bobmacliberty

3 minutes ago, Etta1213 said:

I eat chicken breast and read that it's contaminated with arsenic, with highest concentration in the breast meat. I don't even think I could buy homegrown chicken in my area. Sometimes I feel defeated. Am caregiver for my 84 year old spouse so I need to try to stay healthy. 

Look around your local area for health food stores.  There's probably one near you somewhere that sells organic, free range, antibiotic free, non-GMO, etc., etc. chicken.  Just be prepared for them to be smaller and a different color.  It's amazing what those extra additives can do.

I'm going to guess that dinner is at the Hard Rock Cafe.  

Edit: Just checked the Air Canada flight status and the estimated arrival is now 17:01.  I don't want to jinx it either but should be plenty of time for a 6:45 reservation, wherever it is.

7 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Flight has been delayed multiple times. Expected departure is now 1:30.  We are on the plane, but everyone needs to be loaded as well as luggage. 
 

It’s cutting our dinner reservations tight but hopefully we can still make it work. 
 

 

 

 

Hopefully they are tightening all of the lug nuts.  Your in-flight meal looks MUCH better than Delta.

I'm always looking forward to your reviews.  Should be great as always.

Warning if you're flying Delta first class (which I think you often do)...don't count too much on the  lunch.  Lunch on our last 2 Delta FC flights were cold box lunches.  The first flight we were in row 3 of 5 FC rows and they were already out of turkey sandwiches.  Second flight we were in row 5 of 5.  Turkey sandwiches were again gone and I got the last chicken meal.  Micheline got stuck with the cheese plate (I offered her my chicken 😉).  They no longer have extras to ensure that you get what you want.  I complained to both flight attendants and both commented about cutbacks hitting in several places.  Delta First class ain't what it used to be.

10 hours ago, Jimbo said:

 That reminds me 😞 last month when we went back to NJ to visit relatives we drove by our old house and the people that bought our old house dug up and got rid of all the beautiful Peonies we had along in front of the house.

 

Told my Wife I just knew we should have dug all them up and took them with us to Virginia, but we left them 😞

9 hours ago, Coralc said:

You definitely should have dug them up to take with you!

For you real estate people here...Is this something that would need to be written into a sales contract?  If I were buying a house, I would expect the existing landscaping to be the same when I moved in.  I'd be upset if a nice flower bed disappeared.  

10 hours ago, Coralc said:

United Airlines is having a bad week. Another SFO plane was diverted to LAX for a hydraulic issue, today. 

"United says airbus 320 has three hydraulic systems for redundancy purposes. They say a preliminary information shows there was an issue with one system on the aircraft.

This is the fourth incident involving a United jet this week -- a plane skidded off a runway in Houston this morning and on Thursday, a wheel came off a plane above SFO. And on Monday, flames shot from the engine of a plane over Texas." ABC 7 News. 

Delta is probably happy to see that United is in the news instead of them.  American is probably doubling down on maintenance to ensure that they're not next.

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We had a met a nice couple from Canada early on.   Yesterday they went to Hideaway while we went to Beach club.  

 

They said it was so loud with lots of thumping bass no matter where they sat.  They said they will never go back to Hideaway.   They left after 2 hrs and went to chill island for rest of the day.

We were worried about that for Hideaway Beach.  Based on the frequent discussions here about noise levels on the ships, grandkids, etc., I don't think many of us are in the Hideaway Beach target audience. 😁

7 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Lighthouse beacon decided not to work last night.  We had the most beautiful starry night sky.

 

Today was hot & sunny and  we visited Hawks Nest, an hour south of the Lighthouse (2 1/2hrs north of Sydney) - a lovely small beach community that we used to holiday at regularly when the kids were very little. Back then Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens were known for their koala community and we would see them in the trees, after we crossed the singing bridge.  There are still signs up warning “koalas cross here” but the koala community has been decimated by loss of their habitat for development.

 

The beach though is still as beautiful as ever.  We didn’t spot any dolphins today but they are usually seen in the waters here.

 

 

An old sign in a parcel of bush habitat that remains.
 

 

Great pictures as always.  You're missing Serenade in Sydney!

