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

[Ocean Boy]

11 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Join the club Jimbo!  Choice=Lowest Casino tier.

AKA you are not donating enough !🤣

I am quite proud of my no status casino tier.

[Sunshine3601]

14 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

For some reason I feel  better knowing others deal with these issues with their cats too. My past two cats let me do whatever I wanted to with them including trimming their claws. Prior to them it was always dogs. This behavior is so new to me.  I keep trying to figure out what I did wrong with this one. You would think that after putting up with weeks of her,  as a kitten, living in my grand piano she would be a little more appreciative.😏

Don't blame yourself or be embarrassed by it.  I have had numerous cats in my life and some just hate when they see they are headed for the carrier.

I had one big boy who  would hide as soon as he saw the carrier.  And he would cry and hiss like I was torturing him.  While others have just simply walked right into it.

I have had some cats love getting groomed and their nails trim where others throw a fit and refuse.

Just try your best to remain calm and not yell at her when she struggles.   They definitely can sense our anxiety too.

My best advice is get her to be calm and relaxed in her favorite spot then wrap her in a towel and scoop her up and into carrier as quick as possible.

Have you tried the carrier since the other day?

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Don't blame yourself or be embarrassed by it.  I have had numerous cats in my life and some just hate when they see they are headed for the carrier.

I had one big boy who  would hide as soon as he saw the carrier.  And he would cry and hiss like I was torturing him.  While others have just simply walked right into it.

I have had some cats love getting groomed and their nails trim where others throw a fit and refuse.

Just try your best to remain calm and not yell at her when she struggles.   They definitely can sense our anxiety too.

My best advice is get her to be calm and relaxed in her favorite spot then wrap her in a towel and scoop her up and into carrier as quick as possible.

Have you tried the carrier since the other day?

I have not tried the carrier again yet. I don't want her to stop trusting me and think that every time I pick her up that is where we are heading. I'm going to wait a bit. I might pick up one of those sport carriers from Amazon. A rigid structure might be easier. My previous cat loved her carrier and would sometimes go sleep in it in the house.

[Ourusualbeach]

41 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

she would be a little more appreciative.

Unlike dogs, most cats brains are not wired that way.

[Ocean Boy]

[bobmacliberty]

14 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Is that the lowest status? Because we hardly ever go in the casino on a ship.

 

Here are the casino status levels and benefits.  Choice isn't worth much.

Casino Benefits Grid (royalcaribbean.com)

 

Edit: More details here: Casino Cruises Reward Program | Club Royale | Royal Caribbean Cruises

Edited August 4, 2023 by bobmacliberty

[TravelGirlinDallas]

11 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I had big hopes of setting a good example of food choices today, for my grandson. 
 

Then lunch happened with this. 

 

and this. 
 

 

ok, there is still hope at supper. But this caught my eye. 
 

 

and Susan joined in with her own good choice. 
 

 

ok, he can have one too. 
 

I guess we can try again tomorrow. 

I highly approve of all of your choices. They look entirely reasonable to me!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Our Lucy cat is 6 years old; we adopted her 1.5 years ago when she was 5. She is the sweetest thing, but has definitely been the most medically challenging of all of the cats we've ever had. Even though she was fully vetted and by the rescue we got her from and said to be in great health, she has just had one thing after another. A few months after we adopted her, she was found to have a large bladder stone, and had surgery for it shortly after. She seemed to thrive for a while after that, and she filled out (she needed to) and got up to about 11 lbs.

 

I noticed recently that she seemed skinnier and was losing weight, so back to the vet we went. She has always been a little kitty, but she currently weighs only 7 lbs! The blood tests showed a slightly elevated TSH, so we are waiting on the results of further testing to confirm the hyperthyroidism diagnosis.

 

I had another cat with thyroid issues a few years ago, but the medicine for it nearly killed him. The cat was already age 15 at that time, so the vet just said to discontinue the meds and let him enjoy the rest of his life. This time, Lucy is much younger, so her treatment will need to be longer-term. The vet mentioned that there is now a cream type of thyroid medication that you can rub on the inside of their ears, which sounds a lot better than giving a cat a pill twice a day (which I have totally done in the past, but it's not fun). Plus, that will be easier for our pet service to do for her while we are traveling.

 

Anyway, still waiting on the additional test results and next steps from the vet, but it's been weighing on my mind this week. None of my other cats have really had any sort of medical issues until toward the end, so this journey with Lucy has been interesting.

[HBE4]

On 8/2/2023 at 11:36 PM, ReneeFLL said:

You didn’t misunderstand. I don’t drink much at home. Sometimes I can go for months without a drink. On a cruise, all bets are off. My drinking habits are like night and day, big time. 🍹🥂🍸🧉 🛳️

 

I'm the same way as you. I'll drink every day on a cruise and then go long stretches of not drinking when I get home.  Maybe not months but weeks, not including weekends. And the weekend starts Friday night so that excluded as well.  And Wednesday as that's hump day.  And occasionally Thursday as that it really Friday Eve so it's technically part of the weekend.

