StLouisCruisers

This sounds like a very good start to your river cruise adventure. From what I've heard of Scenic, you should have an excellent cruise. Thanks for keeping us updated.

Thank you Sharon. Thank you for your condolences @erewhon. I'm surprised at this sudden setback for your DH. I hope the x-ray doesn't show any new damage. It's fortunate your neighbor could help you get him up off the floor. Good luck today.

Do you think the nurse will come in your room to test you? When we were tested on Princess, she knocked on the door and we answered with our masks on. Then we uncovered our nose and she used a swab to swish our nostrils. She did both of us from the hallway. Also, she didn't go back to medical just then. They carefully collected and marked our samples. There were many of us lined up and down that hallway. I heard the man next door to us invite her in! Of course the nurses didn't want to go into quarantine rooms unless it was an emergency of course. Then about 30 to 60 minutes later we got a call with our results. Once they started testing us they continued each morning until we were negative. At that time we were allowed to leave. By the way when I left the ship the first time or two security got that weird noise that means no you are not free to leave. It took a while for them to get that right. And by the way, good luck on your testing and we're all wishing you a short quarantine!

On March 29, 2016 we were on a Westerdam Panama Canal cruise and had a nice day ahead of us in Puerto Vallarta. Here is our welcome committee. Did you notice this lady hugging a donkey? We got off the ship and got right on a local bus to the scenic downtown area. The Malecon still appeared empty. But the performers on the 50 foot pole (they are called Voladores de Papantla) were already out and we were impressed by their performance. We walked around looking at all the statues placed there. Views up the streets of this colorful neighborhood. Here is the beautiful Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe It was too early for lunch so we took a walk over the Rio Cuale to Old Town using the hanging bridge. Nice shopping over there. Time to head to Pipi's for lunch. Here we are at Pipi's We did a very similar route with the same activites in 2015 on Ruby Princess but you don't need to see similar photos from that trip. We had quite an enjoyable day there. I highly recommend visiting Puerto Vallarta if you can.

Good morning friends! Brrr! Temp was 32F bright and early and it hasn't moved since. High will be 60 at its peak and sunny. The temperature in the house was too cold when we awoke so the furnaces are both running for the first time this season. The temps at night will be in the 30's for the rest of the week then we move back to more normal temps next week. Thank you Rich @richwmnfor our Daily this morning. I can appreciate evaluating your life thus far, rain forests and loving our bodies. To me that means taking care of yourself so you can stay healthy and live a long, fruitful life. I say NO to the quote. I'm not sure what panipuri is so will have to wait to hear about it. No thanks to the drink and wine. Puerto Vallarta is a popular Mexico port and I agree with Roy most of us have already been there. I'll post photos from one of our stops there when I finish here. Thanks Roy @rafinmdfor the Care and Celebration lists. Prayers for all involved and here's hoping for better news in days to come. Cheers to all celebrating and those on cruises especially. Your alternate menu Roy seems to suggest a busy day and a Lido dinner instead of the MDR. Looks good! By the way, we're doing fine after having our booster and flu shots Monday. I just feel the booster shot when I lay down on that side. No other physical side effects. This is the first time Puerto Vallarta has been mentioned as destination of the day. It's a great little city and we've enjoyed our 3 visits there. 2006 on the old Regal Princess, 2015 on Ruby Princess, and 2016 on Westerdam. I'll be back with pictures in a bit. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good luck with your test tomorrow, Kathi! We're all rooting for you.🤞

So sorry about your friend who passed away. We both had bad news today concerning our friends. It's nice you can send your words to your nephew to be read at the Celebration of Life. Hope the cruise continues to be wonderful!

