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

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

The 60's is your idea of winter?

My DH told me when he lived in Miami that 60 degrees was when the fur coats came out. 😜

[Ocean Boy]

8 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

My DH told me when he lived in Miami that 60 degrees was when the fur coats came out. 😜

Up here the 60's is when the shorts, t-shirts, and sandals come out.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

The downtown Eastside is utterly destroyed.  It is a true tragedy. I have a friend who does extensive work down there. He was recently assaulted on his way to the mission to teach a substance abuse class.  YVR has the best and the worst of Canada all within a few Postal Codes.

For sure. That’s extremely unfortunate for your friend.  Hopefully they are doing as best as possible. 

[ownedbypets]

8 hours ago, George C said:

I think prices have went down for homes in Ft Myer where my brother lives hurricane damaged or destroyed lots of them , my brother’s house is still a mess , I don’t want to live in a hurricane zone . 
   Only reason I am in Texas was my job made me a very nice. Offer to move everything is way cheaper than New York City, growing up in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn and now live in a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with a pool , when we bought our last two houses I told real estate agent to only show us houses with pools. 

 

I look at Zillow every day for homes in Ft Myers and prices have dropped very little. The inventory is small because of hurricane damage and homes are selling for a premium in the desirable areas. My daughter wants to buy because her one bedroom apartment that she pays $1800 a month for is being raised to $2200. 

[aussielozzie18]

2 hours ago, voyager70 said:

Always enjoy your photos! Just curious, in the second photo it looks like the leaves on the large tree in the center are changing color from the change of season. Does most of the foliage in your area remain green year round or do you have many deciduous trees as well?

 

We have a mix.  Plenty of deciduous and plenty of bush that remains green.

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

Some random pictures of around the ship

 

 

Before the crowd

 

 

 

 

 

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

More random stuff…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butterflies

 

Birds

 

 

 

 

[aussielozzie18]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

The downtown Eastside is utterly destroyed.  It is a true tragedy. I have a friend who does extensive work down there. He was recently assaulted on his way to the mission to teach a substance abuse class.  YVR has the best and the worst of Canada all within a few Postal Codes.

I hope your friend is ok now.  That area is nasty.

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

You never know where this thread is going next. I think retirement planning is new territory for the thread.

Been there done that, anyone have questions just hit me up.

[Tree_skier]

32 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

For sure. That’s extremely unfortunate for your friend.  Hopefully they are doing as best as possible. 

They try... I had a lot of involvement back in the 90's and up until 2010 but they're all fighting a losing battle.  What used to be confined to about two blocks on Hastings stretches much further now and has encroached right up into Chinatown.  Chinatown sort of self polices and it has stopped there and the VPD keeps Gastown reasonable but anywhere outside of that along the Hasting corridor has gotten really bad. What was 2 blocks is now really a lot longer.  

 

I have very strong opinions on all this and why its happening and what needs to be done but this isn't the appropriate forum for that.  

 

I'm stopped along the Columbia river in Northern Oregon enjoying a beautiful sunset.

 

 

[Sea Dog]

Cruising with cocktails tonight. A new creation I came up with.

 

 

1.5 oz. Bourbon

.5 oz Kraken Sark Spiced Rum

3/4 oz Orgeat Almond Syrup

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Orange peel garnish

Mix in a a shaker of ice, shake and strain. Garnish with orange peel.

 

I call it "Sea Dog's Barrel" as the name for the Bourbon and Kraken rum cocktail? The name combines the nautical imagery of a sea dog with the notion of aging and maturation in a barrel, which is fitting for a cocktail that features both Bourbon and Rum. Plus, it has a nice ring to it!

Try it I think you’ll like it.

 

[Tree_skier]

Edited May 13, 2023 by Tree_skier

[aussielozzie18]

 

 

Today’s Saturday activity was a history walk at Ku-ring-Gai Wildflower Gardens.  Our guide started off acknowledging the Aboriginal community, then he played the didgeridoo for us.  We then did a walk in the bush with the guide explaining some facts that we weren’t aware of such as native termites share their nests in trees with cockatoos or goannas as they raise their young.  And they co-exist without an issue. As we walked easels with enlarged black & white historic photos were on display for us to peruse whilst he gave narration of that period.  At the end,  15 of us sat on a long table set up outside with the bush behind us and had fresh scones with rosella jam (from Rosella Hibiscus flowers), cream and bush tea.

