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

[ReneeFLL]

Ugh! It’s that time again. I hate having to decide which appliance to buy. Some have features I like and others have different features I like. Wished I could take features from both and put them into one. 😁

 

Does anyone have a dishwasher with a tall third rack (top)? I like the KitchenAid but the rack is tall (maybe 4 inches) and takes up more room. I’m thinking I won’t be able to put tall glasses in the second rack without taking out the top one. We don’t have a third rack with our dishwasher now so not sure just how much we will use it. It also has water jets that spray up under the third rack which the Bosch doesn’t. The jets are on bars/tubes that spin around that will get the third rack, but will also spray down onto the second rack. In the link you can see the spray bars. They are red on the end.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KitchenAid-24-in-PrintShield-Stainless-Steel-Top-Control-Built-In-Tall-Tub-Dishwasher-with-Stainless-Steel-Tub-44-dBA-KDTM404KPS/312285805#overlay

 

Mike likes the Bosch because it’s top rated in Consumer Reports. It has the third rack but is short. Won’t be able to put much up there. It doesn’t have any water jets that will spray from up underneath. Both of these models have a spray thing that sprays down onto the top rack.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-800-Series-24-in-Stainless-Steel-Top-Control-Tall-Tub-Dishwasher-with-Stainless-Steel-Tub-CrystalDry-42dBA-SHXM78Z55N/310500139

 

Any thoughts on these or other dishwashers? 

 

 

 

[h20skibum]

7 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

Thank you, Marietta. What's the name of the new book?

 

Long time ago I've made a note of your recommendations, and, for the last week, I've binged on A Time to Kill, and the Whistler and the Judge's list. I've saved them for a week when I want the time to fly by, Saturday cannot get here soon enough....

 

We're in total lockdown until the Covid test, and, if negative, the flight to Rome ....

Hope everything goes smoothly, and you have a fantastic cruise. 

 

2 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

I hope all goes well for you and you have a well deserved vacation!  Sparring Partners is the new one.  
I had to finish it quickly so my son in the hospital could read it.  We have read most of his books together!  Did you see the movie A Time to Kill?  Matthew McConaghy was the lead.

That was a good movie.   

[derorim]

9 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

So, I didn't post about it but this past winter I lost my cat, Lila, from a medical issue that came up suddenly out of no where. I don't want to re-live the details here. I swore that was the end of any more pets but then the right side of my brain took over from the left.

 

So this is the newest family member. She is a now a 4.5 month old Russian Blue named Jade for the jade green eyes she will have after her kitten blue eyes change to their adult color. She has been with us for a month now.

 

She is still very skiddish but hiding less and interacting more. It is a little hard starting  over and having to establish trust and bonding all over again. Of all the fur kids I've had over the years she has been the biggest challenge to win over. I usually have no problem connecting with animals that I encounter. All suggestions to help this process are welcome! Anyway, meet Jade.....

 

 

 

 

Now I understand why you've been posting so many cat memes/cartoons lately.  🙂  

 

I'm sorry you lost your sweet Lila, but I'm sure Jade will warm up to you.  Do you know what her environment was like before you adopted her?  We got our kitty Marcel when he was 6 months old.  He had been picked on by the other males at the breeder's home, and was missing a bunch of his whiskers.  It took him a long time to warm up to us and trust us, and we wondered if he ever would come around.  However, I'm pleased to report he turned into the most loving cat I've ever known.  He's 15 now, and follows us everywhere throughout the day and is a wonderful companion.  I bet your Jade will come around too.

[molly361]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

3 day to Bahamas

 

My last trip on her was a 6 night out of PE. January 2008 I think. I remember Obama getting inaugurated 

You don't do too many solos do you?

[h20skibum]

@ReneeFLL, I would hate to be replacing a dishwasher now.  From what I have read, none have the heating element anymore, and they take forever to dry.  
 

My daughter has a Bosch, and dishes are still wet after it runs for 2 or 3 hours.  Maybe that is just the nature of them now.  
 

I hope our old one lasts forever. 

[bobmacliberty]

4 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

I hope all goes well for you and you have a well deserved vacation!  Sparring Partners is the new one.  
I had to finish it quickly so my son in the hospital could read it.  We have read most of his books together!  Did you see the movie A Time to Kill?  Matthew McConaghy was the lead.

 

I've always been partial to the The Firm.  I think that's the first Grisham book that I read.  I remember really enjoying The Partner, The Pelican Brief, and The Rainmaker as well.  It's been many years since I've read them and I don't know how well those books would work many years later...I'm guessing they would still be great.

