Son of Sobek Review

I'd been thinking about getting an e-reader for a while. I've heard they're handy on trips. You can download tons of books, magazines, travel guides and games on them which can keep you occupied while you're waiting in the airport for your flight or on the flight itself. I heard of the Son of Sobek short story but, it had a drawback in that it would be initially only available with the paperback version of The Serpent's Shadow. I'd already bought the hard bound version and, I didn't care to buy the book again. When I found out that there would be an e-book version of Son of Sobek, I decided it was time to get an e-reader - that Rick Riordan actually reads the story was an added bonus. The e-book cost me something like $3.36 from Barnes & Noble I think isn't very expensive though it is a short story (30 some pages). It's the first story where Riordan has 2 of his main heroes i.e. Percy Jackson and Carter Kane from 2 different mythology series i.e. Greek Gods and Egyptian Gods join forces against a monster someone unleashed on the border of their 2 respective turfs. It's told solely from Carter Kane's point of view and shows how the 2 different characters would have problems relating to each other as their respective mythologies are very different. There weren't any demigods in Egyptian mythology and, Greek mythology wouldn't have recognized some of the Egyptian weaponry as gets pointed out when Percy asks what kind of sword that Carter has.

Overall, I thought the short story wasn't great but, it was nice. It was neat having Riordan read it. As an added bonus for those who bought the e-book version, you received what I suspect is the first chapter of House of Hades - Riordan's eagerly (or at least in my case) awaited 4th book in the Lost Heroes of Olympus series. That chapter was nice BUT, I want the whole book which sadly, I have to wait till October for. :-( For those of us who are fans of Riordan's Percy Jackson character, the short story is worth buying in my opinion and more so if you can get the e-version so, you can get the first chapter of House of Hades. Happy Reading all!!!!!!

Ship Insignia Drawings

I promised in an earlier blog I would post the pictures I took of the area where they painted the insignia of warships that made port in Bermuda. Here are the pictures with some commentary.

 

 

This was the longest stretch that was covered with ship insignias. It was interesting to see the ship's names, where they were from and when they were in Bermuda. The majority of the ships were from Great Britain (no surprise there) but, there were ships from other countries.

 

 

 





I believe the ship insignia F-458 was from Greece. I remember seeing another ship insignia that was of a United State submarine. The last picture (below) shows the insignia off HMS Trafalgar which I suspect was the name for the base based on the dates i.e. 1805 to 2005.

 

 

I thought this bit of tradition pretty neat. Next, I'll post some pictures of the Dockyard where Grandeur of the Seas tied up at. Stay tuned!

 

West End Horse and Buggy Excursion

I haven't posted much of my Royal Caribbean cruise to Bermuda so, here is a post on 1 of the excursions I did there. Enjoy.

You have technically 2 days to see what you can on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas cruise to Bermuda. One drawback to the cruise is you arrive at 3 p.m. in Bermuda on the 3rd day of your cruise. The late arrival makes it hard to try to fit in some tours there on that first day there. Thankfully, Royal Caribbean does offer a very nice West End Horse and Buggy Tour.

The tour covers the West End part of the island. This part is where the British had a major military presence including the impressive Naval Dockyard where the ship ties up. During the tour, we got to see some former Army barracks, the old military cemetery and where they would leave a drawing of a ship's coat of arms when they made port in Bermuda (I'll have to post a picture I took of that). The tour also takes in some scenic bits with some pretty small beaches.

The drive/tour guide is a pro at these tours as he's been doing for most of his life. He gives an informative dialog as the tour goes along telling about particular shops in the Dockyard as well as some of the history of the places you get to see and what life is like in Bermuda (I found this interesting). Also, he makes it a point to stop at various places so folks can take photos. For those who are curious, the horses names are Sugar and Spice and, they were some very nice horses. They looked well cared for.

The tour lasted over an hour and started and finished in the Dockyard. I forget what it cost though I don't think it was terribly expensive. For those who are going to do the Segway tour, I wouldn't recommend you do this tour as you'll end up covering the same area. When I did the Segway tour, the guide was surprised when I told her a lot of the stuff I learned on this tour. I found most of the information the guide gave to be accurate with the one exception being the price of gas in Bermuda. He said it cost $30 a gallon but, it apparently costs around $9. Strangely, Bermudan gas stations don't show the price of gas like they do in the United States. I don't know why.

