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

[reallyitsmema]

55 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Thanks for the review. I have Freedom booked next winter and it has been a while since I've been on an older ship. The way you found Liberty has me concerned as Freedom is even older.

 

I think you will really like Odyssey as far as the evening music goes. Each time I've been aboard the piano guy in Schooner and guitar guy in the pub have been excellent.

 

I'm not sure if you have sailed Odyssey before? She is a beautiful ship... and no rust. I find the decor of the cabins very soothing as far as color scheme. She has the most functional Windjammer that I have been in so far. I can't wait to be aboard again.

 

We haven't sailed Odyssey yet but have sailed Anthem a lot and also Quantum.  They are similar to Odyssey though I like some of the changes they made to the Ultra Quantum class, so can't wait to sail her.  We like the cabin decor too and find the storage a lot better.  We are in a JS on Odyssey so that will give us access to Coastal Kitchen for dinner.  I am glad you have had good experiences onboard with music, we missed that but allowed more time for my DH to stream Bruins and Celtics games. 😄 

 

I hope Freedom is in better shape.  We haven't been on Freedom for 11 years, so have no recent experience.

[Arzeena]

@TravelGirlinDallas

Bethany, I remember you asking me to post about my cruise on the Beyond since you are going on it.

FABULOUS. Hope that describes it.
 

And our cabin was very quiet. Did not witness any of the noise that people are upset about. Deck 7, starboard by the aft elevators. Very comfortable room. I never close the folding doors to the infinite verandah and use it as a floor to ceiling ocean view room and that makes the room seem a bit longer. Bathroom was great.

The ship overall is very nice. Lots of interesting art work. Food was great (food is subjective but I thought it was great!). Oceanview cafe food was fantastic (OB,  Attention attention). Out of the 4 dining rooms we went to Cypress the first night. We had a 3 night dining pkg which we used on Eden twice, Rooftop garden grille and once we went to Raw on 5. Among that, I really enjoyed the whole Eden dining experience. Shows were great and I enjoyed them a lot.
I believe you all will have a great time!

Edited May 19 by Arzeena

[mets07]

13 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

I would love to know what you thought of the Eclipse vs the refurbished Summit. We are looking at an Eclipse sailing out of FLL and my other choices are Beyond and Reflection. The pictures look like it is in need of a lot of love. And has it been refurbished at all? I do see it got the blue hull and outside stuff done, but am interested in learning about the inside.
 

 

I have not been on Summit, but our room including bathroom on Eclipse seemed fairly decent. Perhaps it was refurbished at some point? I know Eclipse goes in for some "work" next year I believe - not sure how extensive.

 

I noticed the curtains and the balcony were worn-looking. The balcony needed a paint job and the chairs on the balcony need to be replaced. The balcony however was nice as we were in a "hump" cabin and hence it was a bit deeper than normal. Here are a few photos in case it helps....

 

We thought the inside of the ship overall was good, although clearly not new. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Arzeena]

20 minutes ago, mets07 said:

 

I have not been on Summit, but our room including bathroom on Eclipse seemed fairly decent. Perhaps it was refurbished at some point? I know Eclipse goes in for some "work" next year I believe - not sure how extensive.

 

I noticed the curtains and the balcony were worn-looking. The balcony needed a paint job and the chairs on the balcony need to be replaced. The balcony however was nice as we were in a "hump" cabin and hence it was a bit deeper than normal. Here are a few photos in case it helps....

 

We thought the inside of the ship overall was good, although clearly not new. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you! It looks great!

[voyager70]

1 hour ago, helen haywood said:

@dpostman Amazing how any color of cat will shed copiously on black pants!!  To paraphrase Joan Crawford “No black pants!!!”

I never knew that was a Joan Crawford quote. The only one I remember is “no more wire hangers” lol!

[dpostman]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

@dpostman

 

Dennis,

May be the pic is misleading, but it seems that those 2 remaining TH are very small portions???

