StLouisCruisers

Bon Voyage!!

In 2016 we were on The. Best. Norway. Cruise. Ever. and had the good company of a couple of Canadians who helped our dining table celebrate Canada Day properly. Joyce brought white balloons with the Maple Leaf on them, Canadian flags to wave, and she even had temporary tattoos on her face and ankles. The Prinsendam provided a lovely cake to celebrate Canada's independence. Not my feet!

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit! 🐇 Good morning friends. Happy Canada Day to our friends in the North. Today the Zuiderdam is visiting Alesund, Norway where the skies are unfortunately mostly cloudy and the temp is 55. Winds are stated at 24 mph on the TV screen. But it’s not raining!! The Nieuw Statendam was docked before we arrived today. Nice to see two BHB’s together here. We took a brisk walk mid morning walking about 2.3 miles. DH didn’t feel up to walking up the more than 400 stairs to the top of Mt. Aksla but that’s okay, we’ve done that twice before. Lots of orange HAL umbrellas seen being carried around town. Thank you Rich @richwmn for today’s Daily and Fleet report as well as the maps. Besides celebrating Canada’s formation in 1867, let’s praise devotion to duty, give television heritage a nod and hope that the DEA does its job properly. So important! The quote is fun, but I’m not in the mood for spicy cabbage slaw though. No thanks to the apple drink or the Chardonnay. Thanks Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for the F&B reports today. Prayers for my DB, and Alex’s twins, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops in the region. Many prayers for our group here on the Daily with painful conditions, depression and worry. 🙏 A salute to all with special events to celebrate and the cruisers! 🚢🥂 Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists! The port of the day is Aburatsu, Miyazaki, Japan. This is a new one and I’m sure those who have traveled in Japan extensively will love showing us some photos today. I have not been there before. No links but am awaiting your photos anxiously! DH definitely has come down with that darn cold and slept partially sitting up. I don’t know how he does that! He has been taking Zicam to help shorten and lessen the cold, but he is not a good patient when ill. We both had a restless night. I hope he can conquer it quickly. I’m doing well meanwhile. Just a little coughing left. Hope you all enjoy your Monday, and hope you can stay safe and keep well!

We’ve made it to Greenland ports twice before in August, two different cruise lines. I guess we should all be watching for that month before making bookings.

Busan, South Korea. We were there in 2010 on the Diamond Princess on a Bangkok to Anchorage, Alaska cruise. Friends who were booked had talked us into accompanying them and we had a great trip. It's always better with friends! That morning, May 3, we arrived NEAR Busan but could not see the port due to the heavy fog. We anchored and awaited the lifting of the fog, all the while the fog horns played all morning. Looking over the edge of the deck rails you couldn't even see the water below! After many hours the fog lifted enough to get us into the dock. All the tours had to be scrambled to fit the time left in port. I don't know for sure, but I would say they probably delayed departure, too so everyone could enjoy the port. They worked really hard to get into Busan because they had entertainers to pick up and let off, and a whole dock full of food and supplies to load on. In a few days’ time we would have a long journey to Anchorage. We and our friends didn't book a tour. We used the map provided by the ship and walked into town to see the sights, something we love to do. Shopping and eating at the same time! Shoe stores were in abundance here. Strappy heels seemed to be in fashion at the time, 14 years ago. From here we moved on to the world renowned Busan Fish Market. Quite the visual display! Oh my gosh, look at this tank of octopus! These look like they jumped out of the tank right onto a table. Ewww! Some of the famous fisherwomen of the Busan Fish Market. This lovely fruit market is more my style. From Busan we moved on to Vladivostok, Russia. What a day that was!

