StLouisCruisers

I posted before I showed photos of the shopping at the pier. Anyway, eventually we headed back to the dock via the nice boardwalk. We had the chance to stop in and look at the handicraft fair held inside the cruise terminal. I'll check in tomorrow. Have a good night!

Good afternoon! We made it to our hotel in Plantation before 3 pm and returned the car a short walk away from the hotel. We had quite a bit of thunderstorms in south Georgia and then managed to stay ahead of them as storms moved from the panhandle to Jacksonville. We drove past Ann's exit #278 at about 9:30 am. A very long 650 mile journey. At the hotel there is a new owner and some things are in a bit of turmoil. The shuttle service to the cruise terminals is out of service for a few days because someone forgot to renew the license, so the county shut them down. Our bad luck! Trying to find a ride via other shuttle services right now. The down button on our floor's elevators doesn't work either so that will mean extra riding up and down tomorrow morning. Too bad this place is convenient to the car drop off place because I would have to consider another place to stay in this particular spot next time. By the way, we've never used Uber or Lyft because they haven't had the service in our county and we never had occasion to use that type of service. We have someone who does airport runs as a side job, and he's very reliable. Thank you to everyone who worried and wished us well on our journey. This is such a supportive place. Well, I mentioned I'd try to post the Sydney photos this afternoon. Let's see if this will work while away from home. This keyboard on DH's device is so small it's difficult for me to use so hope it doesn't take lots of extra time each day. We’ve visited Sydney, Nova Scotia twice, on Rotterdam in October 2018 and on Zaandam in August 2023. In October, 2018 on our Canada/New England/Atlantic Coast cruise we began in Montreal and ended in Tampa. The day before Sydney we had to miss Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island due to wind gusts up to 86 mph. That was a major disappointment to us. I was really looking forward to that port. But we were grateful to make our stop in Sydney. The weather was sunny and cold with brisk winds but we dressed warmly and headed off the ship for our exploration of this new port (for us). The famous Big Fiddle, a welcoming monument on the dock. There is a market located nearby for vendors and craftsmen in the area to sell their wares. We first stopped in at the St. Patrick's Church Museum which had cool timber framing inside. Then down the street was this unique building which I believe is a store now. We spied this duck boat called Harbour Hopper taking people on rides around the area. For some reason that does not appeal to me. I'm a little wary of them. Then there is this monument overlooking the water. It recognizes wartime contributions of the merchant navy. On our way back to the ship we ran across this man who wanted to show off his 1968 hand painted Cadillac. He said it had only 26,000 miles on it and got 1 mile per gallon of gasoline. No wonder it only had 26,000 miles on the odometer! You can't afford the gas to drive it anywhere. We enjoyed our time in Sydney walking around the town. All in all, a very nice day! On our second trip there we were on our Canada, Greenland, Iceland cruise on Zaandam. This took place in August so different weather than our first time there. We set out looking for a dollar store to pick up small items we needed, but were unsuccessful.

Thanks Ann, we'll be on the lookout. Going to bed now and up at 2 am.

I definitely always wave at exit 278 every time, Ann! Dennis can attest to that fact! It takes forever just to get out of Georgia so you and Bindi will be up for hours!

