StLouisCruisers

I moved some photos around this morning and uploaded to Shutterfly which works perfectly here at home (unlike on the ship!). So I found the photos we took on November 28 in Santarem Brazil. Since we had no intention of heading out into the wilderness we stayed in town. The population of this city was over 300,000! We got on a Volendam tender to go to shore. But there were large local boats taking on passengers from a large barge they tied up to a different tender platform. The boats were tall and must have been difficult for people to board without the barge. I assumed these boats were there for shore excursion people. We would see how this would cause problems later disembarking the people at the pier. The bus driver waiting for us once on shore. No AC by the way. Typical view from bus on the way to the Fishermen's Square drop off point. As Dixie showed you, this was where everyone was dropped off and picked up again. We walked across the street where there was supposedly a tourist information center, but it really was a shopping spot, and a place where locals hawked their tour/taxi service. On that side of the street was a wide, sunny (HOT) esplanade along the water. We took that route and saw lots of boats pulled up to shore. A street scene across the street from the esplanade. And the "ugly wiring" look. Our target was the pretty turquoise cathedral we had spotted on the way downtown. Across from the church was a place where vendors set up tents. These soccer jerseys were probably big sellers. From there we walked back to Fishermen's Square using this pedestrian shopping street. Once at the Square we took the very warm bus back to the pier. We waited in a few square feet of shade for the tender, but first one of those large boats arrived with Volendam passengers onboard. However they couldn't figure out how to get them off due to height differences in the pier and boat decks. They lowered this "gangway" from the bow but I wasn't sure how this would work with some of the unsteady walkers on the boat. I never did find out how it was done because our ship's tender arrived to ferry us back. That was our day in Santarem. Just another view from the Amazon

The black marks are to show where the "butts" go if they are packing a lot of people into the tender during an emergency. You would be sitting up there on that ledge. I think DD's foot is doing okay but we'll know more tomorrow after the surgeon visit. Looks like a great time on your cruise. The lobster looks good! And for Graham @grapau27good to hear the stitches are out and it's looking like a great healing so far.

Good morning friends! Trying to get back on schedule here and got up to do the treadmill work. Also trying to walk up and down our staircase 20 times a day to compensate for the steps I was taking on the ship. Then I tried to start my laptop but it wasn't having it! We finally got it to open and it immediately went into updating mode. Just trying to get there took 1 hour so I am late today. Thanks for today's Daily Rich @richwmn. I remember the hard candy some of you are talking about. It was called ribbon candy - at least the kind my parents liked. Hurray for the heroes and heroines all over the world. Looking for an evergreen is what we did this morning when we looked out our window and noticed the next door neighbor replaced a shrub next to the driveway with a new pencil evergreen . I wonder what else is new around here? I liked the menu suggestion so thanks Debbie @dfishfor the recipes. I hope the weather isn't too terrible later this week. We are driving to Ohio Saturday, and DS is driving from Ann Arbor to Cincinnati on Christmas Day so praying the roads will be clear for us all. Santarem Brazil is a recent addition to DH and my ports of call, having just been there Nov. 28. I don't even know if I have the photos ready to go through but will see later. I have a lot of extras to do today, like get groceries and cut DH's hair. It's a mess having not been cut since before our cruise. Thanks Roy @rafinmdfor the Care and Celebration lists. Prayers for all on the Care list, and the poor people of Ukraine. Also praying for safe travels for all this holiday season. Cheers to the celebrants! Here is a link to Rich's post on Santarem, Brazil in Aug. 22, 2021 to help in retrieving your photos as needed. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Good luck with the stitch removal. DD gets her foot looked at Tuesday which is one week since surgery. She says the toes look bruised now. She'll get her first look at the surgery when the doctor unwraps it. She's been careful not to put any weight at all on it. Sorry about the bad memories of this date 3 years ago, but I think you are probably healthier than then, and have certainly enjoyed your life these past 3 years. Ann, I waved at your exit yesterday when we passed it. Hope you noticed! lol Anyway there was a ton of traffic on 95 near the speedway yesterday. But since it was daytime it couldn't have been the lights. Any idea what it was? I'm pretty clueless on Nascar events. Thanks for the Twin Day wishes. She had no idea about it either. Looks like you two are having a wonderful cruise. Just continue doing that! Love the spaghetti and meatball recipes! Thanks Debbie! I hope the weather isn't as bad as predicted. We have to drive to Cincinnati this coming weekend and have to get "over the mountains and through the woods" so please no slippery conditions! Thanks for the Twin Day wishes. Nice to hear Steve is doing so well since he's been home. Sorry to hear the sad news of the family member nearing the end. Unfortunately it seems like these things happen in multiples, making it even more difficult. What a cute photo! Great to hear from you. I hope you're having a very nice, relaxing time so far. It looks like a very special birthday dinner. Hope it was a nice day in all ways.

