StLouisCruisers

Bruce @aliaschief I enjoyed seeing the photos of the Azamara Onward today. I kept thinking this ship looks like a ship I've been on. And now I realize it was the Pacific Princess which we cruised on only once in 2018 from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale. I'm sure a lot of work went into refurbishing the ship by Azamara because there were some problems with our balcony door during the sea crossing. It was leaking and got the carpet wet. You could see where it had caused damage to the interior for some time. But it was a beautiful ship then and is even more beautiful now. Nancy @ottahand7 sending hugs to you on this important date in your memory. Vanessa @JazzyV I'm very happy to hear you report you slept 7 hours last night! Enjoy that nice shower and watching Call the Midwife. Sharon @Sharon in AZ I hope your DM is feeling stronger and more like her old self again very soon. Annie @marshhawk and Chuck, I hope you are having a nice day. I hope the work situation is settled to your satisfaction. Graham @grapau27 you must be enjoying the back garden today. It's such a pleasant and calming view. Carolyn @Cruising-along I've very much enjoyed your photos today of Hobart. It really is a nice town, isn't it? Elizabeth @Haljo1935 please stay safe and alert today! I believe there is an FC Dallas U17 vs. St. Louis City SC U17 soccer game at 9 am tomorrow and I see Frisco is expecting high winds and rain in the morning with thunderstorms in the afternoon. Not an ideal day for a game. The St. Louis team needs this game to qualify for an upcoming tournament. Dallas does not need it since they've already qualified so they somehow need to get this game in the books for St. Louis City's sake.

Debbie @dfish hope you have a wonderful birthday!

We enjoyed visiting Hobart twice in 2013 on Diamond Princess and twice in 2017 on Sun Princess. I'll show a couple different things we did in Hobart. One time a fellow CC friend rented a car and invited us along to visit the Tahune Airwalk, where you get an aerial view of the forest. They have metal walkways high in the tree canopy and Tasmania has some of the tallest trees in the world. When on the ground you sometimes faced obstacles but they had found a way to let us pass. After the forest walk we ate lunch at a small restaurant, and drove back to Hobart. The second time in Hobart on this Diamond Princess cruise in 2013, we got off the ship and walked through the town. It's quite nice and easily walkable. In 2017 on Sun Princess we visited two times. The first time we made a beeline for the Hobart Botanical Park. The second time we walked the town again. You can always find new things to see if you just turn in the opposite direction! Across from the harbor is City Hall, a beautiful building IMO. Along the path we took to the Garden, we passed Government House, home of the Governor of Tasmania. The Botanical Gardens abutted the Government House property which must have been nice to see the gardens while strolling the grounds. Here are the gates to the Botanical park. They handed you a map thank goodness. Love these! Goodness, there was so much to see. I'd love to go back, and highly recommend visiting here. This was in the sub-Antarctica plant house. There was a Japanese Garden too. Well, I have to stop now. I could be here all day doing this. Hope you enjoyed the photos of time spent in Hobart.

Good morning friends! It's 54F this morning and we will see partly cloudy skies and a high near 80. Thank you Roy @rafinmd for the great fleet location maps, and Rich @richwmn for the content of the Fleet Report and Daily. We can celebrate John James Audubon and the Audubon Society today. I know several Australians but don't think I will be able to hug them anytime soon. Something we won't forget but should remember is the Chernobyl disaster and hope something like that never happens again. A fun quote, and a nice dish for salmon lovers. The drink sounds nice but we shall see what's involved in it later. No idea about the wine so will have to wait for an explanation. The first modern cargo ship in 1956 sounds like a big advancement in trade. Thanks today to Debbie @dfish or Tina @0106 for the meal, Paul @kochleffel for the cocktail and Ann @cat shepard for the wine information. Prayers for all our Daily friends in need of them. Special prayers for Tana and Terry @smitty34877 and for Maureen and Richard @RMLincoln as they mourn the loss of their SIL. Also for my DB, Linda, great nephew Alex's twins and my dear friends. And many prayers for the people of Israel and Ukraine, the hostages still held, and the U.S. troops on bases and at sea in the region. 🙏 Cheers to all celebrating happy events like birthdays and anniversaries, cruises or good news! Roy @rafinmd congrats on your PSA numbers declining again, and safe travels to Debbie @dfish! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for today's Care and Celebration lists. I hope sleeping in the recliner gets you more sleep and am happy about how much more comfortable you are since the surgery.🙂 The port of today is Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. An excellent day to hug our Australian friends! Hobart was port of the day on January 4, 2022 and Feb. 23, 2023. I'll post those links for you, then post some of the delightful photos I took in Hobart and surrounding areas. Hope everyone enjoys their Friday, and stays safe and well!

