TLCOhio

Sorry for Lois. Just watched the final seconds (and when the game went down, super close as the clock expired) for the Memphis at Florida State game. Any others watching college football in the US this afternoon? Now super close with LSU at South Carolina. Coming up soon for Oregon, Miami of Florida, Notre Dame, etc. Our Ohio State is off this week, but playing Marshall next Saturday as the FOX High Noon Game. Good luck to all teams. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From this below-connected travel website and MSN News this past week, they had this headline by JESSY HAMEL: “Lisbon in a Day: The Only Stopover Itinerary You’ll Ever Need” with these highlights: “Something to consider is how incredibly affordable Portugal is right now. You won’t be tacking on too much to your trip budget by stopping for a night or two. I decided to do this on my way home from Italy and it was totally worth it. I can’t wait to go back!” Among the top sights suggested are: St. George’s Castle Viewpoint, As Bifanas do Afonso for a quick lunch (great spot for THE Portuguese pork sandwich!), R. Augusta Promenade (beautiful pedestrian street with shops and cafes), Time Out Market for dinner and Arco da Rua Augusta: Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/lisbon-in-a-day-the-only-stopover-itinerary-you-ll-ever-need/ar-AA1qhS2H?ocid=BingNewsVerp THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 253,793 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

Have a couple of articles that might be of interest. From this travel website and MSN News this past week, they had this headline by YOLANDA BOLK: “Historic Portuguese Palace Boasts One Of The Most Unique Designs In All Of Europe” with these highlights: “Just a few minutes outside Lisbon is the Pena Palace, one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and a place unlike any other, where visitors can experience the true essence of 19th-century Romanticism. An infusion of historical architecture into one dazzling design of amalgamated beauty, the palace simulates designs from the Ottoman Empire in one section, displays German medieval castle elements in another, while the prominent features of Portuguese architecture are also present. Situated on top of a mountain, the national monument features stunning views of Lisbon and the Atlantic Ocean (on clear days)." Yes, we visited Pena Palace and super loved its setting, architecture, decor, design, etc. It's a must-see from our experiences. Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/this-historic-portuguese-palace-boasts-one-of-the-most-unique-designs-in-all-of-europe/ar-AA1qgHi6?ocid=BingNewsVerp THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog over 22,100 views with many visuals, including for “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/

Sorry to hear!! Glad you have the wonderful memories, visuals and experiences. Nice to hear that "Today is a better day." Good luck. Keep plugging and moving forward. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great comments and follow-ups from highplanesdrifters and R&T. Very good and helpful. Not sure I can explain and understand a "triple top". We are all watching these various economic factors and trying to figure it out. When and how? Gold and bling? Melting it down? Lots of options? From the Wall Street Journal, below are the charts for the three major cruise line trading during the past five trading days. Looking positive and going up? How long to continue positive given that September is normally a "down" month? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados on the Silver Cloud for 26 days. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.). Now at 76,801 views: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2076101-live-amazon-river-caribbean-many-pix’s-terryohio/ Here are the WSJ charts for the past five trading days involving the three major cruise lines. Generally an upward, consistently-positive week?: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) For Royal Caribbean, here has been their up, down and back up trends during the past month of trading.: For perspective and comparison, here is how the broader S&P 500 Index performed during the past week and the most recent one-month period. Close to how RCL has moved during these periods?:

From the London/UK Independent and MSN News this morning, they had this headline by Nicole Winfield and Alisha Rahaman Sarkar: “Pope Francis wraps up 12-day historic Asia visit” with these highlights related to Singapore: “Pope Francis wrapped up his12-day Southeast Asia tour on Friday by praising Singapore’s tradition of interfaith harmony and with the same message of tolerance that he delivered at the start. He visited the country with the world’s largest Muslim population – Indonesia, with about 242 million – and the country with the highest percentage of Catholics outside the Vatican itself – East Timor, with some 98 per cent. Francis, 87, presided over a gathering of young people from some of the religious traditions that are present in Singapore, where mosques, Buddhist temples and Christian churches. He expressed concern for the country’s rapidly aging population, and its migrant workforce.” As to Singapore, this background was detailed and shared: "Francis was in Singapore to encourage its Catholics, who make up about 3.5 per cent of the population of just under 6 million, while highlighting Singapore’s tradition of interfaith coexistence. According to a 2020 census, Buddhists make up about 31 per cent of the population, Christians 19 per cent and Muslims 15 per cent, while about a fifth of the population claimed no religious belief whatsoever." The Pope also "offered an overwhelmingly positive message in one of the world’s wealthiest countries, praising Singapore's economic development and making only one public appeal: that it treat its immigrant workers with dignity and a fair wage." Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/pope-francis-wraps-up-12-day-historic-asia-visit-with-message-of-tolerance/ar-AA1qvq39?ocid=BingNewsVerp THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 260,787 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