 

HA!.... yes, the pic is misleading.  The one served whole to my DD's boyfriend was the smallest of the 3.  We see it being served in a standard sized dinner plate.  The other 2, are pictured in a very large round serving platter that happens to look just like a dinner plate.

 

After cleaning off his plate, he helped my DD finish what she could not, also went for a second desert, and kept peeling of slices of bread from the bread plate one after another. He has 3 older brothers almost his size.  I can just imagine what their parents grocery bill was like 😬

 

dp

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, voyager70 said:

I never knew that was a Joan Crawford quote. The only one I remember is “no more wire hangers” lol!

Well, it came from Christina Crawford’s autobiographical novel of life with Joan Crawford, her adoptive mother.  Thus it was in the movie Mommie Dearest…of course, as the original quote, “no wire hangers!!”  As I said, I was adopting it for the black pants…🤣

[TravelGirlinDallas]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

@TravelGirlinDallas

Bethany, I remember you asking me to post about my cruise on the Beyond since you are going on it.

FABULOUS. Hope that describes it.
 

And our cabin was very quiet. Did not witness any of the noise that people are upset about. Deck 7, starboard by the aft elevators. Very comfortable room. I never close the folding doors to the infinite verandah and use it as a floor to ceiling ocean view room and that makes the room seem a bit longer. Bathroom was great.

The ship overall is very nice. Lots of interesting art work. Food was great (food is subjective but I thought it was great!). Oceanview cafe food was fantastic (OB,  Attention attention). Out of the 4 dining rooms we went to Cypress the first night. We had a 3 night dining pkg which we used on Eden twice, Rooftop garden grille and once we went to Raw on 5. Among that, I really enjoyed the whole Eden dining experience. Shows were great and I enjoyed them a lot.
I believe you all will have a great time!

Thank you for sharing your experience!! I’m so glad that you found the Beyond to be so lovely. We have just over 50 days until our cruise, and I can’t wait!

[George C]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

@TravelGirlinDallas

Bethany, I remember you asking me to post about my cruise on the Beyond since you are going on it.

FABULOUS. Hope that describes it.
 

And our cabin was very quiet. Did not witness any of the noise that people are upset about. Deck 7, starboard by the aft elevators. Very comfortable room. I never close the folding doors to the infinite verandah and use it as a floor to ceiling ocean view room and that makes the room seem a bit longer. Bathroom was great.

The ship overall is very nice. Lots of interesting art work. Food was great (food is subjective but I thought it was great!). Oceanview cafe food was fantastic (OB,  Attention attention). Out of the 4 dining rooms we went to Cypress the first night. We had a 3 night dining pkg which we used on Eden twice, Rooftop garden grille and once we went to Raw on 5. Among that, I really enjoyed the whole Eden dining experience. Shows were great and I enjoyed them a lot.
I believe you all will have a great time!

Love the entertainment on all E class ships , also fantastic suite perks with their outside retreat . We had dinner in fine cut, did not care for Raw at 5 , always love Le Petit Chef .

[sgmn]

On 5/15/2024 at 11:49 PM, dani negreanu said:

 

@jmh2006

 

Of course, Jennifer, it will be more than welcomed 😘

 

 

@helen haywood  Thanks, Marian (was your grandfather Romanian? It is a popular male name there).

 

It sure is a PITA, and quite has me worrying to be sick again so quickly... I assume I've got it on the flight back from Bucharest....

 

So, I've spent 2.15 days in Bucharest, "down the memory line".

 

For many years I've wanted to go back, to fulfill my promise to my mom, to lay a flower on her parents' grave, since she was too old to travel.

 

As frequent fliers with our national company, we get promos on our birthdays, reduced rates (but also very limited dates and cities). Amsterdam is never included...

 

This time, the "stars aligned" and I bought 2 tickets. DH is not the "nostalgic" type, and DS1 was keen to see his mom's roots.

 

It so happened that my other Romanian cousin [living in Germany] was busy emptying his late parents' apartment in order to put it on the market and I had a "ready made" guide to both cemeteries I've planed to visit in Day 2, and then, on Day 1 -- see my childhood home (demolished) and the one from where I've emigrated to Israel.