Today is Audubon Day, Hug An Australian Day, and International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets. - Mel Brooks Meal Suggestion for today - Salmon Power Bowl Drink of the Day - Summer Love Wine of the Day - Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad Destination of the Day - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Today in History: 1956 First modern container ship, the Ideal X, leaves Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas Ship Locations Eurodam At Sea Destination San Diego, California eta 04-27 Koningsdam Victoria BC, Vancouver Island Canada 13:00 - 23:00 Nieuw Amsterdam Astoria OR, Oregon 08:00 - 17:00 Nieuw Statendam Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands 11:00 - 23:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 04-30 Oosterdam At Sea Destination Souda-Chania, Crete Greece eta 04-27 Rotterdam Dover, England 08:00 - 17:00 Volendam Portland, ME, USA 07:00 - 12:30 Zaandam Victoria, British Columbia 1400-2300 Zuiderdam At Sea Destination Takoradi, Ghana eta 4/27 Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan Kanagawa 06:30 - 20:00 eta 4/27

Note the end date in the title of that roll call is incorrect. The actual end of the 42 day cruise is July 20. I mentioned it once but the OP didn't ask to have it changed I guess.

Me, too! See you on board!

Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the important information about Gerry's @ger_77 DH Maurice's 83rd birthday! Happy Birthday Maurice!! Hope it's a great one!

Santorini Greece. I'm only posting photos from our first time there because they would probably all be the same. In fact the third time we stayed on the ship. I believe the weather wasn't great that day. In 2012 we stopped at Santorini for the first time on Crown Princess. Once we made our way to the top using the gondolas, we walked to the local bus station and boarded a bus headed to Oia. This stop was in late November so the crowds weren't terrible. Along the way the view of the island and coastline. Once in Oia we did what we all do, walk around and take photos. Here is the blindingly white church. Everything there is blindingly white! Anything not white seems to be Santorini blue. I like to take photos of doorways. After our nice visit to Oia we rode the bus back along the two lane winding road to Fira. Another ride down on the gondolas and a tender over to the ship. A beautiful stop on our Greek Isles cruise.😎

Good morning friends! It is a nice 55F early morning with a high temp of 80 today and sunshine! Hurray! Thank you Roy @rafinmd for posting the fleet location maps each morning, and Rich @richwmn for the content of the Fleet Report and Daily. Today is a nice mix of days to recognize. DNA has made a huge difference in the world and we should learn as much as possible about the advances made in our lives with it. East Meets West Day refers to cooperation between countries at the end of WWII. And we all appreciate our long held hairstylists, or even a new one who listens well to our wants and needs. I agree with the quote, would try the meal suggestion, no thanks to the drink but would love the wine - a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Didn't we just discuss SB wines yesterday? I think so. Anyway, thanks to all who work on the F&B reports. Debbie @dfish or Tina @0106, Paul @kochleffel, and Ann @cat shepard. Prayers were said for all before I tiptoed out of bed. Our group here who has had some improvement and good surgery results but also for those with troubling issues still to tackle like Chuck @catmando, and the need to cancel trips like Elizabeth @Haljo1935 and Terri @Cruzin Terri and Jim. Prayers for those affected by the recent school shooting. My sympathy to the family of the lost young man. Prayers also today for DB, twin Linda, great nephew Alex's baby boys, friends Scott, Susan and Sandy. Never forget the people of Israel and Ukraine struck down, the hostages held and our military men and women in the area. 🙏 Hurray for those with special events to celebrate today and our cruisers!🚢🥳 I hope all are enjoying their time at sea. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for continuing with the list keeping. I hope you are getting lots of rest and still enjoying the lack of pain and tingling. 🎉 The port today is familiar to most of us. Thira (Santorini), Greece. It was listed here before on Oct. 24, 2021, March 13, 2022, and Feb. 2, 2023. I have been a few times and will repost my photos. Here are the links to help you retrieve yours. Hoping you all experience a good day, and try to stay safe and keep well!

