Last Sunday, a friend at the Extended Stay where I live asked me to get him some hand sanitizer. Dollar Tree Stores are one of the best places I know to get cheap hand sanitizer lotion. They sell it in 8 ounce bottles or slightly smaller bottles if you want it with aloe vera or they have multi-pack 2 ounce bottles. Per the Dollar Tree name, they all cost $1. I've bought a number of bottles of the stuff myself there and, it's worked fine. I promised to get my friend some while my friend Kathryn and I did some shopping.
After we'd finished our shopping at the Kings Contrivance Harris Teeter supermarket, I remembered my promise and called up the various nearby Dollar Tree stores on my Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS). The closest Dollar Tree store was the one in Columbia, but as my readers know, I'm very unimpressed with that store. It doesn't have refrigerated or freezer sections and, it's very small which means it has a limited selection of merchandise. While it might've had hand sanitizer, I wanted to try some place else. I saw on the list of stores there was one in Silver Spring, Maryland that I'd never been to. I asked Kathryn if she'd mind checking that one out. She said she didn't so off we went. The store isn't far from Maryland Route 29 and, it's address is 13837 Outlet Drive (phone number 301-847-7865). It's located in the corner of what I'd call your standard strip mall. The only problem I had with its location is it is in the corner and, you have look for it to find it. Interestingly, there's a Family Dollar store within 40 feet or less of it. Kathryn and I thought initially the Dollar Tree might've been bought out by Family Dollar and so, we checked that store out first. We were UNIMPRESSED by Family Dollar and, we're delighted when a shopper there told there was a Dollar Tree store further down.
The Silver Spring, Maryland Dollar Tree store is large which means it has a lot of merchandise - give them 1 point for that. They score points for also having refrigerated and frozen sections. Lastly, they have decent parking. Kathryn and I found ourselves very pleased with this store vice some others I've been to.
Overall, I was really pleased with this store and would happily shop here again except for the fact that it's a bit far from where I live. However, for those who live in Silver Spring or close by, this is a Dollar Tree store worth checking out. I'd happily give this store 2 thumbs up! It's an excellent store with some very good Dollar Tree bargains (they had some cans of soup where I thought were particularly good price wise though I haven't tried them yet). Happy Shopping all!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Monday, June 06, 2016
Birra Moretti Beer Review
While shopping for foreign (anything made out of United States of America (USA)) beers, I came upon some Birra Moretti beer. The beer is a lager with 4.6% alcohol and is brewed by Heineken Italia in Comun Nuovo, Italy. Total Wine & More in Laurel, Maryland sells a 6 pack of 11.2 fluid ounce bottles for $7.99.
One thing I liked about this lager is that it's a genuine Italian beer i.e. it's brewed IN Italy. I've seen a number of foreign beers that are actually brewed in the USA. To me, they're not legitimately foreign though they may have a different taste to what we're used to in the USA. This lager tasted like a standard lager. It wasn't harsh tasting like some German beers can be though it wasn't super smooth like some Hawaiian ale I've tried. Basically, it's a decent lager at a reasonable price for a genuinely foreign beer.
Tip: Total Wine & More has a frequent shopper club called Total Discovery where they'll send you coupons for their stores that'll save you money on beer or other spirits. In this case, thanks to the coupon, I saved a $1 off this 6 pack. If you drink a fair amount of beer or other spirits, it could be worth it to you to look into it.
Overall, I thought this was a nice beer. I very much liked that it's genuinely Italian. I do question the claim on the bottle about Italian passion for brewing. I think Italy is known more for its wine then its beer. Still, it was fun to try this brew. Happy responsible drinking all!
One thing I liked about this lager is that it's a genuine Italian beer i.e. it's brewed IN Italy. I've seen a number of foreign beers that are actually brewed in the USA. To me, they're not legitimately foreign though they may have a different taste to what we're used to in the USA. This lager tasted like a standard lager. It wasn't harsh tasting like some German beers can be though it wasn't super smooth like some Hawaiian ale I've tried. Basically, it's a decent lager at a reasonable price for a genuinely foreign beer.
Tip: Total Wine & More has a frequent shopper club called Total Discovery where they'll send you coupons for their stores that'll save you money on beer or other spirits. In this case, thanks to the coupon, I saved a $1 off this 6 pack. If you drink a fair amount of beer or other spirits, it could be worth it to you to look into it.
Overall, I thought this was a nice beer. I very much liked that it's genuinely Italian. I do question the claim on the bottle about Italian passion for brewing. I think Italy is known more for its wine then its beer. Still, it was fun to try this brew. Happy responsible drinking all!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Trader Joe's Old World Rye Bread With Caraway Seeds Review
I like rye bread and, I like caraway seeds. To me, rye bread isn't rye bread without caraway seeds which add a nice flavor to the bread. So, I was delighted to see Trader Joe's had what looked like some very good rye bread for sale at its store in Elkridge, Maryland.
The bread comes sliced in 1 pound packages, 12 slices to the pound. It sells for $2.49. It has 80 calories per slice as well as 3 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber per slice (Source: the loaf I bought at the Elkridge Trader Joe's). Each slice does have 160 milligrams of sodium for those who have to watch their sodium intake.
