StLouisCruisers

Hope you've all had a nice day today. We went out together to trim that crape myrtle and spent several hours doing it. DH used the lopper to cut back to an appropriate spot and I gathered all the limbs and stacked them together while cutting smaller pieces into small pieces and putting in a bag for taking away. When he was finished we both worked on cutting up the branches. Needless to say my back is protesting. I've been using the heating pad on my lower back all afternoon. Check that job off the list. Just heard FC Dallas beat this particular Houston team 6-0 but DS says they brought a bum squad so not as exciting. Ray, it's always interesting when we find out we've shared part of a cruise before with other Dailyites. We had an excellent time on that cruise. Your new Subaru is quite nice! My DDIL used to drive Subarus and I drove them while visiting and driving kids around. They were quite easy to drive and had good visibility. The latest Outback is what Ren is driving now. DDIL moved on to a BMW SUV. Enjoy that new car! My next door neighbors have been on the Riviera since Dec. 29 on an Asia cruise, 45 days. They are arriving in Laem Chabang shortly for an overnight stay and disembark the 12th, home on the 13th. They seem to like Oceania a lot. It was my pleasure to help you out last year while you were hospitalized and unable to handle anything extra afterwards. And it was so kind of Vanessa @JazzyV to take over for both of us. We certainly appreciate all the time you've spent doing the lists for the Fleet Report and Daily! You're welcome Jane. Muroran must not be that popular on the itineraries but we enjoyed it in spite of the rain. My DM needed open heart surgery for repair of 2 valves (received pig valves!) and lived quite a long time afterward. I'm not sure of the exact year of the surgery but she lived 10-15 years with the new valves doing the job for her. I wish you all the best as you go through the procedures and hopefully will be back to good health very soon.🙏

Bon Voyage everyone! Happy sailing.🥂

Muroran, Japan In 2010 we took a Diamond Princess cruise from Bangkok to Anchorage. After visiting Vietnam, Taiwan, China, S. Korea and Russia we stopped in Muroran, Japan. When we arrived it was raining lightly. We had that same weather in several other ports but it always seemed to stop raining by sail away time! Before we arrived in Japan we were notified that we would have to turn off the ship’s satellite receiver in Japanese territorial waters. So we had no internet or TV for 23 hours. We also had to have our temperatures taken by thermal imaging before the ship arrived in Muroran. They were very strict but as the ship’s comedian said “Hey, I thought WE won the war!” We had a nice welcome from the locals. I noticed all this luggage under the tarp and wonder if some of our passengers planned to disembark before the long journey to Alaska. Our friends from Myrtle Beach were with us, and took this photo of us in the terminal. We didn’t have a tour to Sapporo but we did take a local bus into town so were dropped off at this little area with tents and vendors out, even in the rain. We found one spot where you could get a beer and barbecue on a stick. Another had samples of sake. There was one place you could try on kimonos, which this lady did. We didn’t know her but she seemed happy to show everyone. Displays of local handmade crafts I’m not sure what this building is but it's interesting looking. Or the stones with Japanese writing on them. Later we walked around a bit and saw this temple on a side street and walked up to take a look. We also saw this house with the name Honda on the front of it. If it hadn’t been raining we would have walked around more. Time to head back to the Diamond Princess. We noticed no business at the gas station on our way back, as seen from our bus window. By sail away that afternoon the skies would clear as they usually did that week, and we enjoyed our last glimpse of land for a while. We had 8 days until we reached Whittier, then a long day in Anchorage waiting for our 10:15 pm flight home. On the way back across the Pacific we crossed the International Dateline and had two May 10ths. We called it Groundhog Day. Great memories from that cruise.

