IRMO12HD

Thanks for posting, @Auntiebe.  My TA sent me the notification.  I'm actually content with the change in itinerary, and the change in dates.  I appreciate you posting the information!

I know there has been discussion on the cancellation of Bliss cruises in 2023; my January 2023 Panama Canal cruise on the NCL Joy has now disappeared!  My TA is on a ship right now, pretty much incommunicado, so I thought I would ask here . . .

I was about to ask about solo cruisers being able to Royal Up when I saw @brookmill18's post.  I will be solo on Freedom in November and Oasis in December.  I tried to check the upgrade site mentioned, but like @EatonDoolittleand @Espnmentioned, I'm not able to -- it says I need to be within 30 days.  However, it appears others have gotten the emails in advance of 30 days prior to cruising.  Has anyone had success checking eligibility for Royal Up outside of 30 days?

@sid_9169It actually looks quite good, compared to some of the (military) moves we've made.  At least you can be sure that there's no 3-week old garbage packed (yes, packed!) in your garbage can :-).  Hang in there.

On 8/24/2021 at 12:28 PM, Hogladyrider said:

Yipeeee I made it thru the work day, now 2 days off.  Going to chill for now and will see what adventures we can come up with.  Weather is beautiful, nice breeze!

 

Got my lab results from my blood work last week now I need to schedule a virtual visit with my doctor to review and discuss some solutions.  I was somewhat disappointed with the results vs my previous labs from December 2020.

 

Potassium is elevated, 5.3, probably due to taking 2 ibprophen at night for my arthritis, that's gotta stop.  May try taking my tumeric in the evening instead.

 

Glucose was slightly elevated, more than likely due to lack of physical exercise....which I can work on for sure....101 was the reading.

 

My MCV was elevated at 98, which might explain my cold hands when working in AC, need more B vitamins but will discuss all with the doctor.

 

Getting old is NOT for the faint of heart that's for sure.  You may FEEL ok but the insides tell a different story.  It's always something but I am grateful for all the support of the TRIBE!

@HogladyriderI have pretty well-developed arthritis in both of my knees (one from injury, the other one just Army running and overuse).  Since my injury (a tibial plateau fracture in 1992), I've taken glucosamine and chondroitin (Osteo Biflex, or Move Free, or Kirkland's brand), and it has really helped with stiffness and pain.  I've never taken ibuprofen for the arthritis.  I wonder if that would help?

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Can you put a hold on the 2nd instead of actually booking it. A hold would be better.

It didn't give me the option of a hold.  I messaged RCCL and they said it was okay to have two reservations, so I went ahead and made it. A savings of $240, and it's refundable, so once I'm able to get in touch with my TA, I'll just cancel it.

Quick question -- I can't reach my TA right now, but want to take advantage of the lower rates.  Is it okay to have two reservations in the same name for the same sailing at one time?  Or will that screw up my first reservation (that my TA is not available to change).  That first one is a group rate, and it's now about $200 more than what I can pay now.  But, I don't want to lose my current reservation with my Cruise Planner deals. . .

On 7/20/2021 at 4:15 AM, Travelicious said:

It is different for everyone, I suppose.  I can't do intermittent fasting because I get too weak and shaky.  I've lost about 28 pounds on Noom (it costs, but it was worth it to be able to fit into pants again instead of just my pandemic sweats) since January.  I like it because you can eat pretty much anything in limited quantities.  I usually budgeted in a couple of drinks a day.  

@TraveliciousI'm a Noom convert too!  It's really helped with my attitude towards food.  I've lost about 40 lbs, and am at a plateau right now, but am not worried.

Thanks for posting the close-ups!  I looked at the Space Needle webcam this morning and there she was!!!

On 6/1/2021 at 4:08 AM, shutterbug63 said:

We have done this and will never do it again if it includes swimming the horses in the ocean.  We did an independent excursion.  Long story short, the person guiding our tour led a group of 8 people with varying experience levels  as far as riding a horse into the ocean for a swim without asking if everyone was comfortable with it. One person in our party who was behind us was riding a horse that got buffeted by the waves.  That horse panicked, fell, and ran out of the ocean to the beach. The person riding that horse had fallen off but had a foot still stuck in the stirrup and was dragged 75 feet along the beach upside down. Thankfully, they had us wear helmets.  Looked like they suffered serious injuries to their arm and possibly their leg.

 

Long story short, I am an experienced rider  and I've never seen a ride conducted in such unsafe conditions.  I should have realized this from the get go when the person leading the ride was wearing Crocs and shorts.

 

Wow, how scary!  Thanks for the feedback, @shutterbug63.  I assume this was with Lucky Stables?

I'm in the same boat, so to speak :-)  I made a refundable reservation at a Best Western hotel, and made a reservation through AirBnB with a Superhost.  Totally different areas, but costs are somewhat similar.  I'd rather stay in the AirBnB, but if it falls through, will go to Plan B.

I'm hoping to try this in St Maarten when I'm there in December.  I communicated with Lucky Stables about arranging a ride on my own, but they indicated that it would be best to book it through the cruise ship (which I've already done).  I would appreciate any comments from those who have done this before, or are planning on it in the future.  

20 hours ago, davekathy said:

Nope. At idle it's more like  pop-pop...pop-pop...pop-pop...  or potato...potato...potato...☠️

 

 

potato . .  potato .. potato!

On 2/17/2021 at 2:04 PM, USN59-79 said:

It has been used in the past, but not by me.  We have cruised around Japan on the Diamond Princess with a couple from Washington State who used Space A to get to and from Japan.  They enjoyed spending a few days before the cruise in Japan and didn't care if they got home a few days later after they got off the ship.  They lived not far from McChord AFB and were able to park their car there when flying.

