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

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Last year we had to buy a new car and there wasn't a lot to choose from.  I normally do not buy a vehicle with AWD but had no choice.  With this storm rolling in I need to figure out how to use it.  😆  I guess I just hit the button that says snow. ❄️ Can you push the snow button when the care is moving or do you need to be stopped.  Maybe I need to YouTube. Any warnings about using AWD? 

 

2 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Your Highlander is all time AWD.  No need to push anything.  
 

The snow button is if you get into some deep, nasty stuff.  I have never had to use the snow button on ours, and we get lots more snow than you typically see. 

 

I have a Lexus RX 350 which is the mechanical twin of the Highlander, with some slightly nicer  (and more expensive!!)  clothing. 😉. AWD is always engaged and the car will figure out which of the wheels needs  more or less power to maximize traction and reduce slipping.

 

The snow flake button will basically start the car off in a higher gear, 4th instead of 1st I think(i.e.less engine power), which also helps maximize traction when trying to get the car moving from a standstill.  Basically, it's the car using a light foot to "feather" the gas pedal. The only time I've used it was  in very deep snow or when trying to accelerate up a steep, slippery hill from a standstill. Maybe 4 or 5 times over the 6 years I've owned it.  Again, it's only useful when the car is at a standstill. Once under way, it'll have little or minimal impact.

 

Sorry if I man-splained it . 😄

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Since you have been on Anthem a lot, what deck is best to book midship bump out near aft  elevators on deck 6 or 13?

 

We had 7646 mid ship on the "bump" -- excellent location and views. The friends we traveled with had 7244, also very happy.

[BonTexasNY]

2 hours ago, George C said:

Glad my wife bought a Subaru Outback last year it’s full time all wheel drive, temperature in Dallas just dropped 20 degrees in last couple of hours to low 20’s with single digit wind chill and snow flurries, I know lots of areas are way worse . 

It's now 18 degrees here.  NJ where my daughter and family live is 36.  I think it should be revered but weather all over most of the country is totally wonky.  Stay safe, all.

[NHProud]

Since everyone is giving a local weather report so here is mine in San Diego: 

currently 70°F 

sunny 

no wind 

humidity 34% 

forecast for Christmas warmest in the country 

 

My hubby wanted to move to St Paul after he retired to which I replied HA ! 
 

It’s been mentioned before , don’t be crunching ice with your teeth. I cracked a tooth above the gum line . My dentist can’t deal with it , endodontist referral couldn’t deal with it and now I’m waiting for a consultation with an oral surgeon. The pain from the infection was really bad . Still on antibiotics. I hope , it can be dealt with before our mid-January cruise . 
 

Jane get well soon . 
 

Jim eager to see your finished floor . 

 

 

[Jimbo]

21 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

It's now 18 degrees here.  NJ where my daughter and family live is 36.  I think it should be revered but weather all over most of the country is totally wonky.  Stay safe, all.

You should come to Southwest Virginia, Temperature here is  balmy 39 degrees.....😎

Edited December 22, 2022 by Jimbo

[reallyitsmema]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

What category are the deck 7 cabins?

 

Found them, for the sailing I'm looking at those deck 7 cabins are $500 more per person then a regular J4 Category which give us the option to use Coastal Kitchen if we like.

 

We have stayed in a J4 on deck 13 and we loved the location but not the noise from above.  We were directly under the kitchen that services Coastal Kitchen and we had noise every night after midnight when they were cleaning.  The cabins on the port side would be under the bathrooms outside the WJ, so that side is liable to be noisy too.  Deck 6 would be my choice if that was the only ones left but consider what is on deck 5.  The "smoking bus stop" as it is called is on deck 6 aft starboard side which wouldn't be an issue when underway but we avoid being near that.  On deck 5 port side there is the outdoor eating area for Jamie's Italian.  It is not used much but it is lit up at night, so if you like to sit on your balcony at night and look at the stars. there is a lot of light pollution from there.  We stayed on deck 7 a little aft of the Jamie's are and I think that area was lit up until 11ish each night.

 

The J4's with the split bathroom are nice though.  One of the bathrooms is a sink and a toilet and the other is a sink, tub and stand alone shower with a rain shower head.  There is no toilet in that bathroom.

 

Make your Coastal Kitchen reservations after you board so you can get the dinner times you want.  Anthem is much better at allowing JS passengers reservations than we have experienced on Oasis class ships.