 

I haven't read them yet (Micheline has) but the Camino Island and Camino Winds books were supposed to have been inspired by Amelia Island.  There's a book store in our downtown area that is supposedly the book store from Camino Island.

John Grisham's Ode to Amelia Island – Garden & Gun (gardenandgun.com)

 

[bobmacliberty]

17 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Ugh! It’s that time again. I hate having to decide which appliance to buy. Some have features I like and others have different features I like. Wished I could take features from both and put them into one. 😁

 

Does anyone have a dishwasher with a tall third rack (top)? I like the KitchenAid but the rack is tall (maybe 4 inches) and takes up more room. I’m thinking I won’t be able to put tall glasses in the second rack without taking out the top one. We don’t have a third rack with our dishwasher now so not sure just how much we will use it. It also has water jets that spray up under the third rack which the Bosch doesn’t. The jets are on bars/tubes that spin around that will get the third rack, but will also spray down onto the second rack. In the link you can see the spray bars. They are red on the end.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/KitchenAid-24-in-PrintShield-Stainless-Steel-Top-Control-Built-In-Tall-Tub-Dishwasher-with-Stainless-Steel-Tub-44-dBA-KDTM404KPS/312285805#overlay

 

Mike likes the Bosch because it’s top rated in Consumer Reports. It has the third rack but is short. Won’t be able to put much up there. It doesn’t have any water jets that will spray from up underneath. Both of these models have a spray thing that sprays down onto the top rack.

 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-800-Series-24-in-Stainless-Steel-Top-Control-Tall-Tub-Dishwasher-with-Stainless-Steel-Tub-CrystalDry-42dBA-SHXM78Z55N/310500139

 

Any thoughts on these or other dishwashers? 

 

 

 

We have the KitchenAid with third rack and love it.  The third rack is very useful.  It's amazing how much more you can pack into it.  The left third of the upper rack hold shorter glasses, the middle third holds taller glasses laying on an angle, and the right third holds flatter utensils in a removeable tray.  We have a few tall glasses that are just slightly too long to lay down on the top rack but they fit well standing up in the middle rack.  The right part of the middle rack, under where the flat utensils fit in the top rack, is about 9 inches high and can easily hold tall glasses or large bowls.  They have nice clips for holding wine glasses in place.  The middle rack can easily be raised or lowered a couple of inches to give more height in the middle rack, or more height in the bottom rack for large things.  Most of all, it does a great job of cleaning and has a ProDry feature that gets rid of most of the remaining water that tends to gather on top of glasses/mugs.  In case you haven't seen this KitchenAid web page, it does a good job of showing how the third rack works, including some videos:

FREEFLEX™ Third Rack Dishwasher | KitchenAid

 

There are only 2 drawbacks to the KitchenAid in our opinion.  First, it's a little louder than our old Bosch.  You can barely hear the KitchenAid running, so it's not really an issue, but the Bosch was so quiet you couldn't tell if it was running.  Second, the full cycle with the ProWash and ProDry settings takes almost 3 hours.  It's faster running on other settings but we just leave it on the "pro" settings all the time.  Neither of these drawbacks are a problem for us since we time delay the start to the middle of the night.

[Sea Dog]

45 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

It's happy hour, so time for some drink experimentation of my own.  Micheline and I honeymooned in Hawaii and had a Mai Tai just about every night before dinner.  The taste was amazing.  I've had Mai Tai's in several other places since then, but they never tasted quite as good.  I always thought that was just because everything in Hawaii on a honeymoon is going to taste better.  After doing a little research, I found that there are several variations to the Mai Tai recipe, with some using various fruit juices.  Those are typically sweeter and might be the versions that I didn't like.  The original recipe only contains lime juice and relies instead on rum, orgeat, and orange Curacao. 

 

I bought some orgeat syrup at my local liquor store (it's a non-alcoholic sweetener made from almonds and orange flower water) and had most of the other ingredients at home (substituting Cointreau for Orange Curacao since it's hard to find).  I used light rum as the base rum rather than golden rum, so the final product was lighter in color.  Next time, I'll get a bottle of Anejo rum, which should make the cocktail more amber in color and punch up the taste a bit.  It was still pretty tasty with the light rum.  Here's the recipe that I followed for anyone interested:

The Original Mai Tai – A Couple Cooks

 

 

Recipe looks good. I want to try this too. I remember my first Mai-Tai at the Trader Vics restaurant. I was hooked. Here's their recipe:

https://www.eater.com/21348867/best-mai-tai-recipe-history

 

I would think that the Grand Marnier would be a good substitute for the orange curacao. Are you going to do Kraken for the dark rum. I am excited to hear your results. Make sure you put an umbrella in it, as adds to the taste ;>)

 

Cheers!

