Sheal

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

The Elite perks are something I need to get familiar with.  Do they also have balcony discounts?

I do not believe so but then again I have only booked Aqua class because I enjoy the restaurant, Blu.  If Elite they do give you A2 pricing for an A1 balcony.  Both are balcony class but I believe the A1s are more centrally located.  I wanted to try Celebrity because I, too, was tired of the endless BINGO, BINGO, BINGO announcements along with the ART auction hawking every hour or two.  I find the line to be more to my liking, without the announcements and less children overall.  I feel their ships are most closely aligned to RC's Radiance class. 

1 hour ago, Deck Chair Queen said:

This is the Sant'Ignazio church, a gorgeous Baroque structure famous for its trompe-l'oeil (fake) dome. 

Thank you.  I had read about this church years ago in anticipation of our trip last year.  Now I know what to look for when I drag my husband to "another" church. 

16 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

I am just hoping that my link on Princess will get bumped up so that this gets discovered before I finish. I plan a link on the X board too as I got my highest reads there and had regular readers who were a lot of fun.

LOL.  Crystal has been spreading the word on your behalf.  You should be good for a million hits.  I ran across your cruise review to Cuba and knew I would be in for another treat when she mentioned it on Dani's board.

Thanks so much for your hint to click on the photos.  Wow, what a difference it makes, so much more detail!  I almost felt like I was there.  We were supposed to do a big family vacation last year for my MIL's 75th.  Sadly her 76th birthday came and went and we sat at home again.  Hoping next year will be the year!

2 hours ago, dbancroft said:

My wife and I both got our Pizer boosters last week. No issues luckily but I have a question we also got our shingles vaccine last month it is a two dose shot. The shingles shot left our arms extremely sore has anyone else got this shot?

I had my first one last year and dose two earlier this year.   No soreness at all.  My typical reaction to the flu shot has always been minor soreness, typically on day two.  DH had his first shot and is scheduled for shot two.  He says him arm never hurts after the flu but it was noticeably sore after his shot.  He also felt a little tired and a bit “off” after his second COVID shot.  I guess it is a crapshoot!
 

Neither we,  or our older neighbor, experienced any of the flu like symptoms mentioned in the information handout. Hopefully we will not experience shingles either!
 

5 hours ago, ramja96 said:

I'm electrically illiterate, what limitations (if any) are there with this adapter? TIA

What the limitation would be with an adapter (vs. convertor) is that if you tried using this while in Europe (or anywhere they use this "c" plug) in say, someone's home, and then tried plugging in an appliance like a curling iron,  you risk burning out the item within seconds, along with possibly blowing the fuses in the home.  My daughter's BF learned this the hard way.  The curling iron was toast but fortunately no other damage was done. 

So in that case the convertor would have been handy.  I had one on me but I arrived a couple days later to hear the story.

Explorer was our first ship too.  My husband was a bit whiny before we booked but once he got onboard he never complained about going again.

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I also have a heated steering wheel that I love. Some morning I have a death grip on that wheel. It feels so good.

My new car has it too, I probably have it on for 7 months of the year due to Reynauds.  I hate wearing gloves while driving.  First time DH tried it out he was amazed. 

That and the heated seats.  Ahhhh.

We’ll be here!

@jagsfan Mimi, with that list I would need to start showering on Sunday night to be done by Tuesday.

We will all be thinking of you!

@KeksieHas anyone told you how gorgeous that Samantha is?  LOL, only about 100 times.  I can't wait to see her in 6 months.  When my sister went to adopt her cat the shelter had 2 coon cat siblings.  I thought the volunteer was joking when they said how big they would get.  My sister let my daughter help pick out her cat.  My best description of it is that it looks like a crazy quilt with the strange colors.  Unfortunately that cat never got past the shy stage.  It only comes out when DS and BIL are home.

@Momof3gurlz  How did you find this joint?  It reminds me of that commercial that was playing on the radio a few weeks ago.  $40 for 40Lbs of ribeyes.  Look for the trailer in the Warwick Mall parking lot.    Btw, ignore that "momof3girls" notation below.  I was a little hasty and clicked on it before I proofread.  I can't see to get rid of it.

@momof3girlz

Menise has very striking eyes.  I don’t think I have seen a cat with that color before today.

Here is my story of the dog who  now fills my heart with joy.  
 

On a typical day in New England (sun was out then next thing we know we hit snow squalls) we drove a few hours to the next state to get the rescue that I thought we would be taking home.  Only problem was that I was horrified to find that it looked nothing likes it’s picture. I swear they used photoshop.   Not to mention he wanted nothing to do with us. I wasn’t sure what to do.  Right then the rescue volunteer brought out one of the other dogs that had arrived on the van that morning (I think she received 5 that day) and remarked how she was surprised he had not been adopted at the adoption fair they held earlier in the day.   My girls (daughter and her BF) got so excited when they saw him.