 

So now that I think about it, just Monday & Tuesdays are drink-free. But it seems like months so its the same thing, right? 😇😅

[HBE4]

18 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Do you collect Yankees Memorabillia ? When I reconnected in 1994 with my friend who played for the team he have me 20 pictures of himself .Some he signed To Lenny and the rest just his signature.I was always a Mickey Mantle fan and he referred me to a Sports Collectibles store where I bought an autographed picture of Mantle.

 

Other than someone giving me an autographed baseball signed by Paul O'Neil for my 50th bday, I don't have much in the way of Memorabilia.  Other than the numerous cheap "prizes" I get on  giveaway days - bobble-heads, baseball caps, plastic beer mugs, etc.

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm the same way as you. I'll drink every day on a cruise and then go long stretches of not drinking when I get home.  Maybe not months but weeks, not including weekends. And the weekend starts Friday night so that excluded as well.  And Wednesday as that's hump day.  And occasionally Thursday as that it really Friday Eve so it's technically part of the weekend.

 

So now that I think about it, just Monday & Tuesdays are drink-free. But it seems like months so its the same thing, right? 😇😅

As much as talk about cocktails and spirits here on CC I actually only drink on Friday and Saturday nights. On a cruise I too want to have a good time and enjoy the drink package.  After I get home from a cruise I’ll detox by not drinking for a couple of weeks at least. I’m a firm believer in moderation if I didn’t my health would be in jeopardy.

[HBE4]

7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

As much as talk about cocktails and spirits here on CC I actually only drink on Friday and Saturday nights. On a cruise I too want to have a good time and enjoy the drink package.  After I get home from a cruise I’ll detox by not drinking for a couple of weeks at least. I’m a firm believer in moderation if I didn’t my health would be in jeopardy.

 

In all seriousness, while I will drink every day on vacation & long weekend getaways, I will detox when I get home but not drinking for about 2 weeks.

 

On the regular, I am a weekend drinker & the occasional Wednesday. I'm talking 2 beers or 2 glasses of wine with dinner unless there is something special going on (party, wedding, etc).

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

You would think that after putting up with weeks of her,  as a kitten, living in my grand piano she would be a little more appreciative.😏

 

Jade is letting you live with her, how much more appreciative can she get? 🤣

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Here are the casino status levels and benefits.  Choice isn't worth much.

Casino Benefits Grid (royalcaribbean.com)

 

Edit: More details here: Casino Cruises Reward Program | Club Royale | Royal Caribbean Cruises

 

I wonder if the person that names the Casino tier levels used to work at the USDA? I keep thinking of grades of meat.

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by HBE4

[Ocean Boy]

30 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

Jade is letting you live with her, how much more appreciative can she get? 🤣

When she starts paying the mortgage I might re-evaluate my outlook.

[lenquixote66]

19 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Can't stand Big Brother. Adults acting like idiots and I'm also not a big Julie Chen fan either. They have also had racist seasons and that was it for me.

I watch it primarily because my 19;year old granddaughter has been watching it and we would normally discuss it afterward but after watching the first episode this season she has the same opinion as you.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

Other than someone giving me an autographed baseball signed by Paul O'Neil for my 50th bday, I don't have much in the way of Memorabilia.  Other than the numerous cheap "prizes" I get on  giveaway days - bobble-heads, baseball caps, plastic beer mugs, etc.

I have a rather large sports memorabillia collection .I also have a large music collection.In 1927 my father went to a jazz concert and saved the program which I have.

[h20skibum]

We are back for another day at USF and IOA.  
 

I thought this was a neat little optical trick that some may not know about.  If anyone watched the first Harry Potter movie, he had to walk through a brick wall at Kings Crossing to get to platform 9 3/4.  
 

Grandson and Susan both walk thru the wall. 
 

 

 

 

[ReneeFLL]

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Renee, with my best intentions, and apologies beforehand (my editor's eyes, I guess), Helen is @FromSea2ShiningSea 🌹

Please Dani, I would much rather be corrected for my mistakes. No need to apologize. 

 

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

For some reason I feel  better knowing others deal with these issues with their cats too. My past two cats let me do whatever I wanted to with them including trimming their claws. Prior to them it was always dogs. This behavior is so new to me.  I keep trying to figure out what I did wrong with this one. You would think that after putting up with weeks of her,  as a kitten, living in my grand piano she would be a little more appreciative.😏

You didn’t do anything wrong. Jade was just having one of her diva moments, but she still loves you. 😻 Something just didn’t sit well with her.