Overall, I found this a very nice excursion and a nice way to start one's first visit to Bermuda. I would strongly recommend it to those who are going to do a Royal Caribbean cruise there as it'll enable you to do something your first day there (barring taking in the Dockyard) and thus take advantage of the limited time you have there. Happy travels all!

Yamaha TMAX V-Belt Change

Recently, I got a nasty surprise concerning my Yamaha TMAX motorbike. I finally put over 12,500 miles on my bike. At that point, you're supposed to get the v-belt checked on the bike and replaced if needed. The v-belt is critical to the bike as it's what changes gears on the bike vice the rider doing it. I found out the v-belt will cost you roughly $198 alone and, it'll take at least 2 hours of labor to have them replace it. Also, it sounded like it's pretty standard to replace the belt every 12,500 miles. So, any TMAX riders will be in for a hefty service bill when they hit 12,500 miles. Barring the v-belt, the service charges on the bike haven't been too bad. Oil and filter changes won't be cheap because the stuff is so jammed in there on the bike. I remember when I had to get the battery changed on my TMAX. That's when I found out how complicated things can be on the TMAX. To change a battery on a car is nothing but, on the TMAX, they have to take off the mirrors, the windshield and the face place just to be able to get to the battery! With the v-belt, it would be worse as they have to get to the engine and take it apart.

FYI, on a different subject concerning the TMAX, Yamaha realized its 2014 motorbike line-up in the United States. To my surprise, they're still selling the 2011 version of the TMAX. Yamaha has come up with an updated version of the bike which they're selling in Europe where they increased the power of the engine by 30cc's. Big whoop in my opinion. I still hope Yamaha will eventually come out with a 750cc version of the TMAX. Until then, I don't think it's worth whiled for any TMAX owners to trade it their 499cc TMAX for the 530cc version.

Rojo's Authentic Six Layer Dip Classic

One food product that Costco sells that I particularly like is Rojo's Authentic 6 Layer Dip Classic. The dish is composed of a layer of re-fried beans, a layer of spicy Rojo's salsa, a layer off guacamole, a layer of tangy taco cream, a layer of seasoned sour cream and a layer of jack and cheddar cheeses hence the name 6 layer dip. The product comes in a 2 pound 12 ounce plastic container and sells for $8.49 (the price I paid at the Arundel Mills Costco May 12th and May 30th, 2013). The product has a reasonable shelf life depending on how fresh it is when you buy it at Costco or some other store that sells it. The one I bought on May 30th states it should be used by June 30th which is just over a month. The product should be refrigerated as it is highly perishable. Due to considerable quantity of the dip you get in the 2 pound 12 ounce size, this would be ideal for parties, potlucks and other big gatherings. The dip is somewhat spicy but no overly so. It shouldn't burn your mouth though you will notice some zing to it. Those who wanted a bit more heat could always put a slice of jalapeno on top of the dip.

Overall, I think this is an excellent product who want something a little different from the standard salsa or cheese sauce. It has a lot of really good things in it like the cheeses, guacamole and re-fried beans. Also, I think it comes at a very reasonable price considering how much you get. I'd definitely give it 2 thumbs up. Bon Appetit all!

Dasani Strawberry Flavored Water

As I like collecting My Coke reward points but, I don't need all the calories from their sodas, I decided to try some of their Dasani flavored waters. Dasani offers 3 of them - strawberry, lemon and grape. Each of the of the flavored waters has zero calories. They do that by using aspartame and sucralose. The strawberry flavored water does have a decent enough strawberry flavor to it. The bottle states it comes with other natural flavors as well as strawberry. Why does the strawberry flavored water need other flavors besides strawberry in it? The water comes in 20 fluid ounce plantbottles (plastic bottles that have up to 30% plant material in them). A 20 ounce bottle of the water costs $1.69 at the Crofton, Maryland Wegmans store. I've found a number of stores DON'T carry the Dasani flavored waters for unknown reasons (the plain Dasani drinking water is widely available). I had to search to find them at the Crofton store. I believe you can get the flavored waters from the Coke Freestyle machines. My Coke reward point wise, you'll get 3 points for a 20 ounce bottle of the flavored water. One thing I don't understand is why Coke doesn't offer the points on the bottles of regular Dasani water (the exception being the 24 pack which you'll get 20 points for).

Overall, I thought the Dasani strawberry flavored water was good, not great. Some folks might not be wiped out that the water is just twice filtered vice being spring or mineral water. Another drawback to the water is that as far as I know, it isn't widely available. You'll have to really look around to find this product. Happy Drinking All!