[aussielozzie18]

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I love the original. I was very skeptical about a sequel as they are usually a big let down but I'm really happy with what I've been hearing about this movie.

I loved the original too.  Maverick is part homage to the original, part edge of the seat action.  You won’t be disappointed.   

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, ownedbypets said:

Where did you get that sandwich?

 

Yeoman Cask and Lion, on Morgan Street in downtown Tampa.

 

It might look like a messy glob of goo but it's was so lean and tasty.  Pastrami Tower it was called. 

[aussielozzie18]

We have a lettuce shortage here. It’s been a really cold start to winter so not exactly burger or salad weather so shopper’s probably aren’t missing them too much as they would in summer or desperate to pay the $10 per head of lettuce.

KFC have announced their burgers will have cabbage & lettuce due to this supply shortage (mainly due to the recent devastating floods)

[aussielozzie18]

@sgmn & @dani negreanu how exciting that you are so close to your cruise.  Enjoy being in a bubble for your negative test for your cruise.

[bobmacliberty]

7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Recipe looks good. I want to try this too. I remember my first Mai-Tai at the Trader Vics restaurant. I was hooked. Here's their recipe:

https://www.eater.com/21348867/best-mai-tai-recipe-history

 

I would think that the Grand Marnier would be a good substitute for the orange curacao. Are you going to do Kraken for the dark rum. I am excited to hear your results. Make sure you put an umbrella in it, as adds to the taste ;>)

 

Cheers!

 

Thanks for the link.  Of course I used Kraken (is there any other choice 😁) but I used it as a floater on top of the base drink, which used light rum.  Without the floater, the drink was too light in color, so I ended up mixing in the Kraken to make it a little darker.  Next time, I'll use a mix of an Anejo Rum and the Kraken.  Grand Marnier would definitely be better, but I only had Cointreau.  I'm on the lookout for some Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao since that's what the original recipe calls for.  I'll post here how the improved version works.

[aussielozzie18]

Due to the length of the cycle of our dishwasher, DH has a mon-Thursday rule that it cannot be put on after 9pm in the evening.  The rest of us have selective hearing re the end of the cycle beeping and it drives him insane when he is drifting off to sleep and then he  hears it’s incessant beeping….

Made the mistake of buying tall glasses recently for the third rack too.

[aussielozzie18]

My friend who tested positive 14 days before her expensive small group tour of The Kimberleys & small ship cruise on the Coral Geographer from Broome to Darwin was relieved that the cruise company changed the boarding test from PCR to RATS two days before she boarded.  She was very worried they would be unable to board.  Her TA told her to get a medical clearance letter which she did  but on boarding the cruise she asked the staff about the letter and they said the letter would not have made a difference at all if she had tested positive on the RATS. The cruise prior to theirs had several guests quarantined. On theirs, only the onboard lecturer tested positive during the cruise.
Photos and videos I spent 3 hours looking at on the weekend were amazing. Stunning scenery, lots of boabs, stunning waterfalls, so much Aboriginal rock art, stunning sunsets every single night.  0nly drawback to this cruise in my mind is that you can’t swim anywhere in the beautiful waters due to the crocodiles.  They actually back the ship right up against the King Cascade Waterfalls and have the guests take turns standing on the very back of the deck, so they can have a “shower” under the falls.  They did the jet boat ride to Horizontal Falls and flew by helicopter over two other falls. Amazing 10 day cruise.  Food & service 10/10 she said.

[ownedbypets]

33 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Yeoman Cask and Lion, on Morgan Street in downtown Tampa.

 

It might look like a messy glob of goo but it's was so lean and tasty.  Pastrami Tower it was called. 

Thanks. We will have to check it out.

[aussielozzie18]

@helen haywood love the history of your garden that is so special.

My dad can recall who gifted him plants in his garden over the years.  When they flower each year, he will send them a msg and photo, saying “your” plant is looking good right now.

[Momof3gurlz]

26 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thanks for the link.  Of course I used Kraken (is there any other choice 😁) but I used it as a floater on top of the base drink, which used light rum.  Without the floater, the drink was too light in color, so I ended up mixing in the Kraken to make it a little darker.  Next time, I'll use a mix of an Anejo Rum and the Kraken.  Grand Marnier would definitely be better, but I only had Cointreau.  I'm on the lookout for some Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao since that's what the original recipe calls for.  I'll post here how the improved version works.

It looks like I’ll be making a trip to the liquor store soon for mostly rum.  This seems to be the “summer of Kracken” 🤣. 

[DaniDanielle]

I am going to try it also.  Sounds good

[NHProud]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

Thank you, Marietta. What's the name of the new book?

