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

[Tree_skier]

18 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Good luck. Like most other New Yorker's, I've considered moving someplace cheaper and warmer.  But then I go thru my list of attributes as well. I like 4 seasons of equal length which eliminates the southern half of the county. I would like to be within a one day  drive of an ocean which eliminates the entire mid-west. I like to hike with some elevation so there needs to be decent sized hills, not necessarily mountains but more than gentle rolling hills.  That eliminates a lot of flat states that have already been eliminated.  Nothing against West Coast but it is far from my family here on the East Coast.

 

So I think I'm down to staying in NY, or moving to Pennsylvanian, New Hampshire, Virginia or Tennessee. That last one surprised me. Apparently depending on where in the state you live, the ocean is within a one day drive.  Well, at least the Gulf of Mexico which is the ocean with smaller waves  And Nashville Predators are my 2nd favorite team after the Rangers.😉

 

A lot of my decisions are based on taxes.  Right now because of how I have things set up CA taxes aren't really that bad for me.  However, once I retire my ability to write off income will change and CA will be pretty unfriendly.  If not for that I would strongly consider staying right in the area we call home. Central CA is a very very different environment from SoCal and the Bay Area and has a lot of what I want.  No place is perfect I guess.  I still have time to look though.

[Coralc]

12 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

A lot of my decisions are based on taxes.  Right now because of how I have things set up CA taxes aren't really that bad for me.  However, once I retire my ability to write off income will change and CA will be pretty unfriendly.  If not for that I would strongly consider staying right in the area we call home. Central CA is a very very different environment from SoCal and the Bay Area and has a lot of what I want.  No place is perfect I guess.  I still have time to look though.

What about Nevada? Although after our forced 2 years in the snow, (because of taxes) we are looking at the southeast. Taxes be darned. Margaritaville in South Carolina sounds kind of nice to us. I want someplace warm with a pool that I don't have to take care of. And someone else to take care of the yard. But I do want a house, not a condo. And a lake nearby, would be nice. So I could fish. Bill does not fish. 

That is the nice thing about the other house (with snow). It is only about 100 feet to trout stocked fishing from the house. Granted, it is a ditch, not a lake, but still fishing. ☺️

Edited May 12, 2023 by Coralc

[CrzLvr2]

8 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

So far, we're OK.

 

I'm just very frustrated and very angry at the endless circle of violence in our region, where absolutely no one on both sides values life and is looking for a "modus vivendi"....

 

Tomorrow we had a reservation to celebrate our DS2 40th anniversary. It will have to wait.

 

I really hope that this "circle" will end soon, and I'll be back continuing my pics from our last trip.

 

((((((( ))))))

 

 

@dani negreanu

Our Dear Sweet Dani,

I hope that the “circle of violence” ends soon and that you remain safe. Prayers and {{HUGS}} for you and your family.

 

I’m hoping that you will be able to celebrate your son’s milestone birthday as soon as it is safe to do so.

And I am certainly looking forward to seeing the rest of your always fantastic photos from your latest trip!!

 

❤️ Sue

 

[CrzLvr2]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Dani-I am saddened to hear that violence has erupted near your home again.

Absolutely nothing can be gained by such actions, yet there are people in our world that continue to cause devastating  harm.

I am hoping that issues can be resolved and that you, your DH and family and friends can have peaceful days soon.

I think everyone on this thread appreciates hearing from you.

Maybe it is a consolation for you to know that so many people from different countries and different walks of life have you all in our thoughts and all wish relief for you.

Take care

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

 @MJSailors +1!!

Well said, MJ!  I was thinking similar thoughts, but I really like how well you expressed them. 🙏

[grapau27]

7 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Graham-You have a lovely place to relax.

I do understand about family divisions. I can’t understand when they happen and, I admit to being envious (a little bit) of families that have strong bonds, being happy with each other.

When DH’s father passed in 2007, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law made it clear to us that they wanted to sever familial ties with us.

MIL severed ties with her brother and sister many years before she did the same to us. So, she had the pattern of having hardness of heart.

My DH has a forgiving nature, so he has forgiven his mother ( who passed in 2009) and his sister.

However,sometimes I have difficulty with their actions as I know they hurt my husband.

Thankfully, we have lifelong friends who are family and we go on with our days.

I think that you and Pauline have found consolation with the relationship with Sara, and she finds comfort from the love and support you give her.

