StLouisCruisers

Thank you so much Graham! It's always nice to be on a cruise during an anniversary or birthday, isn't it? Edited to say thank you also for your comments on the Gracie and celebration tree photos. We all still miss Gracie! 😢 I hope you get it all done on time without too much stress. But it sounds like Walgreen's might be closed today, so you may have to run into Kroger for detergent. I believe they are open until 4.

Since we can't comment any further on yesterday's Daily I'll move Brenda's @bennybear grand puppy's photo over here. I wanted to say that I think she is a beautiful dog with such a shiny coat. I hope she makes a great addition to the family. What's her name? Here’s our lovely new 5 month old grand puppy, from a shelter. She is lovely!

When I think of Thanksgiving I think of my favorite photo of DH preparing the turkey at DD's house. Her precious cavapoo Gracie was at attention all day long when the turkey was out of the oven. We called her the kitchen Roomba! Speaking of DD she sent me photos of her latest Celebration tree in her foyer. Looks great! This Christmas she added the red spiral thingamabobs she used for the July 4th tree. I love 'em! I'll be able to see this tree when I spend Christmas there. Looking forward to it! Hearing about some of the details of the car crash event at the Rainbow Bridge I wonder if the driver had a medical emergency? That is probably what happened to my neighbors Linda and David when he ran off the highway and crashed into an overpass. His car went airborne too and he never braked according to witnesses. He passed away but Linda survived and had a broken back and two broken wrists. She is home and is able to walk, and has adopted a chihuahua mix 4 year old dog who seems like a good fit for her lifestyle. Chihuahuas usually don't walk fast and neither can Linda! Latest news is I see that Linda has placed her home for sale and I assume is moving somewhere closer to family. Our neighborhood will miss her!

We arrived in Tallinn on Sept. 6, 2011 on Emerald Princess. It was our 42nd wedding anniversary so a special destination for a special day. Here we are arriving. It was an easy walk to the downtown area. The area is full of stone buildings like this. So cool! I love this doorway! Wow, what an interesting facade on this building. We went in a marzipan shop because our traveling buddies were big fans of marzipan. Hmmmm... A lovely floral display on this light. What do you spot in this photo? You got it. A huge Pontiac from the 1960's era. I tried passing my driver's license test, parallel parking a 1966 Bonneville coupe similar to this and failed. Went back in my friend's tiny Chevrolet Corvair and passed it easily! A local souvenir seller showed us this collection of Estonian coins. In a huge square in the middle of town. Political graffiti on this building. A little archery competition An awesome church Photograph of DH and I courtesy of our travel buddies. And again Who doesn't like a pink building? And the Emerald Princess (back in 2011 so no sea witch on the hull)

Good morning friends and Happy Thanksgiving!! We dropped like a rock last night and are sitting at 37F. There will be a mix of sun and clouds today and a high of 56. Being just the two of us, today we will celebrate with spatchcock chicken, red potatoes, carrots and brussels sprouts with a Georgia pecan pie for dessert. Thanks to our Daily Food Department reporter Debbie @dfish for the recipe! Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Fleet Report and Daily. I see an assortment of days including eat a cranberry so I shall have some cranberries even though DH doesn't care for them. No espresso or jukeboxes around here! Probably some good advice in our quote. No way would I like the coconut curry ramen dish. Kentucky sweet tea sounds interesting but I'm sure there's some bourbon in it and I don't drink red wine if I can help it. As for this day in history I've seen the Cutty Sark at Greenwich if I'm not mistaken. Thanks to all our reporters Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, Ann @cat shepard and Vanessa @JazzyV for their contributions each day. Prayers said as I walked my miles this morning for DB and friends Scott and Bob, our Daily members with pain and suffering, and those at war in Ukraine and Israel. Hoping the hostages are released soon! 🙏 Congrats to everyone with a happy event to celebrate, those able to visit with family, and those cruising! Enjoy! 🥂 Thanks once again to Vanessa @JazzyV for the list keeping. Hope it was a better night for you. Tallinn, Estonia is the great port of the day for us. I'm sure all who have been there have enjoyed it. It was listed here before Dec. 15, 2021 and May 7, 2022 so I will post those links to help you out. We enjoyed our visit there in 2011 and are scheduled to go again in 2024. Photos to follow. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! Enjoy the food, the football, the family get togethers, and don't eat yourself into a coma if at all possible!🦃

I wouldn't consider that a political post. President Kennedy was a very popular president here in the States, too. I remember being in 7th grade math class when the announcement was made. What a horrible time that was in our lives and of course no one can forget where they were when it happened.

