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

[h20skibum]

21 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Thinking about a rotisserie chicken tonight.

Nothing wrong with rotisserie chicken.  We get a couple of them every week.  They have been great to use for our low calorie casseroles.  They have helped me drop 35 pounds and keep it off.

[akcruz]

This shot was taken not far from where we live, not my picture, a local photographer that shares their pics on many of the social media sites.  Beautiful sunset last night. 

 

[Arzeena]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Which color do you pick for your toes?

I am a Pink girl! 😁

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Out of curiosity, given that you're a doctor, is that a moral choice or a health choice?  No judgement...I respect either.  

I'm sure it would have health benefits especially with the food supply chain in the U.S. but for me it is totally a moral issue.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Stepped on a jellyfish at Horseshoe bay about 45 years ago.

Still a beautiful beach.🙂

[jmh2006]

11 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Still a beautiful beach.🙂

I agree 100%!  Love Horseshoe Bay Beach and all of Bermuda.  

[helen haywood]

6 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

It may take some hardware to put that all back together. However, realize that I'm looking at those films on a cell phone screen and haven't done an exam on the area so maybe I'm wrong....

Oh, I was aware hardware will be needed.  I think I was told a plate and rods…. I have pins and screws in the other ankle from surgery back in 1975.  I’m assuming orthopaedic surgery has progressed since then…

[George C]

14 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Still a beautiful beach.🙂

Definitely my favorite in Bermuda, Trunk Bay in St Johns is my all time favorite beach, was there in 1979 and many times after.

[jmh2006]

6 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

Oh, I was aware hardware will be needed.  I think I was told a plate and rods…. I have pins and screws in the other ankle from surgery back in 1975.  I’m assuming orthopaedic surgery has progressed since then…

I would say yes it has since 1975!  Good luck with everything 🤞!

[Ocean Boy]

29 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

  I’m assuming orthopaedic surgery has progressed since then…

Ha!

[MJSailors]

A question for @Ocean Boy and others who have visited Bermuda and have so enjoyed it there.

My DH and I have traveled to Bermuda at least thirteen times beginning in 1983.

We loved Bermuda on our first trip there and,obviously, made it a frequent vacation destination both with cruises and resort stays.

Before our last visit there last June, we took a cruise on the Summit there in 2018.

On the 2018 visit, we found Bermuda to be the wonderful place we knew. Fast forward to 2023 and we found many changes there, not for the good.

The changes may have been a

result  of the pandemic , or a a change in the Bermuda society. We found many resorts closed, including the Fairmont Southampton Princess-the large pink hotel on the hill.

Many of the stores based in Hamilton have also closed-Blucks, Trimimghams and the Irish Linen Shop to name a few.

The beaches remain beautiful as well as the landmarks-Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the world’s smallest drawbridge and the Cathdral in Hamilton.

I have to admit that we felt sadness in seeing all the changes.

I think it is true that “you can’t go home again” because a familiar and loved place is so different from when you first discovered it.

Now, to my question. For those who have enjoyed trips to Bermuda, did you notice the changes I have described if you have visited in the past few years?

We would hope that recent upswing in the  tourism economy would help restore Bermuda to the lovely and welcoming country it once was for so many appreciative visitors.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thinking about a rotisserie chicken tonight.  Playing with the new grill.  🙂

Sounds delicious.  Please post pics later. 

[Ocean Boy]

10 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

A question for @Ocean Boy and others who have visited Bermuda and have so enjoyed it there.

My DH and I have traveled to Bermuda at least thirteen times beginning in 1983.

We loved Bermuda on our first trip there and,obviously, made it a frequent vacation destination both with cruises and resort stays.

Before our last visit there last June, we took a cruise on the Summit there in 2018.

On the 2018 visit, we found Bermuda to be the wonderful place we knew. Fast forward to 2023 and we found many changes there, not for the good.

The changes may have been a

result  of the pandemic , or a a change in the Bermuda society. We found many resorts closed, including the Fairmont Southampton Princess-the large pink hotel on the hill.

Many of the stores based in Hamilton have also closed-Blucks, Trimimghams and the Irish Linen Shop to name a few.

The beaches remain beautiful as well as the landmarks-Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the world’s smallest drawbridge and the Cathdral in Hamilton.

