Kolleen

5 hours ago, NIkkiGR said:

Thanks. I also noted it was not listed as open on the a recent Patter on a thread I have been following. I will be checking it out on Friday 

Maybe we will see you there. We much prefer the MDR to the buffet.

Rhonda

I've celebrated my 30th birthday, Halloween and Christmas on board ships. This cruise will add Easter.

You're not alone.  I'm carefully planning my DH's wardrobe that way as he has gained since our last cruise. I usually did it for myself, but I found out I was diabetic a couple years ago and lost 60 lbs on my new diet. All my favorite cruise wear is too big. I've bought some new stuff and done some sewing.

11 hours ago, ontheweb said:

OMG, the ship SANK! With all the talk of the new e-muster drills versus the traditional muster drill, could you tell us how this worked out in a real life emergency?

I was in my early 30s and there were about 10 of us still in the nightclub. Suddenly, the ship lurched and we were thrown against the wall. The officer I was dancing with told me to get to my cabin and get my lifevest just in case. Then the alarm went off.  I made it to my cabin and my roommate and I grabbed our jackets and lifevest.s The interior glass doors started closing.  We headed to our muster station on deck.  Most people arrived pretty quickly, but they were mostly in their pjs.  We didn't know what was happening exactly, but the ship started to severely list on the port side. We were told we were headed back to a paper mill dock because the water was much shallower. So, we waited. Crew came and gave blankets to the elderly in their pjs.  They also retrieved some essential medications for people.  They were outstanding. The lifeboats were lowered but we didn't board them. We eventually made it back to the dock. We were told to follow our assigned officer and we went down the stairs. For me, this was the scariest part. The stairs were at a fairly extreme angle and inside the ship felt unsafe.  We went down and were able to disembark.  If you've ever seen photos of the Arizona, the tilt of the ship from shore looked like that.  It eventually sank to the bottom on the port side, but I didn't see that.

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/08/14/The-luxury-cruise-ship-Sundancer-which-went-aground-on/1866461304000/

I know just how much the crew on ships practice, and it is a lot. My daughter worked as Technical Entertainment Manager on HAL and she told me.

I have a lot of faves, but I'll narrow it down.

- last cruise with my mom before she died RCL

- Christmas with our daughter who was working as Technical Entertainment Director on HAL

- solo cruise for my 30th birthday HAL

Most memorable but not a favorite- Sundancer Vancouver to Alaska which sank.

Loved the sports bra story!

Would you let us know if the new single page menus are being used on the Crown, and if so we would love some pictures.

In the early 80s I was cruising on the Nordic Prince with two friends in another cabin. We were running south to get away from a hurricane and due to dock in St Thomas the next morning. I was woken by a large bang crashing sound. I jumped up and looked out my window. I saw a yacht sliding along our hull and sinking. We hadn't  outrun the hurricane, and there were all kinds of boats in the St Thomas harbor which had broken loose. We backed out and headed toward toward Barbados. I wasn't  seasick, but I was one of the very few.

In 2002, again on RCL, my husband and I missed St John as a port due to again trying to out run another hurricane. We were in a very forward cabin and the movement was pretty wild. Luckily my husband doesn't get seasick either.

Of course on my wildest cruise, the ship sank. 

I saw What is Let's get quizzical on a patter online. What is it?

Thanks

I've been cruising since 1979, so I've seen many changes.  My husband bought a tux a while back and he loves it. He finds it very comfortable. I enjoy dressing for formal night too. We don't care what anyone else wears or what they think about what we wear.  However, we have decided that if we are cruising out of our home ports in southern California we will take formal wear, but dress on the less formal side if we have to fly.  It's just easier. We like easy.

Funny story. My daughter married into a large family on the wealthier side. Every Christmas they have a large fancy family dinner in Bel Air (a step up from Beverly Hills) at the patriach's home where everyone is expected to dress up even the kids. Men wear dress suits or tuxes and the woman mostly long gowns.  Right before the pandemic our sweet SIL wore a medium blue suit with strings of Christmas lights printed all over it.  His parents almost had a heart attack. 

You're welcome!

Rhonda

Yes. It is versatile and can be worn as a light jacket.

I wear Coolibar SPF 50. I have capris and also an aqua striped long sleeved and hooded cover up. I use it in the summer a lot when watching my grandsons swimming lessons. Like this

We enjoy decorating our door although we keep it small mostly for packing reasons.  We usually pick something for the season or holiday.  I've been dealing with some short term memory loss recently as well, but I've had problems for years finding my cabin without door decor!  

The staff always points us to the buffet. We always eat in the MDR on embarkation day. I'm getting ready to go on my 42 cruise. I'm pretty sure about it. : )

I've been cruising to Mexico since the 1980s. I've also spent a lot of land vacations there. Sometimes I just get off the ship to go over to Walmart and buy my godsons a souvenir. I prefer to spend most of my time on the ship at this point.

Once in a while I do go ashore for fun when I am traveling with friends who haven't been before. They always want to stop at the Walmart on the way back to the ship in Puerto Vallarta. Mostly, they want to see how different it is and buy soda. I also like to buy vanilla for my chef husband.

We just came off the Golden, and I had a bad reaction as well. It was actually really bad. Once I realized the pillows and duvet were feathers I asked for them to be changed out. It really helped.

So, when I came back I sent a message to Princess and then followed up with a phone call for our upcoming cruise on the Sapphire. The Princess agent went checked with someone, and they said the Sapphire doesn't have feather products in the room. Does anyone know if this is accurate?

I agree with the knee takes its own time philosophy and every knee is different. I hope you are one that does ok. I am 59 by the way, and I was terrified too. Bonesmart really helped me with the terror.

Total recovery does take many months, but walking and stairs, as long as you don't overdue, will probably be ok by then.

I agree with taking a rollator with you. I would if I didn't have my scooter. Overdoing it is not a good idea. The rollator will allow you to rest. For me regaining stamina has been what is taking the longest.

I've also read PT prior to surgery helps in recovery. I plan on doing it for my right knee.

I followed the Bonesmart mantra, did a combination of the British/American model (less aggressive PT, no one touches my knee), and did my exercises faithfully along with the machine. It worked well for me. Now I only take Advil or Tylenol when I push a bit too hard. An ice machine is also a must in my book.

I had a LTKR July 30, 2013. I am walking around, going up and down stairs and not taking any pain meds for my replaced knee. ;) I am still limited by how much walking I can do and have to use my scooter when I am in too much pain, but that is because I still need to have my right knee replaced (it is the one that gets all swollen and painful now). Everyone is different, but I think the majority of people are doing quite well after only a couple months.

Might I recommend a site I found incredibly important for my recovery. Its called Bonesmart. I found answers to all my questions there in the library and from asking others, plus people there are very supportive. Their library is wonderful. Men and women from England, the US and Australia go there.

If you have any questions for me, please send me a message. As you can see from my signature, I leave for a cruise to Hawaii at the end of November.

Oh, and I too love the British Museum and the A&V.

Hey Thrak, I too understood the S-mart reference. :D

I buy a themed gift bag and put paperwork in it. You can hang it or set it on the dresser or night stand. I've used Christmas, Valentines, etc. This time it is Hawaiian. It really cuts down on paper clutter, and Dollar Tree is great for them.

Here is the casino entrance on a cool day in May 08. Give you an idea of what people are wearing to go in.