Thanks, @USN59-79; that is exactly the input I was hoping for :-)

4 hours ago, PhD-iva said:

As soon as I switched devices I was able to see my signature. Looking forward to discussing “all things cruise!”

@PhD-ivaJust emailed you with my CC screen name in the subject line!

On 4/20/2021 at 6:21 PM, PhD-iva said:

I’m booked on my first solo cruise 15 January 2022, a 20-day trip including 16 days cruising on Regent’s Voyager Buenos Aires - Santiago. 
I’m recently retired and itching to travel. My husband will gladly use COVID as his reason to never cruise again. And he hates travel of all flavors. Lucky for me, he’s used to me working in a different city from our home and being gone for periods of time.

My preference would be to find congenial female roommates to reduce the costs. Currently most of my friends are nervous about traveling. I’m hoping all is well, or well enough so that my cruise will sail as scheduled!

@PhD-ivaI'm in exactly the same boat!  Well, ship!  Are you interested in an Arctic Crossing in September 2022? 

22 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

 

I was able to work things out that i did not have to pay any extra.  I did end up going solo (in my cabin) but it still cost the price of the two of us. Does this make sense. Originally i was told it would be the fair (say 1800.00) X 2. Plus additional 1000.00 I couldn’t wrap my head around that theory.  Anyway i would never pay 3600.00 just for me, but i ended up doing that.

I'm glad to hear you didn't have to pay anything extra.  That additional $1000 didn't make sense to me either.  Hopefully you had a great time!

On 4/16/2021 at 6:26 PM, ReneeFLL said:

Thanks. I’ll be getting my shingles shot in about a month or so. 

FWIW, I got my first Shingrix shot on January 19, my first Pfizer on Feb 3, second Pfizer on Feb 24, and my second Shingrix shot on March 19.  My doctor and the vaccination folks recommended at least 14 days between the two types of shots.  My arm was a lot sorer from the Shingrix than it was from the Pfizer, both times.  I launched right into yard work and other arm-intensive activities right after each shot, and it seemed to help alleviate the soreness to a degree.  I also donated blood on April 6, and the COVID test they ran on it indicated "Reactive" (versus "Positive" or "Negative,") indicating the presence of antibodies.

And yup, I'll get the booster when it's available / recommended.

I posted this yesterday on another blog . . . 

Possible update -- Cruise Planner for my reservation on Navigator for 29 November - 3 December 2021 (**WAS FLL-Nassau - Coco Cay - FLL) now shows as "Cancelled" but with a new itinerary -- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA - ENSENADA, MEXICO) in the title box.  It tells me to contact my TA for more details -- but he hasn't been provided any yet.  Maybe Monday . . .

18 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Have a look,as someone on TripAdvisor said until you stay here you will never know.

Walk out the door or even the hotel is the main tourist attraction in Sydney and from $150 a night for 2.

Thanks for the tip, @Chiliburn; just booked the Russell for our pre-cruise stay in April 2022!

On 3/31/2021 at 10:17 AM, davekathy said:

Yep, wish I would have thought of it first. I ride a 2006 HD so I guess I could use Twin Cam 88.  

I Ride My Own (20)12 Harley Davidson :-)  Yup, it's the one in my profile picture!

@Peace2U, that's great that you've rented an RV and enjoyed it!  We now have a 31' Class C -- we've owned just about every other type (Class A, Class C, 5th Wheel, 5th Wheel Toyhauler, Travel Trailer, PopUp Camper) except for a Class B.  My preference is the Class C or the Travel Trailer, mainly because both my DH and I can drive them.  My suggestion would be to figure out how you want to use it (i.e., short trips vs extended cross-country) and who you foresee driving it.  The reason I mention that is that the long haul driving (or even traveling for several weeks at a time) can be tiring, and it's nice to be able to share the burden/task.  Personally, being a fledgling Class C driver (with a toad), I find that my limit is about 1 hour of driving.  It doesn't seem to bother my DH as much, but he grew up driving trucks on a Montana ranch.  If "heavy duty" driving is in your future, I'd look at something you both will feel comfortable driving.  Renting different types would give you that exposure.  Just my $0.02.

You can also request that the transfer fees be removed; if you're comfortable with arranging your own transportation from the airport to your hotel (if you request a deviation) and/or from the airport to the port and port - airport (if you're not requesting a deviation), you'll probably be ahead by doing the transfers on your own.

Eastern Washington windstorm casualty count at our house:

1 each (very old) patio table glass top blown off of its base and smashed next to our shed -- fortunately, it appears to be safety glass, so the 'pebbles' will be easy to sweep up

1 each (15-year old) fence panel with latch knocked off fence; gate is now secured with a tie down -- I guess I could decorate it with a ribbon tomorrow -- or just get a new fence panel and re-attach the latch.

1 each electric smoker (just knocked over by the wind)

That's it so far . . .  don't want to jinx myself!

approximate gust speed ~50 mph

21 hours ago, Prnsessmoi said:

So, I had a root canal on Monday. Lower molar (2nd from back) My jaw is still killing me. It is sore in my lower jaw, face just in front of the ear, and even starting to bother my throat.

 

The throat starting to hurt now has me wondering if I could have been exposed to Covid. I've been so careful, and the dentist office took all the precautions, but I really don't know if the lingering pain I'm feeling would be normal for a root canal. Any thoughts?

Having just gone through a root canal "retreatment," (the other one was done about 20+ years ago and had what they call "silvertips" in the canal), I would check with your endodontist.  The pain could be due to infection (which is what prompted my dentist to send me to the endodontist), which you definitely want diagnosed and treated.Mine was done on the exact same molar (#19, I think?). I would think they'd have a number for you to call if you're still experiencing pain.  Hope it feels better soon; jaw pain is awful.