Then my friend and I did a short bushwalk and the heavens opened on us.  A very pleasant morning despite the wet ending.

 

No photos from our activity but bushwalk photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by aussielozzie18

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

And still more…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tree_skier]

17 minutes ago, aussielozzie18 said:

I hope your friend is ok now.  That area is nasty.

Yeah, you sort of accept the occupational hazard after a while. There is so much need and so little being done that this sort of thing is just something you have to accept if you want to make a difference.

[aussielozzie18]

DS’ hometown right now - Waterton in the very south of  Alberta.  I’d rather not say where he is working at this point but he is looking forward to doing lots of hikes in his time off.  Deer are everywhere here & he has seen plenty of ground squirrels and their holes…

 

 

[grapau27]

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Up here the 60's is when the shorts, t-shirts, and sandals come out.

Here too.

[brillohead]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:05 PM, MJSailors said:

I do understand about family divisions. I can’t understand when they happen and, I admit to being envious (a little bit) of families that have strong bonds, being happy with each other.

When DH’s father passed in 2007, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law made it clear to us that they wanted to sever familial ties with us.

MIL severed ties with her brother and sister many years before she did the same to us. So, she had the pattern of having hardness of heart.

My DH has a forgiving nature, so he has forgiven his mother ( who passed in 2009) and his sister.

However,sometimes I have difficulty with their actions as I know they hurt my husband.

Thankfully, we have lifelong friends who are family and we go on with our days.

 

I'm always amazed at how different families can be.  

In my case, I haven't seen or spoken with the mother who raised me (adopted) for 21 years.  She disowned me because I put my sick dog to sleep "without her permission".  I did talk to my father two years ago on the phone while he was in a nursing home for rehab after pneumonia (he never wanted the estrangement and was unable to take a stand against my mother), so I was at peace with that relationship when he passed away last year. 

My "surrogate parents" have four biological children that they're not estranged from, but that they can't really depend upon -- that's why they have made me their patient advocate when they're hospitalized / unable to make their own decisions and I'm also the executor of their estate.

And there's my biological mother, who makes no attempt to talk to me at all.  When my half-brother was at her house last year she was going through some old papers and she asked him if he wanted my son's birth announcement and photo, because she was going to throw it away.  (My half-brother, on the other hand, makes a point to visit with me every time he's in town.)

And on the complete other side of the spectrum is my newfound father and his family.  He was raised in a blended family that put the Brady Bunch to shame with all of the various siblings and half-siblings and step-parents on both sides.... but they all love and accept and support everyone regardless of the blood/genetic status -- they don't consider them to be half-sisters and half-brothers in that family, they just have sisters and brothers.  The whole family has welcomed me with open arms, and I get a text or phone call from my birthfather at least five days a week, if not more.  And his sister and his brother message me every couple of weeks at least as well.  

 

So I've personally experienced a wide spectrum of family acceptance and involvement in all my various family situations... it really makes you wonder if there is such a thing as a "normal nuclear family" after all! 

 

 

[sgmn]

11 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

 

Been interesting reading how much taxes influence everyone’s retirement choices.

 

Here it’s family, house prices , proximity to the beach & access to medical care.

 

 

 

I find it interesting too. Income tax, VAT and national insurance are the same everywhere in England though I think Wales and Scotland can set their own taxes.

Local councils can set their own council tax so I guess that differs from area to area. 

 

We are tempted to move to Cornwall where all my remaining wider family live and where all my ancestors are from, but with grandkids now we want to stay closer to our kids. 

Thought about Dorset, around 1 hr 30 min away and where Gary was born. Its got some stunning coastline and areas of 'outstanding beauty'.  But anywhere near the coast is quite expensive  so I guess we will stay put for the time being.  Luckily there's some lovely countryside near us and it's fairly close to London, and only 90 mins from the coast.   Though generally the south of England is quite built up. 