Good morning friends! Today Zuiderdam is on its way to Alesund, Norway on smooth seas, 57F temperature and a few scattered clouds. Yesterday’s departure time of 3 p.m. was delayed due to bunkering and another “operation” they were undergoing. The predicted time of departure of 6 or 6:30 came and went. We finally pulled away from the dock at 8:45 p.m. Our speed now is 20 knots so hopefully we arrive on time tomorrow in Norway. Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps. A good day for avocado lovers, not sure who celebrates parliamentarism, but I suppose the leap second time adjustment is necessary. I love the Maya Angelou quote. I’ll pass on the food and drink today. Yay for Johnny Carson’s first show, and I’m sure the Darwin theory of evolution debate was lively. Thanks to the F&B ladies, Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today. Prayers for our Daily Care list group. Hoping for less pain for Jacqui @kazu, Chuck @catmando, Annie @marshhawk and Terri @Cruzin Terri, comfort for Tana, and robust health for as many as possible. 🙏 Prayers too for my DB, Alex’s twin sons, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops in the region. Three cheers for all celebrating special events 🥂 or cruising. Those booking new cruises, too. 🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for posting the C&C lists every day. The port today is Busan (Pusan), South Korea. Previous times here on the Daily were March 17, 2021 and July 16, 2023. Here are the links for your convenience, and I’ll repost my photos from the past. Hoping all have an enjoyable Sunday. Try to stay safe and keep well. DH is starting to catch a cold - not mine but one of the thousand other colds that have been floating around the ship. It’s impossible to dodge all the cold viruses in our path!

Good morning friends! It’s an unusually nice day in Ijmuiden, the Netherlands. Temperature is 68, with high thin clouds but mostly sunny IMO. Last evening just before 5 p.m. the Captain announced we were now sailing faster to Ijmuiden than we had been earlier due to a patient needing medical attention and that we would arrive by midnight. Going back to Friday morning, the whole ship was awakened at 1 a.m. by an announcement that medical help was needed in cabin 7134. And since we had moved our clocks forward an hour before bedtime Thursday night, my clock said 2 a.m. The speaker into the room was a foot away from my head in the headboard so it was quite a rude awakening. Anyway, we assume this same person was the one needing to get to medical care on land, so that is why we arrived so early last night to Ijmuiden. I was still trying to get to sleep at midnight so am a little bleary eyed this morning. Oh well. Most of the ship’s passengers departed this morning and I believe we have 190 or so In Transit people like DH and me. The Relatives are also on until Boston. We run into them here and there, mostly at breakfast. And that’s an update on life on Zuiderdam. This just in. A letter has been delivered to all the cabins even as some guests are still boarding, letting us know of changes in our upcoming itinerary due to ice conditions in southern Greenland. Remember, we lost all three ports in Greenland this past 21 day segment. Now they are removing Grundarfjordur, Iceland from July 7, removing Qaqortoq, Greenland from July 10, and removing Nanortalik, Greenland from July 11. Instead we will sail around the ice flow and call further north in Greenland at the capital, Nuuk (Godthab) on July 10 from 8 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Rich @richwmn,you may want to go ahead and update your Daily fleet location for Zuiderdam now that we have this confirmation. Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps today. I think I’ll pass on Mud Day but will celebrate cameras and recognize the difficulties of Scleroderma, a disfiguring and painful disease. The quote is a true fact, the soup sounds great, no thanks to the cocktail or the wine today. A very sad day in Globe Theater history, and an interesting fact about the first Star Trek script approval. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your food and beverage reports today. Prayers for all on the Daily Care list. Praying for improvement for all of you! Nancy @ottahand7 I hope your DB has gotten some medical attention for that knee. It sounds pretty bad! Also sending prayers for my DB, and Alex’s baby boys. And finally for those in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held and hopefully alive, and to our military members in the area. Congrats to all celebrating special events and to all who are cruising. And a big thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists today! The port today is Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. This was previously port of the day on June 14, 2021, Jan. 8, 2022 and July 12, 2023. I don’t recall ever going to Puerto Chacabuco on our Chile cruises. Here are the links for your convenience in retrieving your photos. Hoping all are enjoying their weekend. Stay safe and keep well!

