Sea Dog

33 minutes ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Day 1- 4/9/2024 Celebrity Millennium Best of Japan Cruise

 

Yokohama Cruise Terminal- Check in- very easy and efficient.

Loving your incredible pictures Helen. I so much want to do this cruise. Have a great time and say hi to Marty from me.

9 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

After boarding and making our reservations for the Steakhouse we went to the buffet.  They had to have had more staff in there than they do on an Oasis class ship.  We found a table and sat down and immediately a waiter was taking our beverage order which was waiting once we returned with our food,  Nothing is self serve with all the food behind glass so you hand them your plate and they add what you want.  I'll post pictures another day when it is not busy and by busy I mean 1 or 2 people in front of you at one of the food stations.  So many different stations, sushi (delicious), ceviche, fresh grill, pasta, carving station, burgers, charcuterie, pizza, panini, desserts and I am sure I am missing a few.

 

Just like Royal they have a handwashing station as you enter but without the washy washy people and real towels to dry your hands.

 

Sounds wonderful. I like how they do the buffet with no self serve. 

10 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Some good, and some not so good.

 

Good, as far as the latest scans for our daughter last week.

 

Not so good, in that our friend, Greg, passed away unexpectedly from complications due to a cardiac event.  He was a musician, and played with several bands in his career.  Very talented on keyboard, brass and vocals.  Susan and I helped out with the funeral dinner.

 

His funeral was unlike any I had ever been to.  Many of his band members came and played some of his favorites as a tribute.  At the end of the service, a video appeared on the screens of Greg playing and singing  an arrangement that was perfect for the end.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the place, and I guess he got to play at his own funeral.

 

RIP Greg.  You will be missed.

 

 

So sorry for your loss. Sounds like a wonderful celebration of life.

Just now, Jimbo said:

Didn't anyone in the group offer to grab the camera from you so you could get into some of the pictures with your gang?

Didn’t even think about it. Probably should have. 

Last day Shenanigans at Hilton Head. We decided to just hang out at the VRBO house and cook a wonderful dinner. We have some decent cooks in this group. So we decided to do a low country boil with shrimp, corn, sausage and potatoes and then I grilled my popular filets with a special marinade that I do.

The meal turned out fantastic and was way cheaper than going to restaurant. Today is a travel day so back home I go. Great trip with some life long friends that even though we have our differences we proved that a group of people who have different beliefs can get along. Thanks for all the support. I’m glad I made the trip.

2 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

 

 

 

I hope you love your new yacht!  😂

I put it on a payment plan. Should be able to pay it off in 100 years.😆

3 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

I'll do pictures, I just can't attest to how good they will be from this old phone. 

Bon Voyage! Excited to hear all about this cruise.

43 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

You made me hungry for grouper Greg.  Had to go to a local beach restaurant for a grouper sandwich lunch.  It was very tasty, but would have been better with the onions, mushrooms, and cheese.  I may need to try that at home.

 

Looks wonderful!

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

That looks like a perfect lunch (hold the pickles).  I love Grouper!  If it's on the menu, in any form, it's usually my choice.  Sounds like you're having a great trip.

I thought about not adding the pickles but ended up putting them on and I liked it.

48 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Greg, I’m so glad your worries about the trip have proved unfounded and that you are really enjoying yourself with your old friends!

Yes it helped by everyone knowing that we had some ground rules.

36 minutes ago, derorim said:

Since I have a son named Dan, I predicted Mystik Dan as the Kentucky Derby winner.  About 15 minutes before the race I figured out how to place a $10 bet online.  I won $196.10!

Good for you. Mystic was the favorite right?

Day 4 Hilton Head Shenanigans 

Visited Harbor Town with its wonder shops.

My yacht is here.

Later Dave arranged for us to take a afternoon cruise on a double decker catamaran.

Saw a lot of dolphins but did not get any good pictures of them. Very enjoyable cruise.

Dinner at Captain Woody’s who is owned by a University of Kentucky alum who has a big get together of UK people to watch the Kentucky Derby. The place was packed.

The highlight that this restaurant is known for is their “Grouper Melt.” This was the best sandwich I have ever eaten in my life. Everyone who got it raved about it. It had grouper, grilled onions, mushrooms and cheese. If you ever come down to Hilton Head you must try this sandwich. 10 out 10 stars.

Day 2 shenanigans in Hilton Head

 Breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe.

Crab cake Benedict. Amazing.

Time to walk it off. To the beach we go.

A short 20 minute walk.

Dinner at the Salty Dog to watch my best friend Dave play.

Oysters. Very tiny and ok.

Grilled Mahi Mahi that was good but a little dry.

The gang enjoyed the music.

Another classmate who lives in the area. Lenny who is retired Navy. Worked in Trident nuclear submarines.

My next door neighbors who I have known for over 60 years. Steve and Mary.

All in all a good day. My one classmate that I was worried about said a few stupid things trying to push my buttons and I just rolled my eyes. He later apologized. Fair enough.

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

Looks like a great time.  Enjoy!

 

Now tell us, how easy was it for you to slide in and out of that Uber?

 

I actually did pretty good but I needed to be careful not to scuff anything. Sat in butt first then lifted each leg in one at a time. I must have looked like a crippled man 😀

Day one shenanigans in Hilton Head island with my High school friends.

