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

[Keksie]

56 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

We may end up regretting doing it in one shot but we figured it's worth a try. We will probably sail out og Galveston again. If it's too much we will split it up over two days.

When we lived in Texas and my son was here in Florida I would drive the 12 hours in one day.  Especially when driving home.  On the way to Florida I might spend the night in Biloxi.  The trick is to have a comfortable car with little road noise.

[dani negreanu]

13 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

It's hard to fine the right words for someone that is going through such a hard time. You are a person with a good heart to be willing to help through such a heavy load.  I pray that the help you are now getting helps ease that load.  Thanks for sharing.  It is good to see you back. 

 

+ 10, @LucasLikesToCruise

 

7 hours ago, h20skibum said:

@LucasLikesToCruise I just wanted to add my thoughts to all those others that have been expressed here.  It is difficult.  My thoughts are with you.  Your mom’s cancer is the same type my daughter is fighting right now.

 

@h20skibum, Mark, from the moment you've shared, my thoughts are to your daughter and all your family.

Since I'm helping with grants requests in the breast cancer research, this is one of the leading ones in this domain, if you're not familiar with, the Susan G. Komen foundation -- 

 

https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/diagnosis/triple-negative/

 

🤞

[jagsfan]

16 hours ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

 

Good evening everyone,  

I’ve been thinking about the best way to respond since Dani first asked about a month ago. I started to and deleted many replies.  Then when Sunshine asked I figured I would take a few minutes to myself, which I really haven’t had the past couple of months, and join the conversation again. 

The past couple of months have been really hectic and kept me quite busy and frustrated.  From the end of July to the last part of August I had to call EMS twice due to my moms Parkinson’s Disease Psychosis. For a little old lady (barely 5 foot tall on a good day) with dyskinesia from the Parkinson’s she sure could go from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde with no warning.  During the second time in The hospital she was started on Nuplazid, which is specifically for the hallucinations and delusions of PDP.  Since it usually takes four weeks before the effects of Nuplazid are seen, the plan was for her to go to a rehab facility for a few weeks to help build up her strength again as well and work on the doses of her other Parkinson’s meds and Seroquel and Haldol to help with the delusions.  

She was in a good mood when I took her to the rehab place the first evening, she ate well and settled into bed alright.  Well, the next day when I went there, she was a totally different person.  I just didn’t know what else to do anymore, I was beyond frustrated and exhausted from taking care of her 24/7 the past few years.  I spoke with the case manager there about options.  I said I can do almost everything myself with  her at home except when she goes bat ***** crazy on me.  That’s I hated having to call 911 but didn’t have any other options at the time.  She suggested going with a Hospice/Palliative care regimen.  With that we would have all the support that I needed to take care of her at home.  Especially since the last scans showed that the lastest chemo treatments were no longer keeping the tumors in check.  The only other treatments for trip,e negative metastatic breast cancer is very aggressive, and her body wouldn’t tolerate it any longer.

So it’s been about two months now since we’ve started hospice, and she is slowly goi g down hill.  Seems everyday I notice her a bit slower with thinking, moving and talking.  It’s just the nature of the beast with Parkinson’s, dimentia and cancer.  So far the nurse comes twice a week and an aid comes twice a week to help with bathing so it doesn’t fall completely on me.  There are several others in the office for the case manager or social workers that call and check up on how I am doing with everything.  This is the first time in all the years that I have been taking care of her 24/7 that anyone (including family)has asked how I am doing or if there is anything they can do for me.  

Anyways, I didn’t want to this to be long and drawn out, but sometimes I just can’t shut up, maybe it’s because I only have Oliver to talk to on a daily basis for so long LOL.  And I thought that maybe if anyone else is going through that same sort of thing with their fa,I.y members that I could possibly help with any questions.  One thing I will say for sure, hospice is nothing like I thought it was.  
 

So, this has been my life the last few months.  Now that I have a chance to come up for air, I’ll be more likely to join in the regular conversations although I didn’t have any trips planned for obvious reason.😎

 

 

Lucas, thank you for sharing. 
you have a difficult road to follow, and one you never saw coming when you were starting your adult life. 
If your mother could, she would tell you how very proud and thankful to have you as her son. 
Sharing good times or bad in this group brings hugs and high fives. It’s a real comfort zone, so come back any time you need support or just to vent. 
I hope hospice gives your mom peace and a gentle easing. 
And for you, I hope that though you will regret that your mom’s life is ending this way, that you will rest easy in the knowledge that you did everything you could to help her. 
A good son, indeed!