Edited May 13, 2023 by sgmn

[A&L_Ont]

7 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

They try... I had a lot of involvement back in the 90's and up until 2010 but they're all fighting a losing battle.  What used to be confined to about two blocks on Hastings stretches much further now and has encroached right up into Chinatown.  Chinatown sort of self polices and it has stopped there and the VPD keeps Gastown reasonable but anywhere outside of that along the Hasting corridor has gotten really bad. What was 2 blocks is now really a lot longer.  
 

 

I remember when going to the PNE grounds that you would see a small stretch of a few blocks around 2010. Recently I saw a news story where they cleaned up and side walk encampment with dump trucks and backhoes. 
 

Even London Ontario a town of 420,000 has small areas of what Vancouver was like around 2010. 

 

7 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

I have very strong opinions on all this and why its happening and what needs to be done but this isn't the appropriate forum for that.

 

 

This would be an interesting/informative discussion on a cruise. It’s become more obvious in the last 10 years that something has to be done, in a multitude of different ways. One solution isn’t the fix for all, especially when these individuals have a myriad of different issues and situations.

 

7 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I'm stopped along the Columbia river in Northern Oregon enjoying a beautiful sunset.

The photo below was impressive.

[A&L_Ont]

7 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

DS’ hometown right now - Waterton in the very south of  Alberta.  I’d rather not say where he is working at this point but he is looking forward to doing lots of hikes in his time off.  Deer are everywhere here & he has seen plenty of ground squirrels and their holes…

 

 

We stayed in the Lodge in the bottom of this photo. It’s a beautiful and small community.  I think he will love it there. Let him know to be mindful of the bears. 

[Arzeena]

9 hours ago, ownedbypets said:

 

I look at Zillow every day for homes in Ft Myers and prices have dropped very little. The inventory is small because of hurricane damage and homes are selling for a premium in the desirable areas. My daughter wants to buy because her one bedroom apartment that she pays $1800 a month for is being raised to $2200. 

Same thing happening everywhere in apartments. I don't know if that high an increase is even legal, but every property company is getting away with it.

[Arzeena]

For those who know/ have been on the Wonder:

Can you use BOGO for 150 Central Park or is it off limits with BOGO .

How hard or easy is it to get reservations for specialty restaurants if you have a dining package on the Wonder, after boarding.
I definitely want to go to 150 (Lobster Thermidor🤩). I could do it twice! We have a 3 night dining package for a 7 night cruise.($112 pp plus grats). The $$ for 150CP one night for two of us was $115 plus grats, so it was a no brainer to get the 3 night DP. We will do 2 nights BOGO.

The 3 night pkg keeps going between $112 to $92, but when you click for $92  it says not available at this time.In January it was $94 for 3 N package. We were kind of running out of restauarants and getting tired of Jamies 😁.

Jeans are already feeling snug!🤣

[grapau27]

47 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

For those who know/ have been on the Wonder:

Can you use BOGO for 150 Central Park or is it off limits with BOGO .

How hard or easy is it to get reservations for specialty restaurants if you have a dining package on the Wonder, after boarding.
I definitely want to go to 150 (Lobster Thermidor🤩). I could do it twice! We have a 3 night dining package for a 7 night cruise.($112 pp plus grats). The $$ for 150CP one night for two of us was $115 plus grats, so it was a no brainer to get the 3 night DP. We will do 2 nights BOGO.

The 3 night pkg keeps going between $112 to $92, but when you click for $92  it says not available at this time.In January it was $94 for 3 N package. We were kind of running out of restauarants and getting tired of Jamies 😁.

Jeans are already feeling snug!🤣

We have been on  Oasis, Harmony X3 and Allure and used BOGO in 150 Central Park.

On Oasis in January we had the 7 night unlimited Dining package and went to 150 Central Park after boarding and booked the 7 nights for 150 X2  Giovanni's X4  and Chops grill.

In the unlimited package we had 1 free lunch in Chops Grill which made it great value.

Edited May 13, 2023 by grapau27

[jagsfan]

13 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

The 60's is your idea of winter?

Yes, it is our idea of the winter we want to have. It’s subjective!
if we want to feel really cold, we can run errands in our bathing suits. 
It’s optional. 
on the other hand, we can swim in the ocean in the summer without freezing our a***s off!