StanleyandGus

Pat and Patricia, please keep the amazing photos coming! 

It’s starting to warm up here. -21C, but next week it’s going to be above 0. It’s a bit worrying, because we have a minimal snowpack.

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

bio-dad still called and texted me four times over the weekend, just to make sure I was safe.  💗

…because that’s what good dads do! Unconditional love is wonderful, and you deserve it!

It’s -34 C here (-23 Fahrenheit). Chris was just outside; he says it’s perfectly nice if you’re out of the wind. Mind you, he was wearing a down parka, a fur hat and a scarf. It’s a bit colder in Edmonton. However, in a week it’s going to be around the freezing point.

Patricia, thank you for for the photos! It’s -20 F here today, but Antarctica seems so much more exotic. And you have icebergs!

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Wow, how old are all you people? Feel like I'm missing something😉 ,  I'm almost 64 and I don't take any meds or wear any  hearing aids.

My husband lost some of his hearing during a rocket attack in Afghanistan.

Pink Bunny has a little bit of a crush on Daryl. 

5 hours ago, island lady said:

 

You are most welcome.  🙂 

 

Mohan is such a great attendant...he is so friendly and bubbly.  Super nice guy, loves to chat.  😉 

We had Mohan as our cabin attendant for the Panama Canal - he is great! You must be near 1550.

I had no idea that turkeys used crosswalks! 

34 minutes ago, derorim said:

Marcel has decided to learn to crochet

 

Stanley says the crochet hook looks like an interesting toy. And it comes with an entire ball of yarn!

On 11/18/2023 at 8:42 PM, orville99 said:

Quick update, and my apologies to all the WC cruisers if this grates a bit, but we are 12 days into a 15 day cruise and Chops has already run out of some of its side dishes, has dug down into the freezer for whatever proteins are left, and apparently has lost the ability to cook. Giovanni’s is even less prepared. Last night they served my wife an old cow shank and called it veal. Totally inedible - made stew meat look tender. Quite honestly, the only disappointing meals we have had in the past 12 days have been in the specialty restaurants. Just went online and cancelled our dining package for the return voyage next week.

 

I sincerely hope they figure it out before the WC group gets on board for 8 months.

 

I really can’t explain it, but we just had dinner at Chops, and it was fine- they had mushrooms and asparagus. My husband said his NY strip was good (he’s not really a foodie, having spent 42 years in the Canadian army!). My shrimp was fine, although I think serving  it with mashed potatoes is inexplicable.

I’m sorry you had a couple of miserable dinners. There must be some logistical reason, but I have no idea what it is!

21 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

We're doing the Panama Canal in March.  I'm guessing there were no problems with ship traffic getting through the Locks?  We're doing a Tour in Cartagena with Dora the Explorer.  I've read how hot it is there!

I also was reading on the Celebrity threads that there's problems in Colon.  Did you get off of the ship there?

No, not that we noticed. The Captain did say in the Captain’s Corner this morning that 2 days after we had left the locks, Gatun Lake got rain, which he said was very much desired.

We did a tour with Dora as well! Our tour was a little unusual, because Dora took us to a restaurant. Normally she doesn’t, but one of the people that was on the trip wanted that- it was lovely, and I believe the prices were very reasonable. We only wanted beers!

Our ship didn’t stop in Colon.

5 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

@StanleyandGus would love to do a Panama Canal Cruise one day.  Glad yours  has been fantastic.

If you do- wide leg linen trousers. I am so glad I packed those. Cartagena was hotter than the surface of the sun, and humid! 

4 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

The kitchen is fully clean and plaster walls patched where needed.  It just requires a coat of paint and a final deep clean of the floor, including trying to bring the grout back to the original color.  I'll try a technique that I saw on YouTube for the grout.  Mix up twice the recommended amount of Oxy Clean and water, paint it onto the grout, and then scub with a brush attached to a drill.  Fingers crossed. 

You are truly a good dad! Good luck with the grout- we ended up chipping it out and replacing it in a previous house, which I never want to do again! I will be interested to hear how it works.

I am on the last day of a Panama Canal cruise, which has been fantastic. We haven’t even looked at the weather at home!

