StLouisCruisers

I need to go back and read this afternoon's comments and posts because it's been very busy especially with travel advice (which is a great advantage of being on Cruise Critic). But there was a news conference and the Hampton shooter has been engaged and was shot and killed this afternoon. It happened in a county next to Henry County, Clayton county just north of Hampton. Two officers were shot, both are going to be fine. The names of the victims were read and they are a husband and wife, and two other men, all between the ages of 65 and 67 years old. All lived in the neighborhood, including the shooter. He was driving one of the victims' SUV. No other information at this time but all are relieved though greatly saddened since Hampton is a small town and everybody says they know everyone else in town. Prayers for them and the families of the victims.🙏

Annie @marshhawk the clock begins its magic at 12 noon. Here is an article about it. Maybe try to look at a map of Messina or Google it so you can see where it's located and can get there on time. What time are you in Messina? https://www.messinarte.it/the-bell-tower-of-the-cathedral-of-messina/ When you get to Santorini you will need to get up to the top of the hill to enjoy the town. There is a cable car you can buy tickets to. I don't recommend the donkey ride up there!

Bon Voyage!! Going to be boarding in two weeks!

If you could report back about your ability to get to the port in a timely manner, I would love to hear about it. We will be staying in Revere at the Choice Hotel Logan International airport, and planned on taking a taxi. Do you think that will be a bad idea due to sitting in traffic? Also planned to take a taxi to the airport from the ship Aug. 23 so hope someone will be able to advise what is the best way to get there.

I haven't mentioned it yet but I'm sure many of you heard about the shootings yesterday in Hampton, Georgia. We are very near Hampton (like less than 8 miles away), and that is the location of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sadly, some person went berserk and began roaming a neighborhood shooting people. Three men and one woman were killed. The shooter is still on the run so I'm glad we have a gated neighborhood, but I'm sure a killer like that would be able to just drive through the arms that raise and lower at the entrance and get into our neighborhood if they wanted to. The security people at the entrance are surely on the watch though. Praying they find this murderer so he can punished, and for the families and friends of the victims of this crime.🙏 May they rest in peace.😢 Thank you so much, Graham! Really hoping there is no flooding anywhere in the Northeast. In two weeks I'll be in Boston embarking on the Zaadam and don't need any impediments to getting to the port. Stay safe! I was thinking yesterday Melanie that I'm glad I memorized the Lord's Prayer and Hail Mary as a child, as I repeated them over and over during prayers on the treadmill. I had a lot more brain cells back then! It wouldn't be great if I had to look those prayers up every time I said them. Also agree about the phone numbers, multiplication tables and birthdays. Thanks again Vanessa for the Care and Celebration lists. Isn't it great seeing new cruisers going up on the list for upcoming cruises?

Good Sunday morning friends! It's 73 and we expect 91 with sunny skies later on. Thank you Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report for today. It's Fresh Spinach day which is fine with me. Mom used to give us canned spinach which tasted terrible. I didn't know you could eat it in a salad fresh, but then I can't remember salads from my childhood. Oh no, it's World Snake Day! I hope I don't see any snakes anytime soon. That 19 foot python recently found in Florida gives me the creeps. Largest snake ever found there! It is Woodie Wagon Day and I suppose they are talking about the wood covered station wagons of the 1950's. Classics! The quote today by Einstein is handy in case you have a bad memory. Baked zucchini with marinara sauce and cheese sounds different. I'm not sure I'd like basil in my strawberry flavored drink, and the pinot noir is I'm sure very good but it's a red. I hope Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard didn't have any trouble finding recipes or information about the food and drinks. Somehow, they always pull through. The day in history is certainly from long ago and interesting but must have been controversial. Prayers for our Care list folks of course and I will add my DB and my friend's DB Mark. I haven't heard anything about Mark this week so should check in with her. I hope that radiologist of his has found a way to help. 🙏 Congrats to all on the Celebration list, and I hope the cruisers are excited and happy about their upcoming days at sea. 🚢 Thank you to Vanessa @JazzyV for your list keeping. Today's port is Busan, South Korea and I had to go way back to get the link to the previous time here. March 17, 2021. If Rich's previous content stays at 111 pages it will drop off the chart before we know it! Oh no! Here's the link to way back then. We were there in 2010 on the Diamond Princess on our Bangkok to Anchorage cruise so a few pictures are included. Okay, here are some of my pics and thoughts about Busan. 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, nearly 11 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! Hope today is a great day for everyone.

