but one interesting (and cheap) cruise option is "dead heading".
After our Baltic cruise we could have done that....I think it takes 10 days from England to New York with stops in Iceland, Newfoundland, Boston, all for just $500 and all the food you can eat.
After 10 days of sailing I sure didn't need 5 more days of cruising when you can take a plane and be back in 7 hours. Only people with lots of time and that can eat huge amounts of food would want to do this.
to appeal to those who like to travel in packs -- very large packs.
You and JM make some excellent points about the negative side of cruising. Don't forget you will also spend a good part of your time in a tiny room, where you will hardly be able to turn around. Most cruise people are pretty old and a bit senile. People we were placed with for one lunch would ask a question like "Where are you from?" and then ask the same question 5 minutes later. I think it is their one big trip of the year and they have everything done for them and can eat as much as you want. They feel like royalty for 2 weeks.
As far as the tours go we never go with the group. They take you to places where you have to buy stuff with places the cruise line gets a commission on. It's more interesting walking around.
Having said that, this will be our 2nd and final cruise, but how else can you see 3 places in Italy, 3 in Greece, stops in Turkey and Egypt? If we want to we can go back on our own.
I think people who like cruises like the fact you don't have to plan or think...it is all done for you. Food, the bars and the casinos are things some people enjoy. Also, elderly people who aren't very mobile. Whatever turns some people on!
As far as the tours go we never go with the group. They take you to places where you have to buy stuff with places the cruise line gets a commission on. It's more interesting walking around.
We went on a cruise on our honeymoon and I don't think any of the tours we went on took us anywhere we could buy things. Not to say that there were times we didn't go off on our own and explore the shopping nearby, but the tours didn't take us there,
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
My wife and I feel the same way you do. We even try to do most of our daily shopping etc. during the off hours. One cruise was enough for us. We don't like structured tours either and like to do things at our own pace. No packs, no crowds, I'm happy.
As much as I hate to disagree with you, my wife and I love to cruise. I fought it for years - mainly because I knew they would not let me drive, Then, thanks to LR, we won a Masters cruise that is awarded to the top 15 Sales Guides in the US and Canada. It was a 7 day South Carribean. At the stops we did not do the tours arranged by the sip, but at the end of the pier we found plenty of options to choose from. We did our shopping on our own. But I must admit, what got me hooked was being back at sea. My favorite days were the days at sea. Nothing like being out on deck at sunset or sunrise and just the calm of a transit - and not having to stand watches. Cruising is now our (next to seeing the grand kids) favorite vacation.
They are happily retired and traveling the world on a lengthy cruise. Let's respect their privacy and try to stick a little closer to the designated topic. Thanks.
My wife & I did a honeymoon cruise in 2002. It was August, the itinerary was Alaska, and we were on Holland America's Volendam.
We had a great time on the HA ship. We always had the best spot in every port. Some ships had to ferry their passengers ashore or docked further away, necessitating long walks to get to town. For on-ship activities we did several things but never ran into major crowds. I don't even recall there being long lines for the formal dinner; just a few minutes to wait before being seated. Most evenings we spent in a smaller lounge listening to a quartet play classical music. The pools were never overly crowded and even when stopped in Glacier Bay there wasn't much waiting for food (which they cooked on-deck at pool-side).
Overall we called it a decadent experience. Though we avoided the midnight buffet I still averaged gaining a pound per day.
Re: in a mob
Ever checked into a hotel in Vegas? I've been more than 20 deep in line at Luxor with every last registration lane open. It was about as painful as the lines at Walmart on Black Friday (though not as bad as the one time I spent two and a half hours in line at Fry's .. it took that long even with 74 checkout lanes open). Checking in on our cruise was so much less of an event that I barely recall the process. No major lines. The only mob part was the obligatory life boat training which everyone promptly forgets.
Re: shore excursions
We did them but we aren't thrill seekers nor are we huge spenders. Also, the wife is afraid of heights. Trips like the helicopter ride that lands on a glacier were out as was the cable car up the side of the mountain.
We did the train ride from Skagway ( http://www.wpyr.com/ ) which had historic value. The train was moderately full but nowhere near packed. Ketchikan saw us take a duck boat tour ( http://www.akduck.com/ ) so that was limited to 20 or so people. In one of the other towns we did an excursion up to pan for gold (predetermined success from the pans they provided so everyone's a winner but you were also free to pan away in the river). Size was limited to two passenger vans.
From what we experienced it seemed the tour operators knew how to manage crowds and kept them moving or broken down into groups small enough to manage easily & quickly. After all, they make their money on the churn so efficiency matters.
