Tom-n-Cheryl

Nope - same bucket, anyway you look at it!

Not really - it all goes into the same eventual big bucket!

It's all Carnival, accept it 😉

They are a lot more generous with their "Drinks on Us Everywhere" "bribery" program though. 😁 I recall, pre-Covid, the only way to get (what was essentially) free CHEERS was to book an Elite cruise. Now virtually all my casino offers include it. I will say, that is a carrot worth several hundred! Tom

We've enjoyed it three times on the Reflection, and will be back for a 4th time tomorrow evening! We didn't see any kids during our prior meals there. I found the food to be very good - though sometimes, when it's busier, the service can slow a bit (understandably). Tom

I sailed through them once - and, due to circumstances, played way less than my average. Needless to say, that didn't go over well - but mainly resulted in termination of contact/offers from them for years. They've since started emailing me again. I assume you had some documented losses to offset that? --- Regarding BCC, I used to get 60% off suites, now I'm down to 5%. I think, however, booking though them yields a refundable deposit? I just called them this morning, as the Sky Suite I had booked on the Beyond for later this year (for 1 of 2 legs) went from $9,300 to $4,700... that was quite the savings, just for a phone call !! Tom

Quite possibly !! The TRS-80 was the "biggie" on my Christmas list one year. Only years later, after realizing the adjustment for inflation, did I realize how big an ask that was of my parents. Late 70's, I was that kid in high school who was in the chess and computer clubs... yeppers... Tom

Lest we forget those who > Cruise Carnival as they would NEVER sail with that "uppity" Royal Caribbean >Cruise Royal Caribbean as they would NEVER sail on that "Walmart cruise line" Carnival. Yep - people cruise for almost as many reasons as there are cruisers ! Tom

(Mentally) going back to my internet beginnings. We'll, I should back up a bit and admit that my first computer was a TRS-80... early model (4K ram, cassette recorder/drive). I never went as far as to build a kit computer though. I subscribed to BYTE magazine (should have kept issue #1, lol). HECK, why didn't I keep all that stuff... and my baseball cards too ! ! ! Tom

I can't say I've ever heard of that 🙂 Tom

Us CC'ers, we're a diverse group - with a shared obsession. 🙂 Tom

You could get a ~12 oz Miller Lite with a splash of alcohol, or get a can (nearly 20 oz) of Hazy IPA at close to 7% alcohol. Apples to apples it ain't. Tom

Ugh... heading to Melting Pot this afternoon for a birthday (to pay to cook my own food). I'll keep a smile pasted on my face - LOL Tom

I don't think I've used mine in perhaps a year. They do work great for roasts, and a rib recipe I tried. The last one I tried was a major fail. As it turned out, the recommended temp for the beef roast recipe I went with was right at the low cut-off point (long/slow cook), and instead of a tender and succulent roast (hey, it may have been, but)... we managed to brew up a potent batch of lactobacillus - it had a very pungent odor when I opened up the bag. I suppose if this had happened during the year or so after I had COVID, I would have been unaware! Tom

I wasn't proposing that as being a savings, but it does come with some other perks as well - that some people will value, others not. Having a dedicated suite restraunt for THREE meals each day (no silly "brunch") is something we enjoy. Reserved seating at shows could be handy - we've used that a couple of times, allowing us to come shortly before a show a get a decent seat vs. having to arrive way earlier. Again, there's a cost to everything. Tom