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

[mo&fran]

42 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

FlightAware works well for this.  They have an app and it works in a browser.  It's like MarineTraffic for planes.  It's amazing to see how many planes are in the sky at any point in time.

I prefer Flightradar24, it is much quicker to come up. 

If a family member is traveling , flightaware works really well for following a flight.   When at home, if I hear something unusual, flightradar24 comes on for the airspace around my house,  and I can identify them quickly.

 One that has been pretty busy lately is the Florida Highway Patrol.  The have a Skyhawk that does speed enforcement north of my house, generally for 2-3 hours starting at 7am, on I95 northbound. They generally do not do southbound  because there is a restriction of PBI airspace.

Edited February 11 by mo&fran

[reallyitsmema]

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is what I use.

 

I like Flightaware if I am looking for a specific flight as I am tracking someone flying.  Flightradar24 is great for what just buzzed my house right now.  

[Ocean Boy]

49 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Safe travels - thanks for sharing.  I know you have really enjoyed Odessey.   Do you still feel the same about Odessey after this cruise?  

I do. Even with Q class design quirks it is a very functional ship. This morning the Windjammer had a very relaxing atmosphere and we all know how that last breakfast can be.

 

Met a couple of bartenders that I enjoyed and that seems to be a little harder to do on O class with so many people competing for their attention. Though sailing Allure at around 50% capacity was a dream and isn't likely to ever happen again.

 

I didn't think the Windjammer food was quite as good as last year but I didn't go hungry for sure. I always found something that I enjoyed. Sorrento's did not disappoint. I expected the pizza to be bad and it lived up to my expectations.

 

The entertainment will never equal O class but anyone with RCI experience would not expect it to be on O class level. It is certainly way above the old RCI Singers and Dancers level.

 

The ship is still meticulously maintained, the crew is friendly and helpful. There is enough to do on the ship but not too much. I leave this ship feeling more relaxed than I do on O class. I still love O class for all it has to offer and I do miss the Aqua Theater and ice rink when on other class ships. But I don't get much down time when on O class.

 

The bottom line is I would have no issue booking Odyssey and hope I am able to sail on her again. I still think she is an awesome ship.

[Ocean Boy]

32 minutes ago, voyager70 said:

 

Glad to know I’m not the only plane geek out there 😁 I always have to check whenever I hear a plane or helicopter flying over my house. Agree that it’s amazing to see how many aircraft are in the sky at any given time, especially near the major population centers. Tremendous respect for all the air traffic controllers who keep the skies safe.

Did you mention plane geek? I'm in that club. Heck when I book flights one of the criteria I use is what model plane I'll be flying on. YouTube has loads of videos with communication between planes and ATC. I love listening to those! And I have Microsoft Flight Simulator on my computer and have loads of fun with that.

[mo&fran]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I do. Even with Q class design quirks it is a very functional ship. This morning the Windjammer had a very relaxing atmosphere and we all know how that last breakfast can be.

 

Met a couple of bartenders that I enjoyed and that seems to be a little harder to do on O class with so many people competing for their attention. Though sailing Allure at around 50% capacity was a dream and isn't likely to every happen again.

 

I didn't think the Windjammer food was quite as good as last year but I didn't go hungry for sure. I always found something that I enjoyed. Sorrento's did not disappoint. I expected the pizza to be bad and it lived up to my expectations.

 

The entertainment will never equal O class but anyone with RCI would not expect it to be on O class level. It is certainly way above the old RCI Singers and Dancers level.

 

The ship is still meticulously maintained, the crew is friendly and helpful. There is enough to do on the ship but not too much. I leave this ship feeling more relaxed than I do on O class. I still love O class for all it has to offer and I do miss the Aqua Theater and ice rink when on other class ships. But I don't get much down time when on O class.

 

The bottom line is I would have no issue booking Odyssey and hope I am able to sail on her again. I still think she is an awesome ship.

Only problem is she is going to Bayonne, so the 7 day cruises are the PC , Nassau, and Coco Cay itinerary. 

[Keksie]

1 minute ago, Ocean Boy said:

Did you mention plane geek? I'm in that club. Heck when I book flights one of the criteria I use is what model plane I'll be flying on. YouTube has loads of videos with communication between planes and ATC. I love listening to those! And I have Microsoft Flight Simulator on my computer and have loads of fun with that.

