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

[Arzeena]

14 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Years ago, they were dull,  no sparkle.
Then a new room was created with the best possible lighting. 
what a huge difference that made. 
I went from unimpressed to wanting to grab and run!

I have probably been to the  "umimpressed room" then. I was upset that the Qeen would want to wear the dull ones. 😉

You are still here on CC and not in the Tower, so you followed your better judgement of not running away with them. Proud of you Mimi😁

Edited July 9, 2022 by Arzeena

[Arzeena]

9 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

2 years from today we will be headed to Barcelona to end the 3rd leg of the world cruise. I wonder what will have impressed me the most by then?

What it is, we would love to know!

[grapau27]

Good afternoon.

It is 75°F and sunny.

We had a lovely lunch today.

[bobmacliberty]

10 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Starting to cook more on the flat top. Slowly getting properly seasoned😁

 

9 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Per the mfgr instructions, we cooked a pound of bacon on ours.  Then made smashburgers a couple of times.  It’s pretty well seasoned now.  

 

I must have missed this discussion.  What flat top are you using?  Sounds interesting.

[Lionesss]

16 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Green Peppers from the Garden and Beef from the Half of Cow we bought from a near by farm

 

Stuffed Peppers

 

 

 

 

 

Looking good.

 

I like your way of doing it.

 

Being in the work force for too many years I used to do every shortcut I could to save time when cooking.

 

I used to mix my uncooked meat, add onions, bacon bits, Knorr package garlic rice side dish.

Stuff the peppers with this  mixture.

Put in casserole and add one bottle of spaghetti sauce (store bought).

Cooked 375 for 60 min.

Tasted good.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[reallyitsmema]

9 hours ago, taznremmy said:

Curious.....why?  I'm on Voyager for the crossing from Copenhagen in Sept.  Appreciate your input.

 

9 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

I’m curious as well, we are on Voyager repo from Boston to San Juan. 

 

We really like the newer ships and the newer design of the cabins.  Voyager has been amped but they do not do updates to the cabins, other than carpet, during the amp.  I am also not sure we would like the design of the balconies, we like the full glass front balconies on the second generation Voyager class ships.  

 

We like the different food options on the larger ships too and Voyager doesn't have a lot of the newer options, like Playmakers.

 

We were thrilled when we read a different class of ship was coming to Boston as we have sailed all the Radiance class multiple times and were hoping for something newer.  We live just outside of Boston so were excited for something different that we could get to easily.

 

We will likely drive to Cape Liberty instead and sail Oasis before it leaves for the winter or jump on Anthem again when it comes back to the states.  We are also looking at trying Celebrity too for a change of pace.

[Momof3gurlz]

25 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

 

I must have missed this discussion.  What flat top are you using?  Sounds interesting.

I think John has a free standing one, Blackstone is popular for those.  To save space, I purchased this griddle top that sits on the grates of our gas grill, by Steelmade USA. 

[Luckynana]

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Starting to cook more on the flat top. Slowly getting properly seasoned😁

 

10 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Per the mfgr instructions, we cooked a pound of bacon on ours.  Then made smashburgers a couple of times.  It’s pretty well seasoned now.  

Are you guys talking about cast iron?

[mo&fran]

I am sitting here on my computer, DW in the other room watching TV, she changes channel, and every other sound is a beep. guess she is watching BD reruns. More beeps per second than any other program. I wonder if anyone completes a sentence with out at least one beep.

[Luckynana]

@Momof3gurlz Oh, I see it is steel😁

[Momof3gurlz]

26 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

 

We really like the newer ships and the newer design of the cabins.  Voyager has been amped but they do not do updates to the cabins, other than carpet, during the amp.  I am also not sure we would like the design of the balconies, we like the full glass front balconies on the second generation Voyager class ships.  

 

We like the different food options on the larger ships too and Voyager doesn't have a lot of the newer options, like Playmakers.

 

We were thrilled when we read a different class of ship was coming to Boston as we have sailed all the Radiance class multiple times and were hoping for something newer.  We live just outside of Boston so were excited for something different that we could get to easily.

 

We will likely drive to Cape Liberty instead and sail Oasis before it leaves for the winter or jump on Anthem again when it comes back to the states.  We are also looking at trying Celebrity too for a change of pace.

Thank you.  My preference would also be a newer ship but we were interested in this one because we’ve never done a repo.  The Boston departure is easy for us too and we’ll spend an extra day or two in San Juan before flying home. Another bonus for me also - I don’t like flying and this requires only one.  

[Momof3gurlz]

5 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

@Momof3gurlz Oh, I see it is steel😁

Yes, steel.  Once fully seasoned it should look and cook just like well seasoned cast iron.  

[Jimbo]

10 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

2 years from today we will be headed to Barcelona to end the 3rd leg of the world cruise. I wonder what will have impressed me the most by then?

Maybe all the weight you have gained and wow am I going to have any clothes that fit me to get off this ship  when this cruise ends? 😲🤣

[Luckynana]

10 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Yes, steel.  Once fully seasoned it should look and cook just like well seasoned cast iron.  

Thanks Deb!  Jim got one for Father's Day, but he said his didn't come with instructions.🤔

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Good afternoon.

It is 75°F and sunny.

We had a lovely lunch today.

 

Looking good, Graham!😉

Enjoy the rest of your day!

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

 

I must have missed this discussion.  What flat top are you using?  Sounds interesting.

