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

[dfish]

Both the kitchen and dining room all have one coat of paint on the walls.  It will need a second coat, but that generally goes on faster and easier since the walls aren't so thirsty.  I'll get busy on that after lunch.

[Cruising-along]

Good morning all!

I'm not sure I've ever been to an iconic American restaurant -- or maybe I have.  It seems that the description can apply to any restaurant well-known in an area (?)  My first thought was the 59er Diner in Leavenworth, WA.  https://www.59erdiner.com/  It's definitely well-known here.  We'll be going next month with the grandsons for an over-night stay in one of their cabins.

 

We've been to Pompeii, Herculaneum and other areas.  On one tour we did what @4966and556did.  I'll add a few of my photos of that day.  I think I consider any music that came after my generation's music (50's-60's) to be strange 😉  Will pass on the red wine, the drink sounds good and I would try the meal (minus the egg on top) if someone else prepared it for me.  Have never been to the port, looking forward to photos!

 

Today will be catch-up day after all the canning.  The yard needs attention as does the pantry and wine rack 😉  

 

Climbing to the top

 

And the steam in the crater -- awesome sight!

 

[rafinmd]

42 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

I looked up the end of the Oosterdam transatlantic and it is November 19.  The Volendam is in FLL that day beginning a 28 day Amazon cruise.  At least it was booked that way.  How many HAL ships can they book into FLL in one day?

Wouldn't necessarily be strictly a matter of HAL ships as the terminals are somewhat shared.  Also not sure what the current situation is at Ft. Lauderdale but I do know that they moved the ferry to Bahamas from a spot near the drawbridge to a regular terminal so that's something of a reduction of capacity.

 

We started out with bookings for a total of 9 ships in Ft. Lauderdale November 19

 

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Infinity

 

Odyssey OTS

 

Enchanted Princess

Sky Princess

 

Nieuw Statendam

Volendam

Oosterdam

Eurodam

 

Some time ago my Eurodam cruise got extended a day so I come back November 20 instead of November 19.

 

With the Oosterdam now moved to Miami that's now a total of 7 cruise ships plus the ferry.  Not sure if that's capacity or not.

 

Roy

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Dailyites!  Thank you to Rich, Roy, and everyone who posts with interesting information.  I think I learn something new every day.  Of course, by the next day, I've forgotten it, and so am happy to learn it all over again!  I hope I don't repeat myself too often, but, with my DC, who is 3 years younger than I am, I notice that she often tells me the same story 2 or 3 times in the same conversation.  I hope I'm not doing the same with her!

 

Anyway, hoping not to repeat myself, when we were in Naples last year on Eurodam, Pat took a ship's tour and I took a sea day, on deck I noticed that Vesuvius seemed to have moved closer and was looming over Napoli, it must be a bit scary living there.  I've never seen it so close!

 

 

In 2011, on a driving holiday, Vesuvius seemed much further away as we drove from Sorrento to Naples.

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Vict0riann

[StLouisCruisers]

8 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Wouldn't necessarily be strictly a matter of HAL ships as the terminals are somewhat shared.  Also not sure what the current situation is at Ft. Lauderdale but I do know that they moved the ferry to Bahamas from a spot near the drawbridge to a regular terminal so that's something of a reduction of capacity.

 

We started out with bookings for a total of 9 ships in Ft. Lauderdale November 19

 

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Infinity

 

Odyssey OTS

 

Enchanted Princess

Sky Princess

 

Nieuw Statendam

Volendam

Oosterdam

Eurodam

 

Some time ago my Eurodam cruise got extended a day so I come back November 20 instead of November 19.

 

With the Oosterdam now moved to Miami that's now a total of 7 cruise ships plus the ferry.  Not sure if that's capacity or not.

