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

[Ozark_Kid]

54 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

How did I miss this? Wishing John @Ozark_Kid a very Happy Belated Birthday from Mike and I.

 

Thanks Renee!  

Happy to see you and Mike are enjoying cruising.  Tell Mike I said hi.

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Is the production of electric cars being promoted in your countries?

 In Israel, the electric cars are heavily promoted, mainly by cheap Chinese manufacturers, which compete with Tesla.

 

However, people who waited months at a time for a Tesla delivery are hugely disappointed and many are returning/selling almost brand new cars.

 

On top of Graham's valid points, think a small and densely populated country, with traffic worse than LA and very sparse charges....

[Arzeena]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm seeing your pictures of food but nothing yet which ship or cruiseline you are on. I skipped the last day or two and trying to scroll back but wondering which ship. 

 

Saw eye doc Wednesday and stopped by cpa after and doors locked. Thought ok maybe they close for lunch but went back later in person and still locked up. Turned out it's a Muslim holiday. They assume their clients know it's a big Muslim holiday I guess. I was told they fast for 2 weeks and last Wednesday they are allowed to eat. 

 

Told myself dont panic there is a good reason. They havent closed up shop and absconded with my tax documents. So yesterday we got thru the tsxes. Yipee.

 

On top of that my bil who told me last year he understood karen had to change her address on her id to apply for homeowners. He said he did it, he didnt. My eyes didnt see well enough i cand read her address so didnt notice he lied. We sent in her ID with old address. Today they are going to update. 2 pm he says. My fault also for not noticing and double checking. He said he was tired of putting out fires. I said me too, and thinking had he updated his driving license and ID it wouldnt be a  push now. My time here in texas is getting tight. 

 

And yes you can change address online and pay via credit card. He says he has a unused credit card for travel. Still never used, and not for this. It's like dealing with 2 kids. How hard can it be to homestead their house lol. Well you do need a texas id or drivers license with a matching address. I'm paying their property taxes so I need to make sure that it's done. Cant trust him to do anything. 

 

Oh did I mention their car was totalled and he bought a pick up. My sister is on a walker or a wheelchair ... this is a really stupid choice with a hc wife. So hes dealing with paying off old car and the new pick up paperwork and feeling stressed. Me too. 

 

Anyway I didnt read cc much yesterday. Numbers and stress overload. 

Hope you get everything sorted out soon.
The Muslim holiday..... It is Eid ul Fitre. They fast for 30 days from sun up to sun down. The month ends to the Eid day of festivities. Similar to but not same like Lent. It is one of their biggest holiday/festival. It is not unusual for them or anyone to stay closed on their holiday.

[MJSailors]

Thank you,Dani for your response.

Totally understand.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[A&L_Ont]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Happy Friday, all!

I have a question for our posters who live in Australia, Canada,England and Israel. A report on TV this AM caused me to be curious.

Is the production of electric cars being promoted in your countries?

According to the report, there has been a great demand for such vehicles in the US.

Thank you- @aussielozzie18, @A&L_Ont, @grapau27, and @dani negreanu

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

Just a brief take IMO in Canada.  @Ourusualbeach and @Tree_skier can chime in to give their thoughts as fellow Canadians, if they differ or are similar. 

 

There is promotion by government, mainly by using tax payer's funds to invest in battery plants and automotive plants to build electric vehicles.  

 

IMO they are being dictated by the current federal government.  "The Liberals have announced Canada's move away from fully gas-powered cars and toward electric vehicles, mandating that all sales of passenger cars, SUVs, crossovers and light trucks be hybrids, electric or hydrogen-powered by 2035".  Our current Minister of Environment and Climate Change was previously a Green Peace activist who climbed the CN Tower and was sentenced to one year's probation.  The court also ordered him to pay a portion of costs estimated at $50,000.  His task is to protect the environment, but I would philosphically ask where should the line of reality be drawn versus a unrealistic goals. 

 

As it stands our electrical grid where I live in my rural county could not support all electric cars, let alone the entire province nor entire country.  To upgrade the grid for my county makes no sense.  Neither does diesel generators at gas stations to provide power for the cars. Doing that defeats the purpose of not burning fossil fuels.  

