LIVE from ms Rotterdam March 17-29, 2024

[Scrapnana]

43 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I can’t believe there was a guy sitting on the Promenade Deck just outside of Guest Services smoking a cigar.  I saw Guest Services having a discussion with him.

There’s always one, isn’t there?  I’m glad they spoke to him.

[*Miss G*]

I forgot about the trivia questions!  Thank you.  I have missed these.

 

@Scrapnana, I can feel the struggle you are going through, so kudos to you for powering through.  What I am hoping is that you will gain strength on this journey and that you’ll be an old pro by the time the cruise ends.  You can do this!

[REOVA]

14 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

 

@Scrapnana,  What I am hoping is that you will gain strength on this journey and that you’ll be an old pro by the time the cruise ends.  You can do this!

Or a young pro (refurbished cruiser). 😉

[Scrapnana]

A Relaxing Sea Day - March 18, 2024

 

I really was exhausted - I slept for 11 hours!

 

I love sea days- they can be as busy as you want.  My morning was very lazy.  I canceled a shore excursion that was too active for me and had rotten reviews and then went to a talk about “The Deep Blue” by the cruise director.  After lunch in the Lido I went to Movies trivia.  Movies aren’t my specialty but I managed to get 10 of 17.  The winning team got 100%.  
 

1.  What was the name of Dr. Brown’s dog in Back to the Future?

2.  What is the name of Keanu Reeves’ character in The Matrix?

3.  The first Oscars were presented in what decade?

4.  What is the name of the sultan’s daughter in Aladdin?

5.  What kind of animal is Bambi’s friend Thumper?

 

 

1.  Einstein 

2.  Neo

3.  The 1920s

4.  Jasmine 

5.  Rabbit 

 

After trivia I wrote up yesterday’s report then spent over an hour sitting on my balcony.  
 

General Knowledge trivia was at 4.  I got 8 right and the winning team had 10.  They are giving out the HAL pins as prizes.  I thought they had given up on prizes - there weren’t any on my last two cruises.

 

1,  Who was the only British pope?

2.  Which country has the highest life expectancy?

3.  A glengarry is what type of clothing?

4.  What is the term for a group of hippos?

5.  Which Canadian city is considered the “Hollywood of the north”?
 

 

1. Adrian

2.  Monaco

3.  A hat

4.  A bloat

5.  Vancouver 

 

I tried the gelato after trivia.  This is my first time on a large ship with a gelato station.  It was worth the $2.95 charge.

 

Frances, Tony, and I had dinner early at 7 so we could make the 9 o’clock show.  Tonight was the first “Dressy” night and I was pleasantly surprised with how many people were dressed up.  Dinner was delicious (I had beef tenderloin) and the show was fantastic.  It was a steel drum quartet called Island Magic.  They will perform again before the end of the cruise.  I’m used to the second show being sparsely attended but there was a good crowd (the first show was completely full).

 

Tonight’s menu

 

 

 

My first towel animal in ages!

 

Another sea day tomorrow.
 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[*Miss G*]

18 minutes ago, Scrapnana said:

Which Canadian city is considered the “Hollywood of the north”?

 

Toronto would have won that question also.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for sharing.

[flyingfish123]

Thanks for the trivia.  We all enjoy it at home.  

[Woofbite]

10 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Toronto would have won that question also.

Maybe so but almost everything I've seen on Netflix was filmed around Vancouver or New Mexico - which is frequently thought to be a foreign country.

[madera1]

I am enjoying your return to cruising. We enjoy trivia when cruising too. We have not had club orange and hope you will share your experience with this eating venue vs MDR.

[Navybikermom]

@Scrapnana, would it be possible for you to post a picture of what tea is available in the Lido? I thought someone posted it recently but I can’t find it. Seems like it was a large display of different kinds of tea bag packets. I’m hoping they have camomile, at least, so I don’t have to bring my own. 
 

Thank you so much! 🫖

[Ipeeinthepools]

9 minutes ago, Navybikermom said:

@Scrapnana, would it be possible for you to post a picture of what tea is available in the Lido? I thought someone posted it recently but I can’t find it. Seems like it was a large display of different kinds of tea bag packets. I’m hoping they have camomile, at least, so I don’t have to bring my own. 
 