Good morning friends! It is 55 and cloudy this morning. We expect a high of about 65 with a chance of afternoon showers. We're going outside in a few hours and will trim the crape myrtle and cut up the limbs for disposal. That's our job for the day. Except of course the usual weekly laundry which shouldn't take me too long. Then more cross stitch work while watching my Hallmark Mysteries. I got lots more sleep last night (6 hours?) so feel ready to tackle everything. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the maps. We shouldn't forget our pal Rich @richwmn who compiled all the info for us to ponder and enjoy each and every day! I can remember us celebrating All the News That's Fit to Print before and think that's a fine motto for a newspaper to live by. A salute to Chinese New Year and Cream Cheese Brownie Day. Yum! Mark Twain's quote is thought provoking for sure. Can you imagine watching your wrinkles disappear?? I love green bean casserole and the more crispy onions the better. Not sure if I'd like a Pink Frost cocktail but maybe on the white wine. Many things happened in the past on this date that were essential for the future. Thanks today to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepardfor reporting on the food and beverages. Great job! Prayers were said before I hopped out of bed for the treadmill early today. Of course DGD and DB were top of my list, and my friends Scott and Bob followed right after. Everyone here on the Daily with health issues, suffering pain and loss of loved ones, worries and stress are included next. And those at war in Israel and Ukraine, the poor hostages held still and the troops in danger every second of their day. I hope they are staying super vigilant and we appreciate them for doing their duties to protect everyone. 🙏 Happy Birthday wishes to all celebrating including Elizabeth @Haljo1935 and those with anniversaries this date. 🥂 Congrats to everyone cruising! 🎂 A big thank you to Vanessa @JazzyV who continues to keep up the lists one year later after I left for my Caribbean cruise on Feb. 10, 2023. Never could we have imagined what the following year would hold! You are a rock star!🌟 Today is a soccer game in Frisco from 1 to 3 pm and it looks like it may be raining all day there. Should be interesting to hear what happens. I know I wouldn't want to run around a field slipping and sliding for that long. ⚽🌧️ The port this morning is Muroran, Japan, another first time port for us! Therefore I have no links to post for you. I don't know if Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser has been there before so I'll leave that up to her. I have been there once, believe it or not, so will pick out some photos of our short time spent there. I do hope everyone here has a nice day, filled with fun and interesting things to do - not ALL work please! Remember to keep safe and stay well!

Oh yes, I forgot. We couldn't get outside to prune the tree because the lawn services company came by and sprayed the lawn for pre-emergent weed killer. We were advised to not be on the lawn for a while. Also they want you to water it in within 48 hours which with the rains headed our way Saturday and Sunday should be perfect. We also got the groceries and Home Depot run made this morning. However no time for a nap! Maybe I'll catch up tonight.😴

Vanessa, it's great to hear you got a whole 3.5 hours last night. Sounds crazy but after all you've been through it's decent. I'm glad you have some dates now for floor repair and furniture moving. Thank you for your comments! She's so busy with work and school I hope she can take some time to look at a few places soon. I don't know the areas around there that would be convenient for her. She doesn't even have to live at the USF campus anmore because she has one class a week (several days) and it's an hour away from the main USF campus. I'm thinking more like St. Pete. In addition she has two classes that are online so no going to a building. Then the Aquarium job is between the two in South Tampa. @RedneckBob probably knows what I'm talking about. I know you all enjoyed time spent together at dinner this evening. Thanks Jacqui. She's such a doll, who wouldn't want to help her out dealing with this horrible situation? Halloween 2005 - 3 years old. I made the costume! And 3 days after the robbery putting on a brave face with her Grandpa. Totally agree. We would do anything to help her out. If you haven't already deleted it, or can retrieve it from trash, I think it would be nice to reply and give the young lady a chance to correct her mistake and resend to the appropriate person. Maybe they really need the job and are crushed not to hear back from their application. What do you think?

