Like Rick Riordan did previously with Son of Sobek and the paperback release of The Serpent's Shadow, Riordan and Disney have released The Staff of Serapis with the paperback release of The Mark of Athena. Like with Son of Sobek where it also included the first chapter of the then upcoming The House of Hades book, The Staff of Serapis has the first chapter of Blood of Olympus, the final and climactic book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The paperback version of Mark of Athena came out April 8th. As I didn't care to buy that book a second time, I waited for the e-book version to come out which was released May 20th. The e-book version comes in 2 versions. One is the short story with the 1st chapter of Blood of Olympus and sells for $1.99. In the 2nd version, Rick Riordan tells the story via audio and, it too has the 1st chapter of Blood of Olympus. The 2nd version costs $2.99. I bought the 2nd version as I thought it would be cool to listen to Riordan tell the story. Plus, it's only cost an extra $1. The Riordan audio version comes in 3 parts. The first 2 parts last 34:45 roughly each and the 3rd part lasts 32:15 roughly. Riordan does a great job of leaving you hanging at the end of the first 2 parts to where you can't wait to hear the next part.
The short story itself is a good one and leaves a fascinating opening for Riordan to continue the Olympus stories with a new tangent (I leave it to you the reader to find out what that is). However, if Riordan decides to go that way, he won't be able to do it for a while as he is supposed to start work on a new series that features the Norse mythology. It'll be interesting to see what he does with that. The story also has a possible spoiler in it which I won't reveal. Again, you'll have to find out what it is yourself. I don't think it'll sadden any of Riordan's readers. Whereas the Son of Sobek featured Carter Kane and Percy Jackson, The Staff of Serapis features Annabeth Chase and Sadie Kane.
Concerning the first chapter in the Blood of Olympus novel, it doesn't excite any but, it does make you wish they would come out with the book sooner. It's not supposed to be released until October 7th, 2014 (groan, grumble, grumble, grumble). For those who don't want to buy The Staff of Serapis short story, the 1st chapter will be released later this summer according to Riordan's website.
Overall, I liked The Staff of Serapis. I'd recommend to any fans of Riordan's books. I confess, I'm waiting big time for Blood of Olympus to come out in October. I want to find out how things end. Do the Roman and Greek demigods make peace instead of war? Do the 7 demigods on the quest some how defeat the giants? Will 1 of the 7 demigods die in the final book? There have been a number of references to a big sacrifice being necessary. We'll see. For now, I'll content myself with The Staff of Serapis and the first chapter of Blood of Olympus. Happy reading all!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Hard Rock Rewards Program Assessment
I've been a member of the Hard Rock Rewards program for over a year and a half now. I thought it time to write an assessment of the program and why I don't like it as much as I liked their previous rewards program called All Access.
The current Hard Rock Rewards program has 2 levels. There is the free level which doesn't cost you anything and, there's the VIP level which costs you $24.95 per year. The advantage of the VIP level is you get greater benefits than the free level. The most noteworthy in my opinion is the 10 additional reward points per dollar spent at each cafe you visit. Those 10 points per dollar can make a big difference on when you earn your next $15 reward. With the free membership, you'll have to spend $250 for each $15 reward certificate. With the VIP level, you'll spend $166.66. So, with the VIP level, you'll save $83.34 for each reward certificate. In this way, you'll get back the price of the VIP membership with your first rewards certificate.
Update October 27, 2015: This is no longer true. Hard Rock International has done away with the VIP level for reasons unknown to me.
