Sister trip.2026 | FindPenguins

Newest first

Trip start
April 11, 2026
Sister trip.2026
Moving!!!
April 11 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
We started moving around 7am. I was up first and woke Mom up. Heather followed. After coffee, it was time to get packed up.

Backing up...I arrived at 1pm yesterday and was picked up by Ken's Limo Service. We caught up on the way back to the house. I was able to hang out with Mom briefly before crashing (napping) for a few hours. Heather was home when I woke up, but had to work for a bit. So I worked on my assignment of making dinner. It was chicken thighs and veggies from the fridge. No recipe or plan, just winging it with all the fun spices on the counter. After dinner, it was time to pack Heather. She started pulling things out, then I came in and critiqued. "Did I approve that?" We managed to get 2 pink items into the "Black + White Hole!" Then it was time for me to go to bed.

We left for IAD at 10am and arrived by 10:45am. Security was a breeze. We got our steps in by walking to the B-terminal, skipping the train. After perusing lunch options, I talked Heather into Vino Volo. She had tomato soup and salad, and I had a flight of rosè and olives. We discussed potential plans for New Orleans and picked out some restaurants.

Heather was antsy to get to the gate--I wasn't. I explained that we didn't have suitcases, and we were in aisle seats, so no hurry. We did our preflight ablutions and headed to gate B74. We arrived less than 5 minutes before our boarding group.

Seats 17 C+ D are ready!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
New Orleans at last
April 11 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
We arrived in Atlanta after a roughly 2 hou flight. First stop, bathroom. Thinking of you, Margaret! We walked to our gate, then ended up walking to the end of the terminal, stopping for coffee on the way back. Our flight from ATL, which was supposed to be early, but it ended up being about 10 minutes late. We hung out at the gate across "the street " and chatted. Finally, we boarded. This flight is only an hour. It was an old 737, so no seat back entertainment. (I was halfway through "Wicked for Good," and will have to finish on the way home, since the app isn't working either.

Once we arrived, we disembarked the plane and honored Margaret again. The bags took a while to arrive, but we found them easily by their red, "Rapid Transfer" tags. (Short layover in Atlanta). I was looking at costs for Lyfts and they were $58 for a relatively short trip. I decided to check the cost of Taxis and it turns out they are fixed price from the airport. $36!...plus tip.

We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express Downtown/French Quarter just before 5pm. It is a perfectly serviceable hotel, nice, but a bit shabby. We arrived at the 5th floor and went looking for our room. We are in 506 and one way started at 507 and the other way at 505. We wew a bit confused! We went back to the elevator and there it was--in the elevator "lobby!" Weird.
We chose our beds and unpacking areas and then set to work. We organized and i started looking for dinner options. As we were checking things out, Heather was testing the "barn door" on the toilet/ shower room. It is one of those doors on a track that goes back and forth. If you just pull it to close, it will just open and close over and over! Finesse is required! Now our code word for having to use the restroom is "going to the barn."

We ended up picking the first restaurant we were interested in, Luke. But we couldn't get a reservation until 8:15pm. So we decided to wander around before dinner.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Le Bon Temps Roule
April 11 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
We headed out with the plan of walking to the French Quarter, then ending up at dinner, which was close to the hotel. Our first "stop" (we didn't stop) was Canal Street, which is the main drag boulevard to the Mississippi. We were seeing nicely dressed young men and women who appeared to be prostitutes. No, wait...it was prom night! (Seriously, Julia Roberts was wearing a dress that covered more in "Pretty Woman") Yes, I'm old and judgy. The place was infested with them! The last time I was here, 35 years ago (?), it was also prom night. Things have changed!

It took us about 15 minutes to get to the Mississippi River walk. That was the moment my tender-as-veal footed sister realized that she had a hot spot on her foot. We tried to put kleenex over the spot and then looked up where the closest Walgreens was about a half mile away. It was in the Bourbon Street area, and as we neared, it became louder and much more crowded. We found the Walgreens and picked up our supplies. The next problem was finding a place to stop and apply the blister patches. After going into a couple of very crowded restaurants, hoping to use the waiting area seats, we ended up in the parking level area of the Marriott.

At this point, we were very close to Bourbon Street, and the sound was deafening. Not exaggerating at all. The music was not the Jazz I remembered, but full blown rap music. That, along with sirens, loud vehicles with no muffler (on purpose), and all the people was overwhelming. We decided to head to the restaurant an hour early and see what we could do. My phone was not navigating correctly, so Heather took the lead. We picked a route that avoided that area, even though it was a bit longer. As we moved away, it became quieter and less stressful.

