Cruising-along

Good morning all! It took awhile to catch up on the 4 pages of the Daily, plus I got up a little later than usual (sleepless night). I've never golfed, but feel I would be as bad at that as I am at tennis. 🤣 DH golfed often when we first married. Never had a frappe -- I've never seen them offered in these parts. I love almost ALL animals. I'll pass on the meal, drink and red wine. Tacos sound good for tonight, and I have almost everything here. We were in Nice, but it was pre-digital so no photos. We were with my sister and her DH, the port was Monte Carlo but we took public transportation first to Eze, then to Nice. Well we managed to get all our visas yesterday for Australia and NZ. It went pretty smoothly for me, but DH had a few hiccups like one of them was forcing him to scan his credit card (I only had to put in my cc numbers) and it wouldn't accept the scan. Finally he got out of the app and started all over and lo and behold, he didn't have to scan it then. Also a few other annoyances, like not getting the emails they said they sent -- I guess I was lucky when I did mine. Next up is getting supplemental medical insurance to go with our HAL cancel for any reason ins. Terri @Cruzin Terri A very happy 42nd anniversary to you and Jim! Vanessa @JazzyV Happy birthday!! I hope you have a wonderful day. Will you be going out for dinner? Welcome to @AroundWithMAPTravels and @Smmessineo! We hope to hear a lot more from you. 🙂 Annie @marshhawk Yikes, I hope your cat sitter is alright. Terry @smitty34877 I'm so glad your aide is working out. Tina @0106 What a morning you had! I'm glad it all worked out. I avoid Delta whenever possible, problems in the past. Sometimes we have no choice though! @St Pete Cruiser Safe travels! Lorraine @cruising sister For this cruise my neighbor will pick up our mail. When we were gone for 75 days a couple years ago, our P.O. assured me that my mail would be held in a P.O. Box (and I paid for it). It was a huge fiasco and the mail was never held (story gets worse, but won't go into all that!) So now I don't trust them. That's just our P.O. though, I know most people don't have problems.

A second vote for the Tamarind. I wish it was on all the ships but you're lucky, it's on the Koningsdam 🙂

Welcome to HAL! The Koningsdam is one of the Pinnacle Class ships, our favorite. We sail both Celebrity and HAL, most recently we were on an Alaska cruise on the Solstice a couple weeks ago. It was a great cruise. As mentioned above, the entertainment on HAL isn't up to par with Celebrity, but the Koningsdam will have BB King, Billboard onboard and Rolling Stone Rock room besides evening musicals, comedians, magicians etc. We've found the service and attentiveness of the crew to be equal on both lines, the specialty restaurants on HAL aren't as pricey. HAL's laundry deals can't be beat. Anyone, not just higher-level Mariners, can get bags of laundry done for a small fee -- anytime, not just once per cruise. I really wish Celebrity would do that, we would take longer cruises with them if the itinerary was right.

Such good news, Lenda -- I'm very happy for you both! Vanessa, this is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. I'm glad you'll be checked again in 2-3 weeks, and hope it's more in the normal range by then. This is what I'm going through too, kidney issues. Just watch the salt and drink lots of water (I was told to drink 64 oz./day). It isn't as hard as it sounds. 🙂 Today has turned sunny, and later this week will get up to 77 (!) One last gasp before down to the 50's and lower. DDIL made some homemade pesto and gave us some -- yum! While there our techie son gave us some tech help (appropriate for today). Next up we'll be tackling the Australia and NZ Visa apps on our new phones. Hopefully we don't have too much trouble.

Good morning all! I married my boyfriend, every child deserves good health and health care, and we turn to our DS and DD for techie help -- especially our DS and we're so glad he moved up here! I'll pass on the drink and meal (mushrooms) but would like the wine. Have never been to Japan, thank you Tony @sailingdutchy for the photos! We got our RSV shots yesterday, both of us were very tired/sleepy last night but so far today only sore arms. Also got our new iPhones, so we're learning what they do. So far I'm happy with mine. Vanessa @JazzyV Thank you for including my friend Ronda on the Care List. I plan to check with her today to see if there's been any news. Jacqui @kazu Safe travels! Wow, that's a long layover and not good Air Canada changed your seat! Joy @Seasick Sailor I'm glad you got checked out and happy there's no lasting damage. Good that Allen is ok too.

