rudeney

Yes, one $40 late fee or over-limit fee won't make a dent in those benefits, but if you don't pay your bill in full and they start charging interest, that can easily run into a lot of money over time. If you are diligent in making sure your bill is paid in full on time, then you'll be fine.

Yes, but they stopped (back in MArch, I think. And so have some insurance companies, hence why people are being charged.

You have socialized medicine so your government is paying for it.

I totally agree. I think part of the reason people are so "over" COVID is because of all the omni-directional knee-jerking done by our leaders and "experts" since this started. I know we had a lot to learn in the beginning, but we have so much data now, there are no excuses for the continued ambiguous things that the CDC, local governments and even some private business are doing "because...COVID".

Yeah like they "woulda, shoulda, coulda" incentivized showing up for the muster drill on time! 😜

I agree. The people who pay interest and fees are the ones funding these points. If everyone paid their cards off each month and incurred no interest or late fees, all of these points programs would dry-up. The card companies are hoping that the points-chasers will slip up and not pay a bill on time or overspend and not pay it in full and then they will profit from that. It's easier now with instantly-processed online statements and payments, but years ago, credit card companies would "game" the mail system to try to generate late payments. They had print and mail centers all over the country, and would choose the one with the slowest mail route between it and you. The same with payment processing centers - your remittance address be the one with the slowest mail route from you. BofA used to sell their services to other companies and I once looked at them for an ambulance company I worked for that sent about a million bills per month. They said they could promise a minimum of 12 days mail delay if we wanted to maximize late fees. Really? This is the type of business credit card banks run. Keep playing the game, but remember that the house always wins.

I assume you mean "Voom", which is RCCL's Internet at sea service, and not "Zoom", the online meeting software? If your phone and carrier supports wifi calling (you must set it up and try it at home first!), then yes, RCCL's Voom Internet at sea service will support it. Just put your phone in Airplane Mode, turn on wifi, login to your RCCL Voom account and turn on wifi calling.

2020 called - they want their Breaking News back.

There are two different devices: An "adapter" and a "converter". Adapters don't change the voltage - they just "adapt" the European 220v socket to accept an American 120v plug. These can be used with American devices that accept a wide range of voltage, like many phone and computer chargers, but they MUST state that range, such as "100v-250v 50hz/60z". If not, you will fry whatever you plug in there (like fans, flat irons, etc.). A converter will take the European voltage input and actually convert it for use with an American 120v/60hz device. This is an adapter: https://www.amazon.com/European-VINTAR-International-American-Outlets/dp/B07TSYKKQ5 This is a converter: https://www.amazon.com/DOACE-C11-Straightener-International-Transformer/dp/B07DQLM1P1

For 20 of the last 30 years, I have worked for, managed, or owned companies that provide software to debt collection attorneys. The bulk of consumer debt is credit cards, and most of that is with the big banks - CapOne, Citi, Chase, BofA, Discover and AMEX. I've had to work very closely with these bank for creating and maintaining data interfaces, compliance management, and reporting for my customers. With one exception, these companies treat their vendors (attorneys and us software providers) like garbage. Some of their practices are not just unprofessional, but outright illegale. They don't care because they are so big and insulated with binding arbitration agreements. The one that is actually a professional organization that treats its vendors and customers with respect is AMEX. Because of that, I will not do business with the others. AMEX is the only card I use. Their points program is not great, but is costs me nothing (they long ago waived the fees on my Gold card). I don't waste my time playing games to get a few extra hundred or even thousands dollars a year in rewards. I do have one other card - a BestBuy-branded Citibank card. We use that strictly for same-as-cash payments on electronics. That's it. Everything possible goes on AMEX, and I get somewhere around $3K/year worth of rewards from it.

Travel insurance will cover you for COVID, but if you have not yet bought it, you may find that you can't get the pre-existing condition waiver, and that could affect coverage. This late in the game, I highly recommend talking to an agent personally and finding out what they can provide.

Yeah, but they can't bake you cakes that look like your beloved pet dog! 😜

Thos Black Friday sales seem to be the best prices. My problem is we rarely book a cruise before Black Friday that departs after it. We tend to book the first of the year for that fall. But that may change for our next cruise. We want to go to Alaska next years, and I may book that very soon.

The problem is, in this day and time, our scientists have turned themselves in politicians and celebrities.

I keep looking at Star cabins, but every time I'm ready to pull the trigger, I see the prices 😮! And then I know my wife would be forever (more) spoiled and demand that on every cruise. I think for now, we'll just stick to GS/OS cabins. Besides that, we prefer the mid-sized ships (Voyager/Freedom class).

Yep. I've been hoping RCCL would end the testing requirement before our Oct. 2nd cruise, but since it's going to Canada, they'd have to stop testing for cruise ships, too. I won't speculate on whether or not that might happen, but I can hope that both RCCL and Canada end testing.

The best price I've seen for UDP on our 7-night is $245 (inclusive of the 18% gratuity). The best price for DBP is $65 (plus 18% gratuity), so $537 for the week.

Izumi on most ships now offers a prix fixe meal with 1 small plate, 2 large plates and dessert fro $35, ann that is included with the UDP, so I'd assume the 3/5 nights packages include it, too. For ships where Izumi offers hibachi, that's a $10 upcharge with UDP (and again I assume the 3/5 pack)

Really? This was the 1/2 Maine lobster that they normally charge $20 for and not that they grabbed some MDR lobster tails on "lobster night"? I sure hope so - I'll be eating steak and lobster in Chops every night!

I don't take my shoes off for TSA. Or my belt, or remove my laptop from my bag. I paid for TSA Pre-Check to avoid that nonsense. Hmm, maybe cruise lines could offer COVID pre-check where you just test at home without a proctor and they trust you to truthfully report the results. I mean, they are trusting you to say you haven't been exposed, so why does proving a negative test need to be such a chore?

General admission to Kennedy Space Center is itself is currently $86, so maybe that $84 is a discounted admission plus the shuttle? KSC also offers a shuttle from Disney/MCO for about $80, so $84 just for a shuttle from PC sounds awfully expensive - you can do an Uber with multiple passengers round-trip for less than that. The original excursion could have been a guided tour - KSC lists one with transfers at $157. I guess only RCCL knows for sure!

It reminds of pork belly, but it really isn't so it can't be called that. Honestly, though, I'll eat pretty much anything with or called "bacon".

It states, "On July 18, the U.S. CDC announced that the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. Going forward, the CDC will continue to publish guidance for the cruise industry." Hmm, this could all go the other way. The CDC could issue "guidance" that "suggests" cruise lines enforce mask policies, daily testing, lower capacity, etc. I don't think that will happen, and certainly hope not, but it's vague enough that it could.

You can see the bar menus with prices on the Royal App.

Same here - I keep everything together in OneNote. When we get home, I scan all of the paper we collected on the cruise (Cruise Compass, receipts, etc.) and drop it in a folder for future reference. One day when I'm gone, the kids will have to go through a few terabytes of my "stuff" on the computer, but that's probably better than having to look through file cabinets and decide what to toss.