Today is Fresh Spinach Day, World Snake Day, and National Woodie Wagon Day Never memorize something that you can look up.--Albert EinsteinMeal Suggestion for today - Baked Zucchini With Marinara And CheeseDrink of the Day - Strawberry Basil SpritzerWine of the Day - Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Central Otago Bendigo Estate 2020Destination of the Day - Busan, KoreaToday in History:1519 Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the PopeShip Locations Eurodam At Sea destination Juneau, Alaska eta 17 Jul Koningsdam At Sea destination Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm, & Juneau, Alaska eta 17 Jul Nieuw Amsterdam Vancouver, Canada 0700-1600 Nieuw Statendam Molde, Norway 1000-1800 Noordam Whittier, Alaska 0100-2000 Oosterdam At Sea destination Sarande, Albania eta 17 Jul Rotterdam At Sea destination Eidfjord, Norway eta 17 Jul Volendam Glacier Bay, Alaska 0700-1600 Westerdam Seattle, Washington 0700-1500 Zaandam Quebec City, Quebec 0700-1500 Zuiderdam At Sea destination Corner Brook, Newfoundland eta 17 Jul Sandi for Rich

I'm clueless on what that is. I must lead a sheltered life. LOL!

Terri, I'm horrified that someone has been stealing your internet. How low can you go? As for the non-refundable OBC, YES, definitely buy the pretty diamond necklace! I have purchased at least 3 pieces of jewelry with OBC we needed to use, and love them all. Once we bought a gorgeous Tanzanite slide on a ship but that was our own money, not OBC. Still, it's beautiful and I'm glad I bought it. Jacqui, I'm sorry about your Ipad issues. How inconvenient both are giving you grief at the same time. Also what a bummer about Roy's @rafinmd battery problem. I am joining you both in device problems today. I was using my bluetooth headset with no problem first thing this morning, but took it off when we ran to the grocery store. When I got home and turned the headset on, the left side is having an issue not playing while the right is fine. So it's like mono instead of stereo. It works when I play around with the wire on the left side but it's on, off, on, off. I actually have a second set I have paired to the laptop for listening to YouTube videos and Port Everglades ship toots so I'm going to switch them out and re-pair so the mono headset is for the laptop and not the TV viewing. In addition the laptop charging cord has been acting up all week. You think it's plugged in and charging but it's not and you're suddenly low on power. I guess it's my turn for gremlins!👿 No, I don't mind you posting the links. If I'd ever been there I might have realized today's spelling is not the same as used before. It sure makes things more challenging! I'd better update my spreadsheet. Thanks too for posting your photos. Sorry to hear about the storm damage last night. Those must have been some powerful winds! And I appreciate you keeping us updated on that precious new baby, little Murphy. She will continue to be in my prayers. Looks like so much fun! Father David must have been very pleased you all thought to put this shindig on.🥂🎉🎈 Joy, your little Oliver is so cute! He is going to love living with you and Allen. And your party looks great, too. I'm glad it worked out so well.🎈🎂🍷 Annie, hoping the brothers can get things worked out financially and that Chuck has a memorable visit with Momma Norma. Also that the darn luggage comes today! Good luck with that PT! Gerry, how sad about the young female firefighter losing her life like that. Prayers for her family and friends with their shocking loss.🙏 Love the photos of the party, the cake, the food and Father David in the costume. I'm trying to figure out what he is?!

Good morning friends! It is a warm and muggy 72F with a high today of 91 expected. Partly cloudy this morning followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. We had a nice day yesterday (hot) then around 8:30 last night rain started up very quickly and that went on a while. You never know what to expect in the summer here. Thanks to Rich @richwmn for compiling the material each day for the Daily and Fleet Report. He is taking a break for a few days and I will fill in for him. Quite a grouping of days for us this morning. National Pet Fire Safety is very important to observe so that pet owners can learn how to keep their pets safe in case of fire. I hope that never happens to anyone, especially our Daily family. Respect Canada Day should be a given to all of us. We treasure our friends from Canada! And I know many of us have been thinking about or doing something about Give Something Away Day. The quote is rather cheeky. The Day in History was unknown by me. Seems like I've heard Pumpkin Ravioli here before but I could be wrong. Debbie @dfish will explain. I would say no to the drink AND to the wine. But thank you Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for bringing us information about them. Prayers will be said shortly for the Care list. I hope Chuck @catmando is able to spend plenty of time with Momma Norma and that the luggage came through shortly after his arrival. Also hoping for a complete recovery for Baby Murphy.🙏🙏 Cheers to those cruising or with happy events in their lives.🥂 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for presenting the Care and Celebration lists for us today and for all your work keeping them updated.😉 Today's port is also a new one as was yesterday's. La Coruna, Spain (Galicia) sounds divine and I haven't been there before. So no photos from me and no link to a former post from Rich. Didn't the World Cruise miss that port last spring? I hope some of you have photos to present for our enjoyment! Thanks in advance! Hope all here have a wonderful Saturday! Tomorrow I will try to be more awake when I post. At least I will get an early start on the treadmill.🚶‍♀️

