StLouisCruisers

Good morning friends! Well, I wish I had Melanie's @puppycanducruise's weather today! Another day of rain, heavy at times and a high of 72. It's about 67 right now so not much higher. At least I didn't get wet yesterday while out. But it poured often.⛈️ Thanks Rich @richwmn for today's Daily and Fleet Report. Nice to see "summer" is here but cynically I could say the days are getting shorter now after today. 😉 I'd be foolish to try to skateboard at my age but yoga would probably be good for me. A good quote by Nicholas Sparks. The day in history is one I really appreciate since our Constitution is our most important document. As for the vegan stuffed bell peppers, I guess I could go without meat for once. We're just practicing 6 months early if we prepare some spiced Christmas punch. The Syrah is another New Zealand wine that I'm sure some of you will enjoy. I'll be happy to see Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard file their reports this morning. So many people to pray for both here and worldwide. I'm very anxious about the people in the submersible as time is running out. Prayers for our friends here, my DB and friend's DB Mark. 🙏 Special thoughts go out to Jacqui @kazu and Ivan as well as Terry @smitty34877, her DH, Tana, and the remainder of that brave family. Also wishing mightily for a great result tomorrow for Ren and the Jags!🤞 🏆⚽ Congrats to everyone on the Celebration list and our cruisers especially Bruce and Sue @aliaschief, and Terri @Cruzin Terri and DH.🥂🚢 Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for your keeping of the lists! Port of the day is another new one, Ibiza, Balearic Spain. Two new ports in a row! This would be a great holiday spot for anyone interested. I haven't been there yet so can't share any photos, but hopefully someone will have some experience there and enlighten us. Thanks in advance for any photos offered. Have a safe and happy Wednesday!❤️

Well, gang, I am home and trying to catch up on the Daily. I found out the results of the soccer game around noon and it was GOOD news! The Jags beat Miami 2 - 0! No penalty kicks today. First goal Colton passed to Ren who scored, and the second goal Ren passed to Colton who scored. The final four teams will play Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. central so it shouldn't be terribly hot. DS said it wasn't too bad this morning either. He also said Ren was on fire today play wise, and I hope that's true Thursday as well. Some days you just play better than other days.. So hotels and flights have been rearranged and now they wait until Thursday to see if they continue on to the finals. Thursday they play the Irvine, California team FC Strikers. Thank you to all who wished Ren and his team best wishes. Your support helped! Jacqui @kazu I'm sorry to hear Ivan is under the weather. I hope the shorter walks to build up stamina is the ticket to his recovery. Vanessa @JazzyV what a pity your friend has reached the end of what medical science can do to help her with her ovarian cancer. I hope your PT exercises will begin to help with your discomfort. Marcia @dobiemom good luck with that car repair today. Never fun! Annie @marshhawk sorry to hear you aren't 100% right now. Feel better soon. Ann @Vict0riann sorry to hear you are spending so much time at the hospital. I hope things begin to look up soon for you and Pat. Roy @rafinmd thank goodness the cat owner was able to rescue her cat with the police help. The story reminded me of what happened when someone in our neighborhood was moving away, and their indoor cat got out on moving day. No one could find the poor cat for days and days. Meanwhile one of the former homeowners kept coming back to search for the cat. I emailed them and suggested they search the sewer on the street and they did. They would even sit in their car at night near the sewer and call to the cat, put food out for it, etc. Within a day or two they heard the cat nearby and found it in the sewer scared to death. What a relief! The reason I suggested the sewer is a few years earlier I saw a feral cat leading her kittens out of one of those sewers near our Amenity Center. They grew up in the Amenity Center parking lot in the dumpster enclosure. Beautiful cats by the way, and they looked quite healthy. Probably catching mice in the nearby wild area and around those dumpsters.

