StLouisCruisers

We saw Manzanillo on our first South American cruise. On March 15, 2012 the Star Princess was preparing to dock in Manzanillo, Mexico. As you can see from this photo the town was built on and around several large hills which would later cause lots of confusion trying to walk around seeing the sights. Star Princess was our first cruise ship ever, in 2002 we took a cruise in Alaska on her. Those were the good ol' days! Manzanillo is know for this sailfish statue. We noticed pick up trucks like this driving around town with officers in the bed of the truck holding weapons. Made you wonder how much crime there was there. 😬 We found some interesting places like this open air shop where a lady was making tortillas. And the market where they sold fish, fruits and vegetables. But we continued to find with those big hills all over town, that you would find yourself going down dead end streets so would have to backtrack to find your way out. We also noticed fewer cruise ship passengers and other tourists around so we decided it would be safer to get back to the more populated areas. Especially after seeing the large police presence. Back to the waterfront. Look at this amazing shrub shaped like a boat. Happy memories of cruises past.

Good morning friends! This Monday morning the temp is 56F. We should reach 84 and have mostly sunny skies all day. It feels like summer instead of spring! 🌞 Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. An appropriate day for Graham @grapau27 to pick up his breakfast and coffee at McDonald's. ASL Day is a great way to recognize sign language and One Boston Day is important to remember those who lost their lives on Boston Marathon Day 2013. The quote is another crazy Richard Lewis quote. I'm not a huge fan of beets but Mom still served them. I will again pass on the cocktail and wine. It's hard to think about the sinking of the Titanic, but baseball great Jackie Robinson is a different story. What a guy! Thanks to our reporters Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their hard work. Prayers this morning for my twin Linda who is at the hospital right now preparing to have surgery on her torn rotator cuff. She hopes to be out of recovery and home by noon her time. Also for DB with his IPF, and great nephew Alex's unborn twins. Major prayers for the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still being held, and our men and women in uniform in the Middle East. And of course we wouldn't forget our prayers for those here on the Care list. 🙏 So many have lost loved ones and friends recently and we send our support for you. Hoping for better times for Tana and Vanessa @JazzyV, and less pain for anyone suffering from it. Congrats to everyone celebrating special events today and those lucky cruisers! Enjoy yourselves! 🥂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for continuing to serve the Daily with the list keeping chores. Prayers for you each day and hoping for good things ahead of you. ❤️ Today's port is Manzanillo, Mexico. This was port of the day twice before on Nov. 8, 2021 and June 17, 2022. We were there one time and have some photos to share. Here's the links for you if you need them for posting your own photos. Hoping you all have a great day, and remember to stay safe and keep well.🙂

If everyone will bear with me reposting the February tree, it's easier to repost than go find the date. I really liked the romantic shades of pink and mauve. I love the little beaded hearts! Clearly not your usual red Valentine colors. Well, I'm sorry you didn't get a lot accomplished on your project but that just means you were having a very good time doing other things. I'm taking mine with me on the upcoming transatlantic, and I usually join the knitting ladies to create our projects together. I hope to get something done while away! I understand about the light/magnifier. Even at home during the day with north windows behind me I turn on the lamp right next to me. I hate to use that electricity but it's necessary to see well enough.

Carolyn thank you! So glad you like it. Did you see he romantic Valentine's Day tree? It's a lot different than usual. You were cruising so I'm not sure what you saw. Terry, that makes me happy hearing you smiled at the tree sombrero(s). I'm glad I could help get you out of that funk. Edited to show the margaritas in a different photo. I see it had maracas too!

Thank you Graham. She certainly has a gift. My pleasure, Melanie! I know your expedition cruise to Antarctica will be amazing and something you'll never forget. Congrats! Best wishes and prayers for little Murphy, that she continues to recover and get stronger. I'm sorry to hear about your nasty neighbor and how unsafe and uncomfortable he makes you feel. It would be a dream come true for HIM to sell his house and move, but if you decide to sell and move I hope it all works out perfectly for you both. Congrats on your professor's amazing comments on your presentation. You must feel pretty satisfied with that assessment! Thank you Nancy for your nice comments on DD's tree. I know she appreciates it when I tell her what everyone says. Thank you too Elizabeth. So nice of you to say about the tree. So, if your lake isn't too big in the back yard maybe the lawn guy could mow around it and at least make the rest of the yard look presentable. You may have to put a French drain in that low spot. We had one in one of our St. Louis backyards. When we sold the house the new owners dug up the whole lawn and put a pool in. 🏊‍♀️ Your advice about New Hampshire is not a bad one actually. I would consider NH over Vermont if I was moving to the Northeast.

