Sharon in AZ

Thank you Jacqui! I’m excited and anxious at the same time.

Rich, I look forward to any posts you share about your cruise. I really wish I was sailing with all of you on this longer cruise. Maybe someday…..

Wow, thank you for the suggestion! I never thought about that, and yes, AZ has that restriction too. Yes, it’s a little strange for me going to no glasses after wearing them since I was 6 years old. I sort of feel naked.

Good morning everyone and Happy Wednesday. I like gazpacho but rarely make it. I’ve only seen mitten trees in pictures. I think miners have tough jobs. I like chicken tortilla soup but have never made it. The best I’ve ever had was in Bahia de Kino, Mexico. I forgot to mention that I saw the eye surgeon on Monday and she said I was doing good and okayed the surgery on the other eye. She had a student with her and was explaining my lens correction, saying that I was a -10 and that I was 20/20 now because of the specialty lens. Yay! Happy Birthday @Cat in my lap! Enjoy your special day! Debbie @dfish, thank goodness you and Sue and the other grandma are in River’s life! Rich @richwmn, wow! Your cruise is creeping up. Will you be posting a Live From thread? Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser, I just found out our ladies group are going to Waco the first weekend in May. One of the ladies actually lives there and is hosting. We usually get together in November but this is for her big seven zero birthday so May it is. I’m excited. So, my question, what is the weather like at that time of year? I’m planning on flying into Waco so I don’t have to drive from Dallas. I guess American is the only airline that goes there. Have a great day!

Ah Bruce, you are forgiven, but just keep up the memes. I still haven’t figured out how you found a year old Daily but pain meds do weird things.

OMG!!!!! How adorable she is! Welcome to the world Maeve Grace.

Good morning everyone and Happy Tuesday from Tucson. Today’s high should be 79F. I posted some pictures from Aruba last evening on yesterday’s Daily if anyone would like to see them. @Overhead Fred’s butterfly pictures were amazing! I wear jeans when I go out and about and have different colors, black, blue, gray, white. And all are stretchy with elastic waist bands, so very comfortable. I wouldn’t have wanted to live through prohibition, I enjoy my wine. So Gerry @ger_77, I’m with you on that! I like lentils and probably would like the first recipe. I liked that the writer gave suggestions for different variations. Thank you for the recipes Debbie @dfish. I found an old pair of granny glasses, aka half glasses readers, that are working better than my regular prescription glasses for reading. I’ll have to invest in a good pair and some sunglasses soon. The surgeon said to wait a month for a new prescription though. Congratulations on the new birth in your family Charlene @cunnorl! What an exciting arrival and welcome to her new world that was! Didn’t you say that she was breach at one point? That must have corrected since the birth was so quick. Bon Voyage @GTVCRUISER! Have a great day!

I hope your interview went well today and best wishes to finding something that fits well. We also enjoy having lunch in port. DH does some research for each cruise and we try to ask the crew for recommendations also. I love your quilt! The colors are fantastic, blue is a favorite of mine. Also, so happy your surgery is scheduled and that it won’t interfere with the cruise.

Good evening! I wanted to share some pictures of Aruba before the day was done. I was just there April 19, 2023 on the Volendam. I took a “Natural Wonders” excursion and really enjoyed the day. We started off at the Butterfly Farm. Aruba is outside of the hurricane belt in the Caribbean so a great place for the butterflies. So many butterflies! I had difficulty getting pictures because it was crowded but did manage this one. Then on to the Natural Bridge, however the big one collapsed so this is the smaller one. Not having been to Aruba before I was surprised that the terrain was desert. Next we went to the Ayo Rock Formation. I really enjoyed my time there but do prefer the more tropical Caribbean islands. I believe this picture was taken from the ship. Beautiful!

Thank you Joy, but just as I thought, not the Jun we knew. Great picture of Allen!

Bon Voyage to everyone! ⛴⛴⛴ Grand Turk was a wonderful surprise after seeing so many Caribbean ports. Enjoy!!

