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

[lenquixote66]

8 hours ago, George C said:

Not me , I have a much younger blonde wife .

Me too 😀

[lenquixote66]

2 hours 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. 

I retired at 55 and was bored.A friend owned an Advertising business and wanted me to join his firm.I said I know absolutely nothing about the field.

He urged me to give it a try and I eventually retired as a VP.However,Mrs.66 worked was still working and when she retired we began to cruise on a regular basis.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour 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.

Mrs.66 and I were both working for a company but never knew each other.

I worked 25 years for a company and Mrs.66 an RN worked 27 years for the same hospital.I was her third career.

[Lionesss]

1 hour 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 like your style.

 

I am a cougar for a lionesss.

 

I am 8 years senior to the DH.

 

That is how I was able to retire early.  Riding on his insurance.

 

Love it.

[lenquixote66]

13 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Mrs.66 and I were both working for a company but never knew each other.

I worked 25 years for a company and Mrs.66 an RN worked 27 years for the same hospital.I was her third career.

That should read IT was a third career.

[George C]

1 hour ago, h20skibum said:

We did our honeymoon on the SS Norway in 1980. 

I loved the Norway sailed her 7 times most of them in my single days, funny thing is my wife first time on Norway before we were married we had bunk beds 😂, now we book nothing but suites . 

[xpcdoojk]

5 hours ago, h20skibum said:

I have seen a couple of the Suzuki Mini-me vehicles, converted to look like old VW vans, in our area.   This one just got delivered last week. Or, it could be a Subaru sambar.  They are both used for conversions. 

 

They are so tall and narrow, I would think a strong wind would blow them over.  

We had a Suzuki van in 1996 for our week on Bonaire.  I think it was called a Carryall.  I think it could be converted to look like that.  I will try to remember to dig out an old photo.  No A/C.  Fortunately Bonaire is small so its micro engine wasn’t a liability.  Served us well taking us and a few tanks to really nice dive sites and restaurants.  I really like Bonaire.  Although, I imagine it could become quite tedious in a short amount of time if you weren’t diving every moment you were there.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, akcruz said:

 

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. 

 

Laura retired the day she turned 56. I just quit. 

 

Wasn't going to let her have fun without me anymore

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

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. 

 

He posts on Instagram

[John&LaLa]

44 minutes ago, xpcdoojk said:

We had a Suzuki van in 1996 for our week on Bonaire.  I think it was called a Carryall.  I think it could be converted to look like that.  I will try to remember to dig out an old photo.  No A/C.  Fortunately Bonaire is small so its micro engine wasn’t a liability.  Served us well taking us and a few tanks to really nice dive sites and restaurants.  I really like Bonaire.  Although, I imagine it could become quite tedious in a short amount of time if you weren’t diving every moment you were there.

 

You can rent golf carts on Bonaire

[George C]

8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

You can rent golf carts on Bonaire

I wouldn’t do it again, but we rented golf carts there . Great cruise ok A, B C islands on Navigator of the seas.

[HBE4]

 

@Sunshine3601 Thank you for the inspirational post. @Lionesss Thank you for the heart-warming story. 

 

And really, thank you to all that responded or simply acknowledge my posts. I have no words that can express the gratitude I have other than to say it warms my heart.

 

My final thoughts are really just on the unfairness of the situation and a bit of a pity party for myself. I've been with my wife for 34 years, since I was 22 (Math whizzes should be able to figure out my age). My wife, the original cougar before being a cougar was a thing, will turn 62 at the end of the year and looking to retire. To travel with me near and far, to lunch with the ladies in the middle of the day, to visit her daughter (my step-daughter) in Houston. And to hang out & enjoy the good life before she got too old. She used to say "Just give me 9 good years!" I guess she thought she was going to fall apart at age 70? So that's the unfair part.

 

My pity party is that the first time since my college days, I will be on my own & doing many things big and small without someone at my side. Of course, I feel guilty since I at least GET to do things. And yet, I also have so many people by my side - I'm 1 of 4, she is 1 of 5, plus the plethora of friends that call, drop in, bringing me food & do my chores for me. Heck, even my step-daughters friends dragged my out for dinner & drinks several times even though DSD (is that the right acronym?)  is currently in Houston. She was here, but had to go home, but is working her way back here to NY.

 

As I said on the Bella thread, everyone has a heavy burden at some point in their lives so I'm no different. I really appreciate  those letting me "unload" my gloomy feelings to  complete strangers that are the CC family, so really, not complete strangers.

 

I will be around, I may disappear for extended periods of time but thats just to rebuild my new, real life.

 

Life is good, be kind, and give your loved on that extra hug tonight.

 

 

[Coralc]

That's interesting. A lot of ladies with younger husbands. Mine is too. But only by a year and two months. And I guess we all have lovely husbands that put up with us and care for us in sickness and health. 

[JamesEM]

Great beach day here in N Myrtle Beach, temp in the low 80's, water temp of 72, nice breeze, and the tourist have not shown up in large numbers, also the gas shortage is over with the average price of $2.89 a gallon.

[Missusdubbya]

53 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I will be around, I may disappear for extended periods of time but thats just to rebuild my new, real life.

 

Life is good, be kind, and give your loved on that extra hug tonight.

 

Any time you need a distraction we are always here discussing or arguing 😁. Hang in there.

