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

[DaniDanielle]

Great  job Greg!

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, DaniDanielle said:

Great  job Greg!

Thanks! Linda contributed her talents as well . This was the centerpiece she came up with and made.

 

 

 

 

 

[DaniDanielle]

4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks! Linda contributed her talents as well . This was the centerpiece she came up with and made.

 

 

 

 

 

Really pretty, good job Linda!

[NHProud]

4 hours ago, George C said:

Thank you all for well wishes for our anniversary, we had a very nice dinner starting with Johnny Walker Gold for me , some gin and tonic, ordered a very nice bottle Napa Cabernet. Right before getting the check we were told the bottle of wine was on the house , was extremely pleased with that . Then the owner of the restaurant who we are friendly with came over to congratulate us then picked up the check , so everything was free dinner drinks and dessert. 
 

  Greg you definitely know how to throw a party .

Happy anniversary weekend , George ! 

[Keksie]

55 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks! Linda contributed her talents as well . This was the centerpiece she came up with and made.

 

 

 

 

 

Those are so cute!!!!!!

[George C]

55 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks! Linda contributed her talents as well . This was the centerpiece she came up with and made.

 

 

 

 

 

Greg on you available to cater Shelagh July 4th birthday party 😁😁😁

[Keksie]

Amelia Island questions.  For a little get away (2 full days) where is the place to stay July or August.  What is not to be missed?

[A&L_Ont]

On 6/28/2024 at 9:38 AM, firefly333 said:

I just got a call from wellborn or some medical name saying they worked with my insurance company. She had important information to give me and was on a recorded line. She just needed to conform my date of birth to give me this important information. I said I dont know who you are or why you are calling, I'm not giving you my personal details. I refused. Finally she gave me their phone number in case I wanted to call back. I said call back and say what, that someone called and refused to say why they were calling?

 

Would you give your date of birth just because someone said they were calling from a unknown medical named phone? .. with important information for me. 

 

Handled perfectly. 

 

23 hours ago, derorim said:

This morning we said goodbye to our sweet kitty Marcel.  He brought us happiness for 17 years, along with his buddy, the late great Miss Priss. It was sad to see him go, but he was not doing well and we did not want to see him suffer any more.  He was a big Maine Coon, 15 pounds until a couple of years ago.  He was very strong and a good jumper.  He followed us around the house and liked to lay on our laps.  He and Miss Priss are together again now.  

 

Sorry to read about Marcel’s passing.  It’s hard to say goodbye.❤️

[derorim]

@Sea Dog Greg, you and Linda really know how to give a party!  Everything looked so inviting. Great job.by you both!

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, George C said:

Greg on you available to cater Shelagh July 4th birthday party 😁😁😁

Trust me I am not that good. 😉

[aussielozzie18]

13 hours ago, sgmn said:

Hope everyone is keeping well. I haven't posted much but dip in and out and keep up with your adventures. 

@h20skibum

 

Gary is doing his yearly charity ride for the Royal British Legion at mo. Normally it's London to Paris but this 80th anniversary year he's on the D Day beaches ride. 

About 60 riders took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen on Friday.  The ride stops at important sites on route and they have a very good historian with them who brings the past to life

 Yesterday they stopped at Pegasus Bridge,  war cemetery's and pivotal battle sites. 

He was extremely tired yesterday evening so I hope he's not too sore today. 

To help raise funds for the charity he's been making flower/veg/herb trugs and got a lot of orders 

Pegasus Bridge 

stop at a war cemetery

Love your backyard Sue. Very leafy and green and bonus of seeing a happy Molly & her ball.

 

Those trugs made by Gary for fundraising look great.  No wonder he got plenty of orders.

 

Excellent that a historian is cycling with them to those sombre locations.  Weather looks lovely.  Hope he gets to rest & refresh before getting back on the bike.  

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

@Sea Dog Incredible food, fabulous cocktails, extraordinary friends and of course your welcoming tiki vibe.  Doesn't get much better than that. Greg and Linda, bravo!

[bobmacliberty]

3 hours ago, Keksie said:

Amelia Island questions.  For a little get away (2 full days) where is the place to stay July or August.  What is not to be missed?