Good afternoon friends! What a busy day! Yesterday we took a taxi to the rental car center near the cruiseport and were there when they opened the doors at 8 am. Fifteen minutes later we were on our way north in a Prius, a much different type of car than we usually get. I'm not sure I would rate a Prius a midsize car but we managed to fit the luggage in it if you include the large one in the back seat. 😁 At least it got great mileage! It appeared we got around 59 mpg, but it sure had some weird gadgets on it. It took until 7 pm to arrive home due to stopping about 4 times. Still, during the ride my right leg began hurting. Even compression sock didn't stop that, so I have to find time to run up and down our staircase 20 times a day and see if that helps. It seemed to on the ship. Anyway the Prius had to go back to the Atlanta airport before 8 am this morning so we were out of bed before 6 to get there early. We stopped at the Kroger for a few breakfast things and once breakfast was over, all the work began. Unpacking (stuff is everywhere), laundry loads, mail sorting, list making for grocery tomorrow which includes all the stuff we need to prepare Christmas dinner at DD's house. That's the gathering spot and since she is still off her feet we will do the cooking again this year. She worries about her house getting cleaned and how Sadie will behave with a houseful of new PEOPLE to play with. But Christmas is a time to be with family and we will make it all work. Anyway it's good to be home for the week. Sorry to hear about Dixie and George's car battery problem. I told her I think I may have jinxed her since I asked if they ever had battery problems leaving a car unused for a month. Very sorry! Thanks for the twin day mentions. I need to find a minute to let my twin know it's our day! I need to also go back and read all of today's posts. Terry @smitty34877good wishes for you tomorrow! Hopeful that pain is gone for good! Love, love the photo of Miss Camilla. What a grown up girl! Also happy birthday Nancy @ottahand7. Nice to hear the meds were approved for Sharon @Sharon in AZ and I really hope the relief comes soon. Since Rich's post from Oct. 21, 2021 has been posted already all that's left to do is post my photos from Adelaide, Australia. We visited Adelaide, South Australia on the Sun Princess Circumnavigation cruise of Oct. 2017, five years ago. Fond memories of that cruise. On October 14, 2017 we took a CC roll call tour of wine country from Adelaide. We got on our van and headed out of town, stopping once when the driver noticed a chubby koala in a tree. First stop was Mount Lofty for a good overview of Adelaide. Our next stop was a lovely German influenced town of Hahndorf where we were allowed time to explore and get a bite to eat before we headed out to the wineries. The Hahndorf Academy building from 1857. Next we stopped at a bird sanctuary which I will skip photos of so that we can get to the wineries. First one was the Grant Burge winery which was lovely. The view from the tasting room. Next was the Chateau Dorrien winery which was more rustic instead of the sophistication of Grant Burge. Everybody was getting chatty by now! Heading back to the ship. Rows of palm trees While checking Rich's post from Oct. 21, 2021 I saw photos posted from @rafinmd, @tjcox9, and @GeorgeCharlie. We had a great time there and it's well worth a stop on any Australian cruise. Time to get back to work. I promise to finish reading today's Daily before the end of the day. Maybe during happy hour. Sure am missing our bar crew, Khristle, Jeremiah (Bullfrog), and Angelina from Ocean Bar on Volendam. DH will have to do instead!🥂

Here we are waiting for tender call.

Whoops! Well we’re heading over soon and packing after lunch. May not see you today. We’re not really beach people but want to walk around a bit over there. Good luck with your tendering!!

