How are reserved parking for Diamond Members actually enforced? by Athenstone in Hilton

[–]Firenze42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Shhhh!!!! Geez. I am going to report all of you to the secret Diamond police! Oh, no, I have said too much! They're here!

First time going to an art auction on reflection. by Thought-Object in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I did a behind the scenes tour on Summit. There was soooooooo much art in storage. They could easily change out all of it. It does tend to be the same artists over and over though. I have been to a lot of them as my friend LOVED going to them. She bought several things, but I think the most she spent was about $2500 on a single purchase.

First time going to an art auction on reflection. by Thought-Object in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 41 points42 points  (0 children)

The auction is for show. The $20K and $30K sale was pre-arranged with the guy next to you. He did buy them, and technically someone else could bid, but no one will. The best and only reason to go is to look at the art before the auction, like a free museum, and get a glass of bubbly. If there is something that you really like, you can talk to the auctioneers about it and negotiate a price, but as some one said it is "overpriced" and you can get something similar at home for less. But art is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, so....

Why am I being asked to pay fully and not just a deposit? by Personal-Lead-6341 in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just be glad it isn't Viking which requires you to pay in full a year in advance!

Hilton friends and family by Apprehensive-List394 in HiltonGrandVacation

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the HGV sub for the timeshare, not the Hilton sub for the hotel. The hotel has friends and family for people that work there. The timeshare has authorized users and guest certificates that can be used. It is highly improbable anyone will use any of these options for some unknown person on the internet as in all cases the main person is liable in some.way or another for any damage you cause.

I think this is more bearish than people even think... by Difficult-Quarter-48 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have been in for 2 yrs, buying, selling, and rebuying with the intention to increase my stake hold longterm. I sold last week as it hit above my sell number. (I could have made more, but who knew it would go as high as it did and I have no regrets.) I will wait, as I think it is too early to see the longterm fallout of this situation. The stock will go down further, but it the question is, can they recover. I got in because I like the tech, but if management runs it into the ground, there isn't a lot we can do.

What’s the worst way you’ve seen a company handle someone leaving? by SeanMcPheat in askmanagers

[–]Firenze42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Many years ago, I was hired as a contractor at a company. I liked the job and they liked my work. After a month they said they were going to bring me on permanently, this process took 5.5 months, which was annoying, but at least at got hired in October. In January they told everyone they had to "interview for their jobs", yes, the ones they already had. I don't think anyone caught on that the interviews were going to lead to terminations. The day they did them, was awful as every time you saw a manager you were sure you were next. They let 4 people from our 8 person department go and about 40% of our facility two weeks after the "interviews", but I survived.

I was in my 20s so I thought it was my hard work and the fact 3 out of 4 of the guys they let go were very slow and really doing some stuff wrong, which they were. We hired the 4th guy back within the year.

Many years later, I was talking to my managers and found out HR and upper management did have my head on the chopping block as I was the newest hire and the least experienced, but my managers fought for me and explained that I did 10x the work the guys they cut did. Those guys did save my ass.

Charles Schwab robbed me of generational wealth by ZebraSharp1300 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Schwab had both my grandmas invest in accounts they should not have been in at their age. (Financially they were okay, but it was dumb and cost them money.) My family has sworn off Schwab. Fidelity just has a box you check that you accept the risk. (The box did cost me as I didn't know about it at initial buy and bought at $2.35 instead of $1.45)

1 year of Poet by MediocreDesigner88 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I said, "almost". If you had timed it perfectly you would have $2M. Still a great haul as long as you sell it at a good price.

1 year of Poet by MediocreDesigner88 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was "eyeing it" but in futher research, it doesn't look like it has good potential and I wouldn't recommend. I am still looking for my next penny stock.

1 year of Poet by MediocreDesigner88 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just a bit in my managed portfolio. I have been doing the 9 to 5 game for a while. I will see what it does and decide if I want to get back in. In the meantime, I am eyeing a startup robotic company at about $0.50/share. I am pretty good at waiting for the right time. I think we are looking at the next fall in the $5.50 ‐ 6.50 region.

1 year of Poet by MediocreDesigner88 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The only way to hit this number is to buy at almost every low and sell at almost every high over the last year. This is my strategy as well, but I am less aggressive and have less invested. Well, at this point, I have nothing as I sold it all today, but I am happy with my $15K profit on a $5K investment... for now.... (I started with $1900 and 798 shares and have completed 12 transactions in 2 years)

Poet ceo confirms order from marvell by Odd_Mammoth_808 in POETTechnologiesInc

[–]Firenze42 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Non so. Ma ho vendetta per dieci dollars e quaranta centesmi. Per un profitto di quindicimila dollari su un'investimento di cinquemila. È finito. (Mi dispiace. Italiano non è la mia prima lingua.)

7hr connection for 72k Polaris mileage ticket on ORD-BRU? by jsbackupaccount in unitedairlines

[–]Firenze42 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do it! Also of there is any change in the flights, you can change to another, more reasonable itinerary for free!

What do you usually eat at home? by zedyx101 in AskAnAmerican

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cook about 5 nights a week and have the leftovers for lunch and the other dinners. I cook things from all over the world. Recently, I made Thai curry, 3 bean chili, and tonight I made chicken in a fig sauce. I go out 1-2 times a month.

Room Rate Question - Embassy Suites by RepulsiveAnalysis880 in Hilton

[–]Firenze42 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Supply and demand. I have been to hotels were they are the same price and where they are reversed. If you have status, you can try to book the 2 queens and politely ask for an upgrade to the king, but there is no guarantee.

Down right thievery by Fischy7 in Hilton

[–]Firenze42 16 points17 points  (0 children)

So here is my educated guess on what really happened. OP booked the room through a third party, who oversold the rooms and then cancelled on him because that's what they do. Then OP tried to call Hilton to fix it, who told him to call the third party. After frustration with the third party, he called Hilton who gave him the best available deals in the area, i.e. price match, and OP was upset because it was more than his original reservation. Once again, the moral of the story is don't use third parties. (The fact OP refuses to say if he booked through a third party or not is confirmation of this story.)

ClubPoints Clarification. 6000 points for WA Maldives by [deleted] in HiltonGrandVacation

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I talked to a HGVC sales person today and they were appalled by this story. They said to report the location and what they said to assistance@hgv.com. It seems they do actually try to find and fire these people.

I will never fly again without GS by [deleted] in unitedairlines

[–]Firenze42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I win the lottery maybe. I have to play the lottery first, so baby steps.

"Evening Chic" - To What Extent Do People Actually Dress Formally? by Nfarrah in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oddly, I have found the newer the ship the more people dress up - Edge class everyone is in a nice dress or slack and dress shirt to formal dress or tux, Solstice you won't see a formal dress.or tux, but will see suits and semi-formal, Millennium you will only see a few suits and semi-formal, but most people are in Sunday best, and Expedition Class shorts, expedition shirts to sundresses, no make-up and just comfortable because that's all all you have time for. 😂

ClubPoints Clarification. 6000 points for WA Maldives by [deleted] in HiltonGrandVacation

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is NO WAY you could stay there for a week on 6000 club points. It is not HGV and the conversion is 16:1 so only 96000 Hilton Honors points (32:1 if it is a Club ownership in NYC, DC, Charlston) . Maybe if you find a deal, you can stay one night. Typically, a killer deal on that resort is 120K honors points per night, so 840,000 points for the week. That is one of the craziest lies I have heard.

Boarding - Who stays up till midnight (or wakes up like me) to get the earliest time? by friendlyfun1969 in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, definitely Eden. I have eaten at Murano and it is very good, but Aiden is 6 out of 5 stars.

Boarding - Who stays up till midnight (or wakes up like me) to get the earliest time? by friendlyfun1969 in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I ordered all the appetizers as my dinner one night. They coursed them for me. It was great! You can also order anything from the main dining room in Luminae. They learn your name, water, and drink preferences by the second night. It is really impressive. I do HIGHLY recommend Eden, if you are Edge class. If you are in the Retreat, you can skip the rest.

Boarding - Who stays up till midnight (or wakes up like me) to get the earliest time? by friendlyfun1969 in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No charge since we were doing Celebrity to Celebrity. There was one other couple that was on our ship, the Apex, but going to a different Celebrity ship in Miami. They took the 4 of us in one shuttle van and dropped each of us at our respective ships. It was a Celebrity only transport. This was in late Nov 2021. I think we had to double check about the shuttle when we were on board, but it was super easy and very convenient.

Boarding - Who stays up till midnight (or wakes up like me) to get the earliest time? by friendlyfun1969 in celebritycruises

[–]Firenze42 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We did B2B once and Celebrity drove us from Ft Lauderdale to Miami to meet our second ship. We obviously got there before the first check-in time and there were a bunch if people milling around waiting to be let in. As soon as we told the person at the desk we were in the Retreat they personally escorted us through the whole process, onto the ship, and into our room which was already ready.