We take safety for granted too, Ann. Imagine someone robbing you on your front porch with a gun in your face, and you having to live there after that. I can't imagine it and I don't want to! We talked to DD this morning before school started and told her we wanted to talk to Morgan about moving out of her apartment and finding a new place where she will feel safer. Morgan says she's afraid to go home because she has to park in that garage and take that same stairwell to her floor. She currently lives with several other girls and they split the rent and a small utilities amount every month, and she has a lease until sometime in July. We texted her to call us after we went to get groceries. So during Morgan's lunch hour (working today at the Aquarium) she phoned us and we told her we want her to look for a new place away from campus and where she will feel safe. We will pay her current rent for her share of the apartment and she can move out just as quick as she can find something better. We said we don't ever want repayment, just ask that you try more therapy to help with all your anxiety. She couldn't believe it. We told her her safety is very important to every one of us and we all love her so much. I hope she can find something soon. And she needs to reassure her roommates she's not running out on her portion of the rent. That's done! Just get yourself out of there so you can begin to feel like your old self again is what we told her. I hope she's feeling a bit lighter than when she went to work today. 🙏 Gerry, good luck to DH at his assessment today and I hope he can get that scan soon. Enjoy your Friday night pizza night! Karen, thank you for your prayers. Thank you so much Graham. Terry I'm so glad you got more sleep last night and am glad Tana isn't worse, but would prefer to hear she's feeling a lot better. She must be sick of all those antibiotics especially with the side effects. No fever sounds good, too. Thank you Joy for sending up prayers for everyone. DD has her own set of problems with things going on at school. Sometimes they have to deal with very difficult situations and it wears on the staff as they are trying their best to help their students. I hope Allen has a good doctor visit today! Thanks Jacqui. We're certainly encouraging her to continue. Thanks Graham. We always have a very positive experience there and love seeing it on the itinerary. Thanks so much for the suggestion for the EMDR therapy Laura, Terry and Denise. I haven't heard of it but will speak with DD first to see if she'd like to suggest it. We are wondering if Morgan has benefits that include therapy with her full time job at the Florida Aquarium (not the one in Clearwater) so she plans to talk to her about that. DD wants to drive down to Tampa to see Morgan during spring break at her Ohio school where she teaches, and wondered if I would like to drive down with her. I suggested we take DH along too! He's retired! But that is at the end of March, and we felt Morgan needed something positive to happen in her life before the end of March. Thus the plan to help her move out. I hope I have encouraging news on that front in the next two weeks.

Here are Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser photos from St. Peter Port. We have been to St. Peter Port three times on BHBs, and never missed the port. I sure thought we'd been there more. In 2004, when the Noordam III stopped, it was a overcast and dreary day. We took a city bus that made a loop of the island, but I don't have any pictures from the bus ride. Here a a few from our walk around the harbor. It was very low tide when these pictures were taken One of Noordam's tenders We were back in St. Peter Port on the Prinsendam in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, we walked over to the war museum and then to Castle Cornet that is in the background of the picture just above this. In 2016, there was a lady near the museum entrance selling her book about her experiences in St. Peter Port during the war. It was fascinating to talk to her and hear some of her stories. I now regret that I didn't buy the book. A couple of pictures as we walked from the museum to the castle. The swimming area along the beach with the Prinsendam and a P&O ship in the background. Castle Cornet Pictures from our walks around St Peter Port. Most were taken in 2016, but there are one or two from 2017 when we just walked into town, did a little shopping and went back to the ship. We went in the church in the picture above. According to Google Maps, the church is called Town Church. More pictures from our walks around town. Lenda

I'll post my photos of St. Peter Port, Guernsey now. These were from May, 2019 on the Prinsendam. We were also there in Sept. 2018 also on Prinsendam and May, 2015 on Royal Princess. The view from the ship and tender ride. The Castle Cornet, an old harbor fortress. Your view as you leave the tender pier. Cute signs around town, but the second one needed a proofreader. You'd thiink they'd get the island name correct. Taken from the lawn at Candie Gardens, our beloved Prinsendam in the distance. There's always something blooming there. Our journey down the hill and one of the charming streets. Sunset on the Prinsendam that day, May 5, 2019, taken through the dining room window. On prior visits we visited other places around town so I'll check for some photos from then. I always enjoy this particular port and have been lucky to be able to tender in each visit due to decent weather. Not always true unfortunately for some cruisers. The September 14, 2018 stop at St. Peter Port on Prinsendam started out sunny but clouds arrived shortly after we got to shore. From the pier we turned left and walked towards the La Valette bathing pools near the Underground Military Museum. I'd be a little worried about bathing near those rocks, though. A nice view from over here though. We popped our heads into the Underground Military Museum but didn't want to spend our time underground so didn't go any farther than the entrance. The people of Guernsey were under German occupation during WWII. I've read the novel that describes the occupation twice now, and really enjoyed it. It's called "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I highly recommend it. You'll understand the title when you get into the book. This port is a hilly one and on this second time here we found these stairs to move up to a different street. From the top looking down. Someone's gate which I find unique. Their view Look at this private property, called Grange Court. Some lovely residences. Our next stop was Victoria Tower which was erected in honor of a visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1846. Interesting that they let you borrow the key to go inside. The cannon is one of two German WWI cannons buried as the second WW approached in 1940 so that the invading German forces would think the island wasn't fortified. The two German cannons were excavated in 1978 and are back on display in the garden there. Next we walked through the Candie Cemetery (which runs alongside the Candie Gardens). Back to the ship! There's always lots to see here!