We can tell how excited you are, and hope it's everything you wanted in a cruise. Enjoy every minute! Hope you get onboard soon!🎉🥂 As they keep warning us, keep your head on a swivel and take note of what's going on around you. Dangerous times!😐

Dixie, very sorry to hear George has been so ill! I wonder why it's hit him so hard? Hoping he's feeling much better soon, especially with the holiday tomorrow. I'm not sure where Gerry's @ger_77 post went in my multi-quote endeavor but I hope your DH is okay and it's nothing serious. Good luck getting that CT scan taken care of and the results back quickly. Also, sorry to hear Jack @Heartgrove has Covid. It's a relief to hear it feels like nothing more than a cold. Take care of yourself Jack! Nancy, you won't regret planning a cruise to New Zealand and hopefully you'll include Australia. I enjoyed every minute of my time spent in those locations. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos! Terry, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your visit there in New Hampshire with family. I have a feeling your Lou is watching over you all so no wonder you feel very close to him this trip. Enjoy that Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow! Debbie, it sounds like you are having a great time with River, and I'm sure the family will love being at your home this holiday for a change. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Congrats on being rated AWESOME! I don't blame you for wanting to hang that comment on the wall. I'm sorry to hear about your old friend with kidney cancer. I wish he'd done something before when he kept procrastinating. Did you get your oxygen yet? And how is Chuck feeling after that awful fall? I'm so glad I haven't been upgraded to a Neptune or we would be spoiled so rotten we could never cruise again in anything less. And yup, it's a good way to spend the kids' inheritances.

And another camera shot of her. Nice morning there (of course).

Just dropping in to say I watched the Volendam gliding into San Diego Harbor on a webcam. They went past a camera a few minutes ago. Here's a screenshot.

I'm glad to see you've put yourself back on the Care list instead of rotation, Vanessa @JazzyV. But I'm hoping things will begin happening for you so you can find some relief from the debilitating pain. ❤️ Bon Voyage Pennie @Nickelpenny!🚢

Happy birthday @1ANGELCAT! I wish I could add your name but I am drawing a blank!

On Dec. 22, 2013 we stopped in Tauranga on the Diamond Princess. The following day we would disembark in Auckland, spend the night at the Hilton located on the pier next door and fly home on Christmas Eve. The longest day of my life! We started the morning about 5 am getting to the Auckland airport and ended up at home in Georgia about 10 pm the same day! Needless to say we slept in on Christmas Day, and drove north to visit family a few days later. On that 2013 stop DH and I merely walked around the town enjoying the warmth of the people and the climate. On Dec. 4, 2017 we returned to Tauranga on the Sun Princess, again our final port before Auckland and returning home to the U.S. This time we decided to hike around the base of Mount Maunganui, the extinct volcano at the end of the peninsula in town. A view of it from the ship. Here is the visitor information center right by the ship and Mount M. in the distance. Good information in case of an emergency evacuation due to tsunami. You start on this leisurely walk along the shore. No hurrying here! The beginning of the hike. Here it was a paved pathway. An interesting statue just off shore. Not sure what it was though. As you went along this circular path around the mountain the path became rougher and you had to watch your step carefully. The scenery was beautiful, though. As we came around the mountain we got to see the beach everyone was enjoying. Here is one of my favorite photos. A rock formation that looked like a kiwi bird to me. It even had what looked like a beak on it made with some type of vine or branch. At the end of the hike we walked past a campground at the base of the mountain. Looks like a nice spot to enjoy the water and the mountain. Some hikers walked up to the top but we weren't equipped for that. On into the town. And from 2013 a few more photos of the town itself. A nice park. Everybody needs a bench now and then. A Wi-Fi hotspot for tourists and crew members, perhaps even locals too. I'm ready to go back. Just have to talk DH into a flight to the other side of the world from us. 🤔

Good morning friends! Weather report for me today is it's 53F and we should have a high of 60 with sun and clouds mixed. Better than yesterday by a mile. Today started off with a frozen cursor when I turned on my computer and we both cursed that cursor as we struggled to get things moving here. Sometimes these devices have a mind of their own!💻 Thank you Rich @richwmn for the Daily and Fleet Report for this day before Thanksgiving - prep day or travel day. I like the days to remember especially cranberry relish day. I don't think I'll be going for a ride today, and my girlhood freckles now look more like age spots! Lol! The quote is a good one, I prefer meat in my chili. I'll skip the cocktail and merlot as well. So many important things happened on this date, from the looks of it. Thanks to our friends Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for F&B reports. Prayers said while walking my miles this morning. For the hostages being released this week and those that aren't, the people of Israel and Ukraine as they fight for their lives and countries. For my DB and my friends in need of them. And especially for all here on the Care list, and some of you who don't want to be on it. Praying for pain free days, and successful procedures to cure your ills. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving (those in the U.S. celebrating tomorrow), safe travels, happy birthdays and anniversaries, and wonderful cruises. Welcome home to Linda @lindaler. I wonder if she ran into my "relatives" on the Volendam along with her? Thanks to Vanessa @JazzyV for the lists provided to us today! Hope you got a few more hours sleep last night. The destination today is Tauranga (Rotorua), New Zealand. It's a lovely port of call and I'm sure many of us have enjoyed it there. It was our port of the day on December 31, 2021. I've been there twice already and loved it. Photos coming up soon. I've checked and see Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser has not been there before but let's hope that will change in the future. By the way welcome home to Quartzsite, AZ Lenda! Have a safe day and stay well, everyone!