The bread has an excellent texture and does well in a sandwich or as a flavorful toast. I found this to be an excellent all around bread with a really nice flavor.
Overall, I was really pleased with this bread, would buy it again and definitely recommend it. The bread does contain wheat, soy and possible traces of sesame seeds (according to the package) for those who have health issues with those. Barring that, if you like a hearty and solid rye bread, this bread is for you. Bon Appetit!
Before, I had to mention that at the time, I had a sister who worked for Trader Joe's even though it didn't influence my reviews of their products. My sister no longer works for them so, there isn't the slightest possibility of conflict with my reviews of their products. If I think the product sucks, I'll tell you so!
The bread comes sliced in 1 pound packages, 12 slices to the pound. It sells for $2.49. It has 80 calories per slice as well as 3 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber per slice (Source: the loaf I bought at the Elkridge Trader Joe's). Each slice does have 160 milligrams of sodium for those who have to watch their sodium intake.
The bread has an excellent texture and does well in a sandwich or as a flavorful toast. I found this to be an excellent all around bread with a really nice flavor.
Overall, I was really pleased with this bread, would buy it again and definitely recommend it. The bread does contain wheat, soy and possible traces of sesame seeds (according to the package) for those who have health issues with those. Barring that, if you like a hearty and solid rye bread, this bread is for you. Bon Appetit!
Before, I had to mention that at the time, I had a sister who worked for Trader Joe's even though it didn't influence my reviews of their products. My sister no longer works for them so, there isn't the slightest possibility of conflict with my reviews of their products. If I think the product sucks, I'll tell you so!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Goya Coconut Soda Review
When I saw Goya's Coconut Soda at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans, I had to try it. I like coconut water and, I enjoyed drinking fresh coconut water out of a coconut at St. Martin (French side of St. Maarten) The soda goes for $1.59 for a 2 liter bottle at Wegmans. The soda is artificially flavored (and honest about it, it says it on the front of the bottle) which is a downer though a plus is it does have a coconut taste. Another downer is that Goya uses high fructose corn syrup. I prefer cane sugar which I think is better for you. The soda is somewhat unique as its the only coconut soda I've seen on the market in the United States.
Overall, I think Goya's coconut soda is ok. I think if you want a real coconut drink, you should try one of the coconut water brands that are for sale in the United States (I don't know what is available elsewhere). Still, if you want coconut soda, this is the main producer of it here. Happy drinking all!
Update May 29, 2016: I forgot to include calorie information on this soda. An 8 ounce glass of the soda has 130 calories (Source: the bottle I bought at Wegmans). Of that, 32 grams are sugar. The soda contains absolutely NO fruit juice. It is entirely artificially flavored. Also, it contains 105 milligrams of potassium in each glass which is a plus in my book.
Overall, I think Goya's coconut soda is ok. I think if you want a real coconut drink, you should try one of the coconut water brands that are for sale in the United States (I don't know what is available elsewhere). Still, if you want coconut soda, this is the main producer of it here. Happy drinking all!
Update May 29, 2016: I forgot to include calorie information on this soda. An 8 ounce glass of the soda has 130 calories (Source: the bottle I bought at Wegmans). Of that, 32 grams are sugar. The soda contains absolutely NO fruit juice. It is entirely artificially flavored. Also, it contains 105 milligrams of potassium in each glass which is a plus in my book.
Sunday, May 08, 2016
Woodbine Maryland Dollar Tree Store Review
Today, I visited the Dollar Tree store at 712 Lisbon Center Drive in Woodbine, Maryland. I thought I'd write a store review on it. Here goes:
The store has ample parking and is of good size. The size is important as some Dollar Tree stores can be pretty small like the one in Columbia, Maryland. Having plenty of good priced merchandise can make them worth the trip. This one does though it does have one drawback in my opinion - it doesn't have a refrigerated section like other Dollar Tree stores do. This is important me as Dollar Tree offers some nice deals that way like Sunny Acres Swiss Slices or Bar S Bun Length Franks which Dollar Tree sells for a $1 at the stores that have a refrigerated section.
Note: If you do a search for this store on your smart phone and find it's mobile page, you may see it has the symbol for a refrigerated section. This is wrong. The main web page shows correctly that it doesn't have one though I wish it did.
Hours for the store are: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I think the store hours are convenient. Also, the store is easy to get to. I exited Interstate 70 heading west (exit 32 I think) , took a right turn toward Woodbine, took the 2nd exit on the roundabout and first right after that. You'll see it on your right and a supermarket on your left.
The store can be reached at phone number 410-489-2653.
Overall, I thought it a nice Dollar Tree store. The staff were helpful and courteous, parking was ample, they have convenient hours but, they don't have a refrigerated section. Because of that, if you could, I recommend you find one that does have a refrigerated section. I think I saw they have a store in Eldersburg that does. I'll have to check that one out some time and get back to my readers and let them know what I think of it. Happy shopping all!
