Eurodam to Alaska : We came , we saw , we photographed .

[upwarduk]

Joe,

Have you been effected by the Photobucket issues?

[MicCanberra]

Joe,

Have you been effected by the Photobucket issues?

Lots of people on Australia and NZ forum of CC have been, they are not happy and are looking at alternative sites.

[scubacruiserx2]

Joe,

Have you been effected by the Photobucket issues?

 

I'm not sure as we were out of town for a couple of days and we were not really online . But if it's really acting up you will not see photos . Maintenance is frequent and they have also added advertisements which you can eliminate - for an additional fee .

[scubacruiserx2]

Lots of people on Australia and NZ forum of CC have been, they are not happy and are looking at alternative sites.

 

I get that but I think that my photos will disappear if I cancel .

[MicCanberra]

I get that but I think that my photos will disappear if I cancel .

Apparently the older posts are archived so that the photos will not disappear but the more recent ones will. They are not planning on cancelling just yet but they are looking at alternate (free) sites to possibly relocate all their photos so they do not have to pay.

[scubacruiserx2]

Dear Cruise Critic friends ,

We have been very busy lately and have not had much time to post . I have been diagnosed with Lupus and had some repairs had to be made during my colonoscopy on Thursday . We have changed our diet in an effort to deal with these issues . And so it's been NO alcohol , caffeine , gluten , sugar or dairy . Additionally , our well and our septic drain field broke and need replacement . Thus , we will have to cancel our HAL cruises in order to pay bills . We do hope to take our cruise on the Harmony in 3 weeks but at this point , it is 1 day at a time , and so we will see .

[jimbri]

So sorry to hear you are ill. Hope you heal quickly.

[upwarduk]

Joe,

I hope changing your diet helps manage your symptoms.

I know how difficult eating out can be and I am only Lactose Intolerant,

[Niagarawine]

Sorry to hear you attempt not well. I have had a lot of gut related health issues and I decided to get a juicer and a bullet, really helped me. I just make green juice , usually with romaine or celery and add an apple. Apples are excellent for the gut.

[Niagarawine]

I meant are not well. My spelling :)

[MicCanberra]

Dear Cruise Critic friends ,

We have been very busy lately and have not had much time to post . I have been diagnosed with Lupus and had some repairs had to be made during my colonoscopy on Thursday . We have changed our diet in an effort to deal with these issues . And so it's been NO alcohol , caffeine , gluten , sugar or dairy . Additionally , our well and our septic drain field broke and need replacement . Thus , we will have to cancel our HAL cruises in order to pay bills . We do hope to take our cruise on the Harmony in 3 weeks but at this point , it is 1 day at a time , and so we will see .

Hi Joe,

Sorry to hear about your health issues, that is a real blow along with having to cancel your cruises and do the repairs at home. Our thoughts are with you and Pat through this tough time but I am sure you will push through it and make the best of it that you can.

Cheers Mic and Rosie.

[perfect match]

Dear Cruise Critic friends ,

We have been very busy lately and have not had much time to post . I have been diagnosed with Lupus and had some repairs had to be made during my colonoscopy on Thursday . We have changed our diet in an effort to deal with these issues . And so it's been NO alcohol , caffeine , gluten , sugar or dairy . Additionally , our well and our septic drain field broke and need replacement . Thus , we will have to cancel our HAL cruises in order to pay bills . We do hope to take our cruise on the Harmony in 3 weeks but at this point , it is 1 day at a time , and so we will see .

 

Joe, Pat, we are so sorry to hear all of this news of yours, especially Joe's health issues. Wells and septic drain fields, while costly, can easily be brought back to excellent condition. Your good health is priceless! I am confident you are doing everything you can to manage your Lupus. I hope the changes in diet, difficult as they may be to adhere to, are sufficient to manage your symptoms.

 

I hope you are able to sail on your Harmony cruise as planned. You probably already know this, but be sure you contact the Special Needs dept at Royal and make them aware of your dietary restrictions. I have a number of food allergies, and they did an excellent job of working with me to be sure I stayed safe. My food allergies are one of the reasons we prefer traditional dining. I always speak with the MDR staff our first night, and they have done an excellent job of making sure I always had food that was OK for me to eat, and that was enjoyable for me as well. I know you are sailing with family and friends on Harmony, so your dining schedule will be tied to theirs. Even if you have anytime dining, a little bit of communication goes a long way in allowing you to have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

 

Needless to say, Barry and I are disappointed to hear that you will not be sailing with us on Koningsdam. We were both looking forward to meeting you, and I was looking forward to some great dive buddies. We will miss you, but we think your priorities are right where they need to be right now. Hopefully we will be able to cruise together some time soon. Maybe even a land based cruise meet if we find ourselves in your part of Florida, or you come up our way..