Good morning friends! We slept in slightly later this morning which is a good thing. My sleep pattern is terrible anymore. I sleep for a few hours, then wake up and toss and turn until nearly time to wake up. The reason seems to be my lower back pain because I can't find a position that doesn't hurt it. I really should have some scans done to determine what to do about it. On another health issue, since I've been walking up stairs on this ship for the last 4 weeks (no elevator at all), my knee pain and pressure problems are nearly gone. We have one flight of stairs at home and I hate to think I'll need to walk up and down them at least 18 times in one day to remain knee pain free but if I have to I will. At breakfast I watched the Nieuw Statendam slide into place near the Volendam here at Half Moon Cay. A while ago an announcement was made that they were going to reposition our ship due to currents, then resume tendering to the island. We will go over for a walk a little later, but may start some of our packing beforehand. Gotta give @RedneckBob time to arrive at his cabana! haha Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor our Daily and bon voyage to him, Jacqui @kazu, Linda @lindalerand everyone else heading to their embarkation day. Thanks also to Roy @rafinmdfor our Care and Celebration lists. Prayers for all in need and cheers to the rest of you. Funchal is a beautiful port to visit and we had it here on March 11, 2021 so here is Rich's post from that date. Thanks in advance for all the photos coming! The port of Funchal is one we have visited a few times. Anyone who has done a transatlantic has probably stopped there or in the Azores. Our first visit on Emerald Princess was in 2008. It was our first transatlantic so we were excited to see this new and fascinating place. We got on a bus and first did some touring of the cliff, Cabo Girao. I loved the purple blooming trees all over the place. This is a photo of some taken from the top of our double decker bus. The view from an overlook. And the view from the cliff, straight down. That's a little unsettling, isn't it? Back in town we headed to the market. I think I remember these tiles on a wall there. Presentation is just as important as the quality of the fruits and veggies. I would buy from this vendor, wouldn't you? In 2013 on the Royal Princess maiden transatlantic we enjoyed exploring more of the downtown area by walking, no tour. A city park where vendors had set up shop. I bought a handmade necklace from one. lovely fountain in a roundabout Remember these days?

Bon Voyage!!

Hurray!!!☺️

Good morning friends! Heading towards Half Moon Cay this morning but have to remember tomorrow is the dreaded packing day. So happy to hear Jacqui @kazuis in San Diego, hopefully catching up on some well deserved sleep right now. Thanks Rich @richwmnfor posting the Daily this morning. Interesting days to celebrate. The rigatoni might be nice. Also thank you to Roy @rafinmdfor our Care and Celebration lists. Prayers for the many listed. DD is doing well and even crawled upstairs to her own bed last night. As an infant she crawled (and teethed and did everything) EARLY! So no problem crawling up the stairs. Cheers to the folks with celebrations and cruises. The port of Saint John was listed Nov. 19, 2021 and below is the link to that date. We may have had that port on one of our cruises but were unable to get there due to weather. Some day it may happen! Have a wonderful day everyone! And Annie @marshhawksnow on Christmas is fine if you're going nowhere but everyone else has to drive through it to get to Grandma's house, or wherever, so we don't want S N O W!! Maybe it could just snow on your house! LOL!

👋 here’s a wave back! You know originally Volendam was supposed to be in Falmouth today but they changed our port before sailing date. Not sure what the reason was. Usually they give the “operational reasons” excuse. Enjoy your day there!

No problem Linda. Hoping and praying for a wonderful, stress free journey for you! You deserve it! Also, forgot to say to Sharon and Craig, happy anniversary @Sharon in AZ!!!

Good morning friends! It's a very nice morning here in Ocho Rios, at least from the upper deck railing of the Volendam it is. A little later we will walk over to shore and see if there's anything to look at. I'm sorry to hear @summer slopeDixie's DH is positive again today. Big surprise after the negative test he took the other day. Major bummer! Yesterday we, and the front desk, came up with a scenario where I was on the internet on my phone and DH and many others couldn't get on at all. He signs out of the Navigator app on his laptop each day and the log in feature would not work yesterday. Since I just leave my Iphone signed into Navigator app I was still signed into the internet and it worked all day and evening. I know I should log out but I always forget to. Later in the day the TV went out for about 15 minutes, then it came back on again. This morning when we turned on the TV, it asked which language we wanted to use, then went right into the safety drill you must watch on embarkation day! So we had to run through that before we could watch anything else. In addition yesterday in the late afternoon we started hearing an odd noise every ten seconds sort of like a "bloop" noise. After 10 minutes we notified Joanna (again! what a day she had!) and they sent our room steward but he didn't know what to do, so finally Joanna came down and listened. She said they were trying to figure it out but didn't know what it was. After several hours of this we left for dinner (and Ocean Bar beforehand). When we returned the noise had stopped for the night. Thank goodness! Hopefully it doesn't start up again anytime soon. DD is doing fine after her foot surgery. At least she was last night. She had it elevated, iced and was taking pain meds as scheduled. Thank you everyone who wished her well as I'm sure she would appreciate knowing you cared. Hoping to hear Jacqui made it out of town and is on her way to her next cruise from San Diego. We are cheering you on!! Terry @smitty34877good luck with the hip replacement on the 19th. That is really fast scheduling! The port of Aomori, Japan was shown here last on April 9, 2021 and here is a link to that date to retrieve any photos. I have not been there yet. Have a nice day everyone!