 

Mine is from SAM'S 

 

Knockoff of a Blackstone. Right at $200 as I recall. It's made a great table the past 2 years🤣🤣

 

 

Actually for $200, it's a decent price for a heavy duty rolling work table.😉

[John&LaLa]

34 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

@Momof3gurlz Oh, I see it is steel😁

 

Yes, 4 burners. Gets hot fast

[John&LaLa]

22 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Maybe all the weight you have gained and wow am I going to have any clothes that fit me to get off this ship  when this cruise ends? 😲🤣

 

Kinda doubt that's the takeaway

[Luckynana]

12 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Mine is from SAM'S 

 

Knockoff of a Blackstone. Right at $200 as I recall. It's made a great table the past 2 years🤣🤣

 

 

Actually for $200, it's a decent price for a heavy duty rolling work table.😉

Nice!!!!😊

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

I think John has a free standing one, Blackstone is popular for those.  To save space, I purchased this griddle top that sits on the grates of our gas grill, by Steelmade USA. 

 

I think I'm going to order one as when I try to make smash burgers inside I create too much smoke for the above stove vent. Better to cook outside on this.

 

 

59 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

I am sitting here on my computer, DW in the other room watching TV, she changes channel, and every other sound is a beep. guess she is watching BD reruns. More beeps per second than any other program. I wonder if anyone completes a sentence with out at least one beep.

 

As a video editor I've had to bleep out audio. It's not hard but those editors for BD have their hands full on that show.😉

 

37 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Thanks Deb!  Jim got one for Father's Day, but he said his didn't come with instructions.🤔

 

On their website there is section called tips and tricks. I found that to be very informative.

[bobmacliberty]

8 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I think I'm going to order one as when I try to make smash burgers inside I create too much smoke for the above stove vent. Better to cook outside on this.

 

My thoughts exactly.  Indoor cleanup after smash burgers is a real pain.

[lenquixote66]

Big Brother began three days ago.As of now I am rooting for Joe from Staten Island,NY and Monte.

 

On the Challenge I am rooting for Danny ,Leo and Enzo.

[Sea Dog]

 

Watched Below Deck Med Season 7 Episode 1 last night for Linda and myself's "Cruisin' with Cocktails" night. Last night's cocktail adventure was the "Aperol Spritz." 

 

 

Aperol Spritz:

In a glass full of ice add

3oz Aperol 

3oz Dry Prosecco (sparkling wine)

1oz or splash Club Soda

Orange slice for garnish 

 

I found the key is to get the ratios just right. For less bitter, less Aperol and more Prosecco. 

For less bozzy more club soda and less Aperol and Prosecco.

 

Now onto my impressions of the first episode.

 

I think I am going to like this crew and this season. The shots of Malta itself makes me want to visit there. The new yacht "Home" is beautiful and modern. It does seem more narrow than previous yachts and the interior is very modern but seems kind of cold. The little bar in the main saloon seems way to small and it was evident of that when bottles starting flying everywhere at the end with the stabilizer issue.

 

Captain Sandy returns and I know a lot of people don't like her but I do. It's interesting that there were a lot of shots of Sandy helping the crew. Was that because they were down two deckhands who were still in quarantine or she saw all the shots of Captain Jason on BD Down Under helping out the crew and though she had better step up her game? I think the answer is both.

 

New chief stew Natasha Webb seems very confident with 10 years in yachting and is beautiful with her almost identical "twin" second stew Natalya Scudder. Thank goodness Natalya wears glasses most of time so you can tell them apart. The other male stew Kyle Viljoen I can tell will cause some issues this season. He's a little over the top and obnoxious.

 

Chef Dave White takes over the galley, with years of experience as a head chef and a seasonal restaurant in France under his belt. Seems like it obvious he has had a romantic relationship with chief stew Natasha from a previous yacht.

 

Turning to the deck crew,  I can tell Bosun Raygan Tyler will be the main problem and I predict she may be the first to get fired. She takes way too many smoke breaks and is lazy. By the way what's up with all these young kids smoking? Don't they know it's bad for their health? Poor deck hand Jason Gaskell had to pick up all the slack being down two deckhands who were still in quarantine. Fan-favorite Mzi “Zee” Dempers returns to the deck team. However, Zee is the only returning crew member. And lastly Storm Smith who I predict will also cause some drama as he remarked in his on camera interview that some people don't like him and he doesn't care. Boy if that's not a precursor.

 

The episode featured some really obnoxious charter guests and some issues with the yacht. Bad design on "Home" to have all the water toys stored in the bow and then have to be moved to the stern for use. Also we see how important stabilizers are to a smaller yacht. I know what a difference they can make on a cruise ship but for a much smaller boat any kind of swell can really up end things. The episode ended with some tension and is to be continued next week.

 

PRO TIP: The crew's accents are pretty thick. I turned on closed captioning so I could understand. The show is edited very tight so it's easy to miss something that was said.

 

Going to be an interesting ride and season. Just my two cents.

 

Cheers!!!

 

[Sea Dog]

Oh and another show to binge watch. On Netflix is a very interesting documentary called "Bad Vegan Fame, Fraud, Fugitives." After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails. So far only finished episode one but it seems very promising. Check it out.

[bobmacliberty]

9 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Big Brother began three days ago.As of now I am rooting for Joe from Staten Island,NY and Monte.

 

On the Challenge I am rooting for Danny ,Leo and Enzo.

 

Watched the first episode of the Challenge and I'm not sure about it yet.  Will give it another episode.  For my tastes, it's a little too much Big Brother (sitting around on couches talking) and Love Island (brainless sexy twerking) and not enough Amazing Race and Survivor (challenges and strategy).  We'll see.  Fortunately, YouTube TV has unlimited DVR space.  Kinda like ordering a drink you've never had with the drink package because what the heck...it's free.