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

[dani negreanu]

23 minutes ago, George C said:

Barcelona is one place I wouldn’t mind being stuck in

 

I was kind of expecting this reply, and I should have mentioned before...

 

After my in laws and a good friend were robbed, and DH with his good reflexes managed to push the gypsy away, I'm "through" with Barcelona...  Really, was looking for a flight after the disembarkation, just to be away from it. We had to settle for one additional day, and having my cousin with us, may be we'll get, at least one room, early check in.

 

The last thing I want is to "schlepp" our [much in demand by terrorists] Israeli passports around, waiting for check in, or, in the case of the late flight, all the day.

 

In general, we prefer to arrive at least 1-2 days before a cruise in Europe, and 3-4 days before a cruise across the pond. And then, to fly directly home.

 

 

9 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

We used to like the midnight flight to NY.  We were lucky that we had Jack's sister's place to hang out in after hotel check out. 

 

The midnight flight is a classic and much in demand. It's your "night", so tired and easier to fall asleep. Less "classic" if you check out at 11am and be "homeless" until 10pm.

 

One time we managed only tickets at 11am for a flight to NY. It was awful. The minutes wouldn't move....

 

9 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Happy to be going home but unhappy to be leaving, if that makes sense.

 

Yes, it makes 😁

 

[Sunshine3601]

5 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

It is scary but we are also near asymptomatic people when we go to the grocery store or anywhere else these days.  Positivity rate in Massachusetts is now over 20%, so that is 1 in 5 who are being tested are positive.  

 

I think it is great that some people are comfortable sailing right now, but for us, we aren't even sure we will sail in May.  I am glad that our final payment is now due in April as we would not have made final payment if it was still due in February.  We have a sky loft suite that we booked dirt cheap for 2021, got cancelled and did a lift and shift to 2022.  I really don't want to lose it but knowing we would have to move to a quarantine cabin if we got sick on the ship, I don't know what we will do at this point.

 

We will just have to wait and see if the decision is made for us by the cruise line if they decide to leave Quantum in Singapore again.

You have to do what you feel is right for you.    I suspect we will be in much better place come April when time to make your final payment.    Time will tell

[helen haywood]

Dani, I’m not a fan of Barcelona either.  I realize I’m in a minority.  Seems you either love Gaudi or you don’t…and I don’t.  To me St. Peter’s or Santa Maria Maggiore are much more beautiful works of art…. Roma is a better city for walking I find.  To each their own.  So glad you at least heard back from the airline and got the time of flight you wanted.

[helen haywood]

50 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Sounds like if we ever run into each other on a cruise we would enjoy meeting.  I enjoy meeting people.  We our sailing on Harmony Sunday.  I am sure you mentioned but which ship are you boarding?  
I don’t remember if you have cruised lately but if not, once you get the negative test your joy level will jump up and a layer of stress will fall off but walking up the ramp to the ship is the best.  Hope you enjoy the cruise.

We sail Celebrity Edge.  We sailed post covid in August…wonderful experience back when we thought being double vaccinated had cleared everything up…. Then right after Thanksgiving…things a bit more tense.  In August we could test three days before the cruise which helped a lot since we took it the day before we were to leave home.  I didn’t even start to pack until I had the test results.

 

Testing now means I have to already be packed…and get up earlier to take the test the morning we leave home.  And now I worry more about catching it than back when I was in an optimist bubble before omicron…

 

Before I did finally breathe a sigh of relief and happiness when we actually stepped onboard…. I hope this time will be the same.

[A&L_Ont]

10 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Before I did finally breathe a sigh of relief and happiness when we actually stepped onboard…. I hope this time will be the same.

 

I hope so too.  That sigh unfortunately might come the day you disembark, because you are healthy and avoided quarantine.  It almost feels that way walking out of the grocery store in recent times. 🙂  

[reallyitsmema]

12 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

You have to do what you feel is right for you.    I suspect we will be in much better place come April when time to make your final payment.    Time will tell

 

Yup and that is why we aren't sailing.  DH still works and can do some work remotely but not all as he is a director of quality and needs to be in the clean room overseeing inspections at times.  Being stuck someplace quarantining would not work for an extended period of time.  I also know that I do not do well with the chemicals that they sanitize the ship with and also all the fogging they do.  Marietta can attest to that as we met on Anthem on a cruise that had norovirus and lots of deep cleaning.  I made a really great first impression as I was hacking up a lung when we first met Charlie on the Esplanade lol  We were in a cabin with quarantined people on either side of us and many other cabins on same corridor.  Our cabin was sanitized more than once, with every flat surface (walls included) left wet with the sanitizer as it needs to sit and dry to be most effective.  I ended up in the medical center as I was having breathing issues and the meds I had with me were not enough.  We have also been quarantined on Anthem in the past with influenza.  We were lucky that we went to medical early enough to get tested and get Tamiflu.  Others on our rollcall decided to self diagnose and by the time they went, ship was out of Tamiflu and shops were out of Tylenol, Advil and Dayquil (which was all they carry for a cough yuck).  We had Tylenol, Advil and Robitussin with us, so we were good but we now bring more than we used to bring with us because when you have two people taking it every 4-6 hours for days, it goes fast.

