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

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, ReneeFLL said:

Also on the way up the ramp back to the ship I twisted my knee. 😡 

 

How is your knee now?

[aussielozzie18]

14 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

@aussielozzie18 Beautiful place. We hope to make it there some day. Mike wants to take about 6 months off sometime after he retires and tour Australia.

Great idea.  By then we will hopefully be fully opened up and the tourism providers will have a full complement of staff (atm they are struggling because all the young overseas staff they usually employ are unable to be here)

[aussielozzie18]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It's booster dose day for all of us. Vikki znd kids signed up before me so they went to one clinic and I went to another that just opened that had appointments.

 

Now sitting and waiting my 15 minutes.  Over 30 are now only getting Moderna regardless of other doses.  I kind of like that.  My first 3 were Pfizer and studies are now showing Moderna offers a bit better protection.  The guy ahead of me walked out.

 

Also got a full dose as opposed to the half dose booster because of the medication I'm on.  Hopefully no major side effects, didn't really have any other than a slightly sore arm 

Hope you have no side effects.  My friend and her husband both had their 1st booster last week.  They were vaccinated with Astra Zeneca.  For the booster that they had at the same time at the same place - she got Moderna & he got Pfizer. No underlying conditions so not sure why the difference. Maybe supply issues?

My dad tried to book his first booster this week but GP is low on stock and he was told first available was April.  It’s not suitable for him to look elsewhere.

[reallyitsmema]

27 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

@aussielozzie18 Beautiful place. We hope to make it there some day. Mike wants to take about 6 months off sometime after he retires and tour Australia.

 

Just saw a whole bunch of sailaway pictures on FB.  I wonder if you guys or OB are in any of them.  I hope your knee is okay.  It is one way for OB to ID you though, you can have him look for the lady with the limp. 🙂 Feel better.

[Ourusualbeach]

9 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Hope you have no side effects.  My friend and her husband both had their 1st booster last week.  They were vaccinated with Astra Zeneca.  For the booster that they had at the same time at the same place - she got Moderna & he got Pfizer. No underlying conditions so not sure why the difference. Maybe supply issues?

My dad tried to book his first booster this week but GP is low on stock and he was told first available was April.  It’s not suitable for him to look elsewhere.

Thanks.  So far so good. 5 hours in and nothing although the morning will tell the true story. 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

Ah but Uluru is the correct Trivia answer! 😁😁LOL!

 

I'll have to remember that 

[ReneeFLL]

32 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

How is your knee now?

It’s seems ok, but still hurts. I don’t think it’s anything serious but I have ice on it again. I will be staying in the room for the rest of the evening. Hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow. 

 

29 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Great idea.  By then we will hopefully be fully opened up and the tourism providers will have a full complement of staff (atm they are struggling because all the young overseas staff they usually employ are unable to be here)

Mike has 6 years till he retires, but we are hoping to be there this October on another cruise if the borders are open. 🤞🏻

[DaniDanielle]

Happy Anniversary Dani and your beau🍾

[ReneeFLL]

35 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Just saw a whole bunch of sailaway pictures on FB.  I wonder if you guys or OB are in any of them.  I hope your knee is okay.  It is one way for OB to ID you though, you can have him look for the lady with the limp. 🙂 Feel better.

You might have been able to see us. We are on deck 11 and 6 cabins from the aft. I usually wave, but this time I stayed seated. Not sure if Mike was standing or sitting when we passed the camera. I had on a blue shirt with red/orange flowers and shorts and Mike had on a cream and tan? shirt. Where on FB would I find the pictures? I’m going to see if I can find them.

 

Edited January 22, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

You might have been able to see us. We are on deck 11 and 6 cabins from the aft. I usually wave, but this time I stayed seated. Not sure if Mike was standing or sitting when we passed the camera. I had on a blue shirt with red/orange flowers and shorts and Mike had on a cream and tan? shirt. Where on FB would I find the pictures?

 

It was in the C&A Society group, not sure if you are a member.  

 

 

 

 

There are a few more of the loft suites, someone must have requested a wave.  There is also a front view but wasn't a close up.

[aussielozzie18]

The next day we’re up early to head back to Kuta Tjata to do the Valley of the Winds walk. The info says allow 3hrs (in summer the walk closes if the temps exceed 36C).  This was a beautiful walk.  We both loved it.  A lot of visitors finish at the 2nd lookout but we wanted to do the full circuit. The last section was completely open with rocks but no trees.  We needed our fly nets here and could understand why the walk would close in the heat. Views were beautiful (phone camera doesn’t do them justice) walk took us just over an 1 1/2 hrs.

Edited January 22, 2022 by aussielozzie18

[aussielozzie18]

After the walk we head back to the Resort to have a light lunch at the Kulata Cafe.  Staff are  from an Indigenous  training academy and learning tourism skills.

[jagsfan]

1 hour ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Seems like the same situation as with Mount McKinley and Denali.

Except there is no longer a Mount McKinley! 
Now that Congress fixed the McKinley Denali mixup, maybe they’ll go back and fix the Puerto Rico and San Juan switch!