Appreciate this great follow-up from our Miami friend. Which secret? Diet Coke and ice in the container? Or, the potentially more creative and fun idea for having a frozen Margarita in this beverage carrier? Below is my favorite, with salt on the rim, being served at Dolce Vita by the charming and exciting Jeffrey when on the Silver Moon in February from Mumbai to Singapore. Any other Jeffrey fans out there? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 57,398 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

From the Reuters newswire in the past week, they had this headline: “Greece to tax cruise ship arrivals to protect popular islands from overtourism” with these highlights: “Greece plans to impose a 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday. Greece relies heavily on tourism, the main driver of the country's economy which is still recovering from a decade-long crisis that wiped out a fourth of its output. But some of its most popular destinations, including Santorini, an idyllic island of quaint villages and pristine beaches with 20,000 permanent residents, risk being ruined by mass tourism.” Fears of mass tourism and extra fees added to the cruise ship cost? All of these trends impacts the cruise lines and passengers considering future bookings. Right or wrong? Full story at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-tax-cruise-ship-arrivals-protect-popular-islands-overtourism-2024-09-08/ THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog over 22,100 views with many visuals, including for “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/

From a financial news website this morning, they had this headline: “Cruise Industry Sees Steady Rise In Web Traffic While Other Travel Sectors Decline” with these highlights: “Website traffic to cruise companies has risen year over year nearly every two weeks from late March to late August. Web traffic to other sectors within travel and entertainment declined from a year ago. Consumers are apparently itching to go on a cruise as online interest in cruise lines has shown consistent growth over the past several months, Web traffic to other sectors within travel and entertainment—such as airlines, hotels, rental cars, entertainment, online travel agencies, and meta search engines—declined on the same days compared to a year earlier. Entertainment saw the biggest drops in year-over-year web traffic in the past two months.” Could this be a sign that consumers are starting to "tighten up" and guard their wallets more carefully? When and if does the next economic slow-down hit? Full story at: https://www.benzinga.com/general/travel/24/09/40835139/cruise-industry-sees-steady-rise-in-web-traffic-while-other-travel-sectors-decline THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Venice: Loving It & Why??!! Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 117,140 views. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

Let me add my Yes! Yes!! to JP, Lois, etc. On our Silver Moon Mumbai to Singapore sailing earlier this year, we hit out 100 days with Silversea milestone and got the free laundry. Agree it is totally AWESOME!! Makes a difference, especially as we had dirty laundry from pre-cruise private touring of the Golden Triangle of India, etc., of over a week prior to boarding. But, here's a tip. As shown in the visual below, my wife is talking with our Butler as we had just arrived in our Suite to start our sailing. Ask any and all questions about the laundry and any other services/options. Don't be shy with any and all questions. Any time, just ASK!!! Your Butler likes good customers who inquire, are curious, seeking more and better. Also consider how you want your laundry items to come back. Initially, as an example, they brought back my regular white tee-shirts on hangers. Didn't need things done that way and I ask them to just come back folded. Worked easier for us. Super service that says FIRST-CLASS. Loved having my PJ's not just cleaned, but pressed. Another tip? With the green, metal bottle for water, put ice in it and pick a more interesting beverage, such as Diet Coke, to take as your to-go refreshment. It's does not need to be just plain water in that container. It held the ice and soft drink well throughout the day when on an excursion. Maybe I should have gone for a frozen margarita in the container? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog over 22,100 views with many visuals, including for “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/

