reallyitsmema

43 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Our trip to AC ended up with Charlie falling in the shower.  He got lightheaded and just went down.  He is sore and black and blue and getting him home is going to be fun.  My daughter is down here and is coming over in the morning to drive home with us.  Hopefully, he will just need rest.  I have to say security was great, they were up here in five minutes and got him on his feet.  No more trips for us.

Oh no, Marietta.  I am glad your daughter is there too to drive home with you.  I hope he heals quickly.  

36 minutes ago, mom1965 said:

Does anybody know if they offer a bottle of wine for night one at the Steakhouse like Carnival?

 

 

No, first and second nights can be very busy because those are the nights diamond + get a BOGO dinner option. 

1 hour ago, SUESEABE said:

Is there presently a Rita's Cantina on Radiance OTS? If so, is it just a bar or is both bar and restaurant? 

It is long gone on Radiance, just used for WJ seating though Mexican vibe still there. 

50 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

You can't see it???? Does this show?

 

Mr. Bayley,
 
I am writing this after 20+ years of sailing with RCI to make you aware of an ongoing health issue aboard your ships and it has to do with sound levels in some of the entertainment areas. I have found this to be an ongoing issue, particularly in the main theater and Studio B. I have heard this complaint from many people and I, as a physician, claim it is a health issue.
 
I recently completed the February 3rd sailing of Odessey of the Seas. After attending a show in the main theater, I believe the act was called The Rookies, where the sound was so loud that I found myself with hearing difficulties that didn't fully resolve until sometime the following afternoon. Though I have encountered uncomfortable sound levels in the past on your ships this is the first time I have had to deal with the aftermath for a prolonged length of time following the exposure.
 
The health issues on hearing from exposure to loud noise is well know. It takes little time to do a search to get information on decibel levels, pressure waves, and length of exposure to put the pieces together. Anyone who is controlling the sound boards in the ship venues should be well versed in this subject. If they are not the RCI needs to address its hiring protocols.
 
I am bringing this issue to your attention in the hope that you will rectify the situation. I would find it disappointing to say the least if RCI did not take seriously the harm that these sound levels can do to its guests.
 
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
 

I think it is fine. I would just correct the spelling of Odyssey. 🙂

1 minute ago, voyager70 said:

Just checked and mine still say Made in Switzerland and are delicious. Hope this doesn’t change but I’m sure I could find a decent replacement 

They are headquartered in Stratham, New Hampshire. I drive by the entrance quite frequently on the way to my Mom’s house. They used to have a factory store in the plant with chocolate seconds, like empty truffle shells or broken bars etc. I think we just had too much of it. 🙂

17 minutes ago, voyager70 said:

Indeed. Lindt is in fact my favorite. I like to keep a little in the cubby for those special times 🙂

Lindt is made in the US now and just doesn’t seem to be as good. I would get something different if I went to Switzerland, not something I can buy here in BJ’s. 

5 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

KC also didn’t have “deflate gate”, leading to a Super Bowl Win. 

No but they were involved in deflate gate 2.0 in December. 

16 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

We are being hit with bad news today.  First, Charlie’s sister died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.  Now my friend from Michigan called to let us know her husband is in the hospital with liver and esophagus problems.  They inserted a feeding tube and did biopsies.  We are praying for all.

Sorry for your loss, Marietta.  Sending prayers to all. 🙏🏻

1 minute ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Unsure what I clicked, as I didn't save it -- just the first thing that popped up.  

LOL  The "first thing that popped up" is likely a company that you have to pay to file your passport, otherwise known as click bait.  Hopefully, that isn't where you are sending your daughter for information too.

The official site states 6-8 weeks processing time.  It also has information on Special Passport Acceptance Fairs that are happening all over the country.

For the OP, here is the link that will help you apply for their passports.  Much easier to fill out the form online and print it than doing it by hand.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html

39 minutes ago, lumofny said:

There are some (not many) listed as 5+ capacity on their deck plans for certain ships. I had specifically book one of those cabins, then call to have the 5th added. Seems like it would have been easier to display only rooms with a capacity of 5 when making an online reservation for 5.

