StLouisCruisers

Bon Voyage!!

I am up too early for the Volendam arrival, and have to get to my treadmill but I see her out there heading in. Caribbean Princess is right ahead of her about to enter the channel. Celebrity Equinox is already berthed, as is Costa Deliziosa. Celebrity Apex is behind Volendam. I hope someone here will be available to take some screenshots. Maybe the "kids" have Jake @Crazy For Cats awake already. 😁 I will be back for sailaway this afternoon. Have a good day all!

Good morning friends! Today it is 56F with a high of 79 and sunshine in our forecast. Finally it is warming up.🌞 Thank you Rich for today's Daily and Fleet Report! Have a fine day off in Plymouth (and hopefully Weymouth), England. Weymouth is quite scenic. For today we have Husband Appreciation Day, Income taxes are due, and National Laundry Day. Unless I'm not home I always do laundry on Saturday so I will be "honoring" that day. Income taxes were completed a long time ago (thanks to DH). And that's just another reason I appreciate my husband! The Nin quote is a good one. If you like salmon you might want to try the salmon veggie packets. Sounds like something Debbie @dfish would enjoy and thanks in advance for your photos and recipes for it. I'll pass on the watermelon margarita but thanks anyway Dixie @summer slope. I have no idea what the wine is but Ann @cat shepard will inform me. Thanks Ann. Prayers will be said today for everyone on the Care list. We have our work cut out for us. Those suffering will appreciate our prayers I'm sure. 🙏 For those with good and happy events we send our congrats. I bet Laura and DH @TiogaCruiser are saying prayers of thanks that their last piece of luggage arrived last night. We are thankful they and Sharon @Sharon in AZ made it safely to Florida finally, and hope everyone sailing today makes it to the ships on time I will be in the midst of watching a soccer game for DGS Ren this afternoon but will definitely be watching and listening to the Volendam as it leaves Port Everglades. Hope it doesn't rain on them! Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for handling the lists again. 🥂 The port of the day is Venice, Italy. This was our port of the day on June 17, 2021 and also August 14, 2022. In addition on Sept. 20, 2022 we had Trieste (for Venice) but I won't post a link to that one until Trieste comes up again. Many of you will have photos of Venice because who doesn't love going to Venice? I'll share my photos too. The links for today are posted here: On to Venice! I love visiting Venice and have been there about 4 times. Crown Princess 2012, Royal Princess 2013, Westerdam 2017 and Pacific Princess 2018. I'm sure there will be plenty of photos of that beautiful city. This is a photo my brother said I should have made into a poster size print. Beautiful! I checked for photos from our last time in Venice, Pacific Princess transatlantic, Nov. 24, 2018. A few different shots. I notice the best pictures seem to be from the IPhone rather than the camera. I stuck my head into this open doorway into a shop. Another gondola picture but this time the color of the water and the clouds bring some interest to the subject. The bridge of sighs Remember it was November so it gets dark earlier that time of year. Pacific Princess sailing down the canal leaving Venice about dinner time. My favorite spot to buy pizza in Venice. Then the gelato place is 20 steps away after eating the pizza. it's called Antico Forno The gelato My favorite is mint chocolate chip! Hope you all have a great Saturday and tremendous weekend!

Today is Husband Appreciation Day, Income Taxes Due, and National Laundry Day People living deeply have no fear of death. - Anais NinMeal Suggestion for today - Salmon Veggie PacketsDrink of the Day - Watermelon MargaritaWine of the Day - Numanthia Termes Tinta de Toro, Toro, SpainDestination of the Day - Venice, Italy Eurodam Puntarenas, Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica 08:00 - 17:00 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Nawiliwili, Lihue, Kauai Island, Hawaii eta 4-19 Nieuw Amsterdam Cartagena, Colombia 07:00 - 13:00 Nieuw Statendam Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores Portugal 12:00 - 23:00 Oosterdam At Sea Destination Praia da Vitoria, Terceira Island, Azores Portugal eta 4-17 Rotterdam At Sea destination Plymouth, England eta 4-16 Volendam Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida 07:00 - 16:00 Zaandam At Sea Destination Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, Florida eta 4-18 Zuiderdam Isle of Portland, Weymouth, Dorset England - 17:00Eastern Hemisphere Noordam Pago Pago, Tutuila Island, American Samoa 10:00 - 18:00 Westerdam Kanazawa, Japan 08:00-20:00 Sandi for Rich

@TiogaCruiser Whew! Now I can sleep tonight! Hope you have a good Uber driver and a nice calm, restful ride to the ship.

Where's it going? Where, where, where? We are definitely buying some airtags for our luggage!

They had plenty of time to get your bag on your plane. If you could make it, the bag should have made it too. I hope it arrives on one of the flights tonight. Praying you get it delivered soon.

Uh, oh! That's a real fly in the ointment. His bag didn't make the plane?? Did he include any clothes in your bag?