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

 

We may end up regretting doing it in one shot but we figured it's worth a try. We will probably sail out og Galveston again. If it's too much we will split it up over two days.

 

I think I read in an earlier post that it's about a 12 hour drive but you are budgeting about 14-15 hours for various stops. That sounds about right.  Having done several long road trips recently one thing I didn't take into account - and it's a real obvious one - is that traffic conditions will change as you are driving. So Google Maps or Waze will give an ETA of 12 hours when you leave the house but as rush hour traffic jams form or accidents happens, they would slowly revise the ETA up in small increments so the actual driving time without breaks was 13+ hours.

 

Another thing for me was at the start of a trip,  I'd try to cover as much ground as possible before stopping, and then only real quick 5 minutes  stops.  As the day wore on - and I wore down - the stops would become more frequent and longer 20-30  minutes as I needed more time to stretch my legs, recharge, etc.

 

Now I take them more frequently -  but shorter -  and that seems to keep me fresh and alert the whole day. I'd map out ahead of time where the highway rest area were or truck stops. One of my favorites go-to places is Loves Travel Stops which has everything a road warrior needs - gas, fast food, plenty of coffee, snacks, clean bathrooms, wiper blades, gifts, sanitary needs, etc - and they are always right off the highway exit ramps  I actually download their app to my phone so I would know their locations along my route and plan my stops accordingly.  The app also has other useful info such as current gas price, amenities at each location, etc.

 

1 hour ago, George C said:

In the 31 years we have been married longest drive we have done is 3 hours , we fly to Houston when cruising out of Galveston.

 

How long is a flight, 45 minutes? 

I once flew from New York to Boston (normally a 4 hour drive for me) and it felt like as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, it started to descend. I think flying time was 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of taxiing on the runways at each airport.

 

 

43 minutes ago, Keksie said:

When we lived in Texas and my son was here in Florida I would drive the 12 hours in one day.  Especially when driving home.  On the way to Florida I might spend the night in Biloxi.  The trick is to have a comfortable car with little road noise.

 

So true. I have 2 cars that have very different driving experiences. One is large, spacious, comfy seats and a very smooth quiet ride.  Driving it is almost effortless.  The other is a convertible that is a lot of fun to drive but it'll get tiring on long trips. Even with the top up, there is a lot of road noise and the sport bucket seats, firm suspension & super responsive steering means you are constantly paying attention to the road. Fun for short rides but tiring on the long, bumpy Interstate highways.

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I think I read in an earlier post that it's about a 12 hour drive but you are budgeting about 14-15 hours for various stops. That sounds about right.  Having done several long road trips recently one thing I didn't take into account - and it's a real obvious one - is that traffic conditions will change as you are driving. So Google Maps or Waze will give an ETA of 12 hours when you leave the house but as rush hour traffic jams form or accidents happens, they would slowly revise the ETA up in small increments so the actual driving time without breaks was 13+ hours.

 

Another thing for me was at the start of a trip,  I'd try to cover as much ground as possible before stopping, and then only real quick 5 minutes  stops.  As the day wore on - and I wore down - the stops would become more frequent and longer 20-30  minutes as I needed more time to stretch my legs, recharge, etc.

 

Now I take them more frequently -  but shorter -  and that seems to keep me fresh and alert the whole day. I'd map out ahead of time where the highway rest area were or truck stops. One of my favorites go-to places is Loves Travel Stops which has everything a road warrior needs - gas, fast food, plenty of coffee, snacks, clean bathrooms, wiper blades, gifts, sanitary needs, etc - and they are always right off the highway exit ramps  I actually download their app to my phone so I would know their locations along my route and plan my stops accordingly.  The app also has other useful info such as current gas price, amenities at each location, etc.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your comments. One of the reasons why we are leaving so early is to avoid rush hour in Dallas. I am hoping everything will go smooth.

[dani negreanu]

18 hours ago, George C said:

Dani congratulations on your tread reaching 3000 pages 😁😁😁

 

Thank you, and thanks to all the posters.

 

More important than the number of pages is the sharing and camaraderie 🌷

[George C]

48 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I think I read in an earlier post that it's about a 12 hour drive but you are budgeting about 14-15 hours for various stops. That sounds about right.  Having done several long road trips recently one thing I didn't take into account - and it's a real obvious one - is that traffic conditions will change as you are driving. So Google Maps or Waze will give an ETA of 12 hours when you leave the house but as rush hour traffic jams form or accidents happens, they would slowly revise the ETA up in small increments so the actual driving time without breaks was 13+ hours.

