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

[sgmn]

15 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 😉 

As of today  😉 - 4. 

 

Very cold and I hate it. The main reason we don't travel to Europe in the winter. But hubby wanted to "combine" the cooking and the Carnival, and I was naive enough to agree, thinking that if there is a carnival, it will not be too cold...☹️

 

Big, HUGE mistake on my part. We found some warm clothes from the time we lived in Brussels, I borrowed gloves from my neighbor, 

 

+ 6

Four languages, that's is so cool. Typical Brit, I'm so lazy with languages. I have a smattering of French and hubby speaks German (and Canadian 😉)

 

I also didn't realise how cold it was (early March for us).

It was a late birthday trip and I didn't even realise it was Carnival until we got there. 

Can't wait to hear about both trips

[sgmn]

14 hours ago, grapau27 said:

I booked the ultimate dining package on Oasis of the seas last week and the food in 

150 Central Park.

Giovanni's

Chops Grill

was amazing.

 

Glad you enjoyed it Graham. I'm thinking of doing the three day package on Symphony. Man have prices gone up though. £118, so nearly £40 a meal. It only seemed a few years ago it was £25 extra for a specialty meal.  We've never done 150 Central Park or Hooked so keen to do those.  

We booked Hooked for dinner months ago when they had priced it incorrectly (had dinner priced at the lunch price and VV) so will be interesting to see if it's honoured. 

[sgmn]

14 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

How are you watching Broadchurch?  I watched all 3 seasons just before it left NetFlix and recommended it to others that I know love that type of show.  Plus, I wouldn't mind re-watching the first (and best) season again. 

 

Can you get ITVX in the States, its a spin off streaming service from ITV and is free over here 

[sgmn]

13 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

David Tennant the star of Broadchurch is in a new Netflix series that just started to air called Inside Man.It was very highly recommended to me .I just began watching it today.

I saw the first few episodes of this but didn't finish it. You've reminded me , I'll have to go back again. 

[grapau27]

21 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Glad you enjoyed it Graham. I'm thinking of doing the three day package on Symphony. Man have prices gone up though. £118, so nearly £40 a meal. It only seemed a few years ago it was £25 extra for a specialty meal.  We've never done 150 Central Park or Hooked so keen to do those.  

We booked Hooked for dinner months ago when they had priced it incorrectly (had dinner priced at the lunch price and VV) so will be interesting to see if it's honoured. 

Sue.

It cost me £429.22 online in October for the 2 of us for the 7 day unlimited dining package.

It includes lunch on Sea days in Chops Grill or Giovanni's which would normally cost $29pppd so is excellent value.

Graham.

[grapau27]

I have done a couple of sales calls this morning and stopped for coffee.

It was 33°F and frosty this morning at 07.00 am.

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by grapau27

[sgmn]

3 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Sue.

It cost me £429.22 online in October for the 2 of us for the 7 day unlimited dining package.

It includes lunch on Sea days in Chops Grill or Giovanni's which would normally cost $29pppd so is excellent value.

Graham.

The UDP on Symphony is showing for just under £240 each. So £480 for both of us with just one sea day. I agree it's better value, but I'm keen to try the new menus in the MDR so don't really want full specialised dinning. Also we've already booked Hooked.

It's Gary's birthday whilst on board so I may just book 150 separately at £54 

[grapau27]

5 minutes ago, sgmn said:

The UDP on Symphony is showing for just under £240 each. So £480 for both of us with just one sea day. I agree it's better value, but I'm keen to try the new menus in the MDR so don't really want full specialised dinning. Also we've already booked Hooked.

It's Gary's birthday whilst on board so I may just book 150 separately at £54 

We had 2 sea days.

Even after I booked I was getting emails every day with special offers.

Normally we use our D+ BOGO for the first 2 nights.

150 Central Park was the most intimate restaurant on Oasis imo.

There are about 10 tables for 2 along the window with these comfortable high backed chairs.

