lazey1

@vswanI am sorry you lost your husband and so unexpectedly. My late husband and I had been on approximately 20 cruises, usually in a balcony. We preferred cruises of at least 14 days and enjoyed even longer cruises of up to 30 days. 7 days was just to short a time for us.

It seems that most of your questions have been answered except for sharing the personal experiences.

My husband of 57 years passed away in Sept. of 2015. The first Thanksgiving and Christmas I spent with my in-laws as I have no relatives except a son who had used all his timeoff prior to his dad's illness and death and was unble to take any more time off work.  I neeeded some time to myself and went on my first solo cruise over Christmas and New Years of 2016/2017; a 16 day cruise. The ship I chose was The Prinsendam, a small ship that I had not been on before. I was very shy but went to the Singles and Solo's luncheon which was quite difficult for me. I met a lovely lady of over 90 who had literally been all over the world and was an excellent story teller, had lunch with her several times. 

I spent a lot of time on my balcony reading but did go to all of the entertainment in the show room. I also went to several trivia games and just observed.

The Christmas celebrations, singing carols while the tree was officially lit, listening to the Santa Claus countdown then seeing the  Captain and other officers give the children Christmas presents were by far the most healing experiences that I had.

Since that first solo cruise I have gone on several other cruises, some by myself, other with friends. Each has it's own rewards. I believe that you will know when it is time for you to resume cruising.

Good late afternoon to all. I am feeling considerably better and breathing much easier now that I have 4 new heart meds.  I had not realized before that CHF would make your chest swell as it does your legs and feet making it hard to breathe. All my testing is complete (for now at least) and I should get all of the results by March 15th. Nothing to bad I am sure as I was told if anything major seen I would have to go from the testing facility direct to the hospital. @JazzyVI do not feel like I should be on the care list or even in the rotation.

I have been to PEI on 3 different  HAL cruises including the Oct. 2009 cruise with @aliaschiefBruce and Sue but don't recall ever meeting @RedneckBob. Had a delightful Lobster lunch at PEI Preserve Company. Yum! These photos are bringing back wonderful memories.

I will pass on the drink of the day but the food sounds good and I don't believe that I ever tried a Chardonney that I didn't like.

Prayers for all that need them; including the kitty, and cheers to all celebrants.

Jane

I just found this thread and will be back to post later this afternoon as I have an appointment soon. As usual @RuthChas excellent advise.

Good afternoon everyone. I have not posted for awhile as I have not felt well but I have been reading everyday. Prayers for those who need them, whether they know they need them or not and shout outs for those who we can celebrate. I am an animal lover, particularly cats and I cried for all the fur babies that have crossed the rainbow bridge recently.

This has not been a good month for me and I am very thankful that it is almost done. I have been to the cardiology office 3 times this month, seen by 3 different PA's, had 2 blood draws, a Sinus CT Scan, a Chest  Enhanced CT Scan, a lower extremity arterial US, and a  lower extremity vein US. Tomorrow I will have a Chemical Nuclear Stress Test and that will finish the testing at least until I go back to the PA for results on March 15. Of course every test was scheduled for a different day. So far I have only been notified of the results of one blood test which indicated congestive heart failure. After getting 4 new Rx I am breathing easier, the swelling in my legs and feet has gone down and the fatigue is not as bad. Before I return to cardiology I will see my pulmonologist on March 6 and gastro-enterologist on March 7. I will finally been seen by my newly assigned Cardiologist on March 28th. (My previous cardiologist left the practice in June).  Ok, rant over.

Thank you to all who have posted photos of today's and of all the daily destinations.  The meal today looks so good and the wine sounds great.

Jane

Unlimited, send anything and everything. It all comes back perfectly ironed, on hangers or neatly folded in tissue paper. Best perk ever!

Was on the Rotterdam from 11/20 until 11/30 and no Christmas decorations were displayed.

Wine               White Zinfandel

Appetizer#1  Escargo in the MDR

Appetizer#2  Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail at Pinnacle

Main                Steak Diane at Pinnacle

Side #1            Baked Potato with lots of Butter

Side #2            Mushrooms at Pinnacle

Dessert            Chocolate Volcano Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and                                  Decaf Coffee

For the life of me I can't see any point in dressing up a pet other than a coat or blanket to provide warmth when the weather is to cold to be "doing what comes naturally".  There could never be any outfit that is as beautiful as the natural coat of an animal.

Okay now I will get off my high horse. I like Shephards Pie and would enjoy having someone make one for me, especially on a BHB. The drink sounds good and the wine is above my pay grade.

@kazuyour post today seems that you are getting into a better frame of mind; I hope that your pain will be gone soonand that you will fully recover from your accident and surgery. You are very blessed with such wonderful friends and neighbors.

@grapau27Is Sarah home from the hospital yet? I pray that the pain is tolerable and that the injections will provide the relief she needs. You and Pauline must be angels to provide for her as you have.

