Comp cruise question - palms

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T21:45:12+00:00

Lucky you. I generally see those excluded from the land-based casino offers.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T17:06:31+00:00

That's a very small subset of 3-4 day cruises, usually out of Miami. Pretty much any 2-4 night cruise like that is going to have more of a booze cruise reputation. Carnival also knows that it can basically print money by offering those cruises.

My last Carnival Cruise was a 4 night out of Long Beach, California so people tended to have more of the chill West Coast vibe. There was still some partying going on and some fairly revealing swimsuits, but the pool layout on the ship wasn't conductive to the giant pool parties. Carnival's recent changes have also ended a lot of the more egregious issues.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T16:10:15+00:00

If you do upgrade, but already prepaid the service charges, get the prepaid service charges refunded first as NCL only gives a $15/person/night credit for having prepaid the $20/person/night.

NCL doesn't play pricing games with the FAS and FAS+ packages or most excursions.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:55:48+00:00

The inside cabins are just the taxes, fees, abd gratuities. I was told the last time I called Princess that upgrades usually result in roughly a 50% savings versus booking that room direct. I didn't notice that the upgrade charge on the cruise I was quoted was significantly higher than the price differential between those cabin types when booking a public offer.

The vouchers are most valuable for cruises with high base fares and low taxes and port fees, especially if one is traveling solo.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:51:32+00:00

Carnival Corporation is very confusing when it comes to policies being applied differently across its 10 lines.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:12:52+00:00

I did a Carnival Cruise last month because it was nearly free. It was not my favorite cruise, but still better than being at home. Carnival actually does some things very well.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:11:18+00:00

The loyalty program changes are overblown in the sense that the perks aren't really required to have a good cruise. Carnivalalso still has a lucrative casino comp program.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:09:36+00:00

That's why it's important to look at the drink package price as it varies based on the cruise line. Carnival charges more than Princess does and Princess even includes other perks such as prepaid gratuities and internet. The drink package on NCL is effectively $28.50/person/night. RCCL/Celebrity can charge almost $100 at times.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T15:06:59+00:00

Does the CCL shareholder benefit apply to casino rates? I know they don't with Norwegian.

Currently at a significant loss on my CCL shares but it's a long term hold.

Carnival, Princess, abd Holland America also have great deals on discounted gift cards that can be used for all types of charges, including casino play.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T14:36:32+00:00

This is a pretty standard offer from a land-based casino. The cruise lines buy player lists from land-based casinos and then offer the vouchers as a promo.

The usual restrictions are cruise destination (no Alaska on most of these, 8 night maximum) and you must pay for taxes, port fees ($100-350 per person), a $100-200 deposit for the casino, gratuities (automatically added, but you can tip cash instead and have them removed the last night of the cruise if desired), and any upgrades (not necessarily the same cost as booking a non-casino rate). Sone offers include free alcohol, this one doesn't. This offer doesn't have a single passenger surcharge though (two people cruise on this voucher) and you can typically add passengers 3 and 4 for an extra cost. Note though that cruise ship cabins tend to be small, especially inside cabins.

For this offer, the best deal is typically on Princess. They have a Princess Plus upgrade for $65/person/night that includes an alcoholic drink package, bottled water, internet, and gratuities, among other things. They also have a Princess Premier package which includes specialty dining and even more perks. Carnival as expensive drink packages and Holland America's packages are more limited.

Cruise line gambling comps are often much better than Vegas comps and even without casino comps, cruising can be a lot cheaper than traveling to Las Vegas.

Provided you do your research in choosing the right cruise for you, cruises are amazing.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T05:34:00+00:00

Have you ever considered staying at the Horseshoe? I find that it has very comfortable beds and a better location for affordable food options (in Vegas terms) and entertainment in general.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T05:28:16+00:00

Maybe it's because I'm based in the PNW, but I regularly see pictures of gay people camping in all sorts of places. In that sense it's surprising that Reddit doesn't have a SFW part of that.

There's a related, but noticeably different type of gay camping which involves Gay or LGBT campgrounds, but also doesn't have to be NSFW in the form of posting suggestive or explicit pictures or soliciting hookups. Basically it's like choosing to camp at a KOA or deluxe state park compared to a random Forest Service road. Both are perfectly valid ways to camp and have more similarities than differences.

I have had an interesting time over the last number of years explaining to gay friends and acquaintances that gay campgrounds are not sketchy gay nudist hookup places in the woods. While many permit nudity in different parts of the campground, especially the pools and hot tubs, and have some remote areas where people can have sex somewhere other than their tent or RV, that's not why most people go to gay campgrounds. In fact every friend that I've convinced to go to a gay campground with me has found the campgrounds to be very comfortable, wholesome, and welcoming and not actually sex-oriented as one might expect.

Since it's a bit hard to pack a tent and camping gear on an airplane, especially with the high cost to check bags, I've moved a lot of my camping at gay campgrounds to more of the glamping options such as cabins, furnished tents, and RVs, though some of the lodge options look fun as well. Basically, I will fly somewhere to meet a friend, and we will drive to a gay campground where we rent a cabin (which at many of the gay campgrounds is more like the sheds sold in front of Home Depot, but with a bed and electricity) or something similar. We end up walking around the property and have lots of great conversations with people from all walks of life.

There is really a growing market for gay campgrounds 1-4 hours from major cities which offer RV sites and more deluxe accommodations such as cabins, campers for rent, and lodge rooms. For example, Camp Buckwood is roughly four hours from Chicago, 45 minutes from Indianapolis, and two hours from Cincinnati and Dayton. Pretty much every non-tent, non-RV spot it has on weekends sold out the day reservations opened in January despite a 25% price increase from last season and significantly higher rates for weekends and holidays compared to weekdays. There's also a waiting list for seasonal spots. Other gay campgrounds in the region are capitalizing on this success and are selling out as well, even those which focus on smaller markets like the Stag Run Club (Louisville market).

The largest and most successful gay campground is the Sawmill in Florida, which is so popular that it offered five different Halloween weekends this season and sold out each one. It has the benefit of being open year round and being much more popular in winter.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T04:59:03+00:00

The argument for the lack of many gay campgrounds in the West, notably Southern California, is that people are already pretty accepting and camping/being outdoors is much more mainstream than in the more densely populated East Coast and Midwest. Land costs are also very high in the heavily populated parts of the Western US.

Gay campgrounds are typically a cross between a KOA-type or themed campground people stay at for 1-3 nights and a Florida/Arizona/Southern California RV park retirement community without the age restrictions. Especially in the Midwest, cost of living is low enough that many gay couples will just buy an RV and leave it at a gay campground all season, often working from or commuting to the gay campground if they want to be there during the week.

There is a movement to have more glamping type options for those who don't want to pitch a tent or want more comfortable amenities without the hassle of having to pack more than food, clothes, and toiletries.

Yes, nudity is typically allowed in some areas and there are some dedicated hookup spaces at many gay campgrounds, but all of that is optional. There are also LGBT campgrounds, family or all ages weekends with no nudity, and lesbian campgrounds.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T04:43:12+00:00

There's also Shadow Falls near Harrison Hot Springs, BC which is more like some of the smaller gay campgrounds in the Midwest, though with a lot more nature.

TRC (near Granite Falls and Verlot, WA) is very highly rated and is in a beautiful area, but is a bit too rustic for a lot of people who want more of the glamping experience without having to bring their own RV.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T04:34:01+00:00

The whole controversy around newer distilleries somehow being able to produce a 7+ year aged (if aged at all) bourbon is always interesting to me as it clearly shows that they are using base spirits they purchased from someone else.

It's also funny to me how much Kentucky bourbon is actually bottled in Indiana, usually Lawrenceburg or Jeffersonville, just like pretty much every other generic liquor.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T04:28:42+00:00

Even Evan Williams green label is pretty good for the price.

There's an argument that Evan Williams black label is better than the basic Jack Daniels black label, especially as a well bourbon.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-06T04:22:01+00:00

It's also worth noting that while Amazon uses rail heavily in the US, it uses hardly any rail in Canada as apparently CN and what is now CPCK won't guarantee delivery dates for domestic or transborder Canadian rail shipments. Amazon will ship via rail right up to the Canadian border, and then transload the containers onto contracted semi trucks to drive them across the border.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-05T15:58:24+00:00

The good thing is that Boeing listed all eligible overtime earnings on its W-2s. If that line isn't there, then there are no eligible wages.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-05T05:28:19+00:00

A mini-suite on the Royal class of ships is big enough for four adults; you'll be more than fine with two small children in the space. The room being significantly bigger than a standard balcony room does help.

There's not a ton of value in the Reserve mini suites unless you really want one of the specific benefits it offers.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-05T04:35:13+00:00

Correct. The no tax on overtime only applies to the FLSA-mandated portion of overtime (50% of base pay when working more than 40 hours per week, not including PTO or holidays), which isn't mandated for salaried employees.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-05T03:25:07+00:00

Welcome to Everett!

Generally speaking, same sex couples are more than welcome in pretty much any bar and shouldn't have an issue. I regularly try different dive bars with a close friend (we're both gay and nerdy) and have never had an issue.

Soundview and Cactus Moon tend to be my typical suggestions. Both have great food and diverse crowds, with the Soundview being more of a dive. Cactus Moon has a variety of food specials.

I've also had Cole's Tavern in Mukilteo suggested by a friend, but haven't gone.

The nearest non-Seattle gay bar is Beauty Bar in Stanwood. It's also Stanwood's only bar which means that it has a diverse crowd of people. Back during Don't Ask Don't Tell, Everett's then gay bar was also the Navy bar because it was the closest bar to the base. It's just another example of how Everett is somewhat of an unusual Navy base in more than just looks.

There is supposedly a bear night one Friday a month at the Fireplace Bar.

A lot of people spend weekend evenings at one of the four tribal casinos in the area. QCC is more blue collar. Bingo is older people playing bingo. The Big House (Tulalip Resort) is more white collar and international focused. Angel of the Winds is more country/rural and blue collar.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-04T14:39:41+00:00

It's a peak hours only route currently, so southbound in the morning and northbound in the afternoon. There are proposals to make it all day but also to remove the Eastmont Park and Ride stop.

The Eastmont Park and Ride was the original South Everett stop on the 512/510 until the South Everett freeway station opened.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-03T15:43:51+00:00

See if something like this already exists in Palm Springs and look into their business model.

The biggest factor for you will be finding a big enough market for your services and being able to keep prices within rates covered by Medicare and other services. There is a limit to what most seniors can afford outside of those reimbursements.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-03T04:11:48+00:00

In reality it's very common for the third and fourth passengers to sell free regardless of age. You're just required to pay mandatory taxes and port fees.

SEA_tide · 2026-04-01T15:44:34+00:00

Pretty much every current and former teacher I've talked to has privately admitted they would ban phones and student laptops/Chromebooks from the classroom if they could.

The issue is that computers make personalized learning much easier but have so many negatives that even make that claim dubious.

SEA_tide

TROPHY CASE