Edited February 13, 2023 by grapau27

[Ocean Boy]

7 hours ago, BonTexasNY said:

OK, now for the nightmare of debarkation.  I forgot if Ozark and Brillo posted their experiences debarking Allure in Galveston.

 

RCI has a contract with Lyft to only allow Lyft exclusive rights to enter the Galveston terminal.  No Uber, no taxis so you can imagine how crowded and confusing it gets waiting for your Lyft to come pick you up.  The weather was cold, windy, nasty.  I only had a hoody jacket and was freezing. Cars kept pulling up and everyone waiting ran to see if it was their Lyft car.  We waited one hour in the cold until our car finally made it to the terminal where we were waiting.  At first we were informed our car would pick us up in 7 minutes.  Nice!  After 10 minutes we were informed all cars were busy with passengers and we would have a 20 minute wait.  We waited 30 minutes and finally got the info of our car's license # and make of car.  How happy we were to learn the car had entered the terminal.  We waited and waited in the cold. windy really windy weather.  After what seemed like forever, Jack got a call from the driver asking our location.  We gave them our specific location and were finally picked up.

 

Oh but it doesn't end there.  All access streets to Seawall Blvd where we had to pick up our car were closed due to the upcoming Mardi Gras parade.  We drove up all streets hoping for an opening but none were available.  We finally made it and I was still shivering even though the car heat was on high the whole way to our car location.

 

So with the somewhat lousy food, the mass of kids, the crowds, the freezing weather leaving the ship, standing on our feet for an hour (operated ankle still gives me trouble) would we cruise again from Galveston?  We would in a NY minute!  However, next time we might garage our car next to the terminal.

 

I was unsuccessful transferring some photos I took to this post.  I'll keep trying.  I need to get more memory on my phone. That might do the trick.

 

Congrats to the Chiefs.  My friends are happy.  Jack didn't have a fave and me?  I stopped watching after half time.  😏

Why the heck does RCI care how people choose to leave the terminal and give an exclusive contract to Lyft? I've never used Lyft and wouldn't even know how. Way to go RCI. Inconvenience your guests during an already stressful time. I'm not impressed. 

 

Edit: Now after reading @brillohead's post, I'm not so sure what the story is. 

[h20skibum]

[bobmacliberty]

@Sea Dog Congrats Greg!  It was one of the better Super Bowl games that I can recall seeing.  Most are boring games.  Although I hated to see it end on a call like that.  Eagle fans are probably upset this morning, but the scoop and score in the first half is what really cost them the game.

 

I wasn't impressed with the halftime show (I'm not a Rihanna fan but she has a great voice) and I wasn't impressed with most of the commercials.  I did like the Caddyshack ad, but I don't even remember what it was for. 🤷‍♂️

[bobmacliberty]

6 hours ago, Coralc said:

@bobmacliberty I haven't posted about your CA trip, because we don't drink wine. But. We have been to quite a few of them during our annual stays in Calistoga at the spas and taking friends. Like Mark, we prefer the Sonoma trail vineyards, rather than the Napa wineries. They are friendlier. Korbel is a beautiful property, and the server usually has the secret code for other places, for free tastings. Chandon is also great, you can purchase a cheese plate and bottle, and sit out on the patio by the pond. Sterling  https://www.sterlingvineyards.com/  has a great tram that takes you up to their mountaintop winery, with beautiful views of the valley. And then there is Opus One (Francis Ford Coppola). FFC has a restaurant, "Rustic" on the grounds. We've never eaten there. It is probably out of our price range. 

