The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday August 24th, 2022

[richwmn]

 

Today is Iconic American Restaurants Day, Vesuvius Day, and International Strange Music Day
 

If you don't know where you're going, any road'll take you there--George Harrison

Meal Suggestion for today - Gyūdon
Drink of the Day - Classic Margarita
Wine of the Day - Prats & Symington LDA 2018 Chryseia Red (Douro) Po
Destination of the Day - Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
 

Eurodam

Sitka, Baranof Island, Alaska 08:00 - 16:00
 

Koningsdam

Glacier Bay 7:00 AM To 4:00 PM
 

Nieuw Amsterdam

Skagway, Alaska 07:00 - 21:00
 

Nieuw Statendam

At Sea Destination Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada eta 08/25
 

Noordam

Juneau, Alaska 10:00 - 22:00
 

Oosterdam

At Sea Destination Santorini Island, Thira, Greece eta 08/25
 

Rotterdam

Kristiansand, Norway 08:00 - 17:00
 

Westerdam

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska 14:00 - 18:00
 

Zaandam

Sydney NS, Nova Scotia Canada 08:00 - 17:00
 

Zuiderdam

Vancouver, BC Canada 07:00 - 16:00
 

Volendam

Rotterdam Waalhaven Ukraine Relief
 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the Fleet Report.

[4966and556]

Thank you for the Daily Fleet Report!  I did a ship's excursion to the top of Mt. Vesuvius.  A bus took us part way up, and then a 4 X 4 took us up further and then we all had to walk the rest of the way up.  None of my pictures are online, unfortunately.  

[puppycanducruise]

Good morning.  Thanks for the Fleet and Daily Report.

Happy Hump Day! 

A nice summer day in the forecast for us today, high of 23C and sunny.🙂

 

Interesting days.  We visited Vesuvius several years ago, saw a few wisps of steam in the caldera, fortunately, no eruption.  I think there is a lot of strange music.

Love the quote.

Not sure about the meal,  I'll wait to see the recipe.

I'd love a margarita.  Hope the wine is tasty.

Prayers for everyone.

Have a wonderful day.

Stay safe.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is currently 64°F and cloudy after rain showers all morning.

Thank you Rich for today's daily and fleet reports.

On our visits to the US we have visited many restaurants including Friendlys, Longhorn, Ponderosa and Denny's to name a few.

Interesting quote.

I like almost every music 

I have no idea what today's food is.

We have been to Fujairah on 2 of our Emirates cruises.

Each time the ships shuttle dropped us off at a shopping mall.

Prayers 🙏for everyone who is unwell.

Wishing everyone a lovely day.

Take care and stay safe.

Graham.

 

[rafinmd]

Thank you for the Hump Day report Rich.  Vesuvius was one of the great tragedies of history.  I think I'll pass on the strange music.  Iconic American Restaurants have shown resilience the last few years.  I was in Fujairah just once on Silver Whisper, a totally forgettable cruise.  I like the Harrison quote.  I could take the meal without the onions.  My alternative is a custom Lido omelet, my final meal on MS Statendam August 24, 2014.

 

Today’s care list:

HAL Sailer Sister in Law recovering from cancer surgery
ger_77 losing cruising friend Melanie
Tana with persistent problems although somewhat better
Fluff healing from surgery
ger_77 and  DH with covid fatigue
The locks at Ijmuiden(Rotterdam diverted to at least 9/11)
From the rotation:
Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1), msmayor (5/20) and JAM37 (7/7)
Heartgrove’s Sam severely declining
Heartgrove brother discharged but in hospice care
Atrex6 Father severely declining

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Temporary guests for Kazu
Kochleffel clean colonoscopy
Volendam caring for refugees
ger_77 starting to feel like herself
New owner for Maasdam
Norseh20 helping DM find assisted living
5 days for Oceansaway17 (Quantum OTS 8/29 to 9/5)
4 days for Vax1700 (Rotterdam 8/28 to 9/11)
4 days for Kochleffel (Voyager OTS 8/28 to 9/3)
Mtn2sea and kplady (Nieuw Statendam  to 8/27), Aliaschief (Rotterdam to 8/28),   Av8rix (Zuiderdam  to 8/31) and Gail&Marty (Rotterdam to 10/15) at sea
Staff Captain Sabine - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

Roy

 

[Rowsby]

 

I'm flying to Waikiki next Wednesday....solo...and for a month...!!

