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

dani negreanu
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HBE4

HBE4

Posted
Posted
13 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Usually you want to have about an inch lip between the driveway and garage.

 

I have to go measure it now.lol. 

 

I feel like it is a bit higher than the old lip as I would stumble the first few times walking in and out of the garage. The contractor was concerned because the ground under the old driveway was very damp. We live slightly downhill from  the street, fortunately  *knocks on wood* never had a flooding issue.

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dani negreanu

dani negreanu

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55 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Just out of curiosity, what type of security measures in the EL AL planes?  

 

I can't reply to Debbie ( @Sunshine3601) about her MIL, but, by sheer chance, our youngest was a security guy with El Al, so I can, very generally speaking, "report first hand"...

 

First, they have people keeping an eye on those arriving at the airport, from what car they descend, for example. Then, on those who queue for the "security interview". Those doing the "interview" are trained to ask certain questions and look for signs of anxiety, nervousness, etc. Many-many lives were saved by those "interviewers".

 

Next, keeping an eye on those gathering for boarding. And, last but not least, security guys inside the plane. That's the toughest job... being alert while others are sleeping, reading, seeing a movie. And one of the reasons that you can't be a security guy inside planes as a career. Top - 9 years.

 

A fun story my son had -- in general, they try to "blend", mostly if it's a short flight for a vacation destination. He always took with him a backpack with a tennis racket... One time, he found himself in a chartered flight full of Greek Orthodox priests, black habits and beards included. Of course he didn't "blend" 🤪

 

 

55 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Is it possible to change to a different airline like Turkish, or Qatar to go through a neutral hub?  Again, just curious. I tend to be an airline geek. 

 

Turkish involves a lay over, and many hours in a plane, which we avoid. El Al direct flight is 3 hours with a 737-800, but 3.5 hours with a 787-900 (!!) Why? Beats me...

 

Qatar - we don't have relations with them.

 

35 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

Oh no.  I didn't see this until after I made my last post.  I hope this all works out for you.

 

Thanks, Bob, I hope too.... Burj Khalifa is first on our list. It is quite expensive (100$ for 2 just 124-125). If we travel, I have Mastercard and will check this option. Good thing that we didn't reserve any attractions, while waiting for the PCR.

 

13 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Yikes!!!! What are you going to do? Any plan B on airlines?

 

Sadly, no. We can't drive there, and specifically chosen a destination which doesn't require a long flight. We planed not to eat and drink during the flight... and payed "premium" to seat just the 2 of us...

 

@A&L_Ont, Andrew, I'm so angry, I'm not cleaning any fridge !!!!!!!!!

 

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

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22 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I was afraid that CC was going to malfunction and my entire post would go *poof* when I clicked the Submit Reply button, never to be seen again. lol.

 

So I copied it into a Word doc first. 🙂

.

I really get frustrated when I push "submit reply" and what I took the time to write gets sucked into a black hole.

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LucasLikesToCruise

LucasLikesToCruise

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4 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I have to go measure it now.lol. 

 

I feel like it is a bit higher than the old lip as I would stumble the first few times walking in and out of the garage. The contractor was concerned because the ground under the old driveway was very damp. We live slightly downhill from  the street, fortunately  *knocks on wood* never had a flooding issue.

If there is more distance between the two, the better, it’s only the lack of or very little lip that poses the problem.  

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Luckynana

Luckynana

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@Momof3gurlzWow Deb, not something you were expecting when you checked into your airbnb!  As you said, you thankfully were already packed in order to move on to a much better vacation today.  How wonderful that you were upgraded to a beautiful suite at Margaritaville by the kind and understanding young woman who checked you in.  Enjoy your beautiful balcony overlooking Paradise!!

 

How is your baby granddaughter feeling today?

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Ocean Boy

Ocean Boy

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31 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:


But he won’t get the points as crew.

 

I have an idea, he takes on the DR position and Mrs OceanBoy gets free passage with all guests perks including points. Then OB gets to become Pinnacle by marriage. Problem solved.
 

Winning Mega Lotto is a better idea though. 

I stand a better chance of winning the lottery than I do of getty Mrs. OB on a world cruise.

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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

Posted
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16 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

@reallyitsmema

 

You are getting some really excellent advice. I'm far from being any kind of handy-man but your problem is similar to my next door neighbor.  We both live slightly downhill from the street so water flows down the driveway and off to the right into the yard. Our houses were built in 1964, I moved in 1993 and the neighbor in 1994 and flooding was never a problem.

 

About 10 years ago, he had the old driveway ripped up and a new on installed. Had the exact same problem, the driveway/garage lip was to high and water flowed right into the garage. The contractor comes back and installs a curtain drain along the garage entrance to divert the water to the right & into the yard. Stopped the flooding into the garage and sounds like it might be a solution for you but wait, there more! In the process, the foundation was cracked and now water leaking into the utility room next to the garage. Solution: install a French Drain along the entire front of the house. But that led to another crack in the foundation which caused water to seep into one of the lower level bedrooms. 

 

After almost 2 years, he finally got the house properly sealed and finally no more leaks. And a lot of complementary work by the  contractor.

 

I guess step one: find out where the water is entering. If its running the length of the interior wall, could it be the driveway installation caused a crack somewhere, maybe along the stone wall, to allow water to enter where it never entered before?

 

Good luck, it seems like you might have some trial-and-error before hitting on the correct fix.

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:


Thanks for typing this before I did. It saved me a lot of time, and is basically what I was thinking. 

 

6 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Once the snow melts and it dries out, you can run the hose at the stairs and various points at that part of the driveway and see which way the water flows.  That might help to see if there is a grading problem.

 

This has been a couple year process already with the replacing of the stairs one year to the garage floor, garage door frame, garage door opener and driveway this past summer/fall with a new fence thrown in the mix too.  Both our contractor who did the framing and our mason felt the driveway needed to be lower than it was and we expressed that to the asphalt contractor.  They both recommended that the asphalt be at the level of the garage floor but then immediately angle away from the house a few inches.  The whole driveway at the house is at the level of the slab.  We no longer have to step up at the backdoor which is to the right of the garage.  It does slope ever so slightly to the front lawn but we really feel it is too high.  The cooper flashing that was installed between the garage door frame and the backdoor frame had about 4 inches showing when it was installed prior to the new driveway.  You can now only see about an inch.  

 

I did look to see if there was water coming out of the joint of the slab and it wasn't.  It also was not in the area of the french drain on the other side of the garage.  I also checked to see if there was something like a rock or ice under the garage door gasket that would allow water to go under the gasket.

 

I really do hope it was just a weird storm and it was an ice dam but I need the rest of this driveway fixed as a seam should not be crumbling.  I appreciate all the comments and suggestions.

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LucasLikesToCruise

LucasLikesToCruise

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10 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

 

 

 

Turkish involves a lay over, and many hours in a plane, which we avoid. El Al direct flight is 3 hours with a 737-800, but 3.5 hours with a 787-900 (!!) Why? Beats me...

 

Qatar - we don't have relations with them.

 

 

 

 

Different types of planes with different wing structures fly at different speeds for the most efficient use of fuel.  Also it could depend on the timing of the take off and landing slot times for the difference in block time.  

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Vibe

Vibe

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 hours ago, Arzeena said:

 

@lenquixote66

Lenny,

I am going to say this again. You do not have to leave because someone is attacking you. I believe it was very mean spirited of that poster to attack you this way online and they owe you an apology. Please do not leave. Just put them on your "ignore" list and continue.

Lenny,

Even though I rarely post, I like to read this thread, it is a nice break from all of the daily stress that Covid has brought to all of us.

Your contributions are interesting and welcomed. I hope to meet you something on a cruise.

Edited by Vibe
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grapau27

grapau27

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1 hour ago, Lionesss said:

Lenny

 

Please stay and continue to post.

 

I really enjoy when you share any and all information.  In fact I look forward to your post more than me doing any kind of post.

 

I used to get frustrated with some CC threader posters that always knew everything and seemed to attack me with snarky comments.

 

Then I came to this thread.

Where I found normal kind and caring cruisers.

We have a special bond here, and also on Bellas thread.

We are family, and yes we may have a disagreement from time to time, but we do make up.

 

I can only hope you continue to share your vast knowledge as well as life moments.

 

Take care

With kind personal regards.

 

Lionesss

"Sue"

Lenny @lenquixote66.

I add my agreement to Sue's post that you are a respected and well liked poster and hope you will continue to share your life experiences on here.

I hope Toby and yourself are well.

Sincere Regards.

Graham.

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grapau27

grapau27

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1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Can't do without some drama and palpitations... I was worried about passing the PCR test tomorrow, but now another, bigger worry, just "landed".

 

The Dubai authorities don't like the security measures taken in all the Israeli airplanes, and decided to stop the flights between Israel and Dubai on Tuesday, one day before our flight...

 

I'm too old for this.

 

Oh Dani I'm so sorry to hear this.

I hope you can make other arrangements but please take care and more importantly stay safe.

Graham & Pauline ❤️

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dani negreanu

dani negreanu

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38 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I thought EL AL was known for its excellent security measures?🤔

 

Yes, they are excellent [if judging by my son being employed there...😉].

 

30 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

I’m guessing that’s the problem now, perhaps they have armed Israeli “air marshals” and the UAE doesn’t like that.  I’m just guessing.  

 

There was always a very "fine line" regarding El Al security measures, which are very restrict. Not every country understands the perils....

 

As I understand now from the latest news, UAE "thinks" that the number of security people employed on Dubai's airport is too high....

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ReneeFLL "Live from...." Rare

ReneeFLL

Posted
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1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Can't do without some drama and palpitations... I was worried about passing the PCR test tomorrow, but now another, bigger worry, just "landed".

 

The Dubai authorities don't like the security measures taken in all the Israeli airplanes, and decided to stop the flights between Israel and Dubai on Tuesday, one day before our flight...

 

I'm too old for this.

 

Sorry to hear this happened. Hopefully things will work out in the end.

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Lionesss "Live from...." Rare

Lionesss

Posted
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37 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I stand a better chance of winning the lottery than I do of getty Mrs. OB on a world cruise.

 

 

Lottery, did I hear Lottery???

 

People do win.

 

🙄

 

Just saying.

 

But i agree a world cruise is a little too much for me at this time in my life.

 

A simple B2B would do me fine.

 

Take care

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aussielozzie18 Great Review Rare

aussielozzie18

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My Dad had a new tv antenna installed yesterday.  The previous one had been damaged by cockatoos then they had a big storm come through and half snapped off and blew into the neighbours backyard.  He missed the Australian Open Tennis but when he saw the Winter Olympics were due to start, he pulled his finger out and organised a new one, it’s a lot stronger than the last one so will withstand the cockatoos he tells me. He is too busy in his garden during the day to watch tv but loves to watch the tv at night.  He has wonderful neighbours on one side provide him with meals every Sunday night that last him a few nights and another neighbour who bakes.  Both neighbours had Covid go through their families at the same time so they kept their distance for a few weeks.  Everyone has recovered so the food delivery has commenced again and he has great tv reception so he is all set.
 

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jagsfan

jagsfan

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

Thank you very much,Arzeena.I took your advice.In all the years I have posted on CC and other Internet message boards I never put anyone on an Ignore list.

This was the first and hopefully the last time.

Happy to see you posting!

I have enjoyed your reminiscences about growing up in New York. 
Hope you and Toby are getting through the winter ok. Spring is coming!!

Edited by jagsfan
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