 

 

Castello Di Amorosa is in Napa. We haven't been there yet, but it looks cool. https://castellodiamorosa.com/    The only wine I really like is from Hop Kiln. It is probably not that great of a wine, but I like it. It is a little bit sweet. They are in huge barn building, with a duck pond in the back. If you pick up sandwiches, you can picnic in the back. And Beringer is fun, it is a little tour, (or it was) and they have wine caves. https://www.beringer.com/

 

Enjoy your visit. Just a few suggestions. We kind of like interesting places to visit, and a lot of them are. ☺️

 

Thanks so much for this.  I just finished booking everything yesterday.  Napa has changed A LOT since I was last there (20+ years ago??).  All wineries now require a reservation and the cheapest tasting that we're doing is $60 per person. 😧  For our 2 full days in Napa, we're doing a hot air balloon ride the first morning, followed by tastings and tours at Laird Family Estate and Baldacci Family Vineyards (cousins with David Baldacci) in the afternoon.  The second day, we'll start at Castello di Amorosa and then work our way back down to Yountville (where we are staying) with stops at Del Dotto Estate Winery and Grgich Hills Estate.  We decided to go with smaller wineries that have great views/facilities and get great reviews.  

 

We were not able to get reservations at the French Laundry.  Apparently, you need to get lucky and make reservations there in advance whenever you can, and then schedule the rest of your trip around the reservation.  We're eating at the Bouchon Bistro (French...another Thomas Keller restaurant) on night 1 and Bottega Napa Valley (Italian) on night 2.  We also have reservations in San Francisco at Fang (Chinese).  Micheline wants to eat there because of the House of Fang TV show.  I'm looking forward to the food as much as the wine!

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

Four languages, that's is so cool. Typical Brit, I'm so lazy with languages. I have a smattering of French and hubby speaks German (and Canadian 😉)

 

Reminds me of taking a Yeoman Warder tour of London Tower a few years ago.  The Beefeater tour guide started by saying that they get visitors from all over the world and that he would give the tour in 4 different languages...English, Australian, Canadian, and American.  🤣 

[A&L_Ont]

8 hours ago, brillohead said:

Thank goodness, if simple lighthouse cookies can result in Monopoly, I'd hate to think of what would happen with a mating picture!!!

 

LOLOL

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

I wasn't impressed with the halftime show (I'm not a Rihanna fan but she has a great voice) and I wasn't impressed with most of the commercials.  I did like the Caddyshack ad, but I don't even remember what it was for. 🤷‍♂️

 

So many ads I recognized faces but forgot what they were advertising.  Well except for this one that I love for many reasons, presented by my favourite leading front man.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by A&L_Ont

[Jimbo]

9 hours ago, George C said:

Totally great game , this has to be one of the best Super Bowls of all time. Congratulations to KC fans including Seadog, great game by Mahomes and Andy Reed , I am a AFC fan so I am happy. 

Would have been a better game if the refs didn't decide the game at the end with that crazy defensive interference call giving the the Chiefs a first down and then running down the clock before kicking the field goal. 

 

Not giving the Eagles the chance to get the ball back with at least 1:45 minutes left to see what they could do to either go down and tie or win the game with a touchdown. If they were given that chance at least then it would have been one of the best Super Bowl Games ever. For the refs to decide the game like that with a ticky tacky call like that was just wrong. There were holds like that on every play of the entire game but to chose to call one there was really bad . If that's a good call there should have been 10 or 12 more holds earlier in the game.

 

The NFL should be a shame of themselves for the Field being such bad condition, everyone slipping so many times. The players couldn't really show their talents  with a playing field that wasn't suited for a game as big as this.

 

I really hope Arizona never gets to host another Super Bowl game again just because of that terrible field, it was a disgrace. Such a big game to be played in those conditions. Really felt bad for the players. They were all saying the field was the worse they have ever played on in all of their football careers.

 

A game as big as the Super Bowl should not now be spoken about as to how bad the field was.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Jimbo

[Jimbo]

9 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Who, for the 2nd game in a row, had the benefit of a costly penalty called against the other team in the last minute. 

Yup, better story line for Mahomes and Reid to win. NFL knew who they wanted to see win the game.

[Ozark_Kid]

10 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I'm sorry, you have probably mentioned that in the past and I forgot.  There's a lot of folks to keep up with on this board.

No problem,  I haven’t mentioned it much.  I don't think I ever mentioned the fall on my eye. I almost posted a pic of the black but it's gross..  I was hoping I would be recovering quicker. 