My Uber driver, Steve who lived next door to me and was of closest friends growing up.

Stopped by the Salty Dog to see my life long best friend and best man of my wedding, the ultra talented Dave Kemmerly play his last set. 
 

Our VRB0. Wow what a house.

Some provisions 

Not enough alcohol 

Dinner at Red Fish. Excellent seafood.

The gang.

Scallops with lobster Mac n cheese.

The piano player was a good friend of Dave’s so he had him play for us.

All in all a great start. More fun today. Stay tuned.

15 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

@Sea Dog

 

You're probably well on your way to Hilton Head by now so have a fabulous time but please don't cut your trip short.  There are a few different ways to handle a situation like this.  One way is to ignore the person, let them finish their "rant" and once they are done unloading their feelings and thoughts, resume having fun.  Hopefully it'll be a short rant and not an all-nighter.

 

Another way is to make a pact with the group about what topics are off-limits. If someone breaks the pact, the have to buy a round of drinks or make dinner or clean up the after dinner mess.

 

Lastly, if you have the patience, ask them why they think the way they do. And then just listen and not debate/argue the point. After all, neither one of you are going to convince the other to switch viewpoints. But sometimes understanding why a person thinks a certain way makes their "rants" much more.....tolerable, for lack of a better word. 

 

Have fun .

 

Great advice. In the air now should arrive in Savannah in an hour and half. Hopefully everyone will behave.

10 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

@Sea Dog just has to remember not to say "To the nearest Cruise Port" when getting in the taxi. 😉😇😅

Lol, yes I will be tempted. We are going on a sunset cruise on Saturday night does that count as a cruise?

Just now, Keksie said:

We are Saturday.  I will try to post pictures.  That is not my wrong suit.  I get so busy looking around I forget to take them.

Have a great cruise!

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That happened to me once flying home from a cruise from FLL. My two hour Baltimore layover turned into 10 minutes to run from one gate to the next.

 

Have a fun trip and don't be confused when there isn’t a cruise ship at the other end of the flight.😇

I hope a dash through the airport doesn’t happen with my knees. Wish I was getting on a ship.

Well sitting on the tarmac waiting for a storm to blow through  good thing I have a 3 hour layover in Baltimore.

1 hour ago, sgmn said:

Talking about parents who have passed away , my mother's story as a child is terrible sad.  Her farm worker father died when she was about five and the family with three under 5's lost their tied farm cottage. Her mother married again in haste to a wrong'un and sadly took her own life when mum was 9.  There was no social services or government help in the '30s. It was either the workhouse or farmed out to other relatives.  She was lucky she was taken in by an aunt but didn't see her siblings again until she was an adult.  At 14 she had to earn her own living.  But she never complained and was the sweetest most loving mum anyone could wish for.

At 48 she achieved her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. 

She inspires me so much and I miss her every day. 

This is her wedding day in 1955

Thank you for sharing this story with us.

15 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Thank you, Greg.  You are so right about questions we wish we could ask.  I think that may be one of the reasons that our daughters gifted both Jim and I with the subscription to our own Storyworth book with question suggestions that we could write about.  For example, "what was your mom like when you were a child?  What was your 21st birthday like?  etc.  I finally finished my book with 52 stories for our daughters and grandchildren to read.

Thank you so much, Bonnie.😘

What a great idea. I am totally going to do this for Jonathan.

46 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Who needs a little Lucy fix. This was her acting up about 30 minutes ago. Thankfully I still have all my fingers. 
 

 

 

Love this. What a great video.

1 minute ago, Luckynana said:

 

Today marks 43 years since my Dad died at the age of 61.  He was a Foreman working on the 2nd Avenue Subway project when he fell down 25 feet, head first.  He was a very healthy, strong man who never smoked in his life.  He remained in a coma for a week before finally passing, which was a Blessing, due to his extensive injuries.  

I’m sorry Maryann what a tragedy. It’s so tough to lose our parents. The one thing I have learned is that there are days that you have a question that you would like to ask them as they are the only ones who know the answer and you can’t get your question answered. I wished I would have asked more questions of my parents.

13 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

So we did get a Ricky update yesterday from his blood test.  Numbers were up over 30, so that was good.  
 

Now he gets his steroid dose cut in half, and he just has to finish antibiotics.  Then, another blood test next week to monitor how things are going.  
 

He does seem to be acting almost normal.  (Well, normal for him)

Great news for Ricky!

Well this is a first. Packed for a 5 day trip with just a soft duffle bag and backpack. Maybe I should try this for a 7 day cruise? Doubt I would have room but I could try.

53 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Planes fly the same way whether going to a land vacation or to a cruise port. No worries there. 🙂 

No worries at all. I just think it’s interesting that this is a flight that I am going on that  is not going to a cruise port in over 20 years.

1 minute ago, NHProud said:

And wishing you a good time with your guy friends.  Safe journey, tomorrow ! 
 

Am I having an episode of déjà vu ? Have you stayed there before with the same friends ? 
 

Anyway , don’t let anyone ruin your fun time .

 

Judy

No this is my first time to Hilton Head and our first time as a group together even though I have known these people for over 50 years and two of them lived on my block. 
 

Going to interesting to say the least. This will also be the first time I am getting on an airplane in 20 years where I am not heading to a cruise port.

@aussielozzie18 Wishing you a most wonderful cruise!