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

[Keksie]

3 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

So sorry to hear of this loss.  

Maybe he had a blood clot issue after the surgery.

Happy to hear your Son's Fiance is there to support him through this loss.  

May he RIP🙏

My guess would be fat embolism syndrome.  His fiance is a wonderful woman and they make a great team.  I am so glad he has her in his life.  Her son is 20 and a pretty great guy also, and he will be there for support too.

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, Keksie said:

My guess would be fat embolism syndrome.  

That was my thought too.

[Keksie]

5 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

We did the Southern out of San Juan on Serenade also. That was back when we were cruising in a larger family group and my parents would come along. Serenade is a beautiful ship but my mother reminded me several times that she missed the Royal Promenade and I did too. If it had not been such a port intensive cruise (one sea day at the end) I'm sure I would have had more reminders. Mom can be a bit persistent.🙂

We had an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Serenade and I agree with you.  The cruise only had a couple of sea days so not much time was spent on the ship.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Keksie

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

This one is for Greg @Sea Dog

 

Icelandic Christmas ornaments 

Edited September 1, 2023 by FromSea2ShiningSea

[Tree_skier]

5 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Good morning!  It is a brisk 39 degrees outside.

 

 

We missed the full moon the other night.  This morning’s is still sort of full.  The seagull wanted his picture taken, too. 🙂

My feet picture 

 

I'm loving your Pictures Helen.  I'm so wanting to do this Itinerary!  

[BonTexasNY]

1 hour ago, Arzeena said:

Very sorry for your son's loss.
Prayers for him and loved ones.

 

@Keksie from me too!

[Tree_skier]

13 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We love Serenade and have sailed on her for a month in 2020 before lockdown and something like 25 days January 2019.   

 

We haven't been onboard her since 2020 and really looking forward to our 12 night repo sailing on 9.12.  We know this ship very well...love this ship class.

 

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

We always wanted to sail Serenade again but never did. We were a bit hesitant  to sail her at first since every other cruise had been on a ship with a Royal Promenade & more dining/drinking venues and thought we'd miss all the "bells & whistles" of the bigger ships.  But the ship had great reviews, it was a great price for the time & we like the itinerary - Southern Caribbean out of San Juan. Turns out, it was one of our more favorite cruises. We did transitional late-seating dining and were assigned to 10-top table.  We immedialty hit it off with all 4 other couples & spent a a lot of time doing things with them during the cruise, hanging out late into the night & a few last minute excursions. Would have loved to go back & explore the ship more but never happened.

 

i like your itinerary & once I get my sea legs back, I might check it out in future years.  I have several  friends that live in the Tampa area (like an hour in each direction) and it would be a great opportunity to visit them & cruise back close to home.

 

My very first Royal cruise was Serenade back in 07... It was fitting that our first cruise post virus era was Serenade. I think we were the 5th sailing after the restart  It was a bit of a ghost ship but I loved that cruise more than anyone could imagine.  

 

Serenade will always have a special place in our heart.

[Tree_skier]

@Keksie  I'm so sorry for your son's loss of his father.

 

 

[Sea Dog]

17 minutes ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

This one is for Greg @Sea Dog

 

Icelandic Christmas ornaments 

 

Thank you I love this. I have always wanted to go to Europe for their Christmas Markets. Their hand made ornaments and glass blown ornaments are amazing. Love the line pic. I hope you didn't get yelled at. Extra points if you did.

Cheers!

[jagsfan]

17 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We have not yet done a TA crossing.   I want to but Eric is unsure if he would like that many sea days.    We have been on cruise ships for several b2b2b's (up to a month) and that was fine with him but we weren't at sea for 5 or 7 days at a time.   Someday soon I will get him to say "Yes, Honey!"  LOL

I got Dick to do it by showing him the difference in per day cost between a Caribbean cruise and a TA. 
I didn’t mention the cost of airfare, but since it’s a contract fare, it’s also at a savings. 
Since we normally drive to cruises I thought it best not to mention the additional cost of flying. 
We’ve done several TAs since the first one. 

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, jagsfan said:

I got Dick to do it by showing him the difference in per day cost between a Caribbean cruise and a TA. 
I didn’t mention the cost of airfare, but since it’s a contract fare, it’s also at a savings. 
Since we normally drive to cruises I thought it best not to mention the additional cost of flying. 
We’ve done several TAs since the first one. 

Selective disclosure of information. I like that!

