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

[lenquixote66]

14 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

So glad to hear majority of folks who test positive, like you, only have head cold symptoms but sorry you won't be able to see your wife for a week or so. It's only temporary and soon you will see her again.

 

BTW all of the snow pictures are so glorious, so pretty, so pristine and I so don't miss it! 😃

 

When I lived in NY, snowfall less than 5 inches was considered a dusting. 🤣

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember the blizzard of 1947 or is that before your time ? I expected every NY winter to be like that afterward.

[lenquixote66]

7 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good afternoon.

It is a cold 32°F but sunny.

I had to clear ice from the car windscreen before I could go out and post some birthday cards.

I hope everyone has a nice day.

Take care.😷

Here is was 19 degrees and sunny.I am dressed in layers because I had a therapy appointment earlier today.

[BonTexasNY]

13 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

 I had an adventure this morning.I was taking my after breakfast vitamins and one got stuck in my throat and I could not swallow.Drinking water from the glass did not help.I then reached for the gallon of water that was on the counter and drank until I swallowed the pill.In the past I have lost the ability to swallow due to having Parkinsons resulting to vists to a hospital but this was different.

So sorry this happened.  I sometimes have trouble swallowing pills.  A nurse once told to drink some water just before taking a pill and when swallowing the pill to tilt my head forward. I also cough to try and dislodge the pill.  Not a pleasant experience for sure.

 

[BonTexasNY]

24 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Do you remember the blizzard of 1947 or is that before your time ? I expected every NY winter to be like that afterward.

 

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:

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by BonTexasNY

[grapau27]

19 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Here is was 19 degrees and sunny.I am dressed in layers because I had a therapy appointment earlier today.

I hope your therapy appointment goes well today Lenny.

Sorry to hear you had problems swallowing your vitamins this morning and hope you are okay now.

Take care.

Graham.

[lenquixote66]

15 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

So sorry this happened.  I sometimes have trouble swallowing pills.  A nurse once told to drink some water just before taking a pill and when swallowing the pill to tilt my head forward. I also cough to try and dislodge the pill.  Not a pleasant experience for sure.

 

No,but surprisingly this was the first time I ever had a problem with swallowing a vitamin. I had a Parkinsons therapy session today and the therapist said basically the same thing as you ,to drink water prior to taking any of the vitamins.

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

I hope your therapy appointment goes well today Lenny.

Sorry to hear you had problems swallowing your vitamins this morning and hope you are okay now.

Take care.

Graham.

I am fine,Graham,thanks.

[grapau27]

20 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Some winter scenes from today and tonight

 

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

A few bits and pieces:

 

I woke up with a slight sore throat and I can't get a test appointment, SO I will be vigilant and stay home for a few days.  I still have my tonsils and do wake up every now and then with a sore throat that lingers so I am not going crazy.  AND, it's just about gone now.

 

Israel is rolling out its 4th covid vaccine.  My sister in law and brother in law are due to receive theirs on Thursday. Dani, what about you?

 

My sister told me her friend's 55+ complex near where I live, requires masks indoors at all times.

 

Another crazy Dallas area weather week.  Today is low 60s, Thurs. will be high of 40, low of 23.

So far, I have not had to wear, what I call my NY down jacket, this season.  I hope it stays that way.

 

 

 

[Bailey & Sophie]

4 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I'm following up from my quick comments about our trip to the Biltmore before Christmas. I think I said that I'd give the experience a 6 out of 10.  Here is a little more detail.  We stayed in the Village Hotel.  We've stayed there once before.  I didn't book dinner reservations in time and was pleased when calling that they were able to get me reservations at the Stable Cafe for a 3 course candlelight dinner at 5:00.  We then had reservations for the Christmas candlelight tour at 7:00.  All combined, it cost us about $1000, so it wasn't cheap.

 

The hotel is nice.  As I said, we've been there before.  The rooms are nicely furnished.  It's a step up from a Hampton but not really what I'd call a 4 star hotel.  The knock that I have against the hotel is that it feels like you're at Disney, with slightly less of the Disney magic service.  The woman who checked us in was like a robot, as if we were one of a thousand people that she had "processed" that day.  They give you a pile of paper with tickets for everything, including our dinner reservations (tickets for dinner??).  I expected a little more for the price that we were paying, but no big deal.  We didn't have time for wine tasting (which is right next to the hotel) and only had about 30 minutes to walk around the village area, so the hotel for us was just a bed and a shower.

 

Dinner was the biggest disappointment.  It looked great on paper with 4 appetizers, 7 entrees, and 4 desserts from which to choose.  The price for dinner was based on your entree selection.  I started with the Duck Fat Cornbread, which was as dry as sawdust.  I asked our waitress if she could bring me another one but the chef told her that all were from the same batch and all would be the same.  That's when the comparison to a cruise ship MDR first appeared in my head.  She then brought me the Butternut Squash Bisque instead, which had almost no taste to it.  Micheline thought her Spinach and Apple Salad was OK.