Since I have no photos of the port today let's enjoy the latest celebration tree in DD's foyer. She's ready for Cinco de Mayo and a margarita! I just remembered that May 5th we will all be in Tampa going to DGD Morgan's graduation. Definitely will be celebrating that day!

Good morning friends! It's about 48 and clear right now. Today will be mostly sunny and 82F. Thanks Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the excellent fleet location maps. Today we can enjoy Moments of Laughter and dolphins, but I know very few folks who enjoy an ex-spouse. None here for me thank goodness! Today I would like the bean and barley soup, but don't care for drinks like gin martinis, and doubt I'd like the wine (Syrah). What a terrible day in 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed. A big day for dictionaries in 1828. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today. Prayers abound this morning for peace in the world, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still missing, and our military members on bases and at sea in the region. Special prayers for DB, great nephew Alex's twins, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy. Fervently praying for our friends here on the Daily, especially Tana and Vanessa @JazzyV, all who have lost loved ones and friends recently. Hoping for improvement in pain relief, healing and that upcoming surgeries are successful. Prayers also for the crew member who was lost at sea on the Rotterdam, and the ill crew member who was moved to Florida for treatment. 🙏🙏 Cheers for all celebrating special events and enjoying their cruises. 🥂🎉🎂🚢 Thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for posting our C&C lists each day. Prayers for your situation everyday! The port today is Hiroshima, Japan. It was the port once before on Jan. 16, 2023. I have not been to Hiroshima before and have no photos today. Here is the link for your convenience in retrieving your own photos. Hoping for better news for our world, and please everyone stay safe and keep well.🌎

Heartbreaking news. Sympathy to the family, friends and crew on the Rotterdam.

Bon Voyage to all on these wonderful voyages!

I spent some time in the Nap Room this afternoon getting a few zzz's in. Sleep maintenance. I did a couple loads of laundry today and did a lot of cross stitching so a productive day all in all. That's a beauty! I like the wheels too. I hope the driveway is fully repaired now. Good luck to Chuck on Monday with his PET scan. Bruno, I know this time is a very busy one with all the planning involved. You will get through it and everything will be just the way DD would have wanted it. Remember to take some time for yourself. Hugs sent your way.🤗 Glad Aruba brings back such great memories! DH is getting to be the same way with long distance flights. No blood pressure medications for me. Usually it's at a safe level though when I go to the doctor's office it does rise 20 points! DH used to take Lisinopril but he never had the cough problem. That story is really sad in Honolulu. I feel terrible for the victims especially the family of the lady who died. 🙏 Nice one Brenda! My twin bought a '65 Mustang for her first car. It definitely wasn't a convertible though. Amazing when we look at the photos of ourselves as young adults. Sometimes it's hard to recognize ourselves! I think a lot of us would have loved to keep the first muscle car we owned. I had to sell mine to my Dad when I got married because as young newlyweds paying college tuition we could only afford one car payment. DH had a 1968 Firebird 350 HO. He would love to still have it but we sold it when our DD was less than a year old. It was the adult thing to do. Thanks for taking the time from your cruise to update things, Rich. I hope you both enjoy your cruise together and forget about "work"! It's almost impossible to keep the ship locations 100% accurate. Amen!! Absolutely!

Bruno, my thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Welcome to the Daily @ORTravelGal!🙂 Bon Voyage Maxine @AncientWanderer!🚢🎉

We have been to Aruba four times. Our trips to Oranjestad, Aruba were in 2006 (Crown Princess, 2016 (Westerdam), 2019 (Rotterdam) and 2022 (Volendam). Imagine my surprise on a previous date for port of the day, when I read @VMax1700 was in Aruba on March 18, 2016 on Oosterdam! We were there the same day on Westerdam. Here is a photo of the two ships together. The one on the left is Oosterdam Wish we'd known you then @VMax1700 as our Daily friend! Anyway, we enjoyed watching the parade go by. Actually we were there when they were setting up. The classic car parade was a favorite. We saw two of those light blue Thunderbirds that day and were amazed this small island had duplicate Thunderbirds. Liked the motorcycles too. I took a photo of this car because my first car was a silver 1968 Camaro, though it was a Rally Sport and not an SS. I bought it off the showroom floor about a week after getting my driver's license at age 18. I was working at Proctor and Gamble and needed a car to get to work in downtown St. Louis. Getting ready for some marching and playing. We saw this pelican, and I noticed a big iguana in the upper left of the photo on a rock, trying to blend in. Onward in our exploration. This is City Hall. It formerly was owned by Dr. Eloy Arends, but was sold to the government of Aruba in 1986 because his heir (son Jesus Arends) could no longer afford the maintenance. It was restored in 1997 and converted into City Hall. Pretty striking building IMO. We were first in Oranjestad in 2006 when we took our DD along on a Crown Princess cruise. That trip she did a little souvenir shopping for her kiddos. If you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere!