Thank you Susie. Very sad. I can just see your arugula flying backwards into the pool. 🍕 How embarrassing! Anyway glad to hear you are having such a great birthday week. Hoping, like you, that @Seasick Sailor is also enjoying her special time with her sister.🎂

Thanks so much to all of you for your sympathy on the loss of Beverly. They were a very special couple, and I know her husband is crushed at her sudden passing. I hope I don't forget to mention anyone here - please forgive me if I do. Thank you @puppycanducruise, @aliaschief, @grapau27, @rafinmd, @marshhawk, @Seasick Sailor, @smitty34877, @mamaofami, @ger_77, @TiogaCruiser, @ottahand7, @bennybear, @irishjim, @kazu, @msmayor, @dfish, @superoma, @Quartzsite Cruiser, and @JazzyV. You are all so kind and supportive.❤️ @ktbraunI'm sure the trial has brought it all back to many there in the Waukesha area. It's a good thing you and your family were not in the midst of it all. @Quartzsite CruiserLenda, great to hear things seem to be progressing. I'm sure you can't wait until the second surgery is over with and your DH can recover completely. Thanks also for all the photos today. I hope you get back to Kirkwall on a sunny day next time. @grapau27Graham it's nice to see the dinner photos of you two. It's a nice way to remember Ruth on this date. Hugs to Pauline. That's a very nice restaurant there - so swanky!😉 @HAL Sailerit's so nice you and your DH had a good visit with his sister yesterday. You will both be glad you got this opportunity. @summer slopeI'm happy to hear the saga of the malaria pills is over. We picked up our pills today too when we went to Kroger for a few items. I haven't even thought about a Covid test beforehand! @kochleffelI'm so sorry you have to worry about this possible Covid exposure. You sound like you have a good plan for testing. Let's hope it doesn't come up positive and you can quit worrying about it. Best of luck! @ger_77great news about the flight rescheduling. I hope everything works out smoothly for you two. @bennybearso happy to hear your DH was okay after that fall of his. It could have been much worse. And a big thank you to Cruise Critic for arranging the blue bubbles so that when we begin typing one, our most used name pops up at the top of the list. That never used to happen.

Same from me, gals! Enjoy your celebration week!

Good morning friends! It was 43F when I got up to use our treadmill, but the temps are still heading downward and one of my weather app says we are 39F. So far we haven't turned the heat on, but the lows this week should dip into the 30's regularly so it might happen before November (our annual goal for using our furnace). Yesterday we decided to run over to the Publix Pharmacy and get our flu shots. While we were waiting DH said why don't we just get it over with and get our Covid booster shots, too. It surprised me because I didn't think he wanted to get another booster. But he agreed so I jumped up from my seat and asked if they could give us the booster shots too. She checked and said they had two more doses available, so we ended up getting two shots each. I guess they have to thaw out the booster vaccine and only remove so many from the freezer per day. Anyway we are doing perfectly well, with only a slight soreness in the Moderna arm. The flu shot doesn't hurt at all. Glad that's over with! Unfortunately when I was eating my breakfast I looked at my email on my phone and saw a very upsetting email from our friend in La Jolla, California. His wife Beverly had a bad fall a few weeks ago and went to the hospital for four days with a concussion and a small subdural brain bleed. She went home and several days later complained she couldn't breathe. Her DH called 911 but as they were loading her into the ambulance her heart stopped. Nothing could be done for her. They believe it was a pulmonary embolism. Our friend is devastated and shattered. I gasped when I read this and ran to DH to tell him. He is equally as upset as I am. Please say a prayer for our friend and Beverly's family and friends (including us). 🙏 Thank you Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. I like meatloaf but there are so many variations you just never know how they will taste. Our own recipe is our favorite of course. No beard day is interesting. I bet they have a Beard Day, too. DH does not wear a beard, though he gets quite a stubble if he doesn't shave every day. Sometimes I feel like I'm having information overload, especially when reading Explanation of Benefits statements each month. I am horrible at figuring out insurance matters, and we're dealing with that right now. Doctor's office was paid by insurance for something they didn't do, and the provider who actually did do the treatment has been denied because of it. We're in the middle trying to get everything settled before the real provider sics the collection agency on us! The quote is quite funny, and the arugula pizza looks good. The port destination of Kirkwall, Scotland was posted a little over a year ago on Oct. 12, 2021. I have skipped over that port it seems and never got there. Here is a link to Oct. 12, 2021 for anyone who had photos there they want to retrieve. Thanks Roy @rafinmdfor the Lists today. I said my prayers before I heard about Beverly so will want to say more for her. Prayers also for the Ukraine people, and Ian and Fiona affected people struggling to get things sorted. Also the many members here on the list or their loved ones. Cheers to the happy people on the Celebration list. Have a wonderful cruise or celebration! And let's hope we all have a safe and happy day. You just never know what the coming days bring.