 

Before I go....I need some tech advice....and please keep in mind...I had to watch a youtube video on how to turn off my Pixel 6 Pro....:)

 

When taking an amazing photo on my phone....how can I share/send/move it to Cruise Critic....???

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Morning Everyone, thanks for the daily fleet report.  Yesterday was a very busy day.  I could have used a margarita or two when I signed out from work.  I’m not sure about today’s meal suggestion so will wait for @dfish to decide.  I hope everyone has a good Wednesday.
 

[lcand1923]

During my Work Life, we would frequently have employees from out of the area in town for about a week.  They would ask for Restaurant recommendations for dinner.  Our office location was in Baltimore, MD and we had a list of “only in Baltimore” places divided by cuisine.  Thinking about that list when I saw “Iconic American Restaurants” made me sad.  Only one of them remains.  

 

Have a Beautiful Day, Everyone!

[grapau27]

20 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you for the Hump Day report Rich.  Vesuvius was one of the great tragedies of history.  I think I'll pass on the strange music.  Iconic American Restaurants have shown resilience the last few years.  I was in Fujairah just once on Silver Whisper, a totally forgettable cruise.  I like the Harrison quote.  I could take the meal without the onions.  My alternative is a custom Lido omelet, my final meal on MS Statendam August 24, 2014.

 

Today’s care list:

HAL Sailer Sister in Law recovering from cancer surgery
ger_77 losing cruising friend Melanie
Tana with persistent problems although somewhat better
Fluff healing from surgery
ger_77 and  DH with covid fatigue
The locks at Ijmuiden(Rotterdam diverted to at least 9/11)
From the rotation:
Status of St. Louis Sal (7/1), msmayor (5/20) and JAM37 (7/7)
Heartgrove’s Sam severely declining
Heartgrove brother discharged but in hospice care
Atrex6 Father severely declining

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

Temporary guests for Kazu
Kochleffel clean colonoscopy
Volendam caring for refugees
ger_77 starting to feel like herself
New owner for Maasdam
Norseh20 helping DM find assisted living
5 days for Oceansaway17 (Quantum OTS 8/29 to 9/5)
4 days for Vax1700 (Rotterdam 8/28 to 9/11)
4 days for Kochleffel (Voyager OTS 8/28 to 9/3)
Mtn2sea and kplady (Nieuw Statendam  to 8/27), Aliaschief (Rotterdam to 8/28),   Av8rix (Zuiderdam  to 8/31) and Gail&Marty (Rotterdam to 10/15) at sea
Staff Captain Sabine - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

Roy

 

Thank you for keeping the lists updated daily Roy.

Graham.

[cat shepard]

Thank you for today’s Report & Daily, Rich. I love that we are celebrating strange music today, since I just watched a YouTube video of the recording that the Webb telescope made of the sounds from a black hole! Just amazing. 
 

Another lovely morning here. Deer are everywhere, since another late afternoon - evening T-storm upset their grazing schedule a bit. 
 

Thank you for keeping our lists, Roy! Morning Dailyites! Off to the gym. Then gardening, perhaps. Visiting a local wine bar this evening.

 

There are days that I feel this way….

 

 

Prayers for all who need our support. Cheers to all who are celebrating! Stay well everyone!

 

*******

Prats & Symington LDA 2018 Chryseia Red (Douro)

This red blend from Portugal sounds amazing. Excellent - superb ratings from critics & consumers. I would love a taste, but it is priced outside of my budget range. Easy to find online with prices starting at $72.97.

