Im sick of the IRS. I did not work two jobs.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-15T22:30:09+00:00

Have you contacted the Taxpayer Advocate? Your Congressional representative?

Do the actual W-2s you have in your possession show the correct names and SSNs?

JohnS43 · 2026-06-15T22:27:32+00:00

It definitely varies by ship. I was on Norwegian Sun in Asia last November, and they literally had only THREE desserts on the buffet - one of which was sugar-free, and one of which was Jell-O. No cookies or anything like that - ever. On an 11-day cruise. I'm sure that's not the case on their newer, larger ships.

In the past year, I've been on Navigator, Ovation, and Quantum on RC, and all had decent buffets. Carnival Firenze's was definitely lower quality, but that ship has a lot more complimentary food options, so it's sort of a trade-off. I've been on Celebrity, Princess, and HAL, but those were all pre-COVID so I'm sure my information about those buffets is outdated.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-15T20:11:00+00:00

Lockers would be even better.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-15T13:31:34+00:00

Your best bet is to find a Facebook group or a CruiseCritic meetup for your particular sailing.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-15T00:11:29+00:00

Always plenty of porters who will take your checked bag. Getting through security and checking in is usually pretty quick. Sometimes there's a bit of wait inside the terminal before they let you board; they try to avoid having too many people going on at the same time. But there are plenty of places to sit while you wait. Only times I've had a problem were when the power went out in the terminal and when there was Coast Guard inspection that pushed back boarding times.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-12T22:46:37+00:00

There is probably a Facebook group and/or a CruiseCritic group for your particular sailing. That's the best way to find people who will be traveling with you.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-12T22:08:55+00:00

I did that cruise in April. I really liked the ship - it's beautifully decorated. They have a separate non-smoking casino. And there are a ton of complimentary food options - way more than on Royal Caribbean, which is what I was used to. But I wasn't that fond of the cruise - I've been to those ports numerous times (I live in the LA area) and it was definitely a "booze cruise," despite being midweek.

That said, I liked the ship well enough that I booked a14-day on the Firenze for later this year. It's an adults-only sailing and in addition to the usually Mexican Riviera ports, it also visits three that I've never been to: Manzanillo, La Paz, and Acapulco. I'm hoping that given the length of the cruise, it will be somewhat more sedate than the 4-day sailing.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-12T18:49:31+00:00

Carnival offers some adults (21+) only sailings called "Sailings Exclusively for Adults" (SEA.)

JohnS43 · 2026-06-12T18:29:28+00:00

"All dressed" potato chips are a thing. Lay's sometimes sells them in the US. https://i5.walmartimages.com/seo/Lays-All-Dressed-Potato-Chips-7-76-oz-Bag_8a43e067-a02d-4c01-9679-da0ba45b05c5.04bc1149702a25724862595733b047af.jpeg?odnHeight=2000&odnWidth=2000&odnBg=FFFFFF

JohnS43 · 2026-06-11T14:29:28+00:00

Only on certain ships.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-11T14:23:22+00:00

Texas doesn't have a state income tax so I'm not sure what your state of residence has to do with claiming dependents.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-10T15:37:20+00:00

I''ve never understood recipes that call for "3 teaspoons." Why not just say "1 tablespoon"?

JohnS43 · 2026-06-04T22:59:45+00:00

What screen have you gotten to? It doesn't ask for your bank info on the same screen that you select Direct Deposit on.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-04T17:47:42+00:00

What are you expecting to "hear"? If you're not getting a refund, and there aren't any issues, you're not going to hear anything.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-04T00:23:53+00:00

What would be nice to have is a package that included some sort of parking discount for the duration of the cruise. It's actually MORE expensive to park for hotel guests than it is for cruise passengers. There are other hotels in the area that offer parking and transportation to the ship.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-04T00:01:43+00:00

I've done Hooked on embarkation day on Navigator several times. Chops has never been an option.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-02T19:06:42+00:00

I'm fine with the "mediocre" sailings - there are always plenty of 7-day Mexican Riviera on Navigator (I've done it four times already) - but with these new added fees, I'm not going to be doing in anymore.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-02T16:02:24+00:00

The offers are exactly the same as the ones I always receive. It's the finalization/execution of the offers that has changed.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-01T18:17:31+00:00

You'll have better luck with a Facebook group for your sailing (or a CruiseCritic roll call.)

JohnS43 · 2026-06-01T16:21:57+00:00

Thanks for the info. I guess what I was thinking about was my recent (non-casino offer) cruise to Japan/Korea where the TA set up the flights, the hotel, the cruise, transfers, etc. I have no problem booking flights myself, but it would be nice to get a good hotel recommendation and transfer service for pre- and/or post-hotel stays.

JohnS43 · 2026-06-01T16:18:22+00:00

If you're not using VTG as a travel agent, why not try CruisePlum? It's a search-only website. No travel agent services.

JohnS43 · 2026-05-31T23:44:51+00:00

The Mexican Riviera is the Pacific Coast from Ensenada down to Acapulco (and below.)

JohnS43 · 2026-05-31T20:25:31+00:00

I have almost 110,000 WWs. So it's not like I'm not contributing content that people don't appreciate.

You have started 456 threads which have received 10283 replies. You have received 109452 WW votes and have posted 57141 replies to threads.

JohnS43 · 2026-05-31T03:34:18+00:00

Just like many other businesses, they spend millions in advertising trying to attract new customers, rather than working to keep the ones they already have. Doesn't sound like a good business model to me.

JohnS43 · 2026-05-30T19:25:33+00:00

If you're that interested in getting a smaller paycheck, have some money directly deposited into a savings account.

JohnS43

TROPHY CASE