[Luckynana]

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

+ 1 Mark @h20skibum, @Luckynana Maryann, and all the others "on the road".

Thank you, Dani. ❤️ Jim and I will be heading to Florida a week from today..weather should be much better for us when we begin our travels.

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I brought the gift of covid home from allure so I cant go anywhere. My mom was really counting on me to take care of things. No such luck. Cant be around her. 

 

Supposed to be 10 degrees by morning but no snow, clear. 

I hope you're not feeling too sick with your Covid.

[Luckynana]

6 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Hello from the frozen tundra of Lee's Summit, Missouri a suburb of Kansas City where it is -4 with a wind chill that feels like -27 degrees with heavy snow until noon.

 

 

Pretty, but not welcomed by me!  At least you will have a White Christmas!🎄  Stay warm, Greg!

4 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Reporting now from West Virginia.  It is 46°, and we finally got out of the rain.  Looks like we will be clear the rest of our drive today.  
 

Just crossed the New River Gorge Bridge.  

 

I know they used to have a bridge festival every year, and people could bungee jump off the bridge.  I think they have stopped that now.  
 

Speaking of jumps, has anyone seen the latest stunt Tom Cruise did for the new MI movie?  Pretty wild. 
 

Safe travels, Mark.  What Interstate do you take to Florida?

[sgmn]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've had it since sunday of last week. I felt a little better a couple days later in the week and then woke up congested again and dont feel like I'm improving. Coughing all night. 

Sorry to hear Jane, hope you feel better soon.

I did a test yesterday as we had friends over and one was in her 90s.  First time I've tested for months but all good 

[Ozark_Kid]

@Sea Dog Greg, It sure does hit quickly! It's now 18⁰ windchill 0⁰.  It's windy but from a distance the garlic covering looks like it's holding up. Maybe some of this snow will pile up on it and will help even more.  Has the snow stopped there yet?

[h20skibum]

15 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Safe travels, Mark.  What Interstate do you take to Florida?

Thanks.  We have several different ones.  I-79, I-77, I-26, then I-95.

 

 I hope you have good weather for your travels next week. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by h20skibum

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, NHProud said:

Since everyone is giving a local weather report so here is mine in San Diego: 

currently 70°F 

sunny 

no wind 

humidity 34% 

forecast for Christmas warmest in the country 

 

It’s been mentioned before , don’t be crunching ice with your teeth. I cracked a tooth above the gum line . My dentist can’t deal with it , endodontist referral couldn’t deal with it and now I’m waiting for a consultation with an oral surgeon. The pain from the infection was really bad . Still on antibiotics. I hope , it can be dealt with before our mid-January cruise . 

I love San Diego!

Sorry to hear about your tooth, and the problems it's giving you.  Since your dentist and endodontist were unable to help, the oral surgeon will be your go-to-guy.  I have gone through so much dental work..bone implants, dental implants, etc I know the anxiety you are going through...and the pain.  I hope this gets resolved quickly for you.🤞

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, NHProud said:

Since everyone is giving a local weather report so here is mine in San Diego: 

currently 70°F 

sunny 

no wind 

humidity 34% 

forecast for Christmas warmest in the country 

 

 

😠😠😠

 

LOL, just kidding. Sorry you are being left out of winter weather misery.  Enjoy the boring weather. 😉

😇😊

[h20skibum]

We made 4 states today.  Pennsylvania, W Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.  We usually break up our trips to Florida, and take 3 days.  It is more relaxing for us that way. 
 

It is 46° in Elkin, NC, where we are staying.  The weather app says it will get much colder overnight, so we will see what it looks like in the morning.  As usual, the Fairfield we stay at here, is decorated to the nines.  Maybe some more photos in the morning, but here is the Nutcracker army waiting when you get off the elevators. 

 

We had an early supper at the Pirates Landing.  
 

 

We have always had very good seafood there, but we were both disappointed with our shrimp tonight.  I thought it was a little overcooked. 
 

 

I must have been doing something right, because one of my fuel loyalty cards started giving me $0.30 off per gallon. 
 

 

 

[dani negreanu]

3 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

LOL, just kidding.

 

How r u coping these days in general and with the "paper work" in particular?

[Arzeena]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Be careful with 6. I think that is the one that has obstructed views due to lifeboats. I'm on 11 on Odyssey.

Not all of deck 6 cabins are obstructed. Front is clear ahead of 6160. Midship bump outs near the rear elevators all clear. Have stayed there and front deck 6.  Most convenient IMHO on the Anthem. 6 starboard is a no no due to a smoking nook on deck 5. It hasn't bothered us becaue it is covered from the top like a bus stop, but it has bothered others since smoke does float up eventually.

 

11 is a good deck. Sandwiched with cabins. 12 even better if you (are allowed to) use the concierge lounge. 13 not so much since its under solarium and pool area. We have stayed on 13. Although close to the Solarium in the front and all, would not pick unless assigned as a GTY or had no other choice.

I just prefer 6 front or 6 bump out near rear elevators. Won't mind 7 or 8 up there either, but feel 6 is so convenient to get to everything 5,4 and 3.

[Ozark_Kid]

My new health insurance provider says they have free interpreter services. It mentions Spanish, French, German etc.  Long list but nowhere do I see Southern 🤔 I reckon y'all might not understand but whatsu talkn bout.

 

[Jimbo]

8 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Not all of deck 6 cabins are obstructed. Front is clear ahead of 6160. Midship bump outs near the rear elevators all clear. Have stayed there and front deck 6.  Most convenient IMHO on the Anthem. 6 starboard is a no no due to a smoking nook on deck 5. It hasn't bothered us becaue it is covered from the top like a bus stop, but it has bothered others since smoke does float up eventually.

 

11 is a good deck. Sandwiched with cabins. 12 even better if you (are allowed to) use the concierge lounge. 13 not so much since its under solarium and pool area. We have stayed on 13. Although close to the Solarium in the front and all, would not pick unless assigned as a GTY or had no other choice.

I just prefer 6 front or 6 bump out near rear elevators. Won't mind 7 or 8 up there either, but feel 6 is so convenient to get to everything 5,4 and 3.

I got  2 cabins about 2 cabins apart on deck 7 for a B2B on hold right now on the bump out. I hope the smoke pit(isn't the smoke pit like half way between back of ship and the aft elevator) doesn't bother us to much. I figured with the ship sailing forward the smoke will travel toward the back of the ship..........Our 2 cabins are pretty much on the bump out, Category 2D and category J4

[Jimbo]

28 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

My new health insurance provider says they have free interpreter services. It mentions Spanish, French, German etc.  Long list but nowhere do I see Southern 🤔 I reckon y'all might not understand but whatsu talkn bout.

 

We have been here 2 years now in Virginia and still don't understand some people down here. 🤣

[NHProud]

51 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

I love San Diego!

Sorry to hear about your tooth, and the problems it's giving you.  Since your dentist and endodontist were unable to help, the oral surgeon will be your go-to-guy.  I have gone through so much dental work..bone implants, dental implants, etc I know the anxiety you are going through...and the pain.  I hope this gets resolved quickly for you.🤞

Thank you for your kind words .  Oh no , that must have hurt . I’ve been lucky so far .  If this latest guy can’t help me I might have to resort to a piece of string and a doorknob.  
 

 

[NHProud]

48 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

😠😠😠

 

LOL, just kidding. Sorry you are being left out of winter weather misery.  Enjoy the boring weather. 😉

😇😊

How are you doing ?  I hope you and your daughter find comfort in being together this Christmas. 
 

Yes , this constant sunshine sure gets boring but then I remember my New Hampshire roots . 

 

[Ocean Boy]

21 minutes ago, NHProud said:

How are you doing ?  I hope you and your daughter find comfort in being together this Christmas. 
 

Yes , this constant sunshine sure gets boring but then I remember my New Hampshire roots . 

 

All this time I thought you were in NH. Where are you?🤔

[Arzeena]

58 minutes ago, NHProud said:

Thank you for your kind words .  Oh no , that must have hurt . I’ve been lucky so far .  If this latest guy can’t help me I might have to resort to a piece of string and a doorknob.  
 

 

I hope you feel better soon and find a solution.

But on the lighter side, the door knob will be cheaper than the latest guy who will be putting your dollars towards a down payment for a new yacht. 😁

[Arzeena]

@Jimbo
When are you cruising on the Anthem?

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

My new health insurance provider says they have free interpreter services. It mentions Spanish, French, German etc.  Long list but nowhere do I see Southern 🤔 I reckon y'all might not understand but whatsu talkn bout.

 

I did notice that they talk kinda funny down here in NC.  Fortunately I have watched Talladega Nights more than once, so I could unnerstan ‘em.