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

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, singinalot said:

I'm pretty proud of the miles/points we've stacked up for this. I

I'd say so too. Great job. I like the way you laid everything out. Looks like you have all your bases covered. Cheers!

[George C]

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Congrats! Be aware they’ll put off paying you as long as possible. I turned 62 in March of 2019 and applied right away. First off, I learned eligibility is the month AFTER you turn 62 ( or 65, etc).  Okay, expected my first payment in April 2019. Nope, you get your first payment the month FOLLOWING your eligibility month. Okay, expected my first payment beginning of May 2019. Nope, it’s based on your day of birth - for me, the 21st of March. So I received my first payment on May 28th 🤷🏻‍♀️.  
It’s almost like it’s the government LOL!

I waited till I was 67 and a couple of months, every month you delay you increase your payment, I should have waited till 70 which is maximum amount . I retired at 65 , wife has a very good job. 

[Coralc]

2 hours ago, George C said:

On our last European cruise we saved about 150 k miles each on American and they told us we didn’t have enough for business class , I then canceled my American Airlines credit card.

I hope you used up all of the points to go somewhere else and THEN cancelled the card. 

[BecciBoo]

We use AMEX for any and everything, all the groceries etc  We haven't paid to fly in maybe...15 years.  They partner with Delta, in fact, we qualified for first class for our flights to Orlando Sept. Allure.  First time to get to do this, so excited.

[Momof3gurlz]

40 minutes ago, George C said:

I waited till I was 67 and a couple of months, every month you delay you increase your payment, I should have waited till 70 which is maximum amount . I retired at 65 , wife has a very good job. 

The company I worked for allowed employees who were fully vested in the pension plan to retire at 55 if they chose to.  (Pension based on total years of service & salary, average about 65% of highest 3 years salary) I chose to leave right at 55. This was based on the fact that DH is younger and was still working and also, this company agreed to hire me back 2 days a week (it was done thru a temp agency)  I did the part-time thing with them for 7 years, until 62 when I could start taking my SS.  
DH worked for same company (it’s where we met), so he’s now collecting pension, not eligible for SS quite yet but draws from 401k. 
We say all the time how glad we are that we stuck with the same company our whole careers.  

[A&L_Ont]

Lucy doing Lucy things right now. 
 

[George C]

25 minutes ago, Coralc said:

I hope you used up all of the points to go somewhere else and THEN cancelled the card. 

Points don’t expire since there miles, we normally fly 5 or 6 times a year , except recently, but will have a few flights this summer.

[A&L_Ont]

The new ride is a waiting it’s bath. LOL, daily reports kinda like a pet at the kennel. 

[Ourusualbeach]

11 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I totally know the stairs you had previously.  I also think you will like having the larger pool when the family is over. The stairs made a great sitting spot for our niece and nephews to play with water toys.  The grandmas liked it sitting on them too
 

We went with the cover because of the little ones but have found that it also keeps a copious amount of pine needles etc out of the pool. We have very little evaporation and use less chemical with it too. 
 

Curious about the roller.  Is there some sort of catch basin under where the roller retracts where all the needles and leaves collect that you can empty out the debris?

Edited May 18, 2021 by Ourusualbeach

[George C]

6 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

The company I worked for allowed employees who were fully vested in the pension plan to retire at 55 if they chose to.  (Pension based on total years of service & salary, average about 65% of highest 3 years salary) I chose to leave right at 55. This was based on the fact that DH is younger and was still working and also, this company agreed to hire me back 2 days a week (it was done thru a temp agency)  I did the part-time thing with them for 7 years, until 62 when I could start taking my SS.  
DH worked for same company (it’s where we met), so he’s now collecting pension, not eligible for SS quite yet but draws from 401k. 
We say all the time how glad we are that we stuck with the same company our whole careers.  

We also meet at work it was a oil company that eventually moved to Singapore, we both have pension although my is smaller since I was there only 7 years my wife’s is double since she was there twice as long , I worked for many companies in my 45 plus years . Not many people nowadays work for a single company.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, singinalot said:

since I know a few of you also plan in the same way I do, I thought I'd upload where I'm at so far with points vs. cash breakdown for the planned October Greece trip. I'm pretty proud of the miles/points we've stacked up for this. I got approval from work today to take the time off. woohoo.  Keeping my fingers and toes crossed and breath held....

That is quite the spreed sheet and points amassed.  Fingers crossed that everything goes through.

Edited May 18, 2021 by A&L_Ont

[Momof3gurlz]

11 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

I totally know the stairs you had previously.  I also think you will like having the larger pool when the family is over. The stairs made a great sitting spot for our niece and nephews to play with water toys.  The grandmas liked it sitting on them too
 

We went with the cover because of the little ones but have found that it also keeps a copious amount of pine needles etc out of the pool. We have very little evaporation and use less chemical with it too. 
 

Does this serve as your winter cover also or is there a different one?  We’ve ordered a Loop-Loc for winter. 

