Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[sgmn]

54 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Nice spread, the lemon cake looks very "professional" .... Is good to meet people, after all this time, isn't it? 😁

It was absolutely lovely to see everyone again. Some are still on furlough,  some are back on reduced hours and some were made redundant. Plus there were a couple of retired staff I haven't seen for a few years. 

Things will never be the same though so it was the right time for me to leave. Covid has speeded up the changes in the airline industry along with new technology. For instance most airlines have done away with ticket desks at the airport now, you have a problem you have to go online or phone the call centre . So a job I did for over 40 years is just no longer there anymore.  But I had a blast 

[Momof3gurlz]

8 hours ago, singinalot said:

got our ferries all figured out today for october 🙌🏻👏💃

 

also don’t think I’ve mentioned or honestly

cant remember if I have, but on 7/1 (my

bday) American cancelled our 7/2 flight to Sarasota. I sat on hold with them (on my

bday) for an hour before finally talking to someone. They promised to refund the $$. well, today i finally decided to follow up because no refund has showed up on my cc…

glad I followed up.., AA had no record of my convo on 7/1.

it makes no sense to me why they don’t automatically refund something that THEY cancel. 2020 blah blah blah I don’t care…it’s about service recovery. 😡

so submitted Again for refund for the flight they cancelled. fingers crossed.

“Due to Covid” has become the excuse for every type of poor or lacking service.  

[Arzeena]

We are on our way to Florida today. 3 days till we get on the Edge. We don't have George's royal suite😁but will pretend we do!😁😁
 

[A&L_Ont]

9 hours ago, singinalot said:

submitted Again for refund for the flight they cancelled. fingers crossed.

Well, that sucks. Glad you have your ferries straightened out for the fall. 

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, sgmn said:

Dinner was an Indian buffet,  and I made aloo  gobi as my contribution, a mild vegetable curry, plus a lemon drizzle cake 

That looks amazing.  Glad you had a good time will your old work friends. 

[dani negreanu]

12 hours ago, Sheal said:

How the heck do they even get that thing to the market? 

 

Dunno about getting it to the market, but for sure he didn't have to deal with "it" after the market....😉

 

There were also huge parmesan wheels for sale, excellent price too. Vacuum packaged on the spot.

 

I should image those farmers employ some sort of cart to move their produce.

[dani negreanu]

10 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

Do you ever pickle your cucumbers?  My mom used to make the best sour pickles using small kirby cucumbers placing the jars on our kitchen window sill.

 

Like this? 😉

 

 

My dad used to, and DH is following in his steps. My dad's specialty, though, was water melon. It is amazing with grilled meat....

 

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by dani negreanu

[dani negreanu]

9 hours ago, singinalot said:

so submitted Again for refund for the flight they cancelled. fingers crossed

 

+ 🤞

 

Crystal, you share your birthday with the late Diana, Princess of Wales 🥰

[George C]

11 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

OMG!  That is beautiful.  I cannot imagine having that much space for 2 people.  I usually dont spend much time in the cabin but I dont think I would have left this cabin.  

 

My only question, was the outside deck large enough to have sun loungers?

The outside area was totally covered s not much sun , it could seat 8 , couple of love seats and 4 chairs , no loungers . Edge balconies are much smaller than on other celebrity ships , my next celebrity cruise we have a royal suite half the size but two loungers , table and a hot tub on balcony.

[Keksie]

13 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Oh wow...so cool picture...   Did this come to mind?  😉  

 

 

It sure did.  I kept hearing the tones in my head. LOL

[Ocean Boy]

21 minutes ago, George C said:

 my next celebrity cruise we have a royal suite half the size but two loungers , table and a hot tub on balcony.

I think having a lounger on the balcony would be so nice.

[George C]

16 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think having a lounger on the balcony would be so nice.

But lots of loungers in outdoor retreat area with pool , lots of waiters and a great bunch of bartenders. 

[Sunshine3601]

5 hours ago, sgmn said:

I had a great day yesterday,  one of my ex colleagues hosted a get together for past and present staff of the airline I worked for the last 17 years. It was lovely to see everyone again and reminisce and catch up.  

Dinner was an Indian buffet,  and I made aloo  gobi as my contribution, a mild vegetable curry, plus a lemon drizzle cake 

 

All looks delicious!   Especially the lemon drizzle cake.  

It is great to be able to gather with friends and family again😍

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

We are on our way to Florida today. 3 days till we get on the Edge. We don't have George's royal suite😁but will pretend we do!😁😁
 

Excellent!  I'm sure you will have an amazing cruise.  Maybe you'll see Capt Kate and Bugs.   😺

Enjoy and if you get a chance send us photos.

[Sea Dog]

16 hours ago, George C said:

we did this suite to celebrate my wife’s birthday and our anniversary,

Congratulations and what a great way to celebrate. Good for you. Beautiful suite.

[Sea Dog]

15 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Here’s Morgan’s event from today. He placed 4th today and has a few days to qualify for Finals.

I enjoyed watching him. He's very talented as there is a art to this.