[Missusdubbya]

My husband and I have been to two funerals in the last 2 weeks, and we have another next week. We took some time out after one to sit in the sun at a pub in a small town on the Central QLD coast.

 

Cheers to all of your good memories of the people you have lost, and smiling through tears.

[sgmn]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Laura retired the day she turned 56. I just quit. 

 

Wasn't going to let her have fun without me anymore

Over here state pension age is 66. It use to be 60 for women and 65 for men but was changed around five years ago . It was on a sliding scale for those five years so my friend who is only a couple of years older got hers at 62 whilst I won't get mine till next birthday at 66.

You can take company pensions anytime from 55 to 70 but they are vastly reduced if you take them early .  

Edited May 19, 2021 by sgmn

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Missusdubbya said:

My husband and I have been to two funerals in the last 2 weeks, and we have another next week. We took some time out after one to sit in the sun at a pub in a small town on the Central QLD coast.

 

Cheers to all of your good memories of the people you have lost, and smiling through tears.

I'm sorry to hear of all your recent funerals you have been to and send you our best wishes and condolences.

Yesterday we were at the funeral of a brother of a lifelong friend of Pauline's.

He was only 62 and went into hospital with a brain tumour which was found to be a secondary cancer then he died with a cardiac arrest.

Take care everyone.

Thoughts too to Dani that soon things will settle down in Israel and you can see your friends and family again.

Graham.

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

@Sunshine3601 Thank you for the inspirational post. @Lionesss Thank you for the heart-warming story. 

 

And really, thank you to all that responded or simply acknowledge my posts. I have no words that can express the gratitude I have other than to say it warms my heart.

 

My final thoughts are really just on the unfairness of the situation and a bit of a pity party for myself. I've been with my wife for 34 years, since I was 22 (Math whizzes should be able to figure out my age). My wife, the original cougar before being a cougar was a thing, will turn 62 at the end of the year and looking to retire. To travel with me near and far, to lunch with the ladies in the middle of the day, to visit her daughter (my step-daughter) in Houston. And to hang out & enjoy the good life before she got too old. She used to say "Just give me 9 good years!" I guess she thought she was going to fall apart at age 70? So that's the unfair part.

 

My pity party is that the first time since my college days, I will be on my own & doing many things big and small without someone at my side. Of course, I feel guilty since I at least GET to do things. And yet, I also have so many people by my side - I'm 1 of 4, she is 1 of 5, plus the plethora of friends that call, drop in, bringing me food & do my chores for me. Heck, even my step-daughters friends dragged my out for dinner & drinks several times even though DSD (is that the right acronym?)  is currently in Houston. She was here, but had to go home, but is working her way back here to NY.

 

As I said on the Bella thread, everyone has a heavy burden at some point in their lives so I'm no different. I really appreciate  those letting me "unload" my gloomy feelings to  complete strangers that are the CC family, so really, not complete strangers.

 

I will be around, I may disappear for extended periods of time but thats just to rebuild my new, real life.

 

Life is good, be kind, and give your loved on that extra hug tonight.

 

 

I'm glad you posted again. Cruise Critic is rather a strange place. Somehow, strangers on the internet start to not feel like strangers but friends that simply have not been met in person. Maybe that is because we all have at least one major passion in common that breaks the ice.

 

I won't bother saying how long l've been practicing medicine as I don't want to challenge people with any more math problems today 😉  but I have seen patients and families faced with all sorts of challenges.  Being in family medicine, and caring for multiple generations in families, has afforded me the honor of sharing in their joys and sorrows. I know you have been given a path to walk right now that you never would have chosen but you will endure and someday all the things in life that make no sense now finally will. Life has changed for you. Eventually you will be whole again but different  Stay strong. I've been thinking about you.

[John&LaLa]

On 5/18/2021 at 5:41 AM, DirtyDawg said:

I never had the Farrah poster in my high school years. Lynda Carter from Wonder Woman was up on my wall. When I moved on to University I had posters of the girl who was in IMHO the best American TV comedy show ever, WKRP in Cincinnati, Jan Smithers. I also had one of Pam Dawber from Mork and Mindy. 

 

I was a big fan of Velma

[John&LaLa]

6 hours ago, Coralc said:

That's interesting. A lot of ladies with younger husbands. Mine is too. But only by a year and two months. And I guess we all have lovely husbands that put up with us and care for us in sickness and health. 

Laura is 18 months my senior

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, sgmn said:

Over here state pension age is 66. It use to be 60 for women and 65 for men but was changed around five years ago . It was on a sliding scale for those five years so my friend who is only a couple of years older got hers at 62 whilst I won't get mine till next birthday at 66.

You can take company pensions anytime from 55 to 70 but they are vastly reduced if you take them early .  

 

Laura's was a combination of 30 years service and 56 years old. I think she ended up with 32

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

Laura is 18 months my senior

I don't know why when I read 18 months I thought the next word was going to be pregnant.😯

[DirtyDawg]

8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I was a big fan of Velma

Jinkies! Velma was the reason my kids thought I was a great dad because I got up on Saturday mornings to watch Scooby-Doo with them. 

Ruh-roh--RAGGY!

 

[John&LaLa]

10 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

Jinkies! Velma was the reason my kids thought I was a great dad because I got up on Saturday mornings to watch Scooby-Doo with them. 

Ruh-roh--RAGGY!

 

 

You should see the new versions of her😉