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

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, George C said:

We only cruised Hawaii once  about. 25 years ago would love to repeat .

We also enjoyed a 12 day Hawaiian cruise. 7 days of the Islands, 5 sea days.  It was quite memorable.

56 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Wishing both you & Linda as well as @bobmacliberty & Micheline wonderful trips and safe travels! 

Safe travels to the 4 of you tomorrow.

Bon Voyage!!!!

[Sea Dog]

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Will we be hearing from you on the ship?

Yes I will check in here daily and post something and answer any questions. Most of the UDP reviews will be after i get back and have to think about it.

 

Hey I can't forget my friends?

Edited September 15, 2022 by Sea Dog

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Have a great cruise. I will be following along but I might have to wait till I get back to be able to read it all. We leave tomorrow. I’m all packed and ready to go. I know you are going to have a great time as I will too. Cheers!

Wishing you both have an amazing cruise Greg.

Graham.

[ReneeFLL]

2 hours ago, dbancroft said:

Today is my 65th birthday. After getting the grandkids onto their school busses I went to the casino but no winning for birthday. Since wife is working I stopped on the way home and brought my Ice cream cake. She will make a homemade cake this weekend.

Have a Happy Birthday. 🎂 🍨

[Sunshine3601]

6 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I'm off and running with my Live report of our upcoming trip.  Here's the link for those interested:

 

Awesome!    I will definitely follow your review.    I hope you both have a wonderful with smooth seas😀

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

OK, I had to look up aplomb.   In all my life I don't recall hearing aplomb.   I may of heard it but thought they said, you handled all of that with a plum.  I don't remember answering,  I prefer peaches!  😁

If Eric really wants to retire do like us accountants do, run the numbers.  Unless he has a pension plan that requires a certain number of years, 9 more months of work is not going to add that much more to retirement investments.   Now I understand that you might have to take 1 less cruise every 10 years but you should be able to adjust. You might end up with a husband that loves to cook more. Sharon did.

aplomb is a word I have not used in a while but it seem appropriate for my post. 

 

It would be 2024 (1 yr 6 mos) when he turns 65.     Neither of us ever worked for an employer that offered pensions. 😪  401K's but no pensions.     there was one nationwide builder that offered stock options after there for 10 years but guess what they seemed to get rid of anyone within a couple months of their 10 yr anniversary.    right now we really good health insurance with his current employer (my previous employer).    We pay next to nothing for the 2 of us to be covered.    that in itself is a huge benefit as I dread the day when we have to shop for a supplemental plan as Eric's medications and various doctor appointments (transplant recipient) are not cheap.     For now, I figure stick with the mortgage biz as long as he can (some mortgage companies have begun layoffs).      

He occasionally cook but mostly on the grill.   I have spoiled him.   

 

[Sunshine3601]

3 hours ago, dbancroft said:

Today is my 65th birthday. After getting the grandkids onto their school busses I went to the casino but no winning for birthday. Since wife is working I stopped on the way home and brought my Ice cream cake. She will make a homemade cake this weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!    Sorry no birthday luck in the casino.    Ice cream cakes are yummy.    Hope you enjoy🎂

[Keksie]

Samantha was checking lunch out earlier.

 

 

 

 

I don't have the heart to throw this box out yet.

 

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Oahu depends on where you are.  Honolulu is a major city complete with all of the city problems like crime and traffic.  It's absolutely worth seeing the Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial.  Waikiki is also worth doing once, but we probably won't go there again.  A little too crowded and commercial for our tastes.  The North Shore is cool to watch surfing and visit some of the small towns near there.  Lots of other interesting stuff on Oahu like the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Center.  You can fly to Honolulu and spend 2 or 3 days on Oahu to get the experience before hopping to another island with fairly cheap flights on Hawaiian Airlines.

 

Maui similarly has different parts of the island with different experiences.  We've always stayed in Kaanapali at the Westin Maui.  It has a nice beach area, a great pool area (especially important if you'll have kids with you) and is right next to Whaler's Village with good shops and restaurants.  Lots of other hotels/condos/restaurants/golf/tennis in that area.  A little more upscale is the Wailea area with The Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, and a few other 4/5 star resorts.  Great restaurants and shopping near there as well.  You can go a little further away to the Kapalua area with the Ritz-Carlton and the Montage Kapalua Bay if you're willing to pay.  There's a PGA Tour event every year there.  There's lots to do on Maui that doesn't require you to be a risk taking adventurer.  Drive to the top of the Haleakala Volcano, drive the road to Hana, go snorkeling in the Molokini Crater, visit the MauiWine winery, go to the Maui Ocean Center aquarium, zipline in multiple places, go to downtown Lahaina (where cruise ships stop) for more great shops and restaurants and especially see the fantastic Old Lahaina Luau. And of course, great beaches and snorkeling all over the place.  It's fun to just pull over at the side of the road, put on a mask, and check out the nearby reefs.  You can do Maui very casually or very luxuriously.  As the locals like to say, "Maui no ka oi", which means Maui is the best.  