39 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Our cabin on VV Scarlet Lady. The cabin is fine, but the stool at the desk has no back rest. If you want a couch the furniture has to be reconfigured out of the beds.

Very different vibe from Royal.  Very modern.  Not sure I could get out of that hammock once I got in.

My Cousin Vinny was just on E!  I could watch that movie over and over.  Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci are so good.  

18 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Originally I wasn't even going to look at Sony as that was stretching my budget to the max. But after I asked the salesman if any of the TV's could be taken out of "Showroom Demo Mode" (or whatever it's called) so I could see what it would look like realistically, he said just with Sony. He must've seen the skeptical look on my face and quickly explained that Sony is so confident in their picture quality that it would still be just as good as other manufactures "Demo Mode" & none of the other manufactures are that confident.

 

I don't know if that's true but what I do know is true is that after a few minutes when my eyes adjusted to the dimmer or washed out pictures, they were still amazing. He played a variety of content for me so at least I was able to compare 5 different Sony TV's to each other.  Even the bottom of the line "value" (using the term loosely)  model was good with the next step up model  very, very good and still around $1,100.  From there, they do go up in $500 increments to get to QLED & OLED so now "budget creep" is setting it which is also very common for me.

 

Yes, the QLED & OLED are clearly better but are they $500-$600 better? Maybe, over a 10 year period that's only $50 more per year which is less than what I spend on beer at ONE (1) Ranger game.  I can justify anything in terms of beer. 🙂. Or I could down size to the 55 inch model, emphasizing quality over size.  FYI. my seating area will range from 8-10 feet away from the TV.

 

At the end, he did say Sony usually releases their new TV models in March so it's possible that the current models may drop in price later in March. No guarantee of course on price drop and availability.  Decisions, Decisions....

Assuming that the picture quality drop off isn't significant, I'd go for size over quality.  Whatever TV you end up buying, you will get used to it and won't have another better quality TV sitting next to it (like you do in a showroom) reminding you of the picture quality "sacrifices" that you made.  Any new, large TV will probably look great in your house.  But I can almost guarantee that a few months after the initial feeling that your new TV is HUGE, you'll start to wonder if you should have gone bigger.

Several times in my life, I've sacrificed something in the interest of saving a little money.  I often regret it later and wished that I had spent more initially.  If you can afford the extra $500-600, you won't later regret spending it.  You might regret NOT spending it though.  

10 hours ago, HBE4 said:

I'm pretty sure the sales guy @ Best Buy regrets asking "Can I help you?" 90 minutes later, I'm sure we talked about every TV under the sun. I think I heard him muttering under his breath and shaking his  as I left.

 

Just kidding, he could talked all weekend about TVs. A true professional. Meanwhile,my brain hurts. In addition to new stuff, I  also watch a lot of older stuff (think Seinfeld & old John Wayne movies). Apparently a TV that is good at upscaling should be my priority.  So forget about OLED, QLED, ,and mini-LED, it's all about upscaling older content to 4k. Of course,  the high priced Sony is best at this. So guess what's on top of my list right now.

 

Did I mention my brain hurts? Although honestly,  whatever I buy will be light years better than what I'm replacing. Gotta keep that in mind. 

 

I think I need a nap.

 

You can't go wrong with a Sony.  I think they tend to be over priced because you're paying for the name, but there's no doubting the quality.  

6 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Spicy Shrimp & Seared Ahi Tuna Appetizers

 

That tuna looks perfectly seared!  One of my favorites.

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

B&H Photo has been a favorite online store for me for a very long time. I have purchased lots of electronics and photography equipment from them.  I bet it's a cool store to visit. Most of the time I got the best price there but on occasion I have paid more to them because of trust and service. 

18 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I've actually never been IN the store but outside of it. They are closed on Saturdays which is the day I would typically be in NYC. I think you can't even place an order on their website between a certain time Friday night through a certain time Saturday. Has to do with religious reasons as I understand it.

 

Also if you have their store credit card, unless this has changed, they deduct the amount of the sales tax from the total of your order and that can save quite a bit off your order.