Well, that trip to pick up a car took way too long. There must have been delays during storms today and the line at the rental car counter was 40 deep. Had we known Avis has us as a preferred customer and if we'd had an Avis app we could have seen our car was sitting out there in the parking garage with our name on it. For some reason cell service was blocked at the rental car parking area. We asked a guy parked next to us if he had SOS only service and he said yes, for the last 35 minutes! Who knows what was going on. Anyway, DH got to the car reserved for him and noticed the PSI was only 17 in one tire so refused the car. Who knows if it had a nail in it? They quickly provided a new vehicle though I doubt the gas mileage will be as good with this one. As long as I get to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow, I don't care!!! The storms were mostly gone by the time we headed to Atlanta, and no tornadoes so we're good now. Thanks Elizabeth! No tornadoes turned up here, thank the Lord! I hope the med issue gets worked out eventually with the best outcome for you. Thanks Lenda! 👍 Thanks Graham! Not much sleep tonight because we're leaving in the middle of the night practically. We don't drive over the speed limit normally, need breaks every couple hours, and who knows about accidents and other traffic jams. We'll leave lots of time to arrive at the car rental drop off place. Get better soon Terri! Jane, I hope the medication and diet works well for you and thankfully you won't need a surgery that way. Having your son there with you will be a good thing for both of you, I bet. DS, DDIL and Ren go to Bethesda, Maryland tomorrow for an MLS Next Flex tournament. They'll be there 3 to 4 days. The next big tournament is in June in Nashville. It's called the MLS Next Playoffs and Showcase June 15th to 23rd. FC Dallas is already qualified. I've requested we be kept updated since we probably won't have access to much in the way of results. We try to keep up with Ren and his soccer life.

We've made real progress here today. Most is packed up, I stopped the mail for the next 30 days, and posted a review of our stay at the house we rented last weekend. The host will be able to add a rebuttal. Not sure how he can blame anything on us. We didn't plant the roaches there! Leaving in 90 minutes to drive to Atlanta to pick up the car and return home. Finish up some chili for supper, unload the dishwasher and will probably think of something we didn't do last minute. LOL! Water to the house will be turned off near the street and lines drained so hopefully no problems with water during our absence. Thanks for all your words of encouragement and good wishes for our drive tomorrow. I will hopefully be able to check the Daily late afternoon or evening on Friday. Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser to give you a head start tomorrow, the links to the port are currently on pages 503 (March 24, 2021) and 313 (Aug. 11, 2022). My photos are not available since they go back to March 2021, so I can post something later in the day probably. You will probably run across that while I'm gone several times. I hope to be able to post from the ship, but there will be a few times I won't be available due to tours, etc. If I don't post photos you can do it for me while I'm gone if you like. You'll be sick of that by the time I return! 🙂

We were happy to visit Flam twice on the Prinsendam in 2016 and 2017. The photos are from the 2016 Best Norway Cruise Ever as we call it. There's only room for one ship at the dock so we tendered over to Flam. DH and I had purchased our tickets online for the train ride up the mountain and back down. It was much less expensive and we didn't want to wait and possibly have them sell out. This little village gets very busy when the ships are in town and everyone wanting to take that train ride. There is a small museum, a tourist train, a little "mall", and of course the visitor center. Oh yes, don't forget this hotel, too. A train comes in and all onboard depart. That's when we in line boarded and the train begins our journey. You see little towns, colorful buildings, and beautiful scenery with waterfalls and rushing river water. There is a screen in each car with commentary along the way. I noticed a woman sitting on the rock looking at the train in this picture. See her? We went by several small stations along our route. Sometimes we pulled off the main track and let a train pass by going downhill to Flam. The train stops and lets everyone see the Kjosfossen waterfall. Pretty misty right here! Keep your eye on that little stone ruin there. Suddenly you hear some eerie music coming from hidden speakers and we see a seductive forest creature emerge to dance for the tourists. The train then continues up to Myrdal with more nice scenery. This is supposedly the steepest train route in Europe. The train stops in Myrdal and that's where we do our backtracking to Flam. I was able to see the weather forecast for Myrdal while waiting there. My old IPhone - looks tiny! Going back down you of course see the same scenery only on the opposite side for better viewing. The train stopped again at the waterfall to see the nymph once more. Different moves! Hope that wig doesn't fall off! Lots and lots of smaller waterfalls on the route. Nearly back to Flam. I'd say the whole trip took around 2 hours. We walked around the small town a bit and headed back to the Prinsendam. Once sailing away from Flam Captain D.D. headed towards Undredal to pick up some of his favorite goat cheese. And here it comes! It was a very good day in Norway, as usual.