Energizer Glow Stick

While shopping at my local base exchange, I noticed that had Energizer Glow Sticks for sale for $4.99 each. I thought they seemed pretty neat so, I bought one. This is a product review on their glow stick.

The Energizer glow stick comes in at least 3 colors - red, green and blue (those are the ones I remember seeing). It offers 3 different light functions. Click the power button the first time and, the standard flash light at one end comes on. Click the power button again and the glow stick comes on in whatever color the stick has. Click the power button one more time and the glow stick flashes on and off. Click one last time and, the glow stick turns completely off.

The glow stick uses 3 A76 (now called 357) cell batteries. Changing the batteries on the glow stick is a bit of chore. You must have a very small Philips screwdriver which you use to unscrew a single small screw in the glow stick. Then, you unscrew the glow stick from the handle. After you've detached the glow stick, you lightly tap the handle while pointing the open end down so, the part of the assembly that has the glow stick light and battery holder can fall out. The assembly holding the cell batteries has an opening to where you can push one of the batteries out making it possible to get the other 2 out. Make sure you put the 3 new batteries in the same direction with the negative end facing away from the glow light end. Put the assembly back in the handle, screw the glow stick back into the handle and screw the small screw back into the handle.

Note: I bought 3 new 357 cell batteries at a Weis Supermarket and, they cost $4.99 so, it could end costing you as much to buy a new glow stick as it would to replace the batteries on your old one.

Overall, I found the Energizer Glow Stick a nice product which should help someone in the dark with an emergency or to make sure they're seen in the dark. I thought the $5 price tag reasonable. I don't have any idea how long a set of batteries would last on the glow stick. This is a product you might want to carry in your emergency road kit. Safe travels all!

Cheerwine Review

At the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store, I noticed Cheerwine for the first time. I'd never heard of the soft drink before. I had no idea what kind of soft drink it was. Finally, a week ago, I decided to try it and see if it's any good. I found out it's a cherry flavored soft drink. I probably should've guessed that as the company has 3 small cherries made into the old fashioned glass bottle they sell the drink in. The soft drink first came out in 1917 when a man named L.D. Peeler of Salisbury, North Carolina came up with a unique soft drink that included cherry syrup. The soft drink was a hit and slowly spread through out the state and on to other parts of the United States.

I found that Cheerwine has a nice cherry taste to it. It is a little more expensive than more mass produced soft drinks like Coca Cola. A four 12 ounce bottle pack will cost you $3.99 or a cold one from the cold drinks section at Wegmans will cost you $1.69. Still, the drink uses real sugar vice corn syrup. One drawback I found to it is the drink does have caffeine added which probably gives the customer a little energy boost. The drink also comes in a diet version and may be available in cans though I've only seen it in glass bottles at Wegmans.

Overall, Cheerwine is a good soft drink with a nice cherry flavor. If you like cherry soda, this is a drink you should try. As near as I can tell, you should be able to find the soft drink at Wegmans supermarkets. I haven't checked to it if it's available at other stores.

Grandeur of the Seas

This past Friday, I returned to Baltimore after spending 16 consecutive nights on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas. I enjoyed myself so much, I didn't want to leave and, I'm already working on my next cruise on Grandeur. That'll be to Maine and Canada in either September or October of this year.

Concerning the ship, I found it in outstanding shape. The ship's crew is doing a great job of maintaining the ship. When we were in port, I saw them touching up spots with a fresh coat of paint. The décor of the ship was very nice and, there were a number of pieces of art placed throughout the ship. All areas of the ship were very clean and, there were lots of hand sanitizer dispensers so people could avoid catching and spreading norvovirus (I think that's its name).

I stayed in an inner cabin for the first time because of a good deal I was offered on the cabin. I found the cabin small but, I managed fine in it. My room attendant Hylton was outstanding. At the end of the 2nd cruise, I gave him an extra tip on top of the regular one because I was so pleased with the job he did.

Crew wise, I found every one very helpful. I was particularly impressed with Francis Vasconcelo, the ship's fitness center director who I took 3 yoga and 3 pilates classes with. There was a charge for these classes but, you got your money's worth from Frances. By the end of each class, you were sweating and knew you'd gotten a work out. Another person I'd like to commend is Pumza, the Ionithermi treatment specialist. This was the first time I'd ever used one of Royal Caribbean's spas and, I was very impressed with it. Pumza was very professional and really strove to help me reach my health goals.

