Sunday, September 29, 2013

Majesty of the Seas Coca Cola Freestyle Machines

One highlight of my recent 2 cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas was getting to use the ship's Coca Cola Freestyle machines. I know it's a little stupid to get excited about these machines but, they're a huge improvement over what Royal Caribbean normally offers. On a normal cruise, you'll get a choice of 6 different sodas. With the machines, you get a choice of 117! different drinks. They offer the regular version of the drinks AND the diet version. They offer Coke's Powerade which you would normally have to buy in the bottle at $3 a pop (I think). Here's some info for those who might sail on Majesty of the Seas and might want to use the machines.

Cost wise, it cost me $22.43 for the 3 night cruise and $29.90 for the 4 night cruise. You can pay for the unlimited soda package on-line at the Royal Caribbean website as long as you have an account with it. Otherwise, you'll have to purchase the package the first day of the cruise on deck 4 when you first board the ship (I think they offered them there) or deck 11 just outside the Windjammer Café.

Use wise, only those that buy the unlimited soda package the first day (or on Royal Caribbean's website) and get the souvenir glass (if you buy the package on the website, your glass will be waiting for you in your cabin) can use the machines. The machines will limit you to 1 glass of whatever drink you choose every 15 minutes. I found this out personally when I decided to chug a glass of orange powerade and then had to wait 15 minutes exactly before it would let me get another.

The many options the machines offer make the unlimited soda package a real deal even though you do have to drink a lot of Coke product to get your money's worth. Hopefully, Royal Caribbean will continue to deploy these awesome machines throughout their fleet so, I can enjoy their many choices on all of Royal Caribbean's ships. Happy drinking all!

Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi

Yesterday, I got back from Miami and my 2 back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. Royal Caribbean to their credit made some excellent changes to the Wi-Fi rates on the ship. They are as follows:

Unlimited minutes on 2 devices at the same time - $129.95
Unlimited minutes on 1 device - $95.95
24 hours of continuous connection - $49.95
1 hour of use (can be used continuously or in segments) - $29.95

The Wi-Fi hot spots remain the same.

As you can see, this is a LOT better deal then the previous plans they offered. If you're on the Internet a LOT, you can get the unlimited plan and, it will save you over $300 over the 1,666 minutes pre-paid plan they offered before.

Connection wise, I found I still had problems. One night during my first cruise, I tried repeatedly and couldn't get it to hook up. Since I was using my free minutes for being a Diamond Crown & Anchor member, I wasn't very upset. I would've if I had paid for minutes.

FYI, for those who are Diamond Crown & Anchor members, you'll get either 1 free hour of Wi-Fi or $29.95 you can use toward one of the other three plans.

Happy web surfing all!

Original entry below

Here is the promised blog entry on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas Wi-Fi. For those who haven't read my previous posts. Last Friday (September 27th, 2013), I finished 2 back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. While cruising on the ship, I did use it's Wi-Fi during the 2nd cruise. I tried to use it the first cruise but, it wouldn't let me hook up. I checked with the ship's customer service and, they said they were having satellite problems at that time.

First, the ship's Wi-Fi rate:

You can pay as you go in which case you will pay 75 cents a minute to use their Wi-Fi. The ship offers pre-pay plans which offer cheaper per minute rates. They are the following:

38 minutes for $24.95 which breaks out to 66 cents per minute
90 minutes for $49.95 which breaks out to 56 cents per minute
208 minutes for $99.95 which breaks out to 48 cents per minute
555 minutes for $199.95 which breaks out to 36 cents per minute
1,666 minutes for $399.99 which breaks out to 25 cents per minute

In regards to these plans, the 1,666 minute plan is ridiculous unless you have a family which shares the account. For 1 person, that person would have to spend 27 HOURS on the Internet to use up all their minutes. Keep in mind, the Majesty of the Seas only does 3 and 4 night cruises. I can't imagine anyone spending an entire day on the Wi-Fi during one of these cruises. Remember, you lose any minutes you don't use up by the end of the cruise. I asked if I could carry over minutes I had remaining from my first cruise to my 2nd cruise and, they said NOPE!