 

I think it is great that some feel comfortable sailing and I hope all have a great time.  We will stay landlocked for now and hope Omicron is a distant memory by May.  We will had to Maine again like we did last May if we don't end up in Alaska.  

[Norwich Cruiser]

21 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Dani, I’m not a fan of Barcelona either.  I realize I’m in a minority.  Seems you either love Gaudi or you don’t…and I don’t.  To me St. Peter’s or Santa Maria Maggiore are much more beautiful works of art…. Roma is a better city for walking I find.  To each their own.  So glad you at least heard back from the airline and got the time of flight you wanted.

Funnily enough we prefer walking in Barcelona.

[George C]

26 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Funnily enough we prefer walking in Barcelona.

Another thing is Barcelona is a very inexpensive city , on our visit 5 years ago we stopped in a restaurant/bar across from our hotel and ordered a couple of beers , I was thinking it would cost 10 or more for the two , cost was 3 dollars, I asked why it was so cheap and he replied it’s happy hour. 

[StanleyandGus]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

The hotel in Barcelona

Which hotel in Barcelona are you using? We hope to be there for a transatlantic in November.

 

 I don’t dislike Barcelona, but I much prefer Rome.

[dani negreanu]

5 minutes ago, StanleyandGus said:

Which hotel in Barcelona are you using?

 

Hotel Jazz

 

https://www.hoteljazz.com/en/

 

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

  I suspect we will be in much better place come April when time to make your final payment.    Time will tell

Funny, but that was what I said in March 2020 about our cruise that was scheduled in April 2020.  We all know how that worked out. 

 

59 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

We sail Celebrity Edge.  We sailed post covid in August…wonderful experience back when we thought being double vaccinated had cleared everything up…. Then right after Thanksgiving…things a bit more tense.  In August we could test three days before the cruise which helped a lot since we took it the day before we were to leave home.  I didn’t even start to pack until I had the test results.

 

Testing now means I have to already be packed…and get up earlier to take the test the morning we leave home.  And now I worry more about catching it than back when I was in an optimist bubble before omicron…

 

Before I did finally breathe a sigh of relief and happiness when we actually stepped onboard…. I hope this time will be the same.

I will say we were a little more apprehensive this time, if only because of the uptick in cases. 
 

We have been avoiding crowded areas, and spending most time outdoors.  We want that negative test for next week. 
 

Meanwhile, we have found our happy place. 

 

Oh, and we found one of those cruising ducks today. 
 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2022 by h20skibum

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Speaking of "hopes"....

 

I've booked in November return flights from Barcelona after our cruise in June. We had no choice but to remain another day in Barcelona, since we couldn't make the early flight out, and the 2nd one was at 11pm. We decided long time ago that we'll not do night flights anymore...

 

So yesterday I get an email from El Al "seat assignment notification"... about new seats on our June 25th flight. I go "what's going on? our flight back is on the 24th..."  Went to "manage my booking" and I was very badly surprised to see that they've cancelled the 24th flight and moved us a day later... and... you guessed it... to the 11pm flight 😠.

Another night at the hotel, another day for trip assurance (at our "age" very expensive), and I absolutely hate being "homeless" after checking out [even if they allow us to leave our luggage]. What are we supposed to do until 8pm, when it's time to go to the airport?

 

El Al isn't answering their phones. You can only communicate with them via Whatsapp... They will reply in 2 business days...

 

For now, we decided to postpone until Sunday morning, the 26th, adding 2 nights at the hotel. No way we'll take the 11pm flight. Very very angry and frustrated right now. Grrrrrr.

Dani we have used Day rooms before.

A company with this name can book a hotel room for about 6 hours.

We did this in San Francisco when we had a night flight and it meant we had a room to leave our cases for the day while we had a full day in San Francisco and we had a shower before going to the airport.

Graham.

[grapau27]

18 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Hotel Jazz

 

https://www.hoteljazz.com/en/

 

Excellent choice.

We had booked 2 nights there for June 2020 Pre-cruise which was a non refundable rate.

With Covid lockdown I emailed them and they replied quickly and refunded our money within a couple of days.

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

I hope so too.  That sigh unfortunately might come the day you disembark, because you are healthy and avoided quarantine.  It almost feels that way walking out of the grocery store in recent times. 🙂  

LOL.  I used to joke that my husband’s favorite day of a cruise was disembarkation day.  He loves being at home…I guess opposites do attract…😜

 

[Sea Dog]

9 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Speaking of "hopes"....

 

Very very angry and frustrated right now. Grrrrrr.

 

 

I completely understand your frustration and it is not right.  Good for you for staying on it to make it right.

 

 

6 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

including Bake Off.  My only complaint about those shows is the artificial time pressure that they add.  I understand why they do it, but I'd rather see them given twice as much time so that they can really show off their cooking/baking talents.

 

I have the same feeling. I know it's a competition but some of the time restraints are way over the top. I liked watching the Holiday Bake Offs. Some of the creations were amazing. I'm just as proud if I can make cookies without burning the bottoms.