Food wise, I found myself unimpressed with the main dining room. They didn't serve anything that really wiped me out barring the lobster tail on the fisherman's platter. I was particularly disappointed that they didn't have escargot like they normally do. I found it more convenient to eat at the Windjammer Café as I could get my food immediately. The Windjammer Café offered a good choice of entrees and desserts. The only problem I encountered with the Windjammer was trying to get a table at times.

Excursion wise, the shore excursion desk was very helpful and, the ship offered a good selection of excursions at what I thought were reasonable prices. I got to do a number of firsts for myself on these 2 cruises. I rode a Segway, an ATV and a jet ski for the first times. I did a walking tour of Labadee, Haiti that was particularly good as I learned a good bit about Haiti from the tour. The drive around tour of Tortola offered some great views of the island. The 5 hour bus tour of Bermuda was extremely good. The group I was with got particularly lucky in that the person driving the bus was the bus driver's union vice president who was driving a bus for the first time in 6 months. Normally, he's busy dealing with paperwork. This driver/guide was particularly awesome as he was very knowledgeable and funny. Plus, he seemed to know every one of the 65,000 people who live on Bermuda!

Ports of call wise, I thought the itinerary on my first cruise, the re-positioning cruise was particularly good as we made port 6 days in a row before spending 2 days at sea en-route to Baltimore, Maryland. The Bermuda cruise was interesting in that it was the first cruise I'd ever overnighted at a port. The dockyard facilities were very good and, there were regular ferries that would take you to the capital Hamilton for a charge (I don't know how much it was)

Baltimore Cruise Ship Terminal wise, I found it very convenient. It's easy to get to and, the people processed you very quickly. The people at the terminal were courteous. The ship was late boarding (Noon) the 2nd of my 2 cruises and yet, the terminal got them through so quickly, we were still able to depart on time i.e. 4 p.m. I was surprised how close the ship gets at high tide when it sails under the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I swear we made it by just inches. There's no way they can bring in a bigger cruise ship unless they move the terminal some where past the bridge.

One unique highlight of my 1st cruise was as we were sailing in to Baltimore. Grandeur of the Seas was returning for the first time since departing Baltimore in 2009 (I think) and was given a special welcome. Baltimore's one fire fighting boat shot off its 4 water cannon as we sailed in and supposed the state's governor welcomed the arrival of the ship. News helicopters repeatedly flew around the ship. I don't know if they got the best side of my profile.

I only had 1 persistent problem during my 2 cruises. Twice, I submitted my discount coupon for the ship's WiFi service and both times, I wasn't credited my 15% (I'm a Platinum level Crown & Anchor member) discount. I caught the problem both times but on the 2nd time, the officer spoke with at Customer Service didn't keep their word about fixing the problem. I forgot to double check my final account statement at the end of the 2nd cruise until I got home and found out she failed to solve the problem. I would recommend people watch out for this. I know I will be when I sailed on Grandeur in September/October.

Overall, I had a fantastic time on Grandeur of the Seas. I'd gladly sail on this ship again (and I will be) and would recommend it to others. It's a very nice ship with a great crew. Baltimore is a very convenient port to sail out of barring it can take you a while to get to the Caribbean or Bermuda (1 and 1/2 days out, 2 days coming back).

Update July 27, 2014: I didn't end up doing the September cruise on Grandeur. I will be doing a cruise up to Maine and Canada this September on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, the same ship I did the Panama Canal cruise on. I hope to cruise on Grandeur again in 2016 to Bermuda with a couple friends I've made at the Extended Stay Hotel I live at.

Update: August 4, 2021 Grandeur of the Seas was moved to a port in Texas by Royal Caribbean. Their ship Enchantment of the Seas which was previously homeported in Baltimore will move back to Baltimore when Royal Caribbean starts sailing out of Baltimore again. I haven't seen a date when that'll be.

Oscar Meyer Turkey Bacon

Recently, I bought some Oscar Meyer turkey bacon for the first time. I wanted to try it out and see if it was any good. Today, I cooked up my first batch of it. I found out Oscar Mayer lives up to its claim of NO GREASE. After cooking an entire 12 ounce package of the stuff, there wasn't any grease in the skillet I used. If I'd cooked regular pork bacon, I would've been scooping bunches of it. I suspect the reason there isn't any grease is because the bacon is already fully cooked according to the package. This would also explain how it supposedly has HALF the fat of regular pork bacon. You'll still need to cook the turkey bacon in order to make it nice and crispy. The bacon also does have a smoky flavor to it which Oscar Mayer adds during its processing. Price wise, a 12 ounce package of the bacon will set you back $3.49 (price quoted at Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store). That seems reasonable enough to me and, you may be able to save more buying the stuff at Sam's Club due to being able to buy it in bulk. They sell the bacon in boxes containing three 12 ounce packages. The only thing that didn't impress me about the bacon was the flavor. While it does have a smoky flavor to it, I wasn't crazy about it. When its fully cooked, their turkey bacon looks like cooked pork bacon and has the same texture but, it doesn't have the same taste.