Re: town overrun by cruisers
I could easily see that. It wasn't one ship docking at a time it was, well, pretty much all of them. Of course we were part of the crowd as my wife likes to get trinkets for friends & relatives. To avoid the worst, we moved further away from port right away since the throngs were mostly stopping at the first shops they saw. Besides, the shops closest to port were usually not the best value.
In short, you can avoid the on-shore mobs easily enough. Also, there are excursions that aren't very expensive and have historical & knowledge value in addition to just sight seeing.
I've done some off-season vacations to avoid the crowds and have had mixed success. Back around '90 or '91 I went to Florida with my first wife. We went just after tourist season and were able to score cheap hotel rooms and nearly empty beaches. However, on the down side the weather was exceptionally hot & humid (103 degrees in St. Augustine as I recall) which dampened our enthusiasm. Off-season is off-season for a reason.
For this year, my wife has had to take personal time to deal with some family health issues so vacation time is limited. We're looking at a week, maybe two, in September so it will be off-season for most places with school being in session. A cruise is out this time and I get more ticked off at the airlines with each passing day so I'm thinking it will be another driving vacation. Anywhere within a two day drive or roughly 1200 miles of Chicago is fair game unless we've been there before.
My favorite days were the days at sea. Nothing like being out on deck at sunset or sunrise and just the calm of a transit . . .
You make an excellent point -- I can see the value of that. Taking a ship from point A to point B across an ocean would be a worthy thing, given the joy that flying has become.
It's the artificial "if it's Tuesday we must be in Skagway" coastwise stuff -- piling off and on the ship multiple times to stand in line waiting to do some contrived event with dozens (if not hundreds) of other people that turns me off.
As always, different strokes. . .
And, regarding the Las Vegas checkin (post just above) -- that's a perfect example of what I never want to do again, and I've endured it a couple of times, when my mother lived in Vegas.
We went on a cruise on our honeymoon and I don't think any of the tours we went on took us anywhere we could buy things.
I am sure it depends on how long ago your honeymoon was. In the age of "anything for a buck" we went on some tours in China where they show you how pearls are made, then you get to buy them. Happened at the jade place, pearls, furniture, carpets etc. You don't have to buy but it's a waste of time. In the Mediteranean there wasn't as much of that, but still you pay about double to go on a tour, that you can go on yourself. You have to choose carefully though which ones to do with the group, because sometimes they can get you in faster and occassionally they have a guide who is informative and can speak English properly.
Some places like Russia it would be difficult and not safe to do on your own.
"anything for a buck" has now come to some grocery stores. Some chains are charging 5 cents a bag for plastic bags. They ask me if I want my food in bags before they start. What will I say, no, I will carry it out to my car in my arms! So, I pay for bags...50 cents a week. I kind of prefer the store where bags are free....don't insult me by charging for bags, just incorporate it into the cost of the groceries. That store is a lot further away though.
I know you could save your bags and bring them back. Then you drive around with them in your car for a week and they get germ infested from spilled food. Some things do not get better with time,...and finding more ways to rip off consumers is one of them.
As Craig mentioned....cruising isn't for everyone. I rarely do the structured activities. When disembarking, I go off exploring on my own. Rarely do I get involved in the "group" activities (depending on geographic location).
I've never had a bad meal on a cruise. Matter of fact, the meal rival some of the better (best?) restaurants I've ever been to. Service shipboard has always been outstanding. Give 3 (+) meals/day. A cabin (usually with a private balcony) that rivals the comfort and views of the best hotels I've stayed in. Top notch gym and spas, etc, etc., I don't know how it can be beat as far as value is concerned.
Back on topic....driver...I've helped people purchase cars in the past, given freely of my time to research and to help. When the person I've helped, then calls me to [non-permissible content removed] about what some other deal another person said the could have secured, I get very irritated.
Where was this cracker jack car buyer when you needed him/her? Why didn't he/she come to help when you needed it? And, what do they thing they could have done differently to make a better deal than I struck for you?
Like most things in life, it's easier to talk the talk, than to walk the walk.
driver....this weekend I had dinner at an alleged upscale restaurant. Food and service were indeed very good. The price of the meals reflected that fact. Dinner was my treat for my guest and another couple since all present had gone over and above doing things that normal friends would have done for me recently.
Anyway, I was happy to pick up the tab. When it came, my guest must have noticed the grimace on my face as she whispered in my ear...."what's wrong?". I showed her the bill and pointed to the separate line item that they had charged me for the ice that went into our drinks. Let me repeat that because I still can't believe it......THEY CHARGED ME FOR THE ICE THAT WENT INTO OUR DRINKS.
It was a modest amount of money. I paid the bill, but was still flabbergasted.
As we were leaving, the concierge asked how the meal was. I stepped aside and nudged him to follow me. When were went outside of earshot, I told him how disappointed I was that after such wonderful service and a wonderful meal, the restaurant was so "nickel and dime" to charge for ice.