 

For entrees, Micheline went with the Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon with she again though was OK.  She's had much better, but also has had worse.  I went with the Shrimp and Grits which, looking back on it, was a mistake.   I never liked grits when living in the north.  They always tasted bland with a very gritty texture.  When I got to Florida, I was told that I just hadn't had good grits yet.  They were right.  I've had some fantastic shrimp and grits here with gravy and andouille sausage, and have become a big fan.  What I received at the Stable Cafe was a bowl of dry tasting grits, about 6 overcooked shrimp sitting on top, and a small amount of BBQ sauce poured in top.  Sigh.

 

I figure that I at least had dessert coming.  Micheline went with the Cheesecake Tart and I had the Peanut Butter Cake.  Both were served in small glasses...the kind that you'd get if you were receiving a sample of a few different desserts.  Neither had tremendous taste.  Again, I thought about some of the Royal desserts that I've had that looked fantastic but had little taste.  We gave ourselves 2 hours to enjoy a nice relaxing dinner with drinks but they had us in and out in less than an hour.  Overall, it felt like mass produced, mediocre food, designed to serve a lot of customers quickly.  I couldn't get a cruise ship MDR out of my head, although I typically enjoy the Royal MDR food more than I did the Stable Cafe.

 

Since we were done early, we tried to get into the house early.  No luck.  They we were being strict with reservation times so that they could manage crowds in the house due to Covid.  Understandable.  We walked around the shops in the stable area for 45 minutes and then got in line.  We've been through the house before several times (although it's been several years), and we've also since been to the Palace at Versailles, Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, and the Royal Palace of Madrid.  The sheer size and impressiveness of the Biltmore House didn't have the same impact anymore.  It's still very impressive, but didn't have the same wow factor.  We were there for the Christmas decorations, which didn't disappoint on the first floor.  Every room was decorated with a different Christmas song in mind.  The huge dining room had a massive tree that was fully decorated.  A few of the upstairs bedrooms had some decorations in them but it seemed like they ran out of time/staff when trying to decorate the second floor.  The included audio guide left a lot to be desired, as it only touched on a couple of aspects of each room.  There is so much to see in each room, and we were constantly slowing down the flow of traffic through the house that all seemed to be on a conveyor belt.  I wish that we had a tour guide who could have answered our many questions about art, furniture pieces, etc. Masks were mandatory in the house which normally wouldn't bother me, but I had to stop a few times to find an uncrowded corner to drop my mask and take a few breaths.

 

Overall, the experience was a slight disappointment.  Hotel...7 out of 10.  House...7 out of 10.  Stable Cafe...3 out of 10.  We could have stayed at The Inn, which is a more upscale hotel but also more expensive.  If we had booked dining reservations earlier and had dinner at either Cedric's Tavern (where we've eaten before) or The Dining Room, I'm sure we would have had a much better dining experience.  I think the house tour was negatively impacted by Covid. 

 

How disappointing. When I was reading this I just felt like someone popped my birthday balloon.

[Bailey & Sophie]

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Lizzy and Charlie love tug of war and have a fascination with rope.

 

 

 

Oh my gosh. These two are growing really fast!

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, akcruz said:

 

Thanks for detailed info.  Sorry it wasn't up to par as it seems it has been in the past.  As I mentioned we visited in early November, most of the Christmas decorations were out and yes it was very nice, just didn't get the hype.  Maybe we will try again after Covid, if there is an after.  We stayed in Asheville, wanted to see both.  We were going to eat on property but everything was crazy and decided not worth it, glad we made that choice now.  We did, however, get to do the wine tasting.  Again it was OK, almost here taste, sales pitch, now go.  Lots of other places we want to visit so will be a while.

 

We did the wine tasting (but not the house tour) when we stopped there last year.  We weren't fans of the wine.  I didn't mention the wine when doing my "review" but the only wine available throughout the estate is their wine.  We knew that going in, so we did not have high expectations about the wine.  

[Lionesss]

Update

 

So everyone already knows from  my previous posts that we are babysitting the grand shepherds and the DH has COVID.

 

Well. in the past few days we have lost our nice 50 degree weather and with the wind it is damn near freezing outside.  I might add to cold to go out and walk even with a babuska, gloves, under armour, ughs, parka and ski mask.

 

So I decided to be kind load up the car  and go on a car ride.

 

The look in the eyes, so excited.

 

The excitement could not be contained.

 

I never saw my husband so happy to get out of the house, and go for a car ride.

His fever finally broke yesterday night and he has a burst of energy.

He goes to me, can I do anything for you............................

I was kind and said no.

 

When we got home, we did let the dogs out and they ran the yard for quite awhile in so they took a 2 hour nap when they came in.

 

Time for me to put my thinking cap on and create a sign to welcome the honeymooners home.

 

Later

 

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by Lionesss

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, Vibe said:

I had much success potty training puppies.  I take them out on a leash, once they do their business, I give a verbal praise and then give a treat that I have waiting in my pocket.   Being on a leash will keep them close to you away from the coyote. Giving praise and a treat immediately after doing their business is an incentive to go quicker.

 

I saw a Youtube video on potty training using a leash. I think we will give it a go. Your thoughts make a lot of sense since they want to play more than concentrate on the business at hand. I also need to do as you suggest keep the treats with me and praise right after instead of when we go inside the house. Thank you so much for your thoughts.