If you are at all a photographer or videographer, B&H is like Disneyland.  It's almost overwhelming how much stuff they have across 2 floors.  Just about anything you can find on their website is available to see/touch/discuss/purchase.  Their sales people are extremely knowledgeable.  I bought some filters and a light box while there several years ago.

If you look at their main store on 9th between 33rd and 34th using street view in Google Maps, you can click on their main door (middle of the block on 9th) and be taken virtually inside.  You  can virtually walk around and see the inside of the store.  Unfortunately, most of their photography stuff is on the second floor and I haven't figured out how to virtually go upstairs. 

19 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I am now suffering from "analysis paralysis", which is actually very common for me as I will research something to death & then have information overload. 😀  Sometimes I wish I could make more spontaneous decisions. 

I have a similar problem, also known as FOMO...fear of missing out.  I hate if I buy something, no matter the price but especially for more expensive things, only to find later that I could have bought something better.  As a result, I way over analyze.  I just spent 15 minutes looking at different types of wood chips for a cocktail smoker on Amazon. 🤣  One of several things that I'm trying to let go of in retirement so that I enjoy life better.

The annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance (the car show) has started.  The main event is on Sunday but there are a lot of other events happening around the island.  It's neat seeing all of the interesting cars driving around, but the number of attendees makes things a little crazy.  The main entrance is right at the front of our neighborhood and it's a mob scene with people walking, cars trying to park, shuttle buses, police controlling things...essentially it's nearly impossible to get in and out of our neighborhood during the weekend.  We are loaded up with supplies and will just stay in the neighborhood all weekend.  

We recently talked about Flightaware and similar apps to track planes.  If you're into that kind of stuff, pay attention to the Fernandina Beach Airport (FHB), particularly on Sunday afternoon.  You'll see private jets leaving every 10 minutes or so, headed to places around the world.  There are people here with SERIOUS money...flying in on their PJ for a few hours/days to see if there are any cars that they want to buy at auction.  

I'll add that, from the little that I've read, TCL is a good value brand.  It probably won't be as good as a Sony, and probably slightly below Samsung/LG, but it will work well and cost less.  They used to be considered a low end brand but their reputation has gone up the last few years.  For me, it would depend on how it will be used.  If it's a second or third TV in a guest room, I'd go for it.  If it's the primary TV that you will watch for a few hours every day, I'd consider spending more.  But only if you really think you'll notice the difference.  OLED is currently the best (and most expensive) picture quality technology, but Samsung QLED has been perfectly fine for us.

We've always been Samsung TV people.  Haven't had any problems.  I don't think they're necessarily better than LG...it's just the brand that we've become used to.  We like having the same on screen menu and remote control in all TVs.  Both are massed produced, and probably have some cost cutting measures in their production process to maximize profit, so both will probably have problems eventually.

Be careful of comparing TVs in a showroom.  They are usually set to very high brightness and sharpness levels with very vivid colors, to make them stand out in a showroom and optimize the very high quality 4K demo videos being shown (which you will not get from your cable or streaming service).  Some even have a built in store display/demo mode for this purpose.  You won't use that mode at home.  It would quickly look unnatural and cause eye fatigue, and the lighting conditions at home are very different than a store with bright fluorescent lights.  I could tweak the settings of two TVs that are side by side so that one looks better than the other, and then tweak back so that you're preferred TV switches.  Ideally you'd want a more realistic lighting environment with multiple TVs optimally tuned to compare TVs side by side.  Some higher end stores offer this.  Still, a side by side comparison in a store can at least give you a rough feel for different models.  You can always ask a salesperson to put a few models in a more normal viewing mode for comparison.  If you do that, don't be surprised if those TVs suddenly don't look as good as the others that are still in store mode.

I wonder if Best Buy will eventually go the way of Sears.  I originally said that I would not buy a larger purchase like a big TV online.  I bought my last TV online though and it worked very well.  Above a certain size, it's easier than transporting a TV box home from a store yourself.

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think you have to have a premium account with YouTube to do that. I don't know how much it costs. I just have a subscription to Spotify (Apple Music is another alternative) which has just about song I've ever wanted to listen to.

