The Fleet Report and Daily for Tuesday February 20th, 2024

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

I looked through my pictures from Maui and found some of our drive around the northern tip of the island, the Iao Valley and Hana.

 

Here are a few pictures of the northern coast and valleys.  It is a very pretty area of Maui, but the road is narrow and winding.  There are small communities and settlements along the road.

 

 

 

 

 

Hana is a long, winding drive from Lahaina, but the scenery is beautiful.  We saw this bus parked in Hana.

 

We stopped at this hotel with the lovey lanai.

 

Hana Beach Park

 

 

We visited the Iao Valley in 2000 on P&O Oriana.  At that time you could drive a long way into the valley.  This is Iao Needle which rises 1200 feet above sea level.

 

To protect the Iao Valley environment, it is now a state monument.  You can only drive a short way into the valley to the visitor area with many walkways and trails.   These are from our 2013 Zaandam cruise.

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

[aliaschief]

Good morning/afternoon. We will shortly be arriving in Dunedin and another excursion and adventure. Busy times.

Yesterday we toured around Christ Church and yes they are still rebuilding from the great earthquake of I believe 2011. Epicenter was right below their business center.

We then drove 90 minutes out of town to a a station (ranch) where we had a thrilling jet boat drive and a four wheel drive ride around the station and beautiful scenic overlooks at higher elevations. Such beauty.

Like previous days it is time to rise and get ready for another excursion.

Staying busy but so enjoying and absorbing the beauty of New Zealand.

Have a great day. Bruce

 

 

 

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Thanks to all for the kind words on the loss of my grade school friend. I did find out he had CJD which shows signs of dementia but is an always fatal brain disease.

[superoma]

12 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

Thanks to all for the kind words on the loss of my grade school friend. I did find out he had CJD which shows signs of dementia but is an always fatal brain disease.

CJD is a terrible disease. My uncle died of that some 30 years ago.  As terrible as dementia is, I think this is even more terrible. My condolences to you to your friend’s family.

[Nickelpenny]

4 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

Love the new Legendary Voyages tote bag.  I wonder if our 42 day cruise this summer is considered one?

 

A great tile, too.  That would be nice to have.

I didn’t know this was a “Legendary Voyage” until I got the bag. And the tile is about 1 and a half times bigger than the others. No cork backing either. It is lovely!!!!

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from a mostly sunny Quartzsite where it is 56F and heading to 75F this afternoon.  The clouds roll in tonight, and rain is predicted for tomorrow morning.  We had more rain while we were on our cruise.  Even before we left, all sorts of plants which were dormant have started growing.  I think some are wildflowers and will see if the bloom before I spray ground clear.  Almost every part of our lot has some green in it.  In places, the new plants are already so tall and thick they could be mowed.  It's strange having so much green in the rocks.  I suspect this year there might be a super bloom in the desert.

 

On today's agenda is laundry.  I have most of the cruise clothes washed and put away, and now it's the regular laundry, which should dry nicely outside.

 

Over the past few years when we were stuck in Texas, I cleaned out our bookcases.  That won't be happening today since we don't have a bookcase here.  I'll not be shouting Hoodie Hoo today.  We won't be having cherry pie either.

 

The Don Marquis quote is just plain weird.

 

We'll skip the meal since DH bought some nice ribeyes yesterday.  We'll pass on the drink, but the wine sounds like one that would go nicely with our steaks and baked potatoes, if we had it.  Instead, it will be a cardbordeaux.

 

We have been to Lahaina many times, including on our latest cruise.  We could not go any closer to the town than the bypass road to the resort area.  It was a very sad and sobering experience.  There is still a lot of clean up to be done before they can begin rebuilding the town.  The On Deck for a Cause on our cruise raised money to go to the recovery fund.

 

Four interesting days in history.  Unfortunately the US postal service needs to get back to its roots.  All mail is taking way to long to reach its destination.  We found out yesterday that one friend got our Christmas card on January 2.  I mailed our cards the first week in December hoping they would arrive before Christmas.  The other events also deserve honoring.  I remember the excitement of John Glenn's earth orbit.