Finally we found the restaurant...Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Luke
April 11 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 72 °F
We stopped at the host stand and were told that we couldn't be seated yet, but there was a bar we could wait at. This place was a perfect refuge from the noise and madness of the French Quarter.

I had a cocktail, and Heather had a mocktail with mint and lime. It was nice, and we looked at my posts from our last cruise. We were sitting next to the wait station at the bar and observed a situation where the customer ordered a rosè and the bartender poured a white wine. I commented that if they just put a splash of grenadine in the, it would pass. The guy said that he worked on Bourbon Street for years, and that is what they would do! And no one ever noticed. The wine didn't go to waste--he gave it to me! I had him add a splash of grenadine for good measure.

We were seated about 5 minutes after our 8:15pm reservation. We had menus at the bar and already knew what we wanted. Our server, Trevor, was very nice. I started with 4 oysters, each of the Gulf Coast ones. Then I did two other appetizers -- escargo and patè. Both were meant to share, so it was a bit too much. Heather had a salad, roasted veggies, and a bun-less burger and fries. We chatted and bit with the folks next to us about how time flies. They were college friends.

I ended up taking most of my patè home with.me. The walk home was blissfully short and we went straight to bed!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
New Orleans Historical Museum
April 12 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
We left the hotel with an itinerary that Heather mapped out. As we were entering the French Quarter, I reminded Heather that we weren't in a rush--walk "gelato speed." (The speed where one can walk and eat gelato at the same time) We almost missed a great museum!

The window looked interesting, and after we found out it was free, we decided to go in and check it out. It turned out that there was a special exhibit on the Revolutionary War that was also free. It was self-guided with a tablet. You scanned a "portal" that took you to that time period. Then you tapped other buttons to see more and even find "treasures." It started in Williamsburg and ended with Washington's inauguration. It took over an hour. Heather tagged out and went to the very lovely courtyard to wait.

I met her there, where she had a coffee while she waited. That and some people watching. We decided to explore the rest of the museum. There was an environment exhibit, then art showing music and other New Orleans things. The last exhibit was about the Civil Rights movement in New Orleans. It was very interesting!

Finally it was time to move on.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Orleans Shoe Co.
April 12 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
It was a nice day and definitely not crowded like the night before. I had mentioned to Heather that she should try Birkenstocks for good walking sandals. So of course Heather found a store! They had the black "big buckle" Arizona sandals. We left with matching shoes!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Cafe Maspero
April 12 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F
From the shoe store we walked towards the river. It was so much nicer and quieter. At one point there was a jazz band playing. More like I remembered from years ago. We were able to enjoy the architecture and ambiance.

Just as we were passing a restaurant that served muffalettas, I realized that I was hungry. We ended up going straight to that restaurant--Cafe Maspero.

I had a muffaletta, of course, and a hurricane. Heather had red beans and rice along with fried chicken and andoullie sausage. We split an order of fried pickles, too. It was all really good and we were stuffed. Good thing we had a few hours before dinner!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Paper and coffee
April 12 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Walked down Decatur Street towards Cafe du Monde and Jackson Square. We did the loop around the park and took pictures. The we exited the backway and went down one of the streets with the artists.

As we crossed Decatur Street going towards Cafe du Monde, there was a bunker rapping about all the people walking by. As we passed, he mentioned my checked skirt, and Heather's hat. It was actually pretty good. We kept moving, but decided to go back and put money in his jar later.

As we reached Cafe du Monde, Heather realized that the paper store closed in an hour, so we headed that way. Papel et Plume was a small store and Heather Heaven. For me...maybe a little lower. After a few minutes, (hours?) I stepped out for a bit. I didn't want to disturb Heather and the guy a the counter's discussion on nib sizes, and ink clogging.

Outside was a obstacle course of avoiding aggressive salespeople at some beauty salon and the ACLU activists on all the corner. I came back in about 5 minutes and Heather was just finishing up.

We walked back to Cafe du Monde and went for our chickory coffee and beignets. It was fun to sit and enjoy the slightly sticky ambiance. The beignets come 3 for $5 and I ate one while we were there. The trick was to eat it without getting powdered sugar everywhere. I couldn't figure out the trick.

We walked home via busker, and he rapped that "we came back because we liked his skill..." Very fun! 😁. We walked back to the hotel via a sign that said "Armstrong " It was too far away for a closer look.

