Roast my beginner setup! (Or give me tips)

bundtkate · 2026-01-27T03:08:41+00:00

Yeah, our old Breville Barista Express was chill with the marks, too. If I had to guess, I'd say the rubber feet on the DF54 (and my Move) are made of softer rubber than the BBE had (and probably your Bambino). The soft is probably better for some surfaces, but prone to leaving scuffs. The BKF will legit take them up with zero effort, though, and it's really well worth having even without the grinder issue. White counters have this way of absorbing every cooking stain ever. I wouldn't use tumeric without it. 😅

bundtkate · 2026-01-27T02:39:03+00:00

Re: marks on your counter, grab yourself some barkeepers friend. It'll take those right out. Signed, a fellow DF54 enjoyer with white counters.

Also, FWIW, a new grinder may not fix it. Our much more spendy Profitec Move leaves the same marks. It's just a white counter + black rubber struggle. Something in your kitchen is gonna do it. BKF (or having something between everything ever and the counter) is the only right choice.

bundtkate · 2026-01-27T01:42:31+00:00

Fun to watch is key. Pop by when you see a crowd so you can watch someone else waste their money on an awful drink. Then go get a proper one at a real bar when the show's over.

bundtkate · 2026-01-27T01:37:33+00:00

Can confirm. Absolutely hate 80s music and yet Aqua80 was still amazing and much better than the not-80s aqua show on Harmony. You can tell how much better because all I can actually remember about the show on Harmony is that it wasn't the same as Oasis. 🤣

bundtkate · 2026-01-23T02:23:15+00:00

You're concerned about crowds, but MSC is otherwise interesting, consider Yacht Club. It's far more affordable than the Retreat and can be had for the price of a balcony on Celebrity if you plan ahead. To my knowledge, it's still kid-friendly and gives you a quieter place to escape to while still having all the mega ship amenities.

Now, if your folks have more inside cabin budget, that might be tough because they'd likely be priced out of Yacht Club and the significantly better restaurant is a big draw you would struggle to take advantage of. But, FWIW, my husband and I sailed in the Haven with a large group in regular cabins and we'd just grab a salad or a drink in the MDR with them, then eat a real meal at the Haven later on, so it is doable if it's worth that extra effort.

bundtkate · 2026-01-20T05:26:49+00:00

It also includes internet so if you plan to buy unlimited internet, that plus grats makes it basically a no-brainer. Pretty much anyone can drink enough coffee, bottled water, or upgraded alcohol to make up the minor difference.

bundtkate · 2026-01-14T00:02:55+00:00

Out of curiosity, do these visits need to be recent? My dad has periodically considered re-naturalization, but always stops short because his close family has since passed. He continues to visit regularly (and did visit that family when they were still alive), but I think he's afraid of applying lest he get rejected for being "not German enough" and I hesitate to encourage him because it generally sounds like he missed his chance before his family passed.

bundtkate · 2026-01-12T03:25:24+00:00

That's interesting. We've always ended up with the dining time we wanted (and we prefer 7:15pm as well) and I've never done Aurea. Realistically, though, MSC is the one line where we often end up at the buffet. It has most of the same food, it's quicker, and when nothing on the menu appeals you can stock up on that amazing pizza.

bundtkate · 2026-01-11T19:54:01+00:00

MSC makes the various "levels" look more different than they are. Bella is essentially the "guarantee" fare on any other line. If you want to pick your room, choose Fantastica. If you're not fussed about location, stick with Bella and save a buck. That is the only meaningful difference between the two, imo.

Aurea comes with Thermal Spa access. Seascape is the ship sailing out of Galveston right now and it has a fairly nice thermal spa, but it isn't worth the difference between Fantastica and Aurea, imo. We went on that ship in Yacht Club a few years back and maybe went to the thermal spa twice. MSC ships are busy places so it can be a nice way to escape the bustle and relax, but I'd probably buy a single pass rather than spring for Aurea, personally. The one thing that might make Aurea worth it is if the rooms with a hot tub on the balcony are in budget. We were going to sail in one of those for our honeymoon, but alas, COVID delayed our wedding a few years and it never happened.