Winemaker Notes

Chryseia 2018 was made with the finest grapes from Prats & Symington’s own Douro Valley vineyards, Quinta de Roriz and Quinta da Perdiz. Aswith all previous Chryseia wines, Quinta da Vila Velha, owned by James andRupert Symington and which neighbors Quinta de Roriz, also contributedfor the blend.

WE96 Wine Enthusiast

This wine is the result of a joint venture between Bordelais Bruno Prats and the Symington family in the Douro. It has an impressive mix of elegance, density and concentration. It's a wood-aged wine that's packed with dark plum, berry and rich tannins, which will lend well to cellaring. Drink from 2025. 
Cellar Selection

WW93 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

The 2018 CHRYSEIA is a standout wine on the world stage! TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of bold, ripe fruits, hints of licorice, savory spices, earth, and oaky notes. Serve it with a well-spiced, slow-cooked lamb stew and homemade rustic bread. (Tasted: March 16, 2022, San Francisco, CA)

WS93 Wine Spectator

Ripe and alluring, with a lovely velvety feel to the mix of gently mulled plum, boysenberry and blackberry fruit. A licorice snap weaves around the fruit, while a graphite note provides support on the finish. Delicious. Drink now through 2027.

JS93 James Suckling

Polished nose with aromas of plums, blueberries, cedar, chocolate and praline. It’s full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Delicious depth of fruit. Give this a couple more years. Drink from 2022.

 

[grapau27]

17 minutes ago, Rowsby said:

 

I'm flying to Waikiki next Wednesday....solo...and for a month...!!

 

Before I go....I need some tech advice....and please keep in mind...I had to watch a youtube video on how to turn off my Pixel 6 Pro....:)

 

When taking an amazing photo on my phone....how can I share/send/move it to Cruise Critic....???

Click on add files and choose an option from your phone's files

Sometimes I am quoting and click on camera for an instant photo if I want to add to my post 

[Cat in my lap]

Thanks for the daily!

[seagarsmoker]

Thanks for the Daily Report and I hope everyone has a great day! 

[RedneckBob]

Thanks for the Fleet update and other things.

 

International Strange Music Day. Well, hear goes:

 

Holland America had some ships

E I E I O

And on their ships there were these horns

E I E I O

With a toot too here

And a toot toot there

Hear a toot there a toot

Everywhere a toot toot

Holland America had some ships

E I E I O

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  I have exercised and said prayers for our Dailyites.  Nothing on the agenda today so that's good.  We had a pretty sunrise but will be cloudy today with another chance of thunderstorms this afternoon.  It is 71F with a high of 80 predicted.  Thanks Rich @richwmnfor our Daily and Fleet Report.  I like the idea of celebrating iconic American restaurants.  Happy to hear Graham @grapau27has enjoyed a few of them when he visits America.  I am equal opportunity for music, even strange music.  And not sure I want to celebrate it but know Vesuvius has a major place in our history books.  I've been on a tour there and of course visited Pompeii and Herculaneum.  Trivia news for everyone.  There is a small town near St. Louis called Herculaneum and I had no idea of the Herculaneum in Italy until I was in my 60's.  The quote is a good one, not sure about the menu suggestion yet, and will gladly accept a margarita. 

 

Today's port is Fujairah, United Arab Emirates and was posted here on Nov. 15, 2021 by Rich.  I have not been there, only Dubai.  If you would like to move your photos from last November to today, just check out Rich's post, which I found on page 31 of his posting activity.