Good morning friends! Ahh! A sea day as Zuiderdam heads back to Ijmuiden, Netherlands. (note: we were at South Queensferry yesterday and am not en route there currently). Winds are high (28 mph) and seas are a bit rocky. Temp is 59 and since clouds are scattered there is quite a bit of sunshine out there today. Always welcome! Thank you Rich @richwmn for today’s Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps. Some interesting days including CAP LOCKS DAY. Lightning safety is important so let’s try to remember that when your ground crew is hurrying inside at your gate and your flight has to be delayed. The quote is okay, but the zucchini gnocchi is not stirring my appetite. No thanks on the drink or wine today. This was a huge day in history as the end of any world war would be. Thanks Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today! Prayers for the Daily Care list individuals including Ann @Vict0riann, Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando, Pennie @Nickelpenny, Elizabeth, Jacqui @kazu, @Mr. Boston's DH, and Terri @Cruzin Terri. Also for my DB and Alex’s precious twins soon to arrive, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still being held and of course the brave men and women of our military always watchful and on duty. Ann @Vict0riann, I’m so glad to hear you were home last night, enjoying dinner and preparing for a good night’s rest. I hope the healing goes quickly. Yay on the rain Annie @marshhawk! I hope my yard got some! Cheers to all celebrating special events today and everyone cruising or preparing to cruise soon. Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the list again today. You’re a trooper! The port today is the Barra Norte River in Brazil. While this is the first time for the river portion, on Feb. 14, 2024 we had the Barra Norte Sea, Brazil as our port. I’ll post a link to that date in case it helps you retrieve any photos posted. I’ve been there but like most of us we don’t take photos of the river or sea every day. Hoping you all enjoy this last Friday in June and have a good beginning to your weekend. Try to stay safe and keep well!

Aarhus, Denmark We visited Arhus (sometimes spelled Aarhus), Denmark in September 2011 on the Emerald Princess. The cruise began with a Baltic cruise which we thoroughly enjoyed, followed by the British Isles, Iceland, Qaqortoq Greenland, Halifax and back to Ft. Lauderdale. It was a bright, chilly morning on Sept. 9, 2011 when our ship stopped in Arhus. We enjoyed our walk through the town. We saw this lovely canal running through the town. People liked to gather on the sunny side to dine. I can't blame them. It looks lovely! We made our way to a Viking Museum which was located underneath a bank. Yes, really. As you walk down the stairs you see the levels with the years associated with that level. This thatched hut in the museum is a copy of a hut which was in that spot in Viking days, all discovered during excavation for the bank. Someone's bones found here in their final resting place. Then we saw this church called the Arhus Cathedral. It had some very unique features inside. Like this Viking ship. And quite a fancy baptismal font I would say. Arhus is a great port to see The reason for the confusion on the spelling is the name has been changed officially there a couple times. According to Wiktionary: Following the spelling reform of 1948, the name was changed from Aarhus to Århus, which remained the spelling preferred by local authorities until 2010, when the city council decided to change the name back to Aarhus, effective from the 1st of January 2011. According to the official rules of Danish orthography, it is still valid to write Århus, although Aarhus is far more prevalent in road signs, media, etc.

Good morning friends! Today Zuiderdam is anchored in South Queensferry, Scotland by the rail bridge. The sun was out this morning and it was beautiful out. Rain is expected this afternoon though. So we decided to head out on one of those huge local tender boats and walked around South Queensferry itself, something we've never done before. Back just in time to post on the Daily, then will have lunch. Mostly cloudy skies now and 63F. Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps. Three interesting days to recognize. The quote seems a bit negative to my thinking, no thanks to the dish of the day, the cocktail sounds cool and refreshing, but the wine is probably not my choice. Not sure how much Cabrillo actually discovered while exploring the west coast of North America for Spain. Thanks to the F&B ladies, Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their reports today. Prayers for DB and Alex’s twins. I got a report yesterday from my niece who will be grandma to those boys and she said all is well and they both are weighing in at 4+ pounds. Due date is less than a month off now. Prayers too for those in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and for the safety of our troops in the region. Many prayers for our Daily group including Tana, Ann @Vict0riann , Pennie @Nickelpenny, Jacqui @kazu, Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando, Terri @Cruzin Terri. My twin reports she will see the doctor July 9 for her arm, does PT on Mondays and Fridays and the bicep is still sore. Hopefully it’s not a bad tear. Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists today. I’m glad nothing happened after those tornado warnings yesterday. Happy belated birthday wishes Carol @mamaofami !! We got back late to the ship yesterday, last tender and arrived 5 minutes before scheduled sail away. Dumped our stuff off in our room and went straight to dinner. Had a drink after dinner at Ocean Bar, and not much time to check in with everyone here last night. Anyway, I hope you had an enjoyable celebration! Congrats Annie @marshhawk on the huge sale yesterday! You did great! The port today is Arhus, Denmark. This lovely city was the port before here on May 2, 2021, May 13, 2022 and Feb. 25, 2023. I’ll post the links and then gather up my photos again. They’ve disappeared. Have a wonderful Thursday! Try to stay safe and keep well.

