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

[dani negreanu]

40 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Son just sent me details of where we are staying in Taormina. 

 

Looks like an amazing place. Italy is beautiful. Should be a lot of fun 😘

 

@Sunshine3601 Debbie, I've noticed that Petey "brought" you a book for the cruise... "Shakeup" by Stuart Woods. That's a new author for me, and I'd like your impressions. Have a smashing time on Anthem and eat a roast beef sandwich for me 🥪

 

@ReneeFLL  How are you and Mike doing? Did Mike had a better time in Tel Aviv in his 2nd visit??

[Ozark_Kid]

@Sunshine3601 Have a great cruise 🛳 

Looking forward to the pics.

[Arzeena]

We disemabrked from the Jewel of the Seas yesterday. It was a wonderful cruise.
The ship is kept very well and is in a really better condition than the last time we were on it (Feb 2018).

Public areas are clean and well maintained.
Yes saw some chair hogs, but there was plenty of space and lounge chairs available all over, just not wihin 2 feet of the main pool.
I am not very fond of the solarium on this class of ships (compared to the Anthem) but it was quiet and peaceful and less crowded than the Anthem's.

Elevators were easily available, wait if there was one was not too long. Easy to take the stairs for us too. We were on Deck 8 aft balcony and it was a great room. The walk did not seem too much, and also far away from the centrum which was alive with music till late night.
State rooms had new carpets. Just the same old cloth upholstered sofa. Plenty of storage in room and bathroom. Capsule shower.

Room attendant came once, we picked morning service, brought ice twice as requested.

There were families with kids and teens, everyone minding their own business.

I liked the new dining room menus. Windjammer food was also good. Nothing to grumble about the variety or service.

The crew and staff was one of the best.....I am comparing to the two cruises on the Anthem (in Nov and January). These guys were excellent. Felt like family.

Internet.....was not expecting much but was very surprised (and happy) that it was one of the best....by FAR better than on the Anthem. They had Starlink, they had not changed/updated their routers yet, and still it was one of the best, inside the room, in public areas also. Dh is always working remotely and he commented about it a lot.
At 23 knots the little Jewel was not as smooth as the Anthem but it was fine when cruising normal speed.

Shows were very good. Good variety.
Ports were Labadee, San Juan, St Marten, St Croix and Coco Cay.

Went out for dinner in SJ, Cafe Berlin...have been there before. It was OK.
St Marten was beautiful as always.

Too short a time in St Croix so walked over to Paradise beach and sat there for a while while DH snorkeled.

Labadee was just pristine! Lot of changes from before....felt "decluttered". I think I now like it better than Coco Cay.

Coco Cay....beautiful, but the wow factor has worn off on me. Also the Harmony was in port with us. Nothing was lacking, but the island seemed pretty crowded. DH did some snorkelling. I stayed on board after a short walk around and made use of the port day spa special........aaahhhhhh.

 

If asked to pick only one outstanding thing about this cruise and the Jewel, I would say it is her crew. Most of them are going to be onboard or the Greenland route. My room attendant is going to be on the Serenade World cruise the entire time and is really excited and happy  to be in Indonesia where he is from. Very happy for him.

[Luckynana]

@Arzeenawow..sounds like a top notch cruise on the Jewel.  Glad to hear it was such an awesome time for the two of you!

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Definitely a mess!  I know a guy who works for the power company - unfortunately fixing that mess was his responsibility.  Long day for him and many others in that line of work.

I sure hope things get back to normal quickly in your area, and that electric get quickly restored for all involved @Lionesss and @h20skibum

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

Debbie, enjoy the Anthem 😁

we finally made it to AC and we won!!  Charlie made it okay but now is really tired!

Glad that you and Charlie finally got to AC..winning added a plus to your trip!

I hope Charlie feels better after he rests. Are all of his tests completed?

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

In May my son and family are going to a wedding in Sicily (DILs side of family). Its a 'no children' wedding so we are going along to look after their six month old. 

Son just sent me details of where we are staying in Taormina. 

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/taormina-helas-apartment-by-taormina-holidays.en-gb.html

NICE!!!!!!!!

