The Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday September 22nd, 2022

[VMax1700]

47 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Now I have started my investigation into EU 261/2004 into compensation and reimbursement for payment to KLM for upgraded seats.

You would appear to be eligible for compensation under EU261 as the flight was cancelled between 7 and 14 days before scheduled departure. (I am really not sure how the time differences work or even if it makes any difference.  It is probably based on the time the email was sent to you and that probably originated in Europe.)).

Here is a link on the KLM site about cancellations etc.  I have posted it, because if you scroll to the bottom of the page there are option to contact them by 'whatsapp' or 'messenger' which may be useful for you.

https://www.klm.ie/information/travel-alerts#amsterdam-airport-schiphol-operational-issues-are-causing-long-waiting-times

[dfish]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

@dfish wishing you a safe and successful trip.  Can't decide whether to put you on the cares list for needing it or the celebration list for doing it.

 

Roy

You can leave me off the list and wait until we are under contract for a home in Michigan.  Then we'll celebrate for sure!!!!   This is a minor blip that happens with house hunting.

[*Miss G*]

3 minutes ago, dfish said:

You can leave me off the list and wait until we are under contract for a home in Michigan.  Then we'll celebrate for sure!!!!   This is a minor blip that happens with house hunting.

 

We made three offers (on three different houses) before we purchased the one we are in now.  I can honestly say that the loss of those other houses was a blessing in disguise because we got a better deal for a better house.  I hope the same for you.  (with hopefully one less offer before you get there lol)

[*Miss G*]

17 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

You would appear to be eligible for compensation under EU261 as the flight was cancelled between 7 and 14 days before scheduled departure. (I am really not sure how the time differences work or even if it makes any difference.  It is probably based on the time the email was sent to you and that probably originated in Europe.)).

Here is a link on the KLM site about cancellations etc.  I have posted it, because if you scroll to the bottom of the page there are option to contact them by 'whatsapp' or 'messenger' which may be useful for you.

https://www.klm.ie/information/travel-alerts#amsterdam-airport-schiphol-operational-issues-are-causing-long-waiting-times

 

Thank you, @VMax1700.  I made a post on the Cruise Air board and am hoping for input.  I have questions.  😂

 

 

[cat shepard]

The saga continues….

 

September 10th 

How can it be the last full day of the cruise already?

 

It was a glorious sunny morning. I hit the gym to do a couple machines and then met my friend to walk the promenade. We were so happy we brought our hoodies. It was so windy and cool on the Starboard side.  And it was so warm on the sunny, Port side we had to unzip our hoodies. 
 

In the elevator lobby we noticed signs for a premium wine tasting. We had been told at a bar that it was to be held on Friday and we would miss it. We were excited and decided to visit the Lido bar after breakfast & sign up. 
 

Coffee, Lido. Panca said he looked forward to seeing us that night at the Canaletto. We’d almost forgotten!

 

Then up to the Lido bar😎, where the bartender said that the original wine tasting date was moved to a sea day. Smart thinking. 
 

Back to the cabin, started organizing my packing, in hopes that I could live out of my 19” for the last 6 days. Left the cabin, so Dhias and his new assistant could work their magic. We went out onto the aft Lido deck and enjoyed the warm sun, while protected from the ocean winds. We would be entering the Inside Passage soon and were looking forward to seeing what else we shared these waters with. 
 

We headed into the Lido for our last lunch salad. Then we dropped some stuff off at the cabin & headed down to the MDR for the wine tasting.

 

Our cellar master, Jude, welcomed us and showed us how Napoleon opened a bottle of wine. 😎  Hope not too many of his subjects suffered from shards of glass in their wine. 

 

 

 

Jude also introduced us to a Clef du Vin. A non-descript piece of metal that worked magic on the glasses of wine into which our wine stewards inserted it! Jude had us do a before & after tasting of a red wine. The first word that came to mind after my first sip was HARSH! Then they inserted the Clef into the same glass of wine. I could hardly believe the difference.  It was mellow and fruity with a lovely medium body.  Jude explained that the Clef helps immature wine age.  We also enjoyed the difference that food pairings can have with wine. Jude included chips in his pairings, as does one of my back home wine bistros.  And near the end we were treated to some great music by Kris, from the Lido. It was great to see him in this very different role! A talented guitarist.

 

BTW, Clef du Vins are a bit expensive. Until I found one on eBay, the cheapest I found one for was $45!  I found the same brand on eBay for $25. It arrives tomorrow and I will report back after I use it. My fingers are crossed that it does not only work its magic at sea.

 

We returned to the cabin in order to begin packing in earnest and not only found a message from John in the Crow’s Nest thanking us for our kind words & he looked forward to seeing us later, but also a reading therapy dog!

 

 

 

 

 

It was so lovely of them to do that. I hope they enjoyed doing it. We knew how busy they are. We showered and changed. And packed a little more. Up to the Crow’s Nest where we were a bit disappointed to only find window seats on the Starboard side. John came over to confirm our drinks and again thank us for our message. He said it was the end of his contract and he was not going to renew it. He planned to head home and help his Father. 
 

