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

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

This is priceless! She is adorable.

 

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Kenzie is such a sweetie🥰  

Note to self. Do Not Let Kenzie eat while driving.😇

@Ozark_Kid

We sure love seeing all things Kenzie, as well as her siblings and cousins.  Thank you for sharing them with us, John!

[Luckynana]

32 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I think they fell for it at first but now knows she was faking it.  That's why I think she is the next one out.

I for one, hope you are right, John.  

[lenquixote66]

27 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wouldn't mind seeing her go. Though I'm not really sure I care which one of the remaining people wins.

That is probably the consensus of the viewers.

[reallyitsmema]

40 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wouldn't mind seeing her go. Though I'm not really sure I care which one of the remaining people wins.

 

I don't mind her.  It would be good to see her, Cassidy and Owen as the final three but it will never happen.

[Lionesss]

oooops

 

Redo

 

 

😁

Edited December 9, 2022 by Lionesss

[Lionesss]

• Rare

Story time

 

So I am sure most of us can recall our kids bouncing off the walls waiting for Santa to come.

 

Well, our daughter Christina, must have had quite a sugar high one day as I was baking for the holidays and she was tasting way to many as they  came out warm from the oven.

 

Yup, nothing could settle down her energy.

 

As I was coming to my whits ends, because the dinner for Christmas was at our house and I still had to clean and wrap all the gifts, one in "Santa" paper and one from parental units, in addition to working full time.

 

So as I sat down to my 9th cup of coffee, I looked up and said "Please Someone up there help me"

 

Just then the smoke detector blinked its little red light.

 

So out of no where I go.....................

 

"Christina, come here"

 

stomp, stomp,stomp,   "What"

 

"Hey I want you to look up, see that blinking light?"

 

"Uh ha..............so"

 

"Well, those are Santa's cameras, and every time the light blinks a picture is taken, and all the elves look at all the pictures and tells Santa if you are good or bad...................."

 

She looks at me, looks at the red light, and has a look of amazement on her face.

 

Then I go

 

"And right now I think that Santa has enough pictures to know your going to be on the  naughty list"

 

So, she now has the look of fear on her face, and just stares, and I go.

 

"I guess you should try to be good before its too late, go clean your room".

 

She actually cleaned and did not hide stuff where it was not supposed to be.

 

So now Rick comes home from work.

 

And Christina comes bouncing down the stairs and goes

"My room is clean"

 

Rick looks at me, and then

Christina gives dad a kiss and hug, and walks out of the room, but she is looking over her shoulder up at the red blinking light.

Rick said....

"She.....cleaned her room????????"

He just sees her looking up and asks if she sees a spider.

 

She goes "No, I want the elves to know I am good"

 

Rick looks at me, and I go, 

"I'll explain later, but gotta love this as long as it lasts"

 

We were able to use it for only 2 years, and then she grew up to be the soon to be mom.

 

Paranoid, no

I am sure we all had those mom moments, and this got me through it.

 

Take care

 

 

And, Rick always read the Night before Christmas to her on Christmas eve.

 

 

 

[Sunshine3601]

We had perfect weather at cococay.  We spent 6.5 hrs sunbathing,  swimming, reading, wandering around and snacking.   

 

We had delicious lamb chops in MDR tonight.  Chops was good last night too.   

We enjoyed watching How the Grinch stole Christmas at the pool deck.

My new favorite drink is French Martini at Vintages.  These three bartenders are awesome and really funny when working together.  

We have only been to the casino for an hour or so the other night.  

Internet has been working great every day, everywhere.   The onboard price is $24.99 for surf n stream, no surf offered when I stopped at voom desk to ask.   He wasn't sure when Anthem would get Starlink but the plan is to have installed before she does her TA crossing in April.

We have 2 sea days and hoping weather will be as nice as it was on our way to the Bahamas.  

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Sunshine3601

[HBE4]

Wow! Too many posts to respond to so I'm going to give a general "Thank You" to all.  The tremendous  amount of outpouring of support, condolences, love, compliments, sympathy has truly been overwhelming.  I'm so sorry that I can not acknowledge each and every one of you individually and personally but it's not only a tribute to @dani negreanu creator of this thread, but a great tribute to all that contribute, both frequently and infrequently, that have created an enviroment that allowed me to feel safe to share.  I feel a simple Thank You is not enough but I've written too many words lately and I'm all out so that's all I got.

 

  Humbled, I am. 💜

Edited December 9, 2022 by HBE4

[HBE4]

19 hours ago, Coralc said:

You didn't look at all as I expected.

 

 

I'm scared to ask what you thought I would look like? Granted, most of my posts look like there were written by a blabbering idiot but I can assure you, in real life, I don't blabber.😉

 

18 hours ago, h20skibum said:

@HBE4, I was so sorry to read this.  May your wife rest in peace.

 

This thread has so many kind and caring posters, and I am so glad that Dani started it and we can all come here and share parts of our lives.

 

 

I might be singling your post out but it applys to so many others as well. You guys/gals are the reason I felt like sharing.

 

13 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

@HBE4 I loved seeing the pictures of you and the family. It helps me connect a name and face.

 

Thank you. I was a bit hesitant to share the photo's at first as I tend to be a bit on the private side (no first name, email address or home town, etc) but after the journey and the support on this thread over the last 19 months, I felt it was only fair for people to connect a face with a name. So many others post pictures and mine were 4 years old so....

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by HBE4

[HBE4]

11 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I'm so very sorry for your loss my friend and that I'm thankful for the peace that you were able to experience in spite of your loss. My thoughts and prayers are truly with you.  I hope that there is a day that comes where we can meet in person. Thank you for sharing your story.  

 

 

While I'm not ready to board a ship just yet, I've been reading a few solo cruise reviews. I feel - and several others have told me - that might be the best way to start. And whether she realized it or not, @molly361 has been a great inspiration.

 

And yes, eventually, I hope our paths will cross on the high-seas.  You and so many others.

 

11 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Great photos...  I remember it was on my first live review that I did in October of 2018 that we first interacted here on Cruise Critic. If I remember correctly, you were planning on boarding as we were getting off.  

 

You remember correctly.  You were on last week of Oct and I boarded first week of Nov. Every day, I looked forward to reading your review.  Actually, checked multiple times per day.

 

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

@Sea Dog I was going to surprise you that I finally got the insta360 x3 but I couldn't help to comment on annother thread.  I wanted to post an example for you to let you know but figuring out the editing is a challenge. 

 

The whole family met Monday afternoon at my oldest daughter's house.  Santa came over to see the Grandkids.  He read them a story and gave them a gift.  I set the 360 up and recorded.  I will try to post it later.

 

Good luck tomorrow. 

 

Congratulations! I'm sure you will get the hang of editing with the app. Looking forward to seeing your video. I still may get one but after shelling out the money for a new go pro that fell off the ship I need to not spend a ton of money on new cameras.

[HBE4]

12 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thank you, it will be much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

@HBE4,  I'm always at loss of words... not only in English, also in Hebrew. I think it stems from having a mother tongue, which I no longer use and quite forgot, and then learning a brand new and difficult language....

 

So please forgive me if I've chosen to multi-quote, among the many beautiful and moving posts above, the ones which I wish I could write myself.

 

RIP, Mrs. HBE4.

 

Perfectly said,  @dani negreanu, perfectly said. 💜   (purple was DW favorite color)

 

8 hours ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

I’m very sorry to hear of your loss.  Even when we have had time to prepare it’s always a great loss.  You look like a great couple and I’m sure her daughter appreciates you by her side during this difficult time.  I appreciate you taking the time to tell your story to us.  Perhaps one day I’ll be able to do the same.  

 

I highly recommend it. There is something therapeutic about it and I find this thread to be a perfect escape from the real world.  Not sure why, maybe the anonymity of it?

 

[HBE4]

4 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

@HBE4 I’m so sorry to read about your loss. You and Little Miss HBE4 will be missing a wonderful and treasured woman. Thank you for taking the time to share this difficult news with us. If you need us, we are here. 
 

Angels come in all ages, and I truly believe that your wife will be right beside our Allie. 

 

Thank you, You've share your story of Allie several times and was one of the reasons why I felt comfortable sharing mine.

 

In the Eulogy I gave, I mentioned my wife was an angel on Earth, making the Earth a better place and now is in heaven, making it a better place. No doubt, she'd be by Allie's side.  She always sought out the children.

 

[HBE4]

Shifting gears a bit, Leonard's Christmas gift came early. Apparently, Santa HBE4 doesn't know that objects on Amazon are much bigger than they appear online. This cat tower is the size of a 3 bedroom condo. 

 

Little Miss HBE4 is already talking about getting Leonard a roommate.  Uhhh, that's a hard no. 

 

[Coralc]

49 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm scared to ask what you thought I would look like? Granted, most of my posts look like there were written by a blabbering idiot but I can assure you, in real life, I don't blabber.😉

 

 

No real thoughts about it. You are such a clever writer, that I thought you might look a little nerdy, instead of very handsome. ☺️I don't know what NY people look like. But you look more like the incredible husband that I picked. ☺️

Edited December 9, 2022 by Coralc

[ReneeFLL]

5 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

Shifting gears a bit, Leonard's Christmas gift came early. Apparently, Santa HBE4 doesn't know that objects on Amazon are much bigger than they appear online. This cat tower is the size of a 3 bedroom condo. 

 

Little Miss HBE4 is already talking about getting Leonard a roommate.  Uhhh, that's a hard no. 

 

I know he will love it. I know about things being much bigger than they appear to be online. Ordered a treadmill last week from Costco and it is HUGE!

[MJSailors]

@HBE4 I would like to add my condolences to you and your daughter for the recent loss of your dear wife.

Reading your posts that shared your wife’s journey, I thought you were the most caring and loving husband,being by your wife’s side and searching for the best possible care for her. 

She knew that you were with her all the days of the past year and a half.

The love you both shared is still there- love never goes away.

I wish you peace and healing for your heart in the days to come.

My sincere sympathy- 

MJ🙋🏻

[ReneeFLL]

 

21 hours ago, HBE4 said:

On a happier, more upbeat note - as this is a cruising forum - I’d figured I’d share that our last cruise was 4 years ago, Nov 2018. It was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Once married, I not only gained a wife but a daughter as well, in what I call a “2-for-the-price-of-1” package deal.  It only made sense to include my step-daughter on the cruise as well.  As she was living in Houston, TX at the time, we decided to sail out of Galveston on Liberty of the Seas.  Which brought us full circle as Liberty was our first ever cruise ship back in 2009 in which we fell in love with cruising. After the 2nd day of that first cruise, we looked at each other and asked: "Why have we not been doing this our entire lives?" What the heck, here are a few pictures from the 2018 cruise.

 

Me and the Mrs.

 

 

 

My wife and her daughter. It was her daughters first time ever cruising and sadly, the only time she’d cruise with her mom.  So excited we were to share our cruising experiences with her, to see it thru her eyes, it was like we were on our first cruise all over again.  All three of us refer to it as the best vacation we’ve ever had, of any vacations with anybody our entire lives.

 

 

 

Me and Little Miss HBE4.  She was 4 years old when I first started dating her mom, 11 when I married her mom and since then, has always referred to me as her “real dad” vs her “biological dad” that drifted in and out of her life. All these years later, she is not the least bit ashamed, and dare I say, actually enjoys hanging with dear old step-dad.  

 

 

 

This picture is nicknamed “Pompous HBE4” as I proudly show off the 2 lovely ladies in my life. Blessed am I.

 

 

This last picture would sum us up as who we are as a famliy. My wife had a zest for life, always the glass-is-half-full, “Life Is Good” attitude. I fully intend to live life as she would want me to. Cheers to all the kind folks on this thread!

 

 

I’m so sorry to hear about your beautiful wife. It’s obvious that you loved each other very much. Her memories will be with you forever and they will give you a sense of peace. Loved seeing the beautiful family photos. Happy that you and your daughter have each other to get thru the difficult times ahead. ❤️

[MJSailors]

@Ozark_KidThank you for posting the video of Kenzie. She is a light to brighten this thread. 

Hoping Santa is very good to that little girl! I am sure that she will have a delightful Christmas.

MJ🙋🏻

[LucasLikesToCruise]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm scared to ask what you thought I would look like? Granted, most of my posts look like there were written by a blabbering idiot but I can assure you, in real life, I don't blabber.😉

 

 

I might be singling your post out but it applys to so many others as well. You guys/gals are the reason I felt like sharing.

 

 

Thank you. I was a bit hesitant to share the photo's at first as I tend to be a bit on the private side (no first name, email address or home town, etc) but after the journey and the support on this thread over the last 19 months, I felt it was only fair for people to connect a face with a name. So many others post pictures and mine were 4 years old so....

 

You are a very sexy and handsome men. 😎😊

[LucasLikesToCruise]

6 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Busy week here, like most of you I’m sure. We have a Christmas Party tomorrow night at a friends house, then I’m having a party here Saturday night for a bunch of my friends.  We’ve done it every year for about 20 years, but the last one was 2019 due to you know what.  So I’ve been busy finishing up decorating, lugging all the holiday dishes & glasses up from the lower level.  Certainly got my exercise!  
 

@Sunshine3601 I’m so glad to hear you and Eric are having a nice relaxing cruise, seems like great weather too.  
 

@Sea Dog You’re going to make a great Santa! I look forward to seeing the pictures.  

It’s great to have a yearly Christmas party.  That’s great.   You’re so lucky. 

[LucasLikesToCruise]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

Perfectly said,  @dani negreanu, perfectly said. 💜   (purple was DW favorite color)

 

 

I highly recommend it. There is something therapeutic about it and I find this thread to be a perfect escape from the real world.  Not sure why, maybe the anonymity of it?

 

Thanks.  I’ve thought back and forth about what to say….I can relate to you in so many ways due to the delay in someone s life….families life…I’m extremely logical and have been punished in the past for that.  

[LucasLikesToCruise]

Everyone here helped me calm my experience while taking care of my mom as she died.  I appreciate everyone for that 

[LucasLikesToCruise]

Again.  I feel I have said too much.   I’m very sorry to say things that most guys don’t like.   I’m one tho g on my mind and very different in real life.   I’m sorry HBE4 yiu re an awesome man that loves his family 😎

[HBE4]

26 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Everyone here helped me calm my experience while taking care of my mom as she died.  I appreciate everyone for that 

 

Please accept my condolences 🙏.  I know it's been a struggle for you & you should take pride in the work you've done. I have no doubt your mom appreciated everything you did for her & you'll always have those memories. 

 

12 minutes ago, LucasLikesToCruise said:

Again.  I feel I have said too much.   I’m very sorry to say things that most guys don’t like.   I’m one tho g on my mind and very different in real life.   I’m sorry HBE4 yiu re an awesome man that loves his family 😎

 

All good & thank you. I took a internet break to watch the Amazing Race finale & to prepare some paper work for a meeting with my lawyer tomorrow morning. As I'm sure you know, there is a "bureaucratic" side to death that waits for no one. 

 

On that note, I need to call it a night.