Good morning friends! Mornings seem to come fast, don't they? This morning is a chilly 44F but we will have a nice sunny 76F high later on. Today is officially Garage Sale day in our extremely large neighborhood. There are lists of homes participating but I saw only one in our "pod". That couple just moved in a few months ago. I have no intention of having a garage sale or even shopping at one today. We have enough stuff as it is.😉 I'd rather take a nap! Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. Interesting that making lunch count is a "day to recognize". Scrabble is a fun game but I haven't played it in ages. I looked up Borinqueneers and see it refers to soldiers from Puerto Rico. Kudos to them for their contributions. (Thanks to Graham @grapau27 who added his information on it while I typed). I admire the author of the quote for that achievement. I think I'll just pass on the meal, cocktail and wine again today. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepardfor your reports today. Prayers for DB, great nephew's twin sons, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops at sea and on bases in the region. Many prayers for our Daily friends in need of them. Those of you in pain, recovering from surgeries and procedures, suffering loss of loved ones, or with worries and stress. Extra prayers for Vanessa @JazzyV and Tana. Bruno @atexsix my condolences on the loss of your DD. I've been thinking of him lately. Terri @Cruzin Terri I'm sorry to hear you found the obituary of your friend who passed away several weeks ago. My sympathy on her loss too. Sending good thoughts to you Maureen @RMLincoln as you go through final days with your DSIL. Melanie @puppycanducruise that is shocking and sad news about your friend dying of breast cancer at age 46. I know she will be missed by many. So much bad news lately! Prayers for you all. 🙏 Cheers to our cruisers and all celebrating special events. 🎉🎂🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for your fine work keeping the lists up to date. We appreciate all you do even through your pain and exhaustion. 🙏 Port of the day is Oranjestad, Aruba, Dutch Antilles. This has been POTD before on April 6, 2021 and Dec. 4, 2023. Here are your links today. Hoping you all have an enjoyable day! Please stay safe and keep well.

Good evening. I had my appointment this afternoon at the ENT. Unfortunately I had to wait and wait and wait. I was about ready to tell them I was done, and head home. He finally came in and began the procedure. The permission form called it an upper respiratory endoscopy this visit, last time it was called a laryngoscopy but it was exactly the same. They numb your nasal passages and pass a tiny tube with camera through the nostrils into the throat down to the vocal cords. Everything still looks just fine. He said he could refer me to a pulmonologist. I told him I'd think about it and let them know later in the summer. Maybe I'll just live with the persistent cough. It's not like I cough all day long however it is annoying. Welcome to the Daily @LambKnuckles . Hope you hang around! We're pretty harmless. 😁 Sorry about the bad news today Terri @Cruzin Terri. Prayers for those who knew and loved her. 🙏 Will you be able to go to the funeral?

I was on the Amazon River cruise December of 2022 and did not post photos due to internet incompatibility with Shutterfly. We were there on Dawn Princess in 2004, Regal Princess in 2015 and Sky Princess in February of 2023. In 2015 we took a tour to see Chichen Itza Mayan ruins. We took Flat Stanley along with us!

Good morning friends! It is 50F now and we should have a sunny but windy day with a high of 68. Yesterday was quite windy with the winds howling. The next several days should be sunny as well so I hope these winds calm down. Thanks to Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn today. How appropriate that we are recognizing Big Wind Day after mentioning how windy it's been here lately. Human space flight is being held on the same day as the first person to orbit the earth back in 1961. Anytime you think of homeless children is a sad day. No comment for that quote, a lentil curry doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, another questionable cocktail, and I'd say that is a red wine from the description. So I'll pass on all the food and beverages today. Thanks anyway to our dear F&B Department ladies Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard. Prayers said on the treadmill for all here on our Care list, DB, the twin baby boys, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy, the people of Ukraine and Israel, the poor hostages still held, and our troops in the region. Hurray for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, those cruising and all our friends here on the Celebration list. Good luck to @Mr. Boston selling his home and good luck to Dixie @summer slope and George in getting reimbursed for the totaled golf cart. I hope you are both fully recovered soon. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the great lists, and I'm counting down the days with you for that surgery. I'm seeing the ENT this afternoon and hope he has some answers to my cough. I'm not that optimistic but gotta give it another chance. The port today is Cozumel, Mexico. This was the port before on Dec.10, 2022 and June 28, 2023. Here are the links for you. My photos will follow. We've visited Cozumel and the environs 3 times. We will probably get some groceries this morning and then later today that appointment I mentioned. I hope this doctor is an on time physician since the appointment isn't until 3:15. I probably won't get a lot done on the Christmas stocking work, but got quite a lot done yesterday. I am pretty much finished with the first lamb and kitten. Hope everyone has a good day today. Stay safe and keep well!