While I realize no one has a perfect life, it seems that you and Pauline have a good life filled with love.

I can say the same for DH and myself.

Take care

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Thank you MJ.

I'm happy to hear you and your husband have a good life filled with love.

You are a lovely couple.

Graham.

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Good luck. Like most other New Yorker's, I've considered moving someplace cheaper and warmer.  But then I go thru my list of attributes as well. I like 4 seasons of equal length which eliminates the southern half of the county. I would like to be within a one day  drive of an ocean which eliminates the entire mid-west. I like to hike with some elevation so there needs to be decent sized hills, not necessarily mountains but more than gentle rolling hills.  That eliminates a lot of flat states that have already been eliminated.  Nothing against West Coast but it is far from my family here on the East Coast.

 

So I think I'm down to staying in NY, or moving to Pennsylvanian, New Hampshire, Virginia or Tennessee. That last one surprised me. Apparently depending on where in the state you live, the ocean is within a one day drive.  Well, at least the Gulf of Mexico which is the ocean with smaller waves  And Nashville Predators are my 2nd favorite team after the Rangers.😉

 

A one day drive to the ocean seems like torture to me.

[Sunshine3601]

15 hours ago, grapau27 said:

I pray and hope Dani @dani negreanu checks in soon to let us know she is safe and well.

Us too.  🙏  I cannot imagine living in fear of missiles every day.

[bobmacliberty]

8 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Good luck. Like most other New Yorker's, I've considered moving someplace cheaper and warmer.  But then I go thru my list of attributes as well. I like 4 seasons of equal length which eliminates the southern half of the county. I would like to be within a one day  drive of an ocean which eliminates the entire mid-west. I like to hike with some elevation so there needs to be decent sized hills, not necessarily mountains but more than gentle rolling hills.  That eliminates a lot of flat states that have already been eliminated.  Nothing against West Coast but it is far from my family here on the East Coast.

 

So I think I'm down to staying in NY, or moving to Pennsylvanian, New Hampshire, Virginia or Tennessee. That last one surprised me. Apparently depending on where in the state you live, the ocean is within a one day drive.  Well, at least the Gulf of Mexico which is the ocean with smaller waves  And Nashville Predators are my 2nd favorite team after the Rangers.😉

 

 

How about North Carolina?  Lots of people seem to be retiring around the Asheville area.  Four seasons, lots of mountains and it's 5 hours +/- to the ocean at Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach.

[reallyitsmema]

On Oasis headed to Port Canaveral with a medical emergency. Doing 23.4 knots. Didn’t hear an alpha call on this one but did hear alpha calls on the two that were taken off by ambulance in Port Canaveral on the way down from Bayonne. First time I heard them call alpha and come immediately. Hope all get the care they need. 

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

A one day drive to the ocean seems like torture to me.

 

Me too.  As does winter.  Of course I couldn't live without golf.  Before retiring, I dreamed a little about finding a cheap slice of paradise somewhere in the Caribbean.  I'd really enjoy being barefoot on a boat a lot.  But I'd miss golf and other parts of reality (like good health care) too much.  Guess my 
Caribbean dream will need to be a vacation.

[Keksie]

12 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

Thanks, I'm preparing for retirement and I want a home in a state that has certain attributes.  I thought Idaho might be the answer but this turned into a big waste of time.  I'm leaving tomorrow.  The search continues...

There is always Florida!  North Florida does have cooler weather and away from the coast a country feel.  The state does have the attributes I think you are looking for.

There is also South Dakota if you like snow.  The Black Hills are beautiful and also has the attributes you might like.

Edited May 12, 2023 by Keksie
Add more content

[h20skibum]

10 hours ago, HBE4 said:

So I think I'm down to staying in NY, or moving to Pennsylvanian, New Hampshire, Virginia or Tennessee.

Pennsylvania isn’t too bad, especially if we have weather like the last year.  Warm, sunny summer, and very little snow last winter.  
 

Taxes aren’t too bad either, although the State house is considering changes that would not be friendly to retirees.  They propose reducing the income tax and more than doubling the tax on investments and interest.  Since retirees aren’t taxed on pensions or social security, their taxes would go up.  I doubt that would make it through the State Senate though.  Politicians are always looking for a way to get more of our money. 
 