 

@0106  Welcome home, Tina.

@grapau27  I hope the good memories of Roy out weigh the sadness of his birthday for both Pauline and you.  Great picture of you with Roy and Sarah.

@ger_77  Gerry, that is so sad about the fire and the deaths of the grandparents and children.  Our hearts go out to the surviving family members.

@Sir PMP  Thanks for the before and after pictures of Lahaina.   

@quilty964  Wonderful pictures of the displays in the elevator lobbies.

@marshhawk and @catmando  Annie and Chuck, thinking about you both today.  I hope the surgery is successful and the recovering quick and easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lenda

 

Thank you for your nice words Lenda.

[grapau27]

53 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Good morning/afternoon. We will shortly be arriving in Dunedin and another excursion and adventure. Busy times.

Yesterday we toured around Christ Church and yes they are still rebuilding from the great earthquake of I believe 2011. Epicenter was right below their business center.

We then drove 90 minutes out of town to a a station (ranch) where we had a thrilling jet boat drive and a four wheel drive ride around the station and beautiful scenic overlooks at higher elevations. Such beauty.

Like previous days it is time to rise and get ready for another excursion.

Staying busy but so enjoying and absorbing the beauty of New Zealand.

Have a great day. Bruce

 

 

 

 

Lovely photos.

[grapau27]

Pauline thanks you all today for the nice messages on her late dad's memory.

Don't tell her I posted her and Sarah's photo from our last meal on February 9th🥰

 

Edited February 20 by grapau27

[SusieKIslandGirl]

45 minutes ago, superoma said:

CJD is a terrible disease. My uncle died of that some 30 years ago.  As terrible as dementia is, I think this is even more terrible. My condolences to you to your friend’s family.

It was only 2 weeks from diagnosis until his passing.

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

It was only 2 weeks from diagnosis until his passing.

I'm sorry to hear this.

Condolences for his family and friends.

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from sunny Tucson. It’s supposed to get to 80F today. Yikes. But cooler after that. Craig is enjoying reading by the pool. 
 

Thank you all for your welcome home wishes. Our PCC even called to welcome us home. 
 

We have had a very stressful and tiring ending of our cruise. Craig became ill with what I thought was a cold but he was coughing; when he went to medical onboard he tested positive for covid. I tested negative and have had no symptoms and tested again after getting home. He was confined to our cabin. I tired to stay away as much as possible. I don’t think I’ll ever get him back on a BHB again, at least for a long while. Having had covid during two special cruises, the Med June 2022 and this one, is just too much for him to get over. I might have to sail solo for a few years. I would love to go back to Hawaii again, there is much to see. BTW, medical charges $100 to see the doctor and $777 for Plaxlovid and $38 for a covid self test. Yes, I forgot to bring my own tests. I’ll be sending it in to the insurance. 
 

Our disembarkation day and return flight home on Saturday was both fun and boring. Our flight wasn’t until 5pm so we decided to take a city tour and transfer to the airport. The city tour was fun and we ate lunch in Old Town but our time at the airport was boring because our flight was delayed. We didn’t get home until after 10pm MST. This time of year we are on MST so we are an hour later than San Diego. 
 

I haven’t caught up with the Daily yet and I’m behind because the last few days have been hectic. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

[Sharon in AZ]

28 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Pauline thanks you all today for the nice messages on her late dad's memory.

Don't tell her I posted her and Sarah's photo from our last meal on February 9th🥰

 

Please let Pauline know I am thinking of her on this day of her DD DF Heavenly Birthday.   Lovely picture of the two of them. Sarah looks like Pauline!  And mum‘s the word. 
 

 

Edited February 20 by Sharon in AZ

[Sharon in AZ]

28 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

It was only 2 weeks from diagnosis until his passing.

I had a cousin pass just as quickly with this disease. It’s horrible. Condolences to the family and friends. 

[grapau27]

36 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Please let Pauline know I am thinking of her on this day of her DD DF Heavenly Birthday.   Lovely picture of the two of them. Sarah looks like Pauline!  And mum‘s the word. 
 

