rudeney

We pay a 9%-12% sales tax on EVERYTHING here in Alabama except real vehicles and real property. Vehicles come under a different tax structure and are 3% - 5%. We have an 8% "online" sales tax. In order to keep online sellers from having to figure out all the county and city taxes, they can just charge Alabama residents 8% and remit it to the state, who then divides it per-capita among all the local counties and cities. Oh, and we even pay sales tax on coupons. The discount is subtracted after the sales tax is added onto the regular price. Even a 10% off coupon is 10% off the pre-tax price, not the price after tax is added. The good news is that our property taxes are relatively low.

Power output (amperage) has nothing to do with the USB connector type. Also, higher amperage does not always equate to "fast" or "super-fast" charging. Those require both a certain level of amperage output and electronic circuitry within the charger to regulate the charge. If your phone needs a "C" but the socket is an "A", just get an A to C cable. Here are the valid USB plug types:

Statistically, the only way positivity rates could be used for decision-making is if people were tested at random, or if everyone were tested. Any conclusions drawn from data collected using a self-identified subset of the population (i.e. people who are sick and decide they need to be tested) is invalid when applied entire population. It would be like visiting the local ER and finding that 50% of the people in the waiting room are sick or injured and deciding to shut the city down because of it.

It is hard for people from other countries to understand our tax system. Heck, it's sometimes hard for us to understand it ourselves. While sales tax in your area may be 0%-7%, ours is 9%-11%. Our cities and counties had discovered it's a quick way to raise revenue without having to let the residents vote on property tax increases. If you really want a challenge, try selling computer software and services across state lines. Not only are there thousands of different state, county and city rates, they have different rules for whether it's physical media, downloaded, pre-installed turnkey systems, plus customization come into play as to whether that is "product" or "service". It's so complicated, there are several companies that make their profits by creating software to tell other software companies what taxes to charge!

I think most statisticians will tell you that the "test positivity rate" is a completely invalid metric due to its unscientific sampling methods (i.e. relying on individual health perceptions as to who chooses to test). It does make for good "breaking news" headlines, though.

I saw a doc being interviewed on a local news segment last week and he said something similar. His theory is that when everyone thought COVID was going to kill us all, people would rush out for a test with the slightest symptoms, so the positivity rate was more representative of the population. Now, only the sickest people are bothering to be tested, many not until they go to a doc for treatment. That's his theory of why the "positivity rate" is going up but the actual population infection rate is very low.

When that happens, try switching wifi off and back on. I think the ship's wifi is not good and "hand offs" between access points when you move around.

On our next cruise, DBP is on sale for $65. Voom S&S 2-device is $31.19 and DBP + Voom S&S is $82. The final check-out price of 2x DBP + Voom is $1322.28. For 2x DBP and Voom S&S 2-device it's $1,292.13. Guess what I bought?

I have no issues with eggs, but a big issue with chicken. That flu shot reaction was the worst thing I've ever endured. I was dehydrated to the point of organ failure had I not made it to the hospital.

Mixed drinks (liquor + a single part mixer) are priced the same as shots, so I would assume a screwdriver being vodka + OJ would be the same. Absolut is $9.99.

My wife and I just got back home from donating at a local Red Cross blood drive. No one was masked - not us, not the staff.

The fine print does state that "Specialty Coffees do not include any beverages served inside licensed Starbucks® stores/cafes." But it also states that is, "entitles you to any 15 specialty espresso-based coffees." It doesn't specify number of shots or size. Maybe it could be that an add-on shot is considered a second menu item,do it's two punched, but the large size is a single menu item. I think I'd argue that point. But for me, it's a moot point - I don't really drink specialty coffees. I prefer just a good cup of black coffee, or maybe a triple espresso if available.

I guess there are those odd people like me who can't handle the flu vaccine for whatever reason. Ironically, I have an extremely good immune system as I rarely get sick. In terms of vaccines and the immune system, I could go into that, but I am sure this thread would then get shutdown. And BTW, I am NOT against vaccines at all.

Same here for our October Voyager cruise. $78 is the highest I've seen. It's been $75 via BOGO50, $70 with 20% off (Royal math!) and $65 with 35% off. It was $65 for the Memorial Day (when I bought) and July 4th sales, but it seems to drop back to $65 for a few days every couple of weeks. It's $65 right now. It seems the DBP is not very popular on Voyager.

Buy these and you will have plenty of outlets. Just make sure that anything you plug into the AC ports on the European adapters is capable of handling 240v/50hz. Most newer electronics are. Fans, flat irons, blow dryers may not - check the label. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TR7QCVP https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HLSFN8Z

Almost all vaccines will temporarily weaken your immune system. You aren't getting the flu from the vaccine, but because of it. I had the same issue the last time I got a flu shot in the early 90's. I had a very bad reaction, and then ended up with some strain of a horrible viral infection that was very difficult to fight off. It's the sickest I've ever been. I spent days in bed, became totally dehydrated and ended up in the hospital for two nights on IVs. It would have been a third night, but it was Christmas Eve so they begrudgingly let me out. Since I had never had the flu, and really only get a mild head cold once every 2-3 years, the doc told me that I probably should not get future flu shots.

In my Cruise Planner, it rings up as $36.58 ($31 + 18% gratuity). I guess if each punch is worth about $4, then the card saves about 50% off onboard prices. That could also equate to the barista getting 50% less tip. I do not know how tips from food & beverage packages are distributed, but I could see all the packages like UDP and DBP resulting in reduced tips compared to onboard prices. Then again, I am sure there are people who buy these packages and don't get more value out of them than onboard prices, and then that means more tips. Also, people with packages may tip over and above in cash, which means more money for the crew. My guess is that it all comes out so that the crew gets a decent amount in tips.

Just like with the DBP and UDP, the purchase price of the card includes an 18% gratuity.

I've always been a bit resentful of being expected to tip the head waiter. Most of the time, we never see them. One in particular on a DCL cruise was a smug jerk. But then we had one on a cruise a few years back who was wonderful. He came around each night and talked to his guests. He would occasionally lend a hand to his staff. That was what I always thought a head waiter should be. One night, I mentioned to him that he was the first head waiter we had really ever interacted with. He explained that our waiter was actually on his last cruise as in that role - he was being promoted to a head waiter. Because of our waiter's excellence, this head waiter had very little little to do and could spend time with his guests. He explained that when you don't see the head waiter, it's usually because they are behind the scenes solving problems with their staff. Anyhow, he changed our perception of head waiters.

That is my fear in all this, that we are effectively being trained to accept less service for more money. We justify accepting lower levels of service and higher prices in hope that it's temporary. We play along as faithful paying customers, helping out, keeping the company afloat while they work through these challenges. Before too long, we forget what good service really was and now these lower level offering are the new normal. This isn't just about RCCL or even cruise lines, but most any industry. .

My location is listed below my avatar - Pelham, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham). Most of our doctors have stopped requiring masks. In fact, I can't think of any of ours that do now.

When my wife and I met, I had a 36 foot sailboat. I ended up selling it because she would not stay on it. She said it was a "floating camper".

Sounds like the old Galveston terminal, except drop-off there was very convenient. It was just a dumpy old cargo terminal and traffic was a nightmare.

Yeah, the ushers were ruthless. This was before the show started. Once the show started, they were slightly more relaxed about it.

We went to see Andrea Bocelli at State Farm Arena in ATL early this year. Masks were only required while going through security. A month later, we wen tot see Steve Martin and Martin Short at The Fox Theater in ATL - masks were required the whole time except when eating/drinking and they had 5x as many ushers as normal enforcing it. We saw some people escorted out because they were "drinking too often".