StLouisCruisers

I saw that this morning and thought about including it today. Anyone who wants to celebrate blueberry pies today, save us a piece! Brenda, great news you're feeling stronger each day! We've been worried about you. Get plenty of rest to aid in healing. 😊

Good to hear there is entertainment on your ship John. I thought your Ecuadorian guitarist's name sounded familiar and verified we had seen him perform on our Seabourn Antarctica/South Georgia Island cruise Dec. 2016-Jan.2017. We also ate dinner at his table one evening and enjoyed the conversation as well as his charming personality. Seabourn likes to have what they call hosted tables and we enjoyed dining with people like entertainer Nestor, medical staff, even the Captain.

Oh no, I hope this doesn't stop her from hiking in Scotland! And right before a cruise. Best of luck to her as she heals and prepares to leave. And sometimes the bad things happen ON the cruise! I'm so sorry to hear about the spider bite! You had to wait a little while before the ship arrived in Hilo so I hope the medical center onboard was able to keep you comfortable. As a young newlywed in 1970 I laid my head on my pillow one night and was bitten by a spider on my cheek. Thank goodness it wasn't a venomous one but oh boy, the swelling! Ridiculous! Anyway, you get well and hopefully you will be able to fly home soon. Certainly that wasn't your plan but you just never know what's going to happen next. Thanks for sharing and we hope to hear more details when you're better. Unfortunately your days with Princess don't apply to your HAL day count. Being a good Princess customer does get a first time HAL sailor 1 star before they board the ship though.

Good morning friends! I feel like I'm moving in slow motion today. I was up a little later last night because DH went next door to a men's night out for the NFL draft. Our neighbor is a brewer and serves his own beer. I'm sure a good time was had by all but until he came in the door at 11 pm I couldn't get to sleep. 😴 On the weather front we are 59 degrees with a little rain and clouds expected this morning but sunshine and 78 this afternoon. That may sound warm but our house holds the coolness in so we stay chilly. Must be well insulated. Well, thank you Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report this morning! Rich is in Portree, UK today which is a charming village with colorful buildings lining the semi-circular harbor. If you walk up the hill to the large church you will have a great view of everything including your ship out in the distance at anchor. Enjoy! Today we have selected Clean Comedy Day, Great Poetry Reading Day, and Kiss Your Mate Day. I'm sure @RedneckBob will be happy to tell you some clean jokes. Our poetry lovers can do some extra reading today. And many of us will be happy to kiss our mates. Another good quote from Albert Einstein. And as for this day in history, Claude Grahame-White must have been brave to attempt a night flight in 1910. I'm pretty sure he is no relation to our Graham @grapau27 .😉 The dish today is pumpkin curry which I will pass on. The drink will be Chee Chee. Hmmm. Think I will pass on that, too. And the wine is a red, a Pinot Noir which I will also skip.🍷 That will leave more for all the red wine lovers. Let me thank Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for doing all the work on the food and beverages for us. We also need to thank Eva @superoma for standing in for Vanessa @JazzyV who is I hope not rocking and rolling across the Atlantic! On the Care list I want to say some prayers for all on that long list and hope our surgery people are doing well. We haven't heard back from Brenda @bennybear yet, have we? I hope she is doing okay. 🙏 Many prayers to Annie @marshhawk and Chuck on this sad day for them. Blessings to you both! And I just read that our friend @St Pete Cruiser is in a hospital in Hilo, Hawaii instead of finishing his Noordam cruise due to being bitten by a venomous spider! What a terrible way to suddenly end a cruise! We send our best wishes for a full recovery and are grateful you are in a US hospital instead of somewhere in the South Pacific. 🙏 We also want to say congratulations to those celebrating and cruising. Have a wonderful time friends!🚢🎉 The port of the day is Kirkwall, Orkney Island, Scotland. It's a destination we've never been able to get to somehow so my winning streak is ending today. Two weeks is long enough to subject you all to my photos! We have had that port before on October 12, 2021 and October 18, 2022. I'll post the links for those who want to grab their photos and post them today. Thank you in advance for doing that by the way! Time to do the treadmill now. Wishing you all a safe and happy Friday!