 

Thank you Sharon.

Pauline and her sister look like twins although she is 5 years older than Pauline and why Sarah looks like Pauline.

Unfortunately Sarah's mam and dad who live next door to us have made no contact with Sarah for 9 years.

Sarah has always been like a daughter to us.

[grapau27]

43 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

I had a cousin pass just as quickly with this disease. It’s horrible. Condolences to the family and friends. 

I'm sorry to hear this Sharon.

My condolences to you and your cousins nearest and dearest.

[Overhead Fred]

@USN59-79

 

[57redbird]

3 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

With the exception of one cruise, we have rented cars and toured the island, even going around the northern tip a couple of times and once to Hana.  Of course, we also visited Iao Valley twice and Haleakala and the observatory.  The cruise when we did not rent a car in 2007 was roundtrip to Tahiti from LA, so we called at Lahaina twice.  The first time we did the Atlantis submarine, which was okay, but not like in the Caribbean.  On the return visit, we took the Sugar Cane Train, which is no longer running.  

 

We've been to Hawaii on several BHBs and on a couple of Princess ships.  Only once, in 2014, on Veendam was it too rough to tender into Lahaina.  We sat in the Crow's Nest and watched the waves and the one tender that went into port because a passenger had to be medically evacuated.  That was the cruise that we had to head back to San Diego the first sea day to get into range for the Coast Guard helicopter for a medical evacuation, and we were met in every port by an ambulance.  When it was obvious that the seas would not calm down, Captain Peter Bos (one of our favorites) opted to leave early and give us extra time in Ensenada.

 

All these pictures are from our various calls into Lahaina.

 

The charter/tour boat harbor

 

And a view of the harbor from the second story of the Old Courthouse.  This was from Ruby Princess in 2016, and the line for the tender.  That is what you get when on a 3600 passenger ship.  We headed to the Pioneer Hotel outside café for a coke and fries until the line shortened.  And it got longer before it got shorter.  😄

 

The old courtroom with it's displays in the Old Courthouse

 

And I couldn't resist a picture of the banyan tree.  It made a nice shady place for the craft market.

 

The Sugar Cane Train that took us up the coast.

 

Scenes from our visits to Haleakala.  The state bird the Nene.

 

Haleakala Observatory.  The second picture is a new telescope under construction, and I think it is the solar telescope.

 

In the distance you can see Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa above the clouds on the Big Island.

 

A view of the crater

 

Looking up the coast from the tender dock..

 

Maui as we sailed for the next port.

 

After seeing the devastation from the fire two weeks ago, it is bittersweet looking at these pictures.  It is very sad to see all the history and places that were lost in the fire.

 

Lenda

We've been to Maui for the last 20 years & are headed that way in 3 weeks....I agree with your last statement.  😞

 

[grapau27]

57 minutes ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from sunny Tucson. It’s supposed to get to 80F today. Yikes. But cooler after that. Craig is enjoying reading by the pool. 
 

Thank you all for your welcome home wishes. Our PCC even called to welcome us home. 
 

We have had a very stressful and tiring ending of our cruise. Craig became ill with what I thought was a cold but he was coughing; when he went to medical onboard he tested positive for covid. I tested negative and have had no symptoms and tested again after getting home. He was confined to our cabin. I tired to stay away as much as possible. I don’t think I’ll ever get him back on a BHB again, at least for a long while. Having had covid during two special cruises, the Med June 2022 and this one, is just too much for him to get over. I might have to sail solo for a few years. I would love to go back to Hawaii again, there is much to see. BTW, medical charges $100 to see the doctor and $777 for Plaxlovid and $38 for a covid self test. Yes, I forgot to bring my own tests. I’ll be sending it in to the insurance. 
 

Our disembarkation day and return flight home on Saturday was both fun and boring. Our flight wasn’t until 5pm so we decided to take a city tour and transfer to the airport. The city tour was fun and we ate lunch in Old Town but our time at the airport was boring because our flight was delayed. We didn’t get home until after 10pm MST. This time of year we are on MST so we are an hour later than San Diego. 
 