Second, Majesty of the Seas hasn't received the upgrade other Royal Caribbean ships have. By this, I mean that you CAN'T access the ship's Wi-Fi throughout the ship. You can only access it at certain hot spots. They are:

Viking Crown Lounge on Deck 14
Windjammer Marketplace on Deck 11
Spectrum (Disco) on Deck 8
Conference Center on Deck 7
Boleros Bar on Deck 7
Schooner Bar on Deck 7

One bit of outdated information that the Majesty's flier states is that only the Freedom class of ships offer Wi-Fi throughout the ship. This is totally erroneous.

Another problem with the ship's Wi-Fi is it will drop out. Twice during my 2nd cruise, I was connected and unexpectedly the connection broke. I don't know why. One time, it didn't come back till the next day.

If you're a Crown & Anchor member, you can get a discount on the overall cost or a percentage of the cost of the pre-paid plans. As a Gold level member, I received a coupon for $10 off (I think) or 10% off a pre-paid plan. As a Platinum or Emerald member, I received $10 off or 15% off a pre-paid plan. I don't know what discount you would get if you're a Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle member. I do know at one time that Diamond Plus members received a coupon that got them 45 minutes of free Internet time. I met a Diamond Plus member during 1 cruise who showed me the coupon.

There are cheaper alternatives to using the ship's Wi-Fi providing you have either a laptop or a Wi-Fi capable device such as a Nook e-reader.

During the 3 night cruise, you make port in Nassau, Bahamas. There is a Starbucks coffee shop on
Charlotte Lane (it's across the street from the Hard Rock Café) which is just outside the gate of the compound which you go through to get to the ship. The shop offers Wi-Fi for $3 an hour.

During the 4 night cruise, you also make port in Key West, Florida. Key West has a small Starbucks on Duval Street which offers FREE Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi on Majesty of the Seas can be handy WHEN it works. I used it to check in and print (I have a mobile printer) my boarding passes the night before we arrived back in Miami saving a bunch of hassle at the Miami International Airport. However, as you can see, it is expensive. More so than on other Royal Caribbean ships as far as I know unless they've come out with new pre-paid plans for those ships.

The short cruises on Majesty of the Seas can be a real plus for those who want to cruise but can't get the time off for a longer cruise. However, for those who want to use the ship's Wi-Fi, they can create some problems because you can't use up all the minutes on the more affordable per minute pre-paid plans. Remember, any minutes you don't use during your cruise, you lose. For my 2 cents worth, you might want to look at the alternatives I've suggested in this case as they could save you some serious money. Happy web surfing all!

Update: Last month, it was announced by Royal Caribbean International that Majesty of the Seas will be transferred to Pullmantur in 2016. Pullmantur is one of five cruise lines including Royal Caribbean International that belong to Royal Caribbean Limited (I believe). Majesty of the Seas last cruise with Royal Caribbean will be April 29, 2016. (Source: www.royalcaribbeanblog.com)

Update: Today (July 6, 2015), Royal Caribbean announced it has reversed its decision and will be keeping Majesty of the Seas in its fleet. For WiFi users, the announcement has a huge surprise. The ship will be fitted with its new VOOM system and will offer FREE and UNLIMITED Internet to all its customers on the ship. This is a huge change with them. No other ship in their fleet offers totally FREE WiFi. Folks will be able to try the new free WiFi starting May 27, 2016 when the ship starts sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida vice its old port Miami.

Update March 27, 2016: Royal Caribbean reversed its decision to offer free WiFi on Majesty of the Seas and won't be offering it any longer. They've been changing a number of their plans for the ships which is annoying. Personally, I think this decision is dumb. On this ship's short cruises (3 and 4 nights), you can get by without the WiFi. Remember, Starbucks offers it for a small fee in Nassau, Bahamas and for free in Key West, Florida. During my 4 cruises on this ship, I never signed up for it. With their inept handling of this, I'm glad I most likely won't ever sail on this ship again.