Thank you Graham. Four cute subjects!

Taking a break because my arms need a rest. Loving the pet pics! I don't have a pet but do have 2 granddogs and 2 great granddogs. Here for your enjoyment are Milo and Sadie L-R, the two "grands". Here is DGD Ashley's German Shepherd Finnegan, shortened to Finn. DGS Tyler doesn't put many photos out of his Golden Retriever Boomer but I did grab a snap of him today on Instagram apparently posted for National Pet Day. Wish we could see his face! Thanks for the info, Roy. I'm glad to hear the Navy still has those open houses. It was nice for relatives to see when visiting us. They always enjoyed Virginia Beach, too. But first and foremost was to see Colonial Williamsburg, and a day at Busch Gardens. Here is a Norfolk waterfront photo taken on the Spirit of Norfolk lunch cruise we took in June 1990 during the grandmothers' trip to see DD graduate from high school. Most of our photos were of each other. We did most of the things mentioned above plus Jamestown and Yorktown visits. The photo is a snapshot of a hard copy photo taken out of one of our photo albums. Old school! Have a good visit in Boston and Cape Cod! Going to the bridal shower and seeing the new babies sound like a great reason to travel, plus the new home tour. I guess I'm going to miss some bridal showers for Ashley while I'm away cruising for 70 days this summer. I'll make it up to her later. Wedding is Sept. 14 so had to make sure we were in the States between Morgan's graduation and Ashley's wedding. 🥳

Good morning friends! Well, we had rain starting around 8 last night and it continued steadily half the night. The temp is 64 with clouds and a chance of a shower at any time today. Windy this afternoon and a high of 73. Good luck to the Masters tournament with the inclement weather passing through. Thanks to Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. Let's recognize our pets, the song "Louie, Louie" and cleaning up our pantries. Nothing negative there. I enjoy the quote every time I hear it. That's quite a meal suggestion. As usual I skip the cocktail and don't know what the wine is yet. A big day in civil rights history in this country. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for the F&B reports today. Prayers for all here on the Care list and extra prayers for Vanessa's @JazzyV's BFF with his MOHS surgery, and for Terri's @Cruzin Terri's DH Jim at his appointment today. Hoping your trip to Italy goes on as planned. Prayers for all others and your family members and friends in need of them. More prayers for DB, great nephew Alex's baby boys, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy. Special prayers for the safety of the people of Ukraine and Israel, the hostages still not home, and our troops at sea and on bases in the region. Prayers for Vanessa's @JazzyV's pain and sleep problems and that the upcoming surgery goes well. Three cheers to those cruising and celebrating special events in their lives. Happy birthday wishes to Elizabeth's @Haljo1935's DH! Also for all the great sibling photos yesterday. I also enjoyed everyone's Petra photos. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the wonderful lists you keep each day for us! Today's port is a new one, Norfolk, Virginia. Some of the ships do make a stop there on Colonial America coastal cruises. And I haven't heard of this yet, but some could use it while the port of Baltimore is out of service. We lived near Norfolk (Williamsburg) during the early 1990's and enjoyed visiting the city a few times. We took a Spirit of Norfolk luncheon cruise with our mothers when DD graduated from high school. No digital photos. Plus I believe the Navy offers tours of a ship on Saturdays for the public, or at least they used to. Always interesting. So no links today, and no photos from me. Today will be a good day to continue cross stitching. I'll take breaks to do other chores that need doing including computer work. Hope you all have a great day! Stay safe and keep well!

Thanks Graham. I'm sure his parents are going to be very vigilant from here on out. Austin has no problem with peanuts and loves anything with peanut butter. Airlines now have almonds as a snack in addition to the usual peanuts, and he will be avoiding almonds. Austin's dad snacks on mixed nuts at home but Austin never did. They'll probably be taking mixed nuts off their pantry shelf now.

The restaurant we ate lunch at was called Alcantarah. They had a huge buffet inside but on the porch they were preparing a delicious chicken and vegetable stir fry dish. I think we cleaned them out of desserts! On the drive back to Aqaba we stopped at this shop and were able to have a restroom break. We had very nice clean restrooms which were much appreciated by this very tired group. See anything you like? I recommend the restaurant and the rest stop here highly.