He explained that they would have taken the charge off if I had protested earlier. And, that we could have received drinks without ice, upon request. I explained to him, that wasn't the point. Apparently, my protests were lost on him. He offered to take the "ice charge" off my bill, but I had already paid it and didn't feel like sticking around waiting for him to do so.
Lesson learned. Regardless of how good the food is, the service is, I won't be dining in that establishment again.
anything for a buck" has now come to some grocery stores
Obviously you are not an environmentalist. You can buy (my wife actually made) cloth or canvas bags. To be on topic, we put them in the back of the cars and carry them in empty and out full and do a little bit for the earth.
"They charged me for the ice that went into our drinks."
Good grief! I do believe that I have lived to hear it all. Like you, I would have been in a state of shock. That is absolutely insane. Talk about "Mop & Glo" in a restaurant!
THEY CHARGED ME FOR THE ICE THAT WENT INTO OUR DRINKS.
That is a new low, even by my standards. We have a little restaurant we like to go to. We often just have water as our beverage.....actually tastes good and is low in calories. When we asked for water we were told only bottled water available at $3 a glass. I understand, he doesn't make money on the water and food is low profit unless you buy alchol, but, it's just another rip off.
But charging for ice! Hope there isn't a surcharge for ice in the urinal.
I'm with you on that topic. We also use the canvas or cloth bags for the groceries. We have tons of nice cloth/canvas bags from our years as educators. It's just our little way of trying to help the situation. My wife washes them regularly and puts them back in the cars.
Obviously you are not an environmentalist. You can buy cloth or canvas bags.
I care about the environment but I know they can make biodegradeable bags - which I would gladly pay for, especially if it is included in the price of the groceries (we use them when we have sales for the public, they are actually stronger and are fully biodegradeable - and I believe that is why we have to pay the additional 5 cents a bag). I'll also pay extra not to get food poisoning. They have done tests on reuseable bags and they are full of bacteria.
These bags are recyclable, I just checked. By the way, if you get new bags each time it keeps the bag companies in business and the employees can buy more cars.
We've been on Alaska cruises three times and have never encountered crowds or lines. You can do as much or as little on a cruise as you want to. You can go on structured tours of wander off by yourself. In Mexico, I wouldn't reccommend doing this.
If you're not a "people person" I can see why someone wouldn't like it.
Also we have never been to a Midnight Buffet and we have never stuffed ourselves nor have we felt compelled to buy anything that is offered.
I hit first grade in 1950, in a very poor area of Arkansas. Wasn't there another friend, or parents, introduced later in the book?
I hit first grade in 1956 in western PA (steeltown). I remember a cat named Puff. What I took from it all was dads wear hats and kids wear shorts. That's why I still wear shorts wherever possible, especially to buy my new cars. Also I seem to get a better deal when I don't wear a hat, not kidding. And wearing shorts keeps you young.
This is 60 years of living and 40 years of car buying. Shorts and no hat is the way to buy a car. This answers a previous post as to what to wear to a dealership.
We are one hour from Raleigh, but 90 minutes from the airport
We have a book show in Atlanta in March. We might just try to arrange a trip to NC then. First, I'll have to find a copy of a yellow edition that includes Spot. Have to check out some garage sales maybe.
Holland America - We were the youngest on the ship.
There were a few younger folks on our cruise but for the most part I agree that the average age was much, much closer to retirement than to high school.
I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Older folks tend to be a little less tolerant of bad behavior and sloppy service so the crew knows they have expectations to live up to if they want that all-important post-cruise tip.
. Shorts and no hat is the way to buy a car. This answers a previous post as to what to wear to a dealership.
Thank you, I'll remember that. I might look funny during the winter in a blizzard, but they'll probably think I am crazy and give me a good deal just to get rid of me.
>Hope there isn't a surcharge for ice in the urinal.
I wonder if some people felt that was a joke about ice in the urinal. However, we used to stop at a very good cafeteria in Terre Haute, Indiana. One time the manager came into the rest room and threw a bucket of ice into the urinal. He explained it helps keep it "fresh."
I commented that just cleaning with disinfectant or ammonia usually would do a better job at killing bacteria that cause the smells.
We were driviing in a car from St. Louis to Dayton area when we stopped at the cafeteria!
Food does not fall out of my bags. All fruit, etc. that is unpackaged at the store is washed before consuming. The bags I bring have no more or less bacteria than the store bags do.
imid....restaurant is JAGS. I've been there many times before. It's within 10 minutes from where I live.
This is the first time I've ever seen a charge for ice in drinks. As mentioned, the food, the service are good. Maybe some of their customers will overlook it. I will not and consider it way over the top in what restaurants should charge for.
There are way too many other good restaurants in my general area which are just as good that I can throw my patronage to. None of them charge me for ice.
I can't imagine that any place would do this. I (as I am sure many of us here) have eaten at the fanciest restaurants to the biggest dives and never encountered this. I am sure as a percentage of the bill it was tiny, but like everyone else said its just principle. What's next charging a rental fee on the plates and silverware the meal is served on?
What're a few largely harmless bacteria among friends anyway? I don't even want to get started on how the relatively new obsession with destroying all bacteria, compulsively using hand sanitizer, etc., is ruining natural immunities and making people, overall, less healthy.
I won't eat nuts out of a community bowl at a bar or anything ridiculous, but grabbing an apple at a dealership, rubbing it on my shirt and eating it is unlikely to result in my demise. It's not on the CDC's leading causes of death.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
The charging for ice story brings something to mind.
For many years, Hondas didn't come with floor mats.
A nice set of carpeted floor mats is about 100.00.
So, we would take the liberty of installing floor mats in all of our new Hondas and we wold charge the customers for them.
Usually the customers would agree that having floor mats was a good thing and they gladly paid for them.
But, there were always a few, who after grinding th last cent out of the deal would point at the 99.00 charge and say.." What is THAT for?"
Then they would whine about how we should throw them in or demand they get them for free. Depending on the deal, we would sometimes give them the mats but a lot of times, we would pull them out and return them to our Parts Dept.
Picture someone selling a 25,000 car and then dragging a 99.00 set of floor mats out of the car!
They would usually say.." You would THINK that Honda wouldn't charge for a lousy set of floor mats on a 25,000 car!
And I would be thinking..." Well you would THINK that after spending 25,000 on a new car, you wouldn't be so cheap to not want floor mats".
After many suggestions from their dealers, Honda finally got smart. They raised the price of their cars by 100.00 and included floor mats! Everyone is happy now.
Now, the charge for ICE go's WAY beyond that! I would put that in a review!
I have eaten a lot worse than a rubbed apple and have survived to becoming an oldie - but a goodie. When I see kids dressed up like hockey players riding their bikes I wonder how we ever survived. I do ride the Hrley alot without a helmet. Maybe I am dumb, but life is to be lived.
Craig, Try a $100k car without the $187 mats. Now they come with carpet mats, but in our area everybody wants the thick rubber mats. The usually become a closing tool.
How about the people who had us remove the mats from their 30,000 Odysseys so they could buy a set of cheap rubber one size fits all mats and trim them with a knife?
Oh, they have to have leather and a sunroof but they are too frugal to spring for a nice set of mats that actually fit!
They talked about this on the radio show the other day and apparently things like the liquid from a chicken could get on the bag, then when you put other food in it contaminates the food - just like chicken that is left on the counter.
Remember, I am the king of safety...and I advise against taking unnecessary risks, for 50 cents a week (10 bags X 5 cents each).
At our book sale many people come in with cloth bags. In fact we sell them for $2 each and people buy them? Personally, Iwould never remember to take bags with me, and since they are biodegradable, and they keep people employed, I support the bag industry.
I care about the enviroment but not enough to bother with a cloth bag.
Once at work, we switched to styrofoam cups in our customer waiting area and you would have thought it was the end of the world for a small but VERY vocal number of customers.
I remember how mats were extras on Civics when I started selling Hondas in late 2003. I found it silly and so did most of my customers but what can you do? I'm glad Honda made them standard. I also think Honda was one of the last manufacturers to include roadside assistance too with their warranties.
What're a few largely harmless bacteria among friends anyway?
Sorry the article is a little long, but as the Minister of Safety for the Edmunds group I think this is very worthwhile. By the way, charging for bags just started here so it is a controversial issue.
Back to plastic? Reusable grocery bags may cause food poisoning Posted: May 20, 2009, 11:00 AM by Karen Hawthorne plastic bags, health, environment
Get out your bleach and launder those reusable fabric grocery bags after each use. You're not clogging up landfill with plastic throw-aways, but your environmental conscientiousness could make you sick.
A microbiological study — a first in North America — of the popular, eco-friendly bags has uncovered some unsettling facts. Swab-testing by two independent laboratories found unacceptably high levels of bacterial, yeast, mold and coliform counts in the reusable bags.
"The main risk is food poisoning," Dr. Richard Summerbell, research director at Toronto-based Sporometrics and former chief of medical mycology for the Ontario Ministry of Health, stated in a news release. Dr. Summerbell evaluated the study results.
"But other significant risks include skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections," he stated.
The study found that 64% of the reusable bags tested were contaminated with some level of bacteria and close to 30% had elevated bacterial counts higher than what's considered safe for drinking water.