I haven’t caught up with the Daily yet and I’m behind because the last few days have been hectic. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

I'm sorry to hear Craig was poorly during your cruise Sharon but pleased he is better now and you avoided being poorly.

[smitty34877]

@Sharon in AZ, I was so sorry to read about your DH being ill. I hope he is feeling better now and that you continue to feel well.

[Mtn2Sea]

Zaandam’s early departure today from Sint Maarten was delayed slightly due to a tour bus getting caught up in traffic.  Beautiful sail away.

 

 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good afternoon.  It has turned out to be a lovely day outside.  I hope I can finish catching up on all the mail and other things that accumulated while we were gone so I sit outside for a while.  It's 79F with a nice breeze.

 

4 hours ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is still morning here for a short while.  I had an early morning PT appointment today, so ran out of the house quickly.  Pedicure is this afternoon.  And, sandwiched inbetween is a fight with the insurance company over an incorrect payment.  They are charging me a co-pay when there isn't one.

 

It is always something, right?

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

Good luck with the insurance company.  I hope you get it settled soon.

 

2 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from sunny Tucson. It’s supposed to get to 80F today. Yikes. But cooler after that. Craig is enjoying reading by the pool. 
 

Thank you all for your welcome home wishes. Our PCC even called to welcome us home. 
 

We have had a very stressful and tiring ending of our cruise. Craig became ill with what I thought was a cold but he was coughing; when he went to medical onboard he tested positive for covid. I tested negative and have had no symptoms and tested again after getting home. He was confined to our cabin. I tired to stay away as much as possible. I don’t think I’ll ever get him back on a BHB again, at least for a long while. Having had covid during two special cruises, the Med June 2022 and this one, is just too much for him to get over. I might have to sail solo for a few years. I would love to go back to Hawaii again, there is much to see. BTW, medical charges $100 to see the doctor and $777 for Plaxlovid and $38 for a covid self test. Yes, I forgot to bring my own tests. I’ll be sending it in to the insurance. 
 

Our disembarkation day and return flight home on Saturday was both fun and boring. Our flight wasn’t until 5pm so we decided to take a city tour and transfer to the airport. The city tour was fun and we ate lunch in Old Town but our time at the airport was boring because our flight was delayed. We didn’t get home until after 10pm MST. This time of year we are on MST so we are an hour later than San Diego. 
 

I haven’t caught up with the Daily yet and I’m behind because the last few days have been hectic. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

 

Sharon, I'm sorry Craig tested positive for Covid.  I hope he is feeling better now, and I'm glad you did not get sick.  If I'd known, you could have used a couple of our tests, which I remembered to pack.

 

Lenda

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

When Koningsdam was in Kahului, we drove over to Lahaina even though we knew it was impossible to drive close to the town.  The first picture is a memorial along the bypass road below the high school.  The second picture was taken from the school parking lot, and the last one was taken from the on ramp to the bypass as we were heading back to the ship.  The devastation was heartbreaking and we could still smell the smoke smell from the fire.

 

 

 

 

Lenda

[kazu]

3 hours ago, Sharon in AZ said:

Good morning and Happy Tuesday from sunny Tucson. It’s supposed to get to 80F today. Yikes. But cooler after that. Craig is enjoying reading by the pool. 
 

Thank you all for your welcome home wishes. Our PCC even called to welcome us home. 
 

We have had a very stressful and tiring ending of our cruise. Craig became ill with what I thought was a cold but he was coughing; when he went to medical onboard he tested positive for covid. I tested negative and have had no symptoms and tested again after getting home. He was confined to our cabin. I tired to stay away as much as possible. I don’t think I’ll ever get him back on a BHB again, at least for a long while. Having had covid during two special cruises, the Med June 2022 and this one, is just too much for him to get over. I might have to sail solo for a few years. I would love to go back to Hawaii again, there is much to see. BTW, medical charges $100 to see the doctor and $777 for Plaxlovid and $38 for a covid self test. Yes, I forgot to bring my own tests. I’ll be sending it in to the insurance. 
 