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

Happy Hour time!  Blueberry Margarita (blended) & Aviation (with grenadine instead of maraschino cherry liqueur)

 

[Coralc]

10 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

Until last year, Australia was free of the varroa mite.  In June of last year, they were discovered in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle, just over 2hrs north of us.  The Dept of Agriculture has since been trying to contain this infestation and stop the spread of the outbreak.
This week, my dad’s friends who live in a rural area in the North of Sydney were informed by the Dept of Agriculture that all their honeybees would need to be exterminated and their hives burnt.  Very sad. Now, my dad’s friends that keep honeybees on the Northern Beaches are on knife edge as to whether they will be forced to do the same very soon as the infestation continues to head towards the Sydney basin.

 

They tried unsuccessfully, to keep Varroa Mites out of CA. There are some pretty good treatments for them, though. California has Varroa Mites and Tracheal Mites. Poor bees are having a tough time of it. 

[Momof3gurlz]

16 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well this week has been a challenge.  My son moved to Florida for many reasons but one was to help his father  who was having some health problems.  Sunday my son called me to let me know his father had fallen while he was leaving a restaurant and had broken his hip.  Monday they did a hip replacement.  Tuesday my son called to say that his dad was being moved to icu because he was not doing well.  His dad ended up passing away that night.  It has been really hard on my son. Today the funeral home said the ME might have to do an autopsy to find a clear cause of death for the death certificate.   Even more challenging is the fact that my Ex left a financial mess for my son to decipher. My heart hurts for my son having to go through all this.  I am thankful that my son's fiance is such a wonderful young woman who has been there for him.

I’m so sorry for the loss of your son’s Dad. Your son is fortunate to have you and his fiancé by his side. I wish him luck straightening out the financial situation, it can be daunting.  

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

We did the Southern out of San Juan on Serenade also. That was back when we were cruising in a larger family group and my parents would come along. Serenade is a beautiful ship but my mother reminded me several times that she missed the Royal Promenade and I did too. If it had not been such a port intensive cruise (one sea day at the end) I'm sure I would have had more reminders. Mom can be a bit persistent.🙂

Especially the Italian ones 😉 🇮🇹!

[brookmill18]

@FromSea2ShiningSea How are you liking Jewel? My mother is thinking of switching a TA to Jewel next spring but is worried after reading several negative reviews of the ship--just curious from someone who is currently on it. If the ship itself was a big part of the trip, would you recommend Jewel? Thank you!

[lenquixote66]

A guy who I have been friends with since 1947 arrived in NY yesterday from his home on the west coast of the US .We will be getting together on Monday .Although we are in contact by phone and e-mail due to both of us dealing with serious medical issues we last saw each other in 2008.

[Ocean Boy]

22 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

 

Especially the Italian ones 😉 🇮🇹!

One year we were on the deck of Indy waiting to set sail an Oasis was leaving before us. My mother says she would really like to see that ship some time. I'm not sure how many times she mentioned Oasis during that cruise. Guess which ship our next cruise was on...

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

48 minutes ago, brookmill18 said:

@FromSea2ShiningSea How are you liking Jewel? My mother is thinking of switching a TA to Jewel next spring but is worried after reading several negative reviews of the ship--just curious from someone who is currently on it. If the ship itself was a big part of the trip, would you recommend Jewel? Thank you!

I love the Radiance class ships and I love Jewel.  Obviously, it is smaller and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the bigger class ships have.  I like how it’s not that long a walk to get from the front of the ship to the back of the ship.  Being a smaller ship means less chance for me to get lost.  I love the gym and the spa.  The solarium is small and not fancy like the Oasis or the Quantum class Solarium if that is important to you.  The Jewel Windjammer beats the Oasis class hands down to me.  It is spacious and spread out and not cramped tight as the O class.  But of course, Jewel has less food venues, less retail venues and less entertainment venues.

 

We have done our first TA on Jewel, second one on Adventure, and one on Odyssey last October.  So then actually we have experienced the small, medium and large ships for TA’s.  Honestly, I enjoyed each of them.  But if the ship itself is a big part of the trip, I would pick the bigger class ship such as Odyssey.  There’d be so much more to do, more specialty dining, complimentary food venues and more show venues.  I really loved Odyssey, especially the Windjammer.  I hope this helps.  

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, Keksie said:

My guess would be fat embolism syndrome.  His fiance is a wonderful woman and they make a great team.  I am so glad he has her in his life.  Her son is 20 and a pretty great guy also, and he will be there for support too.

