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

[Ozark_Kid]

4 hours ago, Keksie said:

We watched the entire evening.  My thought was meh.  A couple of cringe worthy parts.  Celine was good but the cauldron was not that spectacular.  Maybe in person it was better.

This is a lot how I felt about it. I don't think it would of been better for me in person.   If there, I would of gone enjoyed other areas while the crowds were there.

[Keksie]

12 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

This is a lot how I felt about it. I don't think it would of been better for me in person.   If there, I would of gone enjoyed other areas while the crowds were there.

Remember the one where a guy lit the cauldron with an arrow.  Now that was a wow moment.

[dani negreanu]

3 minutes ago, Keksie said:

Remember the one where a guy lit the cauldron with an arrow.  Now that was a wow moment.

 

 

Exactly, Karen. Great minds, etc. 😉

 

Yesterday evening, when we started viewing, I've told DS1 that this was the most impressive and imaginative opening that I remember.

 

He, OTOH, was too young (Barcelona 1992) to remember....

 

 

[Arzeena]

Looking for headphones or ear buds for smaller ears. Noise cancelling. Any suggestions? Currently have SONY headphones but one side is dead. Have Samsung earbuds that keep falling out since my ears are small. No apple. Have Samsung phone.

[ValerieJo]

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I've found third party "airplay" type apps, and even the built in Apple Airplay, to work very inconsistently.  I therefore bought one of these Apple adaptors a few years ago:

Apple Lightning Digital A/V Adapter White MW2P3AM/A/MD826AM/A - Best Buy

 

We carry it, along with an HDMI cable, whenever we travel.  It's nice in that you can charge your device while using it to send videos to the TV.  So long as you can change the input on a TV to an used HDMI input, you can watch things from your iPhone/iPad.  We usually have several things on Netfix and Prime Video downloaded to my iPad.  Works great most of the time, although we sometimes run into situations where the ability to change the TV input has been specifically disabled (looking at you Ovation).

 

There are several no-name versions of the adaptor available on Amazon at much lower prices.  I can't comment on how well those work.

Thanks for the info.  I bought one several years ago and unfortunately it didn’t work very long.  I believe it was as an off brand. I might have to try it again with the “Apple” brand. 

[Ozark_Kid]

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

Remember the one where a guy lit the cauldron with an arrow.  Now that was a wow moment.

They showed a replay of that, nice.  I also like the old traditional way more than the hot air balloon.   They showed Ali when he did it. 

[A&L_Ont]

Relaxing by the pool this afternoon. A great day for it. 
 

 

 

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Looking for headphones or ear buds for smaller ears. Noise cancelling. Any suggestions? Currently have SONY headphones but one side is dead. Have Samsung earbuds that keep falling out since my ears are small. No apple. Have Samsung phone.

 

I have a pair of Jabra earbuds that work great.  I've had them for maybe 8 years now??  Apple earbuds never fit my ears properly and would fall out.  Not a problem for the Jabras.  They came with 3 different sized silicon ear gels to make them a better fit for different sized ears.

 

When I was traveling a lot for business, I had a pair of wired Bose noise cancelling headphones.  They also worked great until something happened to the wire where it connects to the headphones.  A replacement wire was a ridiculous amount of money, so I switched completely to the earbuds.  I do prefer the comfort of full-sized headphones over a long period of time (like watching a movie on a plane) but they're a lot bulkier to carry around compared to the little earbuds case.

[helen haywood]

@dani negreanu Just read about the Hezbollah strike.  I have no words.  Thinking of you…

[StanleyandGus]

2 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Looking for headphones or ear buds for smaller ears. Noise cancelling. Any suggestions? Currently have SONY headphones but one side is dead. Have Samsung earbuds that keep falling out since my ears are small. No apple. Have Samsung phone.

I have older Bose noise cancelling headphones. They are extremely comfortable.

 

I can’t wear earbuds at all.

[dani negreanu]

6 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

@dani negreanu Just read about the Hezbollah strike.  I have no words.  Thinking of you…

 

@helen haywood

 

Thanks, Marian.

 

That was and is my biggest fear -- such a deadly strike, all of them young kids😢 -- will force us to retaliate, and hence -- the "butterfly effect" 😢

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

Relaxing by the pool this afternoon. A great day for it. 

Daryl says he wishes he was there.  That is his natural habitat. 😁

[grapau27]

31 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

@helen haywood

 

Thanks, Marian.

 

That was and is my biggest fear -- such a deadly strike, all of them young kids😢 -- will force us to retaliate, and hence -- the "butterfly effect" 😢

I'm so sorry to hear this news Dani.

Prayers 🙏 uplifted to you, your family,friends and your country.

[BonTexasNY]

4 hours ago, Keksie said:

Remember the one where a guy lit the cauldron with an arrow.  Now that was a wow moment.

See below

4 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

 

Exactly, Karen. Great minds, etc. 😉

 

Yesterday evening, when we started viewing, I've told DS1 that this was the most impressive and imaginative opening that I remember.

 

He, OTOH, was too young (Barcelona 1992) to remember....

 

 

Oh yes, I much prefer Olympic torch lighting from the past.  The arrow shot was amazing.

 

Dani, I am sick having read the news about the latest Hezbollah attack in Northern Israel. There will be retaliation and so it goes.  My heart, as always is with Israel.

[DaniDanielle]

Too much sadness

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, Arzeena said:

Looking for headphones or ear buds for smaller ears. Noise cancelling. Any suggestions? Currently have SONY headphones but one side is dead. Have Samsung earbuds that keep falling out since my ears are small. No apple. Have Samsung phone.

