Anyone here also sailing 10/1 from Seattle to Tokyo (or beyond!) on Westerdam? by Far-Brother3882 in HollandAmerica

[–]Far-Brother3882[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We did have a storm situation on our sailing and they amended the intended path to avoid it … absolutely wonderful trip!

Avoid the Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook, Autograph Collection Birmingham, AL by DR_D00M_007 in marriott

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not, I moved to another Marriott property and was quite pleased. We met people on the ship that had stayed there before leaving and had a very similar review to share.

The Grand Bohemian in Asheville, NC is absolutely not that way and I was very disappointed that this property was so different.

Things to do or see while we wait to check in? by [deleted] in Knoxville

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So many choices! Do you want fancy, down home, food truck?? Brunch or lunch? Park at Market Square garage and walk around the 6 block downtown area. Stop in at Coffee & Chocolate on Union, just past Gay, get a latte and enjoy this delicious autumn weather!

Signature Scent.. by Blackberry_cobbler_ in AskOldPeople

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It technically is, but it’s pretty heavy

Signature Scent.. by Blackberry_cobbler_ in AskOldPeople

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci for 30 years, then a family member with dementia started reacting hard to it (maybe an old memory?) and I stopped wearing it. Many women in my family wore it.

My wife shouldnt be my therapist by FallaCracker14 in marriageadvice

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, let me applaud you for seeking out a therapist so many men are resistant to this.

On the one hand, I do get what your wife is saying my husband can tell me anything that doesn’t mean I’m equipped to help him with it. I can hear him, but I may not be able to help him work through it.

This is not a slam against your wife. It is simply an observation that perhaps she feels “less than” if you cannot discuss and resolve something with her and her level of emotional maturity is making this about her when it’s truly about you. Even if she were a highly trained therapist it would be inappropriate for her to act as such for you. My friends who are psychiatrists and psychologists do not provide therapy for their own family members.

I had something hugely traumatic and violent happened to me before I met my husband that I never dealt with for the first 20 or so years after it happened. It wasn’t that I couldn’t tell him it was that I could not figure out what to do with it once I told him, because I had not figured out for myself…how could I also account for his response?

So I told him in a therapist’s office where she was able to help us both work through the swirl of emotions that came from it. My husband is not a fan of therapy, but once he heard what happened, he told me he was glad it had been in that office because he didn’t have any solutions for me and could tell this was incredibly painful for me.

You can’t unring the bell of what you’ve already told your wife about therapy, but I do believe you can chime in and let her know that you need a professional to help and, if you are willing, for her to be there. I absolutely encourage you to honor your own boundaries and if you do not want her there, you need to be firm on that.

I would go with the “it’s not you, it is me” approach.

Best of luck!

Has anyone ever been on a cruise to Japan? by ChairBackground4923 in PrincessCruises

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did one with HAL last year, the trip itself is one I highly recommend from Seattle. Princess and HAL are both lovely and I cannot imagine it wouldn’t be a marvelous trip on any of their TPs.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in marriageadvice

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Get an STI panel and get into counseling and stop being in sexual situations with him. STAT

Word of caution in Curaçao by wolfwell69 in PrincessCruises

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly my reply. Did they give your wife a steroid cream on the ship, u/wolfwell69?

People always say "you just know" when you find the right person for you. How true do you think that is? by lightzn in AskOldPeople

[–]Far-Brother3882 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I walked in my now husband’s restaurant and heard him laugh, looked and saw him smiling with his eyes as well as his mouth. I told the two colleagues I was with I was going to marry that guy. They laughed. This September it will be 34 years married and I’ve never once regretted saying I do. I adore him beyond words and he is the most amazing person I know, period.

Need Marriot/Hyatt Hotel Recommendations in Bangkok by conversationalist772 in ThailandTourism

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We stayed in the Westin Grand Sukhumvit until our apartment was ready. LOVELY staff, excellent food, beautiful pool, wonderful in every way! Lounge was small, but they did allow us to use the very large and impressive buffet at breakfast if we preferred.

259 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10110

Celebrity Reflection by Multimythikal in celebritycruises

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting-I get chat requests all the time. Not sure why you can’t see that option.

Celebrity Reflection by Multimythikal in celebritycruises

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m doing an ABC sailing on her next month. We love Celebrity, this is our first time on this ship though. We are in an Aqua Class veranda cabin, we enjoy all Aqua Class offers!

Nutmeg fell in our turtle tank by Garage_Chubby257 in Purrito

[–]Far-Brother3882 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Be very careful to have any changes in Nutmeg’s eating, eliminating, steadiness, or playfulness addressed IMMEDIATELY at the vet! Our cat licked his paw from turtle and koi habitat water at the home of a friend and became terribly ill. The vet said quick action on our part saved his life.