Good morning friends! It's a little warmer today at 43F and we will experience a mostly cloudy day with a high of around 67. We need to get some groceries and DH says he plans on pruning the crape myrtle tree since February is the best month to do that. It grows back into a flowering tree by summer. I woke up at 2:30 am and could not get back to sleep so may need to take a nap today after only 4 hours of sleep. I was worrying about DGD Morgan who is still suffering from the trauma of being held up by a gun toting robber. She is very afraid and breaks into tears easily. Please keep her in your prayers. 🙏 My DD is also quite upset and worried about her daughter so far from home. Morgan has only gone for therapy one time and we are all encouraging her to delve deeper into that. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. If you have a mild climate you might want to bike to work in winter. Bagels and lox are popular with some of us. I don't plan on cutting the cord anytime soon. I like the quote, and the slow cooker stew sounds delicious. No thanks on the drink or wine. Interesting fact about Massachusetts, and I truly do remember the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. So exciting to a nearly 14 year old girl! Thanks to our F&B Dept. reporters Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard. Heartfelt prayers said this morning for DGD Morgan, DB, my friends Scott and Bob and their supportive spouses. Then the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages held, and our troops in danger's way. And finally my friends here on the Daily listed on the Care list and many who are not. Prayers for lessening pain, recovery from medical procedures and for those awaiting them. Also everyone who suffered losses and worry. 🙏 Guess that includes me now. 😢 So sorry to hear of your friend Lynda's death @1ANGELCAT. A shocking loss after the passing of her husband so recently. And I'm sending my congratulations to everyone celebrating happy things in their lives and for those who get to cruise right now. 🎂🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for your fine work in managing the lists for us even with pain and little to no sleep. We admire your perseverance and dedication. The port today is St. Peter Port, Guernsey. What a nice port of call to visit! We have been there three times and were lucky enough to not miss it due to weather. This was our port three times already on Dec. 30, 2021, July 8, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2023. I'll post the links below and then retrieve photos for myself and Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser. Hoping everyone has a good day and don't forget it's Pizza Day as @1ANGELCAT said. Perfect for Gerry @ger_77!! Stay safe and keep well!

🤣 My gosh, how do you survive on that one hour of sleep? This is crazy. I really hope you can get some different kind of pain med to tide you over the next few weeks. I couldn't do cross stitching without a good eyeglass prescription, plus a decent magnifying glass to see what some of those icons are on the instruction chart. I hope you can finish the project for BFF sometime soon. You've got too much on your plate right now but when things improve, I hope you'll try working on it.

Prayers for those involved in that whole incident, and I'm glad to hear the police officers aren't seriously wounded. Unfortunately they found the 5 Marines dead after a training mission accident with their helicopter. May they RIP. Prayers to their families.🙏 Just to correct a misstatement I made earlier this morning and cannot edit. The replacement port on our fall cruise is Cagliari, Italy on the island of Sardinia, not Sicily.

This morning I see a change to an upcoming itinerary from Algiers, Algeria to Cagliari, Italy on the island of Sicily. We've been to Cagliari but not Algiers so this isn't a good change for us, but Sicily is a nice place to visit and we'll make the most of it. Here's my last post about Catania which was a beautiful spot to stop at. On Dec. 3, 2018 Pacific Princess arrived in Catania on the island of Sicily. The view from breakfast was Mt. Etna. It was a nice sunny day so we prepared to walk through the town since this was our first visit there. We saw many large ornate buildings and it began to get confusing. For instance, this one. And this one Did you notice this elephant out front? This cathedral was pretty and had a nice interior. How about this confessional? Across from the Cathedral If you walk through this arched opening you will find the farmer's market. Yikes! Another large ornate building? Enough of that. On our way back to the ship we found this archeological site of an ancient theater. Back to the ship to relax. Glad I saw this port because it's not on many itineraries.

Good morning friends! Again today our temp is 33 with a high of about 60 expected, but we will see more clouds than sun unfortunately. 🌤️ Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. 👍 A few good days today to honor or celebrate. The Boy Scout organization is a good way to develop our nation's next leaders. (Same for Girl Scouts) Giving Hearts Day is a bit vague, but Laugh and Get Rich Day sounds like fun. No comment on the quote, pass on the goulash and cocktail but I'd gladly try the Sauvignon Blanc. A good day for Isaac Newton way back in 1672. Thanks to the F&B Dept. reporters, Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard. Prayers for my DB and friend Scott in Arizona, his wife Susan, friend Bob and his wife Sandy.🙏 In addition my prayers go to the people in Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held and the military members under attack while patrolling the seas in the region and at the bases nearby. 🙏 And last but not least the Daily folks who are in need of prayer due to pain, under treatment for health problems, worry and stress, and loss of loved ones.🙏 Special mentions are Vanessa, Roy, Annie and Chuck, Tana, Terry, Terri and Jim, Jane, Bruno's DD David, and Joy's friend Ron. 🙏 Prayers also to those 5 missing crew members of the helicopter that went missing in California and those involved in the ambush and house fire near Philadelphia. We keep busy with all our prayers here on the Daily!🙏 Congrats to everyone celebrating something and the cruisers enjoying their relaxation time.🥂 Bon Voyage Katherine and Bill @Lady Hudson. 🚢 I hope Bill's sister is doing better now. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for setting up the lists for us every day! ❤️ The port this morning is Catania, Italy (Sicily). This was the port once before last year on June 7, 2023. We enjoyed a sunny day there back in Dec. 2018 on the Pacific Princess. I'll post my photos next but here is the link to help you retrieve your photos of Catania. I checked and there are no photos to post for Lenda. I made huge progress on the cross stitch Christmas stocking yesterday. I will continue on that today. I hope everyone here has a good Thursday and remember to stay safe and keep well.

Bon Voyage! And happy Valentine's day!

Sounds like one of your FCD's expired and they are reimbursing you. Usually it goes back to your credit card but that card could be expired, etc.

I see what you're saying and I have no idea what the problem is showing zero views. Last night I tried to check CC but they were having problems and I couldn't get to any topics to read. This morning I was emailed by CC and told I had reached a new level; +10,000 club. However, I reached that level a while back and now have almost 12,000 posts. Not sure why they have so many problems with post counting.🤷‍♀️

Looks like an awesome tour Carolyn! Thanks for the photos.

Here are Lenda's photos of St. Thomas from the Aug. 18, 2023 Daily. We have been to St. Thomas many times beginning in 1987 on our first cruise. It was on the Costa Daphne, and we arrived at the ship in San Juan on Saturday, and our luggage arrived on the ship on Monday in Martinique. We were still hooked on cruising. We have only been to St. Thomas once since we got digital cameras. That was in 2004 on the Golden Princess, on our older DD and DSIL's wedding cruise. They were married by the captain on a sea day. That is the easy way to have a wedding. We spent the day in St Thomas with DD and DSIL looking for the perfect sapphire for DD. And she found the one she wanted at a reasonable price. I don't have too many pictures from our day in St. Thomas. The first two are from the ship. This one is from the shuttle into town. The moon over St. Thomas The most crowded we've seen St. Thomas was in December 1998 on older DD's college graduation cruise. There were 11 ships in port that day. The Ryndam was able to dock at Havensight, and there were ships docked at Crown Bay. The rest were anchored in the bay, except for the Norway which had to anchor outside the bay because of her draft. Walking down the main shopping street was a challenge since it was wall to wall people, even in the street. Lenda

