plexiglass was an obstacle to great viewing, and the angle did not fit with viewing things close to the ship. I did get a nice sunrise shot from the top of the outside stairs and liked the direct stairs from there to the crow’s nest. I did not spend much time in the Crow’s nest. It was crowded, the windows were a bit of a problem, and the angles were not great. While there I did get a Panama Roll. They’re essentially buns with a bit of filling with something that tasted like apricot. I enjoyed one, but not something I really would go out of my way for. I understand little front “porches” on decks 6 and 7 were opened up and I think that would have been a nice choice if I had been aware of them. The bow was open but I was not all that impressed. It isn’t really the bow; there’s at least one open deck below and further forward and I think that would impair viewing things that are close. In part I missed opportunities on the bow because we seemed to have arrived earlier than had been planned, and we already had lines attached when I realized how close we were. The Panama canal uses very old school methods of attaching the first lines via a relay with a rowboat called a “panga”. In the past I have watched the panga crew do their job, but this time I missed the action (the most likely place to see it would be near the bow) and only got a look at one as we left the canal. On the way down, to the sea I barely ventured out to the bow due to rain. One of the nicer places to be for me was the Seaview Pool Deck. It was easy to go all the way port to aft to starboard with great views down in any direction. I got at least one nice shot of the gates closing behind us, Once the rain started I headed to the promenade deck. My preferred location there was near the midship stairs where there was great visibility close to the ship, an easy crossing from one side to the other, and the lifeboats provided great protection from the rain. Entering the lake I noticed for the first time a turntable at the end of the space between the 2 lockage lanes where the mules turned around to have their lines facing the canal locks. On the trip back to sea I spotted what had originally been a visitor center (that center has now been moved to the Agua Clara locks). One of the exhibits from there is a reminder that things do change slowly on the canal. Originally the lock gates were opened and closed by a huge cog wheel while now pneumatic cylinders do the job. My final vantage point will likely come as a surprise. I think I have mentioned that I am on Deck 1, the lowest passenger deck, in an oceanview (no balcony cabin). Before the cruise I was offered a very attractive upsell to a verandah, at a price I would gladly have paid if it was anything but a Panama Canal cruise, but I stood my ground. It’s something I picked up on my Crystal Panama Canal cruises, where the corresponding deck had the dining room and some lounges but it was even better on the Eurodam. It is the only spot I know of where you can be aware of actually being inside the lock chambers rather than looking down on them. In the “uplocks” collage we were already in the first lock when I entered my room, looking at a lock wall I could almost touch if my window would open, rising up into the light as the water lifted us, then moving forward as the slanted middle chamber gradually encased the room in darkness, and finally rising to daylight again. Roy

Any progress on your mobility? How much support will you have when you leave the ship and so many who have been very kind must go their separate ways? Roy

Thank you for the Thursday report, Rich. Running way behind in Puerto Limon today. I do hope @marshhawk and DH can have a successful Smokeout day. I'll pass on the Baklava but celebrate International Students. Wilde had a strange sense of humor. Been to Ko Samui twice, Queen Victoria in 2010 and Zaandam in 2012. No idea what the meal is, and my stuff for that is on my other laptop. I'll try to go into edit mode over there in a minute for my alternative: Ok, my alternative is Radicchio and carmelized pear salad, Parmesan coated Veal Loin, and Butter Pecan Ice Cream as served on MS Eurodam November 16, 2022: Today’s care list: Kazu severe foot injury Ottahand7 Brother in rehab Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications Atexsix weighing complexities of traveling with disabled Dad From the rotation: Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1) and JAM37 (7/7) HAL Sailer Sister in Law with aggressive cancer therapy Cruisin Terri leak damage Marshhawk and DH struggling with smoking Celebrations and Shoutouts: Alianchief in California Work about to start on Cruisin Terri’s house and great progress with insurance and contractor 4 days for Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30) 3 days for StLouisCruisers and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) 3 days for Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23) Norseh2o (Sirena to 11/18), Kazu , 0106, jimgev, Heartgrove and ger_77 (Oosterdam to 11/19). RednckBob (Beyond to 11/20), CrazyForCats (Nieuw Amsterdam to 11/20), and me (Eurodam to 11/20) at sea Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23), and Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea Roy