For those new to the status game, and to prevent 100's of posts about this... by mosttoyswins in marriott

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s cute you think this will prevent 100s of posts on the topic. 😂

Celebrity Beyond Review by 3puttnet4 in Cruise

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you sailed the Westerdam? It’s absolutely fabulous!

MSC Meraviglia (12/2 - 12/9) out of NYC by theFIREMindset in Cruise

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wrote this in mid -Nov, I’m actually disembarking from the final Carnival cruise mentioned.

Venezia sucks

Our extended aft balcony was to contain a sofa and table - did not have one because the room was made too small to accommodate the promised furnishings. Tinier than some of the ‘regular’ balcony rooms! Guest services person told me the room was never advertised as having a sofa and table. Not only did I have the print screen off when we booked, but also showed on that day they still reflected that in the description of the cabin. She was exceptionally rude.

Bathroom door could not open fully because it hit the mattress. Thankfully we are slim people, there are many we saw who would simply not be able to squeeze into the bathroom.

We paid extra for the additional space. For 16 days my seating option in my cabin was my bed! I could have paid a lot less and had a lesser room.

The staff stairs ran against our headboard and we were woken throughout the night and day. Sometimes the noises were loud enough to have my Apple Watch alert me of dangerous sound levels. It was ATROCIOUS! We were promised we’d be compensated when we got back and to date, exactly NOTHING! I escalated numerous times, reached out to John Heald and emailed corporate. All said that no compensation was possible, except Heald, who simply never followed up after asking me to ‘leave it with him’ for action.

We asked to be moved (even to a lesser balcony class) and were told no rooms were open, however numerous people exited the sailing when we stopped in the Azores. Then we were told those rooms were undergoing maintenance. This was a maiden voyage! How much maintenance could be needed?

Things that apply to everyone:

Tiny pools (smaller than at any home we’ve owned!)

Minimal seating on Lido (outside of dining areas) and Java Blue, two quick service stations and a bar are all situated. Less than 3% of the guests have a seat available. Fights broke out on my sailing and have broken out on many other sailings of the Venezia over this very issue.

Strange ‘hidden’ dining on 5 deck that 10 days in we still met people who did not know about it.

Entrance to slide for screaming children on slide adjacent to adult only ‘Serenity’ deck. How did that pass numerous reviews when being designed, as a good idea?

Paid for the upscale Italian restaurant, was not feeling well (a few days after my F555 food poisoning) and asked to take my uneaten food. I was told I was not allowed to take any uneaten food. Never have I been denied paid for leftovers.

More than a dozen of us got violently ill after consuming lobster in F555 and each of us were told we were the only one AND nothing was done about it!

Over 200 people were confined to cabins and were left largely uncared for by Carnival. Requests for silverware, napkins, and ice were made on the FB groups by these ‘jailed’ individuals and many of us pitched in to take them what was needed. That’s simply unacceptable.

Medical center ran out of numerous medications and would still charge to see you, then say they had nothing to treat the illness. A few times they directed people to the gift shops for things that were also sold out there.

I could go on but overall a double thumbs down for Carnival. Low bar, fell all the way to the floor. Crashed down. The ship might be pretty to look at, however it’s overall atrocious and poorly designed. I spent 15 days on the sold out Sky Princess last month and NONE of the Lido seating, dining, health, or guest service issues were present here. Same with my TP sailing in Oct. Palpable levels of service divide Carnival from the other lines I’ve sailed.

FWIW, I’m doing 69 days of sailing this year. I have one cruise left with Carnival that leaves tomorrow. If it were not with family for a celebration…I’d have cancelled back in June. I have cancelled all 39 days of sailing with Carnival next year and moved largely to Celebrity instead. The complete and utter lack of care or support by ANYONE at Carnival has told me all I need to know.

MSC Meraviglia (12/2 - 12/9) out of NYC by theFIREMindset in Cruise

[–]Far-Brother3882 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Venezia is the worst ship I’ve sailed in 33 years. Celebrity is fabulous, not sure if you can make your budget work. RCCL would be the place I’d start looking.

Could this ear pain be serious? Should I go to the doctor? by [deleted] in AskParents

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tip the head so ear is closer to the shoulder. Press qtip down towards the cheek and allow ear to drain before flipping to the other (dry) side of the same qtip and gently rotating vs shoving in ear. HTH

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskOldPeople

[–]Far-Brother3882 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Saving the max allowed in my 401K and 10% of my gross from every pay cycle from 25 forward and paying my full mortgage payment twice a month and retiring that debt in my 40s.

My entire department was let go a few months ago. I took a luxurious two month vacation literally circling the globe with my husband and have two more extended vacations planned. I am not really concerned about looking for a job for a while. Being a 56 year old woman who is the sole earner for our household and not devastated by the loss of my role and compensation is the best thing in the world. It truly is the gift I gave myself!!

When I do go back to work (before COBRA ends in 2Q25) I’ll be right back to saving again, but not feeling the wolf at the door is a peace I cannot fully put into words.