We flew our Michigan/Ohio State flag on game days. Purchased on High Street in Columbus, it had the maize and blue M in the upper left corner and the scarlet and grey O in the lower right corner. The final game of the season was always miserable to go through. Someone was gonna come out the loser…😥

Yes, the game will be on Fox stations but not the Fox cable news station which the ship has on their TVs. The game starts at 12 noon Eastern but San Diego will play the game at 9 am. I would stay at the hotel as long as possible. Perhaps you could get a noon check out? Or maybe you could watch the end in the hotel breakfast area if they have one. The game is a big one in our family too. Two kids and they graduated from those two colleges - same year even!

That is very, very strange. First you weren't booked, and then to ask someone about their cancellations. Never seen that before.

I haven't seen the Seconday Flow page but on Chrome I get the home page with an white film over the page and am unable to click on anything. Today I tried clearing cookies and cache and it immediately opened up fully. Normally I don't even try Chrome and open an incognito page. Works perfectly that way. Good luck with your shore excursions.

Lorraine, I'm so glad to hear you are doing alright with minimal pain after that surgery yesterday. Also that your tummy is better now. Take care today! Terry @smitty34877 what a sweet little puppy and such a shame they were tempted by the sock left lying around. This is a good lesson to all in the household that puppies are nosy and mischievous. I know you will devote all your attention to the pup (at least until the kids and grandkids get home). Have a good day! Debbie @dfish good to hear you got some much needed sleep last night with such a busy next few days ahead of you. Will you be having Farkle night again this weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday?

More photos from Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser second visit to Ashdod. The second day we were docked in Ashdod, we talked about finding a taxi to take us to Bethlehem, but after two long days spent in a taxi, we decided against going. Along with another couple, we found a taxi in the port to take us to Jaffa and Tel Aviv. If we're lucky enough to return to Ashdod, I want to find someone to take us to Bethlehem and Jerusalem for a slower walk in the Old City. Jaffa is the ancient port for Jerusalem. It is a town we really enjoyed Looking from Jaffa toward Tel Aviv. Our driver dropped us off at seaside promenade in Tel Aviv. After a short time along the sea, our next stop was a mall in downtown Tel Aviv, and we had an hour or so to wander around. I'll confess we spent most of our time in the mall where we shared a pizza. A couple of street scenes in Tel Aviv taken from the car as we headed back to the Prinsendam. Lenda

Time for me to post Lenda's @Quartzsite Cruiser's photos of Ashdod. Here you are! We have been to Ashdod on the Prinsendam in 2017, and spent two days there since our call to Egypt was cancelled. Our taxi drive from the day in Haifa, met us at the shuttle drop-off and we spent the day seeing Masada, and Jerusalem. On our way to Masada, we stopped at an overlook for a view of the Judean Desert. You can catch a glimpse of the Dead Sea in the upper right hand corner of the second picture. Our next stop was Masada. The picture shows people walking up the Snake Path. We took the gondola up and down. A couple of views of Masada and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem was not on the day's itinerary, but we were ready to leave Masada about noon, so talked our driver into taking us to Jerusalem also. He was not happy as that meant driving through Palestinian territory. Once in the walled city, he rushed us through there, hitting a few of the high spots including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall. I spent more time trying to keep up and watch my footing, so there aren't too many pictures of the different quarters. Our driver and DH went to the wall, but I waited at the barrier overlooking the Wailing Wall so I could get a picture of them. Just before they reached the wall, a man very rudely and loudly ordered me away. I would like to go back one day, and have a little more time walking through the old city. Jerusalem from the viewpoint above the cemetery. The street from the parking garage to the Jaffa Gate. Another view of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which was very crowded. The wait to enter the tomb was an hour. One of the many narrow streets. The Western Wall and the Old City On the way out of the Old City, our driver spotted the Israeli President's car and wanted DH to take his picture beside it. I also got a picture of our driver and the car. Just a couple of pictures of Jerusalem as we headed back to the Prinsendam. The traffic was horrific that day as it was the opening of the Knesset. Lenda

Continuing in Jerusalem, we got off the bus and walked through the Jaffa Gate, walking past stalls and shops. Entrance to a convent. Very well worn stone pathways. There was a huge gift shop we were allowed to look around in for some time but I stayed outside most of the time taking photos of fountains and small stalls. From there we walked to the Holy Sepulchre Church which is believed to be the site where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. Inside the Church we saw the Crucifixion Altar and the Tomb of Jesus We continued on with the tour for several more hours and I have a lot more photos but wanted to cut to the end where we went to the Wailing Wall (also known as the Western Wall). The area was divided with women on one half and men on the other. From there we walked back through a different gate to our bus and the drive back to our new home away from home, the Prinsendam. There really is too much to see and learn about on these tours so it is somewhere we should try to visit again. It was the same way in Haifa when we went to Nazareth and the Jordan River. I recommend a Holy Land cruise to everyone. Note: the above comment was made by me in 2021 and it seems it will be a long time before we can go back. My cruise there late in 2024 has cancelled Israeli ports, so we must wait, it seems.