Good morning friends! As per usual I awoke to cloudy skies today but this time we’re anchored off Kirkwall, Scotland. Temp is about 54F and of course there is always a chance of rain. Our tour will take place this afternoon, though it was originally scheduled for morning, but somehow Holland America will find a way to change things up for you if they possibly can. Our tour will be to see the Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae and Skaill House. Sounds like we’ll see some archeological sites today. As I predicted yesterday, by the time we left Stornoway the sun was out and it was a beautiful sail away. Isn’t that always the case? Thank you Rich @richwmn for today’s Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps. Hmm. Bar codes, canoes and Harry Potter. Nothing too exciting for me but YMMV. I like the quote, the pork chops sound okay, not sure about the drink and DH would enjoy the Cabernet Sauvignon but not me. A big day in history for the new locks at the Panama Canal and the first Victoria Cross recipients. Thanks Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your F&B reports today. Prayers for my DB, Alex’s twin boys, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and the men and women of the U.S. military stationed in the area. Many prayers for our group here on the Daily care list especially Tana and the family caring for her. My condolences Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando on the loss of your friend. 🙏 Good luck to Terri @Cruzin Terri at Mayo today and I hope they can do something about that shoulder. My twin just told me yesterday she thinks she tore the bicep muscle from the bone getting out of the bathtub. Probably the same shoulder she just had surgery on! I sure hope not! Best wishes to Ann @Vict0riann today – I hope all goes well for you. Great photo of Golden Beach Debbie @dfish! Is this on Lake Michigan? A beautiful spot, that’s for sure! Cheers for all here celebrating special events and cruising! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV once again for your help with the list keeping. The port today is Salalah, Oman which was the destination of the day on Feb. 16, 2022. I have not been to Oman in the past so no photos. Here’s the link for your convenience in retrieving your photos from that date. Have a good day all, and please try to stay safe and keep well.

Jack we did dock here at the deep water ship dock where they are still working on it actually. It is a fairly long drive into town from out here. Depending on the driver and which direction, from 10 to 15 minutes. The tour you mentioned sounds like a good one. Maybe next time, if there is one. I saw some of the Harris tweed items for sale at the craft show downtown. Probably where @1ANGELCAT went on her tour. Tomorrow we stop at Kirkwall, Scotland where DH and I have an afternoon tour. We have to tender over and meet at the cruise pier. I hope I will be able to post here beforehand but with the 5 hour ahead time difference it will be cutting it close. Have to eat something before we tender over. It’s possible I’ll be posting after the tour which would be around noon Eastern time. Hoping for a nice day tomorrow in Kirkwall.