Royal Caribbean's website does not allow more than five on one reservation, no matter the capacity of the cabin.  It is archaic, but it is just how the system "works".  It is better to just call and book directly since you need to make sure you can book five in the cabin.  Sometimes larger capacity rooms, like the one you have booked, are limited to how many that can be booked because the lifeboat assigned to that cabin has reached capacity.   

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I think you were lucky.  I just checked the website, and it says 8-11 weeks.  That'd be IF you had pictures in hand and the application filled out.  Then there's the appointment:  my daughter's getting an adult passport for the first time right now, and she's frustrated at the lack of appointment-spots.  

 

I'm not saying a passport isn't a good choice -- just that it's not something you can count on getting quickly.  The risk of traveling on a cruise with a birth certificate isn't zero, but it's quite low.  Consider, too, that even with a passport, the possibility of you being able to fly home is small -- you'd have to wait until you reach an island, hope they have a flight for you today or tomorrow, and pay a large price for that last-minute ticket.  

What website are you checking?  The official passport website says 6-8 weeks.  

2 hours ago, jojo412 said:

Hi all!

 

Going on Anthem in about 7 weeks for a closed loop cruise. Since it was a last minute booking I'm sort of scrambling and realizing that I'm the only one of my group that has a current passport!

 

My two minor children and husband all have certified copies of their birth certificates. Along with a driver's license for my husband, this should be enough for them to take the cruise, right?

 

Are passports needed to get on and off at port stops? Obviously won't need one for Port Canaveral.. but what about CocoCay and Nassau (also assuming no for Cococay since it's private island but just want to check)? For those without passports, do they bring their actual birth certificates off the ship and carry them around at the beach? I've seen older posts from people who say they leave their passports on the ship either way and just bring ID and ship card. We won't be venturing far in Nassau and might even stay on the ship given the recent rise in crime/violence (also just read the recent story about the 2 women from the Carnival cruise).

 

Any insight is appreciated!

Thank you!

 

 

Birth certificate and government issued picture ID is all that is needed on a closed loop cruise for those 16 years old and up.  If you kids are under 16 years old, they are fine with their birth certificates.  You will need your picture ID as well as your sea pass in Nassau as they check both.  The port area in Nassau was just rebuilt, not sure when the prior poster was there but obviously not recently.

Passports are coming back much faster than in recent years.  I saw a post today that it only took three weeks, which is amazing.  It would depend on the kids ages and whether you have more plans to travel in the near future if I were to try to get passports.  If the kids are almost 16, I would wait as once they are 16, they get a 10 year passport, not the 5 year for younger kids.

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Oh I didn't think of calling the police.   Not sure police would even investigate a hit and run for a mailbox on that hill during a snowstorm. 

It is notorious for people having trouble maneuvering.   

 

Not only is it a big mountain but it is a narrow winding country road.   

 

My office is at the very top of the mountain.   

It is more just a CYA just in case the homeowner is upset.  With all the Ring cameras these days, someone likely saw it happen.  

28 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yup, my mirror does a bunch of stuff too (except it doesn't disappear as you are sliding down a big hill into a mailbox).    James Bond probably has one of them. 

I am glad you weren’t hurt but I would at least report it to the police so they aren’t investigating a hit and run. The homeowner could have contacted them since you didn’t leave a note. 

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I'm glad it worked out for you. It is a mess here. I had to hand shovel the driveway as the wet sh!t kept clogging the snowblower.

My DH and son both worked from home today because we were supposed to get that mess too.  We figured it would be a shoveling storm and too much for me to do alone.  I usually clear enough for them to get into the driveway and they do the rest.

10 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

This stuff is really wet, heavy, and hard to move, too.

Storm decided to shift low and miss us almost completely.  Schools around here announced closings last night, winter parking bans in effect, some businesses didn't open and it was all for nothing.  My deck and lawn has a dusting and the street is wet and that is it!

Careful shoveling that cement, I hate that kind of snow.

2 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

My whole left side is sore from trying to brace myself but I am okay otherwise.

Happy to hear you didn't mess up that hip!  Hope you feel better soon. 🙂 

21 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

It did, thanks. Routine heart transplant checkup. Twenty one years next month😊

I am glad Charlie did well.  Are you okay after your fall?