Majesty of the Seas Cruises Review

Sadly, I got back this past Friday from my 2 cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. I had a great time. My only complaint would be I wish the cruises were longer. The 3 night and 4 night cruises would be good for people who can't take much time off (I met 1 such person during my 2nd cruise) or can't afford a longer cruise.

The ship itself is in excellent shape. I couldn't find anything wrong with her. I saw a number of times where it's crew performed maintenance on her while I cruised. The ship's crew is excellent. My room attendant did a fine job both cruises. The food was very good and plentiful. I had to show willpower and limit myself to just 1 plate every meal in the Windjammer Café. I particularly enjoyed the Coca Cola Freestyle machines. They particularly rocked. I enjoyed many a glass of PowerAde and liked being able to try out various Coca Cola products I'd never tried before. I didn't watch any of the free shows so, I don't have any idea if they're any good or not. The ship's shops were fine though I didn't really check them out. I'm not into shopping though I did buy myself a ship's magnet and some pens to show I'd sailed on her. The ship's Wi-Fi was unreliable. Twice, I couldn't connect at all and twice, I got bumped off it after I connected. Also, it's more expensive then on other Royal Caribbean ships. I'll be posting a separate blog entry where I'll list the prices for its Wi-Fi. The ship has a nice little gym with 12 aerobicycles, 6 treadmills, 1 rowing machines, various weight machines and a small floor where they hold yoga, pilates and stretching classes. I don't know if they do Zumba. I never met the gym director though I did read his bio and, it sounds like he is very competent. I thought it cool that he's from South Africa. I haven't forgotten Pumba, one of the ladies who works in Grandeur of the Seas spa. She's from South Africa and, she is totally awesome! The ship has a spa but, I didn't try it this time due to its prices. They're not cheap and, I needed to watch the bucks this time.

In regards to the ports of call, I thought they were pretty good. Coco Cay  is a nice resort. They have some pretty beaches and offer snorkeling, scuba diving, jet ski riding and parasailing. You can also take a ride on a glass bottom boat. I did that and, I really enjoyed it. They offer a nature walk where they tell you of Bahamian bush medicine. I found it interesting and funny. Funny in that all the medicines apparently had to taste bitter in order to work. You couldn't add sugar to make them taste better. Lastly, Royal Caribbean holds a lunch bar-b-que buffet every time it stops there. I found it a decent buffet. All passengers have to be tendered to Coco Cay. Royal Caribbean has 5 small boats at the island that can ferry/tender people to the island. Their crews were very competent. There are a few Bahamian gift shops on the island where you can buy various Bahamian souvenirs.

Nassau, Bahamas is nice. I did a very good city tour where I got to visit 2 forts, the Queen's staircase and a couple other locations. The Queen's staircase stood out as it's very pretty with a very neat waterfall and plants along the walkway. The other excursion I did was the Discover Atlantis tour. The tour guide for the tour was outstanding. She was funny and know her stuff about the resort. The resort itself is impressive and worth checking out though I don't have any desire to stay there. It strikes me as too pricey. It has a special suite that costs a whopping $25,000 a night with a minimum of a 4 night stay! Supposedly, there is a 6 month waiting list to stay in it. One downside I saw was there were a lot of Bahamians that had their hands out for tips. Some of them were really absurd in my opinion. After I'd finished my Discover Atlantis tour, we had a 15 minute bus ride back to the cruise ship terminal. The driver didn't hesitate to ask for a tip. In my opinion, he hadn't done squat to deserve one versus the outstanding tour guide at Atlantis. Also, I found some Bahamians curt. I visited the Hard Rock Café gift shop there and, they weren't very friendly. I was glad to get my t-shirt and get out of there.

Key West, Florida was very nice. Some of the homes there are stunning with some huge prices to match. It has a lot of history. I did a walking tour of Ernest Hemingway's home and Sloppy Joe's. The guide for the tour was very good. He had lots of interesting information, was friendly and helpful. The tour of Hemingway's home was awesome. A guide at the home gave the tour. She really knew her stuff. I'd highly recommend this tour. It was fascinating. I wouldn't mind going back to Key West some time and seeing some of the sights I didn't have time for this visit.