Good to know, that might actually have been nice with the rain. Roy

I can't guarantee it but I don't think they were. I actually spent very little time on the bow, both because I thought there were other places I liked better and because it rained in the afternoon. I suspect if there were people on 6 and 7 they may have been off duty officers or their families. I hope nobody was caught off guard by the times posted in the program (I was). I think we were almost an hour earlier than posted both entering and leaving the canal. I'm not sure how much I'll post on the canal right away as there was a lot to process. I would not want to do the entire transit from a single location but I think my favorite overall would be the seaview pool. Roy

Today's sunrise is from yesterday with the sun coming up over Cartagena Colombia: Roy

Today's sunrise is from yesterday with the sun coming up over Cartagena Colombia: Roy

I wonder if other cruise lines should follow Cunard's QM2 and impose a "step test" before allowing people onto tenders. They have 2 tape strips on the floor I think 18 inches apart and if people cannot step across that gap they are not allowed anywhere near the tender. Of course that might not help getting back on the ship depending on the shoreside refreshments. Roy

Tuesday, November 15, 2022, Cartagena, Colombia By the time I went up for coffee (About 5:30) the lights of Cartagena were quite prominent. The Cartagena cruise port consists of 2 finger piers about 1/4 mile from a terminal complex, although the finger piers handle containers as well when not used for cruise ships. It was busy today with USNS Comfort hospital ship closest to the terminal (on a 2-month relief mission to the Caribbean), then the Royal Clipper tall ship, the Eurodam, and finally the German relief ship Maria S Merian on what appeared to be a provisioning and crew rotation visit. I was near the Seaview Pool when the sun came up a little after 6. We were fast to the pier about 6:30 as I partook my first waffle of the voyage. https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/waffle.jpg We were cleared about 7 for what would be a short call, only to about 1PM. I have been to Cartagena many times and did not plan anything like a tour but did take a walk into the interesting cruise terminal, pausing for photo of Royal Clipper on the way to the terminal. https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/roylclpr.jpg The terminal has a large room with a number of vendors but what makes it special is a sort of mini wildlife park, mostly birds. I saw several peacocks, pink flamingos, black swans, and an anteater in my wanderings. https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/peacock.jpg https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/blackswan.jpg On the way back to the Eurodam I paused for photos of the Comfort and Eurodam and was back onboard about 9 after about an hour on shore. https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/comfort.jpg Lunch was a rather strange combination of string beans, roast potatoes, skim milk, and ice cream. All aboard was 12:30 but we had a number of stragglers, both tours running late and some walking up independently, even after 12:45. When the last of the tours returned, breaking down the gangway was a finely tuned choreograph that probably was all accomplished in about 5 minutes. Captain Bant reported our journey to the canal would be 281 miles, and I saw open water between us and the pier about 1:06. Gage had a talk on “Unexpected Heroes”, sports in the Caribbean, speaking about groups like the Jamaican Bobsled team. He is a great presenter but he started losing me when we got to cricket. I had decided if not completely captivated to leave a bit early, and probably missed about the last 15 minutes to spend a bit of time and money, booking 3 cruises on 2 trips for next year. I had expected that all 3 of us would be at Table 30 but Sharon and Diane were no shows. My choices for dinner were s Gourmet Greens, Pork Chop, and Diplomat Strawberry Tart. The entertainment on the mainstage was comedian Jose Sarduy. He was pretty good but not great. I was pretty drowsy after the show and did not accomplish much. As a parting shot, sometimes things creep up on us. It dawned on me after booking 3 cruises that one of the things I must make a priority once back home is renew my passport. Roy

Today’s care list: Kazu severe foot injury Ottahand7 Brother in rehab Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications Atexsix weighing complexities of traveling with disabled Dad From the rotation: Quartzite Cruiser DH in rehab Cruising-along niece awaiting a kidney Marshhawk’s friend Jesse with throat cancer and poor attitude Luvteaching DH recovering from fall and facing dimentia Celebrations and Shoutouts: A good day in rehab for Quartzite Cruiser DH Ichiban Nekko settling into new house Mister67 relieved of big bandage Work about to start on Cruisin Terri’s house and great progress with insurance and contractor 4 days for Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30) 3 days for StLouisCruisers and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) 3 days for Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23) Norseh2o (Sirena to 11/18), Kazu , 0106, jimgev, Heartgrove and ger_77 (Oosterdam to 11/19). RednckBob (Beyond to 11/20), CrazyForCats (Nieuw Amsterdam to 11/20), and me (Eurodam to 11/20) at sea Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23), and Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea Roy