Good morning everyone and Happy Sunday. It was really cold (for us) this morning our low was 35F, and will warm up to 66F. I have just caught up with yesterday’s Daily. Thank you all for your kind wishes and helpful suggestions for my struggles with seeing. Especially, @grapau27 @SusieKIslandGirl @57redbird @lazey1 . However, I have rimless glasses and they would just fall apart if the lens was out. I thought of doing the taping on the lens but instead have just used a tissue to cover up the lens when reading. I’ve found watching TV is easier without my glasses. It feels like I’m constantly taking them off and on, something I’m not used to doing. Thank goodness my next surgery is Thursday. My surgeon said having them done a week apart would be the best thing for me, which is why I had to wait two months for surgery. Joy, @Seasick Sailor, I’m sure he isn’t the same Jun, but could you ask him anyway how long he’s been with HAL? We had a Jun about 23 years ago, I think it was the Veendam, and we were on several cruises with him. What a fantastic person he was! That is all for me today. Have a great day everyone!

Thank you all for such great ideas!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Good evening! I am doing well today and at my post op today the doctor was very happy with the results. However, it’s very difficult to see. The new eye sees well without glasses and the other one sees well with glasses. Reading is almost impossible. Nothing looks right. Even my doctor said that I would have a rough week until the next surgery. I have extreme nearsightedness. The end result will be great, it’s the getting there that’s hard. So, all that said, I’m having difficulty catching up with the Daily. Just know my heart is with you all and I’ll read off and on. Sandi @StLouisCruisers, Congratulations to Ren! Graham @grapau27, oh my on the water leak. I hope your front yard recovers. Have a good evening!

Good evening all! Just an update because it’s too hard to read and post right now with the eye shield on. Thankfully that comes off tomorrow. Everything went well and the surgeon said I did well also. Things happened quickly so that helped take my mind off what was going on. I had a great nap and will be going to bed soon. Have a great evening!

So funny to see Craig’s picture! This was taken on Grand Cayman in 2016.

Good morning everyone! I am just sort of waiting to leave for the surgery center in 45 minutes. Easy to get ready, no creams, lotions, hairspray, etc. I’ll have to read the entire Daily later. Thank you all for your good wishes for today. I’ll check in later today. Have a great day everyone!

Bon Voyage! ⛴⛴⛴

Just checked. It looks like the upgrades from the regular HIA to premium on my 21 day Panama Canal in April was $100 and my 14 day Canada/New England a year ago was $50. I can’t locate the others, they must be on my husband’s account.

Not exactly but somewhere around $40-$50. I think it depends on when you upgrade and how long your cruise is. I’ll try to check my account and see.

Yes! and I always wait until onboard to upgrade. It’s a good way to use onboard credit. When you first login to the ship’s WiFi you will get a pop up asking if you want to upgrade. You can also upgrade each passenger or just a single device. I usually wait a day or two since I don’t need it right away. It’s so nice to have. Also, you pay by day so the price goes down each day you wait. We’ve done this for our past five or so cruises.

Your saguaro is beautiful! I wish we had one, maybe I’ll try! The Saguaro park here have seedlings to purchase. I’ve never done it because of how long it takes to see results. But yours is fantastic!

It’s taken me a bit to post this. My first draft was somehow erased and I couldn’t retrieve it so I’m doing it differently this time. Cut and paste is your best friend sometimes. 😉 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We were in Naples June 6, 2022 on the Oosterdam, I went on a foodie walking tour which was excellent and one the best excursions I’ve been on, one of my “Top 5” Best Ever. We started out from the ship to an outdoor café for espresso and sfogliatella, aka lobster tail, both absolutely delightful. Next up was Castel Nuovo where a wedding was about to take place, and it seemed like a high society wedding with all the hoopla. We watched cars arriving, being stopped by security before they could pass, lots of guests arriving, and the most beautiful flower arrangements being delivered. For some reason I didn’t get any pictures of all that. Our wonderful guide asked us to name the one Italian food/dish that we liked the most while in Italy and I said the Arancini from Verona during our 2005 land trip. Others said things like lasagna and other pasta dishes. Next up was a walk through Galleria Umberto, absolutely beautiful! Who knew that people really live in those upstairs villas. Then a stop for another treat at another restaurant. Unfortunately, I didn’t label this so don’t remember what it was. We took a long fast paced walk through the winding streets and alleys of the old town area. Absolutely delightful. Lots of markets and restaurants and people just living their lives, just what I like to see on an excursion. Next up was our stop for pizza. I was tuckered out by then so I was thankful for the sit down and glass of wine. Our guide was excellent and since we were such a small group we all got to know each other. First course was mozzarella and tomatoes, very refreshing. Then the pizza! Afterward we could venture out where we wanted to go, most went shopping, but I wanted to head back to the ship. Our guide offered to walk me back which I was grateful for because of the crazy traffic. What a wonderful day in Naples!