The store has ample parking and is of good size. The size is important as some Dollar Tree stores can be pretty small like the one in Columbia, Maryland. Having plenty of good priced merchandise can make them worth the trip. This one does though it does have one drawback in my opinion - it doesn't have a refrigerated section like other Dollar Tree stores do. This is important me as Dollar Tree offers some nice deals that way like Sunny Acres Swiss Slices or Bar S Bun Length Franks which Dollar Tree sells for a $1 at the stores that have a refrigerated section.
Note: If you do a search for this store on your smart phone and find it's mobile page, you may see it has the symbol for a refrigerated section. This is wrong. The main web page shows correctly that it doesn't have one though I wish it did.
Hours for the store are: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I think the store hours are convenient. Also, the store is easy to get to. I exited Interstate 70 heading west (exit 32 I think) , took a right turn toward Woodbine, took the 2nd exit on the roundabout and first right after that. You'll see it on your right and a supermarket on your left.
The store can be reached at phone number 410-489-2653.
Overall, I thought it a nice Dollar Tree store. The staff were helpful and courteous, parking was ample, they have convenient hours but, they don't have a refrigerated section. Because of that, if you could, I recommend you find one that does have a refrigerated section. I think I saw they have a store in Eldersburg that does. I'll have to check that one out some time and get back to my readers and let them know what I think of it. Happy shopping all!
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Laurel (Maryland) Main Street Travel Inc. Closed
I saw in Yelp and Yellowpages.com that they're reporting that Laurel (Maryland, I don't know if there's a Laurel Main Street Travel in some other state so I'm specifying what state) Main Street Travel Incorporated as open. They're not. They're permanently closed and didn't move to another location. I visited their former office yesterday personally and spoke with a very nice lady from the Laurel Board of Trade that now occupies the site. Also, I can personally testify that number 410-792-4438 has been disconnected i.e. I called it myself and got a recording saying that.
I don't know why the business closed. I saw on one webpage that I don't remember that they'd been in the travel business for 35 years. I was saddened by their closure. I think travel agencies are having a tough time with all the competition they have now and various travel companies trying to cut their agent's commissions. Personally, I like working with a travel agent vice trying to do it myself. My travel agent Joel Mills has been priceless at times.
Anyway, to repeat one final time - Laurel Main Street Travel Incorporated (Inc.) is permanently closed. Happy travels all!
I don't know why the business closed. I saw on one webpage that I don't remember that they'd been in the travel business for 35 years. I was saddened by their closure. I think travel agencies are having a tough time with all the competition they have now and various travel companies trying to cut their agent's commissions. Personally, I like working with a travel agent vice trying to do it myself. My travel agent Joel Mills has been priceless at times.
Anyway, to repeat one final time - Laurel Main Street Travel Incorporated (Inc.) is permanently closed. Happy travels all!
Friday, April 29, 2016
Pilot Frixion Pen Review
While visiting the Bed, Bath and Beyond store at 9021 Snowden River Parkway in Columbia, Maryland, I stumbled upon some Pilot Frixion gel pens. The pens are special in that they're erasable whereas other gel pens aren't. The store sells the pens for $2.99 which is apparently high compared to other stores but, I bought five of the .7mm retractable pens to try out. Later, I did some research on the pens and found out how the ink works.
The gel ink is thermo sensitive which means it's sensitive to heat. According to the jetpens.com website I visited, if you have the pens out in 140 degree heat or higher, the ink will become colorless. It's this same sensitivity to heat that enables users to erase their mistakes with these pens. The friction from rubbing the ink with a regular eraser causes the ink to become colorless. This makes these pens pretty handy.
Specifications wise, the pens come in 7 colors:
Black
Blue
Turquoise
Red
Purple
Green
Pink
They come in fine (.7mm) and extra fine (.5mm) nib sizes. Also, there are retractable and non-retractable pens. The retractable pens are interesting that as there is a small eraser at the end of these pens, you have to press the clip down on them to cause the nib to come out or retract.
Prices can vary. Walmart.com offers a 5 pack of the .5mm (extra fine nib) pens for $9.75 while Staples.com offers 7 pack of the .7 (fine nib) pens for $14.99. Officeworld.com sells the pens singly and in multi-pen packs. In some of the stores I visited looking for these pens, I found the selection of them very limited compared to the very popular Pilot G2 pens.
Overall, I've been very pleased with these pens. I do wish Pilot offered them in more colors and, they were more widely available. Pilot's G2 gel pens come in 15 colors (there are more colors than this though some aren't offered in the United States such as their pastel color G2 pens) vice the 7 they offer in their Frixion line. These pens definitely can be handy in certain cases. I definitely recommend them. Happy writing all!
Update May 4, 2016: Yesterday, I checked the Walmart next to the Sam's Club at 3535 Russett Green East in Laurel, Maryland. They don't have these pens (no shock that). However, the Sam's Club offers an 8 pack of the retractable pens for $6.81. The pack is missing the turquoise pen and has 3 of the black pens.
The gel ink is thermo sensitive which means it's sensitive to heat. According to the jetpens.com website I visited, if you have the pens out in 140 degree heat or higher, the ink will become colorless. It's this same sensitivity to heat that enables users to erase their mistakes with these pens. The friction from rubbing the ink with a regular eraser causes the ink to become colorless. This makes these pens pretty handy.