Shortly after getting comfy, the activity started. Pods of dolphins. Otters. Whales. It was everything we had hoped the inside passage would be. We no longer regretted being on the Starboard side.
 

And then it was time to head to the Canaletto for the last supper of the cruise. 😞Panca greeted us and led us to a window table, where Yazmeen made us feel welcome. We had a ringside seat to an amazing sunset, and enjoyed an equally amazing meal. 
 

We decided to walk a couple laps around the promenade before heading to the cabin and were treated to a glorious starlit night. 
 

Another great night’s sleep.

 

[bennybear]

I tried to post these spinner dolphins earlier, but CC was not having it,   They are truly amazing when they jump out of the water and spin like a ballerina.

[fourstar]

Rich

Love Sopaipillas! Miss them. Wish we could find them here.

That and Christmas chillies.

Hope the NS and Zaandam will be ok with coming storm,

[dfish]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

We made three offers (on three different houses) before we purchased the one we are in now.  I can honestly say that the loss of those other houses was a blessing in disguise because we got a better deal for a better house.  I hope the same for you.  (with hopefully one less offer before you get there lol)

 

Thank you!  It is hard to house hunt from 300 miles away.  But, I think we will find something this weekend.

 

1 hour ago, fourstar said:

Rich

Love Sopaipillas! Miss them. Wish we could find them here.

That and Christmas chillies.

Hope the NS and Zaandam will be ok with coming storm,

 

Now you can make them!  They look pretty easy.

[*Miss G*]

16 minutes ago, dfish said:

Thank you!  It is hard to house hunt from 300 miles away.  But, I think we will find something this weekend.

 

Totally get it.  I actually hadn’t even seen this house in person when I signed and faxed(!) the offer to the realtor on the day of my daughter’s wedding shower.  😲🤭  Luckily I had worked with him long enough that he was insistent I would love it and I could change my mind during the inspection process if I didn’t.  He was bang on the money and worth his weight in gold.

Edited September 23, 2022 by *Miss G*

[kazu]

7 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I was meeting my sister in Manchester, staying overnight, then flying to Frankfurt on Lufthansa the next day, so two separate flights.  (Sister lives in the UK.)

 

So I’ve just gotten off the phone with KLM and they’ve told me to call Delta.  Delta doesn’t even show that there’s a cancellation.  Off to research anything Delta may have as an option now.  Good times.  🤪

 

Well, since I started to multi quote this, I see you have found a solution - sort of.  Can you bid on that flight to be upgraded or are all the seats taken?

 

I am booking everything flex air these days with all the cancellations i have had.  At least then, I don’t have to fight for refunds - but I confess, until they run out I am mostly using points.  More points but it’s paid off so far.

I hope you can secure a better seat / flight.  🤞 

 

7 hours ago, dfish said:

Well, the carboardeaux will have to wait.  I decided I'm going to make a quick trip up to Michigan so I can tour the houses with my sister.  Meal of the Day will be on hiatus unless @0106 Tina is willing to pick it up.   I'll be gone tomorrow though Monday.

 

You can always pack some cardbordeaux 😉 You’ll need after looking at house after house.

 

Seriously - good for you!  You’re tackling the problem head on.  I bet and am hoping you find something you like even more than what you had our heart set on 🤞 

 

Good luck Debbie in the house hunting.

[*Miss G*]

4 minutes ago, kazu said:

Well, since I started to multi quote this, I see you have found a solution - sort of.  Can you bid on that flight to be upgraded or are all the seats taken?

 

My sister told me to wait until tomorrow because my brain was mush.  When I look at the seat selection I see a couple of First Class seats without the person symbol in them, but with an x.  Not quite sure what that means, other than it’s unbookable.  It didn’t occur to me to ask the Delta rep about using points for an upgrade, or even if it could be done since it’s Virgin metal.  The extra legroom seats only have middle in the middle seats available and that’s a no from me.  (It’s a 2-4-2 configuration.)  I got the last window seat in economy so that’s my worst case scenario.  (Famous last words.)

[ottahand7]

Good evening.  I am getting caught up with a lot going on today.  My bivalent vaccination went well today. All I have is a sore arm and a dreadful need for a nap post supper. 

@dfishsafe travels to Michigan tomorrow.  I know there will be a perfect home waiting for you. I am sorry the ongoing problems with windows and your basement. 

@*Miss G* Sincere condolences on your family's loss.  That on top of your flight nightmares.  I hope that you can work it out and get your refund from KLM.

All the discussion on standard shifts in British cars we had an interesting automatic in Germany. I never learned to drive a standard so when we were driving to Alsace from Frankfurt I wanted to drive on the Autobahn, just something I always wanted to do.  We picked up our requested automatic and lo and behold it was a beautiful blue Rover sedan.  I loved driving that beautiful car down the Autobahn much faster than we could in the States.  As usual we had our rental car misadventures.  We opened the sunroof but when we reached our hotel in Riquevir we couldn't figure out how to close it.  Then the owner's manual was in French 🙄.  I may have been able to decipher German. As usual we had to rely on the kindness of strangers.  I will try to see if I have a pic tomorrow. 