 

There are ways to take a YouTube video address and convert the file to an mp3 audio file that you can then store on your phone and listen to when ever you want. However, YouTube has become smarter over the years an found ways to block those sites from accessing YouTube files in order to do the conversion.

 

If you have an unlimited data plan, so that you are not tied to an internet connection, Spotify is only something like $11 a month. It is much less time consuming than doing pirated audio conversions of YouTube video files. When I don't have an internet connection I just stream with cellular data. I do have my home music collection (from when CDs were a thing) all on my phone as well as on a thumb drive that I keep in the car. Though in the car I mostly listen to XM Radio.

 

Also keep in mind that anything you are able to download from YouTube with a subscription is going to be a video file that is going to take up much more of your phone's memory than an mp3 audio file will.

OB is correct.  I have a YouTube Premium account and I can download any YouTube video to watch offline.  The music that you listen to is embedded in a video file that, as OB said, is much larger than an .mp3 music file.  You play any downloaded files using the YouTube app, not an audio app.  YouTube is very much trying to crack down on any 3rd party ways to save their videos and/or extract audio from the video.  If you really want to go that route, use a free software app called Audacity.  You can tell it to record the sound on your computer such that you start recording in Audacity, then start playing the YouTube video, then stop the recording when the video is done, and save as an .mp3 file.  The recording quality will be slightly degraded from the original file since you're recording the analog translation of the digital file, and then saving back to digital.  Audacity is pretty powerful and has a somewhat steep learning curve.  Probably not worth the effort.

I also agree with OB's recommendation for Spotify.  I've found almost every song that I've searched for on Spotify.  The only exception has been some of @Sea Dog's obscure Christmas music.  With Spotify, you can easily create and share playlists.  I've got a playlist of pool music that's 2 hours long (Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown, Bob Marley, etc.), and one for upbeat rock that's 4.5 hours long (What I Like About You, Walking on Sunshine, Livin' On A Prayer, Pump It Up, etc.).  I've saved playlists that others have created as well.  Well worth the monthly fee if you're a fan of music of any genre.

Other good streaming music playing options include Pandora and Amazon Music.  I tend to use one of these services like a radio station where I can select a specific genre (jazz, classic rock, classical, etc.) and let the service pick the specific songs.   

Oops...should have quoted @Arzeena's original message instead of OB's reply.

11 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Quick question for @bobmacliberty

 

While searching old threads I saw you asking about cabin 13190 on Quantum.  I'm considering that one. I was just wondering if you sailed in that cabin and what you thought of the obstruction?

Sorry, but we sailed in 9638 on Quantum.  Can't help with 13190.

31 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

@bobmacliberty Thanks so much for that write up. I tinker with trying an AI but I still love being out at sea and arriving in different ports.

 

If I took more vacation time I would probably be more open to trying an AI. I just don't want to pull the trigger and then find it to be a disappointing experience as it isn't like I can then just book a cruise to make up for it. Time off is still difficult to come by.

I agree.  We normally would not have booked an AI trip but since we're retired and have the time, we can be more flexible.  We want to do more trying short trips for things that we would not normally book, to see if we like them or not.  Best case, we find something new that we like.  Worst case, we waste a little money and learn that something isn't for us.  It's nice to have that flexibility.

I'm finally getting around to providing a review of our Punta Cana trip.  I'll dump everything into one VERY long post so as not to fill up Dani's thread with a lot of smaller posts.

We flew down on Monday, arriving at the hotel around 5pm, and flew back on Friday, leaving mid afternoon and arriving home at almost midnight.  Delta through ATL both ways.  We arranged transportation between PUJ and the hotel (both ways) with a company called DAT.  They got good reviews in TripAdvisor and delivered as promised. We had Monday dinner and evening events, 3 full days Tuesday thru Thursday, and Friday morning/lunch at the resort.  Once we checked in, we didn't leave until we checked out.

