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Live from the 2019 Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage


Scrapnana
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39 minutes ago, Scrapnana said:

My laptop will not let me access any websites saying there is a security threat.  Of course, my blog is typed up on the laptop and I can’t post.  If the problem persists, I will visit the Microsoft Digital Workshop Host tomorrow evening and see if he can change something in my laptop settings.

 

For now, I am beat and am going to bed!

 

Kathi,

 

That message usually means your internet has timed-out, just re-sign in and see if that does the trick. Otherwise you may have the problem I did, flaky connection in my stateroom- usually no connection. But try the reconnecting first.

 

Carole

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7 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

My laptop will not let me access any websites saying there is a security threat.  Of course, my blog is typed up on the laptop and I can’t post.  If the problem persists, I will visit the Microsoft Digital Workshop Host tomorrow evening and see if he can change something in my laptop settings.

 

For now, I am beat and am going to bed!

 

Oh the joys of ship internet 😞.

 

Hope everything works nicely for you today.

 

We'll happily wait for your blog until it is 🙂 

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So we had our Meet and Greet this morning and we had a fabulous turnout. Well over 60 of us came. We also were fortunate to have Linda, our cruise director, and Rene, the hotel director come and speak to us for a few minutes. Both were very impressed with how many of us “critics” were on board. Score!

 

There was some interest for a second meet and greet and we have set it for the first sea day after Buenos Aires at 10:00 AM in the Crows Nest. 

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10 hours ago, Happily@Sea said:

 

Kathi,

 

That message usually means your internet has timed-out, just re-sign in and see if that does the trick. Otherwise you may have the problem I did, flaky connection in my stateroom- usually no connection. But try the reconnecting first.

 

Carole

I agree with Carole.  We seem to be timing out frequently and reconnecting is the solution.  You also get automatically disconnected if you log in on another device.

 

Roy

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1 hour ago, scluvsrain said:

So we had our Meet and Greet this morning and we had a fabulous turnout. 

 

There was some interest for a second meet and greet and we have set it for the first sea day after Buenos Aires at 10:00 AM in the Crows Nest. 

Yay!  Thanks, Sherita, see you there!

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14 hours ago, scluvsrain said:

Well, we are off and going - we set sail a bit after 7:00 PM. We had waited for a few late passengers from what we heard the captain say during early dinner time. 

 

I think most of us are busy tonight unpacking. I just finished up and it’s nearly 10:30 PM. 

 

Orlando Ashford and a gentleman that we believe to have been the Hotel Operations director at Corporate were at the terminal today and posed for pictures with each of us as we got ready to board the ship. I understand that he did not board the Prinsendam but I thought it was pretty awesome for him to be there and wish each of us in person, a great voyage. 

  

He did the same last year, he was with us on the Koningsdam for the New year's cruise..

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On 1/3/2019 at 5:16 PM, Scrapnana said:

It wouldn't be my blog if it didn't have trivia included!😁

Feel free to share the link as you wish.  Thanks for reading!

 

Great!  Another winter of Kathi’s questions to pull us through...sometimes I can even answer one! 😁

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January 5, 2019

 

At Sea

 

This blog post is coming to you from my iPad.  I spoke with the Microsoft host and he was as flummoxed as I am.  He is going to e-mail a friend in Washington to check on any possible fixes.  When I use my iPad I have to upload pictures to a hosting site (I use flickr) then download to my blog.  On my Surface Pro I can upload from the computer directly to the blog.  This saves a lot of time considering how slow ship internet is.  At least I came prepared with a backup!  I am going to wait a few days to see if the problem can be corrected and, if not, I will retype yesterday’s post on my iPad.  On to nicer things....

 

This was a busy but enjoyable day at sea.  At 10 we had our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet.  It was well attended and the Cruise Director and Hotel Manager came and welcomed us.  At 11 I attended the Music Trivia which was on songs of The Beach Boys.  I am terrible at Name That Tune but enjoy playing it.  We did not win but had a good time.

 

Then time for lunch in the Lido.  Unlike the larger HAL ships, the salad bar is still make it yourself rather than instructing the server what you want.  There also is no made to order sandwich bar although a small selection of meats, cheeses, and bread are available to make your own.  