 

Another thing for me was at the start of a trip,  I'd try to cover as much ground as possible before stopping, and then only real quick 5 minutes  stops.  As the day wore on - and I wore down - the stops would become more frequent and longer 20-30  minutes as I needed more time to stretch my legs, recharge, etc.

 

Now I take them more frequently -  but shorter -  and that seems to keep me fresh and alert the whole day. I'd map out ahead of time where the highway rest area were or truck stops. One of my favorites go-to places is Loves Travel Stops which has everything a road warrior needs - gas, fast food, plenty of coffee, snacks, clean bathrooms, wiper blades, gifts, sanitary needs, etc - and they are always right off the highway exit ramps  I actually download their app to my phone so I would know their locations along my route and plan my stops accordingly.  The app also has other useful info such as current gas price, amenities at each location, etc.

 

 

How long is a flight, 45 minutes? 

I once flew from New York to Boston (normally a 4 hour drive for me) and it felt like as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, it started to descend. I think flying time was 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of taxiing on the runways at each airport.

 

 

 

So true. I have 2 cars that have very different driving experiences. One is large, spacious, comfy seats and a very smooth quiet ride.  Driving it is almost effortless.  The other is a convertible that is a lot of fun to drive but it'll get tiring on long trips. Even with the top up, there is a lot of road noise and the sport bucket seats, firm suspension & super responsive steering means you are constantly paying attention to the road. Fun for short rides but tiring on the long, bumpy Interstate highways.

Flight is just long enough for me to have a couple quick scotch’s , we almost never argue other than long car rides , she drives to slow and thinks I drive to fast 😁

[akcruz]

2 hours ago, jagsfan said:

It really helps that my women’s club is attracting younger members. 
When I was talking to one of my Bunco groups members, she commented that we now have two young women playing. 
Those two new ladies are in their 70’s!!!

 

I live in a community that was started around 2004, most original owner bought as they retired at a normal retirement age.  We bought when we retired in 2016 but retired early, the community has changed over a lot since we've been here, getting younger and younger but still many original owners.

 

I was at mahjongg a few weeks back and one woman had her high school ID from 1961.  Most were sharing where they were then, my response do I dare tell you I was born in 61.  Was definitely the youngest in the room.

[NHProud]

56 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks for your comments. One of the reasons why we are leaving so early is to avoid rush hour in Dallas. I am hoping everything will go smooth.

We once drove 12 hours and my husband fell asleep driving. We almost ended up in a creek . We were in our 20’s at the time . I think , we’ve had this conversation before. 

[akcruz]

58 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks for your comments. One of the reasons why we are leaving so early is to avoid rush hour in Dallas. I am hoping everything will go smooth.

 

Good luck on your drive, you've gotten a lot of good advice already.  It definitely is doable, just plan for the unexpected.  

 

Our 2 homes are about a 10 hour drive apart without stops or traffic.  We drive for a few reasons, need a car in the Poconos and all the crap that we need to bring back and forth, tools, food, lawn stuff, etc.  We also leave early AM to miss rush hours in a few spots, have a small cooler with waters, snacks, lunch so our stops can be for bathroom breaks and gas fill ups.  Have learned where the best places to stop are and have our usual now.  We use waze as our primary GPS but also have Google maps and weather bug running.   Our daughter lives just outside if DC so do plan overnight stops there quite often to see the grandkids but for many reasons don't do it every trip so the trip is often 11 hours total.  

[Lionesss]

@h20skibum

 

@LucasLikesToCruise

 

As someone else posted above, we are family here.

We seem to have a great ear for listening.

Although most of us have yet to meet one another (few exceptions--Hi Mark and Susan)

 

We can still offer prayers and make all our thoughts ones of kindness to all, even when were tempted to not do so for whatever reason.

 

When a person is dealing with a serious health issue, that need support and understanding to enjoy the good days, and deal with the bad, a friend sometimes has the best listening, non judgmental talents.

 

When I had my health issue a mere 3 years ago, CC was my outlet.

I think I read every thread on RCI.  Posted little, because some of those members are not nice.

