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

[Coralc]

46 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

Thanks for the info about your rental, Debbie. I think we still won't rent it out. Especially because there is still too much stuff.  There is a nice bar and stools in the basement, which is surrounded by boxes of unknown stuff. ☺️

 

And I am sorry to hear about your MIL. I know she is mean. My mom had a heart valve replacement at Stanford. We both kind of went back and forth, as to whether she should do it or not. Better, not better, how bad is it now? You won't have any improvement unless you do it. She was still well enough to have the procedure. But she kind of went downhill after that. Induced coma and weak, I don't think, sadly that her condition will improve. 

 

Short, funny story. We went to see her twice at Stanford. I called every night to see how she was doing and had about a 10-minute conversation with her one evening. It took about that long to realize that it was not actually my mother, and I was not actually her daughter. 

 

Apparently, boyfriend had picked mom up, and she was already at home. Nice conversation with the other lady, until we realized we weren't actually related. ☺️ LOL

 

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by Coralc

[A&L_Ont]

58 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

I’m sorry to read this.

[brillohead]

9 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

When we were in Miami last year I had the best fish tacos and they had coleslaw on them. Sooooo good. 

Maya Chan makes sea bass with garlic butter for make-your-own tacos.  Delish!  

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR. 

 

Sorry you're going through this.

 

Another opportunity for me to recommend that EVERYONE have an Advance Directive (living will, whatever you want to call it) completed and on file with your doctor's office and any hospitals you're likely to end up at if in an ambulance, plus a copy with your named Patient Advocate.  Also make sure you know that it's been processed in accordance with the laws of your state, regarding witnesses, notaries, etc. (different states have different rules -- for example, hospital employees couldn't act as a witness where I worked, so we had to get random strangers / visitors for other patients to act as signature witnesses).  

 

When I worked in the hospital, it was part of the admission process for every patient, and I usually told people that while I didn't expect them to have a need for it on this particular admission, you never know when you could be run over by a bus out of the blue.  Most people don't have an Advance Directive, and many people don't realize who their "legal next of kin" would be if they were incapacitated.  

I would often recommend that people choose a family friend rather than a relative to be their Patient Advocate, because I've seen way too many families disagree about "pulling the plug" on Mom/Dad, or putting a feeding tube into someone, etc.  Then you end up with one side of the family accusing the other side of "murdering" their loved one, blah blah blah -- so much less messy to have a non-relative be the Patient Advocate if there's any chance of that happening down the road.

Please also discuss organ donation with your loved ones.  I have two friends who are only alive today because of organ donors, and I have another friend who can only see because of organ donation (people often think of heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, without realizing that the eyes can also be donated, as well as other body parts/tissues).  

Nobody likes to have the conversation, but everyone NEEDS to have the conversation.  We're all going to die at some point, so why not make sure you die (or live) the way you want to?

[BonTexasNY]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

So sorry to read this about Eric's mother.

[Bailey & Sophie]

35 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

Please also discuss organ donation with your loved ones.  I have two friends who are only alive today because of organ donors, and I have another friend who can only see because of organ donation (people often think of heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, without realizing that the eyes can also be donated, as well as other body parts/tissues).  
 

 

So important and it's amazing what can be done.

My brother passed at 40 yrs old. His bones and tissues helped over 40 people.

[Sea Dog]

2 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

 

I'm so sorry about Eric's mother. My thoughts will be with her and your family.

 

 

2 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

One of my favorites is the old classic All Mine to Give. It's not on very often, usually very late at night once or twice during Christmas season. I always cry at the end.

 

Oh I forgot about that one. It's a good one and yes I cried at the end too.

 

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

We’ll miss you too. The funny thing is the reason we booked this cruise to replace Allure turned out to not be necessary as the problem we had is now resolved. That being said Hawaii was always in Sharron bucket list so I’m glad we got to do it. 

 

i think we’re lined up to be on Harmony at the same time as you. Say hi so your great husband. 

 

I was wrong.  It was Pride of Hawaii that we were on.  I hope you both are enjoying all the natural beauty of Hawaii. Say Hi to Sharron. Yes, we will be on the same Harmony with you next December.

  

3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

We were thrilled to see the Volcano on our Hawaiian cruise years ago.  The Captain announced about what time we would be passing.  Awesome experience!  It was at nighttime, and we could see the Lava flowing down the mountain, and see the steam from the lava hitting the Ocean.  I was jealous of those with telescopic cameras who were able to take close-up pictures.  My camera was somewhat useless...

 

That was exactly what we saw, too.  It was really an awesome sight when you see the lava flowing and hitting the ocean.  From far away, it looked like fire. And then you realize the mighty force of Mother Nature.

 

3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

That should be interesting to see!  We saw it from our ship...enjoy!!

 

Sorry to hear about how damaged your chimney was.  Would your home insurance cover the cost of repair? (Sorry I quoted the wrong thing above)

 

2 hours ago, Coralc said:

Oh yes! That was pretty incredible when Kilauea was erupting in 2006. And the Captain on Serenade took us very close. About 300 meters. 😃 Just steal these photos. I "borrowed" them from someone else. Mine just looked like fog, with a glow from all of the steam 😃I even had them printed and put them in my photo album. But I do that with a lot of folk's photos, that are posted on Cruise Critic. People that were on the same cruise. Except one of Harry's, of an awesome iguana in FLL. 

 

 

That was the year we were there, 2006.  I did take some pictures but I think they turned out looking like orange glob.  

 

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

 

I'm sorry to hear this, Debbie.