We got back to the hotel with about 1.5 hours to relax until dinner.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Commander's Palace
April 12 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
We rested for a bit, and Heather took a quick shower. I looked at Lyfts, and Heather checked the menu. We went downstairs with minutes to spare. Our Lyft driver came after a few minutes. Dyann was a bit of a hot mess. She started in about being really tired, then that her van was about to break down. Very comforting. She has 9 kids, the youngest are twins. She proceeded to go on about the van, that she only makes $3 per ride, her ex-husband is the mechanic, and he can't fix her van for a week. We decided to name the beige van "Brown Sugar" and told her to behave.

We made it to the restaurant before Brown Sugar broke down, which was a win. The restaurant reminded me of old school places like Kai's or Th e Old Barn. We had to wait a few minutes, and they asked whether we wanted to wait at the bar. We passed and went outside to take some pictures.

Once our table was ready, they walked us through the first dining room, up some stairs, through another area and then to our table. It was very elegant. The hostess took my napkins off the plate and onto my lap. They just took Heather's? She grabbed one from another plate. But moments later, the hostess came back with a black napkin for Heather. My Spidy-sense thought it had something to do with her black outfit. We looked it up, and it did. Apparently, white napkins that do not leave lint are expensive. So they use black napkins for people with black pants or dresses.

It seemed like we had 4 or 5 different servers. One for drinks, one for the menu and ordering, and others for serving. I ordered a French 75, and Heather had her usual Virgin Mojito (no sugar). I had the Turtle Soup that they are famous for and the pecan crusted snapper. Heather had a romaine salad and the pork chop. All was delicious--Heather's pork chop was enormous! Another thing this restaurant is famous for is their bread pudding. So I ordered that, too. It was huge and wonderful.

While I was finishing desert, Heather was turning into a pumpkin. We paid the check and called a ride to the hotel. Our driver, Tyra, was delightful, and it turns out she is on our cruise tomorrow! Back in the room, it was time for bed!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Colonel Jackson + Black Napkins
April 13 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Julie just added me as a fellow traveler on this trip so I thought I would share a couple of photos from yesterday. Julie in Jackson Park with the statue of Colonel Jackson in the background. We went to Commander’s Palace for dinner, one of the iconic restaurants in New Orleans. Julie was given a white napkin and then the host wandered away. She came back later with a black napkin for me. We googled it and learned that at old, traditional restaurants they give you a black napkin if you are wearing black because it doesn’t leave lint on your clothes. #today year’s oldRead more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Embarkation day!
April 13 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
We started moving at around 7:30am. Heather went downstairs and brought me back coffee before heading back to the breakfast room. I had some much leftover food that I could not bring on the ship. So I had patè on toast with a beignet. And coffee. I showered and started packing before Heather came back up.

We really just lazed around and got our stuff together. I had about 1pmon the TV and we just relaxed. At 11:30am, we were really ready to go. Our check-in at the ship wasn't until 1 pm, so there was no point in leaving too early. At 11:55am, we headed downstairs to check out. Our
Lyft driver, Anna was very nice. The drive to the port was more involved than I thought. Anna was a bit confused on where to go. But we made it! Our bags were checked, and we headed to the "Too soon" line. This was for all the people who arrived early. We actually were just in a slower line.

We boarded right about 1pm and headed straight to our "mustard". Or our muster station--C. He just scanned our boarding passes and said to watch the video. We went looking for Guy's Burgers. After trying to load the Hub app, I was able to figure out where it was. Heather was hungrier, so she went first. I sat at a table and relaxed. It took forever, but she made it back. I just went to Pizza Pirate and got a couple of slices. And a Bahama Mama.

After lunch, we went to see if our cabin was ready.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Evening 1
April 13, Gulf of Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
We are in the Washington dining room, as opposed to the Lincoln. Our table was seating for 8 or 10, and there were 4 of us. Another pair of sisters, Chastity and Carrie. They are from Tulsa, Oklahoma and this is their first cruise. I had my usual Cosmo and shrimp cocktail, along with soup. My entree was? They played the "Dance Dance Dance" song and only got one person to dance with me. I really enjoyed my chocolate melting cake for dessert!

After dinner, we wound up in the piano bar with Alaister on the keys. He was okay, but no Mike, like on the Liberty. Heather called it a night, and I stayed until closing. It was fun singing along!Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Cabin 1063
April 13 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
The cabin was ready and and we grabbed our Sail & Sign cards. I'm officially Gold status. The cabin is small, but it has a couch and a balcony!