Did you see your neighbor's private plane as it landed in LA?  Maybe you could catch a ride with her sometime.  That would be a fun way to start a cruise.

[dani negreanu]

11 hours ago, Etta1213 said:

Do you feel obligated to simplify "stuff" so that your kids don't inherit a mess one day?

 

Not obligated, but I take "pity" on them... I too have difficulties throwing thinks out, so was my late mom, and when she passed, being an only daughter, I had to throw, give away, leave with the house a lot of stuff.

 

Don't want our kids to go through this....

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

Only problem is she is going to Bayonne, so the 7 day cruises are the PC , Nassau, and Coco Cay itinerary. 

I know, terrible itinerary. I guess if I just wanted to spend a week on the ship it would be OK but I do look forward to port calls.

[Ocean Boy]

4 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Did you see your neighbor's private plane as it landed in LA?  Maybe you could catch a ride with her sometime.  That would be a fun way to start a cruise.

I guess I could tolerate sharing a ride with her.😇

[mo&fran]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

I know, terrible itinerary. I guess if I just wanted to spend a week on the ship it would be OK but I do look forward to port calls.

When we were living in Ct, we did a couple of those on Explorer. The only good thing were the last of a B3B, the other 2 legs being 9 to 11 days. It was a B2B that had a big snow storm, so they let us stay on

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

When we were living in Ct, we did a couple of those on Explorer. The only good thing were the last of a B3B, the other 2 legs being 9 to 11 days. It was a B2B that had a big snow storm, so they let us stay on

Voyager class is certainly not the best for a cold weather home port.

[mo&fran]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Voyager class is certainly not the best for a cold weather home port.

No. but it was neat walking out of WJ and seeing the pool chairs buried in snow,

Muster drill not so much, although once they did move indoors due to ice on the deck.

[Ocean Boy]

@ReneeFLL Tell Mike I think he would have enjoyed the comedian last night. He did a segment on flying in a plane. That, and the entire show, was hellarious.

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Is anyone else not getting notifications from cruise critic?   Haven’t received any for the last couple days, so I fear my email inbox will be bombarded again when they start again. 
 

 

 

I'm no longer getting new posts notifications in the little bell in the upper right corner but I am getting notifications whenever someone reacts to something I posted. 

 

I've turned off email notifications a long time ago.  Might be a good idea for you to do the same as you may be bombarded with 18,000 emails when (if) they fix the problem.  Oddly, there is no banner message on the top of the page from the admin asking us to be patient while they work in the problem.

 

[NHProud]

Greg , I hope your team wins so you can go into surgery on the 14th with a smile on your face . And , I say this as a Californian .

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I just click on the blue dot or blue star in front of the thread title and it brings me to where I last left off in a thread.  It is a blue dot if you haven't posted in the thread or a blue star if you have posted.  If there is no blue dot or star, you are all caught up on the thread. 

 

That's what I do. Works perfectly from my android phone but only occasionally with my Windows laptop. It'll bring me to the vicinity of where I last left off, sometimes a few posts before or after so I will miss a few posts from time to time. Weird.

[NHProud]

12 hours ago, Etta1213 said:

Do you feel obligated to simplify "stuff" so that your kids don't inherit a mess one day? I have a tough time letting go of things. Woukd love feedback.

There’s the clutter that can be easily disposed of and then there’s the financial stuff that you don’t want your heirs to have to figure out. Hubby and I attended a seminar attended mostly by old folks on how to put together a family binder where it lists accounts , passwords , bills to be paid, who to notify when you you die , etc.

 

First there was Marie Kondo and her does this bring me joy and now there’s the Swedish death cleaning . My friend told me she was into the death cleaning. I’m bringing my stuff with me so no need of that.  

[jmh2006]

@LuckynanaI immediately thought of you when I saw the footage of the plane crash.  So scary!

 

@Momof3gurlz  No bell notification either and I have had to resort to keeping a running list of the last post I read! 🤣

 

@ReneeFLL  Glad you are home safe and sound after what sounded like two very nice cruises!

 

@Ocean Boy  Please join us on Bella 2!!