Concerning the program itself, your reward points are good for 12 months after which you lose those points. Each reward certificate you earn is good for 6 months before they expire. If you don't have any activity with your VIP membership for 12 months and your VIP membership has expired, Hard Rock can delete your membership though they will notify you 30 days before they do so. (See Update)
Between the 2 levels of membership, the VIP membership is the better one though you have to renew it every year i.e. pony up another $24.95 each year. (See Update)
In comparison the previous All Access program, the Rewards program isn't as good. With All Access, your points NEVER expired as I remember whereas they do with the Reward program. You could keep amassing your rewards to where you can could amass a serious reward (I got up to $140 worth of rewards before sadly Hard Rock got rid of the All Access program) vice getting the $15 rewards certificate which you must use within 6 months. You can't carry over your rewards like you could with the All Access program. The All Access was totally free. There wasn't a VIP level where you had to pay $24.95 a year as I remember. For all these reasons, I'm not thrilled with the Hard Rock Rewards program BUT, it is better than nothing. (See Update)
I plan to stay a member and keep trying to visit Hard Rock Cafe's I haven't been to before. Last month, I got to visit their cafe in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time which was pretty neat. Next year, I hope to visit their cafe in Helsinki, Finland for the first time as well as visit their cafe's again in Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. I very much like getting their t-shirts and showing the world some of the Hard Rock cafes I've been to. Cheers all!
Addition October 27, 2015: Not all cafes participate in the rewards program. I found this out thankfully before trying to visit the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm, Sweden. If you're planning a visit to a Hard Rock Cafe, you might want to check their website and see if they participate in the program before you visit the cafe.
Also, I did get to visit the Copenhagen, Denmark cafe this August and, I found out it's no longer right next to the Tivoli Gardens. I don't know when it moved. I did find it a fine cafe though I didn't eat there (that wouldn't have made any sense with all the fine FREE food on board the cruise ship I was sailing on). I bought some souvenirs and gifts but, I still found it nice. Staff there were very helpful.
Lastly, I visited the London, England Hard Rock Cafe while en-route to my July/August 2015 cruise. Their gift/souvenir shop is across the street from the cafe vice behind it. I did have dinner at this cafe and, I very much enjoyed it. I got very happily stuffed there. Visiting this cafe brought back lots of memories. This was the first Hard Rock Cafe I ever visited and was like a home away from home when I was stationed in the United Kingdom with the U.S. Air Force. It was great to get to visit it again.
The current Hard Rock Rewards program has 2 levels. There is the free level which doesn't cost you anything and, there's the VIP level which costs you $24.95 per year. The advantage of the VIP level is you get greater benefits than the free level. The most noteworthy in my opinion is the 10 additional reward points per dollar spent at each cafe you visit. Those 10 points per dollar can make a big difference on when you earn your next $15 reward. With the free membership, you'll have to spend $250 for each $15 reward certificate. With the VIP level, you'll spend $166.66. So, with the VIP level, you'll save $83.34 for each reward certificate. In this way, you'll get back the price of the VIP membership with your first rewards certificate.
Update October 27, 2015: This is no longer true. Hard Rock International has done away with the VIP level for reasons unknown to me.
Concerning the program itself, your reward points are good for 12 months after which you lose those points. Each reward certificate you earn is good for 6 months before they expire. If you don't have any activity with your VIP membership for 12 months and your VIP membership has expired, Hard Rock can delete your membership though they will notify you 30 days before they do so. (See Update)
Between the 2 levels of membership, the VIP membership is the better one though you have to renew it every year i.e. pony up another $24.95 each year. (See Update)
In comparison the previous All Access program, the Rewards program isn't as good. With All Access, your points NEVER expired as I remember whereas they do with the Reward program. You could keep amassing your rewards to where you can could amass a serious reward (I got up to $140 worth of rewards before sadly Hard Rock got rid of the All Access program) vice getting the $15 rewards certificate which you must use within 6 months. You can't carry over your rewards like you could with the All Access program. The All Access was totally free. There wasn't a VIP level where you had to pay $24.95 a year as I remember. For all these reasons, I'm not thrilled with the Hard Rock Rewards program BUT, it is better than nothing. (See Update)
I plan to stay a member and keep trying to visit Hard Rock Cafe's I haven't been to before. Last month, I got to visit their cafe in Cartagena, Colombia for the first time which was pretty neat. Next year, I hope to visit their cafe in Helsinki, Finland for the first time as well as visit their cafe's again in Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. I very much like getting their t-shirts and showing the world some of the Hard Rock cafes I've been to. Cheers all!
Addition October 27, 2015: Not all cafes participate in the rewards program. I found this out thankfully before trying to visit the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm, Sweden. If you're planning a visit to a Hard Rock Cafe, you might want to check their website and see if they participate in the program before you visit the cafe.