We enjoyed a visit to Aqaba and Petra in October 2016 on the Emerald Princess. We took a private tour with a roll call group and it was excellent. Draining though with the heat so drink twice as much water as you think you should. I nearly fainted at the end and had to plop down on the ground to prevent injury as we got back to the visitor center. But I'd do it again in a heartbeat. On Oct. 10, 2016 our private tour group drove 2 hours from Aqaba past the Wadi Rum desert wilderness area and arrived at Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world. We arrived by 9 am which is a good thing since this is a very hot, dry area and it only gets hotter as the day goes on. The entrance to the visitor center. When you first start out there is an area on your left where they keep the horses. You can either ride a horse, take a cart, or walk. We walked. The long walkway here is called Bab Al Siq. Next you'll see the Obelisk Tomb. It's named after the four Indian obelisks that decorate the top of the tomb. This tomb has two stories to it. The Siq is a spectacular gorge that leads into the ancient city. The original channel cut in the walls to bring water into Petra can be seen, and in some places the original terracotta pipes are still in place. This is one of my favorite photos of DH walking through the curvy walled tunnel. One particular rock formation looked like a fish from the side but an elephant from the front. The elephant view The colors of the rock can vary widely. Most interesting are the many niches carved into the sandstone walls. Suddenly ahead we saw, through the gap in the rock, the magnificent Treasury! It rises to almost 128 feet and is intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, decorative bands, figures and more. It is crowned by an urn, which according to local legend conceals a pharaoh's treasure. To the left of the Treasury is this area to rest and shop. You could rent a camel for a ride here in case you were tiring from the walk. From the Treasury we proceeded on to the Street of Facades, the name given to the row of monumental tombs carved into the southern cliff face. The Theatre Our guide Zayed and some of the Royal Tombs. We walked as far as we could. All the way to the Nymphaeum, a semi-circular public fountain shaded by a 450 year old wild pistachio tree. No water here! Further down was the Colonnaded Street which would have been a shopping street in ancient Petra, but by now we were ready to turn back. We had miles to walk, uphill to return to our bus. When we walked back past the Treasury there were lots more people there. Glad we got there early! You had to watch out for carts and horses all the time or risk getting run over. On to lunch at a Petra restaurant in the next post.

Good morning friends! It's 57 here this morning. We will have a mostly cloudy day with a high of 76F and rain moving in tonight. Thanks Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. Hurray for farm animals, siblings and the founding of the Salvation Army. Love the quote, hate stuffed cabbage, the drink sounds terrible and I'm not a red wine drinker. It's a very interesting day in history. Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for the reports on food and beverage every day. Prayers were said before hopping onto the treadmill at 5. The list never seems to get shorter unfortunately. Still praying for DB, great nephew Alex's twin babies, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy, the people in Israel and Ukraine, the 133 hostages still held and thought to be alive, the military members we have in the region, and most especially for my Daily friends on the Care list. Hoping Tana is recovered from the pneumonia, and that Vanessa was able to sleep some. Also wishing for less pain and good healing for all. Cheers to those celebrating special events and enjoying cruises! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for continuing to work so hard on the lists each day! The port today is Aqaba, Jordan (for Petra). This was the port before on July 27, 2021, Aug. 26, 2022, and May 26, 2023. We went there once and really enjoyed it. Here are the links to help with your photos. I know you'll enjoy seeing them. Hope you all have a great, productive day! Stay safe and keep well!

It was the first time he'd eaten a walnut and that is his allergy trigger. They advised him not to eat any tree nut though. I assume if he'd eaten a walnut 5 years ago he would have had the same reaction. Even though they only use a tiny ***** of the walnut material on his arm he had an instant reaction and started having chest tightening and other signs. Exactly right Annie. His paternal grandfather kept pushing him to try the fudge and he had this terrible reaction. They phoned DD back in Ohio and she said do not let him go to sleep, take him to the ER right now. Even Austin didn't complain about having to go, he wanted to go get help. It must have been frightening. I enjoyed your stories of life in France, and traveling back and forth on the Cunard ships as a child. Yes, he has to have two epi-pens with him at all times. The school nurse thought they should keep one and Austin the second one, but the allergist disagreed with that and most of the other advice the school nurse gave. The school can keep one on hand for him, but she wants Austin to keep two for himself, in case one dose doesn't help and he has a second reaction 20 minutes later. At the doctor's office they had to put an albuterol tablet under his tongue when his throat and chest began tightening with the tiny test amount reaction.