Stories from the Sales Frontlines

explorerx4

You and the soon to be MRS tjc78 enjoy your honeymoon.
While you're away, I'm going have to start raking leaves.

abacomike

...i'm going to have to start raking leaves...

Why do you start taking leaves? You mean to tell me the trees lose their leaves? Why does that happen? Where does that happen? Sure wish I knew!

tjc78

Thanks!

oldfarmer50

"...Leak from valve cover gaskets..."

I'd be more concerned about that white stuff running out from in front of the wheel.

I had leaks from the valve cover gaskets on the Vette. What a mess but a pretty cheap fix. If that was the only thing wrong with that Chrysler it would make a fair beater for $850. These days it's tough to see a running car in any condition for under $2000.

stickguy

Yowzah.

You can get a van service a lot cheaper, but that is being packed into an econoline for 2 hours.

Heck, for $100 I'll take you up in the Odyssey. For $125 you can ride in the RDX.

fezo

Always an angle. I like that.

Ah. Raking leaves is something I don't have to worry about this year. Actually I never worry about it. I keep mowing the lawn and let the disintegrate into nice mulch. This year I'll pay a kid to do that.

Of course, Mike, that's another one of those South Florida thing. In Tallahassee the leaves fall. Of course they don't have time to do a proper autumn so one day the leaves all turn brown and fall. I don't recommend it as a place to experience fall. In two months or so new leaves start growing.

explorerx4

Mike,
I could send you some leaves. Just don't dry and smoke them.

abacomike

just don't try to smoke them

I'm "game"! At this point, I'll try anything!

stickguy

where are you going on the cruise? Too bad you can't go out of Philly. I don't do cruises so no idea where you can get to out of Philly.

abacomike

Raking leaves is something I don't have to worry about...

We've had so much rain in the last 6 weeks that the grass has grown so thick (our grass is crab grass - only grass that can handle the sub/heat/humidity) it's actually choked out all the weeds from growing. Lake Okeechobee is 2 feet above normal and still filling up. Yesterday we had 2" of rain and today only an inch. I'm seriously considering pontoons for the car so I can "float" to the shopping mall. My dealership provides complimentary carwashes whenever you want but the car hasn't had a chance to get dirty.

abacomike

I don't do cruises so I.....

Down here in Ft. Lauderdale we have 20 cruise ships in and out of Port Everglades each week or so - better than the Port of Miami where you have all that traffic and MIA is one terrible airport. Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood airport is probably the best airport to fly in and out of and airfares are much less compared to Miami. Palm Beach is starting to get a few cruise ships also and PBI is even easier to fly in and out of. But Port Everglades is where the new super cruise ships come and leave from. Queen Mary II uses that port during the winters.

oldfarmer50

"...our grass is crab grass..."

I think it's mainly St. Augustine grass in the south. Very course but durable and heat tolerant. Northern grass like Kentucky Blue needs lots of water and cool temps. It really suffered this summer with the drought which allowed the crabgrass to flourish. The wild turkeys with be fat this year from eating all the seeds,

tjc78

I don't think anything goes out of Philly these days. NY is becoming a busier and busier port.

We are on a Caribbean itinerary. San Jaun, St Martin, St Thomas, and Samana. There are two sea days out and two back.

We would certainly need the Minivan.

driver100

We are on a Caribbean itinerary. San Jaun, St Martin, St Thomas, and Samana. There are two sea days out and two back.

Have a good time! Let us know what kind of cars they are driving.

btw, my friend with the Maserati just bought a Fiat 500 with 5000 miles on it. He goes to California for most of the winter, but, if he has to be here he can't drive the Maserati in the winter. Absolutely no traction in the snow, and it is so low to the ground it will get caught if there is just a little bit of snow.

See, it isn't always perfect having something like a Maserati....every one has their own problems.

graphicguy

tjc...major congrats on the upcoming nuptials.

The GF and I love cruising. I know Craig loves to cruise, too.

What ship are you on?

We've sailed Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise lines. We really like Norwegian. We're booked on their new ship, Breakaway, this upcoming June.

Regarding the parking in downtown Chicago. My colleague, who rented a car, paid $400 just for parking and valet tips for a 7 day stay. I thought that was crazy. Parking cost more than the rental car.

Explorer....would love to hear of your shopping escapades.

tjc78

Thanks GG! We are on the NCL Gem. We are also big fans of NCL, the freestyle dining and all the choices really appeals to us.

Breakaway looks fantastic. We will get on that ship eventually!

