highplanesdrifters

We're actually on Seabourn Encore. But hope to see you at the Ava so we can toast Terry!

JP - Thanks for taking us along. Wishing you a most wonderful trip!

Nice batch of charts, thanks. But you had me at blue cheese olives.

@TLCOhio We booked the Ava for our October trip. I think the need to start giving you a referral fee.😀

Friday was Hot print, PCE. Which supposedly the FED watches closely. That, and more sellers than buyers.🤣 Your summary is exacting. That and the FED rate guessing game. The S&P continues to taunt me by dancing on the neckline of this Head & Shoulder pattern. Violated the neckline but closed on it. Either hold or put me out of my misery. 🫣

Thanks for the report. Your timing is perfect. Just booked this for our upcoming trip. 😁

Wowza. That's some serious swag!

Storstappen - In the past the zodiac ride took place before the Honningsvag port. It usually meant a 5 or 6 a.m. departure. The weather is notoriously bad and often the zodiac ride would be canceled. But for the birders on board the early call was often worth the risk even if canceled.

You might have a conversation with the Maitre D at the Colonnade to see if it would be possible for your wife to order something from the room service menu. It would come from a different kitchen so there might be a slight time delay.

We did a similar cruise in 2016, so info might be a tad dated. And agree with all the above comments. Alesund - Fyi, shops and many restaurants were closed when we were there. Sunday? Still lovely to stretch our legs a tad, even in the rain. Found some delicious pizza and cold beer at Anno Restaurant. Lofoton - Not much in Svolvar itself. Do whatever it takes to get out and explore the scenery. Fletcher, like always, has it right. Viking museum in Bostad is very interesting. It can be a miss if its crowded with bus tours. Lofton haunted me, and still does. We returned in 2022 on SS Cloud for an expedition there. I would get on a plane tomorrow to go back. Tromso - Not too much in the "big" city for tourists. Nice stroll, but that was back in 2016. In 2022 it seemed to be trying a bit harder when we drove through. The Polar Museum is fabulous. Small, but we spent a few hours there. Tromso is famous for being the launching point for most of the early polar expeditions. In 2022 we were on transfer tour to catch our charter. Stopped at the famous church, very crowded never went in. We also went to the Arctic- Alpine Botanic Gardens. Northern most Botanic garden. Small, but nice stop near the airport. Honningsvag - We booked a private taxi from the town to take us up to North Cape before the buses arrived and see some scenery. After your selfies at the globe make sure to explore the basement museum. Massive gift shop. We then had time to return to town and have the most amazing Crab lunch at King Crab house. I'm not sure if it is still in business. Book the taxi in advance. Stavanger - Great for walking around and exploring, old town, etc. A lot like Bergen. Very interesting Petroleum museum. Lots to see and interact with. Really explains the industry and the steps Norway took to insure its future with oil revenue. The museum also addresses Norways guilt about profiting from it. Olden - Like most of the towns at the end of fjords, not much there except for tourist shops. There were outfitters that can arrange tours to the Birksdalsbreen glacier, kayaking, etc. At the glacier you can hike up to it or arrange to go in a large golf cart. There is not a lot of time there, so if you would like to explore around the glacier consider the golf cart up and walk down. Or if your knees are killing you, both ways 😉. Must be booked in advance. It can be crowded if a big ship is in. Some folks arranged private taxi up there and beat the crowds. Wish we did. Skagen - Lovely beach town to stroll about with nice shops and great restaurants. A few museums which we never made it to. Enjoy your trip and keep us posted.

Who knew you could gerrymander a dateline. Loving your thread Mysty! For the non-Americans verb gerund or present participle: gerrymandering manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. achieve (a result) by manipulating the boundaries of an electoral constituency. "a total freedom to gerrymander the results they want"

Ignore the internet Fashion Police. You'll have a great time and fit in just fine. On a trip a few years ago a one of the gents forgot his jacket in the room. It was a long expedition day and we were rushing to dinner. SS provided a jacket for the quick trip to the table and the jacket was then put on the chair. The world did not end.

Will we fill the gap, or will a free fall ensure? Or will we fill the gap and still get a freefall? R&T what a shame Seabourn has so little on their Aussie/NZ itineraries. In fact they seem to be heavily focused on the Med. Best of luck in your search. Keep us posted. I understand what your wife is going through. Have had many an excursion scuttled due to an arthritic knee. Im sure she's getting proper advice from her doctor but I got one of those new fangeled gel/viscosupplemtation shots and it was a game changer.

0DTE seems to be quite the hot topic. I couldn't read the Bloomberg article. Here's one from The Street folks might be able to click on. https://smarts.thestreet.com/all-smarts/could-0dte-options-cause-a-black-swan-selloff

If you haven't already read it, 'A Sunburned Country' by Bill Bryson is a must. Highly entertaining and also informative.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. We may need to rethink our suite on Encore. Noise at the front differs from ship to ship. We heard barely a peep on Venture. Quest was also fine except for 601 which was a never again nightmare. I was surprised at the difference a floor or two makes when it comes to noise at the front.

I know exactly what you are saying.

Get on the waitlist while you're thinking. They are always playing games with inventory. They used to have a $250 jump to the head of the class waitlist option. The $250 is then applied to your trip. Worked well for us on a number of occasions. Australia - what Terry said. Although I feel New Zeland is a separate trip. We spent 3 weeks on the south and southwest part of the south island alone. You also might check in country flight expense in Australia, not cheap now.

Still loving your posts. Thanks and keep em coming.😃

I am currently on Encore in a Signature Suite, on our first Seabourn cruise. We were expecting to be impressed and I have to say they have failed that test. Don’t get me wrong it’s very good but considering we’re in an expensive suite we’ve not felt valued. Is there an issue with the suite or just service? We are in a signature on Encore in the fall. Any details on the suite you care to share. Service on luxury cruises is such a wild card these days.

Londra is on my short list. Ca di Dio looks delightful.

No hot print on the CPI, but the market has given us good and bad all in one day!

Thanks Terry for all those appetizing stories and photos. To be honest I've been so busy finalizing details for our western Med trip in October I haven't had time to focus on the Explorer trip. Fortunately being an expedition there has been little need to book excursions. It will be a wake up and see where the day takes us. Hike, snorkel, village visit, etc. Are usually on offer without advance sign up. Well sometimes the night before. 😉 I did sign up for a flight over the Bungle Bungles though. Looking for something in Carins so your timing is perfect. We've been to Fiji, and have a few days booked there along with time in Melbourne post cruise. We are in the middle of back to back storms, so I'm going to treat myself and read your travel posts. Thanks.

Yes! Throw in a little New Guinea and then off to the Kimberlys! Any words of wisdom? "I won't hold my breath waiting for its arrival." Perhaps we can call it a virtual check or promise of said check delivered as the refreshing beverage of your choice should our paths cross on the high seas. There really is no way to repay all the travel wisdom you have shared over the years. That along with your market analysis and good natured entertaining posts keep us coming back for more. Thank you.

You nailed it. I too knew people with No Doc, interest only mortgages. A grad student who was flipping houses and a cashier at the grocery store who owned several Florida condos. It was all there to see even without the knowledge of the subprime derivatives debacle. But did I? Nope. I was complacent. Since then I work harder to look for the hidden trigger. Just started "A History of the United States in Five Crashes" by Scott Nations. Promises to be a good one.