 

Afternoon trivia was at 1 and I played with three other members of the roll call and two other ladies.  We had 10 out of 18 correct and two teams tied with 14 points.  Just as on the world cruise, everyone who plays gets an Amazon certificate.  Since it has been awhile for trivia I will post a few extra questions.

 

  1. Which came first - Rudolph or Frosty?
  2. A “googol” is 1 plus how many zeroes?
  3. Roy Scherer is the real name of which star of romantic comedy movies and a TV show mainly in the 60s?
  4. Which country is second in soybean production?
  5. Introduced in 1925, pinotage red wine is the signature wine of which country?
  6. Which came first - the Eiffel Tower or the Washington Monument
  7. Bonus - Which three countries border both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea?

 

Arts and Crafts is a whole different thing from the World Cruise.  It was a small crowd and you did not have to arrive at least an hour in advance.  The lady who is the instructor is named Sirage (although I am not sure how it is actually spelled - she said it rhymes with “mirage”).  She shipped a box of supplies but they have not found where they are on board.  She had thrown some things in her suitcase so we made a simple stretchy beaded bracelet.

 

It was such a beautiful day that I decided a swim was in order.  I decided to try the larger pool on my deck (9).  Was I ever surprised to find that it is a saltwater pool.  I have not seen one of those on a ship in decades.  I only swam about a quarter of a mile (half my usual) and then sat in the sun before heading off to talk with John the Microsoft host.

 

Tonight was our first Gala Night.  After showering and dressing I headed for evening trivia.  None of my teammates were there so I played with others whose teams also had not shown up.  We had 11 out of 17 correct with the winners having 15.

 

  1. In the original “Alfie” movie, who played Alfie?
  2. In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in which city?
  3. The Charge of the Light Brigade took place in which war?
  4. What direction was usually at the top of a map when many believed the Earth was Flat?
  5. Who was the pupil of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle?
  6. What is the most abundant element?

 

Once trivia was over I went to the Showroom to Captain Schuchmann’s Welcome Toast (which included free champagne).  The heads of departments were also introduced.

 

All seven of us were present for a delicious Gala dinner.  I was pleased to see that most still dressed like the Formal Nights of old.  I had a jumbo shrimp cocktail, a salad, tenderloin with grilled shrimp, and Strawberries Romanoff for dessert.

 

Paul Pappas, a pianist, was the entertainer.  He played a variety of music including TV themes, movie songs, ragtime, classical, and pop.  I enjoyed the show.

 

When I returned to my cabin I had been visited by the pillow gift fairy and the laundry fairy.  I had sent out a bag of laundry this morning and it was already back (in a fancy wrapper).  We received not one but three pillow gifts - a Moleskin journal, a messenger bag, and a neck wallet.

 

Another sea day tomorrow.

 

 

Afternoon trivia 

  1. Rudolph
  2. 100
  3. Rock Hudson
  4. Brazil
  5. South Africa
  6. Washington Monument (by a year)
  7. Bonus - Spain, France, and Morocco

 

Evening Trivia

  1. Michael Caine
  2. Sarajevo
  3. Crimean
  4. East
  5. Plato
  6. Hydrogen

 

 

Smooth sailing until next time! 

 

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Nice to see you posting, Kathi 🙂 

 

Sorry about the laptop not connecting. Hopefully they can figure out the problem.  Good thing you brought your Ipad as back up although I know it's a lot more work on it for you to do your blog than on the laptop. 😞 

 

I was surprised to read no made to order sandwiches on this sailing. 😞 They were doing it in April-May this year.  

 

I hope Sirage's shipment gets found  for your Arts and Crafts sessions.  

 

Enjoy your day at sea!

 

 

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5 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

When I use my iPad I have to upload pictures to a hosting site (I use flickr) then download to my blog.  On my Surface Pro I can upload from the computer directly to the blog.  

 

 If you have the pictures in your camera roll on your Ipad, you can't upload directly to the blog?  I can upload to CC from my pictures on my Ipad.  What a PITA  on the extra work to a hosting site 😞

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25 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Just got caught up with your pictures and other reports.

 

Concerning the blue bag your laundry came back in -- is it reuseable?

