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

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

Today is Puerto Plata which is in place of Labadee. Four ships here today, two at Amber Cove and two at Taino Bay. Hot and humid but a decent breeze. We didn’t book an excursion, we just visited the port area. There are multiple free pools and a lazy river. We didn’t use any of them but they looked nice. Lazy river takes about 20 minutes. There are a limited number of tubes and you just wait for the first available one. The line was fairly long. No walking or swimming in the lazy river, all must be in a tube. 
 

Lots of stores and restaurants. Prices weren’t too bad. You dock at a working pier and it can be very noisy. We were woken up just after 6am by barking dogs on the pier and loading of a ship docked there. 
 

There are free tuttut shuttles on the pier. They run on tips. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to my first visit there this coming winter.

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, helen haywood said:

Diana felt she, too, should check out the wheelchair…

 

 

Next thing you know the cats will expect you to push them about the house.

 

Followed by carrying them from A to B, in a Litter like the ones below.

 

 

 

 

[DaniDanielle]

Dani, how wonderful your trip was🥰Hope you are feeling better.

[MJSailors]

Dani- 

Thank you for your kind words. 
I hope that your cold improves quickly and that you feel better soon.

Glad for you and your son that you could make the journey together to fulfill your Mother’s wishes.

It seems that when we return to our childhood homes, the houses seem smaller and the drive to the house seems shorter.

My DH and I were invited to see my parents’ home a few years ago. Looking around, I wondered how my mother fit our furniture in some of the rooms as they looked smaller than I remembered.

Shalom

MJ👩🏻

[reallyitsmema]

46 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Looking forward to my first visit there this coming winter.

There is still some construction going on, not sure what they are adding, but the whole port area was very clean and safe. Even with two ships there, it didn’t seem overly crowded. We didn’t leave the area but there were a lot of taxis waiting for tours of the area. If we end up there again, we would book an excursion and explore. 

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

@jmh2006

 

Of course, Jennifer, it will be more than welcomed 😘

 

 

@helen haywood  Thanks, Marian (was your grandfather Romanian? It is a popular male name there).

 

It sure is a PITA, and quite has me worrying to be sick again so quickly... I assume I've got it on the flight back from Bucharest....

 

So, I've spent 2.15 days in Bucharest, "down the memory line".

 

For many years I've wanted to go back, to fulfill my promise to my mom, to lay a flower on her parents' grave, since she was too old to travel.

 

As frequent fliers with our national company, we get promos on our birthdays, reduced rates (but also very limited dates and cities). Amsterdam is never included...

 

This time, the "stars aligned" and I bought 2 tickets. DH is not the "nostalgic" type, and DS1 was keen to see his mom's roots.

 

It so happened that my other Romanian cousin [living in Germany] was busy emptying his late parents' apartment in order to put it on the market and I had a "ready made" guide to both cemeteries I've planed to visit in Day 2, and then, on Day 1 -- see my childhood home (demolished) and the one from where I've emigrated to Israel.

 

Visiting my childhood homes, I've been surprised how much the distances were wayyyy shorter... From both houses I've also went to my kindergarten and elementary school, and then to high school. It took much less time that I've remembered.

 

At my second home, the door was locked. We waited for someone to pass, no luck, and my cousin just knocked on the window of one of the neighbors.... To my amazement, a guy looked out, opened the window with a smile.... and my cousin said: "this lady here lived on the 1st floor 58 years ago, and she wants to take a look inside...". The guy readily came to the door and let us in....

 

Here I'm waiting at the entrance. So sad to see all the buildings were in a decrepit state  ---

 

 

Day 2, I went to the Sephardic and Ashkenazic cemeteries. My paternal aunt is buried in the Sephardic one, and it was in a dire state of neglect. We had to "battle" trees and branches, and only my son was able to stand in front of the grave, lay a rose and take a pic.

 

 

The state of the other cemetery is a bit better, and my cousin is paying someone to tend to the graves of his parents, our grandparents (actually, only our grannie is buried there, since our grand perished in a camp and, probably, was buried in a mass grave) and our childless uncle.