Today is DNA Day, East Meets West Day (aka Elbe Day), and Hairstylists Appreciation Day Nobody got where they are today by living for tomorrow. - Tom Wilson Meal Suggestion for today - One-Pot Garlicky Shrimp & Broccoli Drink of the Day - Mexican Coffee Wine of the Day - South Sea Sauvignon Blanc Destination of the Day - Thira (Santorini), Greece Today in History: 1507 German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is the first to use the name America on his world map "Universalis Cosmographia" Ship Locations Eurodam At Sea Destination San Diego, California eta 04-27 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island Canada eta 04-26 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea Destination Astoria OR, Oregon eta 04-26 Nieuw Statendam Funchal, Madeira Island Portugal 10:00 - 18:00 Noordam At Sea Destination Vancouver, BC Canada eta 04-30 Oosterdam Valletta, Malta 08:00 - 17:00 Rotterdam Le Havre-Paris, France 07:00 - 19:00 Volendam Boston, Massachusetts 14:00 - 22:00 Zaandam At Sea Destination Victoria BC, Vancouver Island Canada eta 04-26 Zuiderdam At Sea Destination Takoradi, Ghana eta 4/27 Eastern Hemisphere Westerdam At Sea Destination Yokohama, Tokyo, Japan Kanagawa eta 04-27

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't even read the Nieuw Statendam part I was so interested in the food! I knew you were on Prinsendam that spring and assumed. No, it wasn't the final voyage. We got off after 26 days on May 20, 2019 in Amsterdam. We couldn't book the final voyage due to previously made plans with our children and grandchildren the last week of June to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary on a Princess cruise. The Prinsendam was turned over to Phoenix Reisen on July 1, 2019, a very sad day. 😢

Roy, we joined you on the Prinsendam that day, April 24, 2019 in Rome. Your dinner looks very tempting. Joy @Seasick Sailor great news that Allen's meds arrived, but have to agree about that ridiculous pricing. Prayers for your friends in need.🙏 Remember back in January when we saw the filming being done on our street, with the SWAT vehicle and all? Last night my twin texted me there was a program on ID channel about it. I turned it on and it was all about the incident in 2020 up the block from us. Very interesting to see actual footage from that time period mixed in with interviews and video taken in January. Never thought I'd get to see any of it. Sis must be watching a lot of TV. She says she's doing alright but seems to have more pain in the afternoons than at night which sounds like the better alternative. At least she's sleeping. Which reminds me Vanessa @JazzyV it's so good to hear you are catching up a little on your sleep and NO PAIN! It's good that you and BFF have each other to help out during your surgeries!

I wish we had a frowning face reaction to click sometimes! That's a bummer. 🌨️ Maureen @RMLincoln hoping and praying your day goes well starting with the doctor's eye check. Safe travels! Sorry to hear about your rainy Lofoten Islands visit but the weather is changeable there I suppose. I note my 2013 photos had a very cloudy morning with a very sunny afternoon. And the 2022 photos had a very sunny morning and a cloudy afternoon, but no rain!

Leknes, Lofoten, Norway In June 2013 we took a Norwegian fjords cruise on Crown Princess. After a nice pre-cruise stay in London we headed to Norway to see the Midnight Sun. Our second port was to Gravdal-Leknes, Norway. The dock was about 2 kms. from Gravdal and 4 kms. from Leknes. The local info on a sign at the visitor center. On this cruise stop we took a shuttle bus to the town of Leknes along with friends Scott and Susan. To go to Gravdal turn left, to Leknes turn right. We did our usual looking in shops, supermarkets, checking out churches and just taking photos of interesting buildings and sights. I bought a Norway hoodie here. Very expensive to buy anything in Norway. We checked out food in the grocery. So empty! I see one person in this photo. Looking for a snack? Where are all the gallon jugs of milk you see in U.S. supermarkets? We ventured into a café. Best of all was seeing the preschoolers from a day care. Adorable aren’t they? By 2 pm the skies were beautifully blue. Beautiful Buksnes Church in Gravdal. I’d love to see it close up. That night we went up on deck to see the Midnight Sun. It was actually only 11:40 p.m. but still. The sun never even got close to the horizon overnight. And here were all these people cuddled up on their lounge chairs trying to watch a movie on the Movies Under The Stars screen. That Midnight Sun was shining right on the screen. Good luck, folks! Nine years later it was a beautiful June day, 2022. We were anchoring off Gravdal-Leknes on the Island Princess. I had been in Covid jail for 8 nights and finally tested negative and was free to roam on shore. So I tendered over to the dock near Gravdal. Note the mask wearing. Aww! Mr. Troll welcoming me back! There was no shuttle available at the moment to take me to Leknes, Gravdal was too far for me to walk in my weakened condition so I explored the shoreline near the dock/visitor center. Heading back to the dock I noticed the flags. It was time to say goodbye Gravdal-Leknes! I needed lunch and a nap. But along the way to the ship I spied the Buksnes church again. Whew! Sorry about the length of this post.