Further, 40% of the bags had yeast or mold, and some of the bags had an unacceptable presence of coliforms, faecal intestinal bacteria, when there should have been 0.
"The presence of faecal material in some of the reusable bags is particularly concerning," Dr. Summerbell stated. "All meat products should be individually wrapped before being placed in a reusable bag to prevent against leakage. This should become a mandated safety standard across the entire grocery industry."
Don't use your cloth grocery bags for toting gym clothes or diapers or anything but your groceries to prevent possible exposure to a superbug called community-acquired MRSA, a highly antibiotic-resistant form of a common infectious bacterium, Dr. Summerbell cautioned.
The study was funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC), an industry initiative to promote responsible use and recovery of plastic resources. EPIC is a committee of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Conclusions from the study? This may have you gladly handing over the coins for plastic bags at the supermarket:
• The moist, dark, warm interior of a folded used reusable bag that has acquired a small amount of water and trace food contamination is an ideal incubator for bacteria.
• The strong presence of yeasts in some bags indicates the presence of water and microbial growth substrate (food).
• There is a potential for cross-contamination of food if the same reusable bags are used on successive trips.
• Check-out staff in stores may be transferring these microbes from reusable bag to reusable bag as the contaminants get on their hands.
• In cases of food poisoning, experts will have to test reusable bags in addition to food products as the possible sources of contamination.
Comments
After our Baltic cruise we could have done that....I think it takes 10 days from England to New York with stops in Iceland, Newfoundland, Boston, all for just $500 and all the food you can eat.
After 10 days of sailing I sure didn't need 5 more days of cruising when you can take a plane and be back in 7 hours. Only people with lots of time and that can eat huge amounts of food would want to do this.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
You and JM make some excellent points about the negative side of cruising. Don't forget you will also spend a good part of your time in a tiny room, where you will hardly be able to turn around. Most cruise people are pretty old and a bit senile. People we were placed with for one lunch would ask a question like "Where are you from?" and then ask the same question 5 minutes later. I think it is their one big trip of the year and they have everything done for them and can eat as much as you want. They feel like royalty for 2 weeks.
As far as the tours go we never go with the group. They take you to places where you have to buy stuff with places the cruise line gets a commission on. It's more interesting walking around.
Having said that, this will be our 2nd and final cruise, but how else can you see 3 places in Italy, 3 in Greece, stops in Turkey and Egypt? If we want to we can go back on our own.
I think people who like cruises like the fact you don't have to plan or think...it is all done for you. Food, the bars and the casinos are things some people enjoy. Also, elderly people who aren't very mobile. Whatever turns some people on!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
We went on a cruise on our honeymoon and I don't think any of the tours we went on took us anywhere we could buy things. Not to say that there were times we didn't go off on our own and explore the shopping nearby, but the tours didn't take us there,
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
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We had a great time on the HA ship. We always had the best spot in every port. Some ships had to ferry their passengers ashore or docked further away, necessitating long walks to get to town. For on-ship activities we did several things but never ran into major crowds. I don't even recall there being long lines for the formal dinner; just a few minutes to wait before being seated. Most evenings we spent in a smaller lounge listening to a quartet play classical music. The pools were never overly crowded and even when stopped in Glacier Bay there wasn't much waiting for food (which they cooked on-deck at pool-side).
Overall we called it a decadent experience. Though we avoided the midnight buffet I still averaged gaining a pound per day.
Re: in a mob
Ever checked into a hotel in Vegas? I've been more than 20 deep in line at Luxor with every last registration lane open. It was about as painful as the lines at Walmart on Black Friday (though not as bad as the one time I spent two and a half hours in line at Fry's .. it took that long even with 74 checkout lanes open). Checking in on our cruise was so much less of an event that I barely recall the process. No major lines. The only mob part was the obligatory life boat training which everyone promptly forgets.
Re: shore excursions
We did them but we aren't thrill seekers nor are we huge spenders. Also, the wife is afraid of heights. Trips like the helicopter ride that lands on a glacier were out as was the cable car up the side of the mountain.
We did the train ride from Skagway ( http://www.wpyr.com/ ) which had historic value. The train was moderately full but nowhere near packed. Ketchikan saw us take a duck boat tour ( http://www.akduck.com/ ) so that was limited to 20 or so people. In one of the other towns we did an excursion up to pan for gold (predetermined success from the pans they provided so everyone's a winner but you were also free to pan away in the river). Size was limited to two passenger vans.
From what we experienced it seemed the tour operators knew how to manage crowds and kept them moving or broken down into groups small enough to manage easily & quickly. After all, they make their money on the churn so efficiency matters.
Re: town overrun by cruisers
I could easily see that. It wasn't one ship docking at a time it was, well, pretty much all of them. Of course we were part of the crowd as my wife likes to get trinkets for friends & relatives. To avoid the worst, we moved further away from port right away since the throngs were mostly stopping at the first shops they saw. Besides, the shops closest to port were usually not the best value.
In short, you can avoid the on-shore mobs easily enough. Also, there are excursions that aren't very expensive and have historical & knowledge value in addition to just sight seeing.
I've done some off-season vacations to avoid the crowds and have had mixed success. Back around '90 or '91 I went to Florida with my first wife. We went just after tourist season and were able to score cheap hotel rooms and nearly empty beaches. However, on the down side the weather was exceptionally hot & humid (103 degrees in St. Augustine as I recall) which dampened our enthusiasm. Off-season is off-season for a reason.
For this year, my wife has had to take personal time to deal with some family health issues so vacation time is limited. We're looking at a week, maybe two, in September so it will be off-season for most places with school being in session. A cruise is out this time and I get more ticked off at the airlines with each passing day so I'm thinking it will be another driving vacation. Anywhere within a two day drive or roughly 1200 miles of Chicago is fair game unless we've been there before.
You make an excellent point -- I can see the value of that. Taking a ship from point A to point B across an ocean would be a worthy thing, given the joy that flying has become.
It's the artificial "if it's Tuesday we must be in Skagway" coastwise stuff -- piling off and on the ship multiple times to stand in line waiting to do some contrived event with dozens (if not hundreds) of other people that turns me off.
As always, different strokes. . .
And, regarding the Las Vegas checkin (post just above) -- that's a perfect example of what I never want to do again, and I've endured it a couple of times, when my mother lived in Vegas.
I am sure it depends on how long ago your honeymoon was. In the age of "anything for a buck" we went on some tours in China where they show you how pearls are made, then you get to buy them. Happened at the jade place, pearls, furniture, carpets etc. You don't have to buy but it's a waste of time. In the Mediteranean there wasn't as much of that, but still you pay about double to go on a tour, that you can go on yourself. You have to choose carefully though which ones to do with the group, because sometimes they can get you in faster and occassionally they have a guide who is informative and can speak English properly.
Some places like Russia it would be difficult and not safe to do on your own.
"anything for a buck" has now come to some grocery stores. Some chains are charging 5 cents a bag for plastic bags. They ask me if I want my food in bags before they start. What will I say, no, I will carry it out to my car in my arms! So, I pay for bags...50 cents a week. I kind of prefer the store where bags are free....don't insult me by charging for bags, just incorporate it into the cost of the groceries. That store is a lot further away though.
I know you could save your bags and bring them back. Then you drive around with them in your car for a week and they get germ infested from spilled food. Some things do not get better with time,...and finding more ways to rip off consumers is one of them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I've never had a bad meal on a cruise. Matter of fact, the meal rival some of the better (best?) restaurants I've ever been to. Service shipboard has always been outstanding. Give 3 (+) meals/day. A cabin (usually with a private balcony) that rivals the comfort and views of the best hotels I've stayed in. Top notch gym and spas, etc, etc., I don't know how it can be beat as far as value is concerned.
Back on topic....driver...I've helped people purchase cars in the past, given freely of my time to research and to help. When the person I've helped, then calls me to [non-permissible content removed] about what some other deal another person said the could have secured, I get very irritated.
Where was this cracker jack car buyer when you needed him/her? Why didn't he/she come to help when you needed it? And, what do they thing they could have done differently to make a better deal than I struck for you?
Like most things in life, it's easier to talk the talk, than to walk the walk.
Anyway, I was happy to pick up the tab. When it came, my guest must have noticed the grimace on my face as she whispered in my ear...."what's wrong?". I showed her the bill and pointed to the separate line item that they had charged me for the ice that went into our drinks. Let me repeat that because I still can't believe it......THEY CHARGED ME FOR THE ICE THAT WENT INTO OUR DRINKS.
It was a modest amount of money. I paid the bill, but was still flabbergasted.
As we were leaving, the concierge asked how the meal was. I stepped aside and nudged him to follow me. When were went outside of earshot, I told him how disappointed I was that after such wonderful service and a wonderful meal, the restaurant was so "nickel and dime" to charge for ice.
He explained that they would have taken the charge off if I had protested earlier. And, that we could have received drinks without ice, upon request. I explained to him, that wasn't the point. Apparently, my protests were lost on him. He offered to take the "ice charge" off my bill, but I had already paid it and didn't feel like sticking around waiting for him to do so.
Lesson learned. Regardless of how good the food is, the service is, I won't be dining in that establishment again.