I went to Ashdod in 2014 on our Holy Land cruise on the Prinsendam. It was our first voyage on Holland America and it was Black Sea and Holy Land B2B. We were originally booked on the Ocean Princess to go to the Black Sea and the Holy Land but due to political unrest that year Princess cancelled Egypt ports and most of the Black Sea ports and just substituted Greek Isles ports instead. So we cancelled them and took a chance on the Prinsendam, and loved it! In Ashdod on October 26, 2014 we immediately left the port for our drive to Jerusalem. I only have a few photos around the ship of the tugs, etc. However the countryside of Israel is very nice. Arriving at an overlook of the city of Jerusalem we stopped to listen to our guide and take in the view. According to my notes we next stopped at the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony. It's a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives next to the Garden of Gethsemane. The church has beautiful murals on its facade. The olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are many hundreds of years old. Seen off to the side and on the hillside slightly above the Basilica of the Agony, is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. This is one of Jerusalem's most picturesque sights due to its seven gilded onion domes, each topped by a tall Russian Orthodox cross. Interior of the Basilica including the high altar overlooking a large slab of rock, which is said to be the very rock on which Jesus prayed in agony on the night of his betrayal. I borrowed this photo of the rock because mine was blurry. We got on the bus to move on to view the Catholic Cemetery, but I got this photo of the Basilica and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene from the road next to the cemetery. Gives you a good perspective. Taken through the bus window though. The Catholic Cemetery And here is the Tower of David, Jerusalem's citadel, located near the Jaffa Gate on the western side of the old city wall. The visit is far from over so I will break this up into two posts.

Good morning friends! We are under the rain clouds today with a temp right now of 59 and a high of about 67. Unfortunately rain most of the day. Thank you Rich @richwmn for today's Fleet Report and Daily. Oh boy, Gingerbread Cookie Day! Sounds like the holidays are really coming up quickly here. I'm a fan of World Television Day because I have it on in the background most of the time. Odd Socks Day is hardly something to celebrate. For some reason we don't lose socks here for which we're grateful and we don't wear odd looking ones either. The quote is an honest one from Confucius. Apple cider and butternut squash all in one recipe? Debbie can sell that one to us. No thank you to the highball and I have no idea what the wine is today. Congrats to the Australian National Tennis Championships for their anniversary today. Thanks to our friends Debbie @dfish, Dixie @summer slope, and Ann @cat shepard for their reports today. Prayers for all on the Daily Care list and it seems to be growing! I've said my prayers for everyone on the list and some who don't wish to be on it, my DB and friends with health problems, and the people in Israel and Ukraine as well as the hostages. I shut down the computer earlier than usual last night to read my book and see Lenda @Quartzsite Cruiser injured herself. I hope she and all the others in pain can feel better today. I'm happy to see the list of cruisers and the folks celebrating happy events is long these days. Wishing you smooth seas and exciting ports of call cruisers! Also wishing for a quick repair to Bruce's @aliaschiefknee so he and Sue can enjoy their World Cruise. Thank you Vanessa @JazzyV for the great job keeping the lists for us even through your pain and lack of sleep. Yesterday I texted DS and asked when his flight was and he told me they had just landed in Detroit. He said they went to the airport early and were able to fly standby on the earlier flight from Dallas, and that there was no one at security so they just breezed through. I'm amazed at no lines at security and there were actually two seats available on a plane a few days before Thanksgiving! He is one lucky guy.🙂 The port for today is Ashdod (Jerusalem), Israel. This was our port on April 29, 2021 and October 25, 2022. We have been there once and booked a cruise in 2024 to return there. However it was recently removed from the itinerary due to the troubles there unfortunately. Just yesterday my tours in Israel were removed by HAL and the funds returned. We were going back to Jerusalem in fact. I will post the links to the former dates for your convenience, and post my own photos later since I have to go retrieve my photos from my Shutterfly account. They've disappeared from the former posts. Here you are: Hope you all have a great Tuesday! Safe travels and stay well!

Vanessa, I like the bolding of the cruisers' names on the cruising list. It helps to pick out each person and their dates of cruises. Great idea!