Lenda @Quartzsite CruiserI’m so happy to hear your good news! Thank you for letting us know, and I hope you both get a good night’s rest tonight.

Joy @Seasick Sailor Yikes, I hope your back feels better soon and you don't have any damage. Is your DH ok? Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser still praying. We just got home from getting our RSV vaccines. The pharmacist told us it can cause body aches and fatigue, I've taken some Tylenol to head it off. I got some startling news today. My friend who I was planning to meet for lunch on Wednesday has been in the hospital since Sept. 22! She has kidney stones, an abscess on a kidney, and also found out she's diabetic. Her glucose was 600 when she was admitted. 😞 They've gotten that more under control, but she has a long way to go. They can't address the stones until the abscess is taken care of. She's always been so healthy, this was quite a surprise.

Oh Lenda I'm so sorry. Thanks for checking in, I'll be praying. (((hugs)))

Good morning all! I appreciate all custodial workers and always made it a point to smile and say good morning to them when I came in to work. I've only named one car, the one I have now. She's "Baby" because I baby her and hope to keep her a long time. Love visiting farms and seeing the farm animals. Quote is quite true. I don't care for Mac & Cheese, but Debbie @dfish you outdid yourself today! You made Mac & Cheese look good to me LOL! I would choose the recipe for the Mac & Cheese Stuffed Peppers. Will pass on the red wine and drink, we'll go to Brisbane on the GA. Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisers for the great photos! We have a tour of the city and the Botanical Gardens that day. We'll be seeing koalas in some different ports, and I have a reservation to hold one (!) (if it isn't too hot). In that case we can't. Today we have appointments to get our RSV vaccines. It's rare that I don't have a reaction to any vaccine, so I'm spreading the 3 shots out. Also DH is shopping for new phones for us. We want to be sure our phones are in top shape for the GA. And since mine fell into the Mediterranean a couple years ago (along with me) I'm lucky it hasn't given me any problems. We can't do the Australia and NZ visa apps until we get the new phones too. No point doing it and then getting rid of the phones. Vanessa @JazzyV A big thank you for the PSA about the alert test on Wednesday. I will be having a late lunch out with a friend, so I'll be sure to turn my phone OFF! Bon Voyage @lindaler! Terry @smitty34877 I hope this new aide turns out to be everything you want!! Sandi @StLouisCruisers I loved seeing the photos of sweet Elliott Rose yesterday -- what a doll! And I'm happy that Scott is doing a little better, prayers he gets better and better. Debbie @dfish The lamp post looks great!

Annie I have never been offended by any of your posts and can't quite imagine why anyone would be. Debbie I know what you mean. It's startling to find out they're talking about someone 10-20 years younger than I am. It's really bad when the person is only in their mid 50's and referred to as elderly.

My dear Dad lived to be almost 102 and refused to call himself old until he was 100. I think I take after him in that way. I sure don't think of myself as elderly.

Good morning all! I love my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. The older I get the more I dislike the term "elderly". I don't mind being called a senior citizen, but something about the other word just sounds....old. 🤣 I'm all for frugal fun though. 🙂 Will pass on the enchiladas. Tonight we're having Chicken Pesto Meatballs. Both the drink and wine sound good. Have never been to the Seychelles, although DH was there in the Navy. Today will be more gardening before the rain comes tomorrow. We'll have a few days of sun and warm temps (mid 70's!) next week -- very nice for October! Bon Voyage @Nickelpenny and @Live4cruises! Happy birthday to @cunnorl's DH! Welcome home @SusieKIslandGirl and @tupper10! Safe travels @lindaler @smitty34877 I hope today's meeting with the prospective aide goes well.

I look forward to following along, have a great cruise Jacqui!

Lenda, I couldn't be happier for you and Steve. This is great news!! I "get it" about being able to look forward to the future now. Wonderful! Sandi @StLouisCruisers I'm so sorry to hear about your dear friend's DH' breathing problems and cardiac arrest. You have my prayers that his situation improves soon. Annie @marshhawk Thanks for explaining. And I agree, this site is much better. I see so much misinformation on the other site. I only use it for friends and family and never post on their roll calls. More importantly, I make sure only my friends and family can see anything I post there.

One of the best programs ever! I love Call the Midwife. So glad you had a better night and were able to sleep through the night Vanessa.

OH! thanks Jacqui, I didn't catch that she meant on "that" page on FB. No, I don't post there either, CC roll calls are much better (and the people here know more too!!).

Good morning all! Another beautiful day in the PNW, sun and low 60's. I hear we'll get up to the mid 70's next week (!) No mud pack for me, and I don't know any vegetarians to hug. We travelers especially will appreciate translators. I'll pass on the drink but know I would love the wine from NZ. Also would like the meal if someone makes it for me -- DH isn't crazy about soups for a meal so I most likely wouldn't make it at home. We will be in Suva on the Grand Australia, thank you Tony @sailingdutchy for the photos! Today will be another day of garden cleanup and trip planning. DH is working again today. Bon Voyage Mary Kay @cruzn single, Cat and Dave @Ichiban Nekko, and Sue @WannaSea! Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser I'm so glad you and Steve had a good, restful night last night. Annie @marshhawk That's terrible about how the supervisors at work use FB to hire/promote people. Not good! But if a person doesn't post everything publicly they shouldn't be able to see those posts. For instance, someone looking for a job wouldn't usually be friends with that supervisor so his or her posts wouldn't be visible to the supervisor. The same for those whose insurance won't cover them if they post their trips on FB --- the insurance company wouldn't see those posts unless you post them publicly. I never, ever post publicly, it opens yourself up to scammers etc. My posts are visible only to my friends.

We were very lucky, Lenda. The Denali photos were taken on the ride back later in the day -- earlier the visibility wasn't as good. We were there in early May and the weather was great overall. I hope you and Steve both sleep well tonight. You must be exhausted after only 2 hours' sleep last night and then the drive home!

Oops, I forgot to add my photos from Denali. We didn't spend much time in Anchorage, so won't post those. We did the Triple Denali with my best friend and her DH. It was a great trip! Our building McKinley Chalet Resort A moose we saw The only view we got of this bear was from the bus camera DH got this shot of a "camouflaged" wolf.

Good morning all! Another good collection of days. Will pass on the drink, wine and meal, although the last recipe Debbie provided would be good (minus the mushrooms) 😉 I like onions, but not that much with fish. DH is working at the Mariners' today, and I'll be having left overs of chicken salad in pita bread. We're going to have 3 days of sunshine! That means getting out in the garden to do some fall clean up. Gerry @ger_77 I'll be thinking of you while I push our big green bin around 😉 That sounds so much like something I'd do and have come close to doing! 🤣 Our local pharmacy has all the vaccines in stock, and we have appointments to get our RSV vaccines on Monday. We plan to get the 3 vaccines a month apart, ending with the Covid vaccine a month before the cruise. Yesterday we went shopping, DH needed a new suit -- and perfect timing, Macys is having a big sale! Very happy with what he got and especially the prices. Melisa @HAL Sailer Prayers and hugs for you and your DH. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser I'm very happy to hear that Steve's pain is less today and that you can go home. Safe travels! Terry @smitty34877 Oh no on the flooding worries and I'm sorry to hear you haven't found a new aide yet for Tana. You and your strength are an inspiration for all of us. @Denise T I'm glad you're feeling a little better. Vanessa @JazzyV I'm so sorry you're still dealing with so much pain -- prayers and hugs!