Good morning friends! This day started off early as we went to the Lido at opening time, ate and then went to wait in line for 30 minutes for our immigration slot card number. After that we went and sat in Ocean Bar near the band area to wait for our immigration number to be called which took another 45 minutes. Then a walk through the main dining room, deck 3 and have our passport checked out by one of the two UK immigration officials. This whole process took 2 hours. Then back to our room until we decided to head ashore. The weather today is partly cloudy and 54F with a high of about 58 later. My weather app says the sun might peep out just as we depart Stornoway at 6 p.m. There was quite a long wait for a double decker shuttle bus at 9:45 a.m. We only walked around the town and stuck our heads into a craft show with local artisans with wares on display. I would recommend a tour here if you plan on visiting Stornoway in the future. Thank you Rich @richwmn for today’s Daily and Fleet report and the maps, too. So glad to hear the internet will be working much better for you in the future. That’s always good to hear. I feel like a seafarer today so yay for the Day of the Seafarer. Always happy to celebrate the Beatles but I don’t have any interest in smurfs. An interesting take by Carrie Fisher on the quote. I would probably enjoy the vegetarian French onion soup, probably wouldn’t like the cocktail, but would try the Black Box Pinot Grigio. Wow on that TV program “Our World” in 1967! I wonder if I watched it? You’d think I’d remember but I’m old! Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for their reports today. Prayers for our Daily group on the Care list, my DB, Alex’s twin boys, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and the military members in the region. Extra thoughts and prayers for Tana. A salute to everyone celebrating special events today and all the cruisers. Hope you have a nice birthday today Jake's @Crazy For Cats DH Juan!! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for handling the lists each day for us! The port today is Puerto Limon (San Jose), Costa Rica. The previous dates for that port were Nov 9, 2021 and Dec. 3, 2023. I’ll provide the links for you. No photos from me. Thanks in advance for your own. Hope all of you enjoy your Tuesday. Try to stay safe and keep well!

A nice spot to relax and enjoy your coffee and cheesy flatbread. I see a patch of blue sky!

Wonderful pics of Jose and you Jacqui @kazu! So nice to look back on. We actually have been to Portree before so I am not as sad as most passengers are. Stornoway is a new one for us though. UPDATE: The Captain announced during first seating that the conditions had improved enough for us to get into Stornoway this evening, however we would still wait until early morning for the immigration process to proceed. So we will see the dock tonight but no one is going anywhere until tomorrow morning. We should be tied up by 9 p.m. tonight. It’s currently about 6:45 p.m.

Thanks for sharing your lovely cruise with us all Graham. You two sure know how to enjoy yourselves!😎

Thanks to all who wished DD well today. @JazzyV, @puppycanducruise, @LambKnuckles, @ottahand7, @smitty34877, @kazu, @Haljo1935, @Denise T, @Mr. Boston, @dfish, @Seasick Sailor, @grapau27, @Quartzsite Cruiserand @rafinmd. It's so kind of everyone. Nancy @ottahand7 unfortunately they cancelled Portree for tomorrow and are we are scheduled to get into today's original port, Stornoway in the morning. We hear there is a new dock there. Today we are just circling around having a Surprise Sea Day. Jacqui @kazu warm thoughts for you as you remember happy times spent with Jose on your wedding anniversaries. Terry @smitty34877 I'm sorry it's sometimes hard to speak about all the trials and tribulations Tana is enduring. I don't say much about DB either as there's not a lot of good news in his daily life. I'm happy to hear your family has been such a blessing in helping out financially. I'm sure many of us will take you up on that invitation to see your cruise review. 👍 Thanks, Graham!😊

We were in Valencia, Spain on our 2018 Prinsendam Grand Voyage (Africa and Mediterranean). It was a cloudy Sunday morning and we got into town by shuttle bus quite early. No crowds but very little open either. By the time we had walked all around the old town part it was beginning to wake up a little. The entrance we were dropped off at. One of the few things open was this market. The door to this "museum" was standing open, free admission so we stepped inside to see what it was all about. Basically, this was all we saw. A foyer... And this beautiful room. Check out that ceiling! Now that's ornate... To continue on in town... Arriving at the Valencia Cathedral we stepped inside for a look. Those ceilings! We walked around the old town some more and found a different gate out. Then had to find the shuttle bus stop which we finally did. An interesting stroll around Valencia.