 

 

Thank you Roy @rafinmdfor keeping up with everyone's news, good and bad. 🙏 Praying we can improve on the Care list and add to the Celebration list.  Cheers to all on the latter.🥂  

 

I've been enjoying photos sent from DDIL from their stay in Singapore.  She left the US (born in NY) at age 8 when her Father took a position in Singapore at a University there.  She has a lot of school ties in Singapore and has been enjoying visiting with them all week.  But they've had a lot more going on besides that.  A memorial service for her Father, checking out all the food courts like at East Coast, a popular spot for them, going to museums, and visiting family.   I wish I could send you all a few photos but they are all on Instagram making it difficult for me to copy and paste them here.  DS and family will be back home in Michigan Friday.  

[0106]

@Rowsby To add a bit more info to Graham’s post, you need to access CC from your phone, then you can easily add a photo that is saved on your phone.  This is what I see when I click on Add Files

 

Just click on photo library and then click on the photo you want to add, you’ll see a check mark on the photo.  Then click add.   Once you have uploaded the photo you will see it below your post.  Click the Insert button.

 

Hope this helps.

 

@lcand1923 If you are ever back in Baltimore, I can give you recommendations for the newer iconic “only in Baltimore” restaurants.

 

Hoping everyone has the best day possible.

Edited August 24, 2022 by 0106

[Cruzin Terri]

Good morning to all from a rainy Bluffton, SC

It feels like it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights and we have had some serious flooding in some areas. Thankfully we have not yet been affected.

Thank you to Rich for the Daily and Fleet Report.

i like the days.  

There are not many Iconic American Restaurants left, but some remain.

I have not been to Vesuvius, On cruises to Naples area, I have always opted to take tours to other areas.  I have visited Herculaneum, but that was in.1984 (pre digital photos).

As for Strange Music, there is a good bit of that these days.

The quote is interesting.

I have not been to the destination.

I like Margaritas but the wine is a bit over my budget.

I will wait to see what Debbie comes up with as far as the meal goes.

 

Prayers for all on the cares list and cheers to those celebrating and cruising.

Stay safe everyone.

I’ll be back later,

God Bless,

Terri

[dfish]

Good morning, everyone.  

 

It is looking like a beautiful day here in northeast Ohio.  The heat is returning, though.  I'm going to do laps this morning and then get back to my painting.  I should be able to finish up the dining room and kitchen today.  Then I can reload the furniture in the dining room and start clearing out the living room.  I take out all the little furniture and drape the big stuff.  

 

Gyūdon , also known as gyūmeshi ), is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with dashi (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine). It may sometimes also be served with toppings such as raw or soft poached eggs, Welsh onions (negi), grated cheese or kimchi. A popular food in Japan, it is commonly eaten with beni shōga (pickled ginger), shichimi (ground chili pepper), and a side dish of miso soup.

 

After the arrival of Buddhism in Japan in the 6th century, consumption of meat became rare in Japanese culture (especially those of four-footed animals such as beef or pork) and in many cases frowned upon, both for religious and practical reasons. It was only after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the subsequent westernization of the country that meat began to be widely eaten.

Gyūdon is considered to be derived from gyūnabe , a beef hot pot originating in the Kantō region of eastern Japan. Gyūnabe originally consisted of cuts of beef simmered with Welsh onions and miso (as the beef available in Japan at the time were usually of poor quality, the meat was cooked this way to tenderize it and neutralize its foul smell), but by the late 1800s, a variation that used a special stock called warishita  - a combination of a sweetener such as sugar or mirin and soy sauce - instead of miso and featuring additional ingredients such as shirataki (konjac cut into noodle-like strips) and tofu began to appear. This version of gyūnabe (known today as sukiyaki - originally the name of a similar yet distinct dish from the Kansai region) eventually came to be served with rice in a deep bowl (donburi), becoming gyūmeshi or gyūdon.

 

 

This first recipe uses sake and seems to be a pretty easy one to do if you can find the ingredients.  They do give some substitutions.   https://www.justonecookbook.com/gyudon/

 

 

Here's one with an egg topping.  https://thewoksoflife.com/gyudon-recipe-beef-rice/

 

 

In this one the eggs are a little more cooked.  I like my egg whites cooked through.   https://www.seriouseats.com/gyudon-japanese-simmered-beef-and-rice-bowl-recipe

 

 

I would tinker with this quite a bit and use riced cauliflower to cut the carbs and come out with something I think is similar, but totally different.  Wishing everyone a great day.   