Good morning friends! We are on a tornado watch until 1 pm and I hope that won't be extended with further severe thunderstorms after that time. We leave home around 3 pm to drive to the car rental site at Atlanta's airport, pick up one and drive home. Right now it's about 72F and cloudy with, as I said, thunderstorms and possible tornadic type activity through 1 pm. with a high temp of 78. Thanks Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps. Hurray for Europe, home front heroes and Moscato wine. I think I'll pass on the quiche, cosmopolitan and wine. A tremendous day in history when the British broke the German codes in 1941. Thanks Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for the the F&B reports. Prayers for all our Care list folks, DB and great nephew Alex's twins, The people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and the military members in harm's way there. I pray for improvement for all our sick and ailing Dailyites. Jacqui, Richard, Vanessa's BFF .🙏 Cheers for all celebrating special events and the cruisers! 🎉🚢🎂 Thanks Vanessa @JazzyV for everything you do to keep us informed! The port this morning is Flam, Norway which was the destination before on Feb.17, 2022 and April 19, 2023. Here are the links: We are struggling with the kitchen refrigerator (thankfully we have another in the garage), which had water pooling on the floor around the front corners of it. The water was there when we got home Monday from Florida. So we emptied the fridge and freezer yesterday and put everything in the garage one. Turned it off and let things warm up. There is still a drip happening so the floor has plastic and heavy beach towels to collect it. Water was turned off to the fridge yesterday before we turned the power off. We really don't need this problem before our extended absence. It will be left off and open the whole time. Hoping the dripping stops soon! 🙄 Hoping your day starts off better than mine! Stay safe and keep well!

Yes, it is! 82,000 tons. I can't remember much about it.

Thanks so much Graham! It looks mighty big compared to most of the HAL ships we've been on. Westerdam and Rotterdam VI were the largest for us so far. I should get a lot of stair workouts on this ship!

So busy today! We have a lot done but still have more work tomorrow to prepare to leave extra early Friday morning. The mail has been taken care of and several trusted neighbors know about our departure and will keep an eye on things. They've been asked not to discuss it with any other residents and agree to that. Plus we have a monitored security system, live in a gated community and have no incidents of break ins or squatting. We should be fine. Graham @grapau27 thanks for the beautiful photos today! A nice day at the beach. Terry, I'm very sorry to hear this has not been the best of days for you all. I hope you get some more rest and Tana is comfortable. Congratulations to your DS!! Annie, I hope things go well for Chuck next Tuesday. I agree with Debbie that I think I'd call and verify the laser is working before wasting any more time. Sorry to hear about yesterday's frightful drive home! Driving some days scares the living daylights out of me!

Good morning friends! It's 68F this morning, and we expect partly cloudy to sunny skies and a high of at least 87. Pretty steamy! Yesterday they predicted thunderstorms this morning but that rapidly moved to Thursday as soon as I typed it. Thank you Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. Today's days concern a previously unknown to me disease. Hopefully Graham @grapau27 will clarify. Also disaster preparedness and cruelty free day (to animals) which are good causes. I think I'll celebrate V-E Day! Nice quote, a pass on the meal and drink, and a maybe to the wine. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope and Ann @cat shepard for your reports each day. Prayers for DB, great nephew Alex's baby boys, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and our troops in the region. Also to our Care list folks who still suffer and we are praying for relief for you. 🙏 Jacqui @kazu I hope your antibiotics are helping now and the pain goes away. Maureen @RMLincoln good luck at the colonoscopy, and I'm hoping your DH Richard's eye is doing okay. Lorraine @cruising sister I send my prayers to your friend who lost her DGS and has the other one in the hospital with serious problems. I can't imagine the pain and grief she is feeling.😢 Vanessa @JazzyV I hope your BFF is getting along okay and not in pain. Karen @luvteaching best wishes to you today as you remember your DD DH on his 84th heavenly birthday. Joy @Seasick Sailor you asked about my DB yesterday. He is having a lot of problems with breathing, especially with wheezing. He is keeping things more private lately. I'm not sure if the very expensive meds the pharmaceutical company provides are helping any, but better them than nothing I guess. Congrats to those celebrating special events, and those on cruises. I'm in the torturous period of running around trying to get everything ready for a cruise. It will be good to relax onboard and spend the first week at sea. In good news, the family in St. Louis is fine after yesterday morning's wild storms. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the list keeping today! Hope you are doing well! Since I wasn't on Cruise Critic much yesterday let me say I hope memories of your DM yesterday on her 120th heavenly birthday brought you comfort. 😇 The port today is Da Nang (Hue), Vietnam. This was the port once before on Oct. 27, 2022. I have not been to that port in Vietnam, but did see several others and they were interesting. I hope you will post your photos and thoughts on Da Nang if you can. Here's the link to Oct. 27, 2022. Off this morning to the hair appointment, then back to the packing and preparing. Need to get the mail situation under control, but no call back from one neighbor. Will move on to the other one. Have a great day everyone!