As of mid-day Thursday, Royal Caribbean and the overall market continues up, UP. Good news and long-term trend? From the Wall Street Journal this morning, they had this headline: “Cruise Companies Cater to Millennials With Quick Escapes, Private Islands" with this sub-headline: "Operators are working to ‘cultivate the next generation of cruisers’ with adults-only experiences, internet and shorter trips.” Good background for future cruise marketing and customer targeting? How does Silversea adjust its efforts to reach these Millennials? Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Young people are increasingly going on cruises. But they want a different, and more affordable, experience, forcing cruise companies to redesign their voyages. The world’s three largest North American cruise operators are investing in short excursions, private island destinations and reliable internet to appeal to young cruisers. Three- to four-day trips, versus the more standard week or longer excursions, appeal to a young traveler’s desire to either test out cruising for the first time or for a long weekend escape, cruise executives say.” Additional, this added story background might be of interest: "More than one-fifth of global cruise travelers are millennials, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. Millennials combined with Gen Z, who range from 12 to 27 years old, account for 36% of cruisers. The price difference between a cruise and other travel options has widened enough to offset assumptions that some younger travelers might have about the ships being cramped, crowded and stale, analysts said. " For us "seasoned citizens" doing ships such as with Silversea, we also like to read in this story a detailing that cruise lines are focusing on improving the Internet when we sail. Good background for how the cruise lines are trying to keep and satisfy older, established customers (such as us) and then widen the "net" to reach the younger folks who have not previously done sailings. Reactions, questions and insights? Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cruise-companies-cater-to-millennials-with-quick-escapes-private-islands-fdc9b507?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D84817926001950249494102990150653740800|MCORGID%3DCB68E4BA55144CAA0A4C98A5%40AdobeOrg|TS%3D1726156661 THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 252,863 views.

Appreciate this above follow-up from your Seabourn sailing. Sounds nice!! Our first cruise was in 2006 on one of the Seabourn smaller triplets in the Greek Isles going to Istanbul. Wonderful!! Keep it coming from R&T. From the Reuters newswire two mornings ago, they had this headline: “Greece to tax cruise ship arrivals to protect popular islands from overtourism” with these highlights: “Greece plans to impose a 20-euro levy on cruise ship visitors to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos during the peak summer season, in a bid to avert overtourism, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday. Greece relies heavily on tourism, the main driver of the country's economy which is still recovering from a decade-long crisis that wiped out a fourth of its output. But some of its most popular destinations, including Santorini, an idyllic island of quaint villages and pristine beaches with 20,000 permanent residents, risk being ruined by mass tourism.” Fears of mass tourism and extra fees added to the cruise ship cost? All of these trends impacts the cruise lines and passengers considering future bookings. Right or wrong? Wild stock market today. Down big in the early morning! Then, rebounding late am. Then, soaring in the afternoon. Unpredictable and crazy? The three cruise lines were all up significantly today. More, later on Friday afternoon. Full story at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-tax-cruise-ship-arrivals-protect-popular-islands-overtourism-2024-09-08/ THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 253,793 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

YES, JP summarizes this well with a great follow-up as to how crazy are the markets these days. It is hard to follow on a day-by-day basis. Over the many months, things come a little more into focus. Maybe? From MSN News and this financial news website this morning, they had this headline: “Carnival, Norwegian, or Royal Caribbean: Which Cruise Stock Is the Best Buy Today?” with these highlights: “The cruise ship industry took a long time to shake off the impact of the forced lockdowns of the pandemic, but are once again sailing the high seas. There are high barriers to entry in the industry, limiting the competition, which lets investors focus on which of the three leading cruise stocks they should buy.” Much background is detailed for new ships, recent sales, etc. For Carnival, they summarized: "Carnival is still weighed down by its massive debt load. Although it paid down more than $1.3 billion worth over the past year, it still has over $27.1 billion of long-term debt on its balance sheet versus $1.6 billion in cash and equivalents. However, it ended the quarter with $4.6 billion in available liquidity." For Norwegian, they highlight their having: "$11.9 billion in long-term debt. That's a substantial amount considering it has a third of the ships Carnival does but 44% of the debt load. While NCLH trades at substantial discounts to the market and its peers, it has also been burning cash with negative free cash flow of $428 million over the last 12 months. It could be rough seas ahead for Norwegian Cruise Line." Royal Caribbean gets the best "shout-out" as they summarized: "The mid-tier cruise ship stock has been by far the best performer of the three. Where both Carnival and Norwegian are taking on water this year with their stocks down 15%, Royal Caribbean is riding the wave higher by 20%. Over the past two years, its stock has soared 274%. Over the past five years, where its rivals have lost two-thirds of their value, RCL stock is up 44%. That still trails the S&P 500's 81% gain, but is by far the industry's best." Interesting background and comparisons? But, is now the right time to buy? Which one of the three potentials would be best? For RCL, is it too late in the cycle to invest? Have you missed out as to the already-achieved RCL stock rise? Full story at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/carnival-norwegian-or-royal-caribbean-which-cruise-stock-is-the-best-buy-today/ar-AA1qfEUU?ocid=BingNewsVerp THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 260,787 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