As I said earlier, we stayed at Secrets Cap Cana.  Cap Cana is a gated area in the southern part of the greater Punta Cana area...about a 15 minute drive from the airport.  It's a 5-star resort but I've learned that hotel star ratings are very much relative to where they're located.  A 5-star hotel in London is different from a 5-star hotel in Punta Cana. For the most part, it lived up to the 5-star rating but overall, I'd probably give it 4.5 stars.  Secrets Cap Cana, like much (all?) of Punta Cana is an all-inclusive hotel.  All food, drinks, entertainment, WiFi, water toys, and gratuities were included, although we brought a bunch of ones to tip additionally.  Many people gave additional tips but it seemed like most did not.  Hard to tell though.  There were a few upcharge opportunities with the spa, some off-site excursions, and some beach cabanas, but we didn't take advantage of any of those.

Our room was a Junior Suite Ocean View.  Almost all of the rooms were Junior Suites with a similar layout and either a king or two double beds.  There were a few larger rooms in the preferred section of the hotel, but nothing smaller.  You were essentially paying for the view...tropical, pool, ocean view, ocean front, and swim out.  We had a nice view from our 5th floor balcony.

The resort itself and the rooms were 5-star worthy.  The rooms were large and well appointed with an area that had a love seat and chair, double vanities in the bath room, two rain shower heads in the shower, and plenty of drawer and hanging storage.  The resort grounds were beautiful with lush vegetation.  The pool and beach were fantastic, with plenty of comfortable seating and umbrellas/palapas.  There was a little bit of sargassum, but they had some sort of net out in the ocean to catch much of it and did a good job every day cleaning up what made it through the net.  Never really a problem.  They made a big deal at check in that reserving chairs before noon was not allowed and items on chairs would be removed by security.  Nope.

We saw many books, hats, and flip flops enjoying the morning son.  Still, we never had a problem finding a good place to sit.  Either the resort was not at full capacity, or it's well spaced out so that it doesn't feel crowded.  Various pictures and videos of the pool and beach:

Infinity edge pool overlooking the beach and ocean.

The obligatory OB shot.

And the obligatory Miami Vice.

Swin out rooms

The party area, including the swim up bar.

Service was mostly very good to excellent...I'd give it 5 stars.  We were assigned a personal concierge.  I think this is true for all rooms.  Our concierge, Luis, was friendly and walked us to our room at check in, pointing out several things as we went to help get us oriented.  He also helped with a couple of issues that we had and coordinated luggage delivery and pick up.  He found us on the resort somewhere every day to see how things were going and if we needed anything.  We traded mobile phone numbers so that we could reach him whenever needed.  He also greeted us by text every morning and sent us the day's events...sort of their cruise compass.  Here's a sample:

Sundial Viernes 23 de febrero INGLES 2024.pdf

Restaurant and bar service was also great. I ordered a Miami Vice from the swim up bar and the bartender said with a straight face that they didn't have a Miami Vice.  He was literally standing next to frozen drink machines filled with strawberry daquiri and pina colada.  I pointed at the machines and said, "what about those?".  He said, "those are for a Dominican Vice" and then flashed a huge smile.  Every time that I ordered a Presidente beer, the servers would say, "ah yes...Dominican water".  They made some very tasty drinks of the day.  Although we had a few issues with food (see below), the restaurant staff handled it perfectly.  

There was an entertainment team, like the Cruise Director's staff, that led events like volleyball (pool and beach), water aerobics, dancing, a coconut throwing competition, etc.   They'd serve a variety of things throughout the day at the pool...an Aperol Spritz cart, a crepes cart with a lot of fillings to choose from (I had a great banana and chocolate with a sweetened condensed cream topic...yum), and even an old fashioned looking ice cream chest mounted on the front of a bicycle.  The chest was filled with popsicles that they'd put in a margherita glass and top with champagne.  Also yum.

Beer Kayak.  Help yourself.

My only knock on service is probably a cultural thing.  Several times, wait staff would yell to each other across the room.  For example, we had a waitress at breakfast about 10 feet from us who was talking to another waitress about 30 feet away.  They were both talking loudly, and often at the same time, for about 30 seconds.  If it was my resort, I would have trained them to walk to each other and have a quiet conversation face to face, away from the customers.  I know this is kind of communication is common in Latin and Caribbean cultures so their house, their rules.

