MJC

Wheelhouse Bar is also sometimes used for daytime activities.

Laurie, coming up in April near you: https://wwww.syracuse.com/state/2024/01/solar-eclipse-2024-warning-issued-for-eclipse-watching-in-parts-of-upstate-ny.html

Laurie, we've stayed down the street in the Hilton Marina hotel a few times. That area is a very convenient location. We have taken taxis, so I cannot comment on the shuttles. One time someone just opened the door and took the taxi we had ordered (they are numbered). I will say that the hotels are very busy when several ships are in port. Between the people checking out and those checking in, the lobbies can be very crowded, and it's not usually possible to get your room early. Plan to have lunch and hang out at the pool if you arrive early in the day. We packed swimsuits, flipflops, etc. in our carryons and changed in the lobby restrooms. They had a room for checking our luggage until our room was ready. There is a Walgreens for last-minute items, and they also have a limited wine selection. There is also a Carrabbas, which we don't have here, but used to enjoy when we visited my parents in FL. There's also a restaurant called Boatyard where you can sit outside if you want. You probably need a reservation there. There are a few other places in a small stripmall on the north side of the street. Do leave yourself a cushion of time for leaving in the morning to go to port, whether there is a shuttle or not. We also found the airport check-in area to be very crowded when we disembarked, so leave enough time there too. There just weren't enough checkin stations for those with luggage for the amount of people who were all leaving the ships.

I realize this is not a common port stop but I hope someone can chime in. We have snorkeled the Pacific before, so we know there aren't coral reefs and calm seas, and it's more likely we'll see larger sea life than pretty little fish. Also, we will have a chance to do a really good snorkel after the Panama Canal crossing when we visit Grand Cayman. I'm considering a renting a private boat so we can snorkel a bit but also see the Seven Bays and stop at a beach for a swim. We have a lot of sea days on our cruise, so something active seems like it would be a nice break. Thoughts? TYIA

We are trying to decide between Eden Rock and a private excursion to the barrier reef and "the aquarium." We are experienced snorkelers but I have some concern that DH won't like ER if it's very wavy. Thoughts?

That sounds like a great location Melody. We like to be aft on the Princess Grand class ships because 80% of the things we enjoy are in the back. It is a long walk to the theater all the way forward but we don't mind the exercise. Same with the gym. Yesterday I went to the Women Dressing Women show at the Met Museum: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/a-first-look-at-the-mets-fabulous-feminist-exhibit-women-dressing-women-120423 The history of women designers was fascinating to me, because the higher levels of fashion have been dominated by men for so long, but there were these incredibly successful and talented women who I never heard about, dating as far back as the late 1800's. Each outfit had a descriptive plaque about the designer's start, career, ethos, progression.... What my aunt and I commented on over and over was how many of the outfits chosen for the show could walk the streets or go to a party today. The workmanship and detail was astonishing. We had the best time. It was a miserable day to go out, but it reminded me why NYC in January can be delightful with a bit of effort. The museum wasn't crowded at all, so we ate a leisurely lunch, never felt rushed or cramped, and enjoyed our time in the shop. I love museum shops, they are a great place for buying unique gifts, and they are crucial to museums' survival -- guilt free spending. 🙂