Prayers for my DD today as she is undergoing surgery on her foot. Hoping she heals quickly!🙏🏻 Today we’re going to lunch with another couple we met in the ship. Unfortunately the MDR has the same menu every day with perhaps one item added for variety. 🙄 Also this evening is the Orange party in Ocean Bar at 9 pm. We’ll be headed there after dinner to watch the antics and listen to the band. I have my orange ready to go🤗

Debbie, Schnucks is a grocery chain in St. Louis. They and their rival Dierbergs have excellent culinary departments that provide recipes and cooking classes for groups.

I’m on the internet on my phone but DH couldn’t get his tiny laptop to connect. He called the front desk and they said the internet is down because they are working on the server. Some parts came in yesterday Joanna said. Imagine her surprise when he said my wife is on CruiseCritic right now on her phone! So just want to let you all know I delivered the message to Joanna that my friends here on CruiseCritic want the internet up and running on the upcoming cruises. 😂 I haven’t been to Manila before. It was port of the day on June 16, 2021 but with the laptop down I can’t post a link. I’ll check in later as I can with uncertain internet.

Sorry to hear you ended up with Covid thanks to your Maui travels. Rest is essential so someone else will have to do the holiday prep. Take care of yourself! It's nice to hear you two were able to get out for the concert even with all the work getting there. I do hope your DH can come home before Christmas!

The second day in Istanbul we decided to take a tram ride to cut down on some miles of walking. We got off at the Grand Bazaar which is known worldwide. We decided to buy two of our grandsons a Galatasaray soccer jersey. One of those boys has continued on with soccer and the other let it go. But it's good to see them continuing on with what interests them. Here is the salesperson who waited on us and he was happy to pose for a photo. Inside the Bazaar, which is huge. You could get lost in there. Someone who went to fetch some Turkish coffee for his friends. We walked from the Bazaar to the Blue Mosque named after the many blue tiles that decorate the interior. It was built in the early 1600's. We waited in a long line to enter the mosque. Here are the rules. An entrance to the courtyard If you're going to pray you stop here first. Inside we took off our shoes and the ladies wore head coverings. That is what everyone was looking up at. I'm not sure why this room was empty, but I think those darker lines in the carpet are to help people position themselves for prayer. Looking up one of the columns. The metal supports were added to add the lighting, IMO. Tiles everywhere Leaving the Blue Mosque, we put on our shoes and headed to the Hippodrome where we viewed the Walled Obelisk and the Obelisk of Theodosius. In addition there is a gazebo-style German fountain that adorns the square. Incredible tile work inside the gazebo. By then we decided to head back to the ship to rest. So here's a last look at the Blue Mosque. Freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Later that day it was time to leave Istanbul. It wasn't the prettiest of days, but we still spent time on deck watching us sail away. Next stop - Batumi, Georgia!

Internet is back on so here come the rest of day 1 in Instanbul. Hagia Sophia museum is up next. The exterior. @kazu if you see yourself in my photos, let us know! Here's a roadmap for you. some of the interior walkways I've noticed this is one of my older cameras taking photos in 2014 so not of the quality I would like. Camera have really improved a lot over the last decade or two. We saw a lot of people taking photos upwards during our Istanbul stop. You can see why. Marble jar, used on special days to distribute water, according to the inscription below it. This is called the Beautiful Door. See, I did NOT make that up. By this time we were exhausted, and so were our traveling buddies so we walked back to the ship. We walked many miles that day. Along the way we saw street food called Kestane being sold. It appears that is roasted chestnuts. A place to wash your feet before entering the mosques. Another shop full of spices and confections. Back on the Prinsendam, we had a dancer on the pool deck (belly dancing I believe). She moved so fast the photos turned out blurry! We also had local cuisine cooked and set up on deck. Those were the days, eh? Sorry if there are too many photos but Istanbul is an important stop on the Black Sea cruise.

The ship shut down the internet to quote work on it unquote so we’re heading outside to wander. I’ll try to finish photos later.

Good morning friends! It's a nice warm day in Aruba (read that hot!) and we will probably go out later to sweat a bit. Thanks to Rich @richwmnfor posting the Daily and Fleet Report for us. I read the plea for assistance to post and see a few have said they might be able to help. If you would like I will offer my help too.🙋‍♀️ There are a couple of days I might be delayed and could use assistance but I don't see a lot of travel in our future. Let me know if this sounds good to you. Thank you Roy for the Care and Celebration lists too. We have a lot of people to pray for so we'd better all get busy. Jacqui @kazuI am praying you outwit Mother Nature and make it to your cruise on time or even early. Graham @grapau27glad your surgery is finished and hope all heals well for you. Our port today Istanbul, Turkey is a big one. It was posted here on Nov. 21, 2021 and here is Rich's post from that day for photo retrieval. I know I for one had many photos so you will all be sick of them by the time I'm finished! We were honored to take a Black Sea followed by a Holy Land cruise on the Prinsendam in 2014. It was our first cruise on HAL and what an introduction it was! We stayed two days in Istanbul so we got to do a lot of exploring around the city. We arrived in Istanbul in late afternoon on Oct. 9, 2014. We had time to get off the ship and walk to a nearby hotel to borrow some wi-fi before dinner. Thank you Nidya Hotel. The next day we walked across the Galata Bridge to see the Topkapi Palace Museum. See how close the boats are to the bridge? In the background you can see Hagia Sophia's minarets. We passed many shops selling spices and Turkish delights. The Imperial Gate entrance to Topkapi Palace Museum. We bought a Museum Pass and headed toward the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. We checked out artifacts on the lawn and entered the Tiled Kiosk to see the pottery and tile displays. No cameras were allowed in the Archaeological Museum. Then we headed through the Gate of Salutations into the Topkapi Palace Museums which housed everything from jewelry to weapons. One of the museums had a terrace with a fabulous view of the water. We walked through the Palace Kitchens and the Imperial Treasury. So much to see! Finally we went to the Harem section of the Palace Museums. At one time it was occupied by the Sultan, his mother, wives and concubines. Room for a crowd! Always a nice ceiling to look at. From here we went to Hagia Sophia. It was originally a church, then a mosque and then turned into a museum. Hagia Sophia photos coming up next.

Miss G I'm very sorry about the terrible health news your family member had. It really hurts when that happens and I hope your coming here now is a help to you. Linda, I'm so glad you were with your young grandson when that happened and you weren't hurt at all. Fast thinking on your part and a good lesson for him to learn. Take care and please enjoy those cruises! Graham, best of luck to you tomorrow at your procedure and hospital appointment. We'll all be thinking of you and wishing you the best care possible. Thank you it is a lovely tree. And the spindles too, lol! Thank you for adding your photos today of our port in Iceland. Such a lovely country, isn't it? Your photos of Djupivogur show us how unique a place it is. Thanks for letting us view them. Annie, just go to the Shutterfly website and sign up as a member. You can upload all the pictures you want there for free (at least they've never set a limit for me and I have TONS of them there). Just never try to look at them while at sea on the Volendam with my DH's HP netbook, okay? They refuse to work with us. haha! Happy to hear you are feeling better today! Soon you'll want some chocolate and wine, won't you? See above message. I hope you join and enjoy uploading and storing there whenever you want. Thanks so much for taking time to tell us about your cruise. I have to agree with you about so many things you mentioned. Things just aren't as great as they were, and I understand about all the problems, but I don't have to like it! I pray that they can work themselves back to where they once were.🙏

Just had sunset at 6:02 so here is a photo of it on my TV screen. No balcony to run out onto! On our way to Aruba. Going to try to read before evening activities.

Dixie, it's a pity he is testing negative yet has to wait until the 14th for the ship testing to occur. So happy you haven't turned up positive! Thanks! Wish I had something to do with it but I'm just the messenger.😁 I'm sad to hear you can't make it to your son's house for Christmas but it's good when we know our limitations and don't do too much. Hopefully next year you will be back to your old self and able to enjoy the holiday traditions with the family.