StLouisCruisers

Thank you so much for posting this webcam. She's supposed to be sailing at 17:00 according to Rich so that is momentarily. Or she could leave late like a lot of ships do, especially with it being the first sailing with passengers in what seems like forever. Eight weeks until our cruise on her, God willing.

Good morning friends! Another sunny day ahead of us with a high of 80F. Perfect! It started out at 48F though so definitely a nip in the air this morning. We've had such a nice stretch of weather the past week or more. I remember before that complaining about rain or chance of rain every day for it seemed like a month. This is our reward! Good to hear Jacqui @kazuhas things under control and hasn't blown away. The falling trees really are a problem so I hope and pray that doesn't come about. Good memes this morning. 😅 Thank you Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. How exciting to see a departure time shown for the Volendam finally. I had hoped someone would have a live from thread so will check again after posting here. Cheers to rabbits on their day of celebration. I enjoy cherries jubilee but only while cruising. A salute to those who enjoy hunting and fishing. Nice quote. The menu suggestion looks nice. Thanks Tina @0106for handling that for Debbie @dfish. Hoping that Debbie and Sue find the perfect home either today or tomorrow. Thanks Roy @rafinmdfor our Care and Celebration lists. I think we need more things to celebrate since the list seems shorter than the Care list. I said my prayers for all earlier, walked 2.5 miles on the treadmill, and am free today to do whatever I want. That's cause for celebration in my mind!😁 On to other things. Muscat, Oman was port of the day on May 8, 2021. Here is a link to Rich's post that day in case you have photos you'd like to import to this thread. I have not been to Muscat or any other Oman port. It's travel weekend for the Jaguars so I guess DS's family is in Chicago to play soccer. Fingers crossed that all works out well for their team. Last weekend they won both games (4 to 1 and 4 to 0). Ren and the two other new players (Tigers originally) scored 7 of the 8 goals for the team. The coach must be happy with his new recruits! Hope all have a nice day and Fiona passes by quickly. Take care!

You are allowed to wear shorts on the ship after dinner.

I've heard this place mentioned on CC for quite a while now. Located on SE 17th in FLL near the port and the prices and short wait times are great. https://labdoctor.org/covid-pcr-testing/

Wow, that's awfully expensive! Dealing with doctor's offices and insurance is so frustrating. I hope next week's calls work out better and aren't as upsetting. I'm going through something with my insurance company right now. Remember that ultrasound of my legs I had in July looking for blood clots? The doctor's office billed my insurance for the ultrasound which they definitely didn't do. They made an appointment for me at the imaging center one block away though. My insurance paid them for the ultrasound and we are supposed to pay $70 which was not covered by insurance. We just found out they made this billing mistake! Now we find out the imaging center has been sending bills in to my insurance repeatedly and getting denied. I thought it must be because the insurance company had paid for the doctor's office billing, but turns out the imaging center had the wrong first three letters at the beginning of my member ID. I've been on the phone trying to straighten this all out. I hate messing with insurance and usually DH handles all the calls. Both billing companies made mistakes and I am the innocent party here (for a change!)🤪

Oh no! My darling GD is at USF Tampa studying for her marine biology degree. This sounds like it could be dangerous and down right nasty! Let's hope it wanders off and dies down.

That looks like a decent rental car, especially if automatic. Steering wheel on the "correct" side (LOL). You did well, getting that car. Unfortunate about the fender bender though. @aliaschiefsorry to hear about that fall! Roots lifting cement slabs happen all the time so we must be on alert. It's a good thing you didn't hit your head when coming down. Very lucky!

