Ret MP

Avocado flavored Crisco that grew on the tree for several months: Add onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, lime juice, garlic and salt, bam, Guacamole. Love it. LOL

Because a chicken has no lips!

Guacamole! Nuff said.

Coming to a Cruise Line near your:

Their soft serve, as far as I'm concerned, is about at the lowest end of the "ice cream" hierarchy. It's no better than "ice milk" as far as I'm concerned. However, any port in a storm. I eat it. As far as the dipped ice cream in the restaurants, I like it but I don't know what the brand is. We don't do ice cream unless it is a special trip to the ice cream shop, usually. I do like Hershey Ice Cream. I won't even look at a container of Ben & Jerry's. However, when we do by ice cream at the grocery store, the best ice cream I've ever had is Publix brand ice cream. Man, it's good. Publix is a grocery chain in the S.E., for those that aren't familiar with it, and I'd say they are just a cut above Kroger's, a lot above IGA, Winn Dixie, and most of the other big box/national grocery brands.

LOL, being from Montreal Canada originally and of English decent, I was brought up on Blood Pudding/Sausage for breakfast. Sliced and pan fried in butter. Loved it. Haven't had it in decades, though. Haggis is a Scottish meal, the national meal, I believe. My grandparent were from England and they loved Haggis but they didn't have it often.

Liver and onions, kidney, tripe, haggis, asparagus, and more scare the crap out of me!

YES!!!!!! And I thought I was the only one that prefers my Pop-Tarts (Brown Sugar and Cinnamon) untoasted. My wife and I love Pop-Tarts and have for decades. She likes hers toasted and I don't. After 49 years of marriage, she still has to say, "I can't believe you eat those things untoasted". Now I just laugh and continue to stuff my face.

Yep, I've had gastric sleeve surgery. I've only got 15% of my pouch (Stomach). I carry a card in my wallet that identifies me as a gastric sleeve patient and asks restaurants, eating establishments, to allow me to order from the children's menu, if I so desire. There are lot's of valid reasons for people to order food from the children's menu, not just because of what's available on the main menu or not. However, it's nobody's business what I order or why I order it. To me, it's like wearing shorts or a hat to the MDR on "Formal" nights. Why someone wears shorts is nobody's business. It's possible that their luggage was lost and not found yet. It could be that the hat is covering a very visible medical condition and so on.

Discussions about gratuities almost always generate, let's say, energetic discussions. I'm a big proponent of the gratuity/tipping system. Here's a few reasons why: 1. Good/professional tip earners in good tip generating venues (Restaurants, Valet Parking Attendants, Grocery Baggers, ........) control their own wage. Minimum producers don't, not generally. Many, especially the overachievers make a lot more than minimum/living wage, a lot more. 2. As a consumer, I can control and have immediate feedback for the service I receive. In a hourly wage situation, minimum producers make the same as the overachievers, not good! 3. I look at tip earners like I do piece workers, they get paid by how many widgets they assemble. I pay a tip earner for the level of service they provide. For me, it starts at 15% and will go up or down from there, usually up. 4. Good/professional tip earners don't want a minimum/living wage. They're better than that and they know it. 5. If I knew that a tip earner was being paid a minimum/living wage like they do in Australia and other countries, I don't think I would give a gratuity unless it was extremely great service. But, like I've said in the past, a guaranteed minimum wage almost guarantees a minimum level of service by far too many employees, NOT ALL but far too many. Now, if you are a tip earner in a very low-end business, you may make more if you would get minimum wage/living wage. But, if you don't have the skills, energy, or made some very bad life choices to improve their place in life, I probably don't want you serving me anything anyway. Just a short "no BS" story: My best friend's son married a girl that was, shortly before they got married, a bartender at a very popular bar (Marco Polo) on Miami Beach. In just 3 or 4 years of doing that, she paid off her student loan(s), and saved enough money to put 50% down on an upper middle class home in West side of Davie, Florida. They got married after she became a very successful and respected Broward County Shariff's Deputy with no debt or very little. As a Director and General Manager of a very high-end parking management company, I can tell you the Valet Parking Attendants, the hustlers, made a lot more than the Cashiers made at our self parking facilities at FLL and Port Everglades where we paid the cashiers a living wage. The Valet Parking Attendants at Pier 66 and Marriott's Harbor Beach Hotels, even at some high-end malls in Miami, the hustlers, were raking in hundreds of dollars a day, and I'm going back a long time ago. They were begging to work extra hours/days for the money. Disclaimer: This is the world according to Jay. It isn't an attempt to force anything upon anybody. It is my experience and my opinion based upon my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Yes, I've heard/read of people saying that they have managed to get the banned "extension cords" on the ship(s) without a problem. But, I'm a rule follower and I just bring the power blocks, without cord, and without surge protector, as I said above. My comment about not being able to find, "I haven't found anything written" was about the "surge protector(s)". They are not listed in the FAQ but many have said that they are banned because the electrical system on a ship isn't like the one in our homes.