Today is Clean Comedy Day, Great Poetry Reading Day, and Kiss Your Mate Day Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile. - Albert EinsteinMeal Suggestion for today - Pumpkin CurryDrink of the Day - Chee CheeWine of the Day - Rangi Pinot Noir Martinborough 2020Destination of the Day - Kirkwall, Orkney Island, ScotlandToday in History:1910 First night air flight by Claude Grahame-White in EnglandShip Locations Eurodam Vancouver, BC Canada 07:00 - 17:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea Destination Victoria, BC, Vancouver Island, Canada eta 4-29 Nieuw Statendam Naples, Italy 08:00 - 19:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam At Sea Destination Livorno, Florence-Pisa, Italy eta 4-29 Rotterdam At Sea Destination Amsterdam, Netherlands North Holland eta 4-29 Volendam Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 08:00 - 23:00 Zaandam Quebec City, Canada 09:00 - 17:00 Zuiderdam Isle of Skye, Uig-Dunvegan-Armadale-Portree, Scotland 08:00 - 18:00Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea Destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Crossing International Dateline to Western Hemisphere Sandi for Rich

Great news Annie! It's getting closer!

I was just looking at photos from our last trip to Ponta Delgada when we simply walked around the town. I noticed we hadn't really pointed out the famous mosaic type pavements all over the place. This sidewalk was right in front of the doors of the local brewery I talked about earlier. Here's a selection of interesting patterns. This one is cool, but could be a little dizzying. This must take a very long time to plan and implement!

We too have had our stock for many years and use the benefit on Princess, HAL and Seabourn. I counted back as far as I could find documentation and saw we'd received well over $10,000 in OBC and lots of dividends. So happy we found out about this benefit all those years ago.

Terry, it's good to hear the surgery date decision has helped your mental health. I hope everything works out well for you and your DH. I have to say your DD's cats are gorgeous! What a shame! Now you have to go through herding cats again to get TT back to the vet! Lol! Hope the infection clears quickly. Good luck! The shrimp and Pauline's filet mignon look delicious! Also that yummy dessert! I know you both enjoyed that wonderful dinner.🥩 Good idea to wait a short while until you are feeling up to taking on Ivan. Get some rest! DH and I are scratching our heads trying to figure out this crazy weather, too. It's nearly May and we're still sitting around the house all covered up. Well at least the cooler temps in Alaska won't be such a shock to the system. Or maybe it will be warmer up there than way down here!

Thoughts going your way as you get things started with the PA. Hope the surgery you schedule goes perfectly, Mary Kay. And very sorry to hear of Jerry Springer's passing. Condolences to his family on their loss.

I'm glad they are adding two specials each day now. The same menu everyday is too much! I fondly remember when the menus were different each day, even if they repeated them on the longer cruises.

Thank you Graham! I'll join you in wishing Israel well on their 75th anniversary of independence. Hope you and Pauline have a lovely day today. Great memes today Jacqui. Your whale watching tour should be a lot of fun in the Azores. Always exciting with all the anticipation! Good luck with the lug lock problem which has to be exceedingly frustrating. Best of luck today with TT''s surgery. Those sneaky cats attempting to deter you from cornering him! Glad he was located finally. How fitting Sue should end her career and start her retirement with you being her final patient. We have something in common. My twin was a hygienist too and is retired. Enjoy your dinner with Sue tonight, and I wish her all the best with the move (plus her retirement). Very exciting! And thanks for the recipes today as well. Terri, I'm glad you decided to concentrate on cruise planning now so you will be prepared for it when the time comes. You can get back to the home decor afterwards. As far as the docks in Copenhagen we have been to Langelinje and have walked to the city center. So I looked up the docks of Copenhagen and this has some starting information about how to get back and forth. They list 3 docks so first find out which one your ship docks at. That info could be on your itinerary online. Good luck! https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/transportation-cruise-terminals How annoying! Hope you can get that taken care of, and hope your day is a successful one. Lorraine, it's good to hear the fracture in the toe isn't hurting as much, but sad that the infection isn't totally cleared yet. Get well soon and good luck with the packing and toting of bags! Very nice of you to say! Thank YOU for the compliment.

Good morning friends! It's a mild morning with cloudy skies and 53 degrees. Rain is on the way (thunderstorms too) and a high of 70. Thanks Rich @richwmn for our Fleet Report and Daily for Thursday. Thanks also for your Beethoven fact from this day in history. Today everyone can enjoy National Tell a Story Day, Babe Ruth Day, and Morse Code Day. Pick anyone you like to tell a story to but I always enjoyed doing that with the grandchildren. Hurray for Babe Ruth who is a legend in baseball, deservedly so. And a salute to Morse Code, a pioneering method of communication. Samuel Morse was born on this date in 1791. I liked the quote of the day. The meal selection is beef and blue cheese penne with pesto. Sounds like I'll pass and eat something I like better. Our drink is called Sauza Blue and the wine a syrah. No thanks to both from me. But thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for taking care of those reports for us. It is also King's Day in the Netherlands and on the Holland America ships. The King in the Netherlands since 2013 is King Willem-Alexander and today is his birthday. Consider wearing orange in his honor and hope everyone on a HAL ship has a nice party onboard. Thanks in advance to Eva @superoma for the Care and Celebration lists. That Care list has gotten way too long! I hope all the surgeries went well and you will be out of pain and healed before you know it. Prayers as well for all who need them.🙏 We would also like to congratulate those on the Celebration list with happy events to celebrate. And please enjoy those cruises! We would love to hear from all of you!🥂 The port of the day is Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal, a lovely island. We had that port already on August 7, 2022 so I'm copying and pasting a link to that post for you all to retrieve photos. This is the 13th port of the day in a row so an all-time record for me. Here's the link followed by a whole slew of photos. Hope you don't mind! Ponta Delgada, Azores is a port that I know a lot of us have been to on our transatlantics. Our first time there was in December, 2012 on Crown Princess. We walked to a local brewery where DH went inside and chatted with the receptionist and she arranged an off the cuff tour of the brewing and packaging departments. There were probably only 10 employees which is a huge difference from the brewery DH worked at for over 29 years. The second time we were there we went on a ship's tour of Crater Lakes outside the city because our cruising friends only take ship tours. That was on Royal Princess in April 2015. Our final time was on the 2018 Grand Med and Africa voyage on the Prinsendam. That time we just walked around the town enjoying the ambiance of Ponta Delgada. Here are the pictures of those visits. Arriving at the Mel Abreu brewery in Ponta Delgada, which makes the Especial beer. When you open the doors at the entrance you are met with these stairs to reception. Certainly different! After explaining he was a former major US brewery Engineering manager and was interested in seeing their operations, we were instantly escorted into the brewing area. I mean literally 5 minutes later! Some of the ingredients that make up beer. This was Jimmy who was giving us the tour. Talk about a fresh sample of beer! Next up was the packaging side of the operation which was across the street. Norberto took over the tour at this point. The bottles go around the machine and are filled. After checking out all the kegs and shipping area, we went to the break room for a taste of some of their products. Since I don't drink beer, I had one of the soft drinks they bottled here, Kima. Here are some Crater Lake pics from 2015 next. In 2015 we headed out of town to see the countryside with our Myrtle Beach cruise friends. Up the mountainside we drove in our tour bus. Next stop was the town of Sete Cidades. We visited St. Nicholas Church. The Blue Lake and the Green Lake Fog kept rolling in, then out again. Here is Santiago Lake Heading back to Ponta Delgado for some wine and cheese. A hotel across from the ship set up this wine and cheese display for us to try. Of course only Portuguese wines and cheeses. I have many photos of the town itself but perhaps someone else would like to add some. Have a wonderful Thursday Dailyites! Be safe out there.