Good morning friends! It was 58F when we awoke and went for a walk outside. We saw one deer and that is it for wildlife. Thanks Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. I like sign language day (so important), wiriting a love note to my DH, and saluting those who have been affected by ovarian cancer. The quote is funny, I guess. No thanks to the drink, wine, or menu suggestion. Hoping Debbie @dfishhas a successful weekend house hunting and that the weather is good all weekend too. Jacqui @kazugood thing you battened down the hatches and are ready to ride out the storm. I sure hope it isn't too serious. @HAL4NOWpraying the wildfires are put out soon and urging the raindrops to come your way to help out. Welcome back Annie and Chuck @marshhawk. We missed you too! Thanks Roy @rafinmdfor the lists today. Prayers said before I was out of bed this morning. Cheers for the happy folks celebrating and cruising. Qaqortoq, Greenland was a great port of the day, listed on March 3 of last year, as shown below. Here are my photos from that date. We went to Qaqortoq in 2011 and 2018. The first time (Sept. 2011 on Emerald Princess) DH and a friend walked to the top of the tallest hill to see what was on the other side of the island. Turns out it was some icebergs. The local nursery school teachers brought all the toddlers to the "downtown" area to see all the strange people who had invaded their town. They enjoyed seeing us as much as we did them. Here is the oldest fountain in Greenland. This photo was taken in the Brugseni grocery store parking lot. There is a church right there next to the grocery store. As you can see you have to pay close attention while backing up or even driving forward with that huge rock they left in the middle of the parking lot. It must have been too big to move, so no texting and driving please! Next are some photos from Aug. 2018 on the Seabourn Quest. We went over to shore in the morning for some sightseeing, then later when the fog came in we headed back to ship for lunch. In the afternoon we had bright sunshine again and went back for a hike up to the top of the hill like DH did in 2011. Here is the fish market. We saw something that looked like whale blubber. View of the town from the top of the hill during the afternoon walk. We took a shortcut down the stairs to get back down to the tender. Last tender was in 30 minutes. I hope that there will be more ports of the day in Greenland. So much to see there.

Bring a thermometer too. I had a pulse oximeter in our Covid kit and used it a few times so take one if you think you will need it.

That's a lot of muscle cars! None of us thought a thing about gas mileage and fuel costs in those days. I had a 1968 Camaro Rally Sport before we got married which was not a hot rod but it sure was fun to drive (automatic transmission). As newlyweds we couldn't afford two cars so my Dad bought my Camaro from me. It was fun while it lasted! You asked about the knee pain. No, the exercises only help about 10%. I will continue to do them though until my next doctor appointment in three weeks and see what she says. Those were so funny! Some did look awfully painful though... Thanks to you and Pauline for sharing. I guess it must be a KLM flight number but operated by Delta then. On the other hand many times it's a Delta flight operated by KLM. Makes your head spin! Good to hear you are going to get right on it and go house hunting with DS. I hope a new seller is signing his listing papers tomorrow and you two can be the first persons to see the new listing. Some things are meant to be.

DS landed in Detroit a short time ago. He mentioned their pilot was flying his last flight before retirement. He had flown for 33 years after being in the Air Force. In Detroit they had the fire trucks shooting a water cannon at the plane to honor his time spent with Delta. A nice ending to DS's trip!

Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserthanks for your photos. I especially enjoyed seeing the state fair photos. You could be right about the long days helping the veggies to grow so large. Graham @grapau27 I didn't know most cars in the UK are manual transmissions. Over the years we have purchased both manual and automatic transmission cars. Since we both know how to drive them, we made sure we taught our two youngsters how to drive the manual transmission cars, too. Surprisingly enough, each one chose manual transmission vehicles in some of their later car purchases. I think it's a good idea to teach new drivers how to drive a "stick shift" just in case. After all, you could decide to apply for Amazing Race and they always have that little problem crop up - people who can't drive the cars overseas! DH and I just went over the reasons why we bought manual transmissions instead of automatic on five of our vehicles. First he bought a 1968 Pontiac Firebird (in '68) and that was obviously a muscle car. That car eventually was driven on the race track a lot so that one was definitely not going to be an automatic. Then in 1982 we bought a manual Honda Accord to get the best possible gas mileage due to outrageous gas prices and shortages. We had been driving two vehicles that got poor mileage, a GMC pickup with a 454 engine and a Pontiac Grand Prix which both got low mileage. Everything (especially in California) was expensive back then, mortgage rates, gas/electric for home heating and air conditioning, food, clothing, you name it! After that in 1984 we purchased a manual BMW 325e in Virginia and that was much more fun to drive without the automatic. In 1989 we saw an Acura Legend coupe with a manual transmission on the dealership lot that we fell in love with and bought it. That was a pretty rare combination. One of the dealership mechanics in Ohio begged us to sell it to him whenever we decided to do that. So we did! He was quite happy with it. Last of all, we had another manual BMW, an M-3 which of course HAD to be manual. Our DS bought an almost identical M-3, even the same color, and also a manual transmission when he finished his doctorate and was working in Silicon Valley. When he moved to Michigan from California he drove it across country and stayed overnight at our house in St. Louis. We took some great photos of the two matching BMWs posed together and have a copy of that photo hanging in our garage. I see it everytime I walk in the door. The good old days! Jack @HeartgroveI hope you have a great adventure coming up next month, and using Milan to fly through is a good idea. I remember once trying to find some better pricing on airfare using other Italian cities and Milan was one I checked on. Never did get to go there though. It looks lovely.

I am very sorry to hear your DFIL passed this morning. I'm sure your DH, his sister and mother are all glad they could sit with him as he passed. Condolences to you all.🙏 Sorry, I don't know the answer to the KLM question. This type of situation always confuses me, too.🤷‍♀️

Anchorage, Alaska is a large city, Alaska-wise. The city and metro area have a population of about 288,000. Our first time there was when we flew in to board our first cruise ship (Star Princess) in Seward in 2002. We did a southbound 7 day cruise ending in Vancouver and enjoyed it immensely. To get to Seward we boarded the train and enjoyed all the beautiful scenery along the way. Our DS and DDIL accompanied us on that cruise. Glacier water with that grey tinge. Then in 2010 we cruised on Diamond Princess from Bangkok to Anchorage. We docked in Whittier and took a bus to Anchorage where our flight home left in the late evening. The bus dropped everyone off at the Convention Center downtown. We spent the day walking around Anchorage, then took another bus to the airport for our flight to St. Louis. Here is a picture taken upon arrival in Whittier. Approaching the tunnel on our bus ride. The only way to get to the big city. The view along the way. We enjoyed our walk around town, and joined some people we had met on the ship for a light lunch. Here is the inside of the Convention Center where we claimed our luggage and got on the bus to the airport. In 2019 we boarded ms Amsterdam for our 14 day Alaska cruise roundtrip Seattle. In Anchorage we took a shuttle bus to the downtown area from our docking spot. I'm sure this mural took a long time to paint. They plant lots of flowers to enjoy in the warmer months of the year. Another beautiful mural While shopping we saw many interesting displays just like in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. In 2010 we had seen a moose running loose in the Anchorage outskirts. On this day in 2019 the above moose is the only one we saw. Back to the Convention Center to go to the airport. The Holland America bus was beautiful!

Good morning friends! It's about 65F and will warm up to 92. Pretty warm for Autumn! Happy Hobbit day! Cheers to elephants and business women. The quote is a good one, and the sopaipillas look delicious. Anchorage is a new port of the day for us so everyone get out your photos to share. Thanking Rich @richwmnfor posting our Daily and Fleet Report. Watching for the Volendam to embark her passengers and begin her first cruise since the shutdown. Thanks also to Roy @rafinmdfor updating the lists for us. So many changes occurring among the ranks. First, Debbie @dfishwhat a stinker that seller was holding back on signing your offer so he could get another offer. I am hoping the right home for you and DS is going on the market this weekend. I suppose you will have to make another house hunting trip up there to find it, but I know you will be glad it all worked out this way. Jacqui @kazuWOW, that is a lot of work you got accomplished! And getting the garage re-situated so you can get the SUV in is huge! So many of my neighbors load their garage with junk, boxes, and things they could hang on the walls or put up in the attic above the garage. Then they leave their cars parked in the driveway all year long. One of my pet peeves! Cheers to all our friends going on cruises and enjoying good things like family visits. Prayers for all on the Care list, plus Ukraine, and my neighbor Linda. Hope Fiona doesn't hit anyone! DS is halfway between Amsterdam and Detroit right now on his way home from Milan. He enjoyed the conference and got to see some nice sights while there. One is Sforza Castle and the other is the Duomo. Anyone been to Milan before? I wouldn't mind going, at all!