[ottahand7]

Happy hump day!  We have a foggy, damp day.  I got a lot of work done outside yesterday so I think I will start organizing for departure less than 3 weeks from now.  All canned and bottled foodstuffs have to be brought back home. It gets below freezing inside the cabin during the winter.   

John( DF) got a casino offer and it included a New Year's cruise on the Volendam so we will be doing a 7 day B2B with a 74 day.  We have tried to rent a home in Florida for the winter but the cost was prohibitive. We will be spending almost all of our winter on a BHB.  

Thank you for the Daily Reports.  Always new things to look forward to each day.    Today's wine, cocktail and meal all look like winners. Thanks for the health and celebration updates.  US is asking citizens to leave Ukraine.  Prayers for the people of Ukraine. 🙏🇺🇦  Have a great day!  

A tattered Fritillary butterfly in my garden yesterday. 

 

 

 

 

 

[marshhawk]

Happy Wednesday Dailyites!  It's very humid in Stone Mountain.  I was watching the weather for today, probability of pop up showers.  And then they showed a large green blob over us for tomorrow.

 

I spent yesterday shopping, but not buying , our flight to Vancouver, a hotel in Vancouver for two rooms, and some excursions in Vancouver before we do the cruise.  I called our BFF and told him that we would be staying south of Vancouver because the hotels were too expensive  on the north end, near the pier.  Sometimes I just get baffled by the onslaught of information that I don't need when I am looking for one thing.  So I guess it was good that I had the day off yesterday.  The computers got fixed just when I was to start my other gig, so low on hours, high on information.

 

When I was young we often dined at Iconic American Restaurants, because of where we were when traveling.  Long Trail Lodge comes to mind.  But overall the Iconic restaurants that were important to our family in  America, didn't serve American food.  They were just Iconic in the part of the country that they were.  Not sure if that makes sense, but thinking PaPa's in Tarpon Springs.  It isnt there anymore.

There was a place on Harwich Port on the cape, famous for clams, not there anymore.  Too often new management wants to change the menus to bring in younger crowds, and the old patrons stop coming, and the new patrons, aren't impressed.  And then the restaurant closes.

 

Sorry, too much rambling.   DH has an eye appointment today.  He only has vision in one eye, but that eye really needs glasses!  He cant read the subtitles on the TV,  and I wont be a passenger when he drives.

 

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas where the chance of rain is about 15-20%.  However, the actual weather does not look at the forecast.

 

When I think of iconic American restaurants, Howard Johnsons comes to mind, and yes, I'm dating myself.  Sadly, the last one closed earlier this year.  Going to the top of Vesuvius has never appealed to us, but we've been to Pompeii and Herculaneum.  There is a lot of strange music.

 

I like today's quote.  We'll pass on the meal, but a margarita would be nice.  The wine is a bit pricey.

 

We have not been to the UAE.  It was on our two canceled Princess cruises, but today's port wasn't the scheduled port.

 

It's time to go start the laundry.

 

Lenda

[mamaofami]

Good morning everyone.Another hot day here. I’m off to my book club where we will discuss the book, “ An American Marriage “ and then to the pool to hopefully submerge myself. 
Stay safe everyone,

Carol

[marshhawk]

@Quartzsite Cruiser I loved Howard Johnsons.  That was our go to stop when we headed up to Boston, the Cape, or the grandparents in VT.  I loved the 3D burger.  And then, McDonalds happened to my father.  He was going up to see his dad in VT, and he stopped at McDonalds, and had a Big Mac.  He come home and told us about it, how it was just like the 3D burger, and less expensive, and much faster, and we never stopped at Howard Johnsons on our trips again.