bobmacliberty

Correct. These bourbons, and several others, are on allocation, meaning that the demand is significantly higher than the supply. They are very difficult to find in a store. Depending on the store, they are sometimes limited to just the store's best customers or are sometimes first come/first served with people sleeping overnight in the parking lot. You almost never are able to walk into a store and find it on a shelf. PA (and a few other states) has the added twist of all liquor stores being managed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. This is a leftover from the end of prohibition. PA also has 2 different "levels" of liquor stores with some spirits only being available in "Premium Collection" stores. The good news for this lottery is that prices look reasonable. These bourbons are often sold on a secondary market for a significant premium over MSRP. Do a search for Blanton's Gold and you'll see that it typically sells for $200+ a bottle rather than the lottery price of $120.

Did you get any sleep last night Greg? Seems like you were posting through most of the night. I can't wait to read about your Soggy Dollar adventure. Although expensive, I bet that the private boat ride will make the trip that much better. I've got the webcam loaded up just waiting to see you guys arrive. Have a great day!

And a Sidney, OH. It's not far from Lima, OH, which is pronounced like the bean, not the capital city of Peru. Credit goes to me if you happen to successfully use this info in a trivia contest.

Sorry, but Taylor and OB are no longer a thing. She's moved on from OB to TK. The good news OB is that she will probably write a song about you now.

And if I remember correctly, John had a few add-ons during the cruise.

(Subtly shifting away from MTD discussions)...Greg - What's your favorite drink so far? I'll ask the same question at the end of your cruise after you've tasted the entire drink menu. Did you bring a drink checklist, a la John?

Believe it or not, Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey is the "official whiskey" of the Buffalo Bills. For big games, we'd do group shots after TDs. Not much of that lately. ☹️ While the shots themselves are kinda tasty (and low in alcohol), I don't think it would mix well with pineapple juice. Yuck. But I appreciate Greg that you sacrificed yourself and tried it for the rest of us. 🍹👍

It really is a shame how bad the MDR experience has become on Royal. I used the think that was a strength of theirs. Now it's a stressful mess, often with just so-so food.

Morning sustenance!!

MDR first night is always a mess. You'd think by now that they'd know how to adjust. In my experience, calling ahead with a request has less than a 50% chance of being met. The dreaded "shore side didn't talk to the ship" excuse. Things should get better now that they're past the first night confusion and know your needs!

Any idea how "colossal", the colossal shrimp are? According to Meriam-Webster, they should be "of an exceptional or astonishing degree".

Aaaaaand, we're off!

Looks pretty good. I'm adding it to our "to watch" list. Thanks Lenny.

Bon Voyage!

Good, because you'd shoot your eye out.

That's true in theaters with high stages, but that's not usually a problem in Royal theaters. We watched Chicago on Allure from the first row and it was great. I generally prefer sitting further back to get a wider view, but sitting within a few feet of the performers really gives you an idea of how talented they are.

We went here for a drink after snorkeling in Bonaire. The water was an amazing shade of blue and crystal clear. Cool place.

You always have such interesting music references. I found Suave Side of the Moon on YouTube and listened to the first song (Speak to me/Breathe). I'll definitely be listening to the entire play list. As a Pink Floyd fan, it's a great listen.

Weller 12. $22 a pour at a hotel bar in Seattle. Worth every penny (twice). I haven't tried the 107 so I can't compare. I usually go with "tomato juice" rather than grape juice. 😜

Sad indeed that he's gone, but a pre-cruise drink is a good reason to finish him off. Maybe now you can replace him with his big brother?? Unless your buddy can hook you up though, that would probably cost as much as a cruise. Maybe his slightly older cousin Weller instead. That's still my all-time favorite, although I've never tasted any of the Pappy family. I hope you have a good selection on board.

In Florida, it's called liquid sunshine. With your positive attitude, I'm sure you'll have a great time no matter what. Too bad there's no St. Maarten/Gulmohar's this trip.

Have a great cruise Greg! Enjoy a Painkiller for me (in addition to one for yourself). The Soggy Dollar Bar is still on my bucket list. Some day. And I loved watching the video (again 😜).

It's great that your DH has his holiday mojo back. Hopefully you'll find some great new spots to visit. We've found that our interest in cruising has actually gone down in retirement. It's much easier to take short trips somewhere and for longer land trips, having a couple of weeks to really experience a place is nicer than an 8 hour port day. We will still cruise when we have a specific itinerary in mind, or if it's a larger family thing (like we're doing next year). But with the recent increase in prices and a reduction in quality, there likely won't be a lot of cruising for just the two of us. It's sad that this is what cruising has become for us as we really have loved it, and we recently became D+. Spending 2 weeks in Italy, or Scotland, or Japan for example, just seems more appealing.

We did the same. Not sure what we'll do in NYC in January. 😧

I may have told this story here before, but many of us are at an age where we tell the same stories over and over again so... When my brother got married 30 something years ago, his reception was in half of the large ballroom at a Marriott hotel in Buffalo. The other half was used by the New England Patriots who were in town that weekend to play the Bills. That was when Doug Flutie played for the Pats. Both my mother and father were from the Boston area, so many of our aunts and female friends of our parents were visiting from Boston as well for the wedding. When they heard that Flutie was next door, they "crashed" the Patriots side of the ballroom so they could meet/see/touch/feel/breath that same air as Flutie. They were like teenaged girls seeing the Beatles come to America. I don't know what magic powers Flutie had (still has?), but he was able to drive women of a certain age crazy.