Melody, I'm sorry to hear that Wes is having such a hard time. It's very frustrating. We did think about my parents a lot when we did our lakehouse renovation, and now we are glad we did. The walk-in shower is a big help, and we are thankful for our one-level ranch. Our apartment and building in the city are very accessible except for the tub/shower combo. It's very senior-friendly. I had a nice visit with my family earlier this month. I am getting ready to go back in two weeks to be with my brother, who has to do a lot of testing in preparation for heart surgery. He had a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving and now he needs a double bypass. They require him to bring someone along for the meeting with the surgeon. His surgery will coincide with his stepdaughter's move to Illinois, so his wife and I are are coordinating so that he has someone with him. I will probably go back for two weeks sometime in February, when we have the surgery date, to share hospital duty and home care. So far all the testing has gone well, no other worrysome issues revealed. We are so thankful that he was already at the ER when he had the attack, because they intervened immediately and he has no discernable heart damage from it. So, this is a sobering event because he is only a year older than me. It really has me motivated to get everything checked out that I possibly can. I am notoriously lazy about doctor appointments. I really have to get serious about our April cruise. I haven't booked any excursions except one, though I have ideas for each of our ports. We have our flights and pre-cruise hotel. Neither of us need any new clothes or shoes. I may just take the list from my last cruise and pack that. 🙂 It's been much colder than normal here. We've had freezing rain, snow, sleet, you name it. Our past few winters have been mild so a lot of people go out without proper clothing. I have been getting a lot of use from my Smartwool socks and the base layers from our Norway trip. We went to our favorite Italian place recently and we were the only diners there.

Has anyone visited the Gardens from the cruise port by car instead of via excursion? We would like to go there but don't want to be with a group. Hoping we can get a taxi or other transport, but I'm having trouble even finding out how long a ride it would be. TYIA

I usually open them all when I get them to at least see the first page and make sure they loaded correctly. I have used port wifi to connect to my local library to download books if it's a longer cruise, since I'm only allowed 3 at a time.

What a beautiful young lady, Melody. Sorry to hear about the Panama Canal. What a strange thing to do, cancel a canal cruise. Was it a full transit? We just booked flights to LA for our April cruise, LA to Fort Lauderdale through the canal with a special stop somewhere in the Pacific Ocean to view the total eclipse. We are very excited about that. In hunting around and talking over ideas for a fall trip, I stumbled on a good deal for a 10-day on the Sapphire Princess in early November, which will coincide with our anniversary, so we have that on the books now too. Our Christmas Eve and Day plans were upended because the friends we were going to spend them with have Covid. So, we will be home by ourselves, which I am not happy about. I will be going to visit family in MI the first week in January (my sister will be there from Seattle) but DH cannot come since he has Christmas week off and then has to go back to work Jan 2nd. So it's a weird holiday season this year for us. Ugh. Covid seems to be everywhere in NYC right now. Other friends who were planning to see their 90-something grandma tested beforehand and they also were positive. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! Stay healthy!

We got these for a recent Aerosmith concert and were very satisfied with them. https://www.amazon.com/Musicians，Earplugs-reduction，24db-Technology-Protection-Festivals/dp/B0CL3Y77S2?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=AYJTNZLRLYLF4

Here are the other 2024 colors. Not a lot of joy for us EARTH ladies. I hope Mushroom is a good neutral for us, and Brush might be a possibility too. Rooibos Tea might work if it doesn't manifest as too pink. I'll start seeing these colors in January when the spring fashions hit the stores in NYC. https://www.pantone.com/articles/fashion-color-trend-report/new-york-fashion-week-spring-2024/

More about Peach Fuzz: https://www.cnn.com/style/pantone-color-of-the-year-2024-peach-fuzz/index.html

Your house is so festive Laurie. I can't imagine putting up so many trees! We have lights on the front porch pergola and two little trees with white lights along the path. Since it's dark by 4:30 now it's nice to have some light out there to look at since our front doors are glass, and it's just a big black void out there this time of year. I'm busy this week wrapping and boxing up presents since we won't be going to Michigan for Christmas as planned. My sister will visit MI the first week of January so I'm going to visit then. Sadly DH can't come since he has the holiday week off (his company closes) and he can't be gone for another week just then. Some friends have adopted us for Christmas day and we have long standing plans for NYE in the city. So it will be fine. Our next cruise is in April and I really need to start planning. We don't even have flights yet, but NYC to LA is a busy route with lots of choices. I did book our precruise hotel early though since there aren't many choices in San Pedro. We've had snow twice already but it didn't stick. It's been foggy and rainy the whole weekend so I'm getting a bit stir crazy!