Good morning friends! It is 65F this morning with a high expected of 86 and partly cloudy skies. Watching the news/weather while exercising I saw that St. Louis is under a tornado warning this morning so I hope that nothing comes of it and my family there is safe. 😬 Thanks Jacqui @kazu and Roy @rafinmd for posting the Fleet Report and Daily as well as the fleet location maps for Rich @richwmn. We appreciate it! Let's recognize cosmopolitans 🍹, Cystinosis Awareness Day, and Sauvignon Blanc. It seems that cystinosis is a rare genetic condition and we could use some awareness of its severity. It is also National Teacher's Day so let's support them! Love the quote from Lennon's song "Imagine". Yes to the meal, and no to the drink and wine. Surprising how early integrated circuits were in our sphere. DS's research involved low-power integrated circuits so new things are always being discovered. Thank you Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for your reports today. Prayers for DB and great nephew Alex's twin boys, the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held and hopefully still alive, and our military men and women in the region. Also for those here with health concerns and any of our family members or friends with them. Prayers for Vanessa's @JazzyV BFF as he begins the task of healing from that nasty bone break. Prayers also for Richard, Tana and Terry @smitty34877, Amber, Jane @lazey1, Jacqui @kazu and Debbie @dfish.🙏 We send our thoughts and prayers to you all. Three cheers for those cruising and everyone celebrating happy events today. 🥂🎉🚢 This includes anyone with improved health situations. Thanks go to you Vanessa @JazzyV for your fine work keeping the lists up to date! The port of the day is Kushiro, Japan which has been the destination twice before - Nov. 18, 2022 and Jan. 30, 2023. I have not been before so no photos today. Please check the links if you've posted before and add them here for us to review again. My memory is not perfect so I may have forgotten. Thanks in advance! Well, that's an interesting photo/meme/gif showing up on the January 2023 link! It's nice for a change of pace. Well, time to get busy gathering our clothes and checking our lists as we pack today. Tomorrow morning I have a hair appointment so that will take a couple hours, and of course I see we may have thunderstorms then so that's always fun to drive in. NOT! Hope you all have a great day. Stay safe and keep well!

No. We stopped at a rest area early on, then stopped somewhere for that cup of McCafe coffee for DH. We eventually stopped at the Buc-ee's south of Macon, Georgia for a fill up and to pick up some of DH's favorite trail mix. We bought some to share with the bar staff we get to know on our upcoming cruises. They like snacks! We ate a light lunch once we got home. On the way up we ate a Belvita soft baked good in the car that we brought along.

We went to Bar Harbor on the Rotterdam in Oct. 2018. From a T-shirt seen at a store there. Now that we know how to pronounce the name of the town properly, let us continue. This is the exterior of a restaurant. Good thing they hung that sign at the doorway or you'd never find your way inside. Some of the interesting rock formations. Lot of variations in the color in this rock. Here we are at the Village Burying Ground. This plaque tells you more. St. Saviour’s Church circa 1877 Low tide It was quite a pretty little spot to visit. I wouldn't mind seeing this sight this every day, as long as it was on a BHB!