I have to admit that we felt sadness in seeing all the changes.

I think it is true that “you can’t go home again” because a familiar and loved place is so different from when you first discovered it.

Now, to my question. For those who have enjoyed trips to Bermuda, did you notice the changes I have described if you have visited in the past few years?

We would hope that recent upswing in the  tourism economy would help restore Bermuda to the lovely and welcoming country it once was for so many appreciative visitors.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

I have not been back in quite awhile so I can't compare. The changes do sound sad.

[bobmacliberty]

10 minutes ago, MJSailors said:

A question for @Ocean Boy and others who have visited Bermuda and have so enjoyed it there.

My DH and I have traveled to Bermuda at least thirteen times beginning in 1983.

We loved Bermuda on our first trip there and,obviously, made it a frequent vacation destination both with cruises and resort stays.

Before our last visit there last June, we took a cruise on the Summit there in 2018.

On the 2018 visit, we found Bermuda to be the wonderful place we knew. Fast forward to 2023 and we found many changes there, not for the good.

The changes may have been a

result  of the pandemic , or a a change in the Bermuda society. We found many resorts closed, including the Fairmont Southampton Princess-the large pink hotel on the hill.

Many of the stores based in Hamilton have also closed-Blucks, Trimimghams and the Irish Linen Shop to name a few.

The beaches remain beautiful as well as the landmarks-Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the world’s smallest drawbridge and the Cathdral in Hamilton.

I have to admit that we felt sadness in seeing all the changes.

I think it is true that “you can’t go home again” because a familiar and loved place is so different from when you first discovered it.

Now, to my question. For those who have enjoyed trips to Bermuda, did you notice the changes I have described if you have visited in the past few years?

We would hope that recent upswing in the  tourism economy would help restore Bermuda to the lovely and welcoming country it once was for so many appreciative visitors.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

 

We haven't been there recently so I can't comment, other than to say that I hope it returns to what it was.  

[Keksie]

New favorite drink.  Watermelon margarita

 

[HBE4]

6 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

We are on Liberty out of Bayonne. It’s a nine night that originally was going to Bermuda, St Marten, San Juan and Labadee. We are now skipping Bermuda because there’s really bad weather between NJ and Bermuda. We are hugging the coast, heading south to St Marten. Our Labadee stop was changed to Puerto Plata due to the issues in Haiti. 
 

I haven’t been on this class ship in a long time. Will be interesting to hear how many are onboard at the top tier this morning. It seems really crowded but that could have been first day craziness. 

 

Looking forward to your thoughts on the cruise. I came very close to booking this sailing (the May 9th) or the identical May 23 sailing. I hesitated just a bit too long & both sold out/priced out.

 

 

[dpostman]

3 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Thinking about a rotisserie chicken tonight.  Playing with the new grill.  🙂

Do you have a Sous-vide?  Have you tried poaching the chicken in chicken broth and herbs before placing on the rotisserie?

 

I only started adding the poaching to my method 2 years ago and been doing it like that ever since.

 

BTW, that burger looks awesome.  You just convinced me as to what to make for supper tonight. Thanks

dp

Edited May 10 by dpostman

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, dpostman said:

Do you have a Sous-vide?  Have you tried poaching the chicken in chicken broth and herbs before placing on the rotisserie?

 

I only started adding the poaching to my method 2 years ago and been doing it like that ever since.

 

BTW, that burger looks awesome.  You just convinced me as to what to make for supper tonight. Thanks

dp

 

I do have a sous-vide wand.  How do you poach a whole chicken?  Do you just use enough broth to cover the entire thing in a large pot?  That would seem like a lot of broth.  For how long do you poach it before putting it on the spit?  Sounds like an interesting way to add flavor and moisture.

[dpostman]

45 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I do have a sous-vide wand.  How do you poach a whole chicken?  Do you just use enough broth to cover the entire thing in a large pot?  That would seem like a lot of broth.  For how long do you poach it before putting it on the spit?  Sounds like an interesting way to add flavor and moisture.

I put the whole trussed chicken in a large Ziploc bag.  Herbs vary depending of what I have on hand, but usually, add 3 or 4 garlic cloves, 3 or 4 slices of lemon, a few sprigs of rosemary.  Then fill bag with broth.  I make sure the cavity is full of broth, and then squeeze out all the air and close bag.  I place the sealed bag in a pot of water and sous-vide at 60°C (140°F) for 60 minutes. After that, I remove chicken from bag, season with salt and pepper and place on spit.  I usually do 2 chickens when I do this because... well just because 😉.