 

 

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

They replied immediately, and without even me asking -- "we will keep your original rate". Very nice !!!

 

 

 

Good for you! I have added Hotel Jazz to my list of possible stays.

 

 

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Sounds like if we ever run into each other on a cruise we would enjoy meeting.  I enjoy meeting people.  We our sailing on Harmony Sunday. 

 

I hope we can hook up some day. I hope you have a fantastic cruise on Harmony this weekend. Will you be reviewing?

 

 

29 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

 

Meanwhile, we have found our happy place. 

 

 

 

Always a happy place with Kraken. Cheers to you!

[Sunshine3601]

37 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Funny, but that was what I said in March 2020 about our cruise that was scheduled in April 2020.  We all know how that worked out. 

 

I will say we were a little more apprehensive this time, if only because of the uptick in cases. 
 

We have been avoiding crowded areas, and spending most time outdoors.  We want that negative test for next week. 
 

Meanwhile, we have found our happy place. 

 

Oh, and we found one of those cruising ducks today. 
 

 

 

 

I have never seen or heard of these ducks.  Is that on just oasis or other rcl ships?

[reallyitsmema]

35 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I have never seen or heard of these ducks.  Is that on just oasis or other rcl ships?

 

Google the hashtag.  Cruising ducks have been around for a long time.  Not just Oasis or Royal Caribbean.  They are very popular on Anthem for some reason.  Last one we found was on our last cruise on Mariner February 2020, in our cabin, which is against the unofficial rules of hiding ducks.

[Sea Dog]

Lizzy & Charlie Update:

 

Been a pretty busy week so for in the Sea Dog household.  The puppies are doing great. So full of life that they wear us out at times.

 

Crate training at night is great. We haven't got them to be able to go a full 8 hours without needing to go potty. That 3:15am potty break outside in 14 degrees is not fun. We are putting them on a leash to better control them so that they focus on the task at hand and not play while also keeping an eagle eye out for coyotes.     

 

When they are not sleeping they are full of energy and love to play, chase each other and wrestle. We have a hug selection of toys (as you can see the mess in the video) and their favorite is a squeaky Santa toy. Here is a little video called, "The Mauling of Santa."

 

 

          

[bobmacliberty]

17 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Here is a little video called, "The Mauling of Santa."

 

I could watch those two wrestle all day.  I love Lizzy's little tail wagging.  I'll leave the 3:15am potty breaks to you though.

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I have never seen or heard of these ducks.  Is that on just oasis or other rcl ships?

Here is a little about it. 
 

https://lifewellcruised.com/cruising-ducks/

 

Meanwhile, we went on a wildlife hunt in Central Park.  Found the owl that lives there. 

 

 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

I hope we can hook up some day. I hope you have a fantastic cruise on Harmony this weekend. Will you be reviewing?

I think we would enjoy sharing a cruise.  We could do a review together!  I really like Harmony.  As long as the sun is shining and the specialty dining doesn’t shut down, it we’ll be great. 
I have been back and forth on a review.  With all the drama on CC I probably will not.  I would hate to start a review and it turn into another blown up thread.  I think just mentioning Harmony in a title right now draws in a group that would ask stuff not related to enjoying a cruise.  Who knows, the last time I made up my mind the evening before boarding.

[grapau27]

13 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I think we would enjoy sharing a cruise.  We could do a review together!  I really like Harmony.  As long as the sun is shining and the specialty dining doesn’t shut down, it we’ll be great. 
I have been back and forth on a review.  With all the drama on CC I probably will not.  I would hate to start a review and it turn into another blown up thread.  I think just mentioning Harmony in a title right now draws in a group that would ask stuff not related to enjoying a cruise.  Who knows, the last time I made up my mind the evening before boarding.

I hope you have a wonderful stress free cruise.

Take care and stay safe.

Graham.

[DaniDanielle]

We found a duck on Anthem December 2019.  I was so excited and people were staring at me like I was crazy(well, they probably were right)!

[BonTexasNY]

4 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Makes perfect sense to me.  I think that's how you should feel at the end of every good vacation.

It was the best of both worlds.  We stayed in the Hilton Tel Aviv, a fabulous hotel right on the Med Sea and we visited daily with Jack's family and his friends whom I love.  Every time we would arrive, the doorman would tell us "welome home".  I so loved that.  And the special rate we always got didn't hurt. 😉

 

Dynamics changed for us to continue those travels.... sigh.

[Sheal]

23 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I know this might sound cheesey but I baked up a pesto pizza with pepperoni. 

Delicious is more like it!

 

On 1/4/2022 at 2:41 PM, BonTexasNY said:

 

I do remember that the year my daughter was in kindergarten there were so many school closings that schools had to remain open during Spring break to be open the required 120 days to receive state aid.  One snowstorm dumped 18 inches where I lived.  I googled the 1947 blizzard; 26 inches fell!

 

I posted this once before.  The blizzard of 1993:

We still talk about the blizzard of '78.  Take the mess in Virginia and add 6 days to remove the cars from the highway.  Or so I read.  I was a 13 year old loving it.