I did a Google search and I got the feeling too that that requirement is for people planning on staying for awhile. We're waiting to do ours because we plan on getting new cell phones before we leave. Unless we did it without the cell phone app --- someone on the roll call said he did that. I really, really hate doing things like that on my phone...

Thank you Nancy, I have a feeling we won't need that many bags, but we'll see. I'm not usually an over-packer, but we'll be having a lot of sea days too. I know we'll be keeping a lot of things like gifts, souvenirs and extra toiletries inside bags under the bed and we'll be using every single storage space we can find. 🤣

Good morning all! It's another drizzly morning here in the PNW. Yesterday we had some major downpours in the area. I've turned the heat on for the first time, seems early. We usually get past September before I have to do that. 😞 I'm more of a wine drinker, but do love Guinness occasionally. It's the only beer I'll drink. We have wonderful neighbors on both sides and across the street. We and the neighbors to the right and left have been here 30 years now, the others nearly as long, a couple of us are original owners of the homes. I love Swedish meatballs, will print off one of the recipes -- thanks Debbie @dfish! Also love any NZ Sauvignon Blanc, so I know I'd like this one. Will pass on the drink. The Beatles are my favorite group, and I was lucky enough to see them in person when I was 14 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. I'm amazed that Vanessa @JazzyV knew it was our anniversary yesterday -- Vanessa you must have meticulous notes!! Thank you again. We had a nice dinner out and DH surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. Today we plan to do some clothes shopping for DH for the Grand Australia. And yesterday we put in our order for Luggage Forward, they will pick up our bags on Dec. 14. We have unlimited luggage forwarding...uh, to be sure we have enough, we're having them pick up 6 large suitcases....who knows where we'll put all this stuff, but I'd rather have too much than not enough. If we don't need that many, we just let them know. We'll also have 2 carry-on bags. We've never been gone 94 days before. A lot of it will be games, crafts etc. to do on sea days, some things for the children on Fanning Island. I'm thinking of Lenda and Steve @Quartzsite Cruiser today as he has the shunt placed. I was too late to post on yesterday's thread but I'm thinking of you! Roy @rafinmd Safe travels and Bon Voyage! So happy you're doing this. @Denise T I'm sorry you were sick yesterday, I hope you're feeling much better. We were in Bergen in 2019 on our 50th anniversary cruise. That day we walked from the ship to the funicular, back down the hill and to the ship. It was a nice day! My favorite scene on our walk Past a park full of pigeons Unusual (for us) McDonalds Loved this sign ("This way That way") The line for the funicular Going up... And at the top Lovely mini waterfalls I found a friend 😉 Very nice and easy path And coming back down, a view of the Nieuw Statendam

Thank you all so much! We've decided to just go "down the road" for dinner tonight, and stay off the freeways. The rain is coming down hard, and the traffic is awful even in good weather.. Caron @Cruisercl We will definitely plan something, and yes, we'll have a lot of sea days in the beginning of the cruise -- perfect for get togethers. Looking forward to it! Our wedding was very small, this photo was taken at the reception at my parents' house. All of DH's family was in GA and mine in WA state (the wedding was in CA). In those days flying across country wasn't as easy as it is now. Thank you for the lovely compliments. 🙂

WOW! What a nice surprise this morning! Thank you all and I hope I didn't miss anyone. I see @Cruzin Terri posted when I was typing, thank you! Much appreciated 🙂 Yes, this is year 54 for us -- hard to believe when I feel like I'm still 18 😉 Caron @Cruisercl I have lists of lists too, and they seem to be getting longer! I think we should think of having a "Daily get together and/or meal" near the beginning of the cruise, that would be fun. I see that some of us are on the same tours, but it would be nice to get to know each other sooner. Good collection of days, I like the quote. Will pass on the meal and drink but love Chenin Blanc. Have never been to Senegal. Safe travels @Nickelpenny. Jack @Heartgrove Welcome home! 54 years ago today -- we were so young!!