[SteelCityCruiser10]

9 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

I sure hope things get back to normal quickly in your area, and that electric get quickly restored for all involved @Lionesss and @h20skibum

Back to normal at my house.  Winds have died down.  Unfortunately my brother who is only 25-30 min north still doesn’t have power.  Funny thing is my parents are 5 min from him and they had power back by 6pm yesterday.  At least they can go there with the kids and hang out.
 

My Uncle who is also near me had a 30 ft Cherry tree blown over.  Luckily it wasn’t near the house and I’ll help clean up & get some free firewood for next year.  Glass half full 😀

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

We disemabrked from the Jewel of the Seas yesterday. It was a wonderful cruise.
The ship is kept very well and is in a really better condition than the last time we were on it (Feb 2018).

Public areas are clean and well maintained.
Yes saw some chair hogs, but there was plenty of space and lounge chairs available all over, just not wihin 2 feet of the main pool.
I am not very fond of the solarium on this class of ships (compared to the Anthem) but it was quiet and peaceful and less crowded than the Anthem's.

Elevators were easily available, wait if there was one was not too long. Easy to take the stairs for us too. We were on Deck 8 aft balcony and it was a great room. The walk did not seem too much, and also far away from the centrum which was alive with music till late night.
State rooms had new carpets. Just the same old cloth upholstered sofa. Plenty of storage in room and bathroom. Capsule shower.

Room attendant came once, we picked morning service, brought ice twice as requested.

There were families with kids and teens, everyone minding their own business.

I liked the new dining room menus. Windjammer food was also good. Nothing to grumble about the variety or service.

The crew and staff was one of the best.....I am comparing to the two cruises on the Anthem (in Nov and January). These guys were excellent. Felt like family.

Internet.....was not expecting much but was very surprised (and happy) that it was one of the best....by FAR better than on the Anthem. They had Starlink, they had not changed/updated their routers yet, and still it was one of the best, inside the room, in public areas also. Dh is always working remotely and he commented about it a lot.
At 23 knots the little Jewel was not as smooth as the Anthem but it was fine when cruising normal speed.

Shows were very good. Good variety.
Ports were Labadee, San Juan, St Marten, St Croix and Coco Cay.

Went out for dinner in SJ, Cafe Berlin...have been there before. It was OK.
St Marten was beautiful as always.

Too short a time in St Croix so walked over to Paradise beach and sat there for a while while DH snorkeled.

Labadee was just pristine! Lot of changes from before....felt "decluttered". I think I now like it better than Coco Cay.

Coco Cay....beautiful, but the wow factor has worn off on me. Also the Harmony was in port with us. Nothing was lacking, but the island seemed pretty crowded. DH did some snorkelling. I stayed on board after a short walk around and made use of the port day spa special........aaahhhhhh.

 

If asked to pick only one outstanding thing about this cruise and the Jewel, I would say it is her crew. Most of them are going to be onboard or the Greenland route. My room attendant is going to be on the Serenade World cruise the entire time and is really excited and happy  to be in Indonesia where he is from. Very happy for him.

Great to hear the great reports about Jewel, our next two cruises are onboard her. 23 days in total.

 

Look forward to boarding her the end of September in Bayonne. 🙂

[Tree_skier]

14 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Hydro is out here too

I can hear your Canadian accent 🙂 

[A&L_Ont]

2 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

I can hear your Canadian accent 🙂 

Power, LOLOL

[Arzeena]

4 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Great to hear the great reports about Jewel, our next two cruises are onboard her. 23 days in total.

 

Look forward to boarding her the end of September in Bayonne. 🙂

Hope they keep it in as good a condition for you.

[Sunshine3601]

Eric and i n uber on way back to Port after dropping off the kids, luggage and rental car

Quite a line up outside the ship...wasn't this long 20 minutes ago.

[derorim]

On 2/3/2023 at 6:45 PM, Sea Dog said:

I got my other knee injected with Syndisc, which is a gel that provides lubricant. So far it’s good.

 

Greg, I meant to ask you about this on the Bella cruise.  Do you feel the gel injection was worthwhile, now that it's been almost a couple months?  