King's Day (Netherlands and ship) Today is National Tell A Story Day, Babe Ruth Day, and Morse Code Day All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. - Havelock EllisMeal Suggestion for today - Beef and Blue Cheese Penne with PestoDrink of the Day - Sauza BlueWine of the Day - Frenchmans Hill Estate Syrah Waiheke Island Rock Earth 2014Destination of the Day - Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores PortugalToday in History:1810 Ludwig van Beethoven composes his famous piano piece "Für Elise"Ship Locations Eurodam Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada 11:00 - 23:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea Destination Victoria, British Columbia eta 4-29 Nieuw Statendam Palermo, Sicily Italy 08:00 - 19:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam Tunis, La Goulette, Tunisia 07:00 - 23:00 Rotterdam Edinburgh, Scotland 08:00 - 17:30 Volendam At Sea destination Puerto Vallarta, Mexico eta 4-28 Zaandam At Sea Destination Quebec City, Canada eta 4-28 Zuiderdam At Sea Destination Isle of Skye, Uig-Dunvegan-Armadale-Portree, Scotland eta 4-28Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea Destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Sandi for Rich

That really is crazy hail! I've lived in the midwest and other spots that get hail and have never seen that much at one time. Looks exactly like snow. I hope everybody is okay down there! I'm glad you still want to sail HAL after all that. The weather has been bad there, but all of his complaints are about the ship, not the weather. I can see the weather making your mood sour but good grief. 🙄 So sorry to hear it was so painful. I hope this works and we won't even consider the thought you have to endure this again. I pray you feel much better by tomorrow. ❤️ Roy, this is the thread. It's already 24 pages long because they are on their way from Japan to Kodiak, Alaska. Maybe take a look at the last page and see if you want to look at any more posts.

So sorry to hear those antibiotics weren't effective. Hopefully the doctor can give you some answers today and a better prescription for Sam. It's so nice to hear your refreshing post on your experiences on the Eurodam. If you listen to one particular poster (not on this thread) there is absolutely no entertainment on their ship, food is okay, and their fellow American passengers retire for the night immediately after early dining. The non-Americans are fun loving people who enjoy dining later at a shared table. He seems surprised when he's seated with Americans at 7:30 pm. DH and I have been late traditional diners since 2008 and all of our cruise buddies are too. If it weren't for all the information about the ports they have visited, I wouldn't read it at all. JMHO. Thanks for sharing about your experiences. I hope the weather is nice for your Victoria visit tomorrow. It's such a pretty city to walk around. Have fun!

It's great to hear about this progress from your DH. Wonderful news! That is crazy cold! I could have written this post Dixie! Our room was like a freezer on the Volendam Amazon cruise and we asked for blankets too. Never reported it because like you said, I'd rather be cold than too warm. You can throw on more clothes or blankets but when too hot, it's hard to cool off.

Roy's advice is good @go fish 44. Our TA gave Holland America our Princess past cruiser numbers before we took our first cruise on that line. We arrived with 1 star because of it instead of waiting until after the cruise for that benefit. At the time you couldn't eat lunch in the Main DR unless you were a Mariner so we were allowed. So have your TA give them that information, or do it yourself if you don't have a TA or PCC.

Nancy, hugs to comfort you on this sad day. The memories never leave us. Thank you Maureen for your nice comments to me and the others who offer support to the group each day. Hoping your DH gets some relief from his eye issues. Thanks to you Roy and also Graham @grapau27 for your photos from Lanzarote. Nice to see all the different things the islands have to offer.

Yay! Another birthday to celebrate! Happy Birthday to Debbie @dfish !! Just finished the treadmill and time for breakfast while I cool down. 🥵