Today is National Pet Fire Safety Day, National Respect Canada Day, and National Give Something Away Day Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.--Lemony Snicket, HorseradishMeal Suggestion for today - Pumpkin RavioliDrink of the Day - Basil Hayden BoulevardierWine of the Day - Stonecroft Syrah Hawkes Bay Gimblett Gravels Undressed 2021Destination of the Day - La Coruna, Spain GaliciaToday in History:1799 The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-Francois Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian CampaignShip Locations Eurodam Seattle, Washington 0700-1500 Koningsdam Vancouver, Canada 0700-1600 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea destination Vancouver, Canada eta 16 Jul Nieuw Statendam Flam, Norway 0900-1800 Noordam At Sea destination Whittier, Alaska eta 16 Jul Oosterdam Trieste, Italy depart 1700 Rotterdam Amsterdam, Holland, The Netherlands 0700-1700 Volendam Skagway, Alaska 0700-2000 Westerdam Victoria, British Columbia 2000-2359 Zaandam Montreal, Quebec 0700-1700 Zuiderdam At Sea destination Corner Brook, Newfoundland eta 17 Jul Sandi for Rich

Terri @Cruzin Terri that's incredible someone would go to the trouble of hacking your account to use your internet. What a louse! Annie @marshhawk I'm glad to hear Chuck made it to Little Rock but geez, why does everything have to be so difficult? I hope the luggage arrives pronto!

We're not fans of hot climate cruises like so many others are, but we manage to find ourselves in the heat often enough. This time it was November 19, 2017 on Sun Princess on four back to back cruises which included Papua New Guinea. On the 19th we arrived at Kiriwina Island. It was a pretty neat spot to visit for a day. We had to anchor out and tender into the small dock (but at least they had one!). First view Here's the dock These boats will offer rides to people. Here come the crowds! Some will lounge around on the beach all day, others just want to walk around and see what is happening, including locals setting up shopping opportunities. Step right this way to the "pedestrian shopping" path. After our morning exercise on the island we dined on the ship for lunch. Afternoon photos of Kiriwina Island I hope we see more of these island on the port of the day list.

Good morning friends! We have a partly cloudy sky and 72 degrees right now. It will rise to about 91 with a stray shower possible sometime today. Thank you Rich @richwmn for posting the Daily and Fleet Report for us. Congrats to the French on their Bastille Day celebration. After all the talk of the sharks at Moorea yesterday, today we have Shark Awareness Day. Which could lead right into Pandemonium Day! If we survive all that, how about some comfort food - macaroni and cheese? If not you could enjoy Salt and Pepper Fish which Debbie @dfish will discuss with us soon. You might need a Sipsmith Martini or perhaps a glass of today's Malbec to help settle your nerves. Good luck with all that! Thank you Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for reporting on them today, too.🍸🍷 I think the quote by Rose Kennedy is enjoyable. Hopefully we all age well.👵 First, happy 80th birthday wishes to Allen, our dear Joy's @Seasick Sailor's DH. I hope the fun and celebrations continue to go on at your abode. Cheers to all enjoying happy events in your own lives.🥂🎈 Smooth seas to the sailors! But let us not forget all on the Care list. So many losses in our Daily family recently. Hoping all are improving who have been ailing, including Ivan. I hope also that Chuck @catmandoarrives soon in Arkansas and has time to visit with his DM for a while. Prayers for all!🙏 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for being up early to post the lists for us! The port today is a new one! Kiriwina Island, which must be located in the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea, is having its debut on the Daily. No links to place here for you, sorry! I have been waiting to see some of these PNG beach spots here. And yes I have photos! I'll post this for now and take a look at my photo selection. Have a great Friday and the start of a equally fantastic weekend!