 

 

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

 I had an adventure this morning.I was taking my after breakfast vitamins and one got stuck in my throat and I could not swallow.Drinking water from the glass did not help.I then reached for the gallon of water that was on the counter and drank until I swallowed the pill.In the past I have lost the ability to swallow due to having Parkinsons resulting to vists to a hospital but this was different.

 

That had to be extremely scary. I have had a problem getting a pill stuck. It's no fun. Especially some of those vitamin horse pills. I had some vitamin C that I could not swallow they were so big.

 

 

51 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

 

 

That is totally our puppies.

 

 

4 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

 

 

So I decided to be kind load up the car  and go on a car ride.

 

The look in the eyes, so excited.

 

The excitement could not be contained.

 

 

Sue that is so thoughtful. What a wonderful thing to do.

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

We are almost done watching Below Deck, the car wreck.
 

From emotions to emotions.

 

Rachel is best.. “this thrupple thing makes me want to throwupple”

[h20skibum]

I got slightly interrupted while writing a few reflections between this cruise and our last one.  My wife needed the internet for a while, and we are sharing a package. 

 

So, as I was saying, the captain was emphasizing that masks should be worn everywhere indoors.  He said if you have a drink in your hand, and you are walking with it indoors, keep your mask on till you sit down.  I take that to mean that there are some that are just walking around with them.   He did say they need to keep cases below 1%, or it would affect port stops.  No idea if we are getting close or not.  Maybe that is why they were offloading sick crew yesterday, to keep the numbers down. 

 

The biggest difference is required mask wearing in the fully vaccinated venues. The theatre has not been crowded for either show we attended, but it would be nice to have masks off there.  

 

I don’t know how many kids are onboard, but it seems like a lot.  Many of them do have the vaccinated wristbands, so they must have received their doses.  We have 2,950 passengers, even after all those who canceled.  There are tables blocked off in the dining room, and in WJ to keep people separated. 

 

The crew has been trying to keep up with sanitizing, but if you think about it, it is an impossible job.  We followed a family with a 4 or 5 year old down the hall this morning, and the kid was rubbing his nose, then his hands on every rail down the hall on their way to the elevators.  Susan and I always use the stairs, and she says I should hold on to the rails.  I tell her THAT is why I don’t. 

 

Tonight is our first formal night, so it will be time to get the tux out.  Meanwhile, the crew is running drills. 

 

With the cooler, 73° weather here, people were going to the hot tubs. They have a sign that says 7 max, but as Jethro would say “Some people just aren’t good at cypher’n!!”

 

Before we knew it, it was already noon.  We realized we hadn’t been to the schooner bar yet, so we went there for lunch.  Susan ordered a Coco Loco, and I had a Kracken Colada.  Saving room for food later. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John&LaLa]

5 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

That's really s shame when you spend that much and get less than stellar food. I too would love to see the Christmas decorations. As far as food it does make you appreciate what we get served on Royal ships. I always have a good meal on board.

 

I seem to recall they have a very strict no photo policy

[John&LaLa]

4 hours ago, helen haywood said:

I was listening the other day to John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High.  One lyric stood out to me “…coming home to a place he’d never been before.”  I think of the “friends we have yet to meet” here the same way.  Comfort and solace from friends you haven’t met yet.

 

Looking forward to meeting a lot of CC friends in March 2023

Edited January 4, 2022 by John&LaLa

[aussielozzie18]

Lenny, sorry you had a fright with the pill swallowing. Glad you are ok now.

[Lionesss]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Looking forward to meeting a lot of CC friends in March 2024

 

 

Bella "2"

 

?

[Sea Dog]

3 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

 

 

Tonight is our first formal night, so it will be time to get the tux out.  Meanwhile, the crew is running drills. 

 

people were going to the hot tubs. They have a sign that says 7 max, but as Jethro would say “Some people just aren’t good at cypher’n!!”

 

  Susan ordered a Coco Loco, and I had a Kracken Colada.  Saving room for food later. 

 

 

Thanks for the update Mark. Sounds like you are staying safe. Wish I didn't have to use handrails with my bum knees.

 

Looks like a good petri dish.

 

Love the Kraken Colada. Cheers!

 

[BonTexasNY]

2 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

 

 

Bella "2"

 

?

Too much limoncello.

[aussielozzie18]

@h20skibumloving your cruise photos.  Your private  pleasure craft (pg1753) is rather impressive in a sleek James Bond way but does it have a helipad like mine? ( I had it docked beside us at Circular Quay so I could make a quick trip home from the Voyager cruise)

[John&LaLa]

4 minutes ago, Lionesss said:

 

 

Bella "2"

 

?

 

My bad, March '23

 

March 2024 is leg 2 of World Cruise. Should be down under. 

 

Bella 2 may be November 2024 from what I hear

[molly361]

5 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

My bad, March '23

 

March 2024 is leg 2 of World Cruise. Should be down under. 

 

Bella 2 may be November 2024 from what I hear

Out of PC perhaps?