Obviously you are not an environmentalist. You can buy (my wife actually made) cloth or canvas bags. To be on topic, we put them in the back of the cars and carry them in empty and out full and do a little bit for the earth.
We are one hour from Raleigh, but 90 minutes from the airport (between Raleigh and Durham).
Yes, the menu items still apply.
Richard
Richard
It doesn't sound like an actual potato salad dish because the liquid base is usually firmer than that. Still, I'm sure that it was delicious.
":...introduced later in the book?"
I only remember Dick, Jane, Spot, and Puff.
Richard
Good grief! I do believe that I have lived to hear it all. Like you, I would have been in a state of shock. That is absolutely insane. Talk about "Mop & Glo" in a restaurant!
Richard
That is a new low, even by my standards. We have a little restaurant we like to go to. We often just have water as our beverage.....actually tastes good and is low in calories. When we asked for water we were told only bottled water available at $3 a glass. I understand, he doesn't make money on the water and food is low profit unless you buy alchol, but, it's just another rip off.
But charging for ice! Hope there isn't a surcharge for ice in the urinal.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
I care about the environment but I know they can make biodegradeable bags - which I would gladly pay for, especially if it is included in the price of the groceries (we use them when we have sales for the public, they are actually stronger and are fully biodegradeable - and I believe that is why we have to pay the additional 5 cents a bag). I'll also pay extra not to get food poisoning. They have done tests on reuseable bags and they are full of bacteria.
These bags are recyclable, I just checked. By the way, if you get new bags each time it keeps the bag companies in business and the employees can buy more cars.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
If you're not a "people person" I can see why someone wouldn't like it.
Also we have never been to a Midnight Buffet and we have never stuffed ourselves nor have we felt compelled to buy anything that is offered.
Cruise to Bahamas at Easter: Drunk college and high school students on spring break. It was the cruise from Hell.
Cruise to Bermuda: All seniors with one foot in the grave. It was depressing.
Cruise on the Black Sea: Wonderful---informative, entertaining, interesting passengers, unusual food dishes that were delicious
Cruise to Costa Rica---We're going at Christmas this year. Results TBD.
Richard
Wasn't there another friend, or parents, introduced later in the book?
I hit first grade in 1956 in western PA (steeltown). I remember a cat named Puff.
What I took from it all was dads wear hats and kids wear shorts.
That's why I still wear shorts wherever possible, especially to buy my new cars.
Also I seem to get a better deal when I don't wear a hat, not kidding. And wearing shorts keeps you young.
This is 60 years of living and 40 years of car buying. Shorts and no hat is the way to buy a car. This answers a previous post as to what to wear to a dealership.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
Holland America - We were the youngest on the ship.
May I ask the restaurant name? Is it owned by Joseph Auto Group?
Did you overlook the charge for clearing your table?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I guess in other parts of the world, people don't care?
In that case, you had better wash all of the jars, cans, and packages that you purchase at the grocery store. There is no escaping bacteria.
Richard
We have a book show in Atlanta in March. We might just try to arrange a trip to NC then. First, I'll have to find a copy of a yellow edition that includes Spot. Have to check out some garage sales maybe.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Richard
I mean the bad kind from spilt food.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
There were a few younger folks on our cruise but for the most part I agree that the average age was much, much closer to retirement than to high school.
I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Older folks tend to be a little less tolerant of bad behavior and sloppy service so the crew knows they have expectations to live up to if they want that all-important post-cruise tip.
Thank you, I'll remember that. I might look funny during the winter in a blizzard, but they'll probably think I am crazy and give me a good deal just to get rid of me.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I wonder if some people felt that was a joke about ice in the urinal. However, we used to stop at a very good cafeteria in Terre Haute, Indiana. One time the manager came into the rest room and threw a bucket of ice into the urinal. He explained it helps keep it "fresh."
I commented that just cleaning with disinfectant or ammonia usually would do a better job at killing bacteria that cause the smells.
We were driviing in a car from St. Louis to Dayton area when we stopped at the cafeteria!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Richard
LMAO!! You will go to any lengths to win an argument! What a character you are.
Richard
And no leaching chemicals from the plastic!
This is the first time I've ever seen a charge for ice in drinks. As mentioned, the food, the service are good. Maybe some of their customers will overlook it. I will not and consider it way over the top in what restaurants should charge for.
There are way too many other good restaurants in my general area which are just as good that I can throw my patronage to. None of them charge me for ice.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
I won't eat nuts out of a community bowl at a bar or anything ridiculous, but grabbing an apple at a dealership, rubbing it on my shirt and eating it is unlikely to result in my demise. It's not on the CDC's leading causes of death.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
For many years, Hondas didn't come with floor mats.
A nice set of carpeted floor mats is about 100.00.