Also, I did get to visit the Copenhagen, Denmark cafe this August and, I found out it's no longer right next to the Tivoli Gardens. I don't know when it moved. I did find it a fine cafe though I didn't eat there (that wouldn't have made any sense with all the fine FREE food on board the cruise ship I was sailing on). I bought some souvenirs and gifts but, I still found it nice. Staff there were very helpful.
Lastly, I visited the London, England Hard Rock Cafe while en-route to my July/August 2015 cruise. Their gift/souvenir shop is across the street from the cafe vice behind it. I did have dinner at this cafe and, I very much enjoyed it. I got very happily stuffed there. Visiting this cafe brought back lots of memories. This was the first Hard Rock Cafe I ever visited and was like a home away from home when I was stationed in the United Kingdom with the U.S. Air Force. It was great to get to visit it again.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Tech Tools PI-810 World Time Travel Alarm Clock With Flashlight Product Review
The main travel clock I use for my travels is the Tech Tools PI-810 world travel clock with flashlight. While it has some drawbacks, it is the easiest to change time zones on as far as I know (I'll give an example later in the review). The clock is sold on Amazon for between $11 and $12 which isn't vary expensive. The clock is small (guesstimate is it's 6 inches long and an inch and a half wide) so it doesn't take up a lot of space in your suitcase. It has a drawback in that the buttons on it are exposed and so they can be hit causing it to beep. I try to pack the clock around things that won't cause it to go off. Another drawback to the clock is it uses 2 different types of batteries. It uses 3 LR44 lithium cell batteries for the flashlight and 2 AAA for the clock functions. This is annoying. Also, you must have the directions that come with the clock in order to set the alarm functions or change the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius or vice versa (press the down arrow while in normal time mode). The temperature gauge as far as I know is accurate and handy.
The biggest plus of this clock is the ease you can change it between time zones. It has 18 time zones on it. Each time zone is covered by a particular city example: New York for the Eastern Standard time zone. In order to change between time zones, you simply twist the rotating knob at the end of the clock to the city that has the time zone you want. During my recent Panama Canal cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas ship, I changed time zones 3 times. Thanks to this convenient clock, all I had to do was turn the knob one click to the next time zone.
Overall, I think Tech Tools PI-810 world travel clock is a decent travel clock. It is particularly handy if you're going to be travelling to different time zones. With it, you just turn the knob to the appropriate time zone vice having to reset the time on the clock like with my Brookstone Microbeam travel clock. Personally, I'd recommend it but, I know from reading reviews on Amazon that not every one likes the clock. So, you may want to order one and if you don't like it, you can return it like some have apparently done. Happy travels all!
The biggest plus of this clock is the ease you can change it between time zones. It has 18 time zones on it. Each time zone is covered by a particular city example: New York for the Eastern Standard time zone. In order to change between time zones, you simply twist the rotating knob at the end of the clock to the city that has the time zone you want. During my recent Panama Canal cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas ship, I changed time zones 3 times. Thanks to this convenient clock, all I had to do was turn the knob one click to the next time zone.
Overall, I think Tech Tools PI-810 world travel clock is a decent travel clock. It is particularly handy if you're going to be travelling to different time zones. With it, you just turn the knob to the appropriate time zone vice having to reset the time on the clock like with my Brookstone Microbeam travel clock. Personally, I'd recommend it but, I know from reading reviews on Amazon that not every one likes the clock. So, you may want to order one and if you don't like it, you can return it like some have apparently done. Happy travels all!
Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas Wi-Fi
Recently, I got to sail on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas cruise ship. While on-board, I tried out the ship's Wi-Fi and found out what the prices were for its various Wi-Fi plans. The plans can vary from ship to ship and, that was the case in this instance.