Thank you for the Hump Day report, Rich from beautiful but steamy Lake Gatun. Not surprisingly, I am running far behind today. I like the days (losing buttons far too often) and the quote but have not been to Christmas Island. I'll pass on the meal. My alternative is Gourmet Greens, Pork Chop, and Diplomat Strawberry Tart, as served on MS Eurodam November 15, 2022. Back with the lists later. Roy

It's supposed to be 8 oz and it was quite thick. Roy

Today's sunrise was taken yesterday on a sea day from Aruba to Cartagena. Roy

Today's sunrise was taken yesterday on a sea day from Aruba to Cartagena. Roy

Monday, November 14, 2022, At Sea, MS Eurodam I was up about 4:45 and took my first “Lap with a purpose (coffee) about 5:30 as we were about 25 miles off the Colombia coast. It was only about 20 minutes until sunrise and I waited but the sun did really not appear through the clouds, and decided to walk one additional lap, catching a nice view near the end of that extra lap. Once the sun was up the heat became quite brutal and I only walked a total of about 6 laps in the morning. Gage had his presentation on the canal at 10. He talked a lot about the canal history, not much about our transit but did say he would provide commentary as we went through. I asked a couple of questions at his 11AM Q&A in the Crow’s Nest and now have a preliminary plan for the transit. In his noon update Captain Bant indicated we have sailed 232 miles since leaving Aruba with 167 remaining. I’m finding it hard to account for my afternoon but it was mostly computer work. I had reserved the 4PM hour for a church finance meeting but it ended up being cancelled. It was also the night of the Master Chef’s dinner but I missed it because I had reservations at the Pinnacle Grill. My choices for the evening were the Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad, Filet Mignon, and Key Lime Pie. The show on the Mainstage was the BBC Earth Film Seven Worlds One Planet in Concert, a stunning display of wildlife in all it’s variations with live accompaniment of 3 of the Lincoln Center musicians. While it had some things in common with the Step One show the visuals were stunning and the musician’s talents were fully utilized. I enjoyed the show immensely. My parting shot is something of a throwback. While I blame some of my difficulties on my advancing age I remember finding the heat and humidity when I was in Southeast Asia on the Zaandam in 2012 overwhelming even then. Some things do not really change. Roy

Thank you for the Tuesday report, Rich and greetings from the American Cartagena, docked next to a Star Clippers ship and USNS Comfort. I like the days, especially National Recycling Day, and kind of liked the Monroe quote. I have not been to Broome. Seems like most of us will pass on the meal. My alternative is Heart of Romaine Caesar Salad, Filet Mignon, and Key Lime Pie as served last night in Eurodam's Pinnacle Grill. Today’s care list: Firefighter Andy laid to rest today Kazu severe foot injury Ottahand7 Brother in rehab Mister67 hand surgeon appointment Terri’s next door neighbor Joanne with stroke and complications From the rotation: Cruisin Terri leak damage Sandi’s neighbor Linda recovering at home Marshhawk and DH struggling with smoking cruisin single step-son with double cancer and months of recovery before kidney removal Celebrations and Shoutouts: Quartzite Cruiser DH feeling to start coming back (progress while painful) Ichiban Nekko settling into new house Sandi’s neighbor Linda well enough to receive visitors Work about to start on Cruisin Terri’s house and great progress with insurance and contractor 5 days for Cruise Suzy, Lazey1, and HAL Lover (Rotterdam 11/20 to 11/30) 4 days for StLouisCruisers and Summer Slope (Volendam 11/19 to 12/17) 4 days for Damcruiser (Nieuw Statendam 11/19 to 1/14/23) Norseh2o (Sirena to 11/18), Kazu , 0106, jimgev, Heartgrove and ger_77 (Oosterdam to 11/19). RednckBob (Beyond to 11/20), CrazyForCats (Nieuw Amsterdam to 11/20), and me (Eurodam to 11/20) at sea Cunnorl (Noordam to 1/2/23), and Horizon Chaser1957 (Zaandam 10/1 to 12/20; Zuiderdam 12/22 to 5/12) at sea Roy

@Cruzin Terri is the prednazone helping with your symptoms? Roy

I would even have taken a pair of those. The ones I was wearing needed laundry so desperately I was cringing at the idea of going without socks for a day or two. Roy

They are not that unusual. The basis for everything in the store is that it's made in Aruba. I think the only real difference from US socks is the woven band at the top although I can't get the photo right side up. Roy

Today's sunrise is from yesterday, taken as MS Eurodam was arriving in Aruba. Roy