It is reuseable and the page with the laundry package prices says you can take one home for $10.

 

Roy

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January 6, 2019

 

At Sea

 

Bed time was late last night because I had to learn how to write my blog on my iPad all over again (my last one done on the iPad was in May 2016).  It was a few minutes after 2 before I turned out the light so I slept until 9:20.  It would have been later but I had to get ready for the Cruise Critic Cabin Crawl.  Quite a few people had volunteered to show their cabins but Roy, who was in charge, had to narrow it down so each one we saw was a little different.  Those of us who showed our cabins (there were 11) met at 10 and looked at each.  Then at 11 the rest of those who wanted a look came through.

 

As soon as the group left I went to the morning cocktail party (I had orange juice) sponsored by my travel agency.  On the longer cruises they have hosts.  They had asked for invitations to be printed on the ship and delivered.  Unfortunately, the deliveries were a little late - mine arrived just as I was leaving for the cabin crawl.  Still, there were only a few who did not make it.  They handed out the fleece jackets and bags which they supply for the Grand Voyages.  

 

Returned to my cabin to decide what, if any, excursion I would do tomorrow our first port day which is Santa Marta,Colombia.  Ended up deciding on a short, easy one called “Santa Marta Highlights”.

 

At 1 pm there was team trivia in the Ocean Bar with Linda the CD.  We were able to get 15 out of 19 but two teams tied for first with 16 correct.

  1. Two Muppets have individual stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Which two?
  2. Which day of the week is the only one that does not end in “tag”.  For a bonus point what is its name in German?
  3. Which plant’s name means “lion’s tooth”?
  4. If you are proficient in theremin would you be a surgeon, musician, sculptor, flight instructor, or computer technician?
  5. What is Thomas A Swift’s electric rifle commonly known as?

 

After trivia I had lunch in the Lido before arts and crafts.  The items we are making are really different from what we made on the World Voyage !

 

It was such a pretty afternoon (after some rain in the morning) I decided to go for a swim.  By the time I returned from changing there were lots of clouds so I read then snoozed for a bit but did not get into the pool.

 

Evening trivia was in the Showroom at Sea (as the showroom is now called).  Most of the questions were so easy we kept second guessing ourselves.  We ended up with 16 out of 18 but two teams had perfect scores.

 

1) What one city must a movie be shown in to be eligible for the Oscars?

2) What country has the most golf courses per capita?

3) What is the most expensive spice?

4) If you are using tempera paints what is used to bind pigments together?

5) Which South American country borders both the Atlantic and the Pacific?

 

Only five of us for dinner.  I had the crab cake, prime rib and a sundae.

 

I skipped the ventriloquist tonight so I could catch up on my sleep before the tour tomorrow.

 

 

Afternoon trivia

  1. Kermit and Big Bird
  2. Wednesday - Mittwoch
  3. Dandelion
  4. Musician
  5. Taser (it is an acronym)

 

Evening trivia

  1. Los Angeles
  2. Bahamas (1 and 2 are the ones we missed)
  3. Saffron
  4. Eggs
  5. Colombia

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

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15 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 If you have the pictures in your camera roll on your Ipad, you can't upload directly to the blog?  I can upload to CC from my pictures on my Ipad.  What a PITA  on the extra work to a hosting site 😞

You’re right, Jacqui.  You can now upload the pictures from the iPad which is a great time saver.  I hadn’t tried it since 2017 because I didn’t think I would be using my iPad.

 

The internet has been really good tonight.  I only had two pictures for my blog but I uploaded them without resizing them and they went through in seconds!

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6 hours ago, Scrapnana said:

You’re right, Jacqui.  You can now upload the pictures from the iPad which is a great time saver.  I hadn’t tried it since 2017 because I didn’t think I would be using my iPad.

 

The internet has been really good tonight.  I only had two pictures for my blog but I uploaded them without resizing them and they went through in seconds!

 

YAY!  Glad it worked for you and it's saving you time 😄 

 

Sorry to hear about your rain on a sea day but it sounds like you had lots of activities to keep you busy 😉 

 

WOW on your cabin crawl.  That's a lot of cabins. The nice thing about this ship is that there is a good variety.  Well done to you and the other hosts and to Roy for organizing it.

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