 

The theory is good, the practicality in my eyes not so much. I have personally had a hybrid SUV and bought 2 more for our family business. There are many that feel the same way as me about this mandated change, but there are others who are passionate about it.  If I did a lot of commuting and had a fast charger near my home I would add one to my fleet of cars.  Their raw speed and power is interesting but for me, at this point, it is not even on my radar. I have loved riding in them and when using Uber if it is an option I pick it.

 

As for the stories you have mentioned you can find a news stories here and here about electric vehicle demand dropping and plants cutting shifts. 

 

Just my take, and maybe Dave and Ken can chime in what their thoughts are about Canada and electric cars. I did my best to make it about the car VS politics.

Edited April 12 by A&L_Ont

[h20skibum]

3 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Happy Friday, all!

I have a question for our posters who live in Australia, Canada,England and Israel. A report on TV this AM caused me to be curious.

Is the production of electric cars being promoted in your countries?

According to the report, there has been a great demand for such vehicles in the US.

Thank you- @aussielozzie18, @A&L_Ont, @grapau27, and @dani negreanu

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

 

 

Demand may be a regional thing, but we certainly are not seeing it in our area.  My guess is that it will be 10 to 15 years before the technology is refined to the point where the average consumer would consider them.

 

3 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Electric cars and Hybrid cars are being heavily promoted in England.

The lack of Electric chargers,increased cost of Electric cars and the short driving distances of 250-350 miles between charges means I am unlikely to buy an Electric car.

 

47 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 In Israel, the electric cars are heavily promoted, mainly by cheap Chinese manufacturers, which compete with Tesla.

 

However, people who waited months at a time for a Tesla delivery are hugely disappointed and many are returning/selling almost brand new cars.

 

On top of Graham's valid points, think a small and densely populated country, with traffic worse than LA and very sparse charges....

We didn’t even consider electric when we bought a new car last month.  My son in California has had two electric vehicles, a BMW i3 that had a very limited range, and a Tesla Model X that he has had for six years now.  California has a better network of charging stations, but all I see are trade offs and downsides.  He has a charger in his garage, and is able to charge for his daily commute, without waiting in line.  
 

He has taken it on a longer trip, They are just returning from a trip to LA (about 400 miles).  They had three stops for charging, with charging times of 1-1.5 hours each.  Two of those you could combine charging with meal time, but the other is wasted time, in my opinion.

 

The one Tesla charging stop has a ton of chargers, but the electric grid can’t handle that many, so they supplement with diesel generators to power the chargers.  Not seeing how that makes sense.

 

I am fairly confident I will never have one in what remains of my life.

 

Sorry, I am not from those countries you asked about, but just thought I would add my 2 cents.

[Jimbo]

7 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Day 2 

We had breakfast in the galley. Most food is served by the crew, except there are some to go items you get yourself. Sushi, wraps, salads, fruit and a few other things you could grab.

 

 

Omelets were made to order and it took about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

I tried the Brown Butter Financier and the Key Lime Pie and both were very good. There aways seemed to be a line.

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner was at Razzle Dazzle.

 

 

 

We both had the lamb shank which was very good.

 

Nashville hot cauliflower which was also very good.

 

Pork belly

 

 

Mike had the dark scores and I had the rum apple cake. Both were excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Day 2 we went to see the show Around The World In 80 Minutes With The Diva.

 

While waiting in line I happen to see this special.

 

 

 

This wasn't on the menu and I don't remember the name, but it was good. It was something like the Dixie Krystal (the diva) Special or something.

 

Drink menu from The Manor.

 

This is just part of the show. I don't want to post the other videos here since some people might not find the jokes funny.

 

 

Their coffee place.

 

Mike tried the expresso martini and he said it wasn't good at all and it was very small. We didn't try anything else here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

The Draft House. 

 

 

The Sip Lounge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike enjoyed his beer while I really liked the 2 cocktails I had.

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea in the Sip Lounge. We didn't do this, but some people were very nice to let me take a quick picture. They said they really enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Day 3 breakfast at Razzle Dazzle. We ate more on this cruise than we usually do. To many new and different things to try. Everything was very good.

 

 

Showing the distance between tables. They don't cram them in like on Royal.

 

Mike had the sunny side hash.

 

I had the malted buckwheat waffles.

 

The nutty gazpacho we split.

 

We split the blueberry green tea cheesecake. I didn't know there was such a thing as dessert for breakfast.

