el-kabong

Roads closed, no worries as there is always the shoulder and the best thing is the speed limit doesn't apply to the shoulder but only the roadway! Just GO, baby GO!! :D

 

On US290 there aren't any shoulders right now, so we're left with "trying to flip vehicle over barrier" as an alternative. *sigh*

Thanks E&B, FC - I don't remember that being an option last time we were on. The buffet always had good food, but having restaurant-type service is a real treat. Absolutely worth looking a bit presentable for!

(and I work up enough of an appetite on vacation that I could end up doing both!)

Hi folks, it's been a couple years since we have been on Magic, and we're only a couple days away now!

I see there's now something about a 'dining room breakfast', which I hadn't heard of before. Anyone know where I can find out more? I like finding nice places to eat and sit and drink coffee and if I can surprise her with a new one for us, that's always fun.

Any recommendations? Nice morning spots on the boat?

FOUR! one two three FOUR! it's been an insane year at work so I am really so very ready to go.

I find the balcony is the most fun place for adult fun games

"Ma'am, I requested a plank and a keel-hauling rope. This is a category 5B cabin, and the brochure clearly says we are supposed to have one available. *sigh*. Don't make me book my next cruise somewhere else!"

I purchase it for big items like a cruise - the "downside" is big enough that I would hate to just eat the cost of a week-long trip for the two of us. On the other hand, the one time I did try to make a claim - for delayed (by two days!) baggage on an international trip, the insurance company (a normally very reputable one) made it difficult to file a claim for the small but perfectly legitimate costs of getting some basic toiletries, a toothbrush, a cheap shirt, and a pair of clean socks - all of which were badly needed after 24 hours in planes and airports in the middle of summer.

60 days, 19 hours. Not that anyone's counting!

I've taken a surge protector type with me for years and have never had a problem.

 

One precaution is to not overload the outlet, plugging in too many things at once or you will trip the circuit breaker and not have any outlet until someone comes to reset it.

Chances are good you never will have an issue, but I can absolutely understand their concern. A consumer-grade surge suppressor is (was?) designed to protect expensive electronics from high-voltage transients (less of a concern now than it was 20 years ago, but I'll explain later). They work by sensing a high-voltage condition and shunting that current back into the supply, but in doing so, they (especially *consumer-grade* equipment) can get very, very, very hot. This would be bad enough in a business office or even a home, but much worse on a crowded cruise ship.

Anyhow, the reason I say they aren't as important as they used to be: Early PC's had a lot of electronics which were, frankly, "early efforts". Switching power supplies and the high-voltage section of CRT's often failed for no apparent reason, and manufacturers, sometimes even managing to keep a straight face, blamed "voltage transients". Retailers loved it because it offered a chance for an up-sell, consumers liked them since it made them feel more in control of an unpredictable and but potentially high cost.

While power supplies and computing devices have gotten much more reliable, surge suppressors have not always done so, and continue to be subject to frequent warnings about shock and fire hazards. As surge suppressors "age", the components in them become more prone to catastrophic failure.

TL;DR: If you can get a "plain jane" power strip, they are a good investment and may have useful things like USB ports which are much more useful these days.