I have never heard of fat embolism syndrome.    Learn something new all the time on this thread. 😃

[Keksie]

Just now, Sunshine3601 said:

I have never heard of fat embolism syndrome.    Learn something new all the time on this thread. 😃

I hadn't either until this happened.  Since the Drs had checked for blood clots I knew it had to have been something else so I did a little research and that is what I came up with.  Not being a Dr. it is just my uneducated guess.

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

I love the Radiance class ships and I love Jewel.  Obviously, it is smaller and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the bigger class ships have.  I like how it’s not that long a walk to get from the front of the ship to the back of the ship.  Being a smaller ship means less chance for me to get lost.  I love the gym and the spa.  The solarium is small and not fancy like the Oasis or the Quantum class Solarium if that is important to you.  The Jewel Windjammer beats the Oasis class hands down to me.  It is spacious and spread out and not cramped tight as the O class.  But of course, Jewel has less food venues, less retail venues and less entertainment venues.

 

We have done our first TA on Jewel, second one on Adventure, and one on Odyssey last October.  So then actually we have experienced the small, medium and large ships for TA’s.  Honestly, I enjoyed each of them.  But if the ship itself is a big part of the trip, I would pick the bigger class ship such as Odyssey.  There’d be so much more to do, more specialty dining, complimentary food venues and more show venues.  I really loved Odyssey, especially the Windjammer.  I hope this helps.  

How’s Merv the Nerve behaving? I know my knee will appreciate the smaller ship Adventure this October.

[CrzLvr2]

20 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well this week has been a challenge.  My son moved to Florida for many reasons but one was to help his father  who was having some health problems.  Sunday my son called me to let me know his father had fallen while he was leaving a restaurant and had broken his hip.  Monday they did a hip replacement.  Tuesday my son called to say that his dad was being moved to icu because he was not doing well.  His dad ended up passing away that night.  It has been really hard on my son. Today the funeral home said the ME might have to do an autopsy to find a clear cause of death for the death certificate.   Even more challenging is the fact that my Ex left a financial mess for my son to decipher. My heart hurts for my son having to go through all this.  I am thankful that my son's fiance is such a wonderful young woman who has been there for him.

@Keksie I'm so sorry that your son has to experience not only the sudden loss of his father, but the added challenges, too. 😔

[maggieq]

21 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well this week has been a challenge.  My son moved to Florida for many reasons but one was to help his father  who was having some health problems.  Sunday my son called me to let me know his father had fallen while he was leaving a restaurant and had broken his hip.  Monday they did a hip replacement.  Tuesday my son called to say that his dad was being moved to icu because he was not doing well.  His dad ended up passing away that night.  It has been really hard on my son. Today the funeral home said the ME might have to do an autopsy to find a clear cause of death for the death certificate.   Even more challenging is the fact that my Ex left a financial mess for my son to decipher. My heart hurts for my son having to go through all this.  I am thankful that my son's fiance is such a wonderful young woman who has been there for him.

Wow!  How awful…..   so very sorry for your son and family 😔 

[CrzLvr2]

14 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

   

The seagull wanted his picture taken, too. 🙂

 

 

 

@FromSea2ShiningSea Gotta love that photo-bombing seagull!!

S/he is a cool addition to your already great photo!🌝

 

[Luckynana]

21 hours ago, Keksie said:

Well this week has been a challenge.  My son moved to Florida for many reasons but one was to help his father  who was having some health problems.  Sunday my son called me to let me know his father had fallen while he was leaving a restaurant and had broken his hip.  Monday they did a hip replacement.  Tuesday my son called to say that his dad was being moved to icu because he was not doing well.  His dad ended up passing away that night.  It has been really hard on my son. Today the funeral home said the ME might have to do an autopsy to find a clear cause of death for the death certificate.   Even more challenging is the fact that my Ex left a financial mess for my son to decipher. My heart hurts for my son having to go through all this.  I am thankful that my son's fiance is such a wonderful young woman who has been there for him.

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your sons dad.  How fortunate that his fiance is there for your son.  I do hope that your son and his fiance will be very happy living in Florida.  Will they be living anywhere near you, Karen?

 

14 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Rabbit 🐇 Rabbit 🐇 White rabbit 🐰 for good luck this new month to all on Dani's @dani negreanu thread.

It is cloudy and 62°F here in the UK.

I hope everyone is safe and well.

I said Rabbit Rabbit early this morning, Graham.  I've been saying it for well over 50 years now😊.  I've never said White Rabbit, though.  Should I be saying that, also?  If so, big question for me...will I remember to say White Rabbit?🤔😁 Hope you and Pauline are safe and well, also!