 

Saying that:

 

If it were not for Dani starting this thread, I do not think I would have dealt with COVID as well as I did.  Newly retired, world in lockdown..............alone because the DH is a respiratory therapist and everyone ceased contact with us, because they thought we could infect them.  No one texted, no one called, and COVID was not spread through a smart phone.  That is unless I missed something.

I lost many friends, but gained more here.  You were and continue to be my saving grace.

 

Now as we enter the POST COVID period one of new beginnings and hopefully getting back to a better way of life, we need to stay connected and a close knit family as we have shown we are.

 

I wish there was an answer to all our struggles, but until Cancer is eradicated, we have to be here for one another------ to help those challenging days be left behind and continue to hope for  better days ahead.

 

With that:

 

I do PRAY.

I do ask for MIRACLES

and

I WILL NEVER GIVE IN AND ALWAYS LIVE FOR HOPE.

 

Because somewhere somehow some scientist could find the cure.

And I only ask for Godspeed in their research.

 

With kind personal regards

 

Sue

 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Lionesss

[grapau27]

37 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thank you, and thanks to all the posters.

 

More important than the number of pages is the sharing and camaraderie 🌷

Absolutely Dani.

[BonTexasNY]

32 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

I was at mahjongg a few weeks back and one woman had her high school ID from 1961.  Most were sharing where they were then, my response do I dare tell you I was born in 61.  Was definitely the youngest in the room.

Did I read mahjongg???  I mentioned in Friends of Bella's thread, or the roll call thread awhile back that I would buy a mahjong set and bring it with me to play on the Bella cruise.  The problem is this thread is the go to thread for practically all of us.

 

Dani, I will try very hard to post all future Bella cruise comments  either in the roll call thread or the Friend's of Bella thread as you once suggested.  I just couldn't resist since I saw the mahjong comment in here.

[dani negreanu]

2 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Dani, I will try very hard to post all future Bella cruise comments  either in the roll call thread or the Friend's of Bella thread as you once suggested.  I just couldn't resist since I saw the mahjong comment in here.

 

I don't remember suggesting this way or another, I think it was entirely discussed on Bella's. No worries, since lots of posters here will be on also on Bella's cruise...

 

If, by some miracle, the flying time from Tel Aviv to Miami will be shorter than 14 hours, I will be there too 😢 😢 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks for your comments. One of the reasons why we are leaving so early is to avoid rush hour in Dallas. I am hoping everything will go smooth.

Wave when you pass me! 😄

[BonTexasNY]

Just wanted to mention that I spent 4 hours in the ER today with fears that I broke something near my toes on the foot with the ankle surgery. I developed pain,, I mean extreme pain in that area.  I could only hobble, not walk.  I was thrilled at the results; no fracture but lots of inflammation. So, back to wearing the dreaded boot while walking and ice the area when I don't walk.  Next week is a follow up podiatrist visit to see what will be next.

 

ER doc said it's common with post foot surgical patients when they attempt to walk after being non weight bearing for 6 weeks as I was.

 

BTW the ER doc never looked or touched my foot.  I only took my shoe off for the xrays and put it back on immediately after.  I guess the xrays told the whole picture.

 

No more torture PT sessions until after the Podiatrist follow up visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

4 hours ago, George C said:

In the 31 years we have been married longest drive we have done is 3 hours , we fly to Houston when cruising out of Galveston.

And miss Buc'ees????

 

[akcruz]

21 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Did I read mahjongg???  I mentioned in Friends of Bella's thread, or the roll call thread awhile back that I would buy a mahjong set and bring it with me to play on the Bella cruise.  The problem is this thread is the go to thread for practically all of us.

 

Dani, I will try very hard to post all future Bella cruise comments  either in the roll call thread or the Friend's of Bella thread as you once suggested.  I just couldn't resist since I saw the mahjong comment in here.

 

I remember you, or someone, mentioning it at some point.  I have been playing about 18 months so no expert but do enjoy it.  Have my card and will put on the packing list.

 

4 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Just wanted to mention that I spent 4 hours in the ER today with fears that I broke something near my toes on the foot with the ankle surgery. I developed pain,, I mean extreme pain in that area.  I could only hobble, not walk.  I was thrilled at the results; no fracture but lots of inflammation. So, back to wearing the dreaded boot while walking and ice the area when I don't walk.  Next week is a follow up podiatrist visit to see what will be next.

 

ER doc said it's common with post foot surgical patients when they attempt to walk after being non weight bearing for 6 weeks as I was.