 

When my grannie died, the 5 brothers and sisters decided also on a bench in their parents' memory.

 

With DS1 on the bench --

 

 

My grands' grave --

 

 

And lastly, but not least, my paternal grannie (grandad fought in WWI, his dying place is not known). Now, that my cousin (left) knows the place, he'll add this one to the "package deal" of tending the graves he has with the cemetery's administration....

 

 

 

I'm relieved that I had the opportunity to fulfill my mom's wish, and it also was a "first" traveling with my eldest son and seeing his interest in his "roots".

Dani, happy you got to do this journey. 

Hope you feel better soon.

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Extremely sad & difficult day here.  One of our dogs, Oliver, passed away late last night.  I have always included him and Emma in my Live reports.  I posted about him last week mentioning several of his health issues many of which all culminated recently over the last month.  He is breathing freely now in heaven.  Words cannot express how greatly he will be missed.  He’ll always be my “Goodest and Handsomest Boy” as I told him daily.  Here’s a few of my favorite photos of him.

Cheers to Oliver 🍻

 

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

8 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Words cannot express how greatly he will be missed.  He’ll always be my “Goodest and Handsomest Boy” as I told him daily.  Here’s a few of my favorite photos of him.

Cheers to Oliver 🍻

So sorry for your loss, of the best boy ever. He will be running free with the best of them. ❤️

[lenquixote66]

7 hours ago, grapau27 said:

I agree.

The only days I have not posted since Dani @dani negreanu started this thread is when we were at sea and I didn't have a connection.

For many years I posted on Cruise Mates.When it closed many of the regulars including came to CC.

[lenquixote66]

My granddaughter returned from Poland earlier this evening.I am taping Survivor and Amazing Race because she is coming here soon.

[maggieq]

3 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

It is an Arctic Circle Cruise from Amsterdam going to I think, 8 Norway ports.

@Jimbo we are going on the 12 night fjord and arctic circle cruise on may 30Th. Were you interested in feedback?

[jmh2006]

22 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Extremely sad & difficult day here.  One of our dogs, Oliver, passed away late last night.  I have always included him and Emma in my Live reports.  I posted about him last week mentioning several of his health issues many of which all culminated recently over the last month.  He is breathing freely now in heaven.  Words cannot express how greatly he will be missed.  He’ll always be my “Goodest and Handsomest Boy” as I told him daily.  Here’s a few of my favorite photos of him.

Cheers to Oliver 🍻

 

 

 

So sorry 😪

[jmh2006]

1 hour ago, dani negreanu said:

 

@jmh2006

 

Of course, Jennifer, it will be more than welcomed 😘

 

 

@helen haywood  Thanks, Marian (was your grandfather Romanian? It is a popular male name there).

 

It sure is a PITA, and quite has me worrying to be sick again so quickly... I assume I've got it on the flight back from Bucharest....

 

So, I've spent 2.15 days in Bucharest, "down the memory line".

 

For many years I've wanted to go back, to fulfill my promise to my mom, to lay a flower on her parents' grave, since she was too old to travel.

 

As frequent fliers with our national company, we get promos on our birthdays, reduced rates (but also very limited dates and cities). Amsterdam is never included...

 

This time, the "stars aligned" and I bought 2 tickets. DH is not the "nostalgic" type, and DS1 was keen to see his mom's roots.

 

It so happened that my other Romanian cousin [living in Germany] was busy emptying his late parents' apartment in order to put it on the market and I had a "ready made" guide to both cemeteries I've planed to visit in Day 2, and then, on Day 1 -- see my childhood home (demolished) and the one from where I've emigrated to Israel.

 

Visiting my childhood homes, I've been surprised how much the distances were wayyyy shorter... From both houses I've also went to my kindergarten and elementary school, and then to high school. It took much less time that I've remembered.