 

Visiting my childhood homes, I've been surprised how much the distances were wayyyy shorter... From both houses I've also went to my kindergarten and elementary school, and then to high school. It took much less time that I've remembered.

 

At my second home, the door was locked. We waited for someone to pass, no luck, and my cousin just knocked on the window of one of the neighbors.... To my amazement, a guy looked out, opened the window with a smile.... and my cousin said: "this lady here lived on the 1st floor 58 years ago, and she wants to take a look inside...". The guy readily came to the door and let us in....

 

Here I'm waiting at the entrance. So sad to see all the buildings were in a decrepit state  ---

 

 

Day 2, I went to the Sephardic and Ashkenazic cemeteries. My paternal aunt is buried in the Sephardic one, and it was in a dire state of neglect. We had to "battle" trees and branches, and only my son was able to stand in front of the grave, lay a rose and take a pic.

 

 

The state of the other cemetery is a bit better, and my cousin is paying someone to tend to the graves of his parents, our grandparents (actually, only our grannie is buried there, since our grand perished in a camp and, probably, was buried in a mass grave) and our childless uncle.

 

When my grannie died, the 5 brothers and sisters decided also on a bench in their parents' memory.

 

With DS1 on the bench --

 

 

My grands' grave --

 

 

And lastly, but not least, my paternal grannie (grandad fought in WWI, his dying place is not known). Now, that my cousin (left) knows the place, he'll add this one to the "package deal" of tending the graves he has with the cemetery's administration....

 

 

 

I'm relieved that I had the opportunity to fulfill my mom's wish, and it also was a "first" traveling with my eldest son and seeing his interest in his "roots".

So happy for you that you were able to go visit your grands graves again and to pass the interest and information onto your son

Every time we go to Cornwall we put flowers on my paternal Nanas grave and my mother's auntie who took her in when her parents died when she an orphan and my maternal grands memorial.  Because my maternal grandmother took her own life she wasn't given a  Christian burial in consecrated ground (1939).  So 10 years ago we had a little religious service in the graveyard of her village with a granite memorial to her and my maternal grandfather. 

I keep telling my son he needs to come to Cornwall with me so I can show him where the bodies are !!  When we go I don't think anyone will put flowers on their graves. 

[sgmn]

On 5/16/2024 at 8:21 PM, Sea Dog said:

Thank you Maryann! Will be going out to a nice steak dinner with Linda and son Jonathan!

Happy Belated Birthday Greg. Hope you had a great steak dinner with the family 

[sgmn]

On 5/16/2024 at 11:50 PM, dani negreanu said:

 

@Momof3gurlz

Thank you Deb (and Andy, of course). You're so right. I'm living with a constant heavy stone literally on my chest, not enabling me to breath.... I'm enjoying some "glimpse" of normal life, like the trip we took to my roots.

 

But, otherwise, all is dark. This war could have been ended months ago, with the same results, but without so much loss of lives on both sides and useless damage. And the hostages are still there, and the Red Cross still didn't manage to visit/supply meds to any one of them.

 

 

+ 1 Pat @taznremmy

 

 

@Sea Dog

 

+ 1 Greg 💐 🥂 😘 [had a good laugh, much needed, at the "sea fog"]

 

@SteelCityCruiser10

 

Mark, may I join all the other posters in saying that I'm so sorry you've lost your regal Oliver 😢.

 

Dani, sending my heartfelt wishes that cool heads prevail, the conflict ends soon and the hostages get home safely to their families 

Edited May 19 by sgmn

[dani negreanu]

3 hours ago, helen haywood said:

But we know he is a fabulous cook!!  I guess he needs his muse. 😁

 

@helen haywood

 

May be not actually his muse, Marian, but his "sous-chef" in charge of keeping up with the mess he's producing, along with excellent meals.... Half of our "good" cutlery is missing....😢

 

Speaking of excellent meals, DS1 and I were just "gossiping" among ourselves on our flight back from Bucharest -- we went to 3 recommended restaurants on the 3 evenings we were there, aiming for Romanian specialties, and were thoroughly disappointed. Only the last evening the meal was OK.

