SusieKIslandGirl

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Hanukkah to all. Finally catching up after getting off the Island Princess Thursday. After several days of hot weather in Costa Rica and the Cayman Islands, this cold weather near Atlanta (11 degrees this morning) is really cold! Isn't it supposed to be warm in the South 😲? But glad we 're not dealing with the ice the Seattle area has had. For once I planned ahead and dragged a couple of flannel shirts around Europe and the Caribbean since a couple of years ago it was 28 degrees outside Atlanta for Christmas. Enjoy tomorrow with family and friends.

We were on the Island Princess and Cartagena was a port stop Dec. 16. There was no mention of any covid test needed.

@rafinmdThe morning of my hip replacement surgery, June 8, they did a PCR test which showed positive. When I told them I had been positive on May 13, all was good and had the surgery-worried for a minute though.

On our tour yesterday it felt almost like being “home”. We shared the Panama Canal Visitor Center with the Eurodam. But still too hot and muggy!

Good Morning from hot & humid Cartagena. We’re docked next to the Eurodam, which we were on last November when we visited Funchal. Thanks to Jacqui @kazuwe had a fantastic tour with Daniel’s Taxi. We missed the port last week because of the tropical storm brewing. Off to our emerald jewelry making adventure.

17 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

👋 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!

The port has one pier so just 2 ships at a time-Odyssey of the Seas was here when we docked and it’s HUGE-so that may be the reason for the change. Lots of people in a small town.

@StLouisCruisersSandi, I’m waving across the island to you from Falmouth. Too hot and muggy for us to be out for long. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Hot cocoa is good, even better with the addition of Bailey’s-and the best is when you’re onboard ship.  Enjoy your day!

@rafinmdRoy, thanks for the inclusion on the Celebrations list. And we’re still celebrating-another 10 days on the Island Princess. @kazuJacqui, fingers crossed you can fly to San Diego. Had a long walk from Pier 2 in Fort Lauderdale to Publix and back. It was a bit too warm for me but the steps sure added up!

It feels like I've been out of touch for ages. The ship has not been in the right place for satellite reception so no internet for nearly a week. The Island Princess arrives back in Ft. Lauderdale from Rome on Monday but we are among just a few who are staying on for 10 more days. It was a bumpy ride for a few days while we skirted a tropical storm which caused us to miss Casablanca and Funchal. We did visit Tenerife instead so that helped offset the disappointment of missing Morocco. Now to catch up with the Daily! Take care everyone and have a great weekend.

On most ships we've found a plug behind the bed. We generally do without the nightlight on one side-we should get an adaptor that has an additional plug-in. You do need an adaptor that will fit the European outlet.

I give credit to all who post from ships. It’s taken me a couple of days to finally get logged on. I don’t think Princess likes me.

Last night we were informed of major storms heading toward the Madeira Islands so our stop there plus Casablanca was canceled. 3rd time we’ve missed Morocco. But we are going to Tenerife tomorrow so at least we have a port stop before Ft. Lauderdale. Now to catch up with the last few days. 

Forgot to add that I thought of you today. On a tour in Rome and we passed a lovely yarn shop. I almost abandoned the tour to shop there.

Hi Kathi, Did you ever find out what was in the photo of the equipment on deck? Not sure if it is the same thing but this is what I found.  The Safelaunch 12.3 TN Roc-Loc is a hook designed for davit-launched lifeboats and rescue boats. The Roc-Loc technology is specifically designed for the cruise and shipping industries. The award-winning IMO-compliant Safelaunch and Roc-Loc systems feature visual indicators and integrated fall prevention device (FDP).

After reading about everyone’s Thanksgiving meals I’m starving. I looked here in Florence for maybe a turkey pizza but no luck (which may have been a good thing) and ended up with a bag of peanuts and some granola. We were too tired after our 2 tours and walking back from the  Uffizi Gallery to move again. Take care everyone.

A bit of an update from my previous post. For some reason, if you have a shared transfer, only 2 bags are allowed but you can pay 10 E for an extra bag. It just didn’t apply for a walker. A private transfer was required.

Jacqui, thanks for the updates. To add another check against traveling with assistance-we were just informed that Bob’s Limo here in Rome wants an additional 69 Euros for our transfer to the port in order to add a walker. Have no idea why they would need a bigger vehicle. It fits in the car at home just fine.

Looking forward to seeing you in May.

Happy Friday! Can’t believe we leave for the airport in just 24 hours, heading to Rome for our Island Princess cruise.

And I guess we were a little early for apple cider. We had the annual family apple cider pressing party a couple of weeks ago and made about 40 gallons. It was a great afternoon and potluck dinner to end the day.

Enjoy the weekend and happy travels.

What is your sail date? Sounds like a wonderful cruise.

We had a TA booked and 7 months later added another 10-day cruise to the 1st cruise. We were very fortunate in that we were able to keep the same cabin for both segments.

@Quartzsite CruiserHave you seen the set of pedals that sit on the floor and you use them while sitting in a chair? My 91-year-old friend switched from her stationary bike to this set-up after she had a small tumble when getting off her bike. She feels it works well. I think she found it on Amazon.

I had a walker with me last October just before hip replacement surgery. I had a short bungee that I used to keep the walker folded up and there was room to put it at the window end of the sofa. I can't remember if I put it in front of or behind the curtain but it worked well there. I only used it for long distances and had a walking stick for around the ship.

@StLouisCruisersWe rented a car when we were in Orlando in September for a convention. I received the toll bill about 2 weeks later and it was a fair amount less that I thought it was going to be.

And oh my goodness on the video of the car flying through the air. Yikes-his guardian angel worked hard that day.

We leave one week from today for Rome, 8 days there and then board the Island Princess for the TA. Suitcases are mostly packed with weight and room to spare but the last-minute list is getting longer. Hope it all fits. 

Update to the summer's Lemonade Pie. If you like eggnog, you might enjoy this version.

Small package of Jello vanilla instant pudding mix, 1 2/3 cup of eggnog, mix well and then add a bit of rum extract and fresh grated nutmeg. Blend in 1 3/4 cup of thawed Cool Whip and chill. The store was out of the premade graham cracker crusts so I got the Keebler shortbread crust. Yum!

Enjoy the weekend.

Problem solved-no go on the laptop but iPad worked! I’m exhausted watching them.