Not impressed by any of the commercials.  Lots of religious commercials which is different for a Superbowl.  Not an exciting game.  See what happens with the halftime show......

2 minutes ago, Coralc said:

I'm an only child too. For all parents, it would be greatly appreciated if we didn't inherit a house FULL of stuff. It is going on six years, and we are still trying to clean out my mom's house. I have no idea how my mom accumulated so much stuff. 20 quilted Christmas placemats with matching napkins? At least 50 non holiday placemats and napkins? She lived pretty much alone, and her table seats 4, maybe 6 with the leaf in. And then there are the spare appliances and fixtures in the basement. And the full closets. She has a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom, and an extra pink one in the basement. 🙄 She had an idea that she would build a live in unit in the basement. That was after we told her we didn't want a pool table down there. 

 

I pleaded with her to get rid of some of it while she was alive. She laughed, and said, "You will probably want to kill me over all the stuff, if I wasn't already dead." And she's right. I have been very annoyed sometimes in this long process. 

 

We don't have any kids and will probably leave most everything to Bill's two younger brothers. We are paring down and getting rid of a lot of stuff. We will get rid of even more, if/when we move again. We don't need so much stuff. 😊

 

My Mom and I had to clean out and sell my aunt's house and her condo when we had to move her to assisted living.  She had no kids and her husband had told my Mom, just before he died, now she is your problem. 😲  My aunt was legally blind and was overwhelmed with the whole project, so we had to do most of it once we had moved her.  We cleared all the personal items out and sold the Florida condo furnished, so that helped, but the house took us a long time.  We sold some stuff and when people came to pickup what they bought, offered other stuff for free.  That moved a lot of stuff but we threw away a lot of stuff that wasn't worth keeping and donated a lot of furniture too.

I look at all the stuff my Mom has in her condo and try not to think about the house she has down in Florida that we will have to deal with too.  Someone asked about my Mom's house in Florida because they are interested in buying it, but she wants to keep it just in case.  

At least everyone has stopped giving my Mom "stuff".  We try to give her stuff that she needs.  One of the grandkids sends ice cream.  She is the new favorite. 😄 

5 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Another only child here Dani. After what we went through clearing out my Dad’s house I vowed not to do that to our kids.  It’s easy for me because I’m an organization geek, but Andy is a pack rat.  I often have to remind him “remember when we cleared out my Dad’s house?”.  That usually does the trick to get him to throw away a few things.  It’s a work in progress. 

My son is an only child and we do not want to leave him dealing with all our stuff either.  We have been purging stuff for the last couple of years but have a long way to go.  When we moved into this house, my mother in law also moved in with us.  A lot of stuff was put in the attic to deal with later and still sits there over twenty years later.  The plan was to clear that stuff out as we were clearing out my son's stuff when he bought his house.  Well, housing prices has my son still here.  At this rate, he might end up buying this house from us when his Dad retires in five years.  Then, he might just get stuck with it all. 😄 

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is what I use.

I like Flightaware if I am looking for a specific flight as I am tracking someone flying.  Flightradar24 is great for what just buzzed my house right now.  

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

How awful Maryann.  It very could have been much worse though if not for the actions of the pilots.  

I have email notifications turned off so that’s not an issue.  A few days ago, I stopped getting notifications (the little bell in the upper right hand corner) for new comments on the few threads I follow.  I wish they’d correct it because now when I go to each thread I have to search for where I left off instead of clicking on the notification which would take me right there.  

I just click on the blue dot or blue star in front of the thread title and it brings me to where I last left off in a thread.  It is a blue dot if you haven't posted in the thread or a blue star if you have posted.  If there is no blue dot or star, you are all caught up on the thread. 

21 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

FlightAware works well for this.  They have an app and it works in a browser.  It's like MarineTraffic for planes.  It's amazing to see how many planes are in the sky at any point in time.

Flightradar24 is a good app to see what is over your house now.  You can click on the plane or helicopter and see what it is and its flight path.  We have a lot of med flights that go over our house on the way to a major trauma center near us.