[Momof3gurlz]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

I just click on the blue dot or blue star in front of the thread title and it brings me to where I last left off in a thread.  It is a blue dot if you haven't posted in the thread or a blue star if you have posted.  If there is no blue dot or star, you are all caught up on the thread. 

Thanks, I’ll give this a try. 

[Momof3gurlz]

49 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Not obligated, but I take "pity" on them... I too have difficulties throwing thinks out, so was my late mom, and when she passed, being an only daughter, I had to throw, give away, leave with the house a lot of stuff.

 

Don't want our kids to go through this....

Another only child here Dani. After what we went through clearing out my Dad’s house I vowed not to do that to our kids.  It’s easy for me because I’m an organization geek, but Andy is a pack rat.  I often have to remind him “remember when we cleared out my Dad’s house?”.  That usually does the trick to get him to throw away a few things.  It’s a work in progress. 

[Keksie]

9 minutes ago, NHProud said:

There’s the clutter that can be easily disposed of and then there’s the financial stuff that you don’t want your heirs to have to figure out. Hubby and I attended a seminar attended mostly by old folks on how to put together a family binder where it lists accounts , passwords , bills to be paid, who to notify when you you die , etc.

 

First there was Marie Kondo and her does this bring me joy and now there’s the Swedish death cleaning . My friend told me she was into the death cleaning. I’m bringing my stuff with me so no need of that.  

My hearse will be towing a uhaul!. Lol

[Momof3gurlz]

11 minutes ago, jmh2006 said:

@LuckynanaI immediately thought of you when I saw the footage of the plane crash.  So scary!

 

@Momof3gurlz  No bell notification either and I have had to resort to keeping a running list of the last post I read! 🤣

 

@ReneeFLL  Glad you are home safe and sound after what sounded like two very nice cruises!

 

@Ocean Boy  Please join us on Bella 2!!

@Ocean Boy  We’re a fun bunch!  Plus, we love the Schooner Bar! 

[reallyitsmema]

5 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Another only child here Dani. After what we went through clearing out my Dad’s house I vowed not to do that to our kids.  It’s easy for me because I’m an organization geek, but Andy is a pack rat.  I often have to remind him “remember when we cleared out my Dad’s house?”.  That usually does the trick to get him to throw away a few things.  It’s a work in progress. 

 

My son is an only child and we do not want to leave him dealing with all our stuff either.  We have been purging stuff for the last couple of years but have a long way to go.  When we moved into this house, my mother in law also moved in with us.  A lot of stuff was put in the attic to deal with later and still sits there over twenty years later.  The plan was to clear that stuff out as we were clearing out my son's stuff when he bought his house.  Well, housing prices has my son still here.  At this rate, he might end up buying this house from us when his Dad retires in five years.  Then, he might just get stuck with it all. 😄 

[Sea Dog]

40 minutes ago, NHProud said:

Greg , I hope your team wins so you can go into surgery on the 14th with a smile on your face . And , I say this as a Californian .

Thanks Judy! I’m nervous but I’m always nervous about the Chiefs. A win would make things next week really nice. Not looking forward to Wednesday that’s for sure. If they win the parade would be that day. Ok by me as I would not be attending anyway with my knee.

[HBE4]

Speaking of clutter, I finally had my pull-down attic stair case replaced. It had started to break at the end of December & became unsafe to use. As far as I know, it's the original which would make it 60 years old and it felt like it was made of toothpicks and sawdust. It was always creaking & groaning whenever I'd use it to go into the attic and it finally gave way at the end of last year. Wood started to crack, hinges bent out of shape & one of the springs snapped off. I had to prop it close with a pole saw. Now I have a nice, new sturdy aluminum pull down ladder with a 375 pound weight limit. 

 

What does this have to do with clutter? Well, my Christmas decorations and both Christmas trees are stored in the attic. And since I couldn't put them away & I didn't want a bunch of boxes cluttering the house, I left all the decorations and both trees up.  Yep - house was still fully decorated up to yesterday & I kept both trees lit. Nothing sadder than an unlit tree. Finally putting everything away & returning the house to normal. 🙂

 

I'm pretty sure I'm the last one to take down their tree. 😉