 

 

I had the smoked cheddar jalapeño croissant. I was after the insides. 😊

 

 

 

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm seeing your pictures of food but nothing yet which ship or cruiseline you are on. I skipped the last day or two and trying to scroll back but wondering which ship. 

 

Saw eye doc Wednesday and stopped by cpa after and doors locked. Thought ok maybe they close for lunch but went back later in person and still locked up. Turned out it's a Muslim holiday. They assume their clients know it's a big Muslim holiday I guess. I was told they fast for 2 weeks and last Wednesday they are allowed to eat. 

 

Told myself dont panic there is a good reason. They havent closed up shop and absconded with my tax documents. So yesterday we got thru the tsxes. Yipee.

 

On top of that my bil who told me last year he understood karen had to change her address on her id to apply for homeowners. He said he did it, he didnt. My eyes didnt see well enough i cand read her address so didnt notice he lied. We sent in her ID with old address. Today they are going to update. 2 pm he says. My fault also for not noticing and double checking. He said he was tired of putting out fires. I said me too, and thinking had he updated his driving license and ID it wouldnt be a  push now. My time here in texas is getting tight. 

 

And yes you can change address online and pay via credit card. He says he has a unused credit card for travel. Still never used, and not for this. It's like dealing with 2 kids. How hard can it be to homestead their house lol. Well you do need a texas id or drivers license with a matching address. I'm paying their property taxes so I need to make sure that it's done. Cant trust him to do anything. 

 

Oh did I mention their car was totalled and he bought a pick up. My sister is on a walker or a wheelchair ... this is a really stupid choice with a hc wife. So hes dealing with paying off old car and the new pick up paperwork and feeling stressed. Me too. 

 

Anyway I didnt read cc much yesterday. Numbers and stress overload. 

Food looks a 100  times better then Royal's..........I believe she sailing on a Virgin Voyages cruise line ship

[Luckynana]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

 

I dont stream so just cable tv. Have you seen ellsbeth. Is it worth watching Thursday nights?

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

[StanleyandGus]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Happy Friday, all!

I have a question for our posters who live in Australia, Canada,England and Israel. A report on TV this AM caused me to be curious.

Is the production of electric cars being promoted in your countries?

According to the report, there has been a great demand for such vehicles in the US.

Thank you- @aussielozzie18, @A&L_Ont, @grapau27, and @dani negreanu

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

 

 

They are heavily promoted, for the reasons that A&L Ont said. 
 

We might go to one for a round town commuter car, but Saskatchewan has long distances without charging stations. I don’t think it’s practical for that reason. And I haven’t seen a lot of electrically powered farm equipme

 

I believe that it’s a rural vs city thing. 

[cruiselvr04]

We had this discussion with Australians at dinner one night.  It’s the same issues everywhere.  Few charging stations, would never make it on a road trip in the heart of Australia.  Batteries are very costly to replace.  There have been some fires from cars plugged into garages which burned the house down. Some places in Australia now say you have to have the charging so many feet from your home in case of fire.   

[George C]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

So I take it they don't do that now? That would be a great deal and I would take advantage of that.

Unfortunately it is no longer offered, I would be happy to pay double that price , I will ask again our December cruise. . 

[MJSailors]

Thank you, @A&L_Ont, @h20skibum and @StanleyandGus

and @cruiselvr04 for your responses. Totally agree with all the points you made in your posts.

After listening to an interview with Al Gore this morning, I got to thinking of this electric vehicle phenomena was a US thing or world wide.

From the sampling here, I am understanding that it is world wide.

I do not think electric vehicles are sustainable for reasons that have been posted.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Edited April 12 by MJSailors

[Luckynana]

9 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

 

I do not think electric vehicles are sustainable for reasons that have been posted.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

Totally agree😉

[Jimbo]

24 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We had this discussion with Australians at dinner one night.  It’s the same issues everywhere.  Few charging stations, would never make it on a road trip in the heart of Australia.  Batteries are very costly to replace.  There have been some fires from cars plugged into garages which burned the house down. Some places in Australia now say you have to have the charging so many feet from your home in case of fire.   

Always charge my electric Golf Cart about 15ft from the house, never in the garage incase of a fire.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

I have recorded but not yet.  I, too, enjoyed her on The Good Wife.

[aussielozzie18]

@MJSailors I typed a long reply and it disappeared so here is my short answer.

🇦🇺 production - no

promotion - yes

 

 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

Just visited the garden.  I cut back this year.  30 tomato plants in beds, 8 in grow bags of which I am keeping 5 on our deck.  The plants look great.  Only 1 looks like it should be better but I have 10 backup plants to replace if needed.

Forcast shows temperature in the low 80s for several days!

Here are flowers coming out!

 

[Keksie]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I love the show "Elsbeth"  Jim like it also.  I loved watching her on "The Good Wife" years ago.  Elsbeth cracks me up!  She's kind of like a female "Columbo"😁

I love Elsbeth too.  One of my favorite shows.

[Ozark_Kid]

Wednesday was the anniversary of my official diagnosis. Time sure does fly!  Physically things have changed a lot.  I am not going list those changes.  I think the one thing that has changed for the better is my love of life and those around me!  I give thanks for each new day!  So much love shown to me and my family.  An example of how we have been blessed, remember me telling about our new neighbor, on her own, came over and shoveled the snow off our driveway?  Well, yesterday she surprised us with a great homemade strawberry pie!  We are still having people bringing us meals each week to help ease the burden off Sharon and to bring a smile to our face.  And what I love the most is so often I still hear someone add their name to the long list from around the world of those that are thinking and praying for us.  So special!

[MJSailors]

Continued blessings to you,Ozark Kid. I am sure that the goodness you have shown others is now being returned to you.

Take care

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[Luckynana]

@Ozark_Kid  John, you are always so optimistic and thankful and never mention any obstacles.  God Bless!!!🙏  Love you, kid!😘

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

 

 

 

 

Food looks a 100  times better then Royal's..........I believe she sailing on a Virgin Voyages cruise line ship

It was VV and I *think* it was Scarlet Lady.

[ReneeFLL]

On 4/6/2024 at 8:19 AM, h20skibum said:

I learned some things about cats, this week, that I didn’t know.  

 

You may remember a few of my photos of Ricky, who lives with my daughter and her family.  Ricky, is arguably the strangest cat I have ever encountered.  Never once has he ever nipped or scratched anyone. 

 

 

This week, Ricky became very lethargic.  Not interested in food, wouldn’t play, and was not himself.  When they took him to the vet, they diagnosed him as anemic, and sent him to a facility in Ohio to have his blood typed.  Once typed, they had to find another facility that had his blood type to do a transfusion.  

 

I never knew there were such things as cat blood donors, or transfusions for cats. There is no such thing as a universal donor blood type for cats.  

 

They said that Ricky would not have survived another day if they had not acted so quickly.  He should be coming home today, from Akron, where he finally ended up for his transfusion.  

 

I know everyone will be overjoyed to see him return home.  They just wish he wasn’t bringing that $$$$ bill with him.  
 

 

I’m glad y’all were able to give Ricky the care he needed. Will this be an ongoing thing or will he be good for now? Wishing the best for the kitty.

Upon reading more, I see that it has been answered.

 

Edited April 13 by ReneeFLL

[ReneeFLL]

On 4/6/2024 at 12:50 PM, h20skibum said:

Now, for the important question.  Has anyone done the “Swimming with Pigs…” excursion at Nassau?  I just booked it this morning for the seven of us.   I already have an idea how this will go.   
 

My granddaughter will probably try to latch on to one and ride it like a dolphin.

 

Her brother will be a little more cautious and will wait to see if one eats his sister before getting close to one.

 

My CA grandson will probably try to keep away from them at all costs

 

As for the four adults, who knows how that will go?

 

At least it didn’t say I was too old to book this one.

 

So, has anyone done it, and how was it?

Not sure the pig would like that.

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, MJSailors said:

Thank you, @A&L_Ont, @h20skibum and @StanleyandGus

and @cruiselvr04 for your responses. Totally agree with all the points you made in your posts.

After listening to an interview with Al Gore this morning, I got to thinking of this electric vehicle phenomena was a US thing or world wide.

From the sampling here, I am understanding that it is world wide.

I do not think electric vehicles are sustainable for reasons that have been posted.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

How are we going to upgrade the grid to supply enough electricity to charge all these future cars? How do you generate the electricity? No one wants a nuclear plant in their back yard. How do you mine the minerals needed to build the batteries without greatly affecting the environment? I can fill my gas tank in five minutes. Are they going to come up with batteries that don't need a 45 minute rest stop? What do you do when a 10 minutes trip on the Cross Bronx Expressway turns into 50 minutes and you run out of charge?