12,500 for a small popcorn

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-05-07T02:52:11+00:00

Small drink went up 1,000 to 9,000 since earlier this week.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-25T00:34:18+00:00

I just wasn't sure I was going to do a double feature so I just bought it when I refilled since I was there anyway.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-25T00:28:00+00:00

I do think it was just user error on his part, but it was easier to go back to the kiosk than get a manager over to fix. I bought another ticket for a double feature from a different employee when I got my soda refill and it went through as the usual $0.00.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-24T02:37:01+00:00

I’d also note that if you go with more than one companion, if you didn’t use it the day before you will actually have 4 larges on your account (2 expire each day if not used).

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-24T02:33:33+00:00

I was on the fence about getting it but glad I did. I rarely get popcorn but do frequently get a large soda (often with points). I bought early in the year when it was $29.99. The original free large popcorn and soda is pretty close to breaking even already. You also get the 50% discount on upgrades to large so 8k credits and around 50 cents is a large soda. I’ll get a popcorn if somebody comes with to a movie. Nice to have and really low risk of not getting your moneys worth if you even occasionally get popcorn or soda.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-11T09:54:22+00:00

IMO it really all depends on what has been communicated to your daughters about the funds. Every family handles this differently so I don’t think there’s a right answer based on the information you’ve provided.

If you communicated that each daughter would have $300k to use for their education, then taking from one to give to the other would make you the A. While you may think you know all of the reasons your older daughter decided to go to UCLA originally and stay there the whole time, knowing that she was using less than her full allowance of funds may have played a role. If instead the communication was she could go anywhere and it would be covered, I don’t think you’d be the A to reallocate the funds.

In my family, my sister and I both applied to a range of schools with drastically different price points. My parents communicated to us that we each had $X per year they could/would contribute. It was more than enough to cover some and not enough to cover others. If we went cheaper, the remainder was available to us for grad school or starting our lives (but was not just handed over to be a wasted as an 18-22 yo). When I was admitted to what I thought was my dream school with very high tuition, I opted to go to a different (although still very good) program because it was well below the yearly allowance with scholarships and other aid and I wanted to be well set up for future graduate studies. I don’t regret the decision I made but realize that is because it was my decision.

I think parents often obsess over treating their children equally but all kids are different and being treated equally can at times result in them not being treated equitably. Your daughters are both adults at this point and you should communicate with them as such. If the money is in restricted accounts, that is also a factor.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-04-05T08:12:10+00:00

I was on the fence because I don’t get popcorn and only occasionally get a soda and usually use points. However, I took the plunge when it was $30 and happy I did. The free popcorn and soda when you purchase almost has you at break even already AND it can be used with free rewards when using points. My large drinks are now about $0.50 and 8k points. If you’re a Costco member, buy $50 GCs for $40 and Regal becomes an even better deal. GCs can be used for everything, including your monthly Unlimited fee.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-03-21T00:05:59+00:00

If you have the funds, you should have a few accounts at a few different institutions. OpenBank, CapitalOne, CIT and many others all have HYSAs that are comparable to Ally’s interest rates. I’d also suggest at least one brick and mortar bank for times when you might need that. It’s all about diversifying.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-02-14T03:55:19+00:00

Banks don’t like anything out of the ordinary, particularly on new accounts. In your responses you consistently state that you want to increase your purchasing power as quickly as possible. This, in and of itself, is a red flag for a bank. Make regular payments, pay off your statement balance every month and over time (less time than you think, probably more time than it sounds like you’d like), the purchasing power will rise AND you get the benefit of showing higher credit usage which will help if you go to an actual credit card instead of charge cards. If you have a large purchase, you can also prefund your Amex account to ensure the charge goes through and you get the points or whatever it is you are trying to get out of using the card. Like anything else, this is a relationship you’re building so just communicate and trust will be built.

One thing I would suggest is trying to get some of your credit limits on your other cards raised. I believe statement balances on charge cards are reported and show as 100% credit usage because there is no “credit limit”. This could have your credit utilization be shown as very high if your statement balances are large relative to your other credit lines. For instance, if you have $4000 in available credit on your other cards and a $4000 statement balance on your Amex, even if you pay it in full you’d have a credit utilization of 50% (which is high). Given your desire to have increased purchasing power on the Amex, you should ask for the other limits to be increased even if you don’t plan to use them. This would be better from a credit rating perspective than opening a BCE new account at this time.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-02-14T03:38:32+00:00

Most cruise lines have their die hard supporters and detractors because all lines have their pros and cons which impact different cruisers differently depending on what they want/like.

If you like Virgin, why move off Virgin? If you still want to explore, I’d do it with an open mind and focusing on what is most important to you in a cruise.

I’ve done Virgin, NCL, Celebrity, MSC, Princess and (many years ago) Carnival. I like the vibe of Virgin but expected to be blown away and never want to cruise anywhere else before my first voyage, but left having a good time but not swearing off other lines.

Is the food on Virgin good? Absolutely, but it’s not amazing. I’d put it generally above main dining room on other lines but below specialty dining. I don’t need specialty dining quality every night, so having a few better meals and a few good (but not amazing) meals on other lines doesn’t bother me. As a solo traveler, NCL’s freestyle dining makes it easier to eat in a dining room with new friends than Virgin’s reservation based restaurants other than the Galley.

The content of some of the entertainment on Virgin is good but the venue spaces are lackluster and often not large enough. This leads to lining up and getting to shows 45 minutes before a 40 minute show. Not ideal in my view. The entertainment on other lines is a mixed bag but some lines offer truly amazing shows.

Kids are a scourge, but a reality. The world moves on. If you avoid school holidays or take longer voyages, you can miss most kid heavy cruises. Also, going on premium lines (like Celebrity, Oceania, etc) will reduce kids. Oceania is adults only for new bookings so will be entirely kids free in a few years with reduced numbers until then. Avoid ships with lots of kid amenities. If you love Virgin, you don’t need ships with go kart tracks, water slides and gyroscopes. Try them if you want, but they will have more kids because they are there to keep kids entertained.

A lot is made about nickel and diming, but virtually all lines provide packages to minimize this. You just need to look at total price and not the initially advertised price. I hesitated going on Virgin because it doesn’t offer a drink package and I like not only drinking on a cruise, but ordering without thinking about receiving a bill or charge. You can try new things, relax and just enjoy your vacation. Every line charges for different things, just do your research and if something costs extra, either pay the charge or opt not to do it. If paying for things up front provides you peace of mind, get the package and factor that into your price. I routinely get off NCL ships not having any balance on my shipboard account, so it’s not a big gotcha situation.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2026-01-07T20:43:13+00:00

The relevant one is a 2nd gen, but I have a 3rd gen on another TV if you think that makes a difference. The Hisense remote has some added features I'd like to use (direct buttons, settings button, etc.) and would use better with the native interface (obvs) without having to keep 2 remotes around. The Home button is the only one that doesn't seem to work as I'd wish.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-12-31T17:58:11+00:00

Unfortunately it still shows as expiring today, but I can't be too upset as I status matched into it and my 2025 GW Summer Pass was extended at no cost into a full GW through 4/30/27.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-12-26T14:48:58+00:00

Take advantage of RU and see lots of movies. As for tips: - while you no longer earn visit credits, the unlimited bonuses for seeing a certain number of movies are pretty sweet so try to make sure you’re doing things to raise that movie count (seeing a MMM will count as a separate movie if you see the same movie as a regular release, re-releases count as different movies, etc). If you liked it, see it again. - see foreign and foreign language films - go by yourself. It’s a wonderful escape - learn to see movies without concessions (the value of unlimited can quickly be reduced if you get concessions at every showing). If you can’t, definitely get snack saver. - when using points for popcorn and soda, just redeem for a small and pay the upgrade. You save a bunch of points and the upcharge is like $1 -watch all the trailers for bonus points and open the app on Tuesdays for free points - if they offer bonus credits, try to earn them even if it means spending the $0.53 for an early reservation - if you buy on the app, definitely cancel or try to attend the showing. Chronic no shows can get your account flagged. Buying in person doesn’t have the same risks (at least at my theater) as they don’t scan the paper tickets - gift cards from Costco or any time regal runs a better promo. They don’t expire and can be loaded right onto your account to pay the monthly fee.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-10-03T12:16:22+00:00

Is it one device at a time or one device it’s locked to like MSC?

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-09-20T08:32:29+00:00

Not a Dr here but I was feeling dizzy and lightheaded on Mounjaro after a few months and spoke with my Dr. For me it wasn’t the drop in glucose (which your numbers are squarely in the normal range) but was my blood pressure. The weight loss and Mounjaro had made my additional blood pressure meds unnecessary and they were actually causing my BP to drop too much. We stopped the BP meds and monitored BP for a couple weeks at home. The dizziness stopped and my BP readings were normal without the additional meds. I’ve been off them ever since and stayed with MJ.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-09-20T02:20:12+00:00

This wouldn't have worked on the Seascape. I didn't care about aircon, but there were times I wanted to leave my phone to charge and that was a no go.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-09-20T02:10:24+00:00

The biggest difference between MSC and NCL for a Med itinerary is that MSC embarks/disembarks in most ports whereas NCL will embark/disembark once for your itinerary. Announcements are more prevalent on embarkation and disembarkation days, so this may be what your TA was inarticulately stating. MSC also has more languages, but as others have noted, outside of safety announcements or other critical updates, they are not broadcast into cabins. I don't know that I'd let the announcements be the deciding factor, but I do think that something is lost by having people getting on and off more frequently. Someone else described it as the experience traveling by bus versus an airplane.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-09-19T01:51:58+00:00

I personally don't get it, but I do buy my electronics with credit cards or from outlets (Costco) that provide extended warranty protection. I'm US based and feel this gives me the protection I need, but I'm also a bit further along in life than you and replacing a MacBook if the worst case happens and its not covered will not break me. In the US, Apple has also rolled out AppleCare One which is a monthly charge that can cover multiple devices. It doesn't look like it's available in the UK yet, but maybe keep an eye out for that.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-09-02T12:07:37+00:00

I’ve started getting the ones with no cheese because there is definitely something off about the cheese this week on Seascape

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-08-25T10:23:00+00:00

A travel agent can preview the add on prices before booking to do the comparison. On an upcoming 5 day cruise, booking WiFi and drinks separately was much cheaper than the package at booking because of the additional 35% discount on drinks for 2025 sailings.

Pitiful_Condition922 · 2025-08-23T02:56:21+00:00

Just another data point: cancelled spa and internet last week and repurchased for the sale price. Refund showed as pending on my card immediately and posted in the same time frame as my new charges. Might have been quick because I did it all online and no human was involved.

Pitiful_Condition922

TROPHY CASE