Overall, I wasn't super wiped out with this product though it does offer various advantages such as less fat, probably fewer calories (just 35 calories per slice) and no religious restrictions for the the Jewish and Islamic faiths as there isn't ANY pork in the product. For those who want to enjoy bacon without some of its drawbacks, Oscar Meyer's turkey bacon may be the way to go. Bon Appetit!

Fuze Half and Half

Recently, while shopping at the nearby base commissary, I found out Fuze puts out a second iced tea I'd call their half and half. It's half iced tea and half lemonade. I thought I'd try it so, I bought their 12 ounce 12 can refrigerator pack. I believe it cost me $2.70. I think it would cost more at regular stores.

I found the half and half tastes like a very lemony iced tea. The iced tea part cancels out the lemonade flavor but, the lemonade part does give it a more lemon flavor than you would normally get with Fuze's regular iced tea. Calorie wise, the half and half is low in calories compared to sodas. A 12 ounce can has just 70 calories. Fuze does use REAL lemon juice in the drink. The can I had this morning states it has 1% juice in it. The drink is low in sodium according to the can. It doesn't state how much caffeine you might get from the iced tea part though I suspect you won't get much.

Container size wise, I've only seen this product in 12 ounce cans. I don't know if Fuze sells it in 2 liter bottles like they do their regular iced tea.

Like all Coca Cola's 12 ounce can 12 packs, you'll get 10 MyCoke reward points for purchasing the refrigerator pack vice 3 points for the 2 liter bottles. Do make sure you pull off the code part from the pack carton. Coca Cola makes this easy to do.

Overall, I thought Fuze's Half and Half was a decent product. It should be a refreshing drink on a hot day if you like iced tea. Also, it's reasonably priced.

Baltimore Cruise Ship Terminal

Today, I made it to the Baltimore Cruise Ship Terminal finally to take some pictures. It was something to be able to drive to a cruise ship terminal vice having to go through all the hassle of flying and then catching a shuttle to the terminal. Key roads leading to Baltimore and the terminal had signs reminded folks of the exit 55 (last exit before you go through the Harbor Tunnel on your way to New York). Things were busy at the terminal as Carnival's Pride ship was departing for a 7 night cruise to the Bahamas. The Pride is approximately 57 feet longer than Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas which will start sailing out of Baltimore on May 3rd. Also, it carries slightly more passengers - 175 more. For those who like Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas, this coming Saturday will be its last time to depart from Baltimore as it sets off on a 12 night cruise finishing in Port Canaveral, Florida.

The cruise ship terminal was supposedly a converted warehouse. Also, I suspect they had to install a boarding ramp as pictured below.

The terminal does have parking for those who want to drive to the terminal and leave their car during the cruise. According to the terminal website: http://www.cruise.maryland.gov/content/parking-rates, parking is $15 a day payable upon arrival by cash, credit card or traveler's check. Here's a picture of the parking:

The terminal can get busy on the day a ship is sailing as shown in this picture of cars lined up to get in.

Three cruise lines currently sail out of the Baltimore Cruise Ship Terminal - American Cruise Line (smallest of the 3 lines, carries no more than 100 passengers) which sails up and down the East Coast, Carnival which sails to the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean and Royal Caribbean which sails to Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean. For more information on the terminal please check out the terminal webpage at: http://www.baltimorecruiseguide.com/cruise-terminal.html.

Update posted on 8/5/13. Carnival announced on June 27, 2013 that the Carnival Pride will redeploy to Tampa, Florida December 2014. They haven't said anything about a ship replacing the Pride. Royal Caribbean stated on July 17, 2013 that it would continue to run cruises out of Baltimore on it's Grandeur of the Seas.