 

The place to stay really depends on your personal style and budget.  High end is the Ritz Carlton.  Very nice but probably $1K+ per night.  The Omni is a slight step down from the Ritz but still a very nice resort and still pricey...just not as pricey as the Ritz.  Either is a good option if you want a nice resort experience.  For more affordable hotels, there's a Hampton Inn, A Home2Suites, and a Residence Inn on Sadler Road, plus a Courtyard by Marriott/Springhill Suites and a Surf and Sand (formerly Comfort Suites) on Atlantic Avenue.  All are walking distance to the beach.  There's also a Hampton Inn on 2nd street in downtown Fernandina Beach if you want to be closer to shopping and more restaurants.  If you'd prefer something a little more historic, there are several B&Bs near the downtown area.  There are also a lot of AirBnb/VRBO/Condo options...especially if you want something right on the beach.  

 

As for things to do, there are a ton of options.  Lots of boating/fishing charters, golf (regular and mini), kayaking, biking, skydiving, walking tours, etc.  The beaches are the biggest attraction in the summer. I'd recommend either Main Beach or Seaside Beach, although both can get crowded.  There are a couple of places that will rent chairs and umbrellas if you don't want to bring your own.  Fort Clinch State Park is great and touring through the fort itself is fun with volunteers wearing period accurate clothing.  If you have a Florida State Park pass, it works there, although admission to the fort is an additional $2.50 per person.  There's a mix of shopping downtown ranging from typical tourist stuff to nicer clothing stores (Micheline likes Twisted Sister) and even some odd things like a store focused on Lavender and one focused on nuts, plus the typical ice cream and fudge type places.  There's live music in lots of places and the first Friday of every month is Sounds on Centre where they close down a couple of blocks in the downtown area for a live band.  People set up folding chairs in the street to watch.  Definitely spend a few hours walking around the historic downtown area and eating at one of the many restaurants there.  

 

This website is probably the best at showing you what's available:

Amelia Island, Florida

 

Hope that helps.  Happy to answer any more specific questions.  

[HBE4]

17 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

@Sea Dog Incredible food, fabulous cocktails, extraordinary friends and of course your welcoming tiki vibe.  Doesn't get much better than that. Greg and Linda, bravo!

 

Here, here!

Or it it Hear, hear!

 

Either way,  +1

 

[h20skibum]

Today was a hike on a river trail, and tonight we are enjoying an outdoor concert.  Our temperature really dropped fast.  It was 78° for our hike, and now it is 62° at the concert.  Will be 52° overnight. 
 

Some of those blueberries made it into a cake.  It was gooood!

 

Tomorrow we will visit with Ricky.  He has been living the life!

 

 

[Keksie]

4 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

The place to stay really depends on your personal style and budget.  High end is the Ritz Carlton.  Very nice but probably $1K+ per night.  The Omni is a slight step down from the Ritz but still a very nice resort and still pricey...just not as pricey as the Ritz.  Either is a good option if you want a nice resort experience.  For more affordable hotels, there's a Hampton Inn, A Home2Suites, and a Residence Inn on Sadler Road, plus a Courtyard by Marriott/Springhill Suites and a Surf and Sand (formerly Comfort Suites) on Atlantic Avenue.  All are walking distance to the beach.  There's also a Hampton Inn on 2nd street in downtown Fernandina Beach if you want to be closer to shopping and more restaurants.  If you'd prefer something a little more historic, there are several B&Bs near the downtown area.  There are also a lot of AirBnb/VRBO/Condo options...especially if you want something right on the beach.  

 

As for things to do, there are a ton of options.  Lots of boating/fishing charters, golf (regular and mini), kayaking, biking, skydiving, walking tours, etc.  The beaches are the biggest attraction in the summer. I'd recommend either Main Beach or Seaside Beach, although both can get crowded.  There are a couple of places that will rent chairs and umbrellas if you don't want to bring your own.  Fort Clinch State Park is great and touring through the fort itself is fun with volunteers wearing period accurate clothing.  If you have a Florida State Park pass, it works there, although admission to the fort is an additional $2.50 per person.  There's a mix of shopping downtown ranging from typical tourist stuff to nicer clothing stores (Micheline likes Twisted Sister) and even some odd things like a store focused on Lavender and one focused on nuts, plus the typical ice cream and fudge type places.  There's live music in lots of places and the first Friday of every month is Sounds on Centre where they close down a couple of blocks in the downtown area for a live band.  People set up folding chairs in the street to watch.  Definitely spend a few hours walking around the historic downtown area and eating at one of the many restaurants there.  