LOL, I may bring quarters but it won't be to tip. They're for a game, and adult beverage game!

And that's a good thing! I don't like stale menus/venues.

WOW, that's news to me. We've been doing rice for years/decades. But, Beans may be worth trying.

I'm going to wear my leopard skin thong speedo. It's one way to clear the place out.

I love hot/spicy food. Whenever I get those damned one hole pepper shakers, I take the top off and pour the pepper on. I've go too much fat on my body to be jiggling up and down :). BTW, when will restaurants learn to put a few grains of rice in the salt shaker? Why is a "freeway" not free?

In other words: They haven't made a final decision on what they think they can get away with. They're still trying to come up with a way to tell us sheeple that it is better, more convenient, better quality, more sustainable in a way that we will believe them or accept their B.S. excuses.

Question about reserving parking in the North, South, or Pier 14 lot(s). When you make the reservation, do they charge your credit card right away? I assume they do but I just want to know for sure. If so, do they charge you for the entire anticipated cruise time, for one night, etc?.

I've heard/read from others that have done the same. It's a good idea. However, when my granddaughter says she wants a JR's burger, fries, and shake, she gets a JR' burger, fires, and shake. I like to spoil my gkids. It's called payback for my daughter(s). I also like to feed them lots of candy when they come to visit at home. Again, it's called payback. LOL

I don't think I have ever gone by the WJ without stopping in to get some cookies. After washy washy washy, of course. My first cruise on RCCL was on the Oasis in ~2019 and I was in a Grand Suite. We found the CK by mistake, had no clue that it existed, along with the suite sun deck (but that's a whole other story for another time, thread). So, after reading the sign on the wall about suite guests, we entered using our cards. Went in, sat down, looked at the menu (this was lunch BTW), got up and walked out. The menu and food was tooooooo fufu for us. However, being the people we are, we though of giving it another chance on a subsequent cruise and different ship. Glad we did. Menu changed and the food is good, at least we think so.

It has been our experience that if you are in the CK, or any venue for that matter, and there is something that is being served in the MDR that you want, they will get it for you if you ask. Of course, tip generously if that happens. No matter where we eat, we always check what is being served in the MDR so we don't miss anything. I actually had baklava delivered to me in the CK. We were in the Hibachi one night on the Symphony and my granddaughter who hates any kind of seafood, she's actually allergic to much of it, had a JR's burger, fries and shake delivered to her in the Hibachi. I don't think the same accommodations can't/won't be made in the CK. Keep in mind, I/we tip often and generously. LOL

Just for Clarification: I did say $130.00 plus the application fee which is $35.00.

Okay, we're going around in circles here. So, I'll end my involvement by saying, if you don't want a passport, don't get one. I'm not trying to force you into anything. However, if you or a loved one cruises and have a medical emergency miles and mile from port and you or a loved one is in need of emergency evac back to the U.S. and you don't get the emergency/Temp passport from the U.S. Embassy or from your safe in your cabin in time to save life or limb, you can't say you weren't forewarned. No matter what the odds of that happen are. That is all, carry on!

Can't/won't debate that with you other than to say that THAT INSURANCE is what some decide not to purchase and regret it, like you said, not often. Right now, a passport (First time passport) costs $130.00 plus App Fee, per person. That's $130.00 that I'm more than willing to pay for the insurance of my loved ones.