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Hi Jacqui Hope you are feeling better! You certainly have had a time of it! While recently onboard we booked the Grand SAmerica and Antarctica trip for October 7,2023 on the Zaandam Looking forward to it! charlene.

Oh my! You do look alike!

Good Morning from a very cool and windy day at the beach I enjoy kites. There is going to be a big kite festival here on the 21st. Should be fun. Have not been to todays port. Going to a cooking class this afternoon. Should be interesting. One of my friends wanted me to go with her. Prayers for all that are struggling right now, especially those in the path of those tornadoes. Terrible! Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from a bright and sunny day at the beach I really enjoy a nice cup of tea but I am still partial to “Salada”. My family sends a few boxes at a time necause it is not available here. @grapau27Graham, my prayers will continue for all of you. I do believe she made the right decision to try the injections first. It will probably take time and rest. @StLouisCruisersSandi, thanks for the great pictures. Both of our ports in Indonesia were cancelled. Off to a library board meeting this AM. Slay safe and enjoy today Charlene

@grapau27 Graham, My thoughts and prayers are with the three of you. Sounds like she is in the right place. Hope they find a solution soon.

Good Morning from a cool but soon to be sunny day at the beach I really only like dark chocolate. I do enjoy houseplants , mine were delivered home yesterday I don’t have that many. Have been to Bar Harbor many times but it has been quite a few years . Going to Orlando today for a much needed cut and color. Hasn’t been done since before I left in October. I usually go every 5-6 weeks! We booked the Grand South America and Antarctica trip for October while on board. We were scheduled to do it in 2021 but was cancelled. Have to call my PCC today to verify a few things. Oh happy news, we are all 4 star! Yeah ! Free laundry! Although I think the laundry package is the best deal on the ship! Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good morning from a cool but warming day at the beach I have the utmost respect for law enforcement. They have a very difficult and dangerous job. I have never been to todays port. Sorry to read about that cyclone in New Zealand and that the Noordam is returning to Sydney. Always better to be safe. I am having trouble returning to normal. Can’t seem to get my days and nights straight. Been like a zombie the last few days. Going to go on a long walk on the beach today and hopefully the nice sea air will adjust my time clock, I am so sorry to hear about Kazu and Scrapnana. Praying for a complete recovery. Be safe and enjoy today Charlene

Thank you for taking us along. Really enjoying your posts! They are very uplifting! continue to enjoy !

Thanks for the update. My thoughts and prayers are with Kathi at this most difficult time.

We stopped in Eden after missing Hobart. The Captain ( the one that kept saying it is not my fault) felt we should stop at Eden instead. Nice little town. Went out to the golf course where there were kangaroos all over the place. Didn’t play because I did not think we had enough time. Seems I was wrong because it was decided we were staying over nite.,Captain said again seas were rough and he wanted us to “ have a good nights sleep”. My first attempt at pictures. charlene

Good Morning from a cloudy day at the beach Off to the eye doctor for my shot. It is a week overdue. We went to Eden on this trip, actually ended up overnighting there. Will try my first attempt at posting pictures when I get back from the doctor. charlene

Will be following along. Have a wonderful trip!

Good Afternoon from a warm and sunny day at the beach We finally arrived home at 2am today after a long crazy trip home. Our 85 day cruise was wonderful, a few hiccups but to be expected. Met some wonderful people and saw amazing places. Cant wait to go again! My neighbor put some breakfast food in our refrigerator as well as a few snacks. Another neighbor just dropped off dinner so I wouldnt have to deal with it today. I am so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors. We stayed well the entire journey. We had a very low Covid count according to one of the officers. We had to wear masks once we reached Australia. Very little to no one wearing them in the ports. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from Sydney We stayed at the Rydges Hotel at Sydney airport. Very convenient. The international terminal is across the street, no more taxis! We arrive home very late on Tuesday night. Boarding our plane in a few hours for the long journey home. Can’t believe this trip is over! As is told one of the ships officers yesterday, it was not perfect but it was wonderful! My DD did very well even with the mask wearing. All of us remained healthy and hope to remain that way over the last part of the journey. Loved Australia and New Zealand. Beautiful countries . Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