Entertainment was just OK.  I'd give it 4 stars.  They had a lot of live music throughout the day and in the evening.  There was a show every night in their theater.  The talent level of the musicians sometimes was lacking.  It really makes you appreciate the talent of the entertainment on a Royal ship.  To be fair, Royal can get talent from all over the world, while the resort seemed to mostly be choosing from the local region.  The musicians all gave their best effort though and it was usually entertaining enough to watch, or at least listen to as background music.  The first night in the theater was their most popular show, a Queen tribute.  The guy playing the role of Freddie Mercury did a good job of imitating his mannerisms but his voice sometimes left something to be desired.  Again, it was entertaining enough to watch for an hour while enjoying a cocktail or two.  Here's a video with several clips of the Queen show.  

Food was the biggest disappointment.  I'd give it 4 stars, at most.  We've only been to one other AI (20 years ago) but from what I've read, it was typical for an AI.  The variety was great.  There were restaurants specializing in French, Italian, Mexican, Pan-Asian (including hibachi), seafood, and steaks.  There was a pool side grill, and a large buffet area (their Windjammer) that served breakfast and lunch.  Execution though was often lacking.  We had to return food 3 times because it was either undercooked, cold, or both.  We had a few meals that were good but none that I'd consider to be great.  I've had better meals in Royal's specialty restaurants.  I don't think anything was cooked to order.  It was served quickly so I think everything was pre-cooked or partially cooked and then just finished before delivering to the table.  For perspective, I think we're becoming food snobs and are probably more critical than the average person.

One interesting thing (to me a least) was that they had a crew trimming the palm trees.  One guy would climb to the top of the tree, literally with just ropes and a machete, and chop off the lower layer of palm fronds.  This kept me entertained for a few minutes. 

The finished product.  Seems like they took off a lot of fronds, but the only thing I know about palm trees is that they can be expensive to buy. 

Wrapping up...

Overall, it was a great getaway for a few days.  I've said here before that we cruise more for port days since we have a pool and live at the beach.  I was worried that I might be bored.  That wasn't the case at all.  We mostly just relaxed and read books, while taking advantage of a few of the entertainment options.  I'm not sure if I could handle more than 3 days without getting itchy to do something, but it was a great way to escape the "cold" Florida weather at home (yes...I've become Florida soft when temps in the 40s/50s are cold).  Would I go here again?  If we were going back to Punta Cana then yes.  I'd try a different island like Aruba or St. Thomas/St. John first though.

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

We are on board! 
- lunch in Solarium Bistro ✅

- first Mojito in the Solarium ✅

-Coconut Ranger cookie ✅

 

Bon Voyage!

42 minutes ago, Keksie said:

I wish I could fold a fitted sheet that way.  I have looked at a lot of videos and I am still not able to do it.  I think part of the problem is my arms are very short.  So my fitted sheets are crumpled squares in my linen closet.  

I just asked Micheline and she said the same thing.  She's seen the videos and has tried, but her arms are also too short.

29 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Thanks Bob. They’re staying with her in-laws who live in your neighborhood so they should be all set, but I appreciate the offer. 

Small world.

7 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

We’ve had a whirlwind few days.  Our two nights in Jacksonville Beach were nice, just wish the temperature could’ve climbed above 65.  Still better than home!  Our first night, we went to Dockside Seafood.  The food was good but the place wasn’t quite what I expected.  Order at a counter, get a pager and they bring your food in a basket. As Andy said “only the finest for you”

 

Our second night was dinner at TacoLu at @bobmacliberty Bob’s recommendation.  It did NOT disappoint!  Naturally we ordered way too much food. Our oldest will be in Amelia Island at the end of the month with her family for their spring break. I texted her and said they have to make the drive to try this place.  
Today we drove to the Margaritaville in Hollywood Beach.  Due to a snafu in the parking garage, we were upgraded from partial Oceanview room to two room Oceanfront Suite.  Cheeseburgers in Paradise for dinner were excellent.  Tomorrow night is JWB Steakhouse.  Best of all? The temperature today was 80 degrees! 

 

 

Sorry about the less than ideal temps at Jax Beach. That’s why we went to Punta Cana. 😁 Glad you enjoyed TacoLu. You’ve got my email so feel free to share it with your daughter if she has any Amelia Island area questions.