Independence of the Seas offers 4 plans:
1 hour plan - $29.95
1 day plan - $59.95
Unlimited plan for 1 device - $189.95
Unlimited plan for 2 devices - $229.95
With the 1 hour plan, you get 60 minutes that you can use at various times. This is different from their 1 day plan which for some reason must be used continuously for 24 hours. I confess I didn't like that I had to use the 1 day plan all in 1 day and, I wouldn't recommend it. With the unlimited plans, the big thing there is how many devices you can have hooked up to the Wi-Fi at one time. With the unlimited plan for 2 devices, you can have 2 devices hooked up at the same time. This would be handy for families. If you're on a long cruise and surf the web a lot, the unlimited plans are definitely the way to go. I do wish Royal Caribbean offered the unlimited plans on more of their ships. Right now, it's only available on this ship, Allure of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas. I would've greatly preferred it over the 1,600 plan I got on their Legend of the Seas ship.
For Crown & Anchor members, the Diamond discount is $29.95. This will get you 1 hour of free Wi-Fi or $29.95 off one of the other plans. I'm Diamond and since I wasn't staying for the whole cruise, I took the 1 hour free Wi-Fi. I wasn't wiped out with this offer otherwise. $160 (after the discount) for unlimited Wi-Fi still isn't cheap in my book though it is way better than what Royal Caribbean has offered before.
One final difference I found between the Wi-Fi on Independence of the Seas and Legend of the Seas was you could hook up to the Wi-Fi using the Mozilla Firefox browser. The sheet with the information on the ship's Wi-Fi states that Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari version 3 or higher will work on their Wi-Fi. Internet Explorer as far as I know works on all of Royal Caribbean's ships and apparently is their preferred browser. On Legend of the Seas, I tried logging on Mozilla Firefox and, the page would lock up at the log-in point. On Independence of the Seas, the log-in page worked fine. As I don't have the Safari browser, I didn't test that one. It would be nice if they added the Chrome browser to the list of browsers you can use.
Lastly, the Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship. This is one of the upgrades Royal Caribbean is doing to its entire fleet and will encourage people to use the Wi-Fi. It's a real pain to have to search for a hotspot on the ship. Happy surfing on the Internet all!
Independence of the Seas offers 4 plans:
1 hour plan - $29.95
1 day plan - $59.95
Unlimited plan for 1 device - $189.95
Unlimited plan for 2 devices - $229.95
With the 1 hour plan, you get 60 minutes that you can use at various times. This is different from their 1 day plan which for some reason must be used continuously for 24 hours. I confess I didn't like that I had to use the 1 day plan all in 1 day and, I wouldn't recommend it. With the unlimited plans, the big thing there is how many devices you can have hooked up to the Wi-Fi at one time. With the unlimited plan for 2 devices, you can have 2 devices hooked up at the same time. This would be handy for families. If you're on a long cruise and surf the web a lot, the unlimited plans are definitely the way to go. I do wish Royal Caribbean offered the unlimited plans on more of their ships. Right now, it's only available on this ship, Allure of the Seas and Navigator of the Seas. I would've greatly preferred it over the 1,600 plan I got on their Legend of the Seas ship.
For Crown & Anchor members, the Diamond discount is $29.95. This will get you 1 hour of free Wi-Fi or $29.95 off one of the other plans. I'm Diamond and since I wasn't staying for the whole cruise, I took the 1 hour free Wi-Fi. I wasn't wiped out with this offer otherwise. $160 (after the discount) for unlimited Wi-Fi still isn't cheap in my book though it is way better than what Royal Caribbean has offered before.
One final difference I found between the Wi-Fi on Independence of the Seas and Legend of the Seas was you could hook up to the Wi-Fi using the Mozilla Firefox browser. The sheet with the information on the ship's Wi-Fi states that Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari version 3 or higher will work on their Wi-Fi. Internet Explorer as far as I know works on all of Royal Caribbean's ships and apparently is their preferred browser. On Legend of the Seas, I tried logging on Mozilla Firefox and, the page would lock up at the log-in point. On Independence of the Seas, the log-in page worked fine. As I don't have the Safari browser, I didn't test that one. It would be nice if they added the Chrome browser to the list of browsers you can use.
Lastly, the Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship. This is one of the upgrades Royal Caribbean is doing to its entire fleet and will encourage people to use the Wi-Fi. It's a real pain to have to search for a hotspot on the ship. Happy surfing on the Internet all!
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