Update posted on 7/27/2014: In a press release from the Maryland Governor's office dated January 20, 2014 which you can find on www.cruise.maryland.gov, Governor O'Malley announced that Carnival would continue to offer cruises out of Baltimore. The plan according to the press release is for the Carnival Pride to redeploy to Tampa, Florida in October 2014 at which time it'll receive upgrades including scrubbers to reduce emissions. The ship will return to Baltimore on March 29, 2015 and resume cruises out of Baltimore.

Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas did begin offering cruises out of Baltimore on May 3, 2013 and continues to offer them at the time of this post. I did the May 3rd cruise on Grandeur and had a great time. I hope to sail on the Grandeur again in 2016.

Rick Riordan Book Release Dates

As I haven't made it down to the Baltimore Cruise Ship Terminal to take some pictures of it to post on my blog, I decided to forward on to my readers book release dates that Rick Riordan posted on his blog Myth & Mystery (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/) on March 25th, 2013 along with various comments by myself.

The Serpent's Shadow

Riordan states that the paperback version will be released in the United States on May 7th with one special feature. The book will contain the first ever Percy Jackson/Carter Kane story called The Son of Sobek. This would be a very tempting offer BUT, I already have the hardbound edition. :-( For those who don't want to have to buy a 2nd copy of the book, on June 18th, 2013, Disney-Hyperion will release an electronic e-single version of the story with a special plus. The e-single will include an audio version where Riordan himself reads the story. Interesting! Riordan states the e-single version will be cheaper than the paperbook (you would think so) though I'd have to buy a Kindle thingy to use the e-single thing with. I've been thinking about buying one of those any way and, this does give me more of an incentive to get one. It would be very cool to hear Riordan read one of his stories. We'll see on this.

The House of Hades

Fans of the Heroes of Olympus series will be more titillated on May 31st, 2013 when Disney-Hyperion releases the cover for The House of Hades book. Then, according to Riordan, they'll release more sneak peaks during the summer (like we really need those or do they like torturing us while we impatiently wait for the dang book). Finally, on October 8th, 2013, they'll release the hard cover edition which I'll be pre-ordering so (when we can do that), I can get mine ASAP and finally find out what happens to Percy and Annabeth after they fall into Tartarus and how the other demigods - Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel and Leo get them out of there.

That's all the news I thought worth forwarding on about Riordan's books. Like many other of his fans, I'm waiting very impatiently for The House of Hades book. Riordan did far too good a job of writing a cliffhanger at the end of Mark of Athena. Plus, I'm curious to see how the prophecy of the seven plays out though I don't think we'll find that out till the last un-named fifth book comes out presumably in October 2014. Happy reading all!

29 Days Till I Cruise on Grandeur of the Seas

As you can tell, I'm counting the days till I fly down to San Juan, Puerto Rico and board Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas for her re-positioning cruise which finishes in Baltimore, Maryland. Once there, she'll take the place of Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas which is re-positioning to possibly Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The cruise should be particularly good. One down side to cruising out of Baltimore, Maryland is you spend a lot of time at sea getting to and from places. The Baltimore cruise to the Bahamas takes 2 days at sea each way. With the re-positioning cruise, you'll only spend 2 days at sea en-route to Baltimore. Also, the cruise pulls into 6 ports: St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Kitts, British Virgin Island, Dominican Republic and Haiti (Royal Caribbean's resort at Labadee) (this may not be the correct order though these are all the port calls it'll make).

Others apparently think the cruise should be a good one as the last time I checked, the only cabins that were left were suites on the cruise which were going for over $2,400 per person! I managed to get a pretty good deal on an inner cabin. It'll be my first time in one of those cabins (I normally do balcony cabins) and, I'm curious to see what they're like. Also, it'll be my first time on Grandeur of the Seas though I did get to sail on her sister ship Splendour of the Seas last November on 2 great cruises to the Greek Islands.

After the re-positioning cruise, I'll be doing a follow on cruise on Grandeur of the Seas to Bermuda. That cruise will be interesting as that'll be the first cruise I'll ever done where the ship overnights at a port. Also, it'll be my first visit to Bermuda.

Both cruises should be a lot of fun plus, it'll be very convenient finishing in Baltimore. I won't have to worry about the weight of my suit case and, I'll only have to pay $35 for a shuttle to take me to the Extended Stay Hotel in Jessup, Maryland where I'll be staying again for at least another 2 months. So far, I've been very pleased with the Extended Stay Hotel. I plan to write on a review on it later on Tripadvisor.com. Stay tuned for my cruise updates. Happy travels all!