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Why the heck does RCI care how people choose to leave the terminal and give an exclusive contract to Lyft? I've never used Lyft and wouldn't even know how. Way to go RCI. Inconvenience your guests during an already stressful time. I'm not impressed. 

 

 

Agree, to allow not even taxi's. I'm sure they let taxi's drop off people and to not allow them to then pick up passengers getting off the ships there is crazy. So they have to leave the pier empty?

[Arzeena]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Why the heck does RCI care how people choose to leave the terminal and give an exclusive contract to Lyft? I've never used Lyft and wouldn't even know how. Way to go RCI. Inconvenience your guests during an already stressful time. I'm not impressed. 

 

Edit: Now after reading @brillohead's post, I'm not so sure what the story is. 

$$$$ cut for RC for every customer that books Lyft? Maybe there is someone's brother in law involved and filling pockets.😁

[Arzeena]

43 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

So many ads I recognized faces but forgot what they were advertising.  Well except for this one that I love for many reasons, presented by my favourite leading front man.

 

 

(I did not see your you tube so maybe it is in it) Crown Royal has a special Eagles box and bag for the superbowl. Was in high demand but sold out almost everywhere, in anticipation of a win.

[Momof3gurlz]

48 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

So many ads I recognized faces but forgot what they were advertising.  Well except for this one that I love for many reasons, presented by my favourite leading front man.

 

 

I really liked this one too. 

[George C]

39 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Would have been a better game if the refs didn't decide the game at the end with that crazy defensive interference call giving the the Chiefs a first down and then running down the clock before kicking the field goal. 

 

Not giving the Eagles the chance to get the ball back with at least 1:45 minutes left to see what they could do to either go down and tie or win the game with a touchdown. If they were given that chance at least then it would have been one of the best Super Bowl Games ever. For the refs to decide the game like that with a ticky tacky call like that was just wrong. There were holds like that on every play of the entire game but to chose to call one there was really bad . If that's a good call there should have been 10 or 12 more holds earlier in the game.

 

The NFL should be a shame of themselves for the Field being such bad condition, everyone slipping so many times. The players couldn't really show their talents  with a playing field that wasn't suited for a game as big as this.

 

I really hope Arizona never gets to host another Super Bowl game again just because of that terrible field, it was a disgrace. Such a big game to be played in those conditions. Really felt bad for the players. They were all saying the field was the worse they have ever played on in all of their football careers.

 

A game as big as the Super Bowl should not now be spoken about as to how bad the field was.

Agree some of the calls were definitely questionable but that is true for most games. We were really surprised on how bad the field was . 

[Jimbo]

16 minutes ago, George C said:

Agree some of the calls were definitely questionable but that is true for most games. We were really surprised on how bad the field was . 

What was even crazier , both Offensive Lines never committed a holding call the entire game, just how can that be when there is holding on pretty much every down.

But to have none and then call the one on the Eagles in the last 2 minutes to decide the game for the Chiefs and not even give the Eagles a chance to see what they could do on their last drive with a minute and half left in the game.

 

Think the NFL missed the boat, it then would have gone down in history as one of the best Super Bowl ever. Now it's will go down as a questionable ending  and played on the worse playing field conditions ever in Super Bowl history.

 

I would have loved to see both these teams on a field that was in good normal condition, It almost got to the point where the field was unplayable because how bad it was......almost thought one of the teams was ready to pull their players off the field. It was said the entire field was painted and that is why it was so slick..............why in the heck do you have to paint the  grass green?

 

Have seen this happen during NBA games when there is condensation coming up from the ice onto the court surface in multi purpose stadiums in fear of one of those highly paid players getting hurt.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Jimbo

[TravelGirlinDallas]

22 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I came home with it from my Odyssey cruise. It has knocked me on my a$$. I made it through 3 yrs of pandemic, working with sick people, and 2 cruises since re-opening. The third cruise did me in. 😏

I'm so sorry you've had a rough case of it. What does a physician use for viral relief? Just curious.

 

Hope you feel much better soon.