[upwarduk]

I always speak with the MDR staff our first night, and they have done an excellent job of making sure I always had food that was OK for me to eat, and that was enjoyable for me as well. I know you are sailing with family and friends on Harmony, so your dining schedule will be tied to theirs. Even if you have anytime dining, a little bit of communication goes a long way in allowing you to have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

 

 

Ditto.

We had anytime dining on Eclipse in 2015, which I thought might be a problem, but it wasn't as we sat in the same area each night with the same waiters. I think now a days computers help the situation as I am flagged up as requiring Lactose Intolerant option.

[scubacruiserx2]

Hi Joe,

Sorry to hear about your health issues, that is a real blow along with having to cancel your cruises and do the repairs at home. Our thoughts are with you and Pat through this tough time but I am sure you will push through it and make the best of it that you can.

Cheers Mic and Rosie.

 

Thank you Mic and Rosie . We do hope to push through , one day and one cruise at a time ! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Joe, Pat, we are so sorry to hear all of this news of yours, especially Joe's health issues. Wells and septic drain fields, while costly, can easily be brought back to excellent condition. Your good health is priceless! I am confident you are doing everything you can to manage your Lupus. I hope the changes in diet, difficult as they may be to adhere to, are sufficient to manage your symptoms.

 

I hope you are able to sail on your Harmony cruise as planned. You probably already know this, but be sure you contact the Special Needs dept at Royal and make them aware of your dietary restrictions. I have a number of food allergies, and they did an excellent job of working with me to be sure I stayed safe. My food allergies are one of the reasons we prefer traditional dining. I always speak with the MDR staff our first night, and they have done an excellent job of making sure I always had food that was OK for me to eat, and that was enjoyable for me as well. I know you are sailing with family and friends on Harmony, so your dining schedule will be tied to theirs. Even if you have anytime dining, a little bit of communication goes a long way in allowing you to have a safe and enjoyable cruise.

 

Needless to say, Barry and I are disappointed to hear that you will not be sailing with us on Koningsdam. We were both looking forward to meeting you, and I was looking forward to some great dive buddies. We will miss you, but we think your priorities are right where they need to be right now. Hopefully we will be able to cruise together some time soon. Maybe even a land based cruise meet if we find ourselves in your part of Florida, or you come up our way..

 

Thank you for the good advice on dining . We haven't cancelled the cruises yet but will probably cancel the Zaandam today and wait until after the Harmony before dealing with the Koningsdam . If it goes well , we may still do the Koingdamn .

Part of my problem is insomnia from all of the LOUD fireworks that we have heard for about 8 days late into the night . In fact , we went to Disney for the 3rd and the 4th knowing that their fireworks end at 10 pm .

Also , Pat's birthday was on the 3rd and we took Tyler with us .

We stayed at the Swan

Which was also populated by a girl's dance convention . I guess that it's training for the Harmony !

And we were fortunate enough to find an opening for the surf school at Typhoon Lagoon for Tyler .

Which he loved .

[scubacruiserx2]

Ditto.

We had anytime dining on Eclipse in 2015, which I thought might be a problem, but it wasn't as we sat in the same area each night with the same waiters. I think now a days computers help the situation as I am flagged up as requiring Lactose Intolerant option.

 

Thank you for the good advice which we will pursue . Our friends have us eating at 8:30 with them which is too late for us and with the diet restrictions - we do need to make a change !

[scubacruiserx2]

Sorry to hear you attempt not well. I have had a lot of gut related health issues and I decided to get a juicer and a bullet, really helped me. I just make green juice , usually with romaine or celery and add an apple. Apples are excellent for the gut.

 

I'm sorry to hear that , but thank you for the advice which we will look into .

[perfect match]

Part of my problem is insomnia from all of the LOUD fireworks that we have heard for about 8 days late into the night . In fact , we went to Disney for the 3rd and the 4th knowing thattheir fireworks end at 10 pm .