Wegmans Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

While visiting the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans supermarket this past Friday, I decided to buy some of their Jelly Belly jelly beans. Wegmans offers a very good price on them - $7 a pound. This is $2 a pound cheaper than the Sweets From Heaven shop I reviewed in December 2012. Wegmans doesn't offer the extensive selection of loose candy Sweets From Heaven offers though it does offer some loose candy as well as various nuts such as sunflower seeds and cashews as well as trail mix. Their honey roasted sunflower kernels are pretty good and reasonably priced at $2.69 a pound (price valid on February 27th 2013). The price Wegmans offers on Jelly Belly jelly beans also beats the price you'll find on the official Jelly Belly website where it would cost you between $8.59 a pound (providing you bought a 10 pound bulk package) to $10 a pound (for a 2 pound package). If you like Jelly Belly jelly beans, you're local Wegmans might be the best place to buy them. Happy jelly bean munching all!

McDonald's Fish McBites Review

In the McDonald's coupon booklet I received in the mail, they mentioned their new food item Fish McBites. Fish McBites are small breaded square pieces of Alaskan pollock that McDonald's offers in 3 different size orders - snack (3.4 ounces), regular (5.2 ounces) and shareable (10.3 ounces). I tried the shareable size. I bought my McBite order at the 8700 Washington Boulevard, Jessup, Maryland McDonalds. It cost me $5.59 not including tax and came with 2 small things of tartar sauce which you can dip the McBites in. According to nutrition information McDonald's posts on its website http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.chicken.1043.Fish-McBites-Regular-Size.html, the shareable size Fish McBites has 730 calories, 33 grams of protein, 39 grams of fat, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 1,260 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of saturated fat, zero trans fat and 70 milligrams of cholesterol.

Overall, I thought McDonald's Fish McBites were pretty good. They are a novel way to enjoy fish as well as a very easy way to eat fish. Due to their small size, I would think there is very little risk of finding a fish bone, something you have to watch out for in larger fish portions. Time wise, there would be a minimal wait to get your order unless it's a particularly busy time at your local McDonald's. McBites might be a good way to get kids to try fish. I would think young kids would particularly like the small bite size piece like they like Chicken McNuggets. Bon Appetit!

Godiva Biscuits

While visiting my nearby base exchange to get some Godiva chocolates as a gift for the 2 very sweet lady managers at EZ Storage on 8401 Contee Road in Laurel, Maryland, I decided to treat myself to a reward for finishing my move out of my apartment. Godiva is renowned for making high quality products and, I decided to try their biscuits (cookies to those of us in the United States). The 50 biscuit gift set was encased in a very nice orange tin with the Godiva trademark in the center of it. The tin held the following assortment of biscuits:

Godiva Signature - a traditional European biscuits with a square of Godiva chocolate on top with Lady Godiva riding her horse in the center of the chocolate square

Dark Truffle Heart - a heart shaped biscuit with chocolate on top filled with chocolate truffle cream

Hazelnut Praline - chocolate hazelnut creme set between 2 crunchy biscuits with milk chocolate on the bottom

Raspberry Premier - a thin chocolate biscuit topped with a layer of chocolate raspberry creme with a square of dark chocolate on top of that

Petit Mousse - a light biscuit filled with chocolate mousse dipped in dark chocolate

Chocolate Lune - 2 thin hazelnut wafers filled with chocolate creme half dipped in dark chocolate

Hazelnut Belgique - a meringue biscuit topped with hazelnut pieces encased in dark chocolate and drizzled with milk chocolate

All of the biscuits were beautifully made and stacked in the stylish tin. I tried each of the biscuits and found every 1 of them a delicious chocolate delight. Price wise, the tin lists for $40 on the Godiva website but, for military folks, you can buy the tin for $32 at your base/post exchange. For those who care about calories, each biscuit/cookie contains approximately 40 calories with 0 cholesterol and 0 trans fats.

Overall, the biscuits lived up to the Godiva brand. They're very good and should delight any chocoholic as well as making a very nice gift to anyone. I would heartily recommend this wonderful product. Bon Appetit!

New 1 mg Generic Propecia Available in the U.S.

Yesterday, I drove to the Arundel Mills Costco Warehouse to pick up my latest 90 day prescription refill of Propecia. The pharmacist at the counter informed me they'd given me a new generic propecia. The only generic I knew of was Proscar which is Finasteride in 5mg tablets. I never used Proscar because, I didn't want to mess with splitting the tablets into 4 pieces with a pill splitter. Supposedly Proscar was cheaper but, it wasn't worth the hassle to me.