Miami, Florida was nice. I did a hop on hop off tour there which was good. The location where we got on the bus was convenient as it's at the Bayside Marketplace which is within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal (2 miles I think).

Overall, the 2 cruises were very nice. I would recommend them if you can't get a lot of time off or are short on funds but, you want to do a cruise. Otherwise, I'd recommend you do a longer cruise so, you get the real cruise experience. The 2 short cruises were more party cruises in my opinion which was a little irksome.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

McDonald's Sweet Tea Review

While buying some $1 McDonald's McDouble hamburgers from their dollar menu, I saw they offered a large glass of sweet tea for $1. I decided to try it. I found it was pretty good tea. It isn't what those in the Southern United States would consider sweet tea. As I understand it, their sweet tea has have the consistency of syrup. This isn't that but, it is sweet and has a good taste. I think it's large size for a dollar is a deal. I would definitely recommend it to those who like tea. Happy drinking all!

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Sam's Club Generic Propecia

Today, I bought Sam's Club's generic Propecia for the first time. The reason I did it was for 1 reason - price. If you have a Sam's Club Advantage Plus membership, you can get a great deal on the drug. I was able to buy a 3 month supply of generic propecia for $103.57 That's over $47 cheaper than the generic Propecia at Costco. The savings is such that with 1 filling of the prescription, you can nearly pay for the increased cost of the Advantage Plus membership versus the regular Advantage membership. For a long time, I held off upgrading but, the money advantage concerning their generic Propecia was too much to pass up.

As to who makes Sam's Club generic Propecia, I couldn't find out from the literature included with my prescription who the manufacturer is. The pills look exactly the same at the ones I bought from Costco who are put out by Dr. Reddy's Lab and, I believe are made in Israel.

In regards to its effectiveness, I can't tell you that at this time as I haven't started taking it yet. However, if it works like the Costco generic Propecia, it should work fine. I've been taking that for nearly 9 months now and, I haven't noticed any difference between the generic and the name brand in effectiveness.

One important note about Sam's Club. If you have the regular Advantage membership like I did. You'll pay more for the generic Propecia at Sam's Club than you will at Costco. That was one thing that confounded me a bit. Between the 2 regular memberships, Costco offers the better price with a $20 advantage. It's when you have the Advantage Plus membership with its higher price that you get the better savings at Sam's Club. I confess I'm not thrilled about paying Sam's Club $100 a year for my Advantage Plus membership but, in this case, the savings are such they'll pay for the higher cost membership in no time.

For those men who take Propecia, you might want to look into the advantages of Sam's Club's generic Propecia. It could save you a LOT of money over the years.

FYI, I don't work for Sam's Club and, I'm not 1 of their biggest fans either. I have memberships at Sam's Club and Costco, both of which I pay for out of my own pocket just like other people out there. I find each club has its advantages. I'm aware of another club called BJ's but, I only shopped there once years ago and don't have any idea how they compare with Sam's Club or Costco.

Minute Maid Fruit Medley Review

While shopping at the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club, I discovered a product I hadn't seen there before. It's Minute Maid's Fruit Medley. Minute Maid's Fruit Medley is a fruit tasting drink with grape, pineapple, pear and apple juices in it. All totaled, it's 5% of the various juices. The drink isn't a high calorie drink as it has 100 calories per 8 ounce glass. The sample I tried came in a plastic 1 gallon jug. Cost wise, the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club sold the 1 gallon jug for $2.88 which I thought reasonable.

My 1 disappointment with the drink was that it doesn't earn MyCoke reward points like a lot of Coca-Cola products do. I don't know why. Perhaps, it's just related to the size of the container. I'll have to see if you earn points with smaller portions of the drink.

Overall, I was very pleased with the fruit drink. I think it's a good one and reasonably priced. If you like fruit drinks, you might want to try this one. Happy drinking all!