We had a quick rest and watched the safety video, and then it was time to explore the ship. We were going to top to bottom, but since Heather's spa appointment was at 3:45pm, we started on deck 3 and worked our way up. . We are in the forward or front, and we walked around all the decks we could. Really just 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The last deck is the Serenity deck. That's where I said goodbye to Heather since she had a salt scrub in the spa.

I picked up a drink from the bar, where I met a woman whose kids deserted her. I said, "Isn't that why you cruise?!?"Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Spa give away
April 13 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 84 °F
We passed by some ladies who were handing out tickets for the spa raffle. You had to be at the presentation to win, but Heather was going to be in the spa during the raffle. They said I could get hers if she won.

I set my alarm and was there at 4:25pm. It was a big sales pitch, but there was a lot of hyping us up. If someone's name was called and they were not there, we were supposed to yell, "OH SHIP!!!" I was working on another post and not paying attention when I won the first prize! It was a $75 gift card. There were a few people who missed out, and we all said, "Oh ship!" a lot.

There was a big push for foot inserts, and then more drawings. Heather ended up winning, too. It was very awkward after I had already won, and you were supposed to be there. The spa manager already knew Heather and said that she would take care of her later.

After that, I went to the Alchemy Bar and met some nice people. I had a great conversation with Dana and Yvonne, and Sandra. Heather met me, and we went upstairs to get ready for dinner.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Sea Day Uno
April 14 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
Heather was up and about first while I slept in. I stayed up late and needed my beauty sleep. I don't think it helped. I went down to the Lido deck for coffee and was enjoying it on the deck when I saw that Heather had made brunch reservations. It said 30 to 40 minutes, so I stayed put.

The notification came that our table was ready, and it took me 20 minutes to find the dining room. I was so turned around! We sat at a table with a woman from Alabama and a couple from ? Both Heather and I had the Eggs Benedict, mine with salmon and hers with ham.

Then we went to the spa to make me reservations, and Heather had a treatment. It turned out that I could not use my gift certificate for the sale massage. So I booked a facial...at 8:15am the next day. Yikes, that's early!

Then I was off to the Landmark trivia in the Eagles Lounge. It was a photo quiz, with 15 landmarks. I got most of them-- missing some tower in Knoxville and Giants Causeway, which I should have known. I went to talk to the 2nd place team and met my new trivia crew, Jennifer, Jamie, and JJ. I asked if they were doing any more trivia, and could I join.

We went to the Atrium Bar and Amelia joined us. Then we won the Classic Rock trivia! They went to lunch and I went to the Mobile trivia in the theater.

Mobile trivia did not go well. I missed the first few questions, then my phone seemed to be delayed. I came in 13th.

I grabbed some lunch and went back to Wheely Trivia, where you have to play on teams. The gang was there and we were the Blue team. It's were they spin a wheel for the category and easy or hard questions. I had one surprise answer for an Italian dessert, which turned out to be Spumoni!

Meanwhile Heather had a facial, a hot stone massage, and a nap.Read more
0 likes
Sister trip.2026
Evening 2
April 15 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F
For Cruise Elegant night or "Fancy Night." Heather made an appointment to get my hair done with her new friend, Wesley. He washed it and gave me some lift and curls. It looked nice. Heather's appointment was right after mine. I wore my dress to the appointment so I didn't have to change, except my shoes. It was a rough day on the water, and the ship was rocking. I didn't want to fall!

I met Heather at the Alchemy Bar, and we looked for a good place to have pictures taken. There were lines everywhere, so we checked on deck 3. It was close to 7:45 pm, so we moved to the restaurant. After a few minutes of waiting, Heather asked the hostess. We were at the wrong place! I have never been more turned around on a ship!

When we got to the Washington dining room, we waited with our table mates and finally were seated. It was a full table. There was another set of sisters and a couple. Right before dinner, a man came up and told us that he was proposing to his girlfriend and asked if we could take pictures. We were all distracted at dinner, waiting for him to do it. It was after dessert. I took a video and sent it to him when we were in port.

After dinner, we were walking through the main concourse, Heather wanted to stop and listen to the country duo playing outside the casino. They were good and I got up to dance with another lady who was dancing. Another woman joined us, too. I sat down, and the next song was "Livin' on Love," which is one of Heather's favorite line dances. She did a nice solo, mostly avoiding the people walking by. We spent some time trying to figure out the faces on the ceiling, then called it a night.Read more
0 likes

Trip end
April 21, 2026