The new generic made my Dr. Reddy's Laboratories in possibly India comes in 1mg doses like Propecia though the pills are a different color and smaller. Price wise, the generic has considerable savings. My refill cost $150.74 saving me over $57 for a 90 day supply. That amounts to over $228 a year! I was delighted with the savings.

Later, I found an article dated 3 January 2013 announcing beginning of sales of the product (http://www.fool.com/investing/businesswire/2013/01/03/dr-reddys-announces-the-launch-of-finasteride-tabl.aspx) in the U.S. on 2 January 2013. The article gives a few particulars like the size of the Propecia market in the U.S. though I don't know if they took into account those who were taking Proscar for hair loss prevention.

The big issue is the savings for Propecia users and, the knowledge they will be able to get a product that is unquestionably is what it says it is. If you bought a generic Propecia from a foreign pharmaceutical concern like I did 1 time, you couldn't be sure you were actually getting the genuine product. Presumably, with the generic Propecia made by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Propecia users can rest assured they're getting genuine Finasteride in the prescribed dose. NOTE: Propecia users must still have a doctors prescription to get the generic Propecia. Also, pregnant women should avoid any contact with the generic Propecia just like the regular Propecia.

Update December 7, 2013: Today, I posted a new article about a 2nd generic Propecia entering the U.S. market. It's made by Camber Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and is apparently cheaper than the generic put out by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited. See my article for further information.

Columbia Wegmans Coke Freestyle Machines

I first heard about Coca Cola's (Coke) freestyle soda machines via Royal Caribbean. The Royal Caribbean cruise line is slowly deploying the machines on their cruise ships. Sadly, I haven't been on 1 of the ships that have the machines. I remembered that the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans grocery store has 1 of the machines (they actually have 3 as I found out later), I decided to go there and try their machine out.

I found the machine very simple to use. You put your glass in the machine. You touch the screen. You press for ice in your glass then choose what soda you want. The machines offer an astounding 125 different Coke products, some of which you won't find on your supermarket shelves. For example, I decided to try Vanilla Barq's Root Beer to see what it's like. The machines I suspect are a huge plus for places that carry them as they cut down on the amount of inventory the store or in Royal Caribbean's case ships have to carry. Also, since they're very simple to use, customers can use them themselves freeing up staff to do other tasks. At Wegmans, all they had to do was collect my $1.69 plus tax and give me a glass to put my soda in.

I really liked the Coke freestyle machines and, I look forward to using them again at Wegmans. I can't wait to get to use them on Royal Caribbean's ships. The machines will offer cruisers a greater choice of sodas and more convenience. Happy Drinking All!

Rita's York Peppermint Milk Shake

Yesterday, I visited the Laurel, Maryland Rita's Italian Ice for a Root Beer Misto Shake. They didn't have Root Beer ice yesterday but, I was able to get the equivalent of a Creamsicle Misto Shake which was just as good. While enjoying my shake, I noticed they had advertisements in their shop for a York (think peppermint pattie) Peppermint Milk Shake. I really like peppermint so, I inquired about the item. I found out, it isn't listed on the boards listing what custards and ices they have. It's something of a special product you have to know about to get. I decided to put that on my list to try.

Today was the day I got to try their York Peppermint Milk Shake. It was a reward to myself for moving 2 loads of my stuff to EZ Storage. My move is slowly coming along and, I should be out of my current apartment by the time my lease comes to a final end.

I found the shake had a very considerable chocolate flavor to it. Chocolate lovers should like it in that way. However, I found the peppermint flavor to be rather weak. I mentioned this to the lady running the Laurel shop and, she kindly got me some more peppermint syrup which helped some but, it still wasn't what I would call a very good PEPPERMINT milk shake. To me, it was more of a chocolate milk shake with a trace of peppermint. I think they need to use more peppermint syrup in the recipe.

Overall, it was a nice treat but, it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I think Rita's Root Beer Misto or Creamsicle Misto shakes are better. FYI, the Laurel Rita's is now open 7 days a week again. During December and January, they had reduced hours which could be annoying at times. I remember having a hankering for 1 of their misto shakes only to find them closed. While I was there today, they seemed to be doing a decent amount of business especially with the cold weather. Hopefully, the winter weather will be behind us soon here in Maryland and, a Rita's ice will be even more enjoyable with the warmer weather. They're a great way to cool off. Happy Sipping All!!!!!