Our first choice was Epic for our honeymoon but the 9 day intinerary out of NYC was too good to pass up. We locked in at a great rate, which has since gone up over 500/person since we booked it.

graphicguy

tjc....very cool. Never been on the Gem. But, I looked at it before booking the Breakaway, since both are going to Bermuda. We've already been all over the eastern and western Caribbean.....never to Bermuda.

Breakaway is new, so that's what we decided on.

Went on Epic when it was first sailing......great ship. Loved it.

And, you're right....Freestyle is the only way to go. Plus, we find the service and entertainment to be better on Norwegian, too.

You'll have fun!

tjc78

We went to Bermuda last year. In a word, fantastic! I would go back in a heartbeat!

isellhondas

We have taken probably 7 or 8 cruises.

We have used Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Norwegian.

ALL were excellent but we would place NCL in 3rd place out of that group.

Would we take NCL again? Of course! Both of us just felt the food and service wasn't up to the others.

Out of the three, we would give top score to RCL.

But, that's us!

tjc78

Someday I wouldn't mind getting on RCL's Oasis or Allure. I think all the mainstream lines do a pretty good job from what I read. I've only sailed on NCL and loved it, so why switch?

graphicguy

Craig.....one thing I've learned about cruise lines, they do have their loyalists. Nothing wrong with that as the cruise lines reward loyalty (much like the airlines USED to do).

TJC...regarding the Oasis and Allure of the Seas (which are just about identical), GF and I sailed the Allure this past May. It is BIG...biggest cruise ship sailing today, I think. But, that presented its own set of issues. The free food venues served what I could best describe as cafeteria food. There was good food available, but you had to pay extra for it at the "for fee" restaurants on board.

There was never a time that I wasn't "shoulder-to-shoulder" with other passengers at any of the ship's venues. There was always a fairly sizable line to do anything. In short, I felt like it was a cattle call to do anything.

They did try their best to mitigate the mass of people on board. But, I think they've probably hit critical mass on the Allure and Oasis twins.

I've never had a bad time on a cruise. This last one was no exception. However, I don't think I would make Royal my first choice...since I'm not loyal to any of them.

Norwegian's Epic is almost as big, but it seems they do a much better job of personally tending to their passengers.

driver100

It is BIG...biggest cruise ship sailing today,

IMHO I like smaller cruise ships personally. The fewer passengers the better, but, that's just me.

robr2

There was good food available, but you had to pay extra for it at the "for fee" restaurants on board.

Wasn't having fine dining included in price of the cruise supposed to be one of the things that set cruising apart from other vacations? Now it's seems that the goal is the cram as many people onto one boat and have them eat at Old Country Buffet.

To be honest, I've never been on a cruise as it doesn't appeal to me.

tjc78

Thanks for the advice on the mega ships GG. I was afraid that may be the case. I'll at least get to see Oasis as we will be docked alongside her in St Martin.

robr2,
On our cruise the food in the main dining rooms, buffet and other free venues was very good. The food in the cover charge places ($10-25 PP) was outstanding.

I still think cruising in one of the best values for vacationing. It has changed from years past, but still quite an experience.

imidazol97

The one thing I keep hearing about the attraction of taking a cruise is that it seems to be oriented around food. The last thing I need is to be somewhere that the primary activity is eating.

Friends of ours have taken some cruises. They come back with a new list of "friends" they met on the boat. They've even planned booking another cruise with some of them. I don't picture us making new friends just from sitting at the same assigned table like our friends have done. Of course, our friend is the type who starts talking to anyone in a checkout lane while waiting...

tjc78

I don't picture us making new friends just from sitting at the same assigned table like our friends have done

That is why you cruise with NCL. The restaurants are like they are on land. There are many different table sizes and you eat when you want with who you want. If you are the type that wants to meet new people they will seat you with others, or you can just get a table for two like we do.

They aren't focused only on food, there are tons of activities throughout the day. Yes, there is food everywhere but you don't have to eat it!

abacomike

I heard on the News this morning and this afternoon that major banks have experienced a cyber attack on their internet and online servers and sites. They mentioned Bank of America and Chase, and several others that I cannot recall.

For the past two weeks, I have had difficulty using the online banking services of my major bank. I have contacted the bank and their internet departments, fraud departments, and the like, to try to get this resolved. For 2 weeks when I asked if the bank was one of those that had experienced a cyber attack, they denied it. Today, finally, they admitted that it did happen.

At the present time, the only difficulty I am having with getting on to the site is with the iPhone application. If I am using my AT&T data 4G network, I can get in. If I am using WiFi, it won't allow me in. So, to get into the site on my phone, I have to use the 4G Network. Not so bad, something I can live with for sure. End of Story? NO!