The next time you are down this way please let us know! it is no problem for us to hop into one of our cars and head down there for a couple of hours. :D We're determined to meet you in person one way or another, but we promise not to stalk you during your entire stay! :eek: We had considered coming down on the 3rd or 4th but did not because it is usually very crowded. We did go to Animal Kingdom on the 6th for my birthday. It was hot and crowded, but we still had a great day.

 

Hope you are still able to make the Koningsdam cruise, but we will certainly understand if you can't. (yn) Hope you have been able to get your well/septic system issues resolved!

[MicCanberra]

Hi Joe, hopefully some sleep will help you recover somewhat from your surgery and then at least you will be able to plan through what needs to be done and what can be postponed or cancelled.

Hope you had a wonderful 4th July despite the continuous fireworks. BTW, they have pretty much banned fireworks in Australia for purchase except for commercial operations (for registered events).

[Gracie115]

Dear Cruise Critic friends ,

We have been very busy lately and have not had much time to post . I have been diagnosed with Lupus and had some repairs had to be made during my colonoscopy on Thursday . We have changed our diet in an effort to deal with these issues . And so it's been NO alcohol , caffeine , gluten , sugar or dairy . Additionally , our well and our septic drain field broke and need replacement . Thus , we will have to cancel our HAL cruises in order to pay bills . We do hope to take our cruise on the Harmony in 3 weeks but at this point , it is 1 day at a time , and so we will see .

 

Oh Joe, I am so sorry you have had to deal with all these issues. Hopefully things will level out once you get the Lupus under control. Take care of yourself and I'll keep you in my prayers. I am confident you both still have lots of cruises in your future!!

[Gracie115]

Part of my problem is insomnia from all of the LOUD fireworks that we have heard for about 8 days late into the night . In fact , we went to Disney for the 3rd and the 4th knowing that their fireworks end at 10 pm .

 

 

I understand about that for sure!! They were still setting them off in our neighborhood last night.....

 

Happy Belated Birthday to Pat!!

[scubacruiserx2]

Hi Joe, hopefully some sleep will help you recover somewhat from your surgery and then at least you will be able to plan through what needs to be done and what can be postponed or cancelled.

Hope you had a wonderful 4th July despite the continuous fireworks. BTW, they have pretty much banned fireworks in Australia for purchase except for commercial operations (for registered events).

 

Maybe we should visit Australia the next 4th of July !

They are against the law here but the Orlando newspaper explains the loophole :

If most fireworks are illegal, why are they so widely available?

A loophole in the law allows customers to buy them if they say they're intending to use the fireworks for lawful purposes, including certain uses in agriculture and mining. In stores, this can be as simple as filling out a form.

"When people go to a tent or one of those places where fireworks are available, you are asked to sign a waiver that you will use the items in compliance with state law," Ashley said.

So as long as you are keeping the birds from eating your Mangoes - it's OK .

[scubacruiserx2]

Oh Joe, I am so sorry you have had to deal with all these issues. Hopefully things will level out once you get the Lupus under control. Take care of yourself and I'll keep you in my prayers. I am confident you both still have lots of cruises in your future!!

 

Thank you Gracie , we do appreciate that and we sure hope so ! We signed the contract for our septic repair and they told us that it will take 6 weeks to get the Health Department's approval , but only 2 days to fix !

[perfect match]

Thank you Gracie , we do appreciate that and we sure hope so ! We signed the contract for our septic repair and they told us that it will take 6 weeks to get the Health Department's approval , but only 2 days to fix !

 

Do I understand this correctly? You have to wait 6 WEEKS to get your septic system repaired? :eek: You said you had problems with your well in your earlier post in addition to the septic problems. I hope you have running water at your house! I haven't lived in a house with a septic system since my high school days which were a long time ago. My memories of septic problems we had them were not anything I'd want to live through while waiting 6 weeks for approval to do the necessary repairs! Hope everything gets taken care of soon!

[MicCanberra]

Maybe we should visit Australia the next 4th of July !

They are against the law here but the Orlando newspaper explains the loophole :

If most fireworks are illegal, why are they so widely available?

A loophole in the law allows customers to buy them if they say they're intending to use the fireworks for lawful purposes, including certain uses in agriculture and mining. In stores, this can be as simple as filling out a form.

"When people go to a tent or one of those places where fireworks are available, you are asked to sign a waiver that you will use the items in compliance with state law," Ashley said.

So as long as you are keeping the birds from eating your Mangoes - it's OK .

Yes, well some people will always push the boundaries.