Appreciate these very good follow-ups from R&T and many of the "usual suspects" who are so smart and savvy. Keep it coming!! Much new to come during the next few weeks. From the Wall Street Journal this morning, they had this headline: “September Is Once Again a Tough Month for Stocks" with this sub-headline: "The S&P 500 dropped sharply last week on worries about a slowing economy.” Here are some of their reporting highlights and a key chart below posted with this story: “The S&P 500 fell 4.2% last week on concerns about the health of the U.S. economy. Friday’s monthly jobs report showed the labor market added fewer jobs than expected. Tuesday’s weak manufacturing data led stocks to their worst day since early August. Going back to 1928, the S&P 500 has declined an average 1.2% in September, the weakest month of the year for stocks. The index ended lower 56% of the time over that stretch, according to Dow Jones Market Data. In the coming days, investors will parse Wednesday’s inflation report to see whether price pressures are continuing to ease and whether big tech stocks, such as Nvidia, can find their footing after a recent slide.” Full story at: https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/september-is-once-again-a-tough-month-for-stocks-8392fe0a THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Singapore: Travel Tips, Trends? Ideas & Insights? Many recent visuals!! 22,500+ views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2949645-singapore-travel-tips-trends-ideas-insights/

For the college football (American-style) fans at the Cooler, including Spins, here is my upcoming preview/summary: These are the six college football games that might merit viewing this weekend. The first four games listed all involve unbeaten teams. Friday, September 13, 2024 #20 Arizona at #14 Kansas State, 8:00 pm on FOX Saturday, September 14, 2024 #4 Alabama at Wisconsin, 12 noon on FOX #24 Boston College at #6 Missouri, 12:45 pm on SEC Network #9 Oregon at Oregon State, 3:30 pm on FOX Trying to rebound Saturday after surprising early losses are: #16 LSU at South Carolina, 12 noon on ABC #18 Notre Dame at Purdue, 3:30 pm on CBS From the AP Top 25, the SEC has six of first seven spots. Ohio State third, Penn State eighth, Miami tenth, USC 11th, Utah 12th. Any top favorites missed? How many SEC, Big Ten members will make the 12-team College Play-Offs after all of the upcoming games within their highly competitive conferences and final championship games? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 260,674 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

Good luck Saturday to Notre Dame in traveling south to play at Purdue. It's a long season and there are chances for recovery. Remember the Irish Head Coach is an Ohio State product. As you get closer, keep me posted as to any other Ohio insights and tips that I can provide. Happy to be of any help or connection. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Appreciate these great follow-ups, dog visuals, etc. Fun!! No, sorry, we are not "braced" for the "Terrible Two's" with our Lizzie. But, now we are properly warned. Will prepare accordingly. Keep it coming with the wonderful doggie video's, sharing, tips, pix's, insights, etc. Cats?? Cute, but do they show the "love" the way a good dog can?? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Early 2020, many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia. This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc: Live/blog: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/

Great background for Mr. Henry. Roxie and later Rudy were both pure-bred English Labs. Both wonderful!! But, Lizzie being a "mix" has its advantage, too. As we were told, Lizzie has not just Aussie, Lab and Doodle in the mix, plus three other DNA connections. Doing such skilled breeding brings out some very good qualities. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Mr. Henry looks very handsome and well-deserving of doggy treats. Nice, tasty treats!! Is Mr. Henry a Black Lab? A few years back we had a wonderful Black Lab, Roxie. Below is our current housemate, Lizzie, an Aussie Labradoodle. She will celebrate her second birthday in early November. When walking Lizzie, I will sometimes run into other "pets" along our wooded ravine trails near our home. Here is a "friend" that Lizzie and I encountered earlier this summer: We do not feed these deer, but they hang out our home, eat our plants, chew on bushes, etc. These deer are cute, but make having flowers, hosta, etc., impossible. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio India to Singapore 2024: Live/Blog over 22,800 views with many visuals, including for “Golden Triangle”, Japan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2992045-live-terryohio-india-to-signapore-silver-moon-rising-pix’s/

Appreciate this great follow-up from our California coast friend. Millersburg is the county seat for Holmes County, but it does not have the "charm and character" to be found in the rural areas east of that town where you are staying overnight. Specifically, the village of Berlin can be a little on the tourist-side, but has a charming dining location called Boyd and Wurthmann Restaurant. Great pies and home cooking there in the middle of their main street down the middle of this Berlin in Ohio. For Ohio's Amish Country, the key is exploring some of the rural roads, going to small villages like Charm, Mt. Hope (with Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen great buffet), Bunker Hill (Country Furniture & Bookstore), etc., etc. Below are a couple more examples for what you might observe in Amish Country. As to Columbus, depending as to where you are staying, I am happy to provide more tips, dining suggestions, local insights, etc. Let me know what helps. Or, an email so that we can connect directly. Whatever is helpful to welcome you to Ohio!! Here are two visuals for what you might see and experience being in 100,000-plus-fan-occupied Ohio Stadium during the Iowa game. And in this historic stadium going back more than a hundred years, the pre-game and half-time shows merit your attention. You'll enjoy what is called here "The Best Damn Band in the Land." They generally do a moving formation called "Script Ohio" that is interesting and fun!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island). Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City. Visual/Info Summaries: www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