Which Samsung buds do you have? They are in the process of releasing their completely restyle buds, Galaxy 3 pro. The reviews on YouTube are quite positive on sound as well as noise cancelling. I presently use Galaxy Pro 2 which I really like but I'm constantly on a quest for better sound quality. I pre ordered and won't have them until closer to the end of August. With there various pre order specials I snagged these $249 list price buds for $99.

 

Have you tried different size ear tips to see if yours will stay in your ears?

[ValerieJo]

2 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

@helen haywood

 

Thanks, Marian.

 

That was and is my biggest fear -- such a deadly strike, all of them young kids😢 -- will force us to retaliate, and hence -- the "butterfly effect" 😢

So sorry to read this.  My heart breaks for all of you.  Praying for a quick end to all of this. 

[Luckynana]

8 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never went to a Drive In when I was young.In 2002 we were in a small town in VT.One of the features of the motel we were staying in was that we were able to see the screen from a movie .That was not a Drive In but very close.

We had a Drive-in Movie on Staten Island years ago.  I was pregnant with our twins the last time we were there.  The Staten Island Mall is right around where the Drive-in used to be.

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, BonTexasNY said:

 

Dani, I am sick having read the news about the latest Hezbollah attack in Northern Israel. There will be retaliation and so it goes.  My heart, as always is with Israel.

 

@dani negreanu +1 Dani, I have no words, other than we worry and pray for you daily.  I am so very sorry.🙏😔❤️

[Luckynana]

4 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

Relaxing by the pool this afternoon. A great day for it. 
 

 

 

Beautiful, Andrew!

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Which Samsung buds do you have? They are in the process of releasing their completely restyle buds, Galaxy 3 pro. The reviews on YouTube are quite positive on sound as well as noise cancelling. I presently use Galaxy Pro 2 which I really like but I'm constantly on a quest for better sound quality. I pre ordered and won't have them until closer to the end of August. With there various pre order specials I snagged these $249 list price buds for $99.

 

Have you tried different size ear tips to see if yours will stay in your ears?

I don't know which Samsung ones I have. 🙃. Tried the ear tips, but all are too big and do not fit.

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

7/10/2024- Honningesvag, Norway.  This was the description of Honningsvag from the Cruise Compass:

Situated above the Arctic Circle, Honningsvag is surrounded by fjords and waterfalls, offering views across the sea to the Svalbard Islands and the North Pole.  First settled more than 10 thousand years ago, today you’ll find a modern downtown area with plenty of shops.  Watch the indigenous Sami people herd reindeer and explore the history of the area at the Nordkappmuseet.

 

The shore excursion that we picked for this port was the Bird Safari by Boat which took us west of the North Cape, to Norway’s Gjesvaerstappan Nature Reserve with large colonies of puffins, kittiwakes, eagles, razorbills and other birds.  

 

Herring gulls

 

Seals

 

Puffins and millions others in the sky

 

Cormorants 

 

Can you spot the eagle taking off from the rock (in the center of the photo)?

 

 

All the little specks that you see in the sky are birds.  There are millions of them flying all around that look like mosquitoes.

 

All the birds fly away when eagles fly into this crevice.

 

Puffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Keksie]

13 minutes ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

7/10/2024- Honningesvag, Norway.  This was the description of Honningsvag from the Cruise Compass:

Situated above the Arctic Circle, Honningsvag is surrounded by fjords and waterfalls, offering views across the sea to the Svalbard Islands and the North Pole.  First settled more than 10 thousand years ago, today you’ll find a modern downtown area with plenty of shops.  Watch the indigenous Sami people herd reindeer and explore the history of the area at the Nordkappmuseet.

 

The shore excursion that we picked for this port was the Bird Safari by Boat which took us west of the North Cape, to Norway’s Gjesvaerstappan Nature Reserve with large colonies of puffins, kittiwakes, eagles, razorbills and other birds.  

 

Herring gulls

 

Seals

 

Puffins and millions others in the sky

 

Cormorants 

 

Can you spot the eagle taking off from the rock (in the center of the photo)?

 

 

All the little specks that you see in the sky are birds.  There are millions of them flying all around that look like mosquitoes.

 

All the birds fly away when eagles fly into this crevice.

 

Puffins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That looks spectacular.  I love all the bird pictures.

[BonTexasNY]

I just watched the full Utopia ice show on you tube.  The best ever.  Hardly no wild color outlandish outfits and props.  Their talent was evident every moment with flips, spins and those heart stopping twirls when you hold your breath hoping the lady skater doesn't bash her head as her partner is twirling her head around so close to the ice floor.  AND I was able to pick out vlogger Jordan Bauth.  Just a great show!

 

 

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

On 7/26/2024 at 3:33 PM, cruisingpeople said:

 

I'll have 3 of these please.😀

The cannoli was so good but unfortunately I was so full that I couldn’t even eat half of it.  What I should have done was to take it back to my cabin so I could eat it later but I didn’t think of it.  Maybe next time, is to eat dessert first.

 

16 hours ago, sgmn said:

We also had early dining for the first time which meant we didn't visit CL during happy hour at all.  Compared to last September Serenade cruise when we went nearly every day.

 

Your photos are wonderful. We must book another Northern Europe cruise, we've only been on one and that was Celebrity.

 

Which ship are you on ?

Book it soon as rules are going to change, I think by 2026, with the ships that will be allowed to go in there.  We were on Jewel of the Seas.