Specifications wise, the pens come in 7 colors:
Black
Blue
Turquoise
Red
Purple
Green
Pink
They come in fine (.7mm) and extra fine (.5mm) nib sizes. Also, there are retractable and non-retractable pens. The retractable pens are interesting that as there is a small eraser at the end of these pens, you have to press the clip down on them to cause the nib to come out or retract.
Prices can vary. Walmart.com offers a 5 pack of the .5mm (extra fine nib) pens for $9.75 while Staples.com offers 7 pack of the .7 (fine nib) pens for $14.99. Officeworld.com sells the pens singly and in multi-pen packs. In some of the stores I visited looking for these pens, I found the selection of them very limited compared to the very popular Pilot G2 pens.
Overall, I've been very pleased with these pens. I do wish Pilot offered them in more colors and, they were more widely available. Pilot's G2 gel pens come in 15 colors (there are more colors than this though some aren't offered in the United States such as their pastel color G2 pens) vice the 7 they offer in their Frixion line. These pens definitely can be handy in certain cases. I definitely recommend them. Happy writing all!
Update May 4, 2016: Yesterday, I checked the Walmart next to the Sam's Club at 3535 Russett Green East in Laurel, Maryland. They don't have these pens (no shock that). However, the Sam's Club offers an 8 pack of the retractable pens for $6.81. The pack is missing the turquoise pen and has 3 of the black pens.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Tokyoairporter.com Review
Recently, I did a Globus tour of Japan. I'd never toured Japan before and while I was looking forward to visiting it for the first time, I was a bit daunted by it as well. Their language is hugely different from English and, their culture is very different too. Still, one of the great things about Globus is your tour director is with you from the start of the tour till it's end. The tour director knows the language, the culture and their way around. So, I felt at ease until I got a notice from Globus that there wasn't going to be anyone to meet me at Tokyo Narita Airport and, I'd have to take a bus (ticket provided) from the airport to the Tokyo Hilton where my tour group would stay for the first two nights of the tour. (Globus claimed this was the most efficient way to get their travelers from the airport to the hotel.) So, for my first 2 hours in Japan, I was going to be on my own trying to make my way to my hotel. Crap!
That's when I got the idea of using a private car and driver. As some of my readers may remember, I used one in Stockholm, Sweden to get me from the airport to their cruise ship terminal for my Baltic cruise on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. By hiring a car and driver, someone would be waiting for me at the airport who knew their way around and would be able to get me to my hotel.
I checked various companies. Viator gave me a price of $394 which was the highest I found. Another company I requested a quote from told me $340 with an extra $35 for an English speaker. Tokyoairporter.com came in at the cheapest with a flat price of 19,000 yen which with the current exchange rate broke out to about $160. Twice during the quote request and when I confirmed my request reservation, I said the driver must speak English. I haven't forgotten my misadventure in Cartagena, Colombia and, I didn't want to subject my travel friend Harvey who was going on the tour with me to that.
Tokyoairporter.com requests prepayment via Paypal which surprised me. Also, they will hit you with a 7.2% charge if you use a credit card. As I was determined to use one, that brought the price up to roughly $180.
On April 5, 2016, after flying over 14 hours non-stop from Washington Dulles International, I arrived at Tokyo Narita International Airport. To my dismay, they had a HUGE line to get through customs. It ended up taking me over an hour and a half to get through the line. My travel friend and I both wondered if our driver would still be waiting for us when we finally got our suitcases and exited the arrival area. To our delight, there was a driver with my last name on her sign.
We quickly realized our driver's understanding of English was iffy at best. Still, she seemed to know what she was doing. She directed us outside to a vehicle parking lot where she indicated we should wait while she got the vehicle. The vehicle turned out to be a mini-van which was fine with us. The lady apparently had been told somehow where we were to go and plugged it into her Japanese Global Positioning System i.e. GPS. Then, we took off for our hotel.
Along the way, we passed one of the buses we might've have taken otherwise so, Tokyoairporter.com is a faster way to get to downtown Tokyo. The driver knew what she was doing and took us directly to the Hilton. I think we got there in roughly an hour. While I wasn't pleased about her apparent lack of understanding of English, she did a fine job and got us where we had to go. My friend and I tipped her $5 each and thanked her as best we could.
Overall, I was very pleased with Tokyoairporter.com. They're cheaper than other services but, they're competent and give good service. I'd definitely use them again and would recommend them if you need a car and driver to take you to your hotel from the airport in Tokyo. Happy travels all!
That's when I got the idea of using a private car and driver. As some of my readers may remember, I used one in Stockholm, Sweden to get me from the airport to their cruise ship terminal for my Baltic cruise on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. By hiring a car and driver, someone would be waiting for me at the airport who knew their way around and would be able to get me to my hotel.
I checked various companies. Viator gave me a price of $394 which was the highest I found. Another company I requested a quote from told me $340 with an extra $35 for an English speaker. Tokyoairporter.com came in at the cheapest with a flat price of 19,000 yen which with the current exchange rate broke out to about $160. Twice during the quote request and when I confirmed my request reservation, I said the driver must speak English. I haven't forgotten my misadventure in Cartagena, Colombia and, I didn't want to subject my travel friend Harvey who was going on the tour with me to that.