@Quartzsite CruiserThe kite on your wall is gorgeous.

Jane

Bon Voyage

Thank you for posting this information. Praying for healing.

I for one am delighted to find out that HAL will be eliminating Lincoln Center Stage or limiting it to a rotating headliner act. Classical music is not enjoyed by everyone and it seems like for years that Lincoln Center Stage has been devoted to funerary music. Perhaps once a cruise I could manage to sit through one of their shows. PS, I am 81 years old, definitely not one of the younger generations.

44 minutes ago, highscar said:

From one solo to another. We are brave to continue to do something that we loved to do with our late partners. They would not want us to give it up. Please continue to sail when you are better.  Would love to cross paths with you on one of our BHB.  

ditto

@kazuPrayers for a safe trip home along with a speedy and complete recovery for you .

Jane

7 hours ago, Cat in my lap said:

Happy 2023!  Today is our anniversary- 46 years!

 

Best wishes to all!

Congratulations on the anniversary.

Am I the only dailyite that does not like champagne?  I will be staying home tonight in what for me will be a very cool house. My thermostat decided to go blank and the soonest I can get someone out will be tomorrow at 10am.  Good thing our low is expected to be in the 50's.

I am glad to be saying goodby to 2022 and welcome to 2023 soon.

@ger_77my condolences on the loss of your 3 relatives.

@HAL SailerI pray that you DSIL will find freedom from pain soon in whatever is God's plan for her.

@Sharon in AZHoping for speedy recovery for your DS.

@JazzyVThanks for the photos. Your look very happy.

Shout outs for all who have good news and prayers for all who do not AND most importantly of all Thank you to Rich, Roy, and all of the others who make this thread a wonderful place to visit every day.

Jane

14 hours ago, richwmn said:

 l stayed in Billboard for a short while after trivia and listened to a couple of songs performed by Kaia and David. They are both talented musicians with good voices. The show was enjoyable.

 

Tomorrow morning is Fort Lauderdale and errands.

 

@Hygge!I haven't seen a schedule for tomorrow so I don't know yet.

Billboard is by far my favorite venue for music on any HAL ship.

Jane

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

You should receive the bronze medallion on this cruise - it’s awarded on the cruise where it is earned.  I believe you will find your medallions on your bed tonight.  From what has been reported on the boards and from what I have seen on this cruise and my recent one, they only invite 5* Mariners - silver medallion and above.  

 

Jacqui, I did not receive my silver medallion on the Konigsdam cruise where I earned it. On the next Rotterdam cruise I was invited but again did not receive my medallion. I asked about it and it was delivered to my cabin that night. Also I did not receive my 5* pin on the cruise after I earned it. Again I had to go to the front office and ask for it. It was delivered to my cabin the following evening. HAL had their stats right but not the hardware each time.

Jane

Merry Christmas to all.

Jane

@richwmn MERRY CHRISTMAS RICH. and a big thank you for the posts.

Jane

12 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

For any widows or widowers out there who want to”run away from home” as I did - serious warning - it doesn’t fix anything

@kazuI did the same thing, run away from home on a cruise alone the 2nd Christmas after my DD/DH passed. You are right it doesn't fix anything; at least not at the time. In retrospect I am very glad that I did that as it was much better next time I cruised alone.  Each of us grieve in our own way and in our own time. If you ever need someone I am happy to be a heart with ears and eyes for you.

Jane

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone. I will not be attending the Christmas Eve service at church tonight as it includes lighting candles and walking through the rose gardens. Still not feeling brave enough to be walking outside at night and especially with lit candles which are my very worst triggers for an asthma or bronchitis attack. Fortunately the service will be shown live on Facebook so I can attend virtually.

Prayers for all who need them and especially for the people of Ukraine.

Jane

@richwmnThank you Rich for every post you make regarding this Holiday/World Cruise. This is something that I dreamed about doing in a previous live but it doesn't seem possible now. So I will just cruise along with you.

Jane

22 hours ago, kazu said:

Tree lighting ceremony was last night.  I missed out on the pic I really wanted as some kind soul ignored my cane and knocked me to the ground.  

 

@kazuOh my God, Jacqui. If it weren't for Bad Luck you wouldn't have any luck at all.  I sincerely hope that only your pride was hurt. Your photos are beautiful and I am enjoying every post you make. I hope to meet you on a cruise someday.

Jane

 

@kazuJacqui thank you so much for taking us along on your voyage. You are making everything so real that I can almost feel the ship rocking me gently to sleep.

Jane

For the past couple of days I had no access to my computer. Turns out it was just a dead mouse. Tekkie came out last evening and fixed everything for me. Now I will go play catch up on the days I missed. Like many of you I am basically feeling good but very tired especially mid afternoon. Even the very mild Covid seems to hang on forever.

Jane