Bon Voyage!!

Good morning friends! We went outside to walk this morning (in the dark) since our temp was about 60F and no rain. The temps are going to plummet tonight to the 30's and will do so all week long. After the walk and breakfast it was shower, hair wash and dry time so I'm sooo behind already. Graham @grapau27your breakfast looks delicious and I'm sure you two are enjoying your time spent together sharing a meal. I send my best wishes to Pauline as she prepares for tomorrow's memory of her Mam. Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor posting the Daily and Fleet Report for us. Happy bosses day to all in charge. We love pasta and have it regularly. I don't know what to wear today that's gaudy. My plain clothes will have to do! I don't think I would enjoy the Bal Kaymak. As for the quote, boy that's the truth (Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored) Similarly, saying an untruth over and over does not make it true. Some of the things I hear coming out of politician's mouths are astounding!😂 Timaru, New Zealand was our port of the day on April 1, 2021 and is again today. I haven't been there before but have enjoyed many New Zealand ports I'm blessed to say. Second New Zealand port of the day in a row! If anyone has any photos they'd like to add, or go back and retrieve photos they posted last time, here is the original post. Thanks to Roy @rafinmdfor our Care and Celebration lists. The Cares are creeping up again, so I hope we can reverse that trend. Prayers for everyone in their time of need. I also pray for Ukrainians, and everyone trying to get back to normal after Ian and Fiona. Sorry to say it will take quite a long time. Cheers for the celebrants as they enjoy their cruises, visits with family, new babies, and birthday weeks. Have a very nice day all!

It warms my heart to hear stories of people here helping others. That is so nice of you Rich @richwmn!! And Linda, I enjoy hearing you talk about all the interactions you have with your family members now that you live in Mobile. You must be so happy there. That was a very good decision you made to relocate. I know it couldn't have been easy to uproot like you did but it seems to be working out well for you. My condolences to you and Fran's family and friends on the loss of her. It's never easy, whether it happens suddenly or otherwise. Prayers for you all.🙏 Also, I hope some people at the synagogue come to the realization that they need to get busy and help out at the rummage sale. You have enough on your hands.

Annie, I think Graham and Pauline have amazing metabolisms. They burn calories faster than you and I.🍕 Good for you two.

I was on Island Princess in May and June. The hair dryers in the balcony and oceanviews (moved because of Covid quarantining) were wall mounted at the desk area. Test your hair dryer before you wash your hair because the oceanview we were in had a non-working hair dryer and that is not the time to find that out! We called Guest Services and they sent down a hand held dryer but it took several hours, so that was a bummer. We like bar soap too and the steward gave us several when we requested it. This was in May and June.

OMG that looks so good! I do love pizza. One of those would have been enough for both of us, but the leftovers we would have taken home would be appreciated the next day.

Annie, you may have a thought there about the darn Post Office. They are so mismanaged right now. DH just showed me the tracking for the wall calendar I made last week and ordered from Shutterfly. It went from Illinois to Atlanta arriving Friday night at 8 pm via USPS. I probably live 35 to 40 miles from wherever their sorting facility location is. So what do they do then? Must have flown it up to Lancaster PA to a sorting facility there because it arrived there 6 1/2 hours after Atlanta received it. Why do all our packages hopscotch all over the country, delaying their arrival to our homes? Happens every day. I just don't understand it. It could have been in my hands Monday but is now expected arrive this coming Thursday. Glad I'm not in a big hurry!🤪

We discovered the Prinsendam quite by accident in late 2014 when we had a Princess cruise to the Black Sea and Holy Land cruise booked. Due to political problems, Princess began cancelling ports and replacing with not so great substitutes. In frustration we looked at HAL and found a much better itinerary even with their own cancellations. So off we went on this new ship and cruise line. We loved the warm, welcoming, small ship experience. We were hooked! We had already booked up 2015 completely but from 2016 to 2019 we cruised HAL, primarily on Prinsendam and loved every cruise. If our favorite cabin was available when we checked out a cruise, DH would say book it! It was a sign to us we were meant to be onboard. In that short amount of time we sailed on Prinsendam 186 days. That ship took us to so many unique small ports we never would have seen otherwise. We miss the Prinsendam tremendously!