Rover story continues. We were staying in a castle lodging on the Rhine River.  I looked out our window and saw a small commotion around our car.  A lady backed into it and reported it to the front desk, very honest TY. We had to go to Bacharach and visit the police station for a report for the rental car company.  Thankfully we had time and also spent some time there and bought a charming cuckoo clock.

NFL  Amazon Prime was a major fail tonight. Thankfully the Yankees Red Sox game is on. Hoping to see Judge hit 61.  

Edited September 23, 2022 by ottahand7

[luvteaching]

Good evening, 

We've been home about 10 days and are back in "at home" mode. We do have 3 Alaska cruises booked for next summer so DH is happy. 

 

Sopies are a real treat here. I make them as our treat with spinach and ham enchiladas. We have honey, cinnamon butter, and honey butter on the table as well as various jellies including salmonberry from the Lutheran Church ladies in Sitka. Sopies are easy to make but I've found they don't do well in the air fryer. 

We've been to Anchorage 5 times all on the HAL 14 day Alaska itinerary on the Amsterdam. We've done the train, been to the Wildlife center and Portage Glacier, wandered town and loved the museum and the trolley tour, and last time did the Alaska Zoo. OH - we've also done the Alaska Aviation Museum. The extreme tides made rebounding interesting a time or two! 

Thank you for keeping my friend Wayne, who passed away, and his wife Karen on the rotation. His Celebration of Life is October 28th and I've been asked to speak. My son's comment will be included - "Mom he was a great teacher and I learned a lot from him. It's too bad he had to teach long division!"
 

Karen

[HAL4NOW]

Relative humidity was higher today and the temperatures stayed lower, so there was less fire movement than the day before, but it continues to creep along the ridges and fire is moving up and down the hillsides. I went out tonight hoping to see a dark hillside and these pictures are what I saw instead.

 

 

 

[grapau27]

Good morning.

It is 09.09am, sunny and 11°C here on the North East coast of England.

 

[puppycanducruise]

@dfishGood luck with the house hunting.  Drive safely.

 

@HAL4NOWHope you get some rain.  Good luck to the fire fighters.

[grapau27]

50 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

@dfishGood luck with the house hunting.  Drive safely.

 

@HAL4NOWHope you get some rain.  Good luck to the fire fighters.

+1

[0106]

I’m sure we all wish Debbie good luck as she searches for her forever home in Michigan this weekend.

 

I was excited to research Sardinhas assadas, a classic grilled sardine dish that is a traditional food from Portugal. This is a simple dish, but it is packed with bold, big flavor that I look forward to trying on my Spanish Farewell cruise in November.

 

Sardinhas assadas in the Portuguese culture

     Due to its geographic location along Western Europe’s Atlantic coast, Portugal is a seafaring country and is arguably the most well-known sailing nation in the world. With this affinity and proximity to the sea comes a great love for seafood, which is embedded in the Portuguese food culture. And no other seafood embodies Portuguese cuisine like the sardine.

     Sardinhas assadas is one of the most popular dishes in Portuguese cuisine and originates from the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo regions. The dish has been a traditional local festival food for saint celebrations for centuries, and the traditional sardine festivals that take place in the first 10 days of August. These festivals often feature hundreds of sardines roasted on a open fire grill inside specially made grates that make flipping easy. It is such a deep part of Portuguese culture that it is common to find grilled sardine festivals in Portuguese immigrant communities throughout the world.

Sardinhas assadas may seem intimidating but are exceptionally easy to make. After cleaning, the fish are seasoned with coarse salt and grilled on both sides for about 10 minutes. Sardines are typically served on top of a slice of bread, which soaks up the oily fat form the fish, which provides its distinctive flavors. They are often paired with a side of roasted potatoes and peppers.

 

Sardines can be gutted, or “cleaned”, before grilling but many traditional Portuguese recipes also will cook the sardines whole and removed the innards before eating. The bones of sardines are edible because they are very thin and brittle, but the harder and spiny backbone should not be eaten.

 

This recipe stuffs the sardines with bay leaves, lemon and lime zest, and chopped parsley and cilantro stalks.  https://tastecooking.com/recipes/grilled-sardines-with-green-peppers-sardinhas-assadas-com-salada-de-pimentos/

 

I love caponata: eggplant, olives, capers and tomatoes.  A nice addition to this recipe. https://monahansseafood.com/grilled-sardines-with-caponata/

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by 0106

[dobiemom]

On 9/22/2022 at 6:34 AM, *Miss G* said:

My father-in-law passed early this morning.  My husband, his sister, and his mother were able to sit with him during his transition.  He was a lovely, caring, and thoughtful man.  May he Rest In Peace.

I’m glad your DH was able to be there. 🙏🙏🙏