Our disembarkation day and return flight home on Saturday was both fun and boring. Our flight wasn’t until 5pm so we decided to take a city tour and transfer to the airport. The city tour was fun and we ate lunch in Old Town but our time at the airport was boring because our flight was delayed. We didn’t get home until after 10pm MST. This time of year we are on MST so we are an hour later than San Diego. 
 

I haven’t caught up with the Daily yet and I’m behind because the last few days have been hectic. 
 

Have a great day everyone!

 

I am glad you are safely home, Sharon but so sorry to hear that Craig came down with covid on the cruise (again).  He seems to be jinxed 😔 

 

I hope your insurance pays you promptly and even more, that you remain healthy. 🤞 

 

So sorry to hear of this turn of events on your cruise 😔 

 

 

5 hours ago, dfish said:

Good morning, everyone!

 

It is still morning here for a short while.  I had an early morning PT appointment today, so ran out of the house quickly.  Pedicure is this afternoon.  And, sandwiched inbetween is a fight with the insurance company over an incorrect payment.  They are charging me a co-pay when there isn't one.

 

It is always something, right?

 

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

 

Yikes Debbie 😱. Good luck with your fight with your insurance company. 🤞 I am grateful we don’t have to deal with that stuff here.  I’ve had a hard enough time with my insurance claims from last year 😡 

[dfish]

Good afternoon!

 

I hope everyone is having a better afternoon than I am.  Dealing with insurance companies, pharmacy coverage, and Social Security has almost done me in.

 

The State of Ohio says I owe them $87 for 2021.  No, I don't, but I'll deal with that another day.

Social Security says I owe them $273 for Medicare since my SS payment is less than the monthly Medicare premium.  Apparently they are not crediting me with the monthly payments I have been making.  

The insurance company processed the claim classifying the doctor as a specialist, so they applied a co-pay.  The doctor is my primary care doctor and there is no co-pay. The hospital billing department just yelled over me when I was trying to explain to them that the insurance company had questions about their coding and refused to consider a mistake.  I told them I would not pay the co-pay.

The pharmacy insurance is charging me a co-pay for my blood sugar test strips which are covered under Medicare Part B at no expense.  They said they can't coordinate the benefits like the local pharmacy can and that they cannot transfer the prescription to their local pharmacy (CVS in both cases).

The prescription insurance is charging me a $275 deductible on a prescription that is not subject to a deductible.  

The Michigan Secretary of State wants me to renew my license plate tags for $196.

 

That has been my day other than the pedicure, which was great!

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

13 minutes ago, dfish said:

Good afternoon!

 

I hope everyone is having a better afternoon than I am.  Dealing with insurance companies, pharmacy coverage, and Social Security has almost done me in.

 

The State of Ohio says I owe them $87 for 2021.  No, I don't, but I'll deal with that another day.

Social Security says I owe them $273 for Medicare since my SS payment is less than the monthly Medicare premium.  Apparently they are not crediting me with the monthly payments I have been making.  

The insurance company processed the claim classifying the doctor as a specialist, so they applied a co-pay.  The doctor is my primary care doctor and there is no co-pay. The hospital billing department just yelled over me when I was trying to explain to them that the insurance company had questions about their coding and refused to consider a mistake.  I told them I would not pay the co-pay.

The pharmacy insurance is charging me a co-pay for my blood sugar test strips which are covered under Medicare Part B at no expense.  They said they can't coordinate the benefits like the local pharmacy can and that they cannot transfer the prescription to their local pharmacy (CVS in both cases).

The prescription insurance is charging me a $275 deductible on a prescription that is not subject to a deductible.  

The Michigan Secretary of State wants me to renew my license plate tags for $196.

 

That has been my day other than the pedicure, which was great!

 

Debbie, I couldn't like your post.  You have had a really bad day dealing with all those issues.  I hope tomorrow brings you better luck.

 

Lenda