bobmacliberty

That event looks very impressive and you took some great pictures. Is it an annual event? If so, I might try to schedule our eventual trip to Sydney around that event.

He sounds like a great kid who has his head on straight. Friends of ours have a son who went to SCAD and is now doing special effects work in Montreal, which apparently is one of the handful of cities around the world where special effects companies have gathered. He is loving being young, single, in Montreal, and doing work that he loves with several of his friends from SCAD. He did the clouds in the upcoming Jordan Peele movie titled Nope. The clouds supposedly to play a big role in the movie. I'm looking forward to seeing his name buried somewhere deep in the credits. I'm not sure if SCAD is a good choice for producing, but it has a great reputation. And Savannah is a great city to visit your kid while in college.

Sorry to hear this Ellen. That sucks. You may have already said this and I missed it, but how was your Harmony cruise (other than getting Covid). This was your Majesty L&S...correct?

Captain Johnny was asked "who drives when the pilot comes aboard" at a Captain's talk in April. He said that the pilot is there for local knowledge but that he (the Captain) is always in charge. I don't remember the exact words that he used but he left me thinking that he always has the conn. The pilot could tell Johnny to do something but Johnny would make the ultimate call and decide what commands to give. He may have meant that he always has the responsibility, like you pointed out. Johnny did say that there were a very few exceptions where the pilot is actually in charge (has responsibility??), like going through the Panama Canal. He then joked that in many cases the pilot just watches then hands him a bill that he signs and the pilot leaves. Edit: Does this vary by Master? Could it be that Captain Johnny has a lot of experience and never wants to give up the conn unless required to by law, whereas a different captain may be more willing to give up the conn to the pilot in certain ports?

That's got to be more than a little oops on Harmony. It hit that thing hard. I'll be interested in seeing how much damage was incurred.

Your grandson may have a future in YouTube! 10 years ago, I would have thought that was crazy. My daughter back then said she could make a nice living publishing videos on beauty tips and I thought she was nuts. Today though, there are many, many YouTubers who earn 6 figures plus annually and some that are now multi-millionaires.

WARNING: If you have not seen the end of Survivor yet, don't read this post. One of the things that I like about Survivor is that you have to be chosen as the winner by the same people that you often helped vote off. It adds a nice twist. While Jonathan dominated the challenges (other than puzzles) and seemed like a great guy early in the season, there were a few women who did not like the way that he spoke to them. The social game is equally, if not more important, than what you do physically. Everyone may have a different view of what makes for playing the best overall game. I didn't watch the post show but it would have been interesting to ask the jurors who they would have voted for if Jonathan had beaten Mike in the fire challenge. Would Jonathan have won? Personally, I thought Lindsay played the best overall game. I think MaryAnn surprised a few people during the interviews when she pulled out the idol that no one else knew about and described her strategy in detail for ensuring that she got to the final 4. Jurors who may have questioned whether or not she had any real strategy in the game must have been impressed. I saw it all happen and even I was surprised by how well she laid it out for the jurors. Mike didn't really help himself with the jurors by staying rigidly focused on how he played with integrity when he lied to several of the jurors. And Romeo...well...he never really had a chance and made things even worse. Did anyone else catch the ad for the upcoming show that will have contestants from Survivor, Big Brother, Amazing Race, and Love Island called The Challenge: USA? Looks very interesting.

That's the problem with using a 2X teleconverter, and the main reason that I never bought one...you lose 2 stops of light. It's great if you're on a tripod on firm ground. Not so much if you're handheld on a rocking ship. The 70-200 2.8 stays wide open at 2.8 for the entire focal length range, which is great. I used it a lot for action sports with my kids when they were younger. I could shoot at least at 1/200 sec and often faster, even indoors with the ISO cranked up a bit. But 200mm might not be enough for Alaska. I think we've turned this into a photography thread. 😁

The collapsible vase looks like a great idea! Thanks. I will probably end up bringing all of my gear. Why own it if I'm not going to use it...especially with such spectacular scenery as Alaska and Hawaii? I want to catch a few "wow" pictures also and blow them up in a frame. That 70-200 2.8 is just so heavy to carry all day (but takes amazing pictures!!!). I might need to buy/rent a 2X extender for more reach in Alaska. I'm thinking of doing a live review of our trip...3 days in Seattle, 7 night Alaska cruise, 3 days in Vancouver, 9 night cruise to Hawaii, 5 nights on Kauai. If I end up doing the review, I'll need to take a lot of pics with my phone also so that I can post here.