Your first two photos look exactly like our shrimp fried rice. I'd better check out the recipes to see if there's anything we miss using.🍤

Good morning friends! We have partly cloudy skies and 67 degrees this morning. High will be 82 but a chance of thunderstorms, especially this afternoon. I hope I don't get caught in a deluge after my hair appointment later on. Thank you Rich @richwmn for posting the Daily and Fleet Report for us. A variety of days today. An ice cream soda was a treat for us as children, and I don't think I've often had one since those days. I like bald eagles and support having a day of recognition for them. As Graham @grapau27 said, genuine refugees need our support. Who doesn't remember Jackie Gleason saying "How sweet it is!"? I would like the menu suggestion today if it contained shrimp but not every kind of seafood. A watermelon mai tai sounds unusual and I would pass on the pinot noir. Hopefully Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard will have lots of interesting information on the food and beverages. I don't remember hearing about the Newport festival in 1969 but I was busy working and getting married that year. Did anyone here attend it? Prayers this morning for our Care list people, especially those in the submersible who have lost contact. I don't know that this will end well. Hoping for a miracle.🙏 Three cheers for the Celebration list lucky people! Good luck to the Michigan Jaguars this morning as they meet up against Miami Rush Kendall SC at 8:30 a.m. central time. Hopefully there are no injuries and it's a fair game. ⚽ GO REN! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for compiling it for us. The port today is an unusual one and never seen here before. Conflict Islands, Papua New Guinea. I checked and the ports in Papua New Guinea I went to were not on Conflict Islands. Then I found a little information for cruise ship passengers going to Conflict Islands. A few other cruise lines have been there before and Holland America looks like it will be soon as Roy @rafinmd said. Here is the article about this private resort island. https://www.thetraveltemple.com.au/conflict-islands-tips-for-cruise-ship-passengers/ Wishing everyone here a safe and happy day doing something you enjoy!

This reminds me of when we sailed down the Kiel canal on the Prinsendam.

Heck no!! DH removed (clandestinely) hundreds of larger baby pine trees behind our house at the bottom of the slope, otherwise we would have no view of the golf course. No pine trees are allowed back there now if we have anything to do with it.🌲

Thank goodness it was only (?) internet problems and you two are okay! I was worried. 🙁 I remember having a few off and on issues with internet a short while ago and you feel like you'll go nuts if you can't get online. Only ours was TV problems too. I hope your nerve issue can be fixed and Chuck arrives back home safe and sound. Take care!!

It's a good thing I looked at my calendar for the time of my hair appointment tomorrow morning. Usually I have 9:45 am but this is a rescheduled appointment and it's 12:30 pm. I would have shown up 3 hours early. So I should know the results of the game by the time I leave. I really hope it doesn't go into penalty kicks to determine a winner! That's too stressful on everyone! By the way, I'm getting worried about Annie @marshhawk. She hasn't posted since Thursday morning before Chuck's doctor appointment. 😧

Being the first cabin forward next to world stage, that's amazing you heard no noise. They must have anticipated and soundproofed quite well!

Thanks once again Graham for your support. I haven't heard much about the game except for this - there was no scoring at all until the final 7 minutes of the game. St. Louis City scored first, and Colton tied it up in the final minute of the game with a header into the net. The crowd went wild! Then since it was tied and this is a tournament they had to resort to penalty kicks to determine a winner. There have been quite a few matches that tied and had to be decided by the penalty kicks. Obviously the defense on both sides was working hard to protect their goals if they went so long without scoring. Coincidentally, #1 FC Dallas lost their game yesterday on penalty kicks, so the Jaguars will not be playing against them tomorrow. That would have been something since that will be Ren's new team next month! Losing teams continue playing in a Showcase where scouts are on hand to watch for new players they think have talent. I hope everything goes as planned today at the doctor visit Terry. And thank you for your interest in tomorrow's game with all that's on your mind. Nice that DD and DSIL can help make things easier for you two. Have fun with the kiddos Lorraine. I'm sorry to hear the house went to somone else, but I have a feeling this will all work out in the end, with them winning the bid on the perfect house for them in the end. Lenda, thanks for the good wishes! However the team gets the day off and play tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. central. I have a hair appointment in the morning and should be getting results around the time I get home. I hope the heat isn't too bad in the morning, because DS said it was brutal late afternoon yesterday with no cloud cover and temp of 90. Who knows how hot it actually felt?! Jack, the new color sounds nice, and I think the white trim with a bit of black will really contrast well.