Good morning friends! Today Zuiderdam was supposed to stop in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis and Harris, Scotland. At 10 a.m. (5 a.m. Eastern time) just before time to line up for immigration slot cards the Captain announced that conditions overnight and this morning had created an unsafe navigation into the port. We experienced 40 and 50 knot winds overnight. It was also unsafe for the immigration officials who were waiting in Stornoway to make it out to the ship today. So today will be a sea day and we will hopefully be able to get into Stornoway Tuesday. We will have to skip Portree which was our next port of call. Having been to Portree once I am sorry that so many will miss that nice little town, but am glad Stornoway is still being anticipated for tomorrow. This has been quite a cruise for missing ports of call! #4!! Thank you Rich @richwmnfor today’s Daily and Fleet Report as well as the maps. Three interesting days to recognize and I’m sure many of you are aware of the J. K. Rowling quote. I think I’ll pass by the green bean dish, the drink sounds really sweet, and I will let someone else have my pinot noir. Picasso must have been quite accomplished at an early age, and whoa on a million dollar contract for Mary Pickford in 1916. That was a boatload of money in those days! Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepardfor their reporting today. Prayers for my DB, Alex’s twins, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, the troops in the area watching out for us, and those of us here on the Daily who have been sick or in pain. Any good news on Tana? Cheers to those with special events to celebrate today including my DD who turns 52! Extra cheers to Sharon @Sharon in AZ who is celebrating her birthday as well. Smooth seas to our cruisers! Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists today! The port this day is Valencia, Spain which we had before on May 10, 2021, Jan. 18, 2022 and July 6, 2023. I’ll post the links and some photos. I’m sure many of you have some lovely pics to share today. Hoping everyone is feeling well. I have my ups and downs but today so far is a good one. Take care!

We entered the canal before sunup but I was outside early along with other passengers of the Emerald Princess. This was Oct. 8, 2016. Police were parked along the western bank of the canal. There were sentry stations along the route. The eastern bank was a lot more desolate. Here's a large bridge we passed under. Later in the day, everyone lined up to look at the ...sand. Here we were in separate channels of the Suez Canal. See the ship in the other lane, looking like it was just sitting there in the desert? This photo I took from Skywalkers Lounge at the aft of the ship shows both channels as we left that area. The knitters and stitchers were busy with our work and keeping an eye on things with great views from Skywalkers. After we left the canal you could see the many ships waiting their turn to pass through.

Good morning friends! Heading SE from Iceland to Scotland, it’s 50F with broken clouds and winds of about 25 mph from the SW. The Zuiderdam has been rocking and rolling since the middle of last night and our current speed is 18 knots. Happy Birthday Roy @rafinmd! I always remember yours is the day before my DD’s. I hope you have something fun or out of the ordinary planned to do today. Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. I like women in engineering, letting it go and most kinds of pizza. A fun quote. Today I’m saying no to food and the cocktail, and if I were drinking would try the Sauvignon Blanc. Important days for the Icelandic Parliament and the International Olympic Committee. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for the reports today. Prayers for all here on the Daily Care list, DB, Alex’s twin boys, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages held, and those overseas trying to keep us all safe. A salute to all celebrating special events and cruising! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for updating the lists for us. Today we are revisiting the Suez Canal for our port destination. Back in 2021 we posted four days concerning the Suez Canal or exiting/entering the Canal at Port Said. I think we’ve left it alone since then. Here are the links to the four dates in 2021 concerning the Suez Canal for your convenience. Hope all of you enjoy your Sunday. Graham @grapau27, good to see the internet problem seems to be fixed. Thank you for Father David’s sermon today. Everyone, try to stay safe and keep well!

Good thinking! I hope the provider can find the problem for you. Happy Birthday John @ottahand7's DF, and welcome home Father @Himself and @swin26!

I checked out the maps on cruisemapper.com and thought maybe I could help with them. Here's where all the ships currently are.