Laura and DH @TiogaCruiser are on the ground in Ft. Myers. Pop open the champagne!🥂 This group of Dailyites will have quite a few stories to tell.

Could it be gangs? Long before gangs became so prevalent in America I was on a jury where gang members were shooting across an intersection at each other, and struck a 19 year old college student in her parent's backseat as they drove through the intersection. Her roommate was next to her and was missed but the first young woman died. Such a tragedy. I'm glad no one was hurt in your area but I can't blame people for being shaken.

Yay! One more safely there. Let us know if you have requested a wave from PTZ and/or where you will be at sailaway.

I'm also happy to hear Vanessa @JazzyV that it isn't too serious a problem though a perplexing one. The antibiotics should take effect quickly and you should be good to go! Time to get packing! And your BFF sounds like a real winner helping you with the mowing. Hope there is someone there to cut the grass while you're away having a fabulous time!

Finally in the air!

So glad you made it alright to Chicago WITH the bags and your flight seems to be leaving on time. Have a good night's sleep and a safe drive to Fort Lauderdale. Will be watching the sailaway. I hope some of you plan to wave at the camera and let us know where you are.

Then if you get a chance to get to shore tomorrow I recommend visiting Weymouth and seeing the beach area and also the harbor area with the drawbridge. The harbor was used in filming Dunkirk. Described here: The historic Weymouth Harbour in the seaside town of Weymouth in Dorset, southern England, was used for filming multiple scenes, specifically in the Custom House Quay. The Weymouth Harbourmaster’s office stood in for the Weymouth Herald newspaper office in the film. Shots featuring large-scale radio-controlled aircrafts crashing into the English Channel were also seemingly lensed nearby. We really enjoyed walking that town. The Prinsendam provided a free shuttle from the dock in Portland to the downtown Weymouth area for us.

Rich, were people able to tender to Portland or Weymouth today?

Lenda, interesting photos of your "cruise" on the ferry to Prince Rupert. Amazing that some passengers slept in the lounge. Thanks so much for the update on Sharon. I'm relieved to hear she's made it to Florida and won't miss her cruise! No kidding on the nutty weather! Everyone up north is burning up and I had to add an extra layer to keep warm. Hoping for improvement next week. Meanwhile everything is blooming and green. Funny about them blooming out of memory!😆

My sad condolences on the loss of your best friend's son, who was so close to your own late son. I cannot even imagine losing my son or daughter. Prayers for all who knew him.🙏

Thanks for the answer to your time in Portland. One of the other WC bloggers originally said you would be there two nights, but things are rapidly changing due to weather conditions I suppose. Will you be visiting Bruges while in Rotterdam or exploring near the ship? Thanks for letting me know Halfacts has been updated to show your latest schedule. 👍 I'm envious seeing a balcony cabin for Covid quarantining! Last year on Island Princess they thought it was a great idea to take us from our balcony cabin to an oceanview (for up to 10 days in DH's case). What ship and month was this? Hoping once you get home you have enough time to prepare properly for Pat's surgery on May 5. Have a great day!

Thank you for the space shuttle information. Time sure flies! So your cruise is skipping Le Havre now? After Dover, then where to? Trying to keep you all on your toes on Zuiderdam! Thank you for those kind remarks Graham. I'm glad you enjoyed my post. Hard to be coherent or witty at that hour sometimes.😴 You are really having some lovely spring weather now Melanie. I hope it continues for a good long while after a cold winter.🌻 Vanessa @JazzyV good luck at your doctor appointment! Hope your problem is nothing serious.🤞

Good morning friends! Checking the weather I see we are 58F with scattered thunderstorms heading our way and a high of 71 today. Hope it's nicer where you are. Thank you Rich @richwmn for our Fleet Report and Daily information. I hope you have a good stay at Portland, England once you arrive. Are you spending two nights there? Our days to celebrate are Ex-Spouse Day which I don't have to honor, thankfully. I think most with an ex-spouse celebrate getting rid of them! Next is International Moment of Laughter Day, which is a pleasant thought. I'd rather laugh than frown any day. And finally Look Up at the Sky Day. With thunderstorms headed our way I will probably be doing some of that. The quote by Ursula Andress sounds like she was happy in her life. Arctic char tostados is the menu suggestion and I appreciate Debbie @dfish for telling us all about it. Dixie @summer slope has to sell us on Makers Mark Hot Apple Cider which is fine if you are having cold weather. The wine is a pinot grigio so I will be happy to give that a taste, and thanks to Ann @cat shepard for sharing info about it here. And finally, Rich has suggested Prince Rupert, Kaien Island, BC Canada for our port of the day. This is, according to my records, the FIRST time for that port! I know someone here must have been waiting for that destination so they could show us all their great photos of it. I haven't been there before so I'm looking forward to seeing those photos myself. It should be a beautiful place being in British Columbia. Of course that means no links today and no photos of my own to copy and paste (or go on a search for), so that cuts down on the work here this morning. I could be finished with my treadmill a half hour early! On to the Care and Celebration lists which Vanessa @JazzyV posts here each day for the last couple months and I appreciate that hard work. She deserves a nice cruise and vacation so I hope her doctor visit today is positive and they can determine her knee issues. Prayers for you Vanessa and everyone on the Care list. Hoping for a quick rehab for Karen's @luvteaching's DH so he can get home in good shape. Good wishes to our Covid patients and for a negative test very soon. Prayers for all around the world suffering especially the Ukrainians. 🙏 On to the celebration list people. Cheers for all celebrating happy events. 🥂 I am praying all our CC friends get to Fort Lauderdale safely by tomorrow so that we can wave goodbye as the Volendam passes by the PEV webcam. Safe and rapid travels to Laura @TiogaCruiser and Sharon @Sharon in AZ . Hoping @AV8TRIX and @Dismomx5 arrive on time, too. Off to the treadmill. Hoping all here have a fantastic Friday!!