Good morning friends! It's a stormy morning here in Georgia for me, Annie @marshhawk and our Publisher and Editor Rich @richwmn. Temp for me is around 66F with lightning and thunder. We may reach 80 later with chances of rain all day. Happy Juneteenth! Some interesting days to celebrate/honor including Take Your Cat to Work Day! Really? I wonder how that would work out for you? National Martini Day sounds like a good one, and what does Pets in Film Day mean? I guessing things like Marley and Me or Lassie. Well congrats to all animals in film! The quote is pretty good, and the vegetarian chili okay but might seem like it's missing something to me. Too bad we don't have a martini for our cocktail on National Martini Day. 🍸 I have no clue what the wine is but maybe a shorter name for it might be a good idea. The day in history was a good thing for the people of London back in 1829. Many thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for presenting us with our Food and Beverage reports each day.❤️ Thanks to @JazzyV for the Care and Celebration lists. Will begin prayers for everyone involved and those close to me personally who are in need. 🙏 Congrats to those with happiness in their lives and cruises to enjoy. Big congrats to Ren's team the Michigan Jaguars U16 for winning another tough game last night. Root for him tomorrow at 8:30 am central, 9:30 am eastern. Go Ren!⚽ The port today is Puerto Madryn, Argentina. We had that port here on Dec. 25, 2021 and Dec. 21, 2022. Why not have it here in June, too? I haven't been there, but think it may have been removed from one of my cruise itineraries before. Here are the links to those dates for your convenience in retrieving your photos. Hoping for a safe day in Georgia and a great day for everyone here!

We just got a text Jags beat St. Louis City! ⚽ Another tie 1 - 1 after regulation and they beat SLC 3 to 2 in penalty kicks. Wow! SLC is one of the highest ranked teams in the country. This must have been a hard fought game. Next game is Tuesday at either 8:30 or 10:30 a.m. Only 8 teams left, so we're still dancing!💃

There were two cabins on the starboard under a white space across the corridor from Rolling Stone Lounge. 1051 and 1055. But no knowledge of what's in the white space overhead, or how much you can hear being in close proximity to Rolling Stone Lounge.

Well, today's soccer game doesn't start until 6 pm eastern (soon), 5 central so it will be a while before we have any results. My weather app says Frisco, Texas is 89 and sunny so it will be miserable out there! I hope everyone on the field can handle the heat. 🥵 DD called and talked for an hour with us today for Father's Day. Her DH is in Munich on business currently so it's just her, her 14 year old and two pups. She said she finally took down her Cinco de Mayo tree in her foyer and decorated for the patriotic holidays this summer. She added red and blue lights this year to the original white lights. I like it! She said there's a different garland, too. Thanks Melanie! I guess I've never seen one up close and personal. Thank goodness the bags arrived today. Now you can enjoy the rest of your London stay. Have a good night! Maureen, happy to hear your DH has better eye pressure. Continued good news on that front, I hope. And thank you for your support of Ren!❤️ Happy early birthday wishes to your DH and Brenda @bennybear's DH as well. You know, I was wondering about Annie @marshhawk and Chuck @catmando today also. I hope they're just so busy working lots of hours this weekend they didn't have time to check in. Or lots of chores to do. I hope everything is okay up there in Stone Mountain.

For a cruise on the Zuiderdam that we are checking out, we'd like to have an oceanview on deck 1. However I can see quite a few hazards noise-wise on that class ship. One that's available is under the casino. 1026. Others that are available are under Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard Onboard. We're also trying to avoid adjoining cabins. I'm assuming the casino is carpeted but what about noise from slot machines, etc.? Does anyone know what the noise level is like in cat. D 1026 on Zuiderdam? This will be our first time on this ship. Also, how late is the casino open?

That is exactly the kind of noise I am trying to avoid by staying underneath the casino! I can't imagine those poor folks staying up with children due to so much noise! A few of the oceanviews were shown underneath Gallery Bar which is between the casino and Rolling Stone Lounge but I figure the further away from Rolling Stone Lounge I can get, the better. I can simply post this same message under it's own topic like you suggested and see if anyone know what kind of noises we would hear from the casino (being underneath it), and how late at night. Thanks for the suggestion! Thank you for your input, too! I was picturing us in bed listening to clanging bells and whistles until the wee hours. If the machines are quiet and there are no bands playing above us 1026 could be a great option.