It's great so many enjoyed the photo of the granddogs and even smiled along with me. I find it hard to believe Sadie started out in this world a redhead and is now so blond! And no, her hairdresser (groomer) is not dying her hair!😂

Under happy events, for me yesterday it was when talking with DD and she said I'll send you a picture of Sadie and Milo - they went to the groomer today and are so darn cute! Well, I have to agree! They do look adorable in this photo. Milo is on the left. He is 6 1/2 months old and weighs 13 pounds. Sadie on the right is 15 1/2 months old and weighs 17 pounds. Milo is nearly as tall as she is, DD says. They are half brother and sister and their breed is cavapoo. And that is my good news photo of the day. Makes ME smile at least.

Good morning friends! It's a warm morning, 72F and humid. High will be 90 and mostly sunny. A lot cooler than some of you will be today, so watch out for this heat wave. Thanks Rich @richwmn for today's Daily and Fleet Report. A varied group of days to honor or celebrate. Though it's not my favorite music I can tolerate hearing barbershop music, and feel like I'm not that geeky. I read a description of fool's paradise day but it seemed too complicated for me this early in the morning to really get into it. Maybe Graham @grapau27 will explain it all for us. A funny quote for us this morning.😁 Lots of salmon recipes this week, so the salmon lovers should be happy. I don't think I'd like the cocktail and have no idea about the wine but it could be pricey! And hurray for explorers like Capt. Cook who bravely went searching for new lands. Thanks in advance to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their explanations. Prayers were said on the treadmill for our Daily Care list and I really hope that more of us can improve and be pain free. For those who lost their loved one, I pray for peace and comfort for you all. Hoping Baby Murphy is doing quite well and is home soon with her family. 🙏 Today is the first anniversary of my niece Amy's husband Buddy's death from throat cancer. Prayers for her as she reflects on her life without him. But let's rejoice with our friends on the Celebration list who have happier events to celebrate and for our cruiser Terri @Cruzin Terri and our future cruisers. Have a wonderful time on the sea everybody! I'll be joining you in a few weeks!🚢 Thanks go to Vanessa @JazzyV for taking care of the lists for us all. Our port this morning is Moorea (Society Islands), French Polynesia. We've had that port before on April 23, 2021 and March 28, 2023 so check these links for your photos and give us another chance to see them. We've been to Moorea twice and enjoyed our time spent there, once on Golden Princess and another time on Maasdam. We've been to Moorea twice, once on Golden Princess in 2014 and again on Maasdam in 2017. In 2014 we went on a private tour with a CC group. It involved a Polynesian BBQ, ray and shark feeding, sightseeing at a barrier reef, snorkeling, etc. The day after this we were scheduled on a tour with Patrick in Bora Bora so they were essentially the same description tours, but Patrick's was much better! Still, I can show you a few photos from Moorea. Arrival at the pier. Welcoming committee. Scenes along the way. Stingray feeding I was a little nervous watching this from the boat. I did go out when they spread out a little bit and that was fun, but when the sharks came I got back in the boat to watch. Arriving at the motu for the BarBQ. Not quite the same as Patrick's pig roast in a pit! The food and drink was good though, and after we ate you could take a little dip in the water to cool down. In 2017 on the Maasdam, we sailed from Papeete to Moorea in the early morning because they are only about 18 nautical miles apart. A beautiful sunshine-y day! When we reached shore on our tenders we were met with dancers and musicians, local foods and lots of jewelry. We stayed in town this day since we hadn't done that last visit. We bought a pair of black pearl earrings for me that day. We walked around the village and then peeped into the Ebenezer Church. It was Easter Sunday. And a look at a unique treat at dinner that night for Easter Sunday. Hoping everyone has a great day, staying safe and cool!

We waited a good while for the mowers, then went outside to blow all the clippings off the cement ourselves because the employees who blow the clippings take so long to come back, we would have waited half the day to get started. My car was parked in the drive and DH went to work on his car in the middle of the garage. Thankfully he has a hydraulic jack, and while he was rotating, I was outside cleaning up this and that, clipping and snipping, pulling weeds, etc. Several times I found little vines growing up into the shrubs so got that under control. When the guy with the blower showed up I shooed him off and told him to skip us. Otherwise my car and the garage would be full of clippings. All finished, and cleaned up, and just had lunch. I forgot to mention this morning that yesterday I phoned OptumRX where my prescriptions come from and asked for a vacation override for my them. She set up the 24 hour override review and said they would arrive by next Monday. Well, within hours the review was finished, and the override approved. Then shortly after that the shipping tracking number was texted to me. The meds will arrive by FedEx this afternoon. So a little over 24 hours! One of the meds has to be kept cool during summer temps so the prescriptions are shipped in a small styrofoam cooler with frozen gel packs. They always ship it overnight during hot weather. I'm really pleased with the service I get from OptumRX. Thanks to Nancy @ottahand7, Tony @sailingdutchy and Vanessa @JazzyV for today's great Puerto Chacabuco, Chile photos. There was some great scenery in those photos.

