bobmacliberty

Greg - I've seen lots of positive reviews on YouTube for the new Govee permanent outdoor lights. They would likely be a bit cheaper, although unless you hire someone to install them, they are DIY.

We are Sleep Number fans (all 3 bedrooms have one) and our master bed has the split king design. Each side can separately raise the head and foot and has foot warming. It's fantastic for reading or watching TV in bed. Much more comfortable that propping up pillows to raise your head. There's a snore feature where your partner can raise your head slightly to reduce snoring. Apparently, it works. 🤷‍♂️ The only downsides are that the split design means there's a gap between the mattresses, and the sheets are essentially two twins that are harder to put on than one king. Raising the mattress while making the bed DOES make it easier to put on the sheet. I can reach all 4 corners but Micheline needs to climb on the bed to reach the corners in the middle of the bed. We have the Flexfit 3 Smart Base.

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies. Oceania's policy about bringing alcohol onboard is indeed very nice. I certainly don't want to abuse that policy...just trying to understand exactly what the policy is.

I found a great new (to me at least) Whiskey. Hooten Young 12 year. It's a higher price point than the bottles that you mention Greg at $70. My local liquor store sells out within a couple days of it coming in. The mash bill is 99% corn but it's not technically bourbon since it was distilled and barreled at a higher than allowed proof (although bottled at 92 proof). It's got a very smooth finish. Hooten Young was founded by a couple of US veterans. My "go to" sipping bourbon is Old Forester 1910...tasty (I prefer it over the 1920) and easy to find near me. Lately though, I've been enjoying a Wild Turkey Father & Son 13 year that I got at Gulmahar's on my last cruise to St. Maarten. I had a taste of Elliot Craig 18 year last week at my regular restaurant and it was outstanding. At $40 for a 2 oz pour, and impossible to find on a shelf, that won't be a regular occurrence.

I can't remember...was this your first Buc-ee's experience? It's amazing how accurate that timeline really is.

I can confirm. We did a sunset sail with them and had a lot of fun. I can also confirm that rum leads to line dancing.

We are planning our first Oceania cruise (somewhere in the Med/Aegean area) and I have a few alcohol related questions. Here's what I think I know... Under Simply More, we get free beer and wine during lunch and dinner at restaurants (or with in room dining). We can choose from a list that has decent wine selections for most people. We can pay about $30 per person per day (prices vary) to upgrade to unlimited alcohol, with a max $ limit per drink. There is a 2 for 1 happy hour before and after dinner. We can bring up to 6 bottles of wine/liquor onboard. There is a $25 corkage fee to enjoy that wine in a restaurant. Do I have that correct? What is the price limit per drink for the unlimited drinks package? I assume this covers most typical drinks and that there might be an additional charge for premium liquor...correct? What are the times and locations of the happy hour? Is the happy hour every day? How strict is Oceania about limiting bottles that are brought onboard? I've read some people here saying that they've bought several bottles of wine in port and have not had a problem bringing them onboard. Does the corkage fee apply just to the restaurants such that you're allowed to carry a glass of wine from your cabin elsewhere on the ship, or are these bottles to be enjoyed only in your cabin? Do the 6 bottles really allow for both wine and liquor or is it just wine? We've been cruising Royal Caribbean where our status gives us 5 free drinks per day each, plus unlimited drinks during happy hour in the Suite Lounge and while eating in the suite restaurant. We therefore haven't had to worry about paying for alcohol. We will enjoy several drinks a day...one or two before dinner, one or two with dinner (we should be fine with SM choices), possibly one or two after dinner. My current thinking therefore would be to bring 4 bottles of wine, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of whisky. We can enjoy a cocktail (with whatever mixers we can get in the mini-fridge) or glass of wine before dinner or as a nightcap. We'll pay as you go for any drinks that we buy at a bar. Does this sound like a good strategy, or are we better off just paying for the unlimited drink package? If it matters, we'll likely be staying in a PH. Thanks for any help. Royal has been great while we've been cruising with our family, but we are really looking forward to the Oceania experience, especially the food, with just the 2 of us.

We started watching Squid Game: The Challenge on Netflix. It’s a reality game like the show from a couple of years ago, but with a few twists. It’s pretty intense and you have no idea what’s going to happen. Every episode so far (we’re 4 episodes in) has ended with a cliffhanger. If you liked the original show, it’s worth watching.