Good morning friends! It’s day 2 in Reykjavik for the Zuiderdam. All aboard is 5:30 p.m. today and we will be off to Scotland for four ports, two of which are new to me. Looking forward to it and hoping for very little rain while there. Today is wet and 50F so it’s a good thing we went downtown yesterday for a 2 mile walk while it was drier. The sun even came out yesterday! The dining room was so empty last night, we had our waiter to ourselves, and he said no one from second seating was coming either. His junior waiter was sent away as he wasn’t needed at all. It sure was peaceful! Tonight we will be at Pinnacle Grill again, and there is the Vikings’ Soirée from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. on the Lido, mid ship meaning the pool I suppose. Today my tummy feels more normal so if I eat a very light lunch I may be hungry for dinner in Pinnacle! Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily. Sorry about your internet issues and not being able to get the maps. I can sympathize! On to the Daily! It would be wonderful to hear some positive news in the media but they don’t seem to think that sells. The Radiant Peace promoters can’t even get the day right. It started on June 22, 1999 and now some of them want to celebrate it on Sept. 22. I don’t think celebrating stupid things guys do is a good thing. We shouldn’t encourage it! Instead let’s celebrate National Chocolate Éclair Day!! On to the quote, which I like by the way. No thanks to the eggplant dish, and I am afraid to try Love Potion #9. Now that song is going through my head! I’ll say yes to the rosé. Two good days in history, one for Stevie Wonder and one for the Royal Greenwich Observatory which I enjoyed visiting once. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their reports today. Prayers for our group here on the Daily Care list, my DB, Alex’s twins, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops in the region. Special prayers for Tana who is having such a rough time and strength to the family to help keep up with everything. Happy thoughts to everyone with celebrations and cruises to enjoy! I hope there are many more celebrations to come. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for helping us out every day with the Care list. Much appreciated! Today our port is Torshavn, Faroe Islands. This is a new port again for us, and if Holland America hadn’t changed up our itinerary on this June 8 cruise, we would have stopped in Torshavn instead of Runavik, Faroe Islands. There are no links today and no pictures either. If you have some please feel free to share with everyone. Thanks in advance! Please send rain to central Georgia as Annie @marshhawk asked! With temps in the 90’s and no rain in weeks, my Bermuda grass has hopefully gone dormant and not died. There are no sprinklers on to keep it alive. The water to our house is turned OFF right now. In fact we rarely if ever use the sprinklers on it but usually some rain shows up to keep it alive. If anyone knows a rain dance let us know! Otherwise, have a wonderful day. Try to stay safe and keep well!

Good morning friends! As planned Zuiderdam pulled into Reykjavik before 8 a.m. Skies were heavily overcast, temperature was 50F and it appeared to have rained already though I couldn’t see if it was at that moment. Rain is in the forecast and I’m hoping that doesn’t mean all day for the next two days. We leave port Saturday night at 6 p.m. Cough is better but stomach still not good. I am eating very lightly. If I don’t go home lighter in weight after this cruise, I give up! Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. I can go along with the yoga, Litha and making music. Confused with the quote. Will pass on the grilled eggplant salad, Yellow Hammer drink and the wine. Makes life simple. In 1788 there must have been much celebration with the U.S. Constitution going into effect. Thanks again today to Debbie @dfishDixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your food and beverage reports. Prayers for DB, Alex’s twin boys, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held and our brave men and women in the military assigned to that volatile region. Many prayers for my friends here in need of them, Jacqui, Tana, Terri and Jim, Annie and Chuck, Pennie, Elizabeth, Roy, Richard and Maureen. Nice to hear Terry’s @smitty34877 DB is coming for a visit again and to give a hand in her home. Vanessa @JazzyV I hope your BFF is closer to gaining his full function again so you two can get back to normal lives! Cheers today for all celebrating happy events and cruises! Enjoy them while you can. Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for the list work again today. Great job! I saw the discussion yesterday on Jan Stearman. We knew her as our CD two times on Seabourn, in 2016 and 2018. What a lovely lady she is! Here she is with DH. Our port today is Bodo, Norway, one I’ve never heard of before. First time for it so no links today. And I obviously haven’t been there so hope someone here may have been the lucky one to give it a try. I don’t see this port on the current list on the Holland America site so perhaps it was there in the past. Enjoy your start to the weekend. Try to stay safe and keep well.