[DaniDanielle]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

Glad that you and Charlie finally got to AC..winning added a plus to your trip!

I hope Charlie feels better after he rests. Are all of his tests completed?

Thanks MaryAnn.  His tests are done, they still haven’t figured out what was causing the stomach issues, but it has been better.

[Sea Dog]

17 minutes ago, derorim said:

 

Greg, I meant to ask you about this on the Bella cruise.  Do you feel the gel injection was worthwhile, now that it's been almost a couple months?  

 

Yes it has made a difference. My knee on the cruise was still bothering me but I think a lot of it had to do with all the walking I was doing. Now that I'm home my knee has settled down. I think it is worth a try. Most insurance is now covering the injections.

[BonTexasNY]

@dani negreanuDani, how is your DH feeling today?

 

[dani negreanu]

1 minute ago, BonTexasNY said:

@dani negreanuDani, how is your DH feeling today?

 

 

Toda, Bonnie, thanks for asking. Today is the first day that he's not in back pain or stomach pain. He stopped with the pain reliever 3 days ago, so we're happy and cautiously optimistic.

 

"Turn around day" - hopefully it's not temporary.

 

Note aside -- how would you say in English "titchadshi" תתחדשי, בקשר לאבא הביולוגי החדש שנמצא 😉

[Jimbo]

When buying the internet package onboard, can you buy it on your TV or must you go down to RC Online on the ship and buy it there?

[helen haywood]

14 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

So tonight I made Linda a special chocolate martini. I put it in this cup as the pups are determined to drink it. She says this is the best chocolate martini ever. I present to you the Sea Dog Chocolate Martini

 

1.5oz Dorda Double Chocolate Liqueur 

1.5 oz Crème de Cacao 

1.5 oz 360 Double Chocolate Vodka 

1.5 oz Baileys

1.5 oz Kahlua 

 

in a shaker with ice combine all and shake. In a large glass with ice and drizzled chocolate syrup pour and enjoy.

 

Cheers everyone!

 

Is Linda able to walk after one of these?!  I read the ingredients to DH who said “And I thought Long Island Teas were strong!”

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, helen haywood said:

Is Linda able to walk after one of these?!  I read the ingredients to DH who said “And I thought Long Island Teas were strong!”

 

She is good for one and that's it. She drinks it slow and it does have ice in it so it gets a little diluted. She does say it's the best chocolate martini she has ever had.

[George C]

Just booked our New York City memorial day weekend trip we had done this every year but because of Covid restrictions not recently. Got a good rate at our favorite hotel the Michealanglo and our favorite 800 sq Ft suite. Will see some broadway plays, eat some fabulous food and meet with family and friends. Then off to Buffalo for a few days to get together with some of my wife’s family and friends. 

[Husky1987]

38 minutes ago, George C said:

Just booked our New York City memorial day weekend trip we had done this every year but because of Covid restrictions not recently. Got a good rate at our favorite hotel the Michealanglo and our favorite 800 sq Ft suite. Will see some broadway plays, eat some fabulous food and meet with family and friends. Then off to Buffalo for a few days to get together with some of my wife’s family and friends. 

Love springtime in NYC!  We have a trip planned for early May, but may trade that in for the Ovation Hawaii-Vancouver sailing if I can broker some extra time off work and a house/pet sitter for a few extra days.  

 

We pretty much got our touristy items off the list our first two trips to NYC.  The last 4-5 trips have been basically walking around neighborhoods, finding new places to eat great food, and just dinking around.  

[lenquixote66]

On 3/23/2023 at 1:40 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday wishes 😊 

Looks like RC wanted to make it a special day for me too.  Today they sent out a notice that they are dropping the pre-cruise testing for the Hawaii to Vancouver cruise in May!

Happy belated birthday.I have not been on CC since Wednesday .

[lenquixote66]

On 3/23/2023 at 2:19 PM, NHProud said:

We have 3 teams in the sweet 16 …… UCLA , Michigan State and San Diego State .  At least one has to survive to the next round.  We have house guests so can we watch ? 

I had Gonzaga,Alabama ,Purdue and Indiana in my final 4 with Indiana to win it all.