Yesterday I received an email supposedly from my bank asking me to sign on to my accounts using their link on the email to verify my information. So, knowing I had problems with the bank, I gave them the info they wanted. When I tried to send the info, Explorer stopped working and I guess either sent the info out or the Norton AntiVirus software would not let it go out. In any case, my info may have gotten out - so I went to my branch and showed them to email. They told me it was "bogus" and to immediately change my user name and passwords on my accounts, which they did for me immediately. Then, they contacted their fraud department and the fraud department made me send them to email from my IPhone, which I did. When they got the email, they said that it was not generated from them, but rather it was a Phishing email. They put a fraud alert on my accounts anyway to make sure my credit card, checking accounts and CD's are not accessed without proof of Picture ID's. They said I could make out checks, but that they would not be able to charge the checking account with electronic transfers until next week to make sure the accounts have not been compromised.

The reason I posted this was to alert all my friends here on SFTSF to be aware of what is going on and that major banks are being victimized on their websites and internet banking was affected. But remember, this took place over two weeks ago, so from what they tell me, they have finally gotten a handle on most of the issues. As for my inability to log into my accounts when I am on my smart phone and on WiFi, they have not gotten to the bottom of that problem yet.

I would just recommend that if you have accounts at a "major" bank, that you go in and change your user name and password just to be on the safe side. I was told that this should be done every 4-6 months anyway for our own protection.

robr2

Yesterday I received an email supposedly from my bank asking me to sign on to my accounts using their link on the email to verify my information. So, knowing I had problems with the bank, I gave them the info they wanted.

Don't ever, ever click on a link like that in an e-mail. Always use your browser to reach your financial institutions.

You were phished. Your bank should shut down the affect account immediately.

abacomike

you bank should shut down the affected account immediately

The put a fraud alert on the accounts. Withdrawals from checking can only be made by check or in person at the home branch by picture ID or Debit card. Withdrawals from the CD can only be made at the branch with picture ID. Credit card use has been closed and new cards are being sent to me with new account number. The have changed the account numbers on all my checking, savings and CD accounts.

The bank's fraud department doesn't believe the info got out because I have Norton 360 Identity Protection which they said stopped Explorer from sending out the email.

But yes, very stressful and ominous. I did a full virus and phishing scan on my computer, and it shows no risks or security issues - Norton was updated just prior to the full 2 hour scan.

Thanks for the advice!

laurasdada

Went to Bermuda last weekend (JetBlue vacation pkg. not a cruise) as a surprise birthday "dinner" for the wife. What a beautiful place! The sand is fabulous, the Atlantic was turquoise and warm and the people are friendly.

Not inexpensive (little known fact, at least I was told by a distinguished local as a fact, minimum wage is $16/hour, no income tax. Didn't notice sales tax on food or clothes we bought), especially staying at the Fairmont Southampton. But, for a special occassion, just lovely. And they have a free 3x/daily ferry that runs between the Fairmont Southampton and Hamilton. You can use the facilities at both. And, becuase of a technical issue with one of the two rooms I had booked, we were upgraded to a 3 room/3 full bath suite! Sweet!

Two hour flight from Boston, US Dollar is the currency (along with Bermuda dollar). Fabulous, we look forward to a return trip. Once the old piggy-bank grows much fatter...

laurasdada

I second Rob's message. ALWAYS be suspect of links in emails, especially from "financial" institutions. Real banks/investment firms/IRS, etc. don't communicate like that through email.

Even friend's/relatives', as email accounts can be hijacked/spoofed. I keep getting emails "from" my sister-in-law with nothing but a link in the message. It ain't from her and the link will not improve my life in any way!!! Although, there do seem to be a lot of nice folks from Nigeria that want me to help them xfer some large amounts of money. That's probably legit... :shades:

robr2

Bermuda isn't cheap. They don't have any income, sales, vat et al taxes. But the do charge employers a payroll tax, have high customs duties and have a hotel tax.

There isn't a minimum wage in Bermuda but my understanding is that there is a huge gap between rich and poor. As a tourist, you only get to see the good side.

graphicguy

robr2,,,,TJC is right. There are the "free" venues (like the cruise ships' buffet or main dining room). Those are the places that on my last cruise on Allure of the Seas, that reminded me more of the food you'd find at a mall food court.

I think it's a relatively recent phenomena for cruise lines to offer extra "fee" restaurants.

The "fee based" restaurants on board are really a pretty good deal. Food and service both are usually outstanding. And, the fee is ordinarily about 1/5th the price of a similar dining experience at a very nice land based restaurant.

I also agree, that there are people who only go on a cruise because of the food. Stay away from those folks. They'll knock you down in the buffet line (not really an exaggeration).

