bobmacliberty

YES! Drone shots!! That place looks incredible. For some reason, one of my first thoughts was that it would make a great chase scene in a James Bond or Jason Bourne movie.

Unfortunately, Harry, this has already been invented. It's called retirement. 😁

Another option Greg, that's a little different, is to drive down to Laguna Beach and stay there pre-cruise. It's been a few years, but I like the Inn at Laguna Beach...right on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. Laguna Beach is an artsy sort of town with lots of galleries, restaurants, shops, etc. What would make it worthwhile is if you could go to the Pageant of the Masters while there. The Pageant of the Masters is one of the most unique things I've ever done. Even though I'm not a big art person, it's a brilliant way to introduce people to classical art by having real people recreate famous works of art on a stage. I was blown away by what they could do, but it only happens during the summer, so your cruise timing would need to line up (I can't remember when you cruise). It's also about an hour drive from there to the cruise port, but on route 1 with some beautiful views along the way.

Can't wait to see your hotel pictures. The pics on Trip Advisor look amazing.

Thanks to Google Map's street view, here's the picture from the bridge. Yuck. As you said earlier, you would have needed to stop on the bridge, but you also would have needed to get out of the car, walk to the chain link fence, and put your lens through one of the openings. In doing so, you would surely have greatly upset some Angelenos. Given the history of road rage in LA...

So sorry to hear this Bonnie. She sounds like she was a great woman who will be dearly missed.

I saw this and immediately thought "Iron Man". So off to Google I went to find the Iron Man picture: Wait...that was Randy's Donuts, not Donut King. So there's more than one big donut in the LA area??? Turns out, there are several, including one you can drive through. The things you learn from a Cheapo Dad review.

We never considered a cabana when it was just the 2 of us, but our cruise next year is a family cruise that we're paying for with 3 cabins. I thought that would be the perfect time to splurge on an over water cabana. Not at $4100!

I agree, so much so that they are driving us to more upscale cruise lines that aren't really a lot more expensive. I posted this on the Bella thread so many will have already seen it, but here are the CocoCay prices for our Family Wonder cruise in Nov 2024. Just plain stupid. An over water Beach Club cabana costs $4099 for a few hours!!! That's more than a balcony cabin for the week. I guess if people are willing to pay the price...

I think I'll leave that part of my marriage off Cruise Critic. 😜 And I forgot to answer your earlier underwear survey question: <=7 days is +1 >7 days is +2 The longer the trip, the more "insurance" that I need.

Would that be the Hagia Sophia? From your pictures, it seems a little like the Eiffel Tower in that you can see it from wherever you are in the city.

I agree. Like everything else we discuss here, things aren't black and white and there's no one size fits all answer. Teams like the one that Owen played can be bad for the kids when it's the parent's idea rather than the kid's, which is probably too often the case. It's also not good for the kid if they aren't mature enough to handle the "serious" approach taken by the coaching staff (which IS more in line with what they'll see at higher levels). If the kid though has a true passion for a specific sport (like my daughter did with competitive dance) and it's their decision, I'd want to support it as a parent. It's unfortunate that Owen's team had to face them in the finals, but it sounds like they did very well and should be proud of themselves. Edit: I'm referring to 15 year olds. I agree that something like this isn't good for younger kids.

I'm similar. I'd rather see the results as soon as they are available and do my own research. Doctors are human and can make mistakes, and I like to be armed with knowledge when talking to my doctor. I'm also a left brained engineer who can look at things without (too much) emotion. And I know that a doctor has a LOT more knowledge and experience than me Googling. I'll wait until after a conversation with a doctor before drawing any conclusions. Not everyone can be that "analytical" though.

I've always been one to trust technology. Now I'm one who understands too much about how to do bad things with technology, but also how to prevent that happening to you. Now that I'm retired, I don't think about it nearly as much. I agree that you absorb better when you read paper. I picked up a bad habit while working though that I still haven't shaken...I no longer actually read. Unless it's an important contract or something like that, I just scan. You don't absorb nearly as well when just scanning. And for those who say that it's faster to have paper in hand, I "rehearse" what I will do with my phone ahead of time. I have all of the various docs open and ready, and I know exactly how I will switch between them. Very fast. Doesn't everyone do that? 😁 I do find a printed Cruise Compass easier overall. An app is only as good as the programmer who made it, and some apps are better than others. The Royal app still lacks a bit and there's only so much you can do with a small phone screen, even with reading glasses. Maybe I should break out the old spreadsheet. You're over 100 posts and still haven't even reached day 1 yet. 😜

Wow Greg...glad that you're OK. Definitely time to see your doctor. Everyone is different but I use a combo of Amlodipine and Losartan that does a great job of controlling my BP with almost no side effects. I just need to careful about not getting out of bed too quickly in the middle of the night or I'll get dizzy. I'm always amazed about the topics that pop up in this thread. 🙂

I've gone totally paperless (and cashless where possible) for whatever I can. I've got important things backed up to the cloud and for things like boarding passes or cruise documents, my wife has a copy on her phone. I'm much more likely to lose a piece of paper than I am my phone, which is always in my front left pants pocket.

I'd give our Hawaii/Alaska cruise a 7.13 out of ten. We had a few issues but overall had a good time. We especially loved staying on Kauai after. And I'm glad we stopped in Lahaina one last time. I'm still heartbroken about the fires. I decided to leave my photo gear at home and just use my phone (Lightroom app, shooting in RAW so I can at least edit). There were a couple of times that I wished I had my 70-200 lens, or my nifty 50 1.8, but lugging that stuff all around would not have been fun. I can't remember the last time I used my "real" camera. Are you and your wife still using cameras or are you now phone people?

She was supposedly attending a wedding rehearsal dinner. Unless the bride and groom wanted that much attention, I'm guessing the dinner didn't go as planned.

Swifties have lost their minds. The crowd that formed around the LBI place once word got out that she was there was nuts.

That looks amazing!

I know that some of you (me included), have a drone. If you've ever wanted a drone for photos/videos, but didn't want the complexity of a drone, I just learned of a new "drone" that may be for you. It's called the HoverAir X1. They don't even like to call it a drone, but rather a flying selfie stick. There's no controller (although you can manually control it from your mobile phone if you want)...it's fully autonomous. Turn on the power, pick a mode like hover/follow/orbit, and it takes off from the palm of your hand. No skill needed. The X1 use AI to identify you as the subject and executes its mode, like hovering in front of you or following behind you. Hold out your hand palm up when done and it lands on your hand. It's extremely lightweight and folds when not in use to make it very easy to carry. Because of its small size and weight, you aren't subject to regular drone regulations in the US (I think...do your own research before buying). I've not used it personally but the reviews that I've seen are very positive, for what's it's intended to do (i.e. it's not a DJI Mavic). The only negative to me is the price at $400 with 2 batteries and charger. Still, if you want something that's very easy to use and can capture some interesting pictures/videos from your travels, the X1 looks like an interesting option.

Great to see this review Harry! I always love your pictures, even if they are just pictures of rocks. I agree with @perfect match, you're the OG when it comes to mooring line shots. I especially like how you've included a decimal point in your anal scale value. 😜 Since this is just a 4 day cruise, I won't try to find my old spreadsheet that tracked posts for your trip reports. 😁

Is pickpocketing a problem in Istanbul? I would imagine that Nate is sort of a natural deterrent for pickpockets though.

Good to hear that things are going well so far. I hope it continues that way. Did you get a port put in for the infusions?

I've never seen that either. Did the seats seem a little skinnier so they could fit in an extra seat?