Good morning friends! It's a pretty morning, warmer at 49F. It will be mostly sunny and 82 this afternoon. No exercising today so I got up later. Something's up at our post office. All week substitute carriers have been delivering here after 6 or 7 pm! Last night we had finished dinner when I saw the mail truck, headlights on going up and back down our cul-de-sac. It took forever because she was constantly backing up and putting forgotten mail into the mailboxes she'd already passed! I watched her pass by our mailbox at 7:25 pm and stuff a week's worth of mail into our neighbor's box (who were on their way home from a road trip). On she went to the next street, continuing to back up here and there to address her mistakes. No wonder she was so late! A few minutes later DH checked his Amazon order status online and it said the post office delivered it at 7:15. But she hadn't stopped at our box! He went out to see if she had stuffed it into our neighbor's box, but checked ours first and there it was! I have no idea how it magically appeared but we must have been one of the back ups, only we didn't see it. Or a neighbor found it in their box and walked down to our box and delivered it themselves. That happens sometimes. Hope our usual carrier comes back soon! Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor the Daily and Fleet Report. Glad to hear of all the fun and good dining on the cruise with all the Dailyites. I say "me, too" to Bronte's quote. Dictionaries and learning words are great helps. A salute to all the cats out there, especially here on the Daily. Flank steak with grapes sounds interesting but once again I'll take Roy's alternative meal. No thanks to the drink or wine. @MISTER 67I hope you can get the water heater situation rectified soon. That is a crazy amount to pay for hot water, Graham @grapau27thanks to you for Father David's sermon this morning. I'll listen to it after I finish here. Roy @rafinmdthanks for getting our updated Care and Celebration lists posted. Lots of info on there since there is so much going on in everyone's lives. Prayers for all our Care list people. Also many prayers for the people of Ukraine, and everyone still suffering after Ian and Fiona, as well as neighbor Linda as she recovers from her horrific accident and loss of DH David. Hoping for better days ahead. A shout out to our Celebration people. Enjoy your happy events, all, especially your cruises. Our port today is Lyttelton (Christchurch), New Zealand and it is the first time here for it. I checked and this is our 13th New Zealand port. My trips there have not included Lyttelton or Christchurch. Perhaps because after the 2011 earthquake the cruise lines had to move on to other places as they worked on building back their city. I would love to go there sometime, and also would enjoy any photos posted here today. Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Mary Kay, so sad to hear of your oldest stepson's cancer diagnoses. I hope he will be able to recover from both the surgeries. Have a great Hudson River cruise!

The actual email address is slightly different than above. It's World_Cruise_Reservations@hollandamerica.com. Don't forget the underscores.

We got Atovaquone and Proguanil Hydrochloride tablets, 250 mg/100mg - brand name Malerone. Same prescription for the 2018 Grand Africa/Mediterranean.

If you have "The Art of Racing in the Rain" available, we watched that on our last cruise and it was a real tear jerker. Loved the dog in it.

I got a text at noon that the prescription is ready but we're in no hurry I guess. Tomorrow, the next day, or whenever we get to it. Since we and Dixie will be in Manaus overnight there really is a possibility some of us could be on shore after dark. Actually when we went to western Africa we had an unexpected overnight in Banjul, The Gambia. We couldn't tender into our port in the Cape Verde Islands (Praia, Ilha de Santiago) so went ahead on the itinerary. Sometimes these changes come about and it's good to be prepared. That's pretty funny! Somehow I don't think that was the first time that had happened to him!🤣