 

On 8/2/2023 at 6:22 PM, Keksie said:

We have a "sport pet cat carrier" from Amazon.  It has a big front door and I have been able to load even my most difficult cat into it.  We have the large size.  It also will fold for storage.  Sorry the picture is sideways.

 

Ordered it last night from Amazon. Should be in before we leave. Even with Prime it won’t be here until the 7th - 10th.

[ReneeFLL]

3 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Our Lucy cat is 6 years old; we adopted her 1.5 years ago when she was 5. She is the sweetest thing, but has definitely been the most medically challenging of all of the cats we've ever had. Even though she was fully vetted and by the rescue we got her from and said to be in great health, she has just had one thing after another. A few months after we adopted her, she was found to have a large bladder stone, and had surgery for it shortly after. She seemed to thrive for a while after that, and she filled out (she needed to) and got up to about 11 lbs.

 

I noticed recently that she seemed skinnier and was losing weight, so back to the vet we went. She has always been a little kitty, but she currently weighs only 7 lbs! The blood tests showed a slightly elevated TSH, so we are waiting on the results of further testing to confirm the hyperthyroidism diagnosis.

 

I had another cat with thyroid issues a few years ago, but the medicine for it nearly killed him. The cat was already age 15 at that time, so the vet just said to discontinue the meds and let him enjoy the rest of his life. This time, Lucy is much younger, so her treatment will need to be longer-term. The vet mentioned that there is now a cream type of thyroid medication that you can rub on the inside of their ears, which sounds a lot better than giving a cat a pill twice a day (which I have totally done in the past, but it's not fun). Plus, that will be easier for our pet service to do for her while we are traveling.

 

Anyway, still waiting on the additional test results and next steps from the vet, but it's been weighing on my mind this week. None of my other cats have really had any sort of medical issues until toward the end, so this journey with Lucy has been interesting.

Hoping nothing major is wrong. It can be painful to watch a sick pet. Our last kitty that I picked up in a Publix parking lot has to get shots for her allergies and prescription food. She had mange, ear mites, under weight and some other things. She now weighs 15 pounds. Those aren’t really big things (except her weight, which we are trying to work on) like you’re facing. Also had 2 cats with cancer, but we would do anything for our fur babies. $$$$ Wishing your kitty all the best.

[harryfat1]

On 8/2/2023 at 10:17 AM, h20skibum said:

We have two park passes for the days we are here, plus we have the unlimited express passes for the days we are here.  It all came with some special Harry Potter package through the hotel. This was delivered to our house a couple weeks before we left. 

 

 

We have an hour early access to IOA this week.  This was the line ahead of us at 7:43 am. 
 

 

and the line behind us. 
 

 

Once in, the crowds thinned 

 

 

 

Actually done quite a lot at both parks so far.  Grandson trying to be eaten by Jaws. 


 

Time for pool time at the hotel before dinner. 

 

 

 

We were at the west coast version - Universal Studios Hollywood last Christmas.

 

Have you watched the nightly castle show? This was the holiday version with the Grinch Christmas Tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, ReneeFLL said:

Please Dani, I would much rather be corrected for my mistakes. No need to apologize. 

 

You didn’t do anything wrong. Jade was just having one of her diva moments, but she still loves you. 😻 Something just didn’t sit well with her.

 

Ordered it last night from Amazon. Should be in before we leave. Even with Prime it won’t be here until the 7th - 10th.

Let me know what you think of it.

[brillohead]

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I saw chewy.com sells them for $40.  I'm tempted to buy one to see if I can get Sparky and Petey in it so I can trim their nails.   And Petey is due for his 1st annual vet visit since we rescued him this past winter.   He's a kicker and screamer for the carrier too

I don't know what Chewy charges for shipping, but Amazon has them for the same price with free shipping, too.

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

As I'm relaxing in relative indoor AC comfort, I thought I'd share my Dallas area weather for this past week and next week.  Relative low humidity so it's actually bearable. 

 

Today Sunny 105 |86 °F 41 |30 °C 0% Chance Precipitation

Saturday Sunny 106 |83 °F 41 |28 °C 0% Chance Precipitation

Sunday Mostly Sunny 105 |82 °F 41 |28 °C 0% Chance Precipitation

Monday Isolated Storms 100 |75 °F 38 |24 °C 13% Chance Precipitation

Tuesday Chance of Storms 98 |80 °F 37 |27 °C 33% Chance Precipitation

Wednesday Mostly Sunny 104 |79 °F 40 |26 °C 0% Chance Precipitation

Thursday Mostly Sunny 105 |83 °F 40 |28 °C 0% Chance Precipitation

[HBE4]

I've had my AC off all week.