Today is Ex Spouse Day, International Moment of Laughter Day, and Look up at the Sky Day I take care of my flowers and my cats. And enjoy food. And that's living. - Ursula AndressMeal Suggestion for today - Arctic Char TostadasDrink of the Day - Makers Mark Hot Apple CiderWine of the Day - Attems Pinot Grigio, Friuli, ItalyDestination of the Day - Prince Rupert, Kaien Island, BC Canada Eurodam At Sea Destination Puntarenas, Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica eta 4-15 Koningsdam At Sea Destination Nawiliwili, Lihue, Kauai Island, Hawaii eta 4-19 Nieuw Amsterdam At Sea destination Cartagena, Colombia eta 4-15 Nieuw Statendam At Sea Destination Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel Island, Azores Portugal eta 4-15 Oosterdam At Sea Destination Praia da Vitoria, Terceira Island, Azores Portugal eta 4-17 Rotterdam At Sea destination Plymouth, England eta 4-16 Volendam Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 08:00 - 15:00 Zaandam Cartagena Colombia 12:00 - 18:00 Zuiderdam Isle of Portland, Weymouth, Dorset England 13:00 -Eastern Hemisphere Noordam Savusavu, Vanua Levu Island, Fiji 08:00 - 17:00 Westerdam At Sea destination Kanazawa, Japan eta 4-16 Sandi for Rich

Interesting trail of BHB's crossing the Atlantic this evening. Thought some of you would like to see the cruisemapper map with them lined up like ducklings following mama duck. Zuiderdam in the lead (going to Portland, Weymouth England) followed by Rotterdam going to Plymouth, England, then behind it is Nieuw Statendam going to Ponta Delgada Azores, and ending with Oosterdam headed to Praia da Vitoria Azores. Fun!

Checked in and saw a lot of activity this afternoon. @TiogaCruiser Laura if you can get to Plantation that is a place we've stayed at a lot. Last time we dropped off a rental car at the Broward mall adjacent to our hotel, Hampton Inn and Suites. We've stayed at Hampton Inn many, many times since 2008. They free breakfast and have a shuttle service to the port, and despite charging now instead of free like it used to be, it's cheap for the ride. In fact, last time the desk clerk said she wouldn't even add it to our bill. There are also many other hotels near the Hampton Inn. Courtyard, LaQuinta, and a Hyatt Place slightly farther from the Broward Mall. We dropped our car off at a Budget/Avis right there at the mall. Good luck! Edited to add, check closing times for rental car drop off because I know we had to return ours by 6 pm or something like that. Hope the Uber option works for you though because it sounds like it would be easier than the rental car route.

Bruce @aliaschief that's awesome! Fun memories for everyone! Laura @TiogaCruiser I'm really hoping and praying you can get on that American flight for tomorrow. Sharon @Sharon in AZ sorry about having to take the redeye flight but just as long as you get there on time. We intend to wave at you all at sailaway Saturday! Karen @luvteaching I'm sorry about your DH needing rehab before coming home but agree with your reasons. I do hope he gets through it as quickly as possible and is home with you soon. Vanessa @JazzyV good luck with the doctor visit tomorrow for your knee issue. I had a problem years ago with a tiny pea-size bump under the skin right on the kneecap. There was a pinhead size opening to it which sometimes drained a little fluid out of it. Eventually it bothered me enough that a surgeon removed it in his offices. It was a sebaceous cyst and you have to remove the sac in order for it not to come back. Never had another problem with it since. He phoned later to tell me pathology showed a tiny bit of squamous cell cancer in it! He said that was one for the medical books. I hope yours will be something that easy to solve. Got my hair cut shorter in back this time. Every once in a while you have to change things up a bit. And it poured rain the whole time I was at the appointment. I'm already planning on it being a rainy day next month for my appointment.