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

[A&L_Ont]

26 minutes ago, George C said:

We are at embassy suites on 17th, really disappointed bar and restaurant closed at 8pm!! Will find a different hotel for our November cruise, luckily there was a nice Irish pub across the street . Will get to ship about noon.

 

We stopped staying there maybe 10 years for a few different reasons and went to the Hyatt Place around the corner. There is no hotel bar but it is newer, has great sound proof windows (big reason for Lisa), no noisy atrium, and more economical for a one night stay. Steps away from Publix and Gilbert’s 17st Grill. 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by A&L_Ont

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

@dani negreanuWe are on Page 888.  That's a gr8 number!

[ReneeFLL]

1 hour ago, George C said:

We are at embassy suites on 17th, really disappointed bar and restaurant closed at 8pm!! Will find a different hotel for our November cruise, luckily there was a nice Irish pub across the street . Will get to ship about noon.

Last time we were at Waxy’s the food was pretty good, but it’s been a while.

[sgmn]

11 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

 

Tenants are to leave the home by 11 am and new tenants can arrive at 2 pm.   My cleaning lady usually arrives a little after 11 and is done by noon so most my tenants know they can arrive early and house should be ready for them.  

I've noticed holiday lets companies are using the pandemic as a reason to delay entry on turnaround day. 

Our cottage in Cornwall this summer we have to leave strictly by 9am (otherwise they could take money from the deposit) and you can't arrive until 5pm 

Not sure it's because they need extra cleaning time or they want to air the house out between guests 

Pre covid it was normally leave by 11am and arrive by 3pm

[jagsfan]

4 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

We gave Sam the Cooking Guy’s lobster roll recipe a try for dinner, although we skipped the panko crumbs sprinkled on top. 

It was very good. For future lobster rolls, I think I’ll follow @island lady’s lead and keep it simple with just lobster and butter. While the other ingredients worked well together, the taste of the lobster didn’t stand out as much.  The lobster should be the star of the show. 
 

Not surprisingly for Florida, we couldn’t find the right buns. Ended up using split top brioche buns and had to slice off the sides so that we could butter and toast them. 

Publix carries Pepperidge Farm split top rolls. No need to slice anything off the sides..they’re perfect. They’re labeled Bakery Classic. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by jagsfan

[molly361]

4 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

We stopped staying there maybe 10 years for a few different reasons and went to the Hyatt Place around the corner. There is no hotel bar but it is newer, has great sound proof windows (big reason for Lisa), no noisy atrium, and more economical for a one night stay. Steps away from Publix and Gilbert’s 17st Grill. 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Last time we were at Waxy’s the food was pretty good, but it’s been a while.

 

4 hours ago, George C said:

We are at embassy suites on 17th, really disappointed bar and restaurant closed at 8pm!! Will find a different hotel for our November cruise, luckily there was a nice Irish pub across the street . Will get to ship about noon.

 

We also stopped staying at the Embassy Suites.  Always wanted to try the Hyatt Place.   There is a nice sports bar in that shopping plaza and some good places across 17th St.  Southport Raw Bar and Kelly's Landing (good New England food)

 

 

[sgmn]

Inspired by Graham's lovely fish and chip photos, this is our pub meal yesterday.  Fish n Chips for DH and sea bass fillets for me . Pub is in staggering distance of our holiday cottage 

 

[dani negreanu]

10 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Fish n Chips for DH and sea bass fillets for me .

 

Huge portions and looks very tasty 😁

 

Enjoy your holiday, Cornwell is in our bucket list, along with the Lake District. 

[Momof3gurlz]

8 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

Disappointed the last time that we stayed there. Check in was a mess and happy hour was incredibly crowded with trash and empty cups everywhere. Different hotel for us next time as well. 
 

Edit:  Enjoy your cruise!  I’m jealous. 

 

8 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

We stopped staying there maybe 10 years for a few different reasons and went to the Hyatt Place around the corner. There is no hotel bar but it is newer, has great sound proof windows (big reason for Lisa), no noisy atrium, and more economical for a one night stay. Steps away from Publix and Gilbert’s 17st Grill. 

 

Good to know. We stay at that Embassy Suites for 2 nights before Harmony in 2018. While convenient to the port, we didn’t care for the hotel. Room was very dated, issue with servicing our room on the 2nd day. The included full breakfast buffet was a nice perk but it was also a zoo.  
On the plus side, we did go to Gilbert’s, based on my reading about it in one of 

@A&L_Ont reviews.  BEST burgers we’ve ever had!  Can’t wait to go back there but we’ll find a different hotel in the area. We’ve been happy with Hyatt in our most recent travels so will look at that.  

[A&L_Ont]

12 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

BEST burgers we’ve ever had!  Can’t wait to go back there but we’ll find a different hotel in the area. We’ve been happy with Hyatt in our most recent travels so will look at that.  

They have a small buffet breakfast there at the Hyatt. the rooms are clean and nice. They have a simple pool as well. On a side note, I know a walking route to get to Gilbert’s from the hotel. 😋

[maggieq]

9 hours ago, George C said:

We are at embassy suites on 17th, really disappointed bar and restaurant closed at 8pm!! Will find a different hotel for our November cruise, luckily there was a nice Irish pub across the street . Will get to ship about noon.

We always stay at the Renaissance.  Was the Irish pub Waxys?   

[island lady]

9 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

We gave Sam the Cooking Guy’s lobster roll recipe a try for dinner, although we skipped the panko crumbs sprinkled on top. 