[Ozark_Kid]

14 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

One of the fun things we've done on Allure on a sea day, was looking for the "little wonders". Here's the list

 

6 hours ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

Wow, that is a long list of "little wonders" to discover on Allure.  I will make a copy of the list and try to check off all the wonders and treasures

 

Wow.  I did not know there were that many.  I remember seeing a couple a few years ago when I found the one bow last month but I did not know that there we so many more.  I copied the list for January. 

[Coralc]

55 minutes ago, FromSea2ShiningSea said:

 

That was exactly what we saw, too.  It was really an awesome sight when you see the lava flowing and hitting the ocean.  From far away, it looked like fire. And then you realize the mighty force of Mother Nature.

That was the year we were there, 2006.  I did take some pictures but I think they turned out looking like orange glob.  

 

My photos did. That is why I think these look so much better. ☺️ And they were nice enough to share them.

[Ozark_Kid]

3 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

Sorry that this is happening. Sounds like a tough time for you and Eric.  

[aussielozzie18]

8 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Aloha from Kuhului, Maui, Hawaii.

 

we are enjoying our time visiting Hawaii so far. Yesterday was a fun day. We rented scooters and toured the island. We spent a good part of it at the Maui Ocean center but travel around and saw the sights. I quite enjoyed watching the surfers. The waves were quite good according to the surfers I met and talked to. 
 

As for the ship, Pride of America, we have mostly enjoyed our time on board. It is a. beautiful ship and well maintained. I would say the buffet, Aloha Cafe, is smaller than any Royal Windjammer I have ever been in. Due to the nature of the small size that means a more limited selection. That being said, I thought the quality was very good. 
 

So far we have had one dinner in the buffet and one in the main dining room. The main dining room experience leaves a little to be desired. Their Freestyle dining, which they pride themselves on, is very chaotic. I prefer a set traditional ding time or the MTD that allows me to book my time in advance, limiting my wait time. That is not an option here.  We arrived at the MDR last night and we’re told 30 minutes wait. It ended up being a little less that that but still to long for my tastes. When I want to eat I want to eat not stand in a hallway for half an hour.  Service was acceptable but lacking in what we are used to. The one exception to that was our waiters assistant. You could tell he was new but in spite of that, his effort and personality vastly made up for it. Our waiter was efficient at first but then disappeared half through the meal never to be seen again. The head waiter for our section should find a new line of work. We had no problem but the interaction with the couple sitting next to us was horrible.  
 

Bar service is both good and bad. Thankfully, I’ve found “my” bar and and bartenders so I can avoid the bad and enjoy the good. 
 

Entertainment is similar to what we have experienced on a ship like Serenade.

 

There is no casino. 

There are chickens everywhere you go all over Maui. 
 

More experiences yet to come. Stay tuned to this channel for breaking updates. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful photos.
 

 Now those are my kind of waves.  It’s been decades since I surfed but they like the perfect size to me.

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Sorry that this is happening. Sounds like a tough time for you and Eric.  

 

+ 8 😪, Debbie & Eric @Sunshine3601

[grapau27]

18 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

+ 8 😪, Debbie & Eric @Sunshine3601

+9

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

Sending our prayers 🙏 for Eric's mam Debbie.

Graham.

[grapau27]

[dani negreanu]

1 minute ago, grapau27 said:

 

Ohhhh, yummi.... Coquille saint jacques? First on my list to eat when we'll be in Venice, and DH planning to cook from Rialto market's fresh products 😉

[Ocean Boy]

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

She must have been developing symptoms for a while. One does not suddenly decompensate from a "leaky" valve unless something else occurred to trigger the issue.

[Sunshine3601]

44 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

She must have been developing symptoms for a while. One does not suddenly decompensate from a "leaky" valve unless something else occurred to trigger the issue.

Yes, she was in the hospital for 4 or 5 days in October with edema.  Last spring they said she had Afib brought on by leaky valve.   Early this summer her cardiologist added microzide to her daily meds of metropol, eliquis and amlodopine.

The ICU doc told me her heart valve is severely damaged.

I just spoke with ICU Nurse and they said she is stable now and they will decrease ventilator to 80% this afternoon and keep us posted.

[Husky1987]

Good morning St.Maarten…has always been my favorite island.

 

[Ocean Boy]

25 minutes ago, Husky1987 said:

Good morning St.Maarten…has always been my favorite island.

 

 

St. Maarten is my favorite also. My next cruise is not going there.😔

[h20skibum]

26 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

St. Maarten is my favorite also. My next cruise is not going there.😔

Something tells me you may get a new favorite on your cruise going to Aruba and Curaçao.  
 

Those have become our new favorites. 

[Ocean Boy]

27 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Something tells me you may get a new favorite on your cruise going to Aruba and Curaçao.  
 

Those have become our new favorites. 

I have been to both before. It is family memories on St. Maarten that move it to the top of the list. However. Both Aruba and Curacao are up there too. 

[akcruz]

11 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Eric's Mother was admitted to the hospital due to problems breathing.   Eric received a call from ICU Dr. Saying she came in with oxygen levels around 60.  Hypoxema due to a leaky heart valve she has known about for several years.  

For now they put her into an induced coma and have her on a ventilator and some sort of compression blanket on her chest.  Dr asked if she would be okay with this or does she a living will or DNR.   Dr said she really needed the valve replacement and is now far too unstable and weak to endure the procedure.  

Time will tell.   

 

Prayers for your mother in law.

[Keksie]

16 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I have been to both before. It is family memories on St. Maarten that move it to the top of the list. However. Both Aruba and Curacao are up there too. 

I haven't been in a long time but I really liked Curacao.  Aruba was ok but not my favorite.  I haven't gone there on a cruise but my favorite island that I could go back to over and over is St. John USVI.  It has been a long time but I liked the laid-back atmosphere and all the beaches.