So, we would take the liberty of installing floor mats in all of our new Hondas and we wold charge the customers for them.
Usually the customers would agree that having floor mats was a good thing and they gladly paid for them.
But, there were always a few, who after grinding th last cent out of the deal would point at the 99.00 charge and say.." What is THAT for?"
Then they would whine about how we should throw them in or demand they get them for free. Depending on the deal, we would sometimes give them the mats but a lot of times, we would pull them out and return them to our Parts Dept.
Picture someone selling a 25,000 car and then dragging a 99.00 set of floor mats out of the car!
They would usually say.." You would THINK that Honda wouldn't charge for a lousy set of floor mats on a 25,000 car!
And I would be thinking..." Well you would THINK that after spending 25,000 on a new car, you wouldn't be so cheap to not want floor mats".
After many suggestions from their dealers, Honda finally got smart. They raised the price of their cars by 100.00 and included floor mats! Everyone is happy now.
Now, the charge for ICE go's WAY beyond that! I would put that in a review!
Oh, they have to have leather and a sunroof but they are too frugal to spring for a nice set of mats that actually fit!
They talked about this on the radio show the other day and apparently things like the liquid from a chicken could get on the bag, then when you put other food in it contaminates the food - just like chicken that is left on the counter.
Remember, I am the king of safety...and I advise against taking unnecessary risks, for 50 cents a week (10 bags X 5 cents each).
At our book sale many people come in with cloth bags. In fact we sell them for $2 each and people buy them? Personally, Iwould never remember to take bags with me, and since they are biodegradable, and they keep people employed, I support the bag industry.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I might be right, I might be wrong, but I tell it the way I see it!
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I care about the enviroment but not enough to bother with a cloth bag.
Once at work, we switched to styrofoam cups in our customer waiting area and you would have thought it was the end of the world for a small but VERY vocal number of customers.
I didn't care one way or the other.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
I've carried an Auto Club card since I was in high school. I think we've sued it twice in the past 20 years.
Roadside assistance is one more thing I really don't care about.
Nothing is ever "included". It is simply rolled into the price.
National Geographic
Bags
Let me know your reaction.
Sorry the article is a little long, but as the Minister of Safety for the Edmunds group I think this is very worthwhile. By the way, charging for bags just started here so it is a controversial issue.
Back to plastic? Reusable grocery bags may cause food poisoning
Posted: May 20, 2009, 11:00 AM by Karen Hawthorne
plastic bags, health, environment
Get out your bleach and launder those reusable fabric grocery bags after each use. You're not clogging up landfill with plastic throw-aways, but your environmental conscientiousness could make you sick.
A microbiological study — a first in North America — of the popular, eco-friendly bags has uncovered some unsettling facts. Swab-testing by two independent laboratories found unacceptably high levels of bacterial, yeast, mold and coliform counts in the reusable bags.
"The main risk is food poisoning," Dr. Richard Summerbell, research director at Toronto-based Sporometrics and former chief of medical mycology for the Ontario Ministry of Health, stated in a news release. Dr. Summerbell evaluated the study results.
"But other significant risks include skin infections such as bacterial boils, allergic reactions, triggering of asthma attacks, and ear infections," he stated.
The study found that 64% of the reusable bags tested were contaminated with some level of bacteria and close to 30% had elevated bacterial counts higher than what's considered safe for drinking water.
Further, 40% of the bags had yeast or mold, and some of the bags had an unacceptable presence of coliforms, faecal intestinal bacteria, when there should have been 0.
"The presence of faecal material in some of the reusable bags is particularly concerning," Dr. Summerbell stated. "All meat products should be individually wrapped before being placed in a reusable bag to prevent against leakage. This should become a mandated safety standard across the entire grocery industry."
Don't use your cloth grocery bags for toting gym clothes or diapers or anything but your groceries to prevent possible exposure to a superbug called community-acquired MRSA, a highly antibiotic-resistant form of a common infectious bacterium, Dr. Summerbell cautioned.
The study was funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC), an industry initiative to promote responsible use and recovery of plastic resources. EPIC is a committee of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Conclusions from the study? This may have you gladly handing over the coins for plastic bags at the supermarket:
• The moist, dark, warm interior of a folded used reusable bag that has acquired a small amount of water and trace food contamination is an ideal incubator for bacteria.
• The strong presence of yeasts in some bags indicates the presence of water and microbial growth substrate (food).
• There is a potential for cross-contamination of food if the same reusable bags are used on successive trips.
• Check-out staff in stores may be transferring these microbes from reusable bag to reusable bag as the contaminants get on their hands.
• In cases of food poisoning, experts will have to test reusable bags in addition to food products as the possible sources of contamination.
Read more: Reusable Bags
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250