So true! Ever notice on Dr. Pol how all the cows come in close to gawk at whatever is happening with the cow Dr. Pol or the other vets are working on?? So nosy...uhhh, I mean social!🐄 I was thinking that same thing this morning! We were encouraged to save trees by going plastic.🙄

and the mowers are here...so we shall wait to get to work. I planned on doing a little snipping on shrubs and looking for weeds in the pine straw mulch beds. ⏲️

Good morning friends! Today it will be sunny and 91F but it's only 69 right now. Thank you Rich @richwmn for this edition of the Daily and Fleet Report! I appreciate all cows, was an inexperienced etch-a-sketch user as a child, and have nothing against paper bags. Another crazy Hitchcock quote. DH would love the garlic butter salmon recipe. I don't think I'd care for the spiced cherry sipper or the riesling. Another King Charles making history! Thanks Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today! Thanks also to Vanessa @JazzyV for already posting the Care and Celebration lists. Prayers for you Vanessa and your friend Ruth's family as you mourn her death. Prayers also for those still on the Care list, my DB, my friend's DB Mark, and anyone else in need of them. 🙏 Hoping to hear Baby Murhphy is doing fine and going home soon. Congrats to our Celebration list folks, and to our lone cruiser Terri @Cruzin Terri. Others will be joining that group soon thankfully.🚢 Today's port is Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. I haven't been to that port before. The two times we had that port before was June 14, 2021 and Jan. 8, 2022 so quite a while ago. Please feel free to check the links below for your photos if you have any to share. Thanks in advance! DH waited all day yesterday for the mowing crew to come and do our street so he could move my car out of the garage into the driveway, then rotate his tires on his car. He always does that at home. But they failed to show even though it was sunny all day. Now this morning when he attempts to get that job done the mowers will show up. Just you wait! Hope you all have a great day and stay safe and healthy!

I'm very sorry to hear of your friend Ruth's passing, Vanessa @JazzyV. Prayers for you and her family as you mourn her loss.🙏

Good morning friends! It's a lovely morning here, 67F and will be sunny and 88 for a high. Last evening we had more sudden storms but none are expected today. Happy Birthday wishes for Father David! I know his congregants will enjoy celebrating with him on the 15th. 🎂 Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Daily and Fleet Report. This should be a fine day to try to cheer up the lonely. Maybe take them a blueberry muffin. I think I will pass on celebrating Bowdler's Day. Cute quote by Fulghum but I hope I learned other important things after kindergarten. A creamy cucumber salad sounds cool on a hot summer day. 🥵 The Pinnacle summer breeze cocktail also sounds refreshing.🍹 And I don't mind a glass of champagne now and then!🥂 Henry VIII deserved to be excommunicated from the church back in the day. I want to thank our great "reporters" Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for telling us all about the food and beverages here on the Daily. Prayers said this morning for our Care list and I hope that everyone on it is improving or in less pain. Special prayers for Baby Murphy and I hope she gets to go home soon with her family. Also want to send up fervent prayers for my DB and my friend's DB Mark.🙏 Cheers to our friends celebrating something (see Father David above!), or cruising. Many are preparing to cruise and I hope your preparations and travel go smoothly!🚢 Many thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for her hard work keeping up with us, with all she has to do. You are a champ!🏆 Our port today is Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!🌞 That was also the port of the day on May 14, 2021 and November 7, 2022 so I've posted the links to those dates below for your convenience in retrieving your photos. Cabo San Lucas is a popular port so I'm sure many of us have been there. For me it was 2005 on the old Regal Princess, 2012 on Star Princess and 2016 on Westerdam while on a Panama Canal full transit. On that first cruise we took a tour boat ride which took us up close to El Arco. The seas were pretty rough that day and I remember how tough that was on everyone's stomachs! Let's just call it an adventure! On the opposite side of the arch we saw this hidden beach. A picture from our 2012 walk around On our 2016 Westerdam cruise I took this photo on the tender ride to shore. That's what I call social distancing! It's a busy, vibrant town and very popular with the tourists. Hoping everyone has a great day! Stay safe! I have no plans today, except to try to get mail order prescriptions moved up to before my cruise instead of waiting until after it. I'm also progressing on deleting and organizing old emails and am up to late 2018. What takes time is reading long emails between me and my siblings. Lots of good info contained in them! How much we forget!!