Debbie, I'm surprised he didn't remember the old saying "lefty loosey, righty tighty" when he couldn't figure out which way was OFF! He should definitely have to pay for that repair since he was responsible for it. I'm so sorry to see the fire is still active and hope conditions improve very soon!

@*Miss G*I'm sorry to hear of your DFIL going downhill. I hope your DH can arrive in time to spend some quality time with his DD. Also sad to hear your Dad didn't look well on your last visit. We have no parents left and have been in your spot before. So we know how it feels and it's not great. Prayers for your family.

Melisa, three cheers for DSIL and your entire family!🥳 Things are looking up!

I am so happy about that! 🥳

Good Wednesday morning everyone! Today we decided to walk together outside instead of taking turns on the treadmill. It was pitch black out there! We didn't run into any wildlife, but I did hear an owl which was fun. I had my breakfast here which is what I prefer. We tried a restaurant yesterday we hadn't been to before when we went out for breakfast. The eggs and bacon were cooked perfectly, however I think the hash browns could have had a little more crisp to them, and the biscuit was crumbly. When we went to the grocery store we both felt like we were dragging due to the heavy meal. I saw several things that have gone up in price again while there and am not happy about it. This inflation is killing us! I know everyone here has felt it too.🙁 Thanks Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. I checked on Volendam's position last night and she was just south of Sicily. I'm anxious to hear about her first cruise coming up in a few days. I hope someone on board will report back on her. I hope for International Peace every day, and especially today when I heard of Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons. 😡 I am happy to celebrate World Gratitude day. I haven't played miniature golf in a good long while. I think it was with some of our grandchildren on a vacation once. The menu suggestion looks pretty good, and I like the quote a lot. Thanks to Roy @rafinmdfor the lists he keeps. So many to pray for. 🙏 I need to add prayers for those near @HAL4NOWas the fires threaten them. Hope for better news today. Also need to pray for those in the path of Hurricane Fiona. She's up to a category 4 now. Jacqui @kazuI hope you can get everything prepared for the storm as she reaches you. Good news about the car being back. Debbie @dfishwonderful news there was no water in the basement this morning. Looks like the problem has been solved. Have a good day out while the inspection is going on. Thinking of you Terri @Cruzin Terrias you work through all that has to be done with your house and belongings. Take everything one step at a time so as not to overwhelm yourselves. I hope all on the Celebration lists are enjoying their good fortune. Cheers to you all!🥂 Townsville, Australia is our port today for the second time. First was on March 30, 2021 so here is a link for those who need it for photo retrieval. I have not been to Townsville, even on our circumnavigation of Australia. I love visiting Australia and hope someone will post their photos today. Have a nice day everyone!❤️

Thanks Carolyn for your photos of Trieste. It certainly looks like a beautiful Italian city. I hope you get a third try there! The sunrise photo was gorgeous

Good morning friends! I'm early today because we are going out for breakfast after exercise, then to the grocery for our weekly visit. So I need to Get Ready! Love pepperoni pizza but punch is usually a little too sweet for me. Not sure about the quinoa with the chicken salad. I do like the quote. For today's port, I have not been to Trieste before but of course went to Venice about 4 times back when larger ships were allowed there. We have not seen Trieste here on the Daily as our port of the day, but we did have Venice listed twice, on June 17, 2021 and August 14, 2022. I hope some of us who have been to Trieste will post their photos from their visit so we can all get a good look at it. Thanks all! I will post again later after I catch up with all the Daily posts. Have a good morning!🙂