My apologies. I should have known better. You, more than most, appreciate the idea of staying incognito.

Other than the rain, it sounds like you are settling in nicely. Are we going to see any pictures of you on this cruise Pat? Didn't you get "outed" a couple of years ago by either John or OB (can't remember which)?

My preferred pirate dad joke... Me: What's a pirate's favorite letter of the alphabet? You (thinking you know the answer): That would be the aaarrrr. Me (in my best pirate accent): Tis true, a pirate does like the letter R, but the C be his first love. Back to Mark on I-95...

Is there a meaning to the gongs? Or is it just art?

I completely understand. As you've heard me say before on Dani's thread (several times), that's my most hated stretch of interstate highways. There's possibly light at the end of the tunnel though. Seems like they're doing some clearing along parts of I-95 in SC. Maybe they're planning to add another lane??? One can hope.

If you're familiar with that area, then you know that you have a wide variety of chain restaurant options for dinner a couple of minutes away on the other side of the highway. If you're interested in seeing the ocean before you get to Fort Lauderdale and want to try something different from the chains, it's a 30-40 minute drive to Amelia Island. I'm happy to suggest a few dinner places if interested. I can see how another 30-40 minutes in the car might not be too appealing.

Never mind...we posted at the same time.

Great to see this Mark. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever it is that you choose to post. What is your day 2 hotel? Looks like it's close to me.

The Do Not Freeze label is timely for me because I teed off this morning in 47F temps and pretty gusty winds. Very cold for golf for several holes until the sun warmed things a touch, although not much. We did see what might have been a bald eagle on a tree on the golf course. We have a couple near us. I cropped in for a closer look but the picture quality isn't great. Maybe it's an osprey? Any bird experts here who can offer their opinion from the picture?

Reminds me of an ad I've been seeing on Twitter for a game called the Tumbling Tower game. It looks like Jenga but with questions on each block design to stimulate interesting discussions. One of the blocks in the ad reads, "If you were going about your normal day, how many owls would you need to see before you thought something was wrong?". Replace owls with turkeys and this is way above the number I'd need before thinking something is wrong. Another interesting game block..."If you came with a warning label, what would it say?" This one works for me:

Curb Your Enthusiasm is a good show also if you like Seinfeld. It's Seinfeld on steroids...Larry David without any network TV constraints on topics or language. There are many times where it feels just like Seinfeld, but more over the top, if that makes sense. The Seinfeld cast makes several cameo appearances. I also like Ted Danson's ongoing role as himself.

I second the idea of having 2 fridges. We have an undercounter fridge in our bar area that is used for soft drinks, juices, wine, beer, limes, etc. This frees up a lot of space in the "main" fridge. If that's not practical in your floor plan, a cheap, full-sized fridge in the garage or basement is also a good idea. The full-sized garage/basement fridge has the added advantage of a freezer where you can store a lot of ice. We never seem to have enough ice when we have a party.

Phew. I think I've successfully tip toed around any posts that are Survivor related such that I still don't know who went home. Micheline flies back here tomorrow and I'm waiting until she gets home before watching.

I found Crystal's FB page. She posted a comment and a few pictures 4 days ago about the wedding that she attended in what looks like Colorado. Seemed pretty upbeat with smiling pictures and friends. There wasn't much else on her page. I think she's just doing a sort of social media reset. My guess is we won't see her here again. That's a shame but if that's what she needs to do...

Sorry to hear this Greg. You guys must be so disappointed. Get yourselves in tip top physical shape and then go enjoy the world!

I hope Crystal is OK and just disconnecting for a while. I highly doubt that she's in trouble here for anything that she posted. She seems like such a nice person.

I'd go for it if you're at all thinking of doing so. Don't feel pressured to post on any frequency or with any specific content. If you feel like it's too much after a few days, just stop. Do what works for you. It's your vacation. From personal experience, live reviews can definitely take a fair amount of time, especially if you want the content to be well edited/polished. It's sometimes easier just to treat it like a journal where you dump thoughts from your brain into words, with accompanying pictures as you see fit. No matter what you do, someone will complain, but many more people will recognize that you're on vacation and appreciate your efforts.