@crystalspin I've seen you answer lots of questions on cabin selection and respect your advice. For a cruise on the Zuiderdam that we are checking out, we'd like to have an oceanview on deck 1. However I can see quite a few hazards noise-wise on that class ship. One that's available is under the casino. 1026. Others that are available are under Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard Onboard. We're also trying to avoid adjoining cabins. I'm assuming the casino is carpeted but what about noise from slot machines, etc.? Does anyone know what the noise level is like in cat. D 1026 on Zuiderdam? This will be our first time on this ship.

Maxine, no more tournaments this summer for the Michigan Jaguars. After the next few games (provided they win), they are finished. I believe the Jags begin practicing again in late July. But Ren is finished with the Jags after this week. He will be attending soccer camps until he moves to Dallas in late July and begins working with FC Dallas. He's also being contacted by college soccer departments wanting him to come visit (Notre Dame, Indiana and Michigan the past few days). It would have been fun if the team had come to San Diego and someone unknown to Ren started screaming Go Ren!! I can picture it now!⚽🏆

Good morning friends and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads! We have a sunny morning, 66F. It will be quite warm today at 89 with a chance of thunderstorms. Of course. Thank you Rich @richwmn for today's Daily and Fleet Report. Go fishing day sounds like a great idea for some Dads who enjoy it. However I hope no one panics today and I don't know why we need International Panic Day. On the other hand International Picnic Day can make up for it. Maybe Graham @grapau27 and Pauline will have a picnic on the beach today! By the way Graham, thank you for Father David's sermon and his birthdate. We will want to wish him birthday happiness. I like the quote today by Gandhi. No thank you once again to the meal, buffalo tofu wrap. A chocolate martini doesn't sound like a real cocktail, does it? I would guess the wine is french but have no idea if I'd like it. Which reminds me, I hope Bruce @aliaschief and Sue @DWAliaschief are enjoying a second day touring wineries in Bordeaux. Beautiful photos, Bruce. And what an important day in history, Amelia Earhart's 1st flight across the Atlantic. Thank you to all our Food and Beverage ladies, Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their informative reports.🥂 Thank you also goes to Vanessa @JazzyV for the great Care and Celebration list. Prayers will be offered for all on the Care list and all those experiencing sad or painful days. Let's not forget the Ukrainians, the Manitoba bus fatalities and victims, and the recent tornado victims.🙏 Edited to add the two PA police officers, one of whom died. 🙏 A huge congratulations to the Celebration list, and the Michigan Jaguars for their MLS Next tournament win in Dallas yesterday. Keep up the good work!⚽🥂 And happy cruising!🚢 Our port of the day is Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We had that port once before on Feb. 25, 2022 so I'll post the link below. Having been there once I had some photos to share as well. Enjoy! On May 7, 2015 the Royal Princess arrived in Rotterdam near the end of a transatlantic cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. On this cruise we had arranged to sail with our friends from Myrtle Beach, SC. They were not the adventurous type and insisted we take ship tours in all our ports so that is what we did. Shortly after arrival we got on a bus and went to Amsterdam for the day. I'm not going to post Amsterdam photos however, but will show you a few from Rotterdam and just outside town as we drove out of and into the port city. Arriving in Rotterdam The scene at the dock near Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam. In Dutch it's Erasmusbrug. From the tour bus, the Royal Princess I'll save Amsterdam for its own day, but we had a wonderful day touring there. Except when our bus was sitting at a stop light and the rear of our bus was grazed by an electric tram! Oh and of course the many near misses by bicyclists as we dared stray near their bike lanes, or even trying to cross the street. Good times! On our way back to Rotterdam at the end of our tour we saw some beautiful countryside. We even got to stop and take photos at a windmill, which was someone's home. A huge nest on a pole. Not sure if that is a crane or what. Peaceful canal Another awesome windmill It would be nice to live on this scenic canal The Netherlands is a beautiful country, and I'm proud to say I have Dutch ancestry. I always enjoy visiting there. Hoping all the Fathers have a wonderful day being pampered by their families. Have a good Sunday, too.