Great to hear that our Brazil friend got to see part of the exciting Philadelphia versus Green Bay game. That NFL contest was a "thriller" down to the end. More excitement to come today and for the future weeks. Keep watching and joining in with the fun. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Yes, congratulations to Spins in South Florida for being a "rabid fan" for her Miami Hurricanes and Michigan Wolverines. Yesterday, those 'Canes did super well with a big win. However, up in the "Big House" in Ann Arbor, Michigan, her UM team got pounded by a strong and effective third-ranked Texas. Plus, Notre Dame got upset by an unknown Northern Illinois on the Irish's home field. AND, highly-rated Oregon nearby got upset. Lots of drama and fun finishes in a number of games yesterday. Many more weeks of exciting college football to come. Plus, today the NFL gets into full gear with a wide range of games. There were initial NFL games Thursday and Friday, but today is the BIG KICK-OFF. THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 57,321 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta. www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Friday Fright?? Does that summarize the negative stock market slide today? From the Wall Street Journal late this afternoon, below are the charts for the cruise ship stocks and broader S&P 500. Not a good week? Clearly much of it is about questions/doubts for the overall market, the slowing job hirings in the U.S., etc. Other factors? Future predictions? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Enjoy the Caribbean? Here are two popular posts/links with thousands of views with much info for . . . . Grenada https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2179927-grenada-pixs-fun-experiences-jan2015/page/2/#comment-66823149 Or, Aruba: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2178325-aruba-pixs-fun-experiences-feb2015/page/3/#comment-66677721 Here is a look at Royal Caribbean for the past five days of trading (with Monday being a closed day on Wall Street due to the Labor Day holiday). Second is the downward slide for RCL during the past one-month period since an Aug. 27 high of $167.: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Here are the WSJ charts for this past week involving the other cruise lines. Big, sliding Friday, too?.: For more perspective, here are the Wall Street Journal charts for the overall S&P 500 during this past week and the previous one-month period.:

The quick answer to your above excellent questions are . . . Yes and Yes!! Over the decades, I have known and worked with a wide variety of people well-connected in the Amish Country. They have made a large number of custom furniture items for us, etc., that we love in our home and my office. Many or most are still very "traditional". But, the Amish, in general, are very well read, creative, hard-working and super smart. They do not get electric or telephone by wire from "the grid". BUT, they have fuel-power generators that produced air pressure to do the cutting, sanding, finishing, etc., for their excellent wood products, as one example. They use cell phones, off of the grid, etc. So in many ways, they mix traditional activities, but keep it "Amish" by working within and around the rules to be as another religion calls it "Kosher". Amazing to watch and know that they are so quality-driven, work-ethic focused, adaptive, avoiding certain "distractions" that we enjoy and with which we waste our time. As they have become so successful, many younger have had to move farther away in order to have their agriculture operations, buy land at affordable prices, etc. They mix well BOTH traditional and adapting to the outside world. Yes, some younger want to "sow their wild oats", but they generally, mostly come back to the family traditions. Fascinating, highly-productive culture and families. Does this help? THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights. On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings. Now at 252,793 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

To our above travel friend from along the scenic California coast, welcome to the Midwest! Have been in Notre Dame Stadium three times for games there and it is a great campus and game-day environment. Agree that the ND win at Texas A&M was super exciting. Wonderful that you will be exploring Lake Erie, Amish County and finishing in Central Ohio for an OSU game. Let me know if I can be of help for tips, creative ideas, etc., in visiting any and all of these Ohio locations. I grew up right near Ohio Amish territory and below are a few of my pictures from there to help build excitement for that part of your adventure. Need more? Or, added ideas for options in Columbus? Will you be in Ohio Stadium on Oct. 5 for the game versus Iowa? Should be a good battle!! THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 253,714 views. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/ Here are just a couple of sites and sights from traveling around in Ohio's Amish County. Many shops, crafts, etc., to explore and enjoy!: (Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!) Yes, lots of tasty, good "down-home" food options in Ohio's Amish Country.: