kplady

Bon voyage!!

Roy, hoping you can board and enjoy your cruise. I will be following along - thanks for taking us with you! Laura

Good morning! To add to @richwmnRich's list of days, today is the United States Marine Corps birthday - 247 years old! It was founded in Tun Tavern, a bar in Philadelphia....and I'm sure a lot of Marines have spent time in one of them over the years! My DH is a Marine, and he and his Marine friends all go out to dinner tonight to celebrate. The picture is from one of his tours in Vietnam. Hoping Nicole leaves Florida (and the rest of the US) alone! Have a great day, Laura

Jacqui, I'll be following along on your adventures. I've never been to any of your ports, so it will all be new to me! Thanks for taking us along. Laura

Good morning! First, prayers for all who have medical, family and car issues, and hoping each day will bring better times. We were in St. Pierre and Miquelon on our August Nieuw Statendam cruise! (Finally a port I've been to!!). We didn't have a tour here, but got off and walked around the town. As we cruised to our anchorage, we passed Sailor's Island. It used to be home for many of the fishermen, but now is pretty much deserted except for the church, a small museum and some summer homes. It was charming, and we found a small cafe where we could indulge our usual plan - a local beer! Unfortunately, I didn't remember to take a picture of the cafe. As we walked back to the tenders, I was able to get a picture of the church in town, a fountain and a statue to honor the fishermen. Another lovely day on a BHB! Take care, Laura

I'm enjoying your cruise - we will be on the Grand in March/April from Sydney to San Francisco! Thanks for all your information. Laura

Have a wonderful time - I'll be following along from home! Laura

Rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit! Thanks @rafinmdfor including me on the celebration list - yesterday was my last day at work. It probably won't hit until I don't have to get up at 5:45 every morning! (now if I can actually sleep later....). I like the days - I'm definitely in the older camp, LOVE my morning coffee, and try to be frugal. I have a good friend in Punta Gorda, and hadn't heard from her since the storm hit. I texted her daughter, and she and her DH are fine, as is their home. I know so many others have devastating damage, so prayers for everyone in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and also Canada. These hurricanes have been pretty awful this year! Hoping everyone will have a good day. It's supposed to rain here in NY for the next 2 days, but not as bad as in the south. I'll lift a glass later to celebrate all on the happy list, and prayers are being said for those on the care list. Stay safe! Laura

@MISTER 67So glad to hear you came through the storm in pretty good shape, and will enjoy a cruise while the power is out. I have a good friend in Punta Gorda and haven't heard from her since before the storm, but figured that with all the power outages her cell might be low on battery power. Enjoy the cruise! Laura

@BtimmerTim, looking forward to following along on your cruise. Your posts are always so informative, and we'll be doing something similar in March-April 2023 (Melbourne-Sydney then Sydney-NZ-American Samoa-Tahiti-Hawaii-San Francisco). Have a wonderful time!! Laura

Good morning! It's been so crazy since we got back from the Iceland-Greenland cruise, and then our long weekend at the veteran's reunion in Kokomo, Indiana....plus I'm retiring at the end of next week! We still have to put everything away from the painting and closet work done before the cruise, plus all the things I'm bringing home from work. I'll have lots of time to finish all that in October! We've been to Anchorage a few times on our Alaska cruises. The time we went (in 2014 on Coral Princess) we were able to enjoy a reindeer sausage from Mike's cart in front of the federal building. He was recommended to us, and had a HUGE line every day. He also had a list of rules to follow when ordering. It was worth the wait and we enjoyed his rules. Our favorite place in Anchorage is Snow City Cafe. It's near the Captain Cook hotel, and the food there is delicious. We try to get there every time we're in the city. I agree about the flowers - they seem to grow bigger there than at home! So sorry to hear of health problems and deaths of relatives...prayers for all who need them. Hope Fiona stays away from @kazuJacqui, and doesn't do too much damage anywhere else. Take care of yourselves, and stay happy!! Laura

Hi everyone! I was away on our cruise (Boston-Canada-Greenland-Iceland and back), and it exceeded all my expectations! The icebergs were amazing, the people were all so friendly, and the ship was great. Can't wait for another!! (Oh wait...we just booked our next cruise - March-April 2023 on Grand Princess, Melbourne to Sydney and then Sydney to San Francisco - total 39 days!!) Things here are crazy since we've been home. I'm trying to finish up at work (only 6 more working days!), and get the house in order after our painting and closet projects before the cruise. Hoping everyone is having a good day...prayers for our friends in need, cheers for our friends celebrating. Please take care of yourselves, this has become such a big part of my day and family! In the spirit (spirits?) of wine, I saw this and thought of many of you!

Looking forward to meeting you on this trip! Laura (and Bill)

Hello everyone! What a kerfuffle yesterday - so glad Father David's sermons are back. They are a bright spot on my Sunday mornings...thanks @grapau27Graham and @Paw13Pauline for posting them faithfully! Good news here....DH and I just passed our Covid tests, so we're ready to cruise on Wednesday!! I'll definitely miss you all - I try to disconnect as much as possible on the cruise. I'll try to catch up once we're home, but 24 days is a LOT to read quickly!! @kazuShadow is a beauty, and I know she'll thrive under your care @smitty34877so sorry you're all suffering with Covid. You're all in my prayers for a speedy recovery @marshhawkglad you're giving up the dog walking, sounds too tough and will give you more time...and thanks for sharing your story the other day, it was very moving I'd quote more, but it's dinner time....blessings to everyone... Laura

Terri, There's another discussion on the HAL boards here that has a link to a Vimeo video of the show. The title is "Nieuw Statendam Featured On Mighty Cruise Ships - July 31" It's post #4 on there. That may help. Laura

Good morning Daily family! I'm early today so I can get out to church soon. Not an avocado fan, but like watermelon and mutts. We were in Skagway a while ago and did the White Pass Railroad. On our last cruise (Maasdam 2019) we went to Haines and enjoyed the sights. We visited the Hammer Museum (yes, a museum dedicated to hammers!).. We then walked over to the Haines Brewery to try their local beer (very nice!), and then to the Haines Library (since I work in a library, that's a usual stop in most ports!) Haines was a very nice small town, and I'm glad we got to visit it. We're just about packed for our cruise on Wednesday....have to do the Covid at home testing on Monday, then flying to Boston Wednesday morning to join the Nieuw Statendam for 24 days! Prayers for all in need, especially those with Covid. Cheers for all celebrating (I'll lift a glass on Wednesday!!) Take care, Laura

I'll probably not be able to follow along, since we'll be on the cruise with you! I'll read it all when we get home. Covid tests on Monday, Verifly and ArriveCan just about done...packing done....can't wait!! Laura

Yes - we received both for our upcoming cruise on August 3. Laura

Hi Rich, We just got emails from HAL today (our cruise is in 15 days - YAY!). They say that a final dose has to be at least 14 days before the cruise: "Guests must have received the final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to embarkation. Exemptions will be very limited and are not guaranteed." Hope this helps! Laura

Good morning everyone! I would love raspberry cake, never played Words with Friends or Wordle (but do crosswords on my phone), and love all the new friends I have here on the Daily. We were in Saguenay in September 2010 on the Eurodam. It was lovely to see the welcome we received at the pier: We visited the old Pulp Mill - very interesting to visit: After that, we went to Ha-Ha Park, lots of interesting sculptures: We really enjoyed the day there! Hope everyone will have a good day. Prayers and cheers for all our Daily friends. Stay safe! Laura

Hi everyone! I've been reading every day, and sending prayers for those in need....and celebrating with those having good times! We were in Kodiak on our 2019 Maasdam 21 day cruise. Most of my pictures are very similar to ones already posted. We did go to Kodiak Island Brewing Company for a local beer - very tasty! I've finally made a decision to retire! I just turned 70 in May, and have been with the government for 25 years. I'll be leaving the first week of October, after our 24 day cruise in August and then a 5 day trip to Indiana in September. Yay!! Stay safe everyone, I love feeling like my family is right here all the time! Laura

I booked through a TA, and submitted the form (thanks @CATandSQUIDfor the link!), and we got an email from HAL this afternoon. Yay!!

Good morning! DH and I have been to Honolulu twice - once on a cruise from Vancouver there on the Zaandam; the second time we flew (nonstop) from NY to Honolulu for a couple of days prior to our Pride of America cruise. Most of my pictures are very similar to others already posted - Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor, etc. Our arrival on the Zaandam was beautiful: We did have a great day on Waikiki before the POA cruise - sun, showers and a rainbow! Of course, we had to have dinner at Dukes - and DH had Hula Pie for dessert! Not a lot planned for the 4th of July long weekend - we've been having some work done at the house (painting halls and bedroom, and a new screened porch on the front). We'll probably watch the fireworks on TV, the Macys show is always wonderful to see. Prayers for our Daily family and friends, cheers for those celebrating. Enjoy, and stay safe!! Laura

Ann, We're actually doing that cruise starting on August 3. It's 24 days out of Boston, and goes to 6 ports in Iceland, 2 in Greenland, a few in Canada, and Bar Harbor, Maine before returning to Boston. We're really looking forward to all the new ports! Laura

Happy birthday Colin! Thanks so much for the excellent reporting from your cruise. I wish I was there, but am looking forward to mine on Nieuw Statendam in August! Safe travels home. Laura