 

BTW the ER doc never looked or touched my foot.  I only took my shoe off for the xrays and put it back on immediately after.  I guess the xrays told the whole picture.

 

No more torture PT sessions until after the Podiatrist follow up visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ouch, hope you are feeling better soon.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

6 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Just wanted to mention that I spent 4 hours in the ER today with fears that I broke something near my toes on the foot with the ankle surgery. I developed pain,, I mean extreme pain in that area. 

Yikes, so sorry to hear this! I hope the podiatrist will be able to help.

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thank you, and thanks to all the posters.

 

More important than the number of pages is the sharing and camaraderie 🌷

 

Thank you Dani for starting what has become my daily routine. I really enjoy reading what everyone is doing and what is going on with their lives. It takes the me out of life and replaces it with we.

 

 

1 hour ago, NHProud said:

We once drove 12 hours and my husband fell asleep driving. We almost ended up in a creek . We were in our 20’s at the time . I think , we’ve had this conversation before. 

 

Yikes. I hope to nap while Linda is driving to avoid that.

 

 

54 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

Good luck on your drive, you've gotten a lot of good advice already.  It definitely is doable, just plan for the unexpected.  

 

Our 2 homes are about a 10 hour drive apart without stops or traffic.  We drive for a few reasons, need a car in the Poconos and all the crap that we need to bring back and forth, tools, food, lawn stuff, etc.  We also leave early AM to miss rush hours in a few spots, have a small cooler with waters, snacks, lunch so our stops can be for bathroom breaks and gas fill ups.  Have learned where the best places to stop are and have our usual now.  We use waze as our primary GPS but also have Google maps and weather bug running.   Our daughter lives just outside if DC so do plan overnight stops there quite often to see the grandkids but for many reasons don't do it every trip so the trip is often 11 hours total.  

 

 

Great advice.

 

 

5 minutes ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Wave when you pass me! 😄

 

If you hear someone honking it will be me.😉

 

4 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

Just wanted to mention that I spent 4 hours in the ER today with fears that I broke something near my toes on the foot with the ankle surgery. I developed pain,, I mean extreme pain in that area.  I could only hobble, not walk.  I was thrilled at the results; no fracture but lots of inflammation. So, back to wearing the dreaded boot while walking and ice the area when I don't walk.  Next week is a follow up podiatrist visit to see what will be next.

 

ER doc said it's common with post foot surgical patients when they attempt to walk after being non weight bearing for 6 weeks as I was.

 

BTW the ER doc never looked or touched my foot.  I only took my shoe off for the xrays and put it back on immediately after.  I guess the xrays told the whole picture.

 

No more torture PT sessions until after the Podiatrist follow up visit.

 

 

 

 

Ouch so sorry you having pain. I hope you get relief soon.

 

[George C]

4 minutes ago, BonTexasNY said:

And miss Buc'ees????

 

We do occasionally drive to winstar casino in Oklahoma, 1 hour drive door to door and we pass Buc’ees about half way , have not stopped there will try it on next trip.

[BonTexasNY]

20 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

I don't remember suggesting this way or another, I think it was entirely discussed on Bella's. No worries, since lots of posters here will be on also on Bella's cruise...

 

If, by some miracle, the flying time from Tel Aviv to Miami will be shorter than 14 hours, I will be there too 😢 😢 

There was a time a few weeks ago (months ago?) you posted "Bonnie take it to the roll call".  I shrugged it off and just thought of it when I responded to the mahjong comment.  As you said, no worries.  It's all good.

 

One can dream!!!!  If possible, would you consider making a stop in Europe for a few days first to break up that long flight?  

Edited October 11, 2022 by BonTexasNY

[Keksie]

1 minute ago, George C said:

We do occasionally drive to winstar casino in Oklahoma, 1 hour drive door to door and we pass Buc’ees about half way , have not stopped there will try it on next trip.

Winstar in fun and Buc'ees is not to be missed.  We got our squirrel feeder and a few items of decor there.  Coffee is not bad either.

[Ozark_Kid]

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

We may end up regretting doing it in one shot but we figured it's worth a try. We will probably sail out og Galveston again. If it's too much we will split it up over two days.

We have not decided to fly or drive for our January Galveston cruise.   Lately we have been leaning towards flying. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Ozark_Kid
Originally driving, lately flying

[Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We have not decided to fly or drive for our January Galveston cruise.   Lately we have been leaning towards driving. 

 

What's the drive time for you because you are south of me?