 

This gives a really nice moisture to the usually dry parts and the cook time on the spit is reduced since the chicken is already half way there.

 

I feel validated since Alex the French Cooking Guy, demonstrated a similar method used by top chefs last year. They only poach for 20 minutes, but not sous-vide, they dunk the chicken in a whole pot of broth.  I'm too cheap to waste that much broth.

 

If anyone tries this, let me know how it turned out.

dp

Edited May 10 by dpostman

[reallyitsmema]

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Looking forward to your thoughts on the cruise. I came very close to booking this sailing (the May 9th) or the identical May 23 sailing. I hesitated just a bit too long & both sold out/priced out.

 

 

We booked this because of timing and price. We wanted to do Symphony since it is doing its first summer out of Bayonne but it was pricey. We are doing nine days for significantly less than what we could have done seven on Symphony. I wasn’t sure about the older ship but it is well maintained. Our cabin carpet needs replacing but is clean. We prefer the cabin features of the new ships but not a big deal. Food has been good so far. Chops was excellent last night. Best food and service we have had in recent years.
 

MDR tonight will be interesting. We had early seating on our reservation but they moved us to MTD. Went to have it fixed yesterday and they “put us on the list” of those that needed correcting. Was supposed to have a note by 4pm today. Nothing yet. Not expecting it at this point. Went to MDR earlier and was told they are fixing it now. 

 

Casino is crazy smoky, so that’s going to save us money. We just saw the ice show and it was the best we have seen on any ship!  Great skating without a ton of props like some of the shows. Lots of C&A members on this sailing. Tons of families too. Haven’t heard a kid total yet but lots more than expected with school still in session. 
 

 

 

 

If someone could flip that last picture for me that would be great. I can’t get it to flip on my phone. Thanks. 

[h20skibum]

8 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

If someone could flip that last picture for me that would be great. I can’t get it to flip on my phone. Thanks. 

Here you go. 

 

[DaniDanielle]

I loved Liberty, and my daughter said it was her favorite.  We had the best cabin steward on that ship.

 

 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

@dpostman @bobmacliberty

Have either of you tried to sous vide lobster tail?  

[Tree_skier]

Loving all the pictures from everyones cruises...  Keep the pictures coming.  139 days until I board Liberty.

 

@FromSea2ShiningSea Helen... Japan looks amazing...  

 

@HBE4, @A&L_Ont, @bobmacliberty and @lenquixote66

 

How about those Canucks!!! 

 

I'm definitely missing the chaos that would be sweeping my old home town...  🙂. 

 

 

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, MJSailors said:

A question for @Ocean Boy and others who have visited Bermuda and have so enjoyed it there.

My DH and I have traveled to Bermuda at least thirteen times beginning in 1983.

We loved Bermuda on our first trip there and,obviously, made it a frequent vacation destination both with cruises and resort stays.

Before our last visit there last June, we took a cruise on the Summit there in 2018.

On the 2018 visit, we found Bermuda to be the wonderful place we knew. Fast forward to 2023 and we found many changes there, not for the good.

The changes may have been a

result  of the pandemic , or a a change in the Bermuda society. We found many resorts closed, including the Fairmont Southampton Princess-the large pink hotel on the hill.

Many of the stores based in Hamilton have also closed-Blucks, Trimimghams and the Irish Linen Shop to name a few.

The beaches remain beautiful as well as the landmarks-Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the world’s smallest drawbridge and the Cathdral in Hamilton.

I have to admit that we felt sadness in seeing all the changes.

I think it is true that “you can’t go home again” because a familiar and loved place is so different from when you first discovered it.

Now, to my question. For those who have enjoyed trips to Bermuda, did you notice the changes I have described if you have visited in the past few years?

We would hope that recent upswing in the  tourism economy would help restore Bermuda to the lovely and welcoming country it once was for so many appreciative visitors.

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

I have been to Bermuda 12 times between 1973 and 2029.One of my daughters and family have been there many times between 2000 and 2021.They have not found anything negative that they conveyed to me.