[aussielozzie18]

Just before sunset, we head to the hotel next door to be taken out to the camel farm. I had booked a sunset camel ride.  On arrival, we were given a small shoulder bag for our phones but everything else is left behind then we are taken out to meet our camels.  We trek into the dunes with a young German girl as our guide and see the most amazing sunset over Uluru and in the distance Kata Tjuta. The guides walk along and take photos of us in front of the sunset with your phones.

[aussielozzie18]

Our last full day at Uluru and we are up in the predawn darkness to travel out to Kings Canyon. You can self drive but it’s 3hrs each way and I decided I would prefer to do a tour.

In the coach at 4.30am.  Everyone except me and the driver promptly feel asleep until  the driver slammed the brakes hard to avoid whatever had run across the road in the dark in front of the coach.  After a while, we had a stretch your legs & see the sun rising brief stop followed by a longer stop for a hot breakfast at an outback station.  On the last section, I saw wild dingoes & camels running in the bush alongside us.

[jagsfan]

4 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Just before sunset, we head to the hotel next door to be taken out to the camel farm. I had booked a sunset camel ride.  On arrival, we were given a small shoulder bag for our phones but everything else is left behind then we are taken out to meet our camels.  We trek into the dunes with a young German girl as our guide and see the most amazing sunset over Uluru and in the distance Kata Tjuta. The guides walk along and take photos of us in front of the sunset with your phones.

I am boggled!

You are having a holiday I didn’t know exists. It’s amazing! Is this the first time you done it?

I only visited Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australia has so much to offer I’m really sorry I never got back. 
Question: are the sandwiches at the bakery filled with pumpkin and feta? I think that’s what the tag said. 
I was a guest in someone’s home for dinner, and pumpkin was one of the vegetables. Different from how the US uses it, but very good. 

[Luckynana]

54 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

It’s seems ok, but still hurts. I don’t think it’s anything serious but I have ice on it again. I will be staying in the room for the rest of the evening. Hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow. 

I hope your knee feels as good as new in the morning!😉

[aussielozzie18]

At Kings Canyon, we separated. One did the 3hr Rim Walk that start with a short steep rocky climb up to the top of a cliff, the other opted to take the easy option and fly over in a helicopter…..

[ReneeFLL]

39 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

It was in the C&A Society group, not sure if you are a member.  

 

 

 

 

There are a few more of the loft suites, someone must have requested a wave.  There is also a front view but wasn't a close up.

I’m a member of it but the first picture that comes up is from Alaska. Maybe there is more than one group? I think we are hidden by the flag or palm tree.

[aussielozzie18]

Kings Canyon was well worth a visit.  On the way back we stopped a “fool Uluru” it’s Mt Connor and it’s on the road between Alice Springs & Uluru and many a tourist has stopped taken heaps of photos and returned to Alice not realising that it is not actually Uluru.  
You can go on a helicopter flight and land on top of it.

[aussielozzie18]

Last morning, we chilled by the pool at Sails in the Desert (Lots of Sturt Desert Peas in their gardens) before our flight home.  Recommend a visit to Uluru if you ever visit here. We thought it was magic.

[reallyitsmema]

4 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

I’m a member of it but the first picture that comes up is from Alaska. Maybe there is more than one group? I think we are hidden by the flag or palm tree.

 

Not the official cruise line one, it is one of the private groups.  I see the Alaska picture you are talking about on the official group.

[aussielozzie18]

18 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

I am boggled!

You are having a holiday I didn’t know exists. It’s amazing! Is this the first time you done it?

I only visited Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Australia has so much to offer I’m really sorry I never got back. 
Question: are the sandwiches at the bakery filled with pumpkin and feta? I think that’s what the tag said. 
I was a guest in someone’s home for dinner, and pumpkin was one of the vegetables. Different from how the US uses it, but very good. 

Yes, first time for both of us.  for some reason it wasn’t on my radar until my daughter gifted me airline tickets for Christmas.  Honestly it’s one of the best holidays we’ve had.  Yes, pumpkin & feta.  Very tasty.  Sounds like you did a lot on your trip.  Hard to fit everything thing in.

[LucasLikesToCruise]

38 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

Except there is no longer a Mount McKinley! 
Now that Congress fixed the McKinley Denali mixup, maybe they’ll go back and fix the Puerto Rico and San Juan switch!

That’s what I was meaning.  Mount McKinley was the “English” name given to it and Denali is the original “native” name.  Ayer’s rock was the “English” name given to the original “aboriginal” name of Uluru.

Edited January 23, 2022 by LucasLikesToCruise

[LucasLikesToCruise]

13 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Yes, first time for both of us.  for some reason it wasn’t on my radar until my daughter gifted me airline tickets for Christmas.  Honestly it’s one of the best holidays we’ve had.  Yes, pumpkin & feta.  Very tasty.  Sounds like you did a lot on your trip.  Hard to fit everything thing in.

Thanks for sharing an interesting part of Australia that I didn’t know about.  I have seen Uluru in movies, but never knew about the resort or making a short holiday out of it.  Thank you.