 

I'll give you my comparison vs. Kauai in a month. 😁

What do you think is the best and worst time of the year to visit Hawaii?

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

I’m all packed and ready to go.

I'm standing here out side your door.   I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. 

 

Hope you have a safe and fun adventure.   I believe you are going to love Symphony. 

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Wishing you both have an amazing cruise Greg.

Graham.

 

Thank you Graham. I will drink one in your honor….or maybe two. Cheers!

 

 

8 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I'm standing here out side your door.   I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. 

 

Hope you have a safe and fun adventure.   I believe you are going to love Symphony. 

 

Lol I was wondering who was knocking? I’m really looking forward to Symphony. The only other oasis class ship I sailed on was Harmony. 5 years ago.

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

My personal "take" on Hawaii. Due to the long flights (Israel - LA, 15.5 hours, LA - Honolulu, 6 hours), we knew it will be a "one off". So the choice was not to travel at all, or have a small "taste" of what Hawaii is about. The ideal choice of the "taster" was NCL, which, in other circumstances, I'll not board even for free... As I said, personal.

 

 

 

But, having very low expectations of NCL, and seeing the "big pictures", i.e. visiting 4 islands in a week, we took it in a stride.

 

We got to Oahu Thursday evening, toured with a rented car all the highlights on Friday and were happy to tick all the boxes, Saturday morning I had a slot reserved for Pearl Harbor [very moving and emotional experience] the minute I could book (2 months ahead).

 

Early afternoon we boarded NCL [and they more than lived up to our "expectations"....].

 

We had an overnight in Maui, which enabled us to do the Road to Hana, afternoon - Old Lahaina Luau, morning - up to Haleakala and 2 more "must" places.

 

Same on Hilo and Kuna, we managed to see a lot. We rented ahead in every port, DIY tours.

 

The highlight was the overnight in Kauai, with the Waimea canyon, and, on our way back to Honolulu, the sail by Na'apali Coast.

 

Of course I wish we could have visited more, but, taking into considerations my DH self imposed rule not to be away from our grandkids more than 3 weeks at a time, we were very happy with our "accomplishment"....

 

 

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

It was. I cherish every minute we spent there. I've mentioned a few days ago "pity Hawaii is such a long way from Israel"..... I'll be back in a minute, just spare me the flight to LA....

 

Again, I think that NCL itinerary is top notch if, like us, you have limited time. And we've not done it in a rush... the cars waited for us in every port, the roads and signage were excellent, bathrooms stops were clean ["touchy" subject for me 😉].

 

We were thoroughly impressed. And the people, they were all so nice. Those were 10 days in Heaven.

 

53 minutes ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Thanks Dani. This is primarily why I would consider that NCL cruise - to get a “taste” of multiple islands, and of course see the Napali coast.  We’ve sailed NCL & they’re not my favorite but this would be just a means to an end (seeing the islands).  Lots to think about!!

 

I agree 100% with Dani.  If you have one chance to see Hawaii, I'd go with NCL.  Their itinerary is much better than Royal's.  You will get to experience the flavor of every island.  Other itineraries, I'm not sure I'd go with NCL but for Hawaii, that's the way to go.

 

I had a chance to cruise there with my mother in 2006 on their Pride of Hawaii.  That cruise I'd say is one of my favorite cruises.  So memorable.  She still talks about that cruise. 

 

We did ship excursions at each port that we visited.  They were all excellent.  Loved every minute of it.  One of the highlights as Dani said was sailing along the Na'apali Coast.  The color and the beauty was just amazing.

 

We've done Royal's Hawaii cruises but it just doesn't match NCL's.  NCL will be pricier than Royal but I think it's worth it if you don't have too many opportunities to visit Hawaii.

 

The best time to go I'd say it's May or October.

 

  

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I tried it once. OK if you like cinnamon.  A friend of mine drinks it.  He doesn't like "real" whiskey.  I told him that he's drinking a college sorority girl drink. 🤣  It's actually become very popular on golf courses for some reason.  

You sound like my son... I thought he would be impressed that I actually drank alcohol, and I also thought he would be intrigued by apple cider with cinnamon (both he and I can go through a gallon of apple cider in half a day with no problem).  

At the time I told him about it, he was a 20yo soldier (he is now a much more mature 22yo soldier! 🤣), and the disdain was SO evident through his text message!  

Fireball is the Rodney Dangerfield of the alcoholic world... it gets no respect!  
 

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

my DH self imposed rule not to be away from our grandkids more than 3 weeks at a time

I hope someday my DW extends to at least 3 weeks.  She is at about 2 weeks right now.  

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

taking into considerations my DH self imposed rule not to be away from our grandkids more than 3 weeks at a time

Dani, while this "rule" will limit your traveling,  I cannot even begin to imagine the amazing payoff of that kind of relationship!  

I think I've shared here before that my childhood wasn't the best, and I've been estranged from my entire family for more than 20 years now.  But my relationship with my maternal grandmother was nothing but pure love and acceptance (which was sorely needed in my childhood).  