 

At my second home, the door was locked. We waited for someone to pass, no luck, and my cousin just knocked on the window of one of the neighbors.... To my amazement, a guy looked out, opened the window with a smile.... and my cousin said: "this lady here lived on the 1st floor 58 years ago, and she wants to take a look inside...". The guy readily came to the door and let us in....

 

Here I'm waiting at the entrance. So sad to see all the buildings were in a decrepit state  ---

 

 

Day 2, I went to the Sephardic and Ashkenazic cemeteries. My paternal aunt is buried in the Sephardic one, and it was in a dire state of neglect. We had to "battle" trees and branches, and only my son was able to stand in front of the grave, lay a rose and take a pic.

 

 

The state of the other cemetery is a bit better, and my cousin is paying someone to tend to the graves of his parents, our grandparents (actually, only our grannie is buried there, since our grand perished in a camp and, probably, was buried in a mass grave) and our childless uncle.

 

When my grannie died, the 5 brothers and sisters decided also on a bench in their parents' memory.

 

With DS1 on the bench --

 

 

My grands' grave --

 

 

And lastly, but not least, my paternal grannie (grandad fought in WWI, his dying place is not known). Now, that my cousin (left) knows the place, he'll add this one to the "package deal" of tending the graves he has with the cemetery's administration....

 

 

 

I'm relieved that I had the opportunity to fulfill my mom's wish, and it also was a "first" traveling with my eldest son and seeing his interest in his "roots".

Oh Dani I am so happy you were able fulfill your mom's wish!  So sad the cemeteries are not kept up 😞.

[Jimbo]

3 minutes ago, maggieq said:

@Jimbo we are going on the 12 night fjord and arctic circle cruise on may 30Th. Were you interested in feedback?

Yes, please. Actually we had that cruise booked and canceled. Decided to do Norway in a future year.

[maggieq]

5 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Yes, please. Actually we had that cruise booked and canceled. Decided to do Norway in a future year.

We were going to put it off but figured we would do so before they scale back on cruise ships. Plus we got a great deal on the jewel 😊 

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Luckynana said:

 

 

Thank goodness that whatever was going on with our thread a few hours ago seems to have been resolved.    😁

Oh no, what happened?

[helen haywood]

@dani negreanu I’m glad you were able to make that journey.  I know it was bittersweet.  

[ATG]

@SteelCityCruiser10  My condolences on the loss of your bestest boy. I understand how devastating this is.  We lost our “baby girl “ right after Christmas, I’m not sure she was our best girl, but we did love her, quirks and all.  I still find myself looking for her when I come home, she was always happy to see us.  The only thing I can offer is that you gave him the best life possible filled with love. And I firmly believe he will be waiting for you.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Extremely sad & difficult day here.  One of our dogs, Oliver, passed away late last night.  I have always included him and Emma in my Live reports.  I posted about him last week mentioning several of his health issues many of which all culminated recently over the last month.  He is breathing freely now in heaven.  Words cannot express how greatly he will be missed.  He’ll always be my “Goodest and Handsomest Boy” as I told him daily.  Here’s a few of my favorite photos of him.

Cheers to Oliver 🍻

 

 

 

I'm so sorry for your loss.😌

 

[Luckynana]

@SteelCityCruiser10  I am so sorry to hear that Oliver, your "Goodest and Handsomest Boy"  has passed away last night.  I know he will be sorely missed.  He certainly was a Regal, as well as a handsome boy.💔

[Prometheus1]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your pup! 

[Ocean Boy]

I think tribal tonight will be interesting.

[Luckynana]

 

@dani negreanu  I sure hope you feel better, Dani.  How awesome that your DS1 accompanied you to help fulfill your Mom's wish, and he was able to see your childhood home.

[NHProud]

10 minutes ago, Prometheus1 said:

I'm so sorry for the loss of your pup! 

From me , also.  

[Jimbo]

49 minutes ago, maggieq said:

We were going to put it off but figured we would do so before they scale back on cruise ships. Plus we got a great deal on the jewel 😊 

We are most likely when the times come do it on another cruise line other then Royal.