In all seriousness, if you can't find something you like to do on a cruise ship (and the subsequent ports of call), then you'll probably not enjoy vacationing in any exotic locale.

tjc78

Everyone, please please heed the advice given above. Never click on ANY links in an Email from anyone!

I have seen these emails from so many institutions. Citibank, Wells Fargo, Amazon, Best Buy, Sears, Home Depot etc etc I also get them from co-workers with hi-jacked accounts.

If you get an Email that you ***Think*** may need your attention, open up a new browser window and go to the place and login. If something needs done there will be an alert there.

Another great tip is to not type your site directly into the browser bar. If you make a mistake by a letter or two there is a good chance you can be directed to a "spoof" site. You are much better off typing where you want to go into Google.

laurasdada

Thanks, Rob. My art gallery manager/actor friend said it was little known that there was indeed a minimum wage of $16/hour there. And, that for the first time in (recent?) history, 6% unemployment.

On the ride from the airport in Nassau to Atlantis, indeed it was easier to see some of the "poor" in the Bahamas. The ride to/from St. George Bermuda to Southampton, not so much. We could see "lesser" housing, but I wouldn't associate it with "poor."

In Hamilton, prices seemed more reasonably expensive than at the resort. As expected. But, it was a special birthday for a special person. I think, once we were upgraded to the suite, that even my 16 y.o. daughter approved of Dad's surprise! They thought we were going to Block Island. Which, is also quite lovely.

tjc78

I didn't see any "poor" areas in Bermuda, but I'm sure the buses from the Dockyard avoid that for the tourists.

Going to Bermuda by cruise ship is much more economical than staying there. The hotel and food can get pricey very quickly!

We stopped for lunch at a place in Hamilton while off the ship and for two sandwiches and two Rum Swizzles it was $60!

By the way, a chain restaurant called "Bahama Breeze" has Bermuda Rum Swizzles on their menu. We were very disappointed, not even close to the real thing!

stickguy

stop over some day and I can fire you up a real rum swizzle. I still have some Goslings 151 rum from my honeymoon (if this stuff gets better with age, it will be really good by now!) and a board with a swizzle recipe. though the mix might be stale by now...

tjc78

still have some Goslings 151 rum

Might have to take you up on that! Good Stuff! That drink is all over Bermuda, we had a couple....

laurasdada

"The hotel and food can get pricey very quickly!"

Yes, indeed. $4 for a bagel at the Fairmont, $3.50 for a yogurt cup. In Hamilton, the bagel was "only" $2.50! Restaruants are expensive, wife wouldn't let us go into the KFC in Hamilton to check out the price. But at the Quiznos on Paradise Island, the sandwiches were ~$10+. No bargain on an island...

We've cruised 2x, once honeymoon, once with family. I enjoyed, the rest of la familia, not as much. If I had surprised them with a cruise, I don't think it would have been enjoyed as much. Luckily, my kids know where the money tree grows in our back yard. I haven't found it yet.

abacomike

I was up at the dealership this morning for a carwash and happened to ask my service director what oil they use in my E350. He said that Mercedes uses only Mobil 1 on all their cars and that's what the dealership uses at oil change intervals. It' called Mobil 1 "M", but it is not the extended mileage oil. I believe the "M" indicates Mercedes OEM oil, unless someone has heard of Mobil 1 "M" and it means something else.

They use the 5W-40 viscosity, which surprised me. I would have guessed 10W-30, especially in the warmer climates, but he said 5W-40 is used throughout the U.S.

I wanted to buy a quart to keep on the car, but couldn't find the M designated 5W-40. Any suggestions? (I can buy it at the parts dept. but that would be pretty costly, I would imagine).

robr2

Mobil 1 Formula M:

Applications
Mobil 1 Formula M 5W-40 is approved against Mercedes Benz MB-229.5.

per Mobil.com

abacomike

per Mobil.com

Thanks for the site, but the bad news is that it is available ONLY at Mercedes Benz Dealers. It must be specially formulated for just Mercedes Benz.

driver100

To be honest, I've never been on a cruise as it doesn't appeal to me.

Cruises aren't for every one. If you like sunning by the pool and lots to eat and drink, maybe gamble it is a low cost way to do all those things.

I will say, the cruises we have been on were worthwhile because we saw a lot of great places and our hotel was with us. I would like to travel around Europe on my own, but just don't have the time or the patience to figure out where to stay or how I am going to get to the next place to visit.

In one cruise you can see Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Germany and St Petersburg Russia (which would be very difficult to do on your own).