 

Roy

 

Seven ships plus a ferry sounds like a very busy day in port!  It must have been very inconvenient for passengers to have their cruise extended one day after all arrangements were made.  However, I'm sure there aren't too many people complaining about an extra day being waited on and enjoying their cruise.😉

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

A quick break between folding a load of clothes.  Also busy with getting medical records ready for appointments with the ophthalmologist tomorrow and our PCP next Tuesday.  We were pleasantly surprised we could get the appointments so soon  The next appointment at UTSW with a neurosurgeon is scheduled for September 26 to allow time to see the other two doctors and for UTSW to get their reports.  It might be wishful thinking, but maybe we can get the 9/26 appointment moved up.  🤞  At least, by seeing the Nurse Practioner first, we got the necessary tests done before seeing an MD, and before an appointment with a MD could have been scheduled, so I feel we haven't been wasting time.  At yesterday's visit, the NP reviewed the MRI with her supervising doctor, and he concurred on the treatment plan moving forward.

 

4 hours ago, lcand1923 said:

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!

 

Our favorite restaurant in Baltimore was Haussner, which featured German food.  In the late 60s and early 70s, we'd stop there whenever we were in Baltimore, but sadly it closed in 1999.  DH found the recipes for their Strawberry Pie and Crab Imperial that I still have not tried.

 

3 hours ago, marshhawk said:

@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.

 

When we moved to Wilmington, DE, in 1974,  there was a Howard Johnson's with the iconic orange roof near our home.  We'd often go there on Friday night to have fried clams followed by one of their 28 flavors of ice cream.  The last one closed on June 1, this year.  Howard Johnson opened his fist restaurant on February 1, 1925.  In the 1960s and 1960s , it was the largest restaurant chain in the US.

 

2 hours ago, smitty34877 said:

Good morning. We are stuck in a humid weather pattern here but the rain will hold off for a few days.

We recently watched on Britbox a documentary about Pompeii that was quite good. I like the quote and the meal looks interesting. We have not been to the port.

Dinner plans were decided by the executive chef earlier and she has commenced chopping for a bean and pasta soup. I soaked the beans last night and cooked them earlier so that the soup would come together well.

Tana is amazing in that she always tries to do at least one thing every day that is challenging.The walk to the kitchen from her room is about forty feet and it can be tough for her depending on the day.

Have a great day everyone.

Terry

 

Terry, I'm glad Tana is feeling like resuming her executive chef duties.  She must be a very strong, determined person to tackle a challenging thing everyday, even on not so great days.

 

2 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

Good morning and thanks for the update It’s a sunny day here and tomorrow the heat returns.

Fluff is channeling her brother Houdini as she somehow managed to get out of her onesie, so I guess it’s back to the cone. 
Iconic restaurants , Elby’s Big Boy and Ponderosa Steakhouse along with some local favorites, Boehringers Ice Cream and Schell’s for hamburger bbq.

Blessings and prayers to all on our lists.🙏❤️

 

In 2017, we found a Big Boy restaurant in Bismarck, SD, and the Big Boy hamburger was as good as ever.  It is drive through only, and the line of cars can be quite long, but it moves quickly.  IIRC, there are a few Big Boy restaurants in California.

55 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

A few pics taken just now as we sail out of Christiansand, Norway heading to Stavenger. It wasn’t our nicest weather day but the morning rain ceased and it did warm to 70F.

 

 

Bruce, thanks for the pictures from Kristiansand.   We enjoyed our day there in 2009.

 

24 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

I'm not sure I've ever been to an iconic American restaurant -- or maybe I have.  It seems that the description can apply to any restaurant well-known in an area (?)  My first thought was the 59er Diner in Leavenworth, WA.  https://www.59erdiner.com/  It's definitely well-known here.  We'll be going next month with the grandsons for an over-night stay in one of their cabins.

 

We've been to Pompeii, Herculaneum and other areas.  On one tour we did what @4966and556did.  I'll add a few of my photos of that day.  I think I consider any music that came after my generation's music (50's-60's) to be strange 😉  Will pass on the red wine, the drink sounds good and I would try the meal (minus the egg on top) if someone else prepared it for me.  Have never been to the port, looking forward to photos!