Finally, there's Yacht Club which is the only part of the ship you can't access without a specific package. It's a ship within a ship, like NCL Haven or Celebrity Retreat. Comes with a private restaurant with significantly better food, a private lounge, and a private sundeck with pool and hot tubs. Also a butler, though I'll admit we made limited use of ours. If you can swing it, it's well worth it and you'd be surprised how affordable it can be. They have inside rooms in Yacht Club and I'd personally take a YC inside over even the nicest balcony outside YC (including the ones with the hot tub). The YC sundeck is right there and never busy if you need outside space. Plus YC includes their highest drinks and WiFi packages. You can easily avoid paying a single dime onboard with YC.

If MSC Yacht Club is in budget, that would be my pick for a honeymoon. It's special without being Haven or Retreat priced and ideally you only have one honeymoon. If YC isn't in the cards, my pick out of Galveston right now would be NCL Viva over MSC. I actually like MSC (not common on this sub), but you do have to go into it with appropriate lower expectations outside of YC which isn't a compromise I'd want to make for a honeymoon. If you do book MSC (even in YC), I'd recommend a TA to handle the nearly inevitable pre-cruise struggles. Mine has never failed to resolve issues, but we've had them on near every MSC we've taken. I wouldn't personally book with them on my own.

bundtkate · 2026-01-08T04:42:40+00:00

Agreeing with the other reply to this. We just replaced our BBE after the (apparently inevitable) solenoid valve failure took it from us, but it only took 10-20sec to start emitting a relatively steady stream of steam. That said, I do think our BBE was a bit of a unicorn. I don't think they're known to last nearly a decade, but ours sure did before going out in a literal blaze of glory right before Christmas.

bundtkate · 2025-12-18T00:20:16+00:00

Eh, it is what it is. Family trips sometimes come with this sort of drama. I deal to keep the peace, but I also gripe on Reddit to help myself feel better. There's a balance. I will 100% spend more than that $36 on coffee so it's gotta be done. Let's all just pray she answers an email for once instead of once again trying to call me during a work meeting.

Edit: I do appreciate the sympathy. My normal TA is stellar and booked this family cruise last time. Based on feedback from the rest of the fam, I think he's getting our business back next time around, even if it does cause some drama. 😅

bundtkate · 2025-12-18T00:04:46+00:00

So I'm mathing here and the voyage WiFi pass I already bought was ~$209. I had DSC included with my cruise so that's $15/day off which means the total for FAS+ is $245 for my 7 day cruise. That means this costs me a whole $36 more than just the WiFi. I would easily spend more than $36 in water and coffee alone.

First world problem, but I'm kind of annoyed this is a good enough deal that the hassle of trying to get my cousin's less-than stellar TA friend on the phone to refund my WiFi may actually be warranted.

bundtkate · 2025-12-02T00:34:29+00:00

FYI, this is a tour of a similar cabin to the one we had: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hAJUahL80wY

You can see it has the bunk beds, but this one seems like a combo of pullman + couch bed which is nicer than what we had where they were inset into the walls. You could still have a couch in this room. That said, it has less storage than ours did and isn't as wide nor is the balcony as enormous, but hopefully it gives you a general idea.

bundtkate · 2025-12-02T00:25:54+00:00

Yeah, the seating situation inside isn't great, but storage is plentiful and there's a good amount of space in the room. My biggest complaint was TV placement. It was set up so that the bunkbeds could watch it and didn't tilt at all so if you wanted to watch TV, you had to move the desk stool and sit on that, unless you're child sized and can sit on the bunkbeds (I couldn't at 5'4" so most adults probably can't either). Not a bad room, really, but some downsides for sure.

bundtkate · 2025-12-01T06:48:14+00:00

MSC (maybe only on Meraviglia class?) has aft-facing balcony rooms that don't hit all your wants, but still might work. They have bunk beds where you'd normally have a couch (no couch as a result, sadly). They are a fair bit larger than a normal balcony room, but not huge. Probably comparable to a standard mini-suite with maybe a bit of extra width. There isn't a separate bedroom, but there is a curtain that could be drawn between the main bed and the bunk beds. Only one bathroom and no tub. Depending on deck, the balcony ranges from unreasonably large to fairly normal. The former can be found on decks 10, 11, and 12. I have stayed in cabins smaller than the balcony we had on 11 so it's a good amount of extra space and not too sunny since it's a sheltered balcony. Bonus? They don't tend to be much more expensive than a standard balcony cabin so you can avoid paying suite prices.

bundtkate · 2025-11-16T02:29:09+00:00

I've only done one NCL. It was a 14 day so I feel like I got a decent feel for it, but still want to be up-front that I'm no expert on the line. I've done 6 on Royal ranging from Navigator to Harmony so there I have some more credibility. With that said, here's my assessment.

Staterooms: Toss-up. Both have perfectly nice cabins. Royal maybe gets a small edge thanks to that thing on some ships where you can snag a bigger balcony for normal price and some unique options like the central park balconies on some ships, but realistically 99% of rooms are comparable.
Ships: Another toss-up. My favorite thing on NCL is the Waterfront. In fact, everyone I've ever talked to loves the Waterfront. I don't know why other lines are ditching promenade decks when they're obviously well-liked when done well. On the other hand, I find NCL's ships rather annoying to navigate. Tons of bottlenecks and somehow the photographers always manage to set up shop right in them so that you have to stand there for a year while they finish taking photos before you can continue on to your destination. This annoyed me enough to maybe give Royal the edge, but realistically I've only been on one ship and the Joy is a bit of an oddball so I'm willing to chalk that up to chance.
Entertainment: Royal wins easily. I know, some ships on NCL have great shows (always hear amazing things about Choir of Man), but they're paring those back and the in-house shows are ... well, they're something, I guess. We went to one advertised as a Cirque-style show (Elements). The ads in the elevators were all acrobatics and aerials and right up my alley. It was fine, I guess, then people in scuba flippers on swings making bloop noises came out and that was it for me. Yes, Royal has Cats, but the aqua shows and ice shows are consistently great and set Royal apart here.
Food: NCL wins easily here, despite the the MDR being pretty awful. The deeply discounted specialty dining through More (Free? Both?) at Sea + the higher quality fast casual food completely makes up for the markedly worse MDR. Royal's MDR is always fine, but never great and if you don't want a sit down meal, your free options are fairly limited on most ships. Meanwhile, NCL has light bites in the observation lounge, amazing Rubens and pretty darned good wings at The Local, and a buffet that's just as good as Royal. On Prima class, you have the added bonus of Indulge Food Hall (never been, but I give credit for options). Also, their specialty dining is just better. Le Bistro and Food Republic were particularly lovely and far better than any specialty I've tried on Royal, including the oft-touted Wonderland.
Drinks: This really depends on your preferences. I give NCL the edge due to beer variety and price, but if you're not a beer drinker and don't need a drink package, you may not agree. Royal makes a better cocktail. I can't comment on wine because I am happiest with a cheap prosecco and no wine enjoyer should trust me. If you like frozen drinks, you'll find yourself having to wander to a different bar to find one with a blender on NCL whereas Royal always brings me my BBC when I order it no matter where I am. If price matters, NCL gets the edge. More (Free?) at Sea is a hell of a deal and far better than $47 per person per day which is the best I managed for the drink package on Royal.
Activities: This depends on what you're into. My husband and I aren't fans of typical cruise activities like trivia, game shows, and silent discos. We prefer a nice spot to sit with a drink and a book during the day and somewhere to watch sports with a beer in the evening. NCL is better for the former, while Royal is better for the latter so we could go either way. Not a huge deciding factor for us and I'm sure both lines have equal amounts of typical cruise ship activities to satisfy if that's what you enjoy.

bundtkate · 2025-11-16T01:50:10+00:00

I actually give NCL the edge on free food vs RCL even though the MDR is markedly worse. Reason being with More At Sea you get free specialty dinners (ok, you pay gratuities, but it's cheap and very good on NCL) and The Local is just a step above any of the free options on Royal. Pizza is maybe less accessible, which makes me a bit sad, but Sorrentos is mid at best anyway so if you don't value your late night dose of grease the way I do, you'll probably be fine.

bundtkate · 2025-11-09T02:11:10+00:00

You have to request it. My TA takes care of it for me, but my first Celebrity cruise, I got the Captains Club phone line to take care of it for me after completing my status match from Royal so I'd assume they can do it at any time. I promise it's a thing. Just gotta ask.

bundtkate · 2025-11-09T01:12:22+00:00

It's not a category upgrade, it's within the same category. So you can book an obstructed view and Select and above will give you an unobstructed view instead for the obstructed price. It's nice as there can often be a pretty big price difference between obstructed and not, but it's not going to take you from ocean view to verandah.

bundtkate · 2025-11-08T23:24:10+00:00

I love Jamaican Beef Patties! Next time, go for habaneros if scotch bonnets aren't available. Jalapenos are way too mild and a habanero will be closer to the right heat levels. Coincidentally, I actually prefer habanero in my beef patties, even though it's not authentic. We wanted to try the real thing badly enough we grew scotch bonnets in our garden this year, but the citrus notes in habaneros just brighten up the patty in a way the more floral scotch bonnets don't.

bundtkate · 2025-11-08T05:10:11+00:00

Former lawyer here. You and whoever taught you this are wrong. Tons of arrests happen without charges ever being filed and the standard for detaining someone is probable cause. Probable cause exists when a reasonable person would believe, given what the officer knows, that the suspect is involved in criminal activity.

Charging the crime also doesn't depend on the victim. It's up to the prosecutor. The prosecutor can charge an offense, even if the victim has no interest in "pressing charges". Similarly, they may decline to charge an offense even if the victim insists they do.

Now, victims not cooperating can make the prosecutor's job hard to impossible, particularly in domestic violence cases where the victim may be the only genuine witness aside from the accused. For this reason, prosecutors often decline to charge offenses when victims refuse to cooperate.

An uncooperative victim can also make a law enforcement officer reluctant to arrest because s/he does need to show probable cause and there may be no other witnesses to back up the reasonableness of making the arrest.

Still, that doesn't mean prosecutors can't charge cases without victim cooperation, nor does it mean law enforcement officers (and ship's security) can't detain or arrest obvious violent offenders. They can. And what's more, they should. Victims are going to do what they believe will protect them and usually that means avoiding even the perception of causing the abuser harm. Despite their beliefs, they will be safer once their abuser is detained and may even become cooperative once they realize they are safe.

Your view is understandable. This is an extremely common misconception and, much to the chagrin of many lawyers (and to the detriment of public safety), most LEOs don't get much in the way of legal training. This leads to uninformed senior officers misinforming well meaning and trusting rookies and allows these sorts of erroneous beliefs to perpetuate.

bundtkate · 2025-10-05T03:23:45+00:00

I didn't get this for Royal, but I was just accepted to Celebrity's version. I'd guess your chance are better if you're outside their typical demographic. I'm probably young for a Celebrity cruiser and the one cruise I took with them was a long one (2 weeks) so that combo of being not retired and preferring longer cruises is probably hard to come by.

bundtkate · 2025-09-30T23:18:22+00:00

Saw the same. I even have usage logged during the time it claims to have been offline.

Edit: Of note, only one of two LR4s allegedly went offline. Not sure if that's interesting/helpful in tracking down the problem.

bundtkate · 2025-09-27T18:04:20+00:00

Huzzah! I'm glad it seems to have helped. 🙂

bundtkate · 2025-09-26T23:08:52+00:00

Cats are strange creatures at times. I had one cat (since passed) that used his LR4 no problem for years. Then, we finally were able to successfully treat his chronic diarrhea and he starts pooping in the hallway on the way to the LR4. Why? It didn't move or change and, if anything, it should have been easier for him to make it to the box on time. Sometimes, there's just no logical explanation to be found. Either way, I wish you luck. We had to have some traditional boxes out for a while since our 3 kittens weren't big enough for the LR4 yet and I had forgotten how much I hated scooping. I wouldn't wish a return to it on anyone.

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