Those grandkids will know for their entire lives that they are loved and adored by their grandparents, and I can't think of any more precious gift for them!!!!

[brillohead]

4 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I hope someday my DW extends to at least 3 weeks.  She is at about 2 weeks right now.  

Ditto to what I replied to Dani on this subject.  Loved children can get through ANYTHING life throws at them!  

My son may never make me a grandparent (and I'll be okay with that -- I believe that all children need to be wanted/loved, not just born for the heck of it)... but if he ever does, I intend to enjoy every freaking minute of it! 

That was even part of the reason I became a nurse.  In nursing school over a decade ago, one instructor made us do a "career / life timeline" and mine included moving to wherever my son decides to settle and work part-time while being a full-time grandparent.  Nursing is one of those careers where I can ALWAYS find work ANYWHERE that I go -- just have to fill out some paperwork and pay the fee to get a license in that state, and you're instantly employable. 

[dbancroft]

Thanks all for the birthday wishes as usual when you get older it is just another regular day with all the normal chores.

[bobmacliberty]

35 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

What do you think is the best and worst time of the year to visit Hawaii?

 

I don't know the answer to that.  We first went in September on our Honeymoon.  The weather was mostly great, but one day was a complete washout.  Every other trip has been in June, soon after our kids got out of school.  It always seemed to be in the low 80s and sunny in June.  We might have had a few rain drops but I don't remember ever getting rained out of any planned activities.  You can probably get better rates in the spring and have fewer families than summer.  Temperatures don't fluctuate a lot during the year so the best time to visit probably depends on how you feel about crowds during the summer/holidays, increased rates during the summer/holidays, more rain during the winter.

[Luckynana]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

What do you think is the best and worst time of the year to visit Hawaii?

We went to Hawaii in the month of October.  Perfect weather!😉

[xpcdoojk]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

What do you think is the best and worst time of the year to visit Hawaii?

Best time to go to Maui is when the whales are there…. Sort of January March time frame.  Might be able to seem them a bit later and a bit earlier.  If you can go to sunrise at Haleakala the night of a meteor shower peak, that is kind of a unicorn type event.  We were there during the peak of the Orionids in 2001.  We froze our butts off, but it was spectacular.  The winter for watching surfing on the North Shore of Oahu.  That is big wave season.  There is no bad time to be in Hawaii.  

 

 

[akcruz]

10 hours ago, Keksie said:

This is the 5th snake this fall.  I think it will get cool early.  The cats brought 2 inside (thankfully we saw them), one was heading for my husband's shop and another one was on its way to the house.  The downside of having a cat door and cat lounging area on the back porch is that they have access to snakes, lizards, frogs and toads who wander into their pen.  

 

You are braver than I am, not sure I could take knowing they could be in the house without me knowing.  Of course I know they can work their way in anywhere but hopefully unlikely.

 

4 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

Dinner for one??

 

We joked that part of someone's dinner got away.  In talking with neighbors they have seen them before.  There is a marsh area behind the houses across the street.  We have had a lot of rain lately and they tend to come out and get stuck when the sun comes back out.

 

14 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

We went to Hawaii in the month of October.  Perfect weather!😉

 

Like others here we honeymooned in Hawaii, late October into early November in Oahu and Maui, great weather.  We keep talking about going back but just haven't been able to get it scheduled.  Will be 35 years this year, maybe for 40?

[Sea Dog]

The children know something’s up!

 

 

[BonTexasNY]

10 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My youngest granddaughter made her HS tennis team.Her father took her to the US Open where she met and had a conversation with Billie Jean King.I have a picture of them together.My oldest granddaughter who started college last month saw a man walking near the college and approached him.It was Mark Cuban and I have a picture of both of them .She told him that she was on her HS basketball and they had a delightful conversation about basketball.

Congrats on your granddaughter's making the team.

Mark Cuban = Good ole Dallas boy!

7 hours ago, dbancroft said:

Today is my 65th birthday. After getting the grandkids onto their school busses I went to the casino but no winning for birthday. Since wife is working I stopped on the way home and brought my Ice cream cake. She will make a homemade cake this weekend.

Happy 65th birthday! Ice cream cakes are delicious.  What kind of homemade cake will your wife bake?

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yes I will check in here daily and post something and answer any questions. Most of the UDP reviews will be after i get back and have to think about it.

 

Hey I can't forget my friends?

I have to tell you, Greg, that your anticipation, expectation pre-cruise is always totally delightful.

I remember the picture you posted on board Explorer, standing with your arms wide open. It was your first cruise after cruising resumed.    Never lose that sense of wonder.

Edited September 16, 2022 by BonTexasNY

[Coralc]

That's interesting. Everyone seems to have hardsided luggage except us. 🤔 We have Delsey Helium bags, but they are softsided, and expandable. I will have to take another look at other types of suitcases next time we are in the market. 😃

[Bailey & Sophie]

15 hours ago, DaniDanielle said:

Back in the cabin he vomited(sorry) all he had eaten and finally felt better.  

 

Probably the best thing to happen for him. Get rid of the nasty stuff all at once.