 

Today will be catch-up day after all the canning.  The yard needs attention as does the pantry and wine rack 😉  

 

Climbing to the top

 

And the steam in the crater -- awesome sight!

 

 

Thanks for your pictures of the Vesuvius crater.  Now, I don't have to make that climb.  😉 🤣

 

Lenda

 

 

[aliaschief]

@Quartzsite CruiserThanks for correcting my spelling is Kristianland I didn’t notice  the auto correct.

Edited August 24, 2022 by aliaschief

[1ANGELCAT]

@Quartzsite Cruiser, did you ever go to the Charcoal Pit  on 202 in Wilmington? Great ice cream sundaes. I think they still make the Kitchen Sink( 16 scoops ).

[Himself]

Rich:

Thanks for the Fleet Report. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

[StLouisCruisers]

2 minutes ago, Himself said:

Rich:

Thanks for the Fleet Report. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

 

Father, I've been wondering how you have been lately.  We don't always see you posting here so I'm happy to see you are back today, and enjoying the Daily.

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Seven ships plus a ferry sounds like a very busy day in port!  It must have been very inconvenient for passengers to have their cruise extended one day after all arrangements were made.  However, I'm sure there aren't too many people complaining about an extra day being waited on and enjoying their cruise.😉

Fortunately, it was no big deal for me.  I have a church that I sometimes visit before.after a cruise in Miami that is currently rebuilding.  I return on a Saturday and had planned to spend Saturday night in the area, visit the church Sunday, and then board the Auto Train home Monday.  It will be a bit of a rush getting to service Sunday but then I'll be fine.  What should upset the Oosterdam folks is that I suspect HAL should have known about this some time ago,

 

Roy

[HAL4NOW]

3 hours ago, summer slope said:

Just a question.  Does anyone know why the change from FLL to Miami?  And will HAL provide a bus to FLL so they can get their cars.  Curious that's all.

When you dock in FLL you can get a HAL transfer to Miami airport. There also were excursions that included transport to both airports after the excursion.

[Mr. Boston]

Hello everyone, happy hump day.  The first iconic restaurant that comes to my mind is Big Boy, Elias Brothers from where I grew up.  We hope to visit Pompeii next October on our retirement cruise, its’ always fascinated me.  When I took my music appreciation class in college the professor told us that it’s important to listen to music outside our comfort zone, can’t say that I follow that advice as much as I should though.  The meal suggestion sounds delicious as does the drink.  I have not been to today’s port and look forward to the photos.  Prayers for all on our prayer list.  Cheers to everyone celebrating happy events today!

[RedneckBob]

38 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

What should upset the Oosterdam folks is that I suspect HAL should have known about this some time ago,

 

Roy

Ditto.  Port of Miami plus Miami is a zoo. Worked in this area for years and only thing I can say is thank goodness I loved my job. I gave up on Oceania partly due to their ships only sailed out of Miami to the Caribbean. Several years ago Celebrity Equinox docked in Miami, dropped off passengers, then sailed to Port Everglades in the PM to pick up new passengers. This was due to change in departure Port. It appears Oosterdam does not come back to Florida.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Finally, I think I've got all my chores done for today, except folding the sheets.  I can hear my new book calling me.

 

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

@Quartzsite CruiserThanks for correcting my spelling is Kristianland I didn’t notice  the auto correct.

 

Your welcome.  I quit using autocorrect because sometimes it replaces words with something that means an entirely different thing.  I nearly didn't get the name correct either.  There are two towns with similar names with only one letter different.  I looked it up on Google maps to make sure I was spelling it correctly, and the other town came up.  I noticed it was in the wrong place, and that's how I discovered both Kristiansand and Kristiansund.  It just makes it even more confusing.

 

2 hours ago, 1ANGELCAT said:

@Quartzsite Cruiser, did you ever go to the Charcoal Pit  on 202 in Wilmington? Great ice cream sundaes. I think they still make the Kitchen Sink( 16 scoops ).

 

We might have gone there, but I can't be sure.  We lived over in Pike Creek Valley and did not get out 202 very often.  Later, between 1980 and 1985, we lived in PA off Rt 896.

