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

[Luckynana]

4 hours ago, ValerieJo said:

We did a great tour with “Dora the Explorer”. Check her out on TripAdvisor.  It was very good and informative.   I’d give the link to her site, but my internet is spotty at best here in the Northern Michigan woods.  😊.  We did this similar itinerary on Serenade of the Seas in March 2020. 

I was going to ask the same question as Greg.  I have read about "Dora the Explorer" and plan on booking her for our cruise in March.  I guess I'd better get moving, since I would like to use her.

 

 

@Husky1987  Beautiful pictures.  Stevie is a beautiful pup!

[Luckynana]

We live right behind the High School, where the town fireworks are set off once it gets dark.  There is also a band or two that plays prior to the firework show.   We always go in front of our house to watch, since we have so many trees behind our house.   It's always scheduled for July 3rd.  My daughter called from work and said it's been postponed until the 5th, since we're expected to get storms this evening.  It sure doesn't look like a storm'll be coming, though.  We had thunder late last night, but no rain, no storm.  It is sunny, hot and very humid here.

[h20skibum]

2 hours ago, George C said:

I would be in lots of trouble if I told my wife I hate her birthday 😁😁

Happy birthday to your wife

 

 

[mo&fran]

I see that CC has reformatted their website.  No longer shows your location under your screen name,  Doesn't show who reacted to a post    unless you place the curser over the symbol, and doesn't show a list of recent pages .

The main page seems to have fewer columns, which might format better on cell phones when viewed in portrait mode. wonder whqt else is planned.  

No problem , just different.

[NHProud]

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Good to know as we will be there in April too. 
 

 

 

Thanj you for being considerate of your loved ones. Our dogs hate fireworks too. I wish people would be more concerned of the fear fireworks cause in our pets.

We used Dora the Explorer in Cartagena. We were part of a group organized by someone on our roll call . It was hot so we asked the tour guide if we could stay on the bus while the other passengers toured the old town. The bus driver kept the AC on which was a relief.  
 

Christmas Tree Shops to liquidate all stores.  SD has a a year round Christmas store and I don’t know how City Lights stays in business.  You probably have all that you will ever need . 

[mo&fran]

I see that CC has reformatted their website.  No longer shows your location under your screen name,  Doesn't show who reacted to a post    unless you place the curser over the symbol, and doesn't show a list of recent pages .

The main page seems to have fewer columns, which might format better on cell phones when viewed in portrait mode. wonder whqt else is planned.  

No problem , just different.

[c-leg5]

41 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

I see that CC has reformatted their website.  No longer shows your location under your screen name,  Doesn't show who reacted to a post    unless you place the curser over the symbol, and doesn't show a list of recent pages .

The main page seems to have fewer columns, which might format better on cell phones when viewed in portrait mode. wonder whqt else is planned.  

No problem , just different.

I am not seeing any of that.

[DaniDanielle]

Happy Birthday from here also🎉

I don’t mind fireworks in moderation but those big booming things are horrible.

[Arzeena]

We toured Cartagena with Claudia, the very first time. It was a superb tour. Old town, churches, squares, La Popa, new areas, etc. It was a private group of (I think 25) arranged by someone on our CC roll call. The tour was customized and we covered everything. After that we have been many times and usually went off on our own.
I also want to go to one of the island retreats and do a food tour.

I have written to Dora many times on the recommendation of others, but she will not customize unless there are a lot of people wanting that particular customization on that particular day. For example, I love to go to the Monastry at La Popa, the new Boca Grande area, go inside some old town churches, etc and spend less time in the Emerald Shop disguised as the Emerald Museum with hard core sales people. I also like to wander around in the squares and plazas in old town.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Arzeena

[mo&fran]

25 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I am not seeing any of that.

Maybe it's just my laptop.

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, NHProud said:

We used Dora the Explorer in Cartagena. We were part of a group organized by someone on our roll call . It was hot so we asked the tour guide if we could stay on the bus while the other passengers toured the old town. The bus driver kept the AC on which was a relief.  
 

Christmas Tree Shops to liquidate all stores.  SD has a a year round Christmas store and I don’t know how City Lights stays in business.  You probably have all that you will ever need . 

 

Thanks for your info. Sounds like staying in the air conditioned van was the way to go. Yes I have way  more Christmas decorations than most people.

 

 

22 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

We toured Cartagena with Claudia, the very first time. It was a superb tour. Old town, churches, squares, La Popa, new areas, etc. It was a private group of (I think 25) arranged by someone on our CC roll call. The tour was customized and we covered everything. After that we have been many times and usually went off on our own.
I also want to go to one of the island retreats and do a food tour.

I have written to Dora many times on the recommendation of others, but she will not customize unless there are a lot of people wanting that particular customization on that particular day. For example, I love to go to the Monastry at La Popa, the new Boca Grande area, go inside some old town churches, etc and spend less time in the Emerald Shop disguised as the Emerald Museum with hard core sales people. I also like to wander around in the squares and plazas in old town.

excellent advise. Ever go to any the beaches?

[grapau27]

Good evening.

It is 21.55pm here and still 18°C.

Best wishes to all of my American friends for tomorrow.

[#55worktoplay]

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Until someone has lived with a pet and seen the fear and torture they go through with fireworks I'm not sure they can completely understand. Suddenly their sanctuary becomes a place of fear that they can't escape. And nothing you try to do to console them helps.

My brothers dog a Yorkie was so terrified of them one Canada Day weekend she jumped through the screen door of the cottage and got lost in woods. They searched for two weeks and amazingly after two weeks they found her across the lake. She was in terrible shape and lost an eye from something she encountered which was major $$ for surgery but survived. 
 

My dog is also petrified and we had to deal with her two nights this year I hope there are none tonight. I always worry that this time she will have a heart attack!!  I wish they would get rid of them. From the amount of road side stands I’m pretty sure it’s big business unfortunately.

[MJSailors]

I have seen ads on TV lately about vests that dogs-maybe cats?- can wear for comfort from loud noise such as fireworks or thunder.

I think that they are similar to weighted blankets people use to calm

anxiety.

Has anyone used these vests for their pets?

MJ🙋🏻‍♀️

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Thanks for your info. Sounds like staying in the air conditioned van was the way to go. Yes I have way  more Christmas decorations than most people.

 

 

excellent advise. Ever go to any the beaches?

No, they do not have great beaches there. We drove by one at Boca Grande. It wasn't anything like the Caribbean beaches. I would suggest you look up excursions at Rosario Islands. I have not been, but have heard a lot of things about them. I almost booked an excursion there but we ended up moving that sailing. You tube Rosario Islands. They are a group of small islands in the bay. They have hip resorts and beaches. There are also ferries but cautious me would do a public ferry only if in port overnight. Look at what Celebrity is offering to Rosario Islands. It may not say "Rosario". This if you are interested in doing a beach type thing. But also consider the old Cartagena excursions. If knee is not behaving, it is a bit of walking around in the walled city so keep that in perspective. Topped with the heat. At one time we did a coffee excursion where they took us to a coffee store, taught us about howw to taste coffee, how to make it, how the flavors come about, etc etc....I am mentioning it because it was all sitting down on tables in air conditioning and tasting coffee of different kinds. I brought home two packs and they are the best coffee I have tasted (IMO). It is San Alberto. There are many other good ones also. Do not buy any coffee from street vendors.....we got fooled with authentic sawdust once!😅.

I read in their magazines that Cartagena is known for buying swim suits (REALLY???) I didn't see any except the ones that made me say OMG where is the fabric! And Emeralds I said OMG for a different reason.😁

Edited July 3, 2023 by Arzeena

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, grapau27 said:

Good evening.

It is 21.55pm here and still 18°C.

Best wishes to all of my American friends for tomorrow.

Thank you, Graham!

[ValerieJo]

3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

I was going to ask the same question as Greg.  I have read about "Dora the Explorer" and plan on booking her for our cruise in March.  I guess I'd better get moving, since I would like to use her.

 

 

@Husky1987  Beautiful pictures.  Stevie is a beautiful pup!

we definitely enjoyed our tour.  I will give you a little heads up about one of the stops.  There is one place where the vendors can be a little overwhelming.  It was a fairly short stop, but you could stay in the van if you preferred.  They really didn’t bother us as we just say no thank you and move on.  However, I know you are a seasoned cruiser and have seen this before.    Another thing about the stop is the port area.  It has a sort of small zoo there with some cool animals to check out.  The peacocks wander freely.  We also saw a very cool anteater.

[Sunshine3601]

8 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

What did you do in Cartagena? Looking for excursion to do.

In 2020 when we sailed Serenade to Cartagena we did the Rcl tour of the Old Walled City that included a Harbour tour.  

Loved touring this area.   Beautiful buildings but the street vendors are really annoying.   Worst I've ever experienced.

Be prepared for the heat and humidity.   We were there end of January and it was high 90s with humidity near 100%.

The bird sanctuary, free, at the port is a must.

If a coffee drinker. Try to buy some coffee in one of the small cafes.   We bought several different kinds and Boy they were all the best coffee.   Wish I could buy those online.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Sunshine3601

[Sea Dog]

13 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

No, they do not have great beaches there. We drove by one at Boca Grande. It wasn't anything like the Caribbean beaches. I would suggest you look up excursions at Rosario Islands. I have not been, but have heard a lot of things about them. I almost booked an excursion there but we ended up moving that sailing. You tube Rosario Islands. They are a group of small islands in the bay. They have hip resorts and beaches. There are also ferries but cautious me would do a public ferry only if in port overnight. Look at what Celebrity is offering to Rosario Islands. It may not say "Rosario". This if you are interested in doing a beach type thing. But also consider the old Cartagena excursions. If knee is not behaving, it is a bit of walking around in the walled city so keep that in perspective. Topped with the heat. At one time we did a coffee excursion where they took us to a coffee store, taught us about howw to taste coffee, how to make it, how the flavors come about, etc etc....I am mentioning it because it was all sitting down on tables in air conditioning and tasting coffee of different kinds. I brought home two packs and they are the best coffee I have tasted (IMO). It is San Alberto. There are many other good ones also. Do not buy any coffee from street vendors.....we got fooled with authentic sawdust once!😅.

I read in their magazines that Cartagena is known for buying swim suits (REALLY???) I didn't see any except the ones that made me say OMG where is the fabric! And Emeralds I said OMG for a different reason.😁

Thanks for your advice. I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos. While the fort and the walled city look very beautiful the one thing I absolutely can not stand is being hassled by street vendors. Not sure if we will even get off the ship. More research is needed.

[Sunshine3601]

3 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Thanks for your advice. I’ve watched a couple of YouTube videos. While the fort and the walled city look very beautiful the one thing I absolutely can not stand is being hassled by street vendors. Not sure if we will even get off the ship. More research is needed.

If you don't want to be bothered by street vendors then go the port shopping area with the bird sanctuary, flamingos, etc. and other animals, monkeys, etc wandering around.   Can also buy some good coffee there.

[dani negreanu]

@h20skibum

 

Mark, how is Susan feeling?

[Coralc]

I think we have been to Cartegena twice...and never got off. The first time I went out on the balcony and felt the massive heat and humidity, and just said no. It is too hot. I would just melt. I'm sure it is a nice port, and I would like to see the animals. Maybe one of these years. ☺️We just borrowed the tour photos our friends took for the photo album. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Coralc

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

If you don't want to be bothered by street vendors then go the port shopping area with the bird sanctuary, flamingos, etc. and other animals, monkeys, etc wandering around.   Can also buy some good coffee there.

 

That may end up being the best plan unless it’s like Patti’s post below.

 

 

1 minute ago, Coralc said:

I think we have been to Cartegena twice...and never got off. The first time I went out on the balcony and felt the massive heat and humidity, and just said no. It is too hot. I would just melt. I'm sure it is a nice port, and I would like to see the animals. Maybe one of these years. ☺️

I’m with you. I can’t handle extreme heat and humidity.

[DaniDanielle]

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Fourth!

[Sunshine3601]

22 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Fourth!

Thank you.   Same to you and your family💕