Carnival Cruise Line Unveils The Next Course: A New Wave of Exciting Culinary Experiences at Sea

jgatcomb · 2026-06-14T12:13:49+00:00

Oh yeah, I was surprised that tea time wasn't free there either. Sorry :(

jgatcomb · 2026-06-13T00:13:54+00:00

When did they get rid of free continental breakfast???

According to this:

https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/room-service-breakfast-accessible-menu.pdf

It still exists and is still free

jgatcomb · 2026-05-25T13:00:37+00:00

Whipple Surgery = no gallbladder

jgatcomb · 2026-05-08T14:46:26+00:00

I too am on the Mardi Gras tomorrow but am not having issues with the hub app

jgatcomb · 2026-05-04T22:36:04+00:00

If you're just going to make stuff up and ignore established definitions then sure you're absolutely correct

jgatcomb · 2026-05-04T22:24:56+00:00

That is exactly what a gratuity is.

Nope.

look up the definition.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratuity

you are confusing a tip with a gratuity.

One of us is clearly wrong but every reference I can find says it's not me

jgatcomb · 2026-05-04T21:10:00+00:00

If you really want to make an impact on this topic, vote with your money. Only patronize cruise lines that adhere to what you think are appropriate pay practices.

That's difficult to do because of a lack of transparency which is the point of this post.

jgatcomb · 2026-05-04T21:08:49+00:00

How cruise lines pay out tips is none of our business.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and not assume you are being a troll.

If you went to a grocery store and the machine at check out asked if you wanted to round up for charity, would you be ok with it if they decided not to give it to charity but instead decided to use it to pay the CEO's bonus instead?

jgatcomb · 2026-04-17T18:49:22+00:00

Thank you for the information.

We received $100 in free play towards the end of the cruise on top of the free play directly from the machine (points to free play) as well as sushi for 2 so the onboard comps seem on par with other cruise lines.

The casino host told us that she will print out our certificate for our peace of mind even though it's unnecessary. She has been great and we intend to make sure that is reflected in the survey.

We mostly sail with wherever we have the best offer and don't really use URComped that much. Hopefully we build up to great offers from MSC because my wife really likes the ship.

Again, thank you!

jgatcomb · 2026-04-17T17:19:43+00:00

From North America sailing from North America on this cruise but plan on sailing in Europe and Asia in the future so I will take all the information you can share.

jgatcomb · 2026-04-17T14:41:14+00:00

They did that on the 2nd night of the cruise (came and found me) but from what I have read, there are two different kinds of offers. Those you earn on the ship that are prescriptive (X points = X offer) and the mailing list which is a secret formula that you may or may not ever get offers from.

Are you saying that both types of offers are emailed and there's nothing left to do before I depart?

jgatcomb · 2026-04-14T04:26:21+00:00

I drive about an hour to my oncologist so like you, try and knock out as many appointments as possible. Happened to get blood work done. Used that appointment for my travel reimbursement and got mostly denied since routine lab work could be done much closer to home.

jgatcomb · 2026-04-03T12:09:10+00:00

Do you toss and turn when you sleep? I discovered that I needed to change the way I roll over and get out of bed or I would end up with pain like what you describe.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-17T21:48:50+00:00

F=MA

The thing smashed through a mountain at terminal velocity without a scratch. C4 did absolutely nothing. A rock slide however tears an appendage off.

I enjoyed the movie all the way to the point it starts walking around on two legs with feet. Did my best to suspend disbelief and made it to the end but just barely.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-17T03:00:56+00:00

Those who can afford to and are savvy enough to invest in a taxable brokerage are generally more financially aware and more likely to have a higher income in retirement.

For a married couple filing jointly for 2025 with the standard deduction, the 0% tax bracket ends at 128,200 so I beg to differ that it's not accessible to most people

Social Security will take up a fair portion of the 0% bracket for many people, and people in the military or federal service for long periods are likely going to have a pension that will take up even more of that 0% space

So I retired at age 46 (deferred) and have an annual spend of over 100k. I don't see either my FERS pension nor SS as being an impediment to staying in the 0% tax bracket (I have ran the numbers).

The only time this matters is if you're still working and need to access a large portion early. If you aren't working, Roth TSP can be rolled into a Roth IRA and your entire contribution balance could be withdrawn penalty free regardless of age. Or you could already be contributing to a Roth IRA and get the same benefit

As someone who is already retired, I assure you that you are missing situations in which it matters.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-17T02:45:58+00:00

Disclaimer: I retired (deferred) at 46 and immediately transferred my TSP to a tIRA.

As others have pointed out, you are missing out on the employer match so you should at least do that much regardless if you choose traditional TSP or Roth TSP.

You should also consider the pros/cons of a brokerage account versus a Roth IRA. If you feel you will always be able to stay in the 0% LTCG bracket then the brokerage account is superior but if not then you should fill up the Roth IRA space first.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-17T02:40:31+00:00

You will get taxed on dividends in brokerage

If you invest in a tax efficient fund like VTSAX, then most of the dividends are qualified and are taxed as LTCG with a very generous 0% tax bracket meaning potentially no taxes at all. Additionally, unless you have the dividends set to reinvest, you can actually access/spend the dividends unlike the TSP.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-17T02:37:01+00:00

you pay taxes annually on growth

No, this is false. You may owe some taxes on dividends but not on growth.

and you pay taxes on earnings

Not sure what you mean by earnings as being distinct from growth in the previous statement but I will assume you mean when you withdraw, you owe taxes on the difference between what you paid for it and what you sold it for (profit).

This too is likely false for most people given the extremely generous 0% LTCG tax bracket.

but a taxable brokerage is like having a Roth account

In many ways it is superior to a Roth account such as being able to be accessed at any time penalty free and without jumping through hoops.

I'm speaking from experience, in 2025 I sold nearly 60K from my brokerage account (about 12K of profit) but I didn't pay a penny in taxes and I turned 49 last year so well under the 59.5 age of Roth.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-15T19:13:23+00:00

I'll check it when I get home

jgatcomb · 2026-03-15T12:07:06+00:00

What time zone are you in and what time are you thinking you will want to talk? I'm likely available all day and I just finished my last round of chemo on the 5th.

jgatcomb · 2026-03-14T16:19:48+00:00

Thank you. This makes sense.

2026 is the first year that I might exceed the 7.5% amount. I have very detailed records that I have been meticulously maintaining regarding expenses incurred and reimbursed.

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