See, I told you we'd have lots of photos today of Edinburgh! 😁 Thank goodness, that mammo ordeal is over for another year! ✔️ They said they have a new machine and everyone is complaining! But almost as bad was an accident on I-75 so DH called and advised me to take some side roads before I got tangled up in it. He gave me some directions which I followed and never had to park on the interstate trying to get home to lunch.🚙🚗🚚 Also I wanted to report that Brenda texted that they made it over the border into Canada as planned last night. The birth certificate and RealID driver's license will be enough to identify Jaana. Today is Calgary Stampede.🤠🐮 Their Alaska cruise on the Volendam leaves a week from Wednesday in Vancouver. I would bet this is the highlight of the trip for Brenda and Jaana. Paul enjoys the camping more than the ladies do.🏕️ Congrats to Graham @grapau27 on the 2025 cruise booking.🚢 Also to the young people getting engaged recently!💍❤️ And the great news about Baby Murphy, family visits, new campaigns, promising test results, and upcoming birthdays.🎂🎉🎈

Good morning friends! Here we have 70F and rain which will continue for 3 or 4 more hours, and a high of 81. I'm going out in late morning for my annual mammo so hope the rain stops by then. Thanks go to Rich @richwmn for our Daily and Fleet Report. It's all fun and games today with kittens, pina coladas and teddy bear picnics! I like the quote and am interested to see the recipe for the vegan crunch wrap. Not sure what the drink is but will pass on the pinot noir. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for giving us information on the food and beverages. I had lots of prayers to say today on the treadmill. I've added those in the path of flooding due to all the heavy rain. Everyone on the Care list is included each day. Hoping Lou and Terry @smitty34877 have a good appointment today and get good news. 🙏 A salute to everyone cruising and celebrating happy events. 🥂🎂 We could use more nice things happening in our lives. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists today. The port today is all inclusive I guess. Any port near Edinburgh seems to be listed so go for it! In the past it was listed as S. Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland. Those dates were March 12, 2021 and Aug. 12, 2022. Below are the links and some photos from For our Port of the Day, South Queensferry, we were there in 2015 on Royal Princess. On the Prinsendam in 2018 we docked across the bridge in Rosyth. In South Queensferry we took a tender to the pier and were greeted by a band of bagpipes. The weather was a little drippy but at least it wasn't pouring. Instead of a tour, we paid for 2 tickets on a shuttle bus to Edinburgh. It was a private company that ran the buses back and forth. I suppose this red bridge is the one that crosses between South Queensferry and Rosyth, Scotland. Since South Queensferry is on the south side of the River Forth, along with Edinburgh, we didn't have to cross it. We arrived in Edinburgh and given the location to pick up the return bus when ready. Then we headed to Edinburgh castle for a tour. There were military personnel there holding things up for a bit but we were lucky to get to watch them for a while. This was in May, not in Tattoo time (August). We left and walked down The Royal Mile passing St. Giles Cathedral. With the gray skies and gray buildings it sure looked gloomy. On a sunny day it would be a whole other story. We walked the entire length of The Royal Mile but I have hundreds of photos and can't share them all here. At the other end, we planned on visiting the Palace of Holyrood House. But someone else had plans for Holyrood House so it was closed for the day. Sticking my phone and camera through the iron gates I got this photo of the palace. And moments later we got to see the hoopla as the royal guest left for a meeting somewhere. Holding my phone overhead I got this photo of The Royal Mile. We walked quite a bit around Edinburgh and I was able to find a spot to take this photo of Edinburgh Castle. My goodness, I have hundreds more photos but have to stop. But this last photo was one of the most enjoyable moments of the day - looking out from our balcony as our ship left South Queensferry later in the day and seeing sights like this beautiful hillside. My first time in Edinburgh was in 2011 on Emerald Princess and we took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. It was actually a sunny day! However I didn't post photos from that day because I stuck to the S. Queensferry location. I'm sure there will be a lot of photos of Edinburgh today I saw the penalty kick segment of yesterday's U.S. over Canada (3-2) soccer game on TV this morning. Wow! That's all I can say! Superb work by the U.S. goalie. Congrats to them!!⚽ Hoping everyone here has a safe and healthy day!