 

This website is probably the best at showing you what's available:

Amelia Island, Florida

 

Hope that helps.  Happy to answer any more specific questions.  

Thank you.  Fort Clinch sounds good, a wander around town especially the lavender place and of course ice cream, plus some beach time.  I am leaning towards maybe a airbnb  place on the beach.  Will check out the historic section and restaurants.  This will be a short trip to see if this is some place we would want to spend more time at.  Thank you for all the information.

[HBE4]

5 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Tomorrow we will visit with Ricky.  He has been living the life!

 

 

 

I want to be Ricky when I grow up. 🙃

[Momof3gurlz]

11 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Today was a hike on a river trail, and tonight we are enjoying an outdoor concert.  Our temperature really dropped fast.  It was 78° for our hike, and now it is 62° at the concert.  Will be 52° overnight. 
 

Some of those blueberries made it into a cake.  It was gooood!

 

Tomorrow we will visit with Ricky.  He has been living the life!

 

 

Ummmm, this blueberry cake looks amazing, especially that crunchy topping. Would you share the recipe?  

[harryfat1]

7 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Thanks Harry.   Yeah, I know those dinners will take longer, and this is only my second iteration of the spreadsheet.  It is currently something to pencil in ride times once I get those booked.

 

My first iteration, I had planned certain parks on certain days based on when I hoped to get dining reservations, but that ended up with arrows and changes once we found some of the popular ones already had all the good times already gone.  I am glad we will be able to book rides seven days ahead, although we will be looking at an extra $500-$600 for the lightning lanes.  It is a shame that people have to do that, given what you already pay for park tickets.

 

Neighbors of my daughter took their two little girls to Disney, and they went with just the park tickets and didn’t spring for the current genie+.  They were really disappointed that they were only able to ride two rides in Magic Kingdom. 

Wow.  That's too bad on having to pay extras on top of an already expensive WDW trip.

 

I understand paying more for accommodations but paying extras to have a faster entrance doesn't seem right to me. The park access should be the same for everyone.

[harryfat1]

The passengers on the Celebrity cruise sailing today out of NJ got a special treat today on departure day in being able to have a direct front view of the Statue of Liberty.

 

We caught these pictures as we were on the ferry leaving Ellis island on the way back to Manhattan.

 

 

 

 

[harryfat1]

What would a Cheapo Dad's trip report be like without at least one Mooring line picture for the group? 🤪

 

Obviously not a thick as the ones used for the cruise ship but never stood next to someone actually working it either.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sunshine3601]

@George C   I hope you and Shelagh are having a wonderful Anniversary weekend.    Cheers for many more🍾🎉

Edited Sunday at 11:47 PM by Sunshine3601

[George C]

26 minutes ago, harryfat1 said:

The passengers on the Celebrity cruise sailing today out of NJ got a special treat today on departure day in being able to have a direct front view of the Statue of Liberty.

 

We caught these pictures as we were on the ferry leaving Ellis island on the way back to Manhattan.

 

 

 

 

Great pictures, I lived in New York City for over 30 years and have visited it about 50 times since moving but never did Ellis island definitely need to try to fit that in on a future trip, also never visited Empire State Building. 

[h20skibum]

27 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Ummmm, this blueberry cake looks amazing, especially that crunchy topping. Would you share the recipe?  

It is really a simple one.   We just use this mix, and add the blueberries to it.

 

I have used this mix forever, and add to it.  I think the first one I made I just added a can of peaches to it.   It became a favorite of all the kids.  I think it may have discovered it in that classic book called “A Man, A can, A Plan”

 

 

Sometimes those simple things turn out good.  

[George C]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Trust me I am not that good. 😉

The smilies on your guest seem to contradict that 😁😁😁