Well, I had seen this dog online already and crossed him off.  I had a dog in mind that I wanted and he was not only the wrong color and breed but his picture online showed the most dejected dog ever.  I’m pretty certain his life before he ended up on the rescue van was pretty rough.  He was severely underweight, his hip bones stuck out and he had a couple of broken teeth.  Fortunately for me he knew that he belonged with us and he did everything he could to show us with his sunny, sweet demeanor.  I got up the nerve to ask if we could take him instead of the other one who was now in their living room marking the furniture (observations made by the girls while I spoke with the volunteer).  I felt a sense of relief when she said “oh sure”.  We packed up and headed home. 
 

Things didn’t go too smoothly, by the next morning he was developing kennel cough, even though he had a shot.  Two days later  I found he had tapeworm, something my vet said that happens due to the choice of deworming product the rescue used.  And then the next day, the itch ear.  The ear was better within two days with the help of ear drops but the cough turned scary, with green mucus coming up.  I had him for a week and I was afraid he might die.  Well, it was nothing and $750 later (rescue and vet bills) he was the road to recovery.  
 

It  has been 9 years and I am so thankful he came into my life. Something that might not have happened because I was so shallow.  

4 hours ago, StanleyandGus said:

This is the best cat ever. This is Stanley, doing a not best cat ever thing!

Picture perfect x 10.  

58 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I have both. Digital for home use,  non-digital to take on the road for the reasons you stated.

 

The only issue with the non-digital is the needle quivers giving me a different reading each time. Usually in the same ballpark but I still weigh 3 times & take the average. 😋

 

We started out with the non-digital and had the same problem.  Took about three readings for each case.  By the time we did this for the four of us the DH would get impatient.  Batteries were never a problem but then again we never went that long between uses until COVID hit.  Guess I should look at it.

@Ozark_KidNo luggage scale?  Perfect for sparing yourself from having to redistribute clothing at the check in counter when one of you over packs.  Once you have done that you will never leave home without one.  

Greg,  are you bringing all those chargers?  I got a couple of the European ones about 5 years ago after reading about it here somewhere.  Certainly helps a lot, at least on the older ships.

17 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

While typing this is am wiping mine. Greg, I’m sorry to read of your family’s loss.

Same here.  I will have to wait to watch the video since I am at work.  I am sure it will have me in tears again.

Like Mimi, I like to think Maggie and Penny are enjoying each other's company over the bridge along with all of the other pets our friends here have lost.   I am sure they will all agree, they know how much we loved them and they loved us.

6 hours ago, B&J_Pgh said:

I'd be super interested to hear back because I've never had a drink package and the expense of having to get it would be detrimental.  $24 a day for juice and water, I think not.  

LOL.  That was exactly how I felt.  I do not drink juice either.

 My experience was that they wanted a medical note from my doctor in order to let me purchase the refreshment package that I didn’t even want in the first place. I can’t have more than a couple cocktails a day for more than 2 days before my stomach complains.  My status would cover that and more but RC assumes everyone is a cheat.  This was just before COVID, not sure if they relaxed the rules. 

@mets07 That is one beautiful castle!  It is obvious how much work went into getting this place picture perfect.  Congratulations to both of your sons and their new spouses.

Greg,  so sorry you have to go through this. 

@DaveSJ711 More thoughts and prayers for your wife.  The cruise will happen, just not this year.

A similar situation happened with my in-laws with their cruise to Alaska.  Both times my MIL was diagnosed right before each trip but they made it, just took a few years!

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

When it makes your heart hurt knowing they’re slipping away. 

I was thinking this just last night.  I'm been having a tough time dealing with the fact that my sweet dog's body (liver and back) is failing him.  I need a new dog sitter and although he is no problem I worry about leaving him with someone new.  He thinks he is a pup and could easily get hurt or paralyzed if given the chance to jump on any furniture.

@Sea DogI'm glad you have someone you trust to care for Maggie.  A good sitter is worth their weight in gold!

18 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I learned that if the group I was with already took a bite I would turn their plate and shoot at a lower angle.  😂 

Risky move that could result in a fork through your hand.  😀

Wow!  It is going to look amazing when it is done.  When did they start working on it?  Was that earlier this year?

Thanks for doing this review.  I was considering an AMA Danube or Rhine cruise in Europe but I feel like I can pull that off as a land trip.  I'm not sure if I have the confidence to do anything in the middle east just yet so a cruise might be a way to see this part of the world.

8 hours ago, JamesEM said:

Great beach day here in N. Myrtle Beach, tourist are gone, low tide, temperature of 72, light breeze, and sunny, the reason this makes me so happy is that my chemo is finished and I'm out exercising. 

Well deserved happy place!