It was very good. For future lobster rolls, I think I’ll follow @island lady’s lead and keep it simple with just lobster and butter. While the other ingredients worked well together, the taste of the lobster didn’t stand out as much.  The lobster should be the star of the show. 
 

Not surprisingly for Florida, we couldn’t find the right buns. Ended up using split top brioche buns and had to slice off the sides so that we could butter and toast them. 

 

Thanks for the compliment!  I always say, "Let the food speak for itself".   If you have good quality fresh food...that is what you should taste, accented by some seasoning or sauce/marinade...but not over power the food itself.  😉 

 

Yeah, seems best to just shave the sides of rolls to toast them.  Worked for me!  

 

Your roll looked delicious!  Good job!  

[Momof3gurlz]

17 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

They have a small buffet breakfast there at the Hyatt. the rooms are clean and nice. They have a simple pool as well. On a side note, I know a walking route to get to Gilbert’s from the hotel. 😋

Oh, please share that route.  We have Celebrity Equinox booked for March 2022 out of Ft Lauderdale. I should probably get on booking the hotel.  Don’t recall off the top of my head, is Bella’s cruise out of FL? 

[island lady]

16 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Busy day today.

I drove down to an outside designer mall early this morning and Pauline did some shopping.

I then drove 30 miles to the York Designer outlet which is all indoors and we had lunch there too.

Our Pizzas were lovely.

Take care everyone and hopefully OB will respond when he sees these pizzas.

Graham.

 

 

OMG!!  Eating pizza not fish and chips!!  😮  😉  

 

Great pictures Graham...looks like delicious pizza...yum!!  

[island lady]

14 hours ago, h20skibum said:

680 always has a lot of police, especially where the speed limit is really low.  I have been using Waze out here in CA this week, but it is hard to get up to the speed limit because of the traffic. 
 

So lunch today was cooking up some of the things bought at farmer’s market yesterday.  
 

Corn on the cob, fresh green beans, teriyaki chicken on the grill, and of course more bacon ranch potatoes and bread. 

 

We have been trying out different things to feed our grandson.  We will be bringing him back to PA for a month or two.  His mom and dad are still working from home out here, and will be until September.  
 

We have a lot of fun things planned for him for the summer. 

 

 

Yummy!!  🙂 

[dani negreanu]

13 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Checked the berry bushes. Raspberry and blackberry. 

 

Are they sweet ? The little bear in me likes raspberries very much....

[island lady]

5 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Publix carries Pepperidge Farm split top rolls. No need to slice anything off the sides..they’re perfect. They’re labeled Bakery Classic. 

 

Nice to know.  Love Publix!  Up here in Maine it's Shaw's and Hannaford...with Hannaford being closest to the type of store Publix is.  Big chain.  No Pepperidge split top here...it's "do it your self with small sub rolls" for me.  No big deal to shave the sides.  😉 

[bobmacliberty]

5 hours ago, jagsfan said:

Publix carries Pepperidge Farm split top rolls. No need to slice anything off the sides..they’re perfect. They’re labeled Bakery Classic. 

 

Thanks.  Will need to check Publix next time.  We were at a Harris Teeter.

[A&L_Ont]

12 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Oh, please share that route.  We have Celebrity Equinox booked for March 2022 out of Ft Lauderdale. I should probably get on booking the hotel.  

Here’s the route. You walk inbetween the parking garage and LA Fitness.
 

 

Quote

Don’t recall off the top of my head, is Bella’s cruise out of FL? 

I think it’s from MIA.  Lots of time to book that room. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by A&L_Ont

[dani negreanu]

8 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

@dani negreanuWe are on Page 888.  That's a gr8 number!

 

Thanks, googled it.... it is indeed 👍

 

Affectionately known as “The Angel Number”, the number 888 is a symbol of abundance and positivity in numerology. When you notice this number appearing often, be prepared for an overwhelming amount of goodness coming your way. ... Therefore, the power of this number is increased threefold when it presents itself as 888.

[A&L_Ont]

5 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Are they sweet ? The little bear in me likes raspberries very much....

They are sweet, but if you pick them a bit early they are tart.  I might have had one or two yesterday. 

[Momof3gurlz]

In other travel news, I just booked flights to Orlando in September. 
A little back story - we are a Disney family.  We took our girls almost every year starting in 1991.  The only years we missed were 1992 (I was pregnant with #3), 2009 (oldest got married & middle was in college), 2011 (the year middle & youngest were both in college).  Anyhow, oldest DD has a conference at the Four Seasons there the week before Disney’s 50th Anniversary.  She’s allowed to add on nights before or after, so she asked her sisters to come down & join her for a pre-50th few days.  Then they decided that since it’s our family thing, Mom & Dad should come along.  The only hotel we could get was Art of Animation (while they’re at the Four Seasons LOL) but it’s really just about being there with the 3 of them. Don’t worry about the SIL’s & grandkids - we’ll be back there for 8 days in November with everyone at the DVC 3 bedroom villa 🙃

[island lady]

Last night setting up for Lobster night, the power went out for 1.5 hours.  Luckily did not have the big boys in the "Hot Tub" yet...so it became an extended happy hour while we waited for restore.  😉 

 

Power back on...two big boys going into the pot, table set...let's eat!!  Mmmm....  😋

 

 

[George C]

8 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Last time we were at Waxy’s the food was pretty good, but it’s been a while.

Waxy’s was a fun pub with a great staff , really didn’t want to leave the hotel but pub was pretty close, it was raining on and off so we didn’t want to go too far. 

[bobmacliberty]

2 minutes ago, island lady said: