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

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Looks like Eric did what I did, married a great young babe and now we both have sweet young ladies to take care of us!  😊 

Will the change have any effect on health insurance or retirement plans.  🤔 

Yes, we are all very fortunate that way😃

 

I would probably stay under Eric's health plan as we have been told by doctors, dentists, etc that we have great coverage with the BCBS plan we have now.

I have 401k with current job that I probably could transfer if I wanted. 

 

 Never had pension plans with any of our jobs.   Our shore house rent will be our pension plan😃 

 

I cannot believe what some people are charging for rent on the islands these days.  I look at vrbo every so often to compare.  I think next year we will increase since taxes, insurances and utilities keep going up.  It's been a couple of years since our last increase.

Mortgage on that house has been paid off for a couple years now.  Worked hard at paying off that 15 yr loan in about 10 yrs.

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We are fighting having no rain.  I have been having to water the core gardening.  

Speaking of gardening I started from seed a type called Delicious tomatoes.   They are producing but they are a different type.  I have never grown  Pineapple tomatoes but they look like one.  Ha e you ever seen one of these?  I have not tried it yet but probably will later.

 

I've never seen those but I'll be interested in how they taste to you. Lately I've really gotten into a Caprese Salad. So easy, I just slice some tomatoes, put some mozzarella cheese on top with some sweet basil and then drizzle Balsamic Vinegar Glaze on top. Yummmmm.

[BonTexasNY]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never met anyone who grew up in my part of Brooklyn ,moved away and did not talk about living in Brooklyn.My friend Pamela moved to North Arlington Texas and there were enough people living in her area who grew up in Brooklyn to start a Brooklyn Club.They met once a week and discussed their childhoods.

I have no idea if my BIL talks to people from Brooklyn.  It isn't a point of conversation with us.  

You can't ignore where you were brought up so I'm sure he does mention it, I just don't know to whom.

[Sunshine3601]

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We are fighting having no rain.  I have been having to water the core gardening.  

Speaking of gardening I started from seed a type called Delicious tomatoes.   They are producing but they are a different type.  I have never grown  Pineapple tomatoes but they look like one.  Ha e you ever seen one of these?  I have not tried it yet but probably will later.

I bet you they are Delicious😄

We gave in and had to water our core garden this week too.

Today I picked several dozen super sweet cherry tomatoes, several Amish pastes, my first banana peppers and some hiberneros.   Along with 6 large cucumbers and several squash/zucchini.   Still waiting on my beefsteak or big boy tomatoes.   Should be nice and ripe any day.  Bunch more eggplant coming later this week.

I made my rounds to drop off some goody bags to a couple neighbors.   One said I'm like the green grocer but with free home delivery.   In return I received a delicious looking zucchini bread from one neighbor.

 

With no rain how often will you water?

[jagsfan]

10 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

My view outside right now.  The weather report says light rain in the next hour.

 

I think our down spout might need some attention. 

 

 

We’re 2 miles from the St Johns County line. The rain comes across the state, hits the St Johns and makes a left turn to North Jax and Nassau County. 
Every time!

Rain gutter salesmen have a hard time in this neck of the woods!

[jagsfan]

9 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yesterday I received a phone call from a past CFO from a job that I worked in the 90's.    He had opened up his own business about 15 yrs and had previously asked me to come work in his acctg. department.     I always turned him down as I have enjoyed what I have been doing for many years.    I still do it enjoy (most days); however, the real estate/mortgage market has really slowed down this year.    So I decided I will meet him at his office this week and see what he has to offer.       

As I could always speak upfront with this person I mentioned that I have a couple of future cruises booked and time to spend at our shore house in the Fall and would that be a problem.    He said absolutely Not.      I asked if I would need to bring laptop and work while I am traveling and he said absolutely Not.    Salary would more than I am making now but I would have to go to the office every day.        I would really miss the option of working from home but would be nice to get back to an office atmosphere on a regular basis.    

I am torn.   Eric says I should go for it as he knows I am bored with work right now.    

I have an appt. on Tuesday to meet with him and discuss in detail and meet his staff.    

Wish me luck as I wrestled with all the pros and cons in bed last night.   

 

🤞🤞

[h20skibum]

So you might have noticed a change in scenery for my beach pictures. I don’t recall if I had mentioned, but we were at the Breakers Resort.  I will start by saying, I would not stay there again.  We had planned to be in one unit for the week, but ended up moving three times. 

 

We had rented a 3 bedroom, two bath unit that also had a kitchen, dining area, living room, and a washer and dryer.  It was very dated and looked like it had not been cleaned in quite a while. The pools, hot tubs, and lazy River had a lot of sand in them.  

 

So the day after I cut my foot in the lazy river, we found a large cockroach in our unit.  I went to the desk to complain, but they said they couldn’t have anyone there till the next day, and they couldn’t move us to a different unit until the next day. 

 

I told them I wanted a refund, so we could move elsewhere, because we were not going to stay in that unit.  They then came up with a 4 bedroom that was completely gutted and redone last month, so everything was clean, and brand new.  But they said we could only be there 2 nights, then they would move us back to one of the crappy rooms.  We moved for the 2 nights, and told them we would take a refund and move to a different hotel for the remainder of our stay. 

 

So after packing and moving to the 4 bedroom for a couple days, we packed again and moved to Homewood Suites, down past the sky wheel. Much, much nicer accommodations, plus they were cleaning pools and water features daily.  

 

I didn’t see Breakers do this at all.  For what they charge for a week, they could remodel a unit, and take care of basic maintenance. So a word to the wise, don’t ever book Breakers. 

 

We still had fun, but we’re bothered with having to deal with this. 

 

Now, we are back in PA, it is 70°, and we are soaking in our sand-free hot tub.  It is almost time to go in for a movie, some popcorn, and a kraken colada for me and strawberry daiquiris for Susan and our grandson (leaded and unleaded)

[Ocean Boy]

Sometimes I think I was better off when she was living under furniture instead of on me.😊

 

[Ocean Boy]

29 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

So you might have noticed a change in scenery for my beach pictures. I don’t recall if I had mentioned, but we were at the Breakers Resort.  I will start by saying, I would not stay there again.  We had planned to be in one unit for the week, but ended up moving three times. 

 

We had rented a 3 bedroom, two bath unit that also had a kitchen, dining area, living room, and a washer and dryer.  It was very dated and looked like it had not been cleaned in quite a while. The pools, hot tubs, and lazy River had a lot of sand in them.  

 

So the day after I cut my foot in the lazy river, we found a large cockroach in our unit.  I went to the desk to complain, but they said they couldn’t have anyone there till the next day, and they couldn’t move us to a different unit until the next day. 

 

I told them I wanted a refund, so we could move elsewhere, because we were not going to stay in that unit.  They then came up with a 4 bedroom that was completely gutted and redone last month, so everything was clean, and brand new.  But they said we could only be there 2 nights, then they would move us back to one of the crappy rooms.  We moved for the 2 nights, and told them we would take a refund and move to a different hotel for the remainder of our stay. 

 

So after packing and moving to the 4 bedroom for a couple days, we packed again and moved to Homewood Suites, down past the sky wheel. Much, much nicer accommodations, plus they were cleaning pools and water features daily.  

 

I didn’t see Breakers do this at all.  For what they charge for a week, they could remodel a unit, and take care of basic maintenance. So a word to the wise, don’t ever book Breakers. 

 

We still had fun, but we’re bothered with having to deal with this. 

 

Now, we are back in PA, it is 70°, and we are soaking in our sand-free hot tub.  It is almost time to go in for a movie, some popcorn, and a kraken colada for me and strawberry daiquiris for Susan and our grandson (leaded and unleaded)

Seriously, I hope no cockroaches got into your luggage. They are so hard to get rid of.

[h20skibum]

14 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Seriously, I hope no cockroaches got into your luggage. They are so hard to get rid of.

All the clothes were gone through meticulously, and luggage is in quarantine for a few days.  
 

For some reason, the desk at the Breakers didn’t want the one I took to them, wrapped in a Kleenex!

[helen haywood]

58 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Sometimes I think I was better off when she was living under furniture instead of on me.😊

 

No, you do not!!

 

 

[taznremmy]

@Sea Dog You haven't shared puppy pictures recently......hint, hint.....😁

[taznremmy]

@Ocean Boy  She's making up for yesterday!

[Luckynana]

47 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

All the clothes were gone through meticulously, and luggage is in quarantine for a few days.  
 

For some reason, the desk at the Breakers didn’t want the one I took to them, wrapped in a Kleenex!

For all the grief you and Susan had to go through with filth, bugs, and changing location several times, it looks like none of those problems deterred you from giving your beautiful grandchildren another fun and memorable vacation.  ❤️

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

So you might have noticed a change in scenery for my beach pictures. I don’t recall if I had mentioned, but we were at the Breakers Resort.  I will start by saying, I would not stay there again.  We had planned to be in one unit for the week, but ended up moving three times. 

 

We had rented a 3 bedroom, two bath unit that also had a kitchen, dining area, living room, and a washer and dryer.  It was very dated and looked like it had not been cleaned in quite a while. The pools, hot tubs, and lazy River had a lot of sand in them.  

 

So the day after I cut my foot in the lazy river, we found a large cockroach in our unit.  I went to the desk to complain, but they said they couldn’t have anyone there till the next day, and they couldn’t move us to a different unit until the next day. 

 

I told them I wanted a refund, so we could move elsewhere, because we were not going to stay in that unit.  They then came up with a 4 bedroom that was completely gutted and redone last month, so everything was clean, and brand new.  But they said we could only be there 2 nights, then they would move us back to one of the crappy rooms.  We moved for the 2 nights, and told them we would take a refund and move to a different hotel for the remainder of our stay. 

 

So after packing and moving to the 4 bedroom for a couple days, we packed again and moved to Homewood Suites, down past the sky wheel. Much, much nicer accommodations, plus they were cleaning pools and water features daily.  

 

I didn’t see Breakers do this at all.  For what they charge for a week, they could remodel a unit, and take care of basic maintenance. So a word to the wise, don’t ever book Breakers. 

 

We still had fun, but we’re bothered with having to deal with this. 

 

Now, we are back in PA, it is 70°, and we are soaking in our sand-free hot tub.  It is almost time to go in for a movie, some popcorn, and a kraken colada for me and strawberry daiquiris for Susan and our grandson (leaded and unleaded)

That sounds nasty.  Did you put a review online?  I would definitely let others know.   

Sorry you had to pack up every couple of days.   Sure looks like everyone had a great time and must be exhausted by now.

Welcome home and enjoy your relaxing hot tub and cocktail😃

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

I've never seen those but I'll be interested in how they taste to you. Lately I've really gotten into a Caprese Salad. So easy, I just slice some tomatoes, put some mozzarella cheese on top with some sweet basil and then drizzle Balsamic Vinegar Glaze on top. Yummmmm.

They are real good.   Surprised me actually. I gave some to my daughters.  We have a "Fab Five" text message we share with the girls. Kenzie's mom said... Thanks so much for the tomatoes!!  These pineapple tomatoes are AWESOME!!!

They are sooo good!  You def need to grow them again next year dad!

Shelby replied... I just tried my pineapple tomato too! VERY good!!!

They both thought they were sweet.   One said a little sweeter than Delicious. 

They are big.  One tomato slice covers the bread.

[Momof3gurlz]

4 hours ago, jmh2006 said:

@reallyitsmema I swing your way too!  I am 3 years older than my DH, but he looks much older than me 😆!

I think I probably have everyone beat in this category. I’m 7 years older than Andy!

[Sunshine3601]

5 minutes ago, taznremmy said:

@Ocean Boy  She's making up for yesterday!

Exactly😃

[Sunshine3601]

2 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

They are real good.   Surprised me actually. I gave some to my daughters.  We have a "Fab Five" text message we share with the girls. Kenzie's mom said... Thanks so much for the tomatoes!!  These pineapple tomatoes are AWESOME!!!

They are sooo good!  You def need to grow them again next year dad!

Shelby replied... I just tried my pineapple tomato too! VERY good!!!

They both thought they were sweet.   One said a little sweeter than Delicious. 

They are big.  One tomato slice covers the bread.

That looks really good😃

[DaniDanielle]

7 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

That looks really good😃

 Now I want a fresh tomato  sandwich😳

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I bet you they are Delicious😄

We gave in and had to water our core garden this week too.

Today I picked several dozen super sweet cherry tomatoes, several Amish pastes, my first banana peppers and some hiberneros.   Along with 6 large cucumbers and several squash/zucchini.   Still waiting on my beefsteak or big boy tomatoes.   Should be nice and ripe any day.  Bunch more eggplant coming later this week.

I made my rounds to drop off some goody bags to a couple neighbors.   One said I'm like the green grocer but with free home delivery.   In return I received a delicious looking zucchini bread from one neighbor.

 

With no rain how often will you water?

They may be the new Delicious.   They have taken a little longer than usual  to mature but the big ones are big.  If I remember I will email the place I ordered the seeds from and ask them what it is.  They are so good I am not upset they were not the Delicious tomatoes which is a favorite for us.

I watered the bed a couple times after getting back but it has been so hot and dry I been watering it all now almost every day.  I have been watering the grow bags every day.  

I have harvested a bunch of Arkansas Traveler and several Amish paste.  Yesterday a few Pineapple and I have several more that I am about to go get.

I picked a bunch of bell peppers too.  The pepper plants are 3.5 to 4 feet tall.  They grow so much bigger in beds.

I will also water some now too. I will water about 15 seconds on each plant with the wand.  Got to run before it gets dark.

[akcruz]

2 hours ago, h20skibum said:

So you might have noticed a change in scenery for my beach pictures. I don’t recall if I had mentioned, but we were at the Breakers Resort.  I will start by saying, I would not stay there again.  We had planned to be in one unit for the week, but ended up moving three times. 

 

We had rented a 3 bedroom, two bath unit that also had a kitchen, dining area, living room, and a washer and dryer.  It was very dated and looked like it had not been cleaned in quite a while. The pools, hot tubs, and lazy River had a lot of sand in them.  

 

So the day after I cut my foot in the lazy river, we found a large cockroach in our unit.  I went to the desk to complain, but they said they couldn’t have anyone there till the next day, and they couldn’t move us to a different unit until the next day. 

 

I told them I wanted a refund, so we could move elsewhere, because we were not going to stay in that unit.  They then came up with a 4 bedroom that was completely gutted and redone last month, so everything was clean, and brand new.  But they said we could only be there 2 nights, then they would move us back to one of the crappy rooms.  We moved for the 2 nights, and told them we would take a refund and move to a different hotel for the remainder of our stay. 

 

So after packing and moving to the 4 bedroom for a couple days, we packed again and moved to Homewood Suites, down past the sky wheel. Much, much nicer accommodations, plus they were cleaning pools and water features daily.  

 

I didn’t see Breakers do this at all.  For what they charge for a week, they could remodel a unit, and take care of basic maintenance. So a word to the wise, don’t ever book Breakers. 

 

We still had fun, but we’re bothered with having to deal with this. 

 

Now, we are back in PA, it is 70°, and we are soaking in our sand-free hot tub.  It is almost time to go in for a movie, some popcorn, and a kraken colada for me and strawberry daiquiris for Susan and our grandson (leaded and unleaded)

 

Sorry to hear about the issues you had, not fun when all you want is a relaxing vacation, especially with kids in tow.  

[h20skibum]

41 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

That sounds nasty.  Did you put a review online?  I would definitely let others know.   

Sorry you had to pack up every couple of days.   Sure looks like everyone had a great time and must be exhausted by now.

Welcome home and enjoy your relaxing hot tub and cocktail😃

Susan filled one out.  She gave them a one, and commented if a zero was an option, they would have received that. 

[h20skibum]

41 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

They are real good.   Surprised me actually. I gave some to my daughters.  We have a "Fab Five" text message we share with the girls. Kenzie's mom said... Thanks so much for the tomatoes!!  These pineapple tomatoes are AWESOME!!!

They are sooo good!  You def need to grow them again next year dad!

Shelby replied... I just tried my pineapple tomato too! VERY good!!!

They both thought they were sweet.   One said a little sweeter than Delicious. 

They are big.  One tomato slice covers the bread.

That looks really good!

[ReneeFLL]

12 hours ago, Luckynana said:

When is your next cruise??

In September. I’ll be on the 3rd, 11th and 17th cruises. After that in October we will be doing the TP and NZ cruises.