Tokyoairporter.com requests prepayment via Paypal which surprised me. Also, they will hit you with a 7.2% charge if you use a credit card. As I was determined to use one, that brought the price up to roughly $180.
On April 5, 2016, after flying over 14 hours non-stop from Washington Dulles International, I arrived at Tokyo Narita International Airport. To my dismay, they had a HUGE line to get through customs. It ended up taking me over an hour and a half to get through the line. My travel friend and I both wondered if our driver would still be waiting for us when we finally got our suitcases and exited the arrival area. To our delight, there was a driver with my last name on her sign.
We quickly realized our driver's understanding of English was iffy at best. Still, she seemed to know what she was doing. She directed us outside to a vehicle parking lot where she indicated we should wait while she got the vehicle. The vehicle turned out to be a mini-van which was fine with us. The lady apparently had been told somehow where we were to go and plugged it into her Japanese Global Positioning System i.e. GPS. Then, we took off for our hotel.
Along the way, we passed one of the buses we might've have taken otherwise so, Tokyoairporter.com is a faster way to get to downtown Tokyo. The driver knew what she was doing and took us directly to the Hilton. I think we got there in roughly an hour. While I wasn't pleased about her apparent lack of understanding of English, she did a fine job and got us where we had to go. My friend and I tipped her $5 each and thanked her as best we could.
Overall, I was very pleased with Tokyoairporter.com. They're cheaper than other services but, they're competent and give good service. I'd definitely use them again and would recommend them if you need a car and driver to take you to your hotel from the airport in Tokyo. Happy travels all!
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Maryland Lottery's Million Dollar Spectacular Game Review
While visiting a friend's liquor store, I discovered Maryland Lottery's newest $1,000,000 prize scratch off game called Million Dollar Spectacular. I remembered reading one big winner's strategy where he'd play the new games as he felt there would be a greater chance to hit a big prize initially. It worked for him but, it didn't work for me. I ended up with 4 losers in a row before I hit back to back small winners.
The game is your standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. There are three $1,000,000 (see note) prizes (all still available at the time of this post), six $50,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), twenty-four $10,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), thirty-seven $5,000 prizes (35 remaining at the time of this post) and 733 $1,000 prizes (701 remaining at the time of this post) as well as various smaller prizes starting with $20. You match 1 or more of the 5 numbers at the top of the ticket and you win that prize. The game does have 1 difference from other big prize games in that there is a box at the upper left of the ticket. The box contains 6 prize amounts. If you match 3 of the prize amounts, you win that prize instantly. I liked this feature though I had crummy luck with it. The game started December 28, 2015 so, it hasn't been out that long. Like all new games, losing tickets are eligible for lottery reward points. Overall (meaning overall for the ENTIRE game) odds are 1 in 2.97 of winning. You can do better or you can do worse like I did initially.
Overall, I thought it was a nice game though not a great one. I plan to try it again some time and see if I can a bit better luck with it. To me, it's a pretty standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. If you like playing the newest game out in Maryland, you might want to give it a go. Good luck!
Note: the $1,000,000 is paid out over 20 years in an annuity. The winner has 60 days after turning in the winning ticket to inform Maryland Lottery if they want a cash option i.e. all the money immediately. If they choose that option, the payout will be LESS than $1,000,000. If they don't inform them in time, they will automatically receive the annuity (source: one of the game tickets I bought).
Lastly, my source for the odds in the game was one of the tickets I bought. My source for how many prizes remained at the time of this post was the Maryland Lottery webpage for this game. That web page can be found under the $1,000,000 prize scratch off games.
The game is your standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. There are three $1,000,000 (see note) prizes (all still available at the time of this post), six $50,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), twenty-four $10,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), thirty-seven $5,000 prizes (35 remaining at the time of this post) and 733 $1,000 prizes (701 remaining at the time of this post) as well as various smaller prizes starting with $20. You match 1 or more of the 5 numbers at the top of the ticket and you win that prize. The game does have 1 difference from other big prize games in that there is a box at the upper left of the ticket. The box contains 6 prize amounts. If you match 3 of the prize amounts, you win that prize instantly. I liked this feature though I had crummy luck with it. The game started December 28, 2015 so, it hasn't been out that long. Like all new games, losing tickets are eligible for lottery reward points. Overall (meaning overall for the ENTIRE game) odds are 1 in 2.97 of winning. You can do better or you can do worse like I did initially.
Overall, I thought it was a nice game though not a great one. I plan to try it again some time and see if I can a bit better luck with it. To me, it's a pretty standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. If you like playing the newest game out in Maryland, you might want to give it a go. Good luck!
Note: the $1,000,000 is paid out over 20 years in an annuity. The winner has 60 days after turning in the winning ticket to inform Maryland Lottery if they want a cash option i.e. all the money immediately. If they choose that option, the payout will be LESS than $1,000,000. If they don't inform them in time, they will automatically receive the annuity (source: one of the game tickets I bought).
Lastly, my source for the odds in the game was one of the tickets I bought. My source for how many prizes remained at the time of this post was the Maryland Lottery webpage for this game. That web page can be found under the $1,000,000 prize scratch off games.