Good morning friends! We are going to have a cloudy day today with rain possible around 1-3:00. Temp sits at 56F now and it will warm up to 70. Thanks go to Rich @richwmn who set up the Daily information for us. Sometimes I just have to tweak it a little! And thank you also Rich for the today in history item which is a maritime one. 🛳️ Today we get to celebrate our Australians by hugging one. I wish at least one of my Australian friends was nearby so I could hug them. Visits are few and far between. Secondly, I hope someone here has some pretzels to enjoy today. 🥨 We don't have any in the house, but do like them. And lastly, Richter Scale Day. That measures the strength of earthquakes, but I hope we don't have one to measure. Brings to mind all the people affected by earthquake the past year. Far too many! The quote by Hedy Lamarr is insulting to women but I guess she was looking for attention. I hope Debbie @dfish can convince someone here to try the Carmelized Tofu Lettuce Cups with her recipes and photos, but it won't be me! The drink may or may not be a Gin and Tonic but we will have to wait for Dixie's @summer slope comments to clarify. And the prosecco from Italy sounds nice so I would indulge in a glass, or two! Thanks to Ann @cat shepard for her report on the bubbly beverage.🥂 Thanks in advance to Eva @superoma for today's Care and Celebration list. I'm sure Vanessa @JazzyV and Roy @rafinmd thank her too. We have quite a few to pray for today. Today we have Jacqui @kazu and Brenda @bennybear undergoing surgery. Prayers for them both and their medical teams. We just know things will go well for you two with all of us here to support you! Yesterday Mary Kay @cruzn single had to unfortunately undergo Mohs surgery and will require some plastic surgery to finish the job. In addition her stepson has had his ups and downs medically so we will be praying hard for them both. Brenda's @bennybear DD's FIL could use some prayers after his industrial accident. Hoping for the best for all involved! 🙏🙏🙏 I hope there are lots of folks on the Celebration list today. We could all use a lift so smooth seas to those cruising and joyous celebrations for all the good events going on. Lift a toast to them all 🥂 !! Graham @grapau27 hope all is well with you and Pauline since you mentioned being late today. And Annie @marshhawk we know you're under a lot of stress so hugs to you and Chuck! ❤️ Today's port is Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands and as Rich found out recently, it's a perfectly lovely spot to visit. Many Brits go to the Canary Islands for holiday to get some warmth and sunshine. Just ask Graham! We had it only once before on February 24, 2022 and here is the link to that date so you can retrieve your photos. This one makes #12 in a row on my spreadsheet as I have been lucky enough to go there twice. Here you go: Today's port of Arrecife on Lanzarote, Canary Islands is a very nice stop. We were there in 2014 on Celebrity Constellation and in 2018 on Prinsendam. From Nov. 11, 2014 on the Constellation. We took a stroll through Arrecife both times we've visited there. We walked by a unique history museum which appeared to be housed in an old fortress. Many people probably come here to lie in the sun on a nice sandy beach. While others come to shop or eat in restaurants. Here is the Church of San Gines Nice Spanish architecture Docked behind the Constellation was the Sea Cloud II, a cruise ship with the feel of a tall ship. Of course we had to walk back there to take a picture or two. I wouldn't want to have to help raise the sails! Hoping all here have a safe, positive day. 🤞

Today is Hug an Australian Day, National Pretzel Day, and Richter Scale Day Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid. - Hedy LamarrMeal Suggestion for today - Caramelized Tofu Lettuce CupsDrink of the Day - Gin TonicWine of the Day - La Marca Prosecco, ItalyDestination of the Day - Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary IslandsToday in History:1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, TexasShip Locations Eurodam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada eta 4-27 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island, BC Canada eta 4-30 Nieuw Amsterdam San Diego, California 08:00 - 16:00 Nieuw Statendam Tunis, La Goulette, Tunisia 07:00 - 17:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 5-02 Oosterdam Palermo, Sicily Italy 07:00 - 17:00 Rotterdam Invergordon, Scotland 07:00 - 17:00 Volendam At Sea destination Puerto Vallarta, Mexico eta 4-28 Zaandam Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada 08:00 - 17:00 Zuiderdam Bergen, Norway 08:00 - 17:00Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea destination Kodiak, Alaska eta 5-02 Sandi for Rich

I vote for Pipi's! It will be interesting to find out what the square thing over the door is. I hope John sees this question.

Bon Voyage Jane!

Annie and Chuck, that was a very hard decision to make but it sounds like it is time for Irving to go since he is not enjoying life anymore. You are very brave and I send hugs to you both! Sorry to hear about the hours cut too on top of everything. You guys really need this upcoming cruise to relax and enjoy life a bit. Take care of yourself!