New Game at Dave & Buster's

I stopped by the Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's today. They'd sent a coupon that gave me $10 worth of free play with the purchase of $10 worth of play. It seemed like a good enough deal so I went in and used the coupon though I didn't play any games. While there, I wanted to check Dave & Buster's new game Wheel of Fortune. I'd seen them advertise it in their emails they sent me.

The game is very much like the game you see on tv barring that it is a single player game vice having 3 contestants on tv. At the beginning, the player has 2 options as far as how many tickets they want to win. If they pay twice as i.e. 9.9 coins vice 4.9, the ticket totals on the wheel are doubled. In theory, a person could win over 2,000 tickets if they doubled AND hit the 300 ticket slot on the wheel AND got 2 or more letters to light up on the words they're trying to figure out. Personally, I don't think the odds are good a person will win that many tickets in this game.

The player gets 3 spins at the wheel during which time after each spin, they are shown various letters that in the word or words they are trying to solve. If they pick a letter that is in the word or words, they get the number of tickets they spun for that letter. After they pick their third letter, the player has to figure out what the word or words are. If they get it right, they get a bonus for solving the puzzle. I don't know the bonus is determined.

Overall, I wasn't wiped out with this game. I think it's pricey and the chance of winning lots of tickets aren't that good. It is some what challenging but, my purpose for playing the games at the arcade in Dave & Buster's is to win tickets to claim a prize. With that objective in mind, I'd rather stick with Spin & Win. You may not get as much as action i.e. it doesn't take as long to play the game as it does to play Wheel of Fortune BUT, the chances of winning lots of tickets are greater in my opinion with Spin & Win. You just have to have good eye and hand coordination as well as timing to win at Spin & Win whereas with Wheel of Fortune you have to show some brains (figuring out the puzzle) and have some luck too i.e. hitting the 200 or 300 ticket slots.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Wi-Fi

I thought I'd post a blog entry on how the Wifi works on Royal Caribbean ships. I used the service during my recent cruise on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas ship. I really enjoyed it and, I was impressed with how fast the connection was. Also, I found it fascinating because I'm certain the connection had to go via satellite at times when the ship was in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. Anyway, here is how it works.

All Royal Caribbean ships have hot spots where you can connect to the ship's Wifi network. The only exception to this is Royal Caribbean's Freedom class ships which offer connectivity thoroughout the entire ship including all cabins. For the Navigator of the Seas, the hot spots were located at the following places:

Conference Center - Deck 2

Schooner Bar - Deck 4

Two Poets Pub and Cafe Promenade - Deck 5

Solarium - Deck 11

19th Hole Sports & Golf Bar/Cosmopolitan Club - Deck 14

In order to connect to the Internet at one of these hot spots, you must create a login and password. This is done at a Royal Caribbean Online workstation. These were located on the 8th deck to the rear of the ship on the Navigator of the Seas. The workstation asks you to create a login and password. Also, you'll need your SeaPass card so it can charge you for the service once you start using it. Royal Caribbean doesn't charge you for the service at this point. Once you've created a login and password, you take your laptop to one of the hotspots. You should see the RC wireless signal on your Wifi list. You press connect. Then, you call up an Internet browser. A page should come up on the browser that asks you how you want to pay for using the Internet. You have 2 options: you can pay the standard rate which is 65 cents a minute or you can buy a prepaid plan. Royal Caribbean offers 5 prepaid plans. They are:

60 minutes for $35 which breaks out to 58 cents a minute

90 minutes for $55 which breaks out to 55 cents a minute

150 minutes for $75 which breaks out to 50 cents a minute

250 minutes for $100 which breaks out to 40 cents a minute

500 minutes for $150 which breaks out to 30 cents a minute

Once you choose which option you want and press enter, you will be billed for the service and, you will be connected to the Internet. The webpage that offered you the prepaid plans will show you how many minutes you've used and at what cost. That page is helpful as it enables you to have some idea how many minutes you have left or how much you will be billed if you used the standard rate. It also enables you to disconnect from the Internet though you still have to break the Wifi connection on your laptop i.e. disconnect a second time. Also, at the end of the cruise, you will lose any minutes you don't use on your prepaid plan i.e. you can't carry them over to your next cruise. If you go over your prepaid minutes, you will be billed the standard rate per minute for the overage.

If you belong to Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society, you may find a coupon in the coupon booklet that will be left in your cabin. This was the case during my cruise. The coupon will save you either $5 or 10% of your Internet bill. In my case, I opted for the prepaid 500 minute plan so it save me $15. That isn't tons but, it is something.

Also, from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., the Wifi network will go down. I was told by another cruiser that they took the system down during that time for maintenance. I don't know if that's true but, they system definitely goes down during those times. I can personally vouch for that.

Lastly, if you want to change your password on the system, you have to go to one of the Royal Caribbean Online workstations. You enter your login and whatever you want your new password to be. You'll have to swipe your SeaPass during this process. You won't lose any prepaid minutes you have left on your account. I can personally vouch for that. I changed my password during my recent cruise after I thought I'd lost the piece of paper I'd written my login and password on. I later found it in my wallet. Oops!

I hope this entry answers most questions about Royal Caribbean's Wifi service on its ships. I really liked the service and, I'll be using it again when I go my Alaska cruise next year. I would definitely recommend it.

Update: September 11, 2013

Since so many people have read this post, I thought I'd post some more information on it about Royal Caribbean's Wi-Fi.

First, Royal Caribbean plans to upgrade all its ships to where you'll be able to access the ship's Wi-Fi network any where on the ship. This upgrade is performed when the ship goes into dock for other improvements like adding a number of their popular pay restaurants. The unofficial Royal Caribbean blog has a schedule list of when the ships will go into dry dock to get the upgrades including ship wide Wi-Fi. Here's the link:  http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/ship-upgrade-list-and-schedule. However, I don't know how current this list is.

Second, Royal Caribbean's Chief Information Office (CIO) Bill Martin did an interview with InformationWeek on September 9th, 2013 (http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/interviews/royal-caribbean-broadens-bandwidth-horiz/240160918) where he tells of what Royal Caribbean is doing to improve Wi-Fi on their ships such as add more antennas to pick up satellites and plans to introduce an e-commerce portal (as far as I know it isn't available yet) where customers will be able to buy daily ($49) (my opinion: no thanks!) and weekly ($179) (my opinion: maybe, if this means I have unlimited minutes during that week) packages. He mentions that Royal Caribbean has increased its band width 7 fold which enabled it to give customers who were sailing with them when they celebrated their 50 millionth customer a free hour of Internet and, they encouraged them to post pictures. Something he says they couldn't have done a year ago.

My experience on trying to post pictures on their Wi-Fi has been hit and miss due to the slowness of the connection at times. I plan to test their Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi this month when I sail on her and, I'll report back on how things went on trying to post pictures. You may even get to see one of this blog. Stay tuned.

Update March 16, 2014: First, Navigator of the Seas has ship-wide Wi-Fi now. Second, it and the Allure of the Seas (these are the only 2 ships that offer this) offer 2 unlimited Wi-Fi packages. For 1 person, it costs $189.95. For 2 people, it costs $229.95. In my opinion, for a long cruise, it would be worth buying one of these packages. For a short cruise like the ones Majesty of the Seas does, it wouldn't be worth it. Also, you can use your Crown & Anchor discount coupons on these packages. If you want to know how good the current Wi-Fi is on Navigator of the Seas. Here is a link to a daily blog a contributor on the unofficial Royal Caribbean blog posted on February 15, 2014 about how the Wi-Fi was on ship.

Lastly, here are links to 2 other blog entries I've posted on Wi-Fi with Royal Caribbean. The one on Majesty of the Seas gives the Wi-Fi rates for that ship which are different from the rates on other ships. I don't know why they're so different. Next month, I sail on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas and, I'll find out if the rates have changed as well as how well the Wi-Fi works on that ship. I'll post something on here about my experiences with it. I'll definitely be using it for this cruise where I'll be visiting Mexico, Guatemala (for the first time), Costa Rica (for the first time), Panama (for the first time) and Colombia (for the first time). Stay tuned.

Update May 22, 2014: I'm including links to 2 more blog entries I did on Wi-Fi for Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas and Independence of the Seas. Interestingly, Independence of the Seas offers 2 unlimited Wi-Fi packages making it the 3rd Royal Caribbean ship to offer this. The unlimited Wi-Fi packages are lot better deal than what was offered on Legend of the Seas or Majesty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean Wi-Fi Update
Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi
Legend of the Seas Wi-Fi
Independence of the Seas Wi-Fi
Serenade of the Seas WiFi

Update May 30, 2014: My apologies on the link to my blog entry for Independence of the Seas Wi-Fi. I apparently didn't set it up right and so, it didn't work. It should work now. Also, I made a correction concerning the Oasis and Allure of the Seas. These 2 ships had ship wide Wi-Fi from the beginning. Lastly, if Royal Caribbean has stayed to schedule (see schedule link further up in this blog entry), there should be just 3 ships that DON'T have ship wide Wi-Fi. They're Explorer of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas. I suspect Majesty of the Seas will never get it as I think they're going to transfer that ship to one of their other cruise lines in time like they did with its sister ship Sovereign of the Seas.

Update October 18, 2014: I found out to my great annoyance the links to blog entries on Majesty of the Seas, Legend of the Seas and Independence of the Seas didn't work. After much experimenting, I believe they're working now. Also, on the Legend of the Seas Wi-Fi, I did another cruise on that ship last month and, its rates haven't changed i.e. they're still pretty expensive. I would definitely look for cheaper or free Wi-Fi hotspots when in port vice using the ship's Wi-Fi. Lastly, the end of January 2015, I'll be on Majesty of the Seas again (I'll be treating my favorite aunt to her first 2 cruises). I'll let you know if there has been any changes in the rates as well as how much free (really) Wi-Fi a Diamond member gets on that ship. Stay tuned.

Update December 7, 2014:  Royal Caribbean Blog has a new article that tells of the Wi-Fi rates on Royal Caribbean's new Quantum of the Seas. The ship offers 3 tiers of packages: Basic, Premium and Premium Plus. Basic is the slowest and cheapest while Premium Plus is the fastest and most expensive. There are 4 levels of plans of for each tier: hourly rate, daily rate, unlimited rate for 1 device and unlimited rate for 2 devices. Prices start at $20 for Basic 1 hour rate and go up to $400 for Premium Plus for unlimited rate for 2 devices. Royal Caribbean promises to deliver the same high speed rates on the ship that you can find on land. They aim to provide this through a partnership with O3B which supplies low orbiting satellites that target specifically the ship vice a region. The article can be found at: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/12/04/royal-caribbean-reveals-prices-new-fast-quantum-of-the-seas-wi-fi

Update September 20, 2015: I added a new link to my blog entry on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas and what I thought of its WiFi (I sailed on it July 26 to August 8, 2015) as well as what plans they offer on the ship. The ship does offer something different in that you get unlimited minutes and pay a flat rate per day. Also, you can have a second device with unlimited minutes at half the price of the first device. See my blog entry to see what I'm talking about. Lastly, the ship's WiFi is available throughout the ship vice the old system where it was available only in certain locations. Next year, I'll be sailing on Independence of the Seas for the second time. I'm hoping it'll have the new VOOM system Royal Caribbean is coming out with so, I can see how well it works and, if it lives up to all the hype Royal Caribbean is saying about it. We'll see. Stay tuned.

Update April 30, 2016: Ref a April 29, 2016 article on www.royalcaribbeanblog.com: Royal Caribbean Chief Executive Officer Michael Bayley states that by May 1st (as far as I can tell of this year) EVERY ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet will have the new VOOM WiFi system. Also, they've unveiled a 2 tier set of plans. One is just for emails and checking various websites while the more expensive plan allows for video and streaming. I haven't had the chance to use VOOM yet but, if what Bayley says is true, I'll get to try it on my November cruise on Independence of the Seas. I'll definitely post some where on my blog after I get back from that cruise what I think of it and whether it does it live up to all its hype. We'll see. Happy web surfing all!

Globus Legacy of the Incas Tour

With the conclusion of my recent cruise on the Navigator of the Seas, I've started preparing for my future Globus tour of Peru. The tour is called Legacy of the Incas and lasts 10 days in Peru. We cover a lot of territory. We start in Lima, drive to Ica where we board a flight to see the Nazca Plain drawings from the air, take a boat ride to the Ballestas Islands, drive back to Lima, fly to Cuzco, drive to the Sacred Valley, take a train to and from Machu Picchu, drive back to Cuzco where we fly to Juliaca and drive to Lake Titicaca, visit Taquile Island and the Uros Islands, drive back to Juliaca, fly back to Lima and finish with a farewell dinner. That is a brief summary of travel and some of the things I'll get to do during the tour.

One item I was very interested in was the Internet access at the various hotels I'll be staying at. I'd like to be able to post current updates on the trip like I did on my recent cruise. To my delight, I found out every hotel I'll be staying offers free Wifi access. Because of that, I plan to take my laptop on the trip so I can post updates. For any readers I have, you'll get to read of my adventures in Peru shortly after they happen and possibly see some pictures I'll take during the tour. So, stay tuned for future adventures. In approximately 60 days or so, I'll be departing again for my first trip to South America.

Grand Cayman/Cozumel Hard Rock Cafes

To my delight, I got to visit and buy t-shirts from both of these Hard Rock Cafes. The easiest to get to was the Grand Cayman cafe as it was 2 blocks from the downtown Georgetown pier. Another thing I liked about the Grand Cayman cafe was they had a deal going where if you bought 3 t-shirts, you got a free cap or sun visor ($20 value). Lastly, I thought the Grand Cayman had some nice designs on their t-shirts.

On the other hand, Cozumel wouldn't be easy to get to for someone arriving at the international cruise ship pier. After I bought my t-shirt from the cafe, I took a taxi back to the pier for $7 and, I thought it was money well spent. In my opinion, it would've been a serious i.e. long walk to get back to the cruise ship pier from the cafe. Another thing that didn't wipe me out with the cafe was the designs of their t-shirts. I would've thought they could've come with up with something better. The one I bought had the colors of the Mexican flag. One interesting note about the Cozumel cafe is that it's supposedly the smallest Hard Rock Cafe in the world. That's possible. I didn't bother to look in to see how big their restaurant was. Still, I pleased to get one of their shirts. I suspect the cafe does a good bit of business with all the cruise ships that call at Cozumel. When I visited, there was the one I was on and 2 Celebrity ships.

Tulum

The excursion I looked forward to most on this cruise was the one to the Mayan city of Tulum. I'd never seen anything like that before. Plus, it would be a nice preparation for my tour to Peru in January. Tulum turned out to be awesome. Most of the main temple complex was intact and, there were other fascinating buildings. Our tour guide Mario did a great job explaining in limited time some of the history of the city including how it was discovered in the 1840's and later excavated. Another plus is that the city is walled. It was something to make my way through one of the narrow entrances. Lastly, there were awesome views of the Caribbean. Overall, I was thoroughly delighted with this excursion and would recommend it to anyone. When I get home, I plan to post some pictures of the city so any viewers I have can see just how stunning it is.

Cruise Update

Due to poor diving conditions, I didn't get to go scuba diving in Grand Cayman. Because the person running the dive shop the cruise ship uses waited till this morning to see what the conditions were before cancelling a number of dives, I was notified kind of late and had to scramble to book another excursion.

The excursion I went on was a combination tour. First, I got to ride in a semi-submersible that enabled me to see a number of Grand Cayman's best reefs as well as 2 wrecks they have. I enjoyed this plus, it was my first time in such a craft. After that, the tour driver and guide took the group I was with to a turtle farm. According to our guide, it is the only one of its kind in the world. They keep over 300 breeder turtles at the farm. When the turtles lay their eggs in a section of sand they have for them, the farm digs up the eggs and puts them in incubators so there is a greater chance the eggs will hatch. Once the eggs hatch, the baby turtles are transferred to other tanks where they are fed and grow. Some are released into the wild while others are slaughtered for their meat. Visitors can hold and touch the young turtles. The farm is also trying to raise Kemp Ridley turtles which are an endangered species.

After visiting the turtle farm, we drive to Hell, Grand Cayman. Supposedly a British governor of the island gave the area its name. The area features limestone formations that are very jagged and sharp. Others have put statues of devils around the formations. The town has a post office where you can mail letters and cards with the postmark of Hell, Grand Cayman. Visitors to the area can jokingly say they've been to Hell and back. I thought the place a bit touristy but, it was neat to say I'd been there.

The last stop was at the Tortuga Rum Cake Factory. Visitors at the factory could try free samples of the various cakes as well as some Tortuga rum. I found the cakes really good. I plan to buy at a couple before the cruise ends. Also, I enjoyed trying some of the rums.

Our tour guide and driver returned us to the pier where we could catch a shuttle boat back to the Navigator of the Seas or do more sightseeing. I made my mandatory trip to the Cayman Island Hard Rock Cafe where I ended up buying 3 t-shirts. They have some pretty cool ones which I'll comment more on in another post.

Overall, I ended up having a nice visit to Grand Cayman. I thought it interesting and, the weather was pretty nice with the sun out and the temps in the high 70's. According to the tour guide, Grand Cayman never gets below the 60's temperature wise and has many days when it's in the 80's. It sounds like it is a typical Caribbean island where you can enjoy lots of sun and sand. Stay tuned for my cruise updates. Tomorrow, I get to visit Cozumel, Mexico.

Cruise Update

The Navigator of the Seas arrived just off of Georgetown, Grand Cayman this morning. The town apparently doesn't have a pier that is big enough and deep enough to accomodate the ship. Because of that, I'll have to take a tender/shuttle boat to the town's pier to do my scheduled scuba diving trip. Plan to go early so I can visit the Hard Rock Cafe and get my prized new t-shirt.

Last night, the ship had a formal evening where everyone got to dress up if they felt like. There were lots of guys in tuxedos and suits and lots of ladies in gowns. The ship served free champagne which was decent. I doubt it was the really good stuff.

Afterwards, I dined in the formal dining room. The ship's chefs did themselves proud as I got to enjoy some excellent Escargot Bourguignon, lobster bisque and shrimp ravioli. The escargot reminded me of the Globus tour I took of France. I really enjoyed the dinner.

That's all for this update. Still tuned for more posts on my cruise. Cheers all!

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas

I'm on my 2nd cruise. I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale for the first time yesterday. There, I boarded Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. It can hold over 3,800 passengers and is the same class of ship  (Voyager class) as the Adventure of the Seas. The ship has lots to do including a full length basketball court, miniature golf course, inline skating track, 3 or 4 pools, bi-level theater, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, casino and a number of shops for those who love to shop.

I've found the food good and plentiful. My cabin with balcony is very nice. And, the staff very helpful and efficient. You won't see any dirty plates for long in the restaurants. I've tried the miniature golf, trivia games and bingo. They've been fun. Tomorrow, I'll get to go scuba diving in Grand Cayman which should be a lot of fun. I haven't scuba dived in over 2 and 1/2 years.

That's all for this blog entry. I'm able to use the ship's Wifi network for a fee so there will be updates during the cruise. Stay tuned for more blogs about my on-going cruise. Cheers all!

Update: The scuba diving was cancelled due to low visibility. The waters around Grand Cayman had gotten stirred up lowering the visibility to where they decided to cancel the scuba diving excursion.

The Red Pyramid

In a departure from Rick Riordan's Olympian books, Riordan created a storyline incorporating the ancient Egyptian gods. The new series is called The Kane Chronicles. Like Riordan's Olympian books, the series is aimed at teenagers though readers of other ages may enjoy the books. The book's hero and heroine are Carter and Sadie Kane. Though they don't know it, they are descendents of the Egyptian pharoahs. This gives this a special connection to the Egyptian gods and when the gods are freed by their father in the British Museum in London, England, they become hosts for the god Horus and goddess Isis respectively. This will lead to a number of dangers and ultimately a battle with the evil god Set who intends to kill their father and which they try to prevent.

During their perils and battles, they will meet various Egyptian gods and goddesses including Anubis, Bast and Thoth. They will learn they are two of the most powerful children descended form the pharoahs in centuries. Later, they will also discover that the chaos serpent Apophos is rising again and the fate of the world will be decided by them in their battle with Set.

Like the Olympian books, Riordan causes our hero and heroine to have a mere 5 days to defeat the evil doer and save the world. Also, like the Olympian books, Riordan throws in a number of surprises and some romance. Because of the limited time they have, the two Kane children have to move quickly and the action comes fast and furious. At then end, all things end well and yet, there can be little doubt there are future trials and battles ahead. As Riordan has a release date of fall 2011 for his Son of Neptune book in the Heroes of Olympus series, any fans of the Kane series will have to wait a while for the next Kane Chronicles book.

Overall, I thought the story was nice though I thought the Egyptian gods were a bit lame at times in the story. At one point in the book, our heroes are being chased by a killer monster and, it's Horus's birthday. The god apparently wants Carter to stop fighting the killer monster and wish him happy birthday. Then, the god asks Carter if he bought him a present. Surely, a god could show more sense.

As far as I know, The Red Pyramid is only available in hardbound and the list price $17.99. Various discount bookstores may sell it for less. Those who like the Percy Jackson series will probably like the Kane Chronicles series. As for me, I look forward to Riordan's Son of Neptune book.