I remember our first stop at Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas, Dec. 2003. It was only our second cruise and in those days we didn't go too far from the U.S. We also didn't take long cruises at that time due to DH's work schedule. On that day, we took a little tour which drove us around getting an overall look at the island. Then we did some shopping and bought me something sparkly! Ships docked at Havensight. And the opposite direction at Crown Bay. Looks like there could be a BHB docked there to me. Our open air van driving us around the island Beautiful Magens Bay Next stop was St. Peter Greathouse which also had lovely views Time for dinner, but enjoying the view from the balcony. Happy to be wearing my new diamond slide pendant too! Little did I know how big a part of our lives cruising would become.

Good morning friends! Another chilly morning at 33F but again we will have sunny skies and a high temp of around 60. Another round of rainy days are expected here Saturday through Monday. Thanks to Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet maps. We can celebrate e-day even if we're not mathematically inclined, ballet day despite the fact we can't stand on one foot for more than 5 seconds, and school play day just because it might be fun! I can see where Socrates might be onto something with that quote. Oh no, acorn squash has become the new butternut squash. No thanks to the bikini martini or the pinot noir. Most of the days in history celebrated today are memorable. Thank you to Eva @superoma, Paul @kochleffel and Ann @cat shepard for the food and beverage reports for today. Prayers for my DB and friend Scott, the people of Israel (4 months later) and Ukraine (2 years later) and the hostages still held, the troops in harm's way, and the people of the Daily on the Care list. There are many including Vanessa @JazzyV, Tana and Terry @smitty34877, Terry @Cruzin Terri after her fall, Roy @rafinmd, Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando, Jane @lazey1, all the DH's with health issues, and several other Dailyites in pain. 🙏 Cheers to all of us celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and to all the cruisers! 🥂🎂🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for handling that job for all of us even with all you go through every day!❤️ The port for Wednesday is St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, a popular Caribbean port of call. This was the port of the day three previous times - Nov. 3, 2022, July 27, 2023 and Aug. 18, 2023. Here are the links for your convenience. I'll post photos for Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiserand myself afterward. Please do join in with yours since we all enjoy doing different things there. Hoping for better health for all! Have a great day.

Bruce, Cruisemapper.com shows you very close to Papeete moving at 11 knots and that is what the destination shows on Azamara Onward.

And Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser's second post. I'll finish our 2018 tour, and I did find a few of downtown Manila that aren't horrible. From the Jeepney factory, we went to Taal Lake for a buffet lunch of Filipino food, and a view of the lake and Taal Volcano, which erupted in 2020. A view of the lake, which is a caldera with a cone inside. It was very humid so the distance pictures are a little hazy. Next door to the hotel The hotel and the grounds. On the way back to Manila, we stopped at a roadside market where they were selling fruit and flowers. Manila traffic One of their malls A quick view of some of downtown from the bus We had another band for our sail away. One last view of Manila The next morning, we saw a lot of these little boats near the ship. We were told that the fishermen rowed our to the fishing grounds. This was many miles off shore. Lenda

Here are Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser's photos for Manila that she previously posted. We were in Manila on October 31, 2018, on Coral Princess. As far as Manila itself was concerned, we did a quick drive through of the city, and my pictures out the bus window are not good. We did a tour that took us out of the city to Taal Lake, with stops along the way. The view of Manila as we sailed into port. We were greeted by one of the local bands. A couple of pictures of the Jeepneys that are the main "public" transportation in the Philippines. Some have set routes. They were originally made from Jeeps left at the end of WWII, but now they use many different vehicles. Our first stop St. Joseph Parish Church in Las Pilas to see the 19th century bamboo organ. Our next stop was the Jeepney "factory", the term used in the tour description. I'll let you decide if it's a factory. And their inventory control. In another post I'll share pictures of our final destination and the trip back to the dock. Lenda