On another, we went to Greece, Turkey, Egypt (not recommended these days) Rome,

And a Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Dabrovnik trip.

So, you see a lot of places, at reasonable cost, there is entertainment at night, all the planning has been done for you. And, it would be a logistics nightmare to plan all that yourself.

So, there is a time and place for cruises.

driver100

Thanks for the site, but the bad news is that it is available ONLY at Mercedes Benz Dealers. It must be specially formulated for just Mercedes Benz.

Come on Mike. If you can afford to drive an MB E350 you can afford to spend an extra $3 on a quart of oil....and buy the right stuff. Your the one who wanted me to get my oil changed more often to protect the car. You should spring for a few bucks and get the proper oil.

If they are making synthetic oil of the highest quality they may as well make it 5W 40 so that it will have maximum performing qualities no matter the temperature.

I am just having some fun but really, you won't pay much more for MB oil and how much do you use in a year. Maybe 1 quart, with Driver Dollar Averaging thats probably 1 cent a day!

driver100

The last thing I need is to be somewhere that the primary activity is eating.

Smart thought. If you are disciplined you can eat carefully and in some ways you can keep the calorie count in check by choosing carefully. One thing about buffets, there are usually lots of salad and fruit things.

I don't picture us making new friends just from sitting at the same assigned table like our friends have done.

Sometimes we take a chance and sit with other people. This can work out really well at times, at others it can be deadly. Once we sat with a lady who couldn't remember anything. She asked my wife her name and then evey 5 minutes asked her the same question. Once we were on with a guy in his late 80s who retired from GM, had nothing to talk about...it was like pulling teeth to have a conversation. Other people are great. Some we keep in touch with, others you just have to let it go. You do have choices, and when we sat with the one's that didn't work we just got a table for 2. Of course, that is when we met another nice couple who had a table for 2 because they had the same problem. So, we hung out with them and had a good time.

isellhondas

As far as I'm concerned there is no better vacation value than a cruise! For the price of a seven day cruise a person would be hard pressed to stay at their local Holiday Inn.

The best part is the fact you can do whatever you want to. If you want to sleep all day or lie on deck reading a book you can. If you want to attend art auctions, listen to a lecture, gamble or drink you can do that too!

Non stop entertainment that you can enjoy or stay in your cabin. Great food, above average buffets and a ever changing view.

You can spend as much or as little as you want to. A beer on our last cruise was 7.60 including a 15% tip that they automatically add on. A hard drink is about a dollar more.

There will always be someone taking your photo. If you see one you like you can buy it. Otherwise not. I can't begin to imagine how many unwanted photos are thrown away every year!

Shore excursions are available or you can explore the ports of call on your own...just be careful where you go!

The ships get a cut of everything. Even the reccommended stores they send you to in town get a cut of the auction

The "fee added" private restaurants on board serve wonderful food and it's not expensive. I believe we paid something like 15.00 each for the best steaks we have ever had.

So, you can spend a little or you can certainly spend a lot on "extras". That's up to you. All in all, I say NOTHING beats a cruise for value and fun!

robr2

Cruises aren't for every one. If you like sunning by the pool and lots to eat and drink, maybe gamble it is a low cost way to do all those things.

I'm not much of just hang around type. For me vacation is about getting out and doing things.

In one cruise you can see Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Germany and St Petersburg Russia (which would be very difficult to do on your own)...On another, we went to Greece, Turkey, Egypt (not recommended these days) Rome...And a Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Dabrovnik trip.

Although you can see many places in a short time, I'd rather see fewer places in the same amount of time. I'm more partial to exploring an entire city or area over 3-5 days instead of only having 15 minutes at 6 sites over a day.

Just my personal preference.

graphicguy

I was up at the dealership this morning for a carwash and happened to ask my service director what oil they use in my E350.

OK....wait.....wait.....wait....just a minute. I know I flit in and flit out a lot, and miss probably a good number of posts. But....Mike.....the last I heard, which wasn't all that long ago, you had a GS350.

Is that gone? Replaced with another E350?

[Deleted User]

You sound surprised. :P

abacomike

Mike...it's gone?...replaced by another E350?...

That'll teach ya to poke in more often!

If you go back to posts on this site from September 10th, plus or minus a day or two, you will actually see pictures of the new Diamond White E350 Sport as well as price, equipment, and comments.

As I posted, a Lexus GS350 is no Mercedes E350 by a long shot. Besides, MSRP was $64,860 and with USAA pricing, it was sold at $57,500. They gave me a great trade value on the Lexus so I jumped at it. 2013's have a few more goodies like APPS and other good stuff but you are not overwhelmed by the technology - which was too distracting. I don't miss it one bit!