[BonTexasNY]

11 hours ago, singinalot said:

got our ferries all figured out today for october 🙌🏻👏💃

 

also don’t think I’ve mentioned or honestly

cant remember if I have, but on 7/1 (my

bday) American cancelled our 7/2 flight to Sarasota. I sat on hold with them (on my

bday) for an hour before finally talking to someone. They promised to refund the $$. well, today i finally decided to follow up because no refund has showed up on my cc…

glad I followed up.., AA had no record of my convo on 7/1.

it makes no sense to me why they don’t automatically refund something that THEY cancel. 2020 blah blah blah I don’t care…it’s about service recovery. 😡

so submitted Again for refund for the flight they cancelled. fingers crossed.

So sorry this happened but unfortunately it seems to be the norm. Hope it gets straightened out soon.

11 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yes we have pickled cucumbers several times.  Eric had 2 really good recipes he used.  One was hot and spicy with onions, garlic and hot peppers.  We used to do the whole canning thing in the large Ball jars and make about 2 or 3 dozen jars and give away at christmas time.  

Havent done that in a couple years.

Maybe next year we will plant that type of cucumber.

I love having my tomatoes for sauces during the winter.  Last winter I ran out earlier than usual since we did a lot of home cooking due to covid.

I'm really into my herbs too.  I have various herbs that I cut then dry and grind or chop and put in spice jars to use all year.    Most of my herb plants I have had for several years.  Always happy in the spring when I see they are coming back alive after winter.

 

 

My neighbor had a wonderful herb garden, mint, parsley, dill, I forget what else.  Nothing like home grown.

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

We are on our way to Florida today. 3 days till we get on the Edge. We don't have George's royal suite😁but will pretend we do!😁😁
 

Have smooth sails to you and a wonderful cruise.

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Like this? 😉

 

 

My dad used to, and DH is following in his steps. My dad's specialty, though, was water melon. It is amazing with grilled meat....

 

 

EXACTLY!!! Never tried watermelon that way, but those are my mom's pickles!! 

[Sea Dog]

14 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'm on the fence about the chef though. Too much insecurity and lack of self confidence for my taste.

Me too. Hard to be a good chef when you don't have confidence. My favorite chef was Ben then Adam. I also think Chef Natasha on BD Sailing was impressive too despite her insecurities. 

[Ozark_Kid]

5 hours ago, sgmn said:

Dinner was an Indian buffet

The Curry looks great.  Looks like a nice plate of roti on the table. Glad you got to gather with your friends.

[island lady]

14 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Today, we went out on the boat to enjoy the lake.  It is never a good sign when the search and rescue boats show up. 

 

They easily passed us in the no wake zone. 
 

 

IMG_0418.MOV 14.51 MB · 1 download

 

Fortunately, it was just a couple fishermen that needed towed, and not a drowning. 

 

I am surprised the search and rescue was used for a disabled boat.  In Florida, they won't come to help you unless you are sinking!  😮   Boaters are told to call Tow Boat US or Sea Tow (2 commercial towing companies that make some major $$ for that service 😉 ).   

[bobmacliberty]

On 7/11/2021 at 1:26 PM, h20skibum said:

Daughter will soon find out how expensive this hobby is. 

 

I'm getting caught up here after spending money on that expensive hobby the last 4 days.  Had a friend from Ohio fly in for a long weekend of golf.  Together with another friend who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, we played 4 rounds in 4 days.  Saturday and Sunday on our 2 courses on Amelia Island (Long Point and Oak Marsh), Monday on the TPC Sawgrass Stadium course (a bucket list course for many people), and Tuesday on a course in PVB called Marsh Landing.  We played some good golf and some bad golf, but it was mostly about hanging out with good friends. 

 

The older I get, the harder it is to play so many days in a row.  I also got a preview of what it will be like playing golf in Florida in the summer.  The heat and humidity just suck the energy out of you.  We drank a lot of water to stay hydrated, but we may have enjoyed a few adult beverages as well.  😉  I'm more than a little sore/tired today.  Time to rest for a couple of days to let my body recover. 

[bobmacliberty]

On 7/12/2021 at 2:56 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

The kids are planning our route so we can stop at Skyline Chili a few times.

 

Your kids were raised well!  4 way bean for me.

[island lady]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Like this? 😉

 

 

My dad used to, and DH is following in his steps. My dad's specialty, though, was water melon. It is amazing with grilled meat....

 

 

 

Yum!!  Friend of ours that was best man at our wedding had a huge garden in Ohio.  He used to make the most delicious canned "bread and butter" pickles.  No Dill, but very sweet and tender.  🙂 

[island lady]

1 hour ago, George C said:

The outside area was totally covered s not much sun , it could seat 8 , couple of love seats and 4 chairs , no loungers . Edge balconies are much smaller than on other celebrity ships , my next celebrity cruise we have a royal suite half the size but two loungers , table and a hot tub on balcony.

 

Interesting on the Radiance ladies that the OS balcony is half the size of the GS.  Love the layout of the OS...but not giving up balcony space for it.  We adore the GS on those ships.  🙂 

[bobmacliberty]

23 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I am not sure if Xbox has a nice yoke like yours but if they do I feel like I would be neglecting the grandkids if I didn’t get a yoke too!

 

You sir, are a great grandfather...thinking about what's best for your grandkids. 😁  Honeycomb (the brand of yoke that I have) is supposedly coming out with Xbox compatible peripherals soon.  If interested, I'd suggest that you watch closely and buy when they are released.  Their Bravo throttle quadrant for PC is still sold out everywhere, and I'm waiting on their Charlie rudder pedals to be released.