Likewise, our county will be undertaking property assessments, which haven’t been done for over 50 years.  I like how they promote it by saying that no one’s taxes will go up, which will be true for the first year, but after that, many will see substantial increases.  
 

I think we will be here, near family, for at least the next 10-15 years.  By then, our next move will probably be the old folks home or an urn.  

[h20skibum]

Our ugly nest builder has two, just hatched robins.  The third should hatch tomorrow. 
 

 

[cruiselvr04]

After the kids left for college and didn’t return, we left the land of the north (Nebraska) for warmer weather.  Nebraska was a lot like Chicago with cold and windy winters.  We had times it snowed and we didn’t see the grass for 3 months at a time.  We considered Arizona but it’s land locked. Florida had hurricanes and as a nurse I didn’t want to deal with staying at the hospital for days and it was too far from the kids. Texas won because the DH had siblings here although we don’t see them all that much.  Our kids are all within 8 hours drive. 
 

Now that we are retiring, our 5 year plan may be to move to Northwest Arkansas. 5 grands are there.  It’s a beautiful area although it’s a little cooler than I’d like. The biggest issues are no direct flights and a long way to the ocean. Medical care although getting better isn’t as good as Dallas. Crazy enough it’s becoming like Austin with higher price per sq ft housing then where we live.  It usually only snows a couple of times a year and melts off pretty fast.

 

We’re thinking about snow birding to Florida in the early retirement years. 

[Jimbo]

3 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

How about North Carolina?  Lots of people seem to be retiring around the Asheville area.  Four seasons, lots of mountains and it's 5 hours +/- to the ocean at Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach.

Virginia  has some  good locations, Taxes very Low in Virginia.

 

Golf Course is about 1/2  mile for our house, From the back of my house in the sunroom I can see the club house.   🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Jimbo

[HBE4]

11 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

A lot of my decisions are based on taxes.  Right now because of how I have things set up CA taxes aren't really that bad for me.  However, once I retire my ability to write off income will change and CA will be pretty unfriendly.  If not for that I would strongly consider staying right in the area we call home. Central CA is a very very different environment from SoCal and the Bay Area and has a lot of what I want.  No place is perfect I guess.  I still have time to look though.

 

My brother-in-law keeps reminding me that as soon as I move away from the NY / NJ / CT area, I'll instantly have an extra $10-$12,000 in my pocket every year just from the tax savings. And that doesn't include the lower cost of living.  Of course, he still lives in NY although in a more rural portion of the state.

 

I'm still in the very, very early part of the process. I'd figured Id pick  3 or 4 places before doing a "deep-dive" research into things like cost, taxes, amenities & activities, etc

 

A friend gave me a copy of Kiplingers retirement guide and they list Visalia, CA as one of the 7 Great Places to retire.  Taxes seem to be a mixed bag. High sales tax but low property tax, no tax on SS income but other forms of retirement income can kick you into a high tax bracket.  But they recommend it based on other things - lots of outdoor activities, easy access to medical care, lively downtown, manageable drive to LA & SF, etc etc

 

As you said, no place it ideal and since DW passing, my retirement years are going to be a lot different than I thought. I'll need to reevaluate & re-prioritize my list of attributes. I doubt I'll be making any moves for a couple of years.

Edited May 12, 2023 by HBE4

[MJSailors]

Graham- You and Pauline are lovely too!

 

@HBE4 As a fellow New Yorker, I understand your point of view!

A very dear friend moved from LI to Tennessee about a year ago.

She and her hubby moved due to her SIL  being transferred for work.

She misses LI even though they live in a lovely area and are enjoying being near their two grandsons.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

[HBE4]

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

A one day drive to the ocean seems like torture to me.

 

One day drive would be the maximum distance for overnight trips but closer would be better as I'd like to do day trips. Right now, it takes me about 1 1/2 hours to get to the closest ocean beach but that can stretch out to 2+ hours if there is an accident or heavy traffic.  I don't mind the drive when going to the beach but it can be annoying on the way home.

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

How about North Carolina?  Lots of people seem to be retiring around the Asheville area.  Four seasons, lots of mountains and it's 5 hours +/- to the ocean at Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach.

 

Yes! Not sure how I missed North Carolina but that does check a lot of the boxes on my list.

 

 

45 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Virginia  has some  good locations, Taxes very Low in Virginia.

 

Golf Course is about 1/2  mile for our house, From the back of my house in the sunroom I can see the club house.   🙂

 

VA is on my list.

 

[Keksie]

We got lucky when we found our current home.  We did know there were no state taxes and that all the other taxes were low.  We knew that we were an hour from my son and 45 min. from the beach.  We were lucky that the local pandemic response, and the response to other issues fit with the way we want to live.  

[lenquixote66]

48 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

My brother-in-law keeps reminding me that as soon as I move away from the NY / NJ / CT area, I'll instantly have an extra $10-$12,000 in my pocket every year just from the tax savings. And that doesn't include the lower cost of living.  Of course, he still lives in NY although in a more rural portion of the state.

 

I'm still in the very, very early part of the process. I'd figured Id pick  3 or 4 places before doing a "deep-dive" research into things like cost, taxes, amenities & activities, etc

 

A friend gave me a copy of Kiplingers retirement guide and they list Visalia, CA as one of the 7 Great Places to retire.  Taxes seem to be a mixed bag. High sales tax but low property tax, no tax on SS income but other forms of retirement income can kick you into a high tax bracket.  But they recommend it based on other things - lots of outdoor activities, easy access to medical care, lively downtown, manageable drive to LA & SF, etc etc

 

As you said, no place it ideal and since DW passing, my retirement years are going to be a lot different than I thought. I'll need to reevaluate & re-prioritize my list of attributes. I doubt I'll be making any moves for a couple of years.

Visalia ,Calif has a lot of residents who moved from NYC.Every summer they have a get together of former NYC residents including a woman that I went to HS with.

One of my daughters and her husband have a home in upstate NY that has a fulltime population of 251.Many people come there to ski in the winter.

[lenquixote66]

44 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

Graham- You and Pauline are lovely too!

 

@HBE4 As a fellow New Yorker, I understand your point of view!

A very dear friend moved from LI to Tennessee about a year ago.

She and her hubby moved due to her SIL  being transferred for work.

She misses LI even though they live in a lovely area and are enjoying being near their two grandsons.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

A friend of mine who was retired from the NYPD moved from NY to Tennessee about 20 years ago and loved the area.My friends from Brooklyn scattered all over the US after retirement .We never did because we love LI.

[lenquixote66]

40 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

One day drive would be the maximum distance for overnight trips but closer would be better as I'd like to do day trips. Right now, it takes me about 1 1/2 hours to get to the closest ocean beach but that can stretch out to 2+ hours if there is an accident or heavy traffic.  I don't mind the drive when going to the beach but it can be annoying on the way home.

Many people that I know who live in Manhattan and Westchester take the LIRR to Long Beach or drive to Long Beach .It is a much less congested area with a beautiful boardwalk and great restaurants.People in my part of LI who could walk to Jones Beach flock to Long Beach .They even have summer concerts .

[lenquixote66]

41 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Yes! Not sure how I missed North Carolina but that does check a lot of the boxes on my list.

 

 

 

VA is on my list.

 

My 3 best friends from HS left NY .One to North Carolina,one to Northern California and then to Oregon and the third to Southern California and then to Northern California.

 

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Pennsylvania isn’t too bad, especially if we have weather like the last year.  Warm, sunny summer, and very little snow last winter.  
 

Taxes aren’t too bad either, although the State house is considering changes that would not be friendly to retirees.  They propose reducing the income tax and more than doubling the tax on investments and interest.  Since retirees aren’t taxed on pensions or social security, their taxes would go up.  I doubt that would make it through the State Senate though.  Politicians are always looking for a way to get more of our money. 
 

Likewise, our county will be undertaking property assessments, which haven’t been done for over 50 years.  I like how they promote it by saying that no one’s taxes will go up, which will be true for the first year, but after that, many will see substantial increases.  
 

I think we will be here, near family, for at least the next 10-15 years.  By then, our next move will probably be the old folks home or an urn.  

 

I was pleasantly surprised to find out how manageable taxes are in Pennsylvania. I guess I always figured they'd be high like the rest of the Northeast.   I've googled "The most tax friendly state for retirees"  and the results were a little surprising as it included some states and a few others that I thought would have been on the list were not. It looks beyond the usual no income tax / low property tax and examines different scenarios such as if groceries are included in sales tax, are there any tax breaks for people 65 year or older, etc.