Pantone announced the Color of the Year for 2024... Peach Fuzz

We have a UMich Wolverines theme this year. 😀

If you want to transfer the booking to your TA there is a time limit, I think 30 days? So don't take your time. Learned the hard way.

We have had Vistas on these ships too, and will have one on the Emerald in the spring, and possibly on the Sapphire next fall. We do try to book them early and on sale. They are our favorite cabins and we have our TA mark them no upgrade because we much prefer them over the next class up. We also prefer the starboard side. We only take Dolphin or Emerald deck so we have a corner one. Don't mind the beam bc it gives DH some shade out there. We love the white noise of the wake, don't mind the walk, appreciate that the end of the hall is quiet. Aft elevators are only truly busy at dinner time. Have always had great cabin stewards. I don't know what we will do when P eventually retires the Grands. Vistas are the bargain of the fleet IMO.

DH just asked the waiter for a diet coke and they would bring it. If there was a dispenser we didn't look for it. Amuletto was always "open" but had snacks and other food only at certain times, check the patter for that. But the buffet always had good snacks except when closed for dinner setup. There was an area for specialty coffees in Amuleto on the starboard side, with usually a line. I make my own lattes at home but we both just had the Lavazza on the ship so can't comment on those.

Was on the Island in October, and even though its gone, there are still signs in some places for La Patisserie. I looked for it several times before realizing it's now a bar. Yes to Lavazza in the Amuletto section in the HC. As a decaf drinker it is a HUGE improvement over the dregs they used to call decaf.

I keep my good stuff (diamonds, gold jewelry) in jewelers cloths or boxes, and use anti tarnish strips too in the drawer. When I clean them I use Hagertys for fine jewelry. I dunk them with the basket and use a soft brush if necessary, like on the prongs of my engagement ring (though not usually needed on other stuff because I never use hairspray etc with the good jewelry on). Then rinse well in warm water. Roll in a soft towel to dry. You can get a similar product for costume jewelry, but never use it on fine jewelry and vice versa. Never use any of these on stones that may be softer or porous like Mrs B said... opal, turquoise, lapis. I just use silver polish for silver jewelry, but keep it only on the metal parts not any decorations. I use a qtip to get the nooks and crannies.

We opted for the Princess bus transfer to Heathrow that included an excursion to Stonehenge. Mark had been there as a child when you could walk among the stones and touch them, but I had never seen it. It was easy to find the bus, it had plenty of stowage for luggage, our guide was informative without being too chatty, and the seats were very comfortable and had usb ports. As much as I am not a fan of buses, it turned out to be quite enjoyable. We drove through the New Forest and saw the wild ponies, donkeys, and some cows, but I also spotted a wild pig and some pheasants along the way. We drove through the charming village of Downton with its thatched cottages and inns. We were given excellent instructions at Stonehenge and had plenty of time but not too much to enjoy the site. The Visitor Center (which is very new and modern) had nice bathrooms, a big gift shop, and counter service food area. We were given a QR code for a tour you can listen to on your phone, but neither of us could get it to work, but there were lots of placards with information so we didn't mind. It was raining when we arrived. A lot of people opted to sit on the bus and wait it out. We did not. 🙂 There is a pathway around the roped-off area. Above, on the right next to Stonehenge in the distance you can see a knot of people. On that side you can get much closer to the stones. We went around the other way to avoid that little crowd and its rather loud guide. I'm wearing a long sleeved tshirt, fleece, and raincoat. I left my camera in the bus and just took my phone. After a bit the rain subsided. This is the side where you can get a lot closer. I am not shy at all about asking people if they want me to take their picture, and they often offer to take one of us in turn. But even if I don't want a picture, it's fun to offer so someone in that family isn't missing from the photo. It makes people happy. A very nice Japanese couple took this picture after we took one of them: We had a bit of time to grab a coffee and cookies and use the wifi. We were at LHR with plenty of time to spare and hung out in the United lounge. All in all, it was a very stress-free travel day, which is a nice way to end a great vacation. So, that wraps up my posts about our trip to Norway!

Thank you Melody. How are you doing?