Lenda, DH has been wondering what is wrong with this coach for months now. He is a former professional soccer player but has little experience in coaching. He has been playing every player every game no matter what up until today apparently. He will take out his top players to put the other players in even if it's not in the best interest of the game. Lately they've tied several games because the scorers were benched at the end. He should have put Colton in midfield and left Ren at forward. The Tigers had a much better coach! And hopefully the FC Dallas team Ren's joining in July-August has a better coach too. The Jags up until this year used to tie or lose and this is the best year ever for that team. They've never won this many games in one season. I wonder why? Three well-trained Tigers joined them last fall. They went from a ranking in the 900's to top 20 this year even with the coach seemingly trying to sabotage them. If they make it to the semi-finals and finals this tournament it will be in spite of the coach's ineptitude. JMHO. But whatever happens, we must accept it. These upcoming games won't be easy!

Susan @durangoscots huge happy birthday wishes to you from me! 🎂🎈 I have news about this morning's game. It was a nailbiter at the end. It was 3 to 0 Jags and then the coach made some unwise substitutions and moves on the field the last 15 minutes. He was missing one of his defenders due to mono so he put Ren in the midfield at the end instead of forward. The other team started rapidly scoring and it ended regulation time tied 3 to 3. The game ended in penalty kicks and the Jags got 9 and the LA Surf only got 8 so Jags won! This is the 3rd summer the LA Surf played Ren and Colton (Tigers then Jags) and they've lost all 3 times! Next game is tomorrow, Sunday at 5 pm against St Louis City U-16. The Jags played them twice this season - won once and lost once but are the only team to beat St Louis City all season. This sounds like another hard game! I'm just glad they can continue on. And as far as I know no one was hurt on our side. 🙏⚽

Good morning friends! It's a pretty nice morning with an orange sun just rising above the hilltops. Temp is 66F, with a high of 86 expected but unfortunately more rain predicted this afternoon. Thanks to Rich @richwmn for today's Daily and Fleet Report. This morning we have eat your vegetables, take a road trip and world juggling day. I like lots of vegetables and try to eat them often. I'm not a big fan of road trips anymore but DH has something in the works. And no way am I a juggler! The quote is very pleasant, and the day in history quite interesting. I'd like to see Drake's route to get to California (or New Albion) in 1579. I am going to skip that portobello mushroom burger. The Coconut spritzer doesn't sound too bad. And I'm sure the pinot noir is quite nice.🍷 Thanks to Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their F&B reports. Prayers said (while on treadmill) for our Care list group. 🙏 First on my list though were my DB and my friend's DB Mark. A special prayer for @srdancer who got the bad news about her ailment yesterday. I hope treatment works well for you and nothing is transmitted in your household. Prayers for Terry's @smitty34877 DH's upcoming surgery and for the whole household really. Congrats to the Celebration list! 🥂 Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for compiling the list for us all. Safe travels today to Terri @Cruzin Terri and a big Bon Voyage from me. 🚢 My best wishes to Ren's Jaguars as they face some of the toughest teams in the 32 invited to the MLS Next Cup. ⚽ News from me is I spotted two young deer hanging around all last evening back behind our house. They were actually sprouting antlers, something I haven't seen on the deer herd that we see from our house. I was wondering where all the antlers were!🦌 The port of the day is Colon, Panama. We had that port before on Dec. 26, 2021 and Oct. 29, 2022. I haven't stopped at Colon on cruises to that area. I'm not sure I really want to! I hope if you have some information or photos on Colon that you'll post it here today. Here are the links for you. Hoping everyone has a safe and successful day!

Safe travels later today Terri. I know you do the driving and there could be some bad weather near your destination. Take your time and get off the road when you come across anything that makes you nervous, just to wait it out. This will be a great cruise and we will be happy to hear from you along the way if possible.

Bon Voyage!

Nancy @ottahand7 and @St Pete Cruiser thank you both for the gorgeous photos, of irises and sunsets. What colors!