Sunday, January 03, 2016
Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Grahams Review
Last week, while trying to earn more Starbucks reward points so, I can keep my Gold status for another year (you have to earn 30 reward stars to do that), I saw some of their dark chocolate peppermint graham crackers on sale at one (there are 2 of them) of their Laurel, Maryland shops (store 7257 located at 929 Washington Boulevard). The grahams were 40% off and seemed a cheap way to earn another reward star. With the 40% off, it cost me $4.77 for 3 of the grahams (they come 3 in a pack).
The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!
Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!
The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!
Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!
Friday, January 01, 2016
Progresso Soup Review
I've been meaning to write this review for a while but, procrastination got the better of me. I did some research for it as you'll see.
I first bought some Progresso soup because, the base commissary I use had it on sale for either 79 cents a can or 89 cents a can. I'm don't remember which. I wasn't familiar with the soup but, I figured for that price, I could try it and see if I like it. I like soup though I don't have it often. I'm not a fan of Campbell's condensed soups and, that was the main kind of soup I usually have barring the rare bag of Lipton's Soup Secrets soups. The Progresso soup sat for at least 2 months before I got around to trying it. When I did, I was very impressed with it.
The soup comes fully prepared. You don't have to add anything to it. All you have to do is heat it up. You can heat it up in pot on a stove or in a microwavable bowl like I do in a microwave oven. If you microwave it, it takes a maximum of 4 minutes to heat up and, you must cover the bowl with some kind of covering.
Progresso soups come in a wide range of soups. I don't know the exact number but, I would guess based on what I saw at a Weis Supermarket that there are at least 30 different kinds of their soups. Some can be used those on Weight Watchers programs (I've had at least one of those). Price wise, it can vary depending on where you get them. I've seen as cheap as $1 a can and as much $2.19 a can at Weis though in their defense, Weis offers one of the best selection of the soups I've seen. The cheapest place I've seen barring the base commissary I use sometimes is Dollar Tree. They offer the soups for $1 of course. However, their selection is extremely limited. I've never seen them have more than 2 of them if they have them at all. Also, the selection they offer can change depending on what kind of deal they can offer on them at the time. I bought a good corn chowder soup from the Laurel, Maryland store one time and later, they weren't offering it anymore. In the middle of road price wise is WalMart which offers the soups for $1.50 a can and has a good selection though not as good as Weis. Sam's Club and BJ's offer the soups for around $1.30 a can but, their selection can be very limited too. I think BJ's only offered 4 different soups when I checked them out and 2 of them were closer to $1.50 a can because, they were fancier soups vice the cheaper New England clam chowder. For those who need to watch their sodium intake, Progresso offers low sodium versions of some of their soups.
Another plus about the Progresso soups is they take part in the Box Tops for Education program. Every can you buy has a coupon attached worth 10 cents for your school if it participates in the program. The program helps schools get needed school supplies. One down side to these coupons is they must be turned before their expiration date. Cases of the soups come with a 9th coupon (I believe i.e. I'm not 100% certain on this).
Overall, I've been really pleased with Progresso soups. Their hearty soups and can form part of a nutritious meal. If you like a little zing in your soup, some of them have it. I tried their Southwest black bean and vegetable soup and, it had some zing though not overly so. They're easy to prepare and have good shelf life (close to a year I think though do check the best by date on the bottom of the can). I would definitely recommend them. Bon appetit all!
Update May 18, 2016: For some unknown to me reason, the price on Progresso soups has really jumped. What I used to be able to buy for a $1 at the commissary I shop at, now costs $2. There has been a big price jump at Walmart too. Oh and forget about buying their soups anymore at Dollar Tree. I had a fluke find at one of their stores and was so delighted, I bought every can they had. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find at any Dollar Tree store in at least a couple months. I still really like these soups but, I don't like the higher prices. :-(
I first bought some Progresso soup because, the base commissary I use had it on sale for either 79 cents a can or 89 cents a can. I'm don't remember which. I wasn't familiar with the soup but, I figured for that price, I could try it and see if I like it. I like soup though I don't have it often. I'm not a fan of Campbell's condensed soups and, that was the main kind of soup I usually have barring the rare bag of Lipton's Soup Secrets soups. The Progresso soup sat for at least 2 months before I got around to trying it. When I did, I was very impressed with it.
The soup comes fully prepared. You don't have to add anything to it. All you have to do is heat it up. You can heat it up in pot on a stove or in a microwavable bowl like I do in a microwave oven. If you microwave it, it takes a maximum of 4 minutes to heat up and, you must cover the bowl with some kind of covering.