We stayed in 6228 on the Amsterdam (same class) but no longer in the Hal fleet. It was a good room, spacious with a really great balcony. There are pictures on Halfacts.com

Happy New Year from the Noordam We had a wonderful New Year’s Eve party last nite at the midship pool. They had cleared out all the loungers and set the band up at the far end of the pool. Had 3 large screen TVs doing the countdown. Lot of fun. I am sure it went on for long after we left! Well today is the dreaded pack up day . We disembark in the morning( Monday) for the long journey home. We were in Tonga for 2 days on this trip. It is a great port and the people are so warm and welcoming. When I get home I am going to try posting pictures. You are all in thoughts and prayers, and especially those that are experiencing heartaches right now. My very best wishes for a happy, healthy and safe New Year! Charlene

Thanks for taking us along. I do enjoy reading about your travels! Have a safe , healthy and wonderful journey!

So sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. My wishes for a full and quick recovery! Will keep you in my prayers!

Good Saturday Morning from the Noordam Not a fan of bacon and have dealt with a lot of changes on this trip. We are on our 1st of 2 sea days back to Sydney . @luvteachingexcellent news about your DH. @Seasick Sailor the laundry had lost 1 of DD’s sundresses. I put a note on the next order and the officer in charge arrived at my door with a whole rack of misplaced clothes and had me pick out the missing dress. The dress was there! @lindalerglad they have your luggage. That is certainly concerning! I used Luggage Forwarding for the 1st time on this trip . Worked out well. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Rich, I agree on the presentation ,”history of Holland America “. I actually have seen it twice on this trip because I found it interesting .it is well done and moves along. Loving your reports.

Have a wonderful and safe trip! Will be following along!

@erewhonyes we are still on the ship back to Sydney arriving on the 2nd. We will overnite ( less stressful) and fly home the next day. This has been the best trip ever. We have never taken a cruise this long ( 85 days) and I could go for 85 more! I wanted to let you know that Ship Services contacted me regarding the incident in Napier. From my understanding, several passengers went and complained. I am not a complainer and just try to deal with things. Anyway, they have lodged a complaint and not sure what else can be done. It was very upsetting because the people of New Zealand have been so warm and welcoming. Just a bad apple I guess. Thank you for your concern. Your country is the most beautiful that I have ever visited. Charlene

Good Wednesday morning from the Noordam We are just docking in Auckland and will be here for 2 days. Weather is warm and skies are blue. Beautiful day. Our plan is to take the hop on hop off . We were in Tauranga yesterday and had a really great day. Had “hokey- pokey” ice cream for the first time. Delicious! We will be in the Bay of Islands on Friday. Thanks for the pictures! I have to learn how to post pictures- I am very challenged and am on my phone. We are still wearing masks, most are compliant. Heard there were 8 guests with covid. So maybe the masks are working??? We have remained healthy and his whole trip but still have that dreaded long flight home. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

Good Morning from the Noordam We are in Tauranga today, not yet docked. Looks like a bright and warm day. We were in Napier yesterday , pretty town, nice weather. It was so crowded as there was also a Celebrity ship in. We walked around for awhile . There were shuttles to return to the ship. There was 3 people in wheelchairs and DD was one of them. We waited almost 2 hours for an accessible bus. As anyone who deals with a disability knows, patience is required. Then one of the bus drivers said, “ these stupid people in wheelchairs, they shouldn’t be allowed here”. I could not believe it. There were no taxis and no alternatives. I started to cry ( I never cry) . Several passengers yelled at the driver for his ignorance. They brought us to the Celebrity line and put us on their bus. All turned out ok but left me feeling very sad and ruined what was a nice day. So today is a new day and we will go out again. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene

A very Merry Christmas from the Noordam We had a wonderful day yesterday at sea. Today we are in Napier and it is warm with bright blue skies. Had rained just before our arrival. Going out to see this art deco town. Stay safe and enjoy today Charlene