 

We are "spoiled rotten" by his cooking....

 

7 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Because my maternal grandmother took her own life she wasn't given a  Christian burial in consecrated ground (1939). 

 

Interesting that suicide is "forbidden" in both faiths.... If a Jew is taking his own life, he's buried "outside" the cemetery's fence....

 

7 minutes ago, sgmn said:

I keep telling my son he needs to come to Cornwall with me so I can show him where the bodies are !!  When we go I don't think anyone will put flowers on their graves. 

 

That's exactly what I was talking with my cousin (living in Germany).

 

The moment he's selling his parent's apartment (my uncle and aunt), he'll stop coming to Bucharest.

 

At least, Sue, your son(s) live in the same country, not like us, half in Israel and half in Germany.

 

 

[Jimbo]

5 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

Time for an actual cruising question.  We're doing a family cruise on Wonder in November.  Same old, same old itinerary...St. Maarten, St. Thomas, CocoCay.  I'm looking for ideas on St. Maarten. For our first visit there many years ago (including daughters), we did a round the island tour with Bernard's Tours and enjoyed it.  We've since been to Maho Beach several times, and now typically just do a beach/shopping day in Philipsburg.  The "kids" with us are all in their late 20s and will want to do something more active.  We could try Bernard's again...anyone used them recently?   Any other ideas for something new and different?

https://www.viator.com/St-Maarten-tourism/d728-r26941948211-s383316971?m=28353&supag=26941948211&supsc=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supai=691507684476&supap=&supdv=c&supnt=nt:g&suplp=9008817&supli=&supti=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&tsem=true&supci=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supap1=&supap2=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnT0aj5WucJ1ED56uqj6tD3FavrNYYtnche8GvKcCmshsFKAuOgIb9MaAru2EALw_wcB

[sgmn]

15 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Interesting that suicide is "forbidden" in both faiths.... If a Jew is taking his own life, he's buried "outside" the cemetery's fence....

 

 

That's exactly what I was talking with my cousin (living in Germany).

 

The moment he's selling his parent's apartment (my uncle and aunt), he'll stop coming to Bucharest.

 

At least, Sue, your son(s) live in the same country, not like us, half in Israel and half in Germany.

 

 

Yes, same. She was taken as far as the Lynchgate but not into the consecrated graveyard.  She was likely buried nearby in unconsecrated ground but there was no headstone

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychgate

Edited May 19 by sgmn

[Ocean Boy]

10 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Yes, same. She was taken as far as the Lynchgate but not into the consecrated graveyard.  She was likely buried nearby in unconsecrated ground but there was no headstone

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychgate

I don't get it. If someone is so tortured and hurting as to take that sort of action maybe the church should be a bit more compassionate.

 

Not trying to start a religious debate.

[sgmn]

So its been a busy few days away and I've just caught up. 

After our first outing on the boat last weekend and looking after the grands on Tuesday we took the opportunity to have a few days away in Cornwall. 

 

We stayed just outside Mevagissey in The Cornwall Spa Hotel.  It was very nice but had large tour groups from Germany and USA on two of the three nights and the staff were overwhelmed in the kitchen and restaurant, with dinner on the first night taking three hours. 

 

On our first full day we went to Perranporth where my Paternal grandmother lived and where we spent most of our holidays growing up.  Then went into Mevagissey where other relatives lived for dinner. 

 

The surf was up and there were about 20 people surfing, but as the water temperature was about 13c I just paddled

This was the spot where the author of the Poldark novels had a beach but and wrote his books

Mevagissey harbour, still a working fishing port.

Inner and outer harbour. We spotted a seal in the outer harbour

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19 by sgmn

[sgmn]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I don't get it. If someone is so tortured and hurting as to take that sort of action maybe the church should be a bit more compassionate.