Progresso soups come in a wide range of soups. I don't know the exact number but, I would guess based on what I saw at a Weis Supermarket that there are at least 30 different kinds of their soups. Some can be used those on Weight Watchers programs (I've had at least one of those). Price wise, it can vary depending on where you get them. I've seen as cheap as $1 a can and as much $2.19 a can at Weis though in their defense, Weis offers one of the best selection of the soups I've seen. The cheapest place I've seen barring the base commissary I use sometimes is Dollar Tree. They offer the soups for $1 of course. However, their selection is extremely limited. I've never seen them have more than 2 of them if they have them at all. Also, the selection they offer can change depending on what kind of deal they can offer on them at the time. I bought a good corn chowder soup from the Laurel, Maryland store one time and later, they weren't offering it anymore. In the middle of road price wise is WalMart which offers the soups for $1.50 a can and has a good selection though not as good as Weis. Sam's Club and BJ's offer the soups for around $1.30 a can but, their selection can be very limited too. I think BJ's only offered 4 different soups when I checked them out and 2 of them were closer to $1.50 a can because, they were fancier soups vice the cheaper New England clam chowder. For those who need to watch their sodium intake, Progresso offers low sodium versions of some of their soups.
Another plus about the Progresso soups is they take part in the Box Tops for Education program. Every can you buy has a coupon attached worth 10 cents for your school if it participates in the program. The program helps schools get needed school supplies. One down side to these coupons is they must be turned before their expiration date. Cases of the soups come with a 9th coupon (I believe i.e. I'm not 100% certain on this).
Overall, I've been really pleased with Progresso soups. Their hearty soups and can form part of a nutritious meal. If you like a little zing in your soup, some of them have it. I tried their Southwest black bean and vegetable soup and, it had some zing though not overly so. They're easy to prepare and have good shelf life (close to a year I think though do check the best by date on the bottom of the can). I would definitely recommend them. Bon appetit all!
Update May 18, 2016: For some unknown to me reason, the price on Progresso soups has really jumped. What I used to be able to buy for a $1 at the commissary I shop at, now costs $2. There has been a big price jump at Walmart too. Oh and forget about buying their soups anymore at Dollar Tree. I had a fluke find at one of their stores and was so delighted, I bought every can they had. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find at any Dollar Tree store in at least a couple months. I still really like these soups but, I don't like the higher prices. :-(
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Norwegian Jarlesberg Cheese Review
BJ's Wholesale Club sells a Norwegian Jarlesberg cheese under the brand name Wellsley Farms. The cheese is a semi-soft part skim cheese. It's a firm slightly nutty flavored cheese that is sold in various triangular wedges for $5.39 a pound. The cheese is legitimately Norwegian as it's made by TINE SA in Oslo, Norway and distributed in the United States by Norseland Inc out of Darien, Connecticut.
Calorie wise, a 1 ounce serving has 100 calories of which 80 of those are fat. The cheese is a very good source of calcium (no surprise considering it is made of milk). Interestingly, the cheese is lactose free as well as gluten free. The cheese does have a rind which is easily peeled off.
Overall, I think is a good cheese. I don't know if it's available at other stores though I would think it would be. I've bought wedges of this cheese twice and enjoyed it both times. It apparently has a decent shelf life. The wedge I bought today supposedly would be good till August though the cheese must be refrigerated at all times. If you see this cheese in the store you frequent, you might want to try it. It's great as a snack or on a sandwich. Bon appetit all!
Source of information I mention in this blog came from the wedge I bought today at BJ's Wholesale Club in Columbia, Maryland with my own money i.e. no compensation. Further information on this cheese can be obtained at their website: www.jarlesbergusa.com. All opinions in this blog entry are MY own and are NOT representative of BJ's Wholesale Club, TINE SA or Norseland Inc.
Calorie wise, a 1 ounce serving has 100 calories of which 80 of those are fat. The cheese is a very good source of calcium (no surprise considering it is made of milk). Interestingly, the cheese is lactose free as well as gluten free. The cheese does have a rind which is easily peeled off.
Overall, I think is a good cheese. I don't know if it's available at other stores though I would think it would be. I've bought wedges of this cheese twice and enjoyed it both times. It apparently has a decent shelf life. The wedge I bought today supposedly would be good till August though the cheese must be refrigerated at all times. If you see this cheese in the store you frequent, you might want to try it. It's great as a snack or on a sandwich. Bon appetit all!
Source of information I mention in this blog came from the wedge I bought today at BJ's Wholesale Club in Columbia, Maryland with my own money i.e. no compensation. Further information on this cheese can be obtained at their website: www.jarlesbergusa.com. All opinions in this blog entry are MY own and are NOT representative of BJ's Wholesale Club, TINE SA or Norseland Inc.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Famosa Lager Beer Review
I haven't done a beer review in quite a while so here goes.
Unlike other foreign beers that are sold in the United States (U.S.) (a number of them aren't like Sapporo and Fosters), Famosa Lager (Gallo, don't know why I should include that) is actually brewed in Guatemala City, Guatemala and imported to the U.S. Total Wine & More in Laurel, Maryland sells 12 ounce 12 packs in cans for $9.99 U.S. which I think is a decent price for that much foreign (to those us in the U.S.) beer. The beer is classified as a Euro pale lager.
The beer has a crisp and not bitter taste. I find it a decent lager. Plus, it reminds me of my Panama Canal cruise with Royal Caribbean International. One of the ports my ship (Legend of the Seas) called at was Puerto Quetzal which is a container port which Guatemala apparently uses for cruise ships too. From there, I took an excursion to Antigua Guatemala which was a pretty interesting town.