10 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

DS visited Big White and a couple of other resorts  last season but I’ve not heard of Red Mountain. There are so many resorts.  As a novice snowboarder from Australia, Silver Star worked out fine and he was lucky they such a great season last winter - it was extended by at least a week.  When my daughter’s friend worked at a ski resort in Japan, they had a poor snow season and the resort closed early.

I learned to ski at Red- it’s not great for beginner slopes, but when he is intermediate, it’s fantastic, with nice long runs. 

14 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Last evening in Chops, they were out of asparagus, the mushrooms were the same ones that were available in the WJ, the “truffle” fries were WJ fries tossed in a bit of white truffle oil, the mashed potatoes were a solid flavorless lump, and the broccoli was undercooked. DW ordered salmon cooked medium, and they served it to her virtually raw and cold, and you could taste and smell the freezer burn.

 

Other than that, the waiters attempting to sing happy birthday was comical, even if out of place in a fine dining establishment.

Yuck! Asparagus and mushrooms are my usual sides, so I guess is going to be a baked potato.

We had a dinner in Chops earlier, and it was good. That’s disappointing.

14 hours ago, orville99 said:

Quick update, and my apologies to all the WC cruisers if this grates a bit, but we are 12 days into a 15 day cruise and Chops has already run out of some of its side dishes, has dug down into the freezer for whatever proteins are left, and apparently has lost the ability to cook. Giovanni’s is even less prepared. Last night they served my wife an old cow shank and called it veal. Totally inedible - made stew meat look tender. Quite honestly, the only disappointing meals we have had in the past 12 days have been in the specialty restaurants. Just went online and cancelled our dining package for the return voyage next week.

 

I sincerely hope they figure it out before the WC group gets on board for 8 months.

 

Our last dinner is at Chops - I am hoping not to experience the same thing, but if sides are gone, I guess I will! 
I haven’t experienced any poor food at the specialty restaurants, but agree that the MDR and Windjammer seem very good. We did notice that the portion sizes were smaller, but I have difficulty eating a three course meal.

55 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

wow that is going to need re painting.

Could you feel the ship bumping 

Not the OP, but there was a bit of a bump once, otherwise it was pretty smooth.

 I am getting so lazy that I was considering a manicure, but it seems like too much work!

@orville99 You must be somewhere around us! Your pictures are almost identical to mine, except slightly better! 
 

I have a mobile device, and I haven’t figured out how to stream the movies either.

And I must say the food has been very good, and served at the correct temperature, if anyone was wondering.

I did this tour today- Dora was wonderful, and so passionate about her city. She had a helper and a driver, so we felt very safe. The vendors were everywhere, but firm “no thanks” seemed to work. 
 

Two people in the group had scooters, and Dora was able to accommodate them, both in terms of physical space on the little bus, and making sure that they could drive with the rest us.

 I would recommend Dora, and plan to use her again!

1 hour ago, kernow said:

Thanks for all the updates so far. 

 

Can I ask is all the ongoing work for the World Cruise impacting on your enjoyment of the cruise or not? Just trying to set our expectations for when we board in LA. 

Thanks.

I am on this cruise- so far, I haven’t noticed anything really untoward. There is some work going on somewhere around deck 10. Otherwise, the food is good, the gym doesn’t seem overly crowded, Our Grand Suite’s bed is very comfortable. The couch may be new. The chairs aren’t, but the wear is minimal.

26 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

 

Looks incredible. I am sure it will be an amazing celebration. Drink one for me!

 

 

 

 

Thank you. Most of the pharmacies are now just big chains like, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS. I miss the days of a local family owned pharmacy where you knew your pharmacist by their first name. There was more care. When I was at CVS and their computer system went down and the head pharmacist was closing the blinds and I expressed concern to get my meds as I was having surgery tomorrow, he replied "I don't care".

That’s absolutely shocking. On behalf of my former profession, I am sorry.

@Sea Dog best wishes for the surgery!

Are there any professional pharmacies in your area, ie not drug stores? They are usually associated with medical buildings. 

@Keksie that looks marvellous! 

I had totally forgotten about the laundry facilities! I am not on the world cruise, but I will be on this cruise. Well, the first one.