 

Not trying to start a religious debate.

I agree but times were different (and tough) in the 1930s. The  vicar did a lovely little service for us when we erected the memorial stone in the churchyard 

[sgmn]

The next day we went back to Mevagissey to meet up with my cousins for lunch. Another lovely day. 

Later we went for a cliff walk snd spent some time in the hotel spa before dinner. 

Cornwall, like Wales, is famous for its male voice choirs and the USA tour group had invited one to provide after dinner entertainment. The tour leader asked us if we wanted to come along and listen.   They mainly sing sea shanties which can be funny and sometimes very moving. I tried to attach a little video of the sea shanties but the link keeps failing 

 

On the last day we went to the very old tall ships harbour of Charlestown. Its used a lot in films. 

Edited May 19 by sgmn

[Luckynana]

9 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Sorry folks, nothing to see here. False alarm.  On the plus side, we got to have our granddaughters sleep over 🙂.  
 

@Luckynana they live about 40 minutes away, so time is of the essence when we get “the call”. Especially considering baby #2 was born only an hour after they got to the hospital.

 

Better safe than sorry, Deb!  Bonus having your granddaughters sleep over.  That's always fun!❤️

 

When I had the twins (which we didn't know until Melanie's birth), my water broke early morning;  we quickly wrapped our daughter Jennifer up and drove to my sister's house to drop her off, and as we got into the hospital, the nurse announced that my baby was coming.  Six minutes after Melanie's birth, Judy arrived to the surprise of everyone in the room...the doctor, the nurse, and the mom and dad!😉

 

My daughter Jennifer was born right after my water was broken in the hospital, and she came out with one push, hence our rushing to the hospital for our second (and 3rd) baby(ies).

 

Best of luck to your daughter.  How is she feeling?  Keep us in the loop!  This is exciting!!!!❤️

[helen haywood]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

May be not actually his muse, Marian, but his "sous-chef" in charge of keeping up with the mess he's producing, along with excellent meals.... Half of our "good" cutlery is missing....😢

I can certainly understand great chefs needing someone to help with the detritus!

[maggieq]

5 hours ago, Arzeena said:

I would love to know what you thought of the Eclipse vs the refurbished Summit. We are looking at an Eclipse sailing out of FLL and my other choices are Beyond and Reflection. The pictures look like it is in need of a lot of love. And has it been refurbished at all? I do see it got the blue hull and outside stuff done, but am interested in learning about the inside.
 

@Arzeena and @mets07 same here…looking at Jan 11 2025.  
 

We have been on summit twice. Solstice , reflection, equinox and edge.   We do lean towards celebrity more now.  We have silhouette booked for September 

[bobmacliberty]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

https://www.viator.com/St-Maarten-tourism/d728-r26941948211-s383316971?m=28353&supag=26941948211&supsc=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supai=691507684476&supap=&supdv=c&supnt=nt:g&suplp=9008817&supli=&supti=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&tsem=true&supci=aud-2226856787438:kwd-296943743401&supap1=&supap2=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxqayBhDFARIsAANWRnT0aj5WucJ1ED56uqj6tD3FavrNYYtnche8GvKcCmshsFKAuOgIb9MaAru2EALw_wcB

 

Thanks Jimbo but I'm looking for people here with personal experience.

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, sgmn said:

Happy Belated Birthday Greg. Hope you had a great steak dinner with the family 

Thank you very much Sue!

[Luckynana]

10 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Congrats to your son on his house purchase!  Patches looks like she has settled in nicely.  And the food looks fantastic!  

 

+1 @dpostman  Patches is adorable!  Sorry you DS had the fender-bender.

 

 

9 hours ago, jmh2006 said:

We leave on Tuesday the 21st and Dave is having his kidney stone blasted tomorrow 😃.  We are all packed up!  I told him I am leaving with or without you 🤣.

 

You must be so excited, Jennifer!  Hugs to Dave tomorrow.  Safe travels on Tuesday.  Have a great time!!!!✈️🛳️