Anyway, while visiting there, I remember seeing advertising for Famosa Lager but, I didn't get around to trying it while I was there. However, I did make amends once I got back to the U.S. and did get to try it. It's a decent beer. I've had worse. I remember one in Peru that was pure piss water but, that's another story which I'll spare you for now.
Overall, I think Famosa Lager is a decent foreign beer which Total Wine & More offer at a good price. If you want to try a decent beer from a country you've probably never been to, you might want to give it a go. Happy and responsible drinking all!
Unlike other foreign beers that are sold in the United States (U.S.) (a number of them aren't like Sapporo and Fosters), Famosa Lager (Gallo, don't know why I should include that) is actually brewed in Guatemala City, Guatemala and imported to the U.S. Total Wine & More in Laurel, Maryland sells 12 ounce 12 packs in cans for $9.99 U.S. which I think is a decent price for that much foreign (to those us in the U.S.) beer. The beer is classified as a Euro pale lager.
The beer has a crisp and not bitter taste. I find it a decent lager. Plus, it reminds me of my Panama Canal cruise with Royal Caribbean International. One of the ports my ship (Legend of the Seas) called at was Puerto Quetzal which is a container port which Guatemala apparently uses for cruise ships too. From there, I took an excursion to Antigua Guatemala which was a pretty interesting town.
Anyway, while visiting there, I remember seeing advertising for Famosa Lager but, I didn't get around to trying it while I was there. However, I did make amends once I got back to the U.S. and did get to try it. It's a decent beer. I've had worse. I remember one in Peru that was pure piss water but, that's another story which I'll spare you for now.
Overall, I think Famosa Lager is a decent foreign beer which Total Wine & More offer at a good price. If you want to try a decent beer from a country you've probably never been to, you might want to give it a go. Happy and responsible drinking all!
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Gold Hard Cash Scratch Off Game Review
On September 21, 2015, the Maryland Lottery introduced it's Gold Hard Cash scratch off game. The game offers 6 top prizes of $100,000 none of which have been claimed at the time of this post (Source: Maryland Lottery website). The tickets sell for $10 and the OVERALL (you could do better and you could do worse) odds are 1 in 3.42 (Source: the ticket I bought with my OWN money). Prizes are: $10, $15, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $10,000 and the top prize - $100,000.
The ticket has 3 different games.
In the upper right hand corner, you have instant win window where you win any prize that shows up in the window.
In the main part of the ticket, you get 5 numbers that you try to match. You win whatever prize under the number you main. There is also an instant win symbol - a bag of money with a dollar sign on it where you win whatever prize is below it.
The 3rd game on the ticket is where you scratch the entire area in the bottom of the ticket and see if any gold bar symbols come up.
Get 1 gold bar, you win $10.
Get 2 gold bars, you win $50
Get 3 gold bars, you win $100
Other top prizes are $10,000 and $1,000. The game started with 15 $10,000 prizes but at the time of this post, 5 had been claimed so, there are 10 left. The started with 28 $1,000 prizes but at the time of this post, 6 of these had been claimed so, there are 22 of these left (Source: Maryland Lottery website).
Overall, it's a decent scratch off game. It's more expensive than Maryland Lottery's $1, $3 or $5 but cheaper then their $20 games. There are lots of tickets out there so, it should be easy to find.
Lastly, please remember to gamble responsibly. The odds aren't in your favor. Good luck!
The ticket has 3 different games.
In the upper right hand corner, you have instant win window where you win any prize that shows up in the window.
In the main part of the ticket, you get 5 numbers that you try to match. You win whatever prize under the number you main. There is also an instant win symbol - a bag of money with a dollar sign on it where you win whatever prize is below it.
The 3rd game on the ticket is where you scratch the entire area in the bottom of the ticket and see if any gold bar symbols come up.
Get 1 gold bar, you win $10.
Get 2 gold bars, you win $50
Get 3 gold bars, you win $100
Other top prizes are $10,000 and $1,000. The game started with 15 $10,000 prizes but at the time of this post, 5 had been claimed so, there are 10 left. The started with 28 $1,000 prizes but at the time of this post, 6 of these had been claimed so, there are 22 of these left (Source: Maryland Lottery website).
Overall, it's a decent scratch off game. It's more expensive than Maryland Lottery's $1, $3 or $5 but cheaper then their $20 games. There are lots of tickets out there so, it should be easy to find.
Lastly, please remember to gamble responsibly. The odds aren't in your favor. Good luck!
Review of Dollar Tree's Anti-gravity Ballpoint Pen
One semi good deal you can find at Dollar Tree stores is it's anti-gravity ballpoint pen. By anti-gravity, they mean you can write at any angle like you can with a Fisher Space Pen. Both pens use the same technology i.e. a pressurized ink cartridge. The pen doesn't state what it's temperature ranges are like the Fisher Space pen but, I would think it would still work in very cold and very hot temperatures because of the pressurization forcing the ink out. The pen comes at a significant savings compared to a Fisher Space pen. Dollar Tree sells the pen for $1 whereas the cartridge for the Fisher Space pen costs $5 alone.
One downside to the pen and why I call this a semi good deal is you can't