[Momof3gurlz]

6 minutes ago, George C said:

We also meet at work it was a oil company that eventually moved to Singapore, we both have pension although my is smaller since I was there only 7 years my wife’s is double since she was there twice as long , I worked for many companies in my 45 plus years . Not many people nowadays work for a single company.

You’re right but I guess people change employers for many reasons.  I put in 34 1/2 years with them, plus the 7 part-time. DH worked there for 36 years.  They’re a great company.  In fact all three of our kids work there. And both my in-laws retired from there.  And no, we don’t own the company although some have joked that we should LOL. 

[akcruz]

17 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

The company I worked for allowed employees who were fully vested in the pension plan to retire at 55 if they chose to.  (Pension based on total years of service & salary, average about 65% of highest 3 years salary) I chose to leave right at 55. This was based on the fact that DH is younger and was still working and also, this company agreed to hire me back 2 days a week (it was done thru a temp agency)  I did the part-time thing with them for 7 years, until 62 when I could start taking my SS.  
DH worked for same company (it’s where we met), so he’s now collecting pension, not eligible for SS quite yet but draws from 401k. 
We say all the time how glad we are that we stuck with the same company our whole careers.  

 

Hubby and I met at work, he left after about 15 years and bounced around getting "better", more stressful and time consuming, jobs for the next 20 or so years.  I stayed with the same company for almost 35 years, until they got bought out, great benefits and flexible work arrangements but not the same advancement opportunities.  When I retired at 55 due to the buyout hubby said me too, have not looked back.  We both lost a parent in their early 60s, the other living much longer, so learned to not wait to enjoy life but don't go crazy spending either. 

[A&L_Ont]

6 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Does this serve as your winter cover also or is there a different one?  We’ve ordered a Loop-Loc for winter. 

This is the summer cover. In the winter it rolls up and it resides in it’s storage box.  It’s the same storage box when we open it in the summer.  
 

In the winter we too use the Loop-Loc cover like you will. 

[BecciBoo]

I'm a cougar, my hubs is 16 yrs younger than I...so we started that kinda thing earlier, been married 25 yrs last January 1st.  Heaven!  But we definitely don't hold back when traveling/cruising.  We want to do it all before I get shut down!😉

Edited May 18, 2021 by BecciBoo

[Arzeena]

Ok deviating slightly, but where in the world is Cruise Life Rick? I loved reading his "Live". Last I read was some cruise review with A&L and CLR.

 

 

[Yorkvillain]

15 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I'm a cougar, my hubs is 16 yrs younger than I...so we started that kinda thing earlier, been married 25 yrs last January 1st.  Heaven!  But we definitely don't hold back when traveling/cruising.  We want to do it all before I get shut down!😉

Oh hey Becci 

[A&L_Ont]

1 minute ago, Arzeena said:

Ok deviating slightly, but where in the world is Cruise Life Rick? I loved reading his "Live". Last I read was some cruise review with A&L and CLR.

 

 

CLR retired from CC when they changed formats a few years ago, when he was doing a live review on board. When we last cruised together in March 2019 he appeared in some photos with us along the way. He’s doing well but missing cruises. 

[A&L_Ont]

58 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Curious about the roller.  Is there some sort of catch basin under where the roller retracts where all the needles and leaves collect that you can empty out the debris?

Yes. There are about 4/5 inches of space extra in the container when the cover is fully rolled in.  
 

The box is sloped and has a water drain at the low end.  When there is a heavy rain you need to use the surface pump to remove the water, otherwise the weight is too much for the cover to open all the way. 

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

We use AMEX for any and everything, all the groceries etc  We haven't paid to fly in maybe...15 years.  They partner with Delta, in fact, we qualified for first class for our flights to Orlando Sept. Allure.  First time to get to do this, so excited.

A couple years ago we got upgraded to first class, it is very tough to go back to economy or pre economy afterwards.  We try to fly FC whenever the pricing is reasonable.   We also have had amex cards for several years, enjoy alot of their perks.  Or will enjoy when we get traveling again this summer.

[George C]

54 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I'm a cougar, my hubs is 16 yrs younger than I...so we started that kinda thing earlier, been married 25 yrs last January 1st.  Heaven!  But we definitely don't hold back when traveling/cruising.  We want to do it all before I get shut down!😉

I know we were on at least one cruise together since we were both active in roll call, did anyone get engaged or honeymoon on a cruise, we got engaged on sovereign of he seas in 1990 and honeymooned on SS Norway in 1991. (Also did Niagara falls )

[lenquixote66]

On 5/17/2021 at 12:41 PM, Lionesss said:

I wonder what pieces everyone will be picking when the monopoly games begin?

 

Ok, got me interested going to check out RCI home page.  Got some free time till car cruise tonight.

 

Stay out of trouble, ya hear

 

Be safe.

I only pick the dog .I have been playing since 1951.

[lenquixote66]

On 5/17/2021 at 1:56 PM, Tree_skier said:

 

I was a Jacklyn Smith guy... To me she was the best looking of the bunch.

Yes but she could not compare to Faye Wray.

[h20skibum]

5 minutes ago, George C said:

did anyone get engaged or honeymoon on a cruise,

We did our honeymoon on the SS Norway in 1980.