 

6 hours ago, marshhawk said:

@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.

 

When DH was in the Army stationed in Dover, NJ, there was a hamburger place on Rt 46 toward Rockaway, that had a double burger that was just like the Big Mac before there was a Big Mac.  It was a Goody burger, and it was good.

 

5 hours ago, lindaler said:

I plan to be on that cruise and the one before and the 74. I guess I too will miss winter. 

Just dropped by to say hi. Son is in his house. But doing all that meant that my house was neglected. Now I have to play catch up and get it ready for company soon.

 

Linda, I'm glad your son is in his new house.  Hope everything with the roof is all right now.

 

Lenda

[JazzyV]

Good afternoon. Thanks for the Fleet Report/Daily.

I like iconic American restaurants. There was Isaly's here in PA, now gone, but some of their sauces and other products can be bought in grocery stores still. I've gotten to see Vesuvius and Pompeii. I'll pass on strange music. It's also national waffle day! I like the quote. Not sure about the meal. Yes to the margarita and wine (If someone buys it for me).

I haven't been to Fujairah.

 

It's warm, sunny and no rain today. I'm late as I had a haircut today; I was the first appointment and everyone was masked (only two stylists, one other customer and the receptionist were there at that time). Now I'm contemplating mowing the lawn as the sun gets a little lower in the sky.

 

@Rowsby Congrats on the Hawaii trip! Good job on uploading the picture.

@rafinmd Thanks for the lists.

@Quartzsite Cruiser I have fond memories of HoJo's.

@smitty34877 Kudos to Tana for continuing to fight and doing something challenging daily!

@aliaschief Thanks for sharing your voyage with us.

@dfish You're making great progress. Way to go!

 

Prayers for the Care List and a Toast to the Celebration List. 

Stay safe everyone.

[Cruise Suzy]

A head's up for those of you waiting on Specialty Dining reservations to appear:

 

They were not available this morning, but now reservations for Canaletto, Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind and Nami Sushi are available for our January 25 Eurodam cruise. Maybe the pop-up Rudi's Sel de Mer will be available soon. (Might even be added by the time you read this.) The Complimentary Dining option is NOT available for reserving at this time which also makes me think it's a work in progress.

 

Reservations for MDR haven't been seen since sometime in May, so I doubt if that option will re-appear anytime soon.

[Norseh2o]

A nice long weekend in AZ! The good; temperatures <100, cool rainstorms Friday and Saturday nights, the better; located and reserved a place for DM; the best; spending s long weekend with Mother and siblings with more agreements than disagreements,  good food/fun, and laughter. When BIL suggested late Friday golf to DH, sister snd I decided to take supper to DM. Traveling to Culver’s for Mom’s favorite vanilla shake took us to 3 favorite slo-fashion spots (thrift stores!) where we managed to support Hospice of the Valley, the Lutherans and the LDS. Especially enjoyed finding tags-still-attached linen pants, golf shirts and a sweater. The vanilla shakes and cheeseburgers were delicious. Looking forward to returning in September to help with the move. 
Thank you for all of the news, pictures and friendship. 

[Heartgrove]

41 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

 

When DH was in the Army stationed in Dover, NJ, there was a hamburger place on Rt 46 toward Rockaway, that had a double burger that was just like the Big Mac before there was a Big Mac.  It was a Goody burger, and it was good.

 

Lenda

 

Lenda, you jogged my memory from just over 50 years ago! After the decommissioning of mine and two other  ships in Guam for turning over to the South Vietnamese Navy, the Coast Guard flew the crews from the three ships back to both the West Coast and East Coast depending on where our next duty station was to be. I was flown to Dover AFB and then bussed to the Coast Guard TRACEN in Cape May, NJ. The interesting thing to me at the time was leaving Anderson AFB in Guam at 3:00 am Wednesday morning - and landing at Dover AFB at 7:00 am Wednesday morning!

 

But never got a chance to sample a burger on that cruise!