So sad. Hoping and praying for a happy outcome.

Thanks so much for this reply. Looks like you may have even booked the same room that we did...a corner suite. We'll be there for 3 nights and I love the idea of flowers, both for the room and the cruise. Definitely going to steal that one.

The Harmony video was definitely their best, although I also enjoyed their Navigator video with CLR. Three kids in a span of 5 or 6 years must have changed Chase and Jenny's priorities. Hard to believe that was 5 years ago.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Raisin toast was my favorite as a kid. Haven't had it in years. I've started telling people about the benefits of dried grapes. It's all about raisin awareness.

YouTube just showed me an oldie but a goodie Royal Caribbean video. Chase and Jenny's Harmony cruise video from 5+ year ago. Amazing videography by Chase. Posting here for those who may not have seen it.

@Luckynana Maryann - Adding my thoughts and prayers for Baby Ginny. I met a woman many years ago who was a pediatric oncology nurse in Philly. This was in the 80s and she may have worked at CHOPS (not really sure). All nurses deserve incredible praise but those who work daily with sick children are especially deserving.

This is good to hear. Thought Alaska may be moving back to colder weather for our September cruise. Will be nice if it's on the warmer side. Now this one, I can't approve. This is when CC needs a Boooooo! button. 😁

We're staying at the Mayflower Park in September (first time). Chose it for the location and the older style luxury vibe. What did you think of it?

Great review from both of you. Sorry that you had to return home to some storm damage. It's one thing to return to normal life post cruise, but it's worse when normal life slaps you in the face.

In Scarlett's last few years, we got similarly lucky. We found a woman who worked from home and was living with her adult daughter. She'd stay at our house and work from there while we were gone, giving both her and her daughter a "vacation" from each other for a bit. I don't remember what she charged but it was something like $30 per day...cheaper than what we paid a kennel. It's so much nicer that our dog got to stay in her normal environment and had companionship almost all the time. She'd also watch the house, water the plants, etc. If you can find someone that you trust (to live in your home and be responsible for your pet), it's a great solution.

I did miss that one. Maybe the Rolls owner needs to make a few bucks with Lyft to pay off the car. 🤣 I could watch an octopus for hours. Such interesting creatures.

Quite a line. The locals must know how good it is. I'll definitely keep an eye out here. My neighbor recently returned from Charlotte, NC and brought me a bottle of Rua Whiskey from a distillery there. I've never heard of Rua. It's not a bourbon...made from 100% barley. Anyone else familiar with it? I'll wait to open it until we have them over to the house. He also brought me a 4 pack of an IPA called Juicy Jay from Legion Brewing. I didn't wait on the beer...it was very tasty.

Ooops. Thanks.

Great review! Thanks so much for doing this (and for @bonsai3s's help). We had a similar cruise cancelled in 2020 and I definitely want to reschedule. We have our first Quantum class experience (Quantum, then Ovation 3 days later) in September so it's also very helpful to see/hear your experience on Odyssey. Enjoy your upcoming Anthem cruise!!

Is this the famous Meg Ryan restaurant? (I'll have what she's having). No such thing as too many pics...especially when they look as good as yours. Of course. Just for the halibut. My guess is that many/most didn't know where they were going. They just got in line. That's the Rivian electric truck. Very cool and getting a lot of great reviews. Tesla still hasn't released their Cybertruck and I don't think they even have a date yet for when it will be available.