Thank you so much! 🫖

I’ll help out with this one.  Here’s what’s currently in the Lido Market 

 

[Navybikermom]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I’ll help out with this one.  Here’s what’s currently in the Lido Market 

 

Awesome - thank you! My luggage will be a tad lighter now 😁

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Glad to see you back on a cruise!   

[Scrapnana]

Lazy Sea Day - March 19, 2024

 

I did not do much of anything today.  I went to the morning talk on "The Caribbean Spirit" (rum), had lunch with Frances and Tony, sat on my balcony, went to a future cruise presentation, attended trivia, and then a port talk, and had dinner.  I skipped the show - it was a comedian.

 

Team Trivia (although I'm not on a team).  I had 9 of 17 and two teams had 100%.

 

1.  What is the most common English word beginning with "M"?

2.  Who wrote Gone With the Wind?

3.  What is 400 in Roman Numerals?

4.  What is the first sign of the zodiac?

5.  What is the last letter of the Greek alphabet?

 

 

 

1.  me

2.  Margaret Mitchell

3.  CD

4.  Aries

5. Omega

 

St. Maarten tomorrow and my first excursion.

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[Scrapnana]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Glad to see you back on a cruise!   

It's great to be back!

[Scrapnana]

A few pictures of my cabin which is handicapped accessible but not wheelchair accessible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a beautiful ship but the storage is ridiculous.  Let's hope HAL holds on to the smaller ships for long voyages.

[REOVA]

49 minutes ago, Scrapnana said:

This is a beautiful ship but the storage is ridiculous.  Let's hope HAL holds on to the smaller ships for long voyages.

Agree 💯 Kathi.they've made the cabins and storage tighter (as well as the promenade walking deck) to cram more into the ships. Still hoping they acquire some smaller ships since they won't build anymore when the R class retires. 

[jimbri]

I am so happy to see you back cruising and feeling better.  Have a wonderful time!

[Durango Sandy]

Kathi, so glad you are on a Dam ship again! Continue to enjoy your voyage!

Love your reporting. Are you knitting any on the veranda? Cheers, Sandy

 

[The Other Tom]

Nice to have you back.  Following along.

[Scrapnana]

12 hours ago, Durango Sandy said:

Kathi, so glad you are on a Dam ship again! Continue to enjoy your voyage!

Love your reporting. Are you knitting any on the veranda? Cheers, Sandy

 

Hi, Sandy,

 

I have been knitting on the balcony.  Another shawl!  Hope all is well with you.

[Durango Sandy]

Can’t wait to see it. Still waiting for the “right” Pole 2 Pole segment. Doing N, Stat. Athens to FFL this fall. Yarn for shawl ready for veranda time.  Thanks for shoutout! Enjoy cruise and Take Care! Hugs, Sandy 

[Scrapnana]

Visiting the two parts of St. Maarten/Saint Martin - March 20, 2024

 

I survived my first excursion!  
 

I slept late and decided on Gelato for lunch.  Frances and Tony walked by while I was eating it and we sat and talked for a while.

 

All the excursions meet on the pier so I left a bit early for the 12:45 meeting time.  One of the bus drivers was nice enough to push me in the wheelchair to the bus.  I was on a 24 seat bus and there were 23 of us so I didn’t get a seat to myself and wasn’t able to get many pictures.  
 

We drove around the island visiting both the Dutch and French sides.  We had a 45 minute stop in the French side.  I had a rum punch and sat in the shade until time to get on the bus.

 

I was tired when I got back on the ship so I rested after a quick shower (it was a hot day).  We ate a little earlier than usual.  After dinner I listened to the piano player, Derek, for a time but I was too tired to stay for the whole set.

 

Another island, and another excursion tomorrow and this one starts at 9:30.

 

Smooth sailing until next time!

[ekevbar]

Leaving and returning Philipsburgh

[ekevbar]

and returning Philipsburgh