 

- Jack

[cruzn single]

Just me with another quick note - Thirty years ago today was Hurricane Andrew.  I was working for telco in Florida that fateful day.  Changed forever how we did our job.

[bennybear]

Good day, late today!  Car is in getting new tires, brakes, windshield.  

We’ve enjoyed visiting Villa Oplontis near Pompeii,  was Nero’s wife’s villa complete with huge pool.

 

@marshhawk I can help with Vancouver, our son lived there for several years and we’ve stayed in a lot of hotels,   Pick one near the sky train, and then it’s easy to get around,  it’s  a pricey city but so beautiful! 
 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by bennybear

[bennybear]

Speaking of Big boy, he’s in Japan!  
 

One of our favourite restaurants received a historical restaurant grant.  It’s Teshima’s on the Big Island of Hawaii, been there since 1957 with earlier beginnings.  My fave there is Okayodon or Katsudon, today’s meal but with chicken or pork.  SO good!  

Edited August 24, 2022 by bennybear

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, Cruise Suzy said:

A head's up for those of you waiting on Specialty Dining reservations to appear:

 

They were not available this morning, but now reservations for Canaletto, Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind and Nami Sushi are available for our January 25 Eurodam cruise. Maybe the pop-up Rudi's Sel de Mer will be available soon. (Might even be added by the time you read this.) The Complimentary Dining option is NOT available for reserving at this time which also makes me think it's a work in progress.

 

Reservations for MDR haven't been seen since sometime in May, so I doubt if that option will re-appear anytime soon.

 

I'm still unable to make reservations on Rotterdam for 12-28. I check during my morning news feed.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good afternoon, all! We have a village on Salt Spring called Vesuvius, with a ferry to Vancouver Island. It’s nice to know it has its own day!😄

Last night we had company over for dinner. I took a chance on a lemon custard cake recipe from Pinterest, and just loved it! It’s going in the keeper file. Somehow though, the prep and cleaning and cooking and aftermath of a company dinner seems to consume the whole day. It was worth it, though. And somehow I found time to work out all the Visas and Visa costs for our B2B2B2B around the world in another 5 weeks.

@rafinmd yes, we were very lucky to get in to Tonga in 2020, and it was touch and go until the last minute. We were denied permission, but the captain had contacts from previous years. They actually recalled parliament to waive the cruise ship restriction for the Amsterdam. We were kept on board while officials in PPE went over the ships logs and medical records with a fine tooth comb. We had come from Antarctica via Chile, Easter Island, and Tahiti, which were all clean at that time. The medical records showed no one on board had been treated for suspicious symptoms. Then we were allowed ashore. We were the last cruise ship granted that privilege. DH had met the previous King of Tonga years before on the King’s visit to Canada. He would have been very disappointed if the stop,had been cancelled. (DH, not the King.😉)

@ger_77 enjoy dinner out, and that first glass of wine! I’ll be interested to hear if it tastes the way you expect, or if your palette has temporarily changed.

@marshhawk good choice booking a hotel away from downtown Vancouver! The city has an excellent Sky Train system, with a stop 2 - 3 blocks from the cruise terminal entrance. Find a train going to Waterfront Station. It’s the terminus station, so there’s no fear of missing your stop! Then just follow all the other people with suitcases out to the street and around the corner to the ship. Vancouver is our home port, and we always use the Sky Train now as the cheapest and easiest alternative.

Happy Wednesday, everyone, and May you be reading this post aboard your favorite BHB! ( What is my favorite BHB? Whichever one was kind enough to let me come aboard!)

Edited August 24, 2022 by Horizon chaser 1957

[dfish]

I have declared the kitchen and dining room done.  Now, I just have to put them back together.  That means hardware on the cabinet doors and furniture in the dining room.  I'm waiting on some boxes from U-Haul.  I ordered their packing supplies kit.  I want to box up Grandma's china instead of putting it back.  I'll do the same with Grandma's Belleek china and Mom's Waterford crystal.  I'm using the garage for storage, so the poor car is out in the cold.