 

Long time ago I've made a note of your recommendations, and, for the last week, I've binged on A Time to Kill, and the Whistler and the Judge's list. I've saved them for a week when I want the time to fly by, Saturday cannot get here soon enough....

 

We're in total lockdown until the Covid test, and, if negative, the flight to Rome ....

Dani , do you pack before or after your Covid test ? I’m guessing before because you are a planner and leave nothing to chance.   You aren’t going museum hopping before and after your cruise ? We are thinking of booking a cruise with three port stops in Greenland. Good idea ?

 

Have a fantastic vacation ! 

[aussielozzie18]

DD went to a new hairdresser yesterday for a full head of foils for her upcoming holiday.  She was served a delicious cheese platter.  Plus the staff were lovely and they did a great job.  She will be going back.  Me, I am sticking with my no frills place that only provides out of date magazines but is half the cost 😀

[Sunshine3601]

25 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

My friend who tested positive 14 days before her expensive small group tour of The Kimberleys & small ship cruise on the Coral Geographer from Broome to Darwin was relieved that the cruise company changed the boarding test from PCR to RATS two days before she boarded.  She was very worried they would be unable to board.  Her TA told her to get a medical clearance letter which she did  but on boarding the cruise she asked the staff about the letter and they said the letter would not have made a difference at all if she had tested positive on the RATS. The cruise prior to theirs had several guests quarantined. On theirs, only the onboard lecturer tested positive during the cruise.
Photos and videos I spent 3 hours looking at on the weekend were amazing. Stunning scenery, lots of boabs, stunning waterfalls, so much Aboriginal rock art, stunning sunsets every single night.  0nly drawback to this cruise in my mind is that you can’t swim anywhere in the beautiful waters due to the crocodiles.  They actually back the ship right up against the King Cascade Waterfalls and have the guests take turns standing on the very back of the deck, so they can have a “shower” under the falls.  They did the jet boat ride to Horizontal Falls and flew by helicopter over two other falls. Amazing 10 day cruise.  Food & service 10/10 she said.

I just viewed their website and these sailings look amazing.     Definitely expensive but amazing itineraries.    

[NHProud]

We have a Bosch and we don’t have any complaints other than it takes 2 hrs 15 minutes for a normal cycle. It is very quiet and no grunge accumulates on the door and basin area. 

 

I’ll probably go see the Cruise movie if only to check out how much of my hometown is pictured. I know , he was on the Midway for photos. Our ladies group had lunch at the Scientology castle in Hollywood . They weren’t suppose to talk religion to us and they did.  My son lived in a town where they do their training.....high walls and wire. It is very secure. 

 

Hope you all stay healthy.

[derorim]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

It's happy hour, so time for some drink experimentation of my own.  Micheline and I honeymooned in Hawaii and had a Mai Tai just about every night before dinner.  The taste was amazing.  I've had Mai Tai's in several other places since then, but they never tasted quite as good.  I always thought that was just because everything in Hawaii on a honeymoon is going to taste better.  After doing a little research, I found that there are several variations to the Mai Tai recipe, with some using various fruit juices.  Those are typically sweeter and might be the versions that I didn't like.  The original recipe only contains lime juice and relies instead on rum, orgeat, and orange Curacao. 

 

I bought some orgeat syrup at my local liquor store (it's a non-alcoholic sweetener made from almonds and orange flower water) and had most of the other ingredients at home (substituting Cointreau for Orange Curacao since it's hard to find).  I used light rum as the base rum rather than golden rum, so the final product was lighter in color.  Next time, I'll get a bottle of Anejo rum, which should make the cocktail more amber in color and punch up the taste a bit.  It was still pretty tasty with the light rum.  Here's the recipe that I followed for anyone interested:

The Original Mai Tai – A Couple Cooks

 

Andy and I also honeymooned in Hawaii and have fond memories of a couple of Mai Tai catamaran sunset cruises where the drinks flowed freely.  I checked out your link to the recipe and appreciated they explained how to pronounce orgeat.  🙂

 

 

• How do you pronounce orgeat? Say Or-ZHAAT in your best French accent, where the “ZH” is like the J in the name Jacque.

[Luckynana]

11 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Thank you Maryann.

We rushed to the hospital and my dad must have heard the clip clop of Pauline's heels in the corridor because he held on until we got to his bed and died then.

Your Dad was surely waiting for your goodbye😢

11 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Thank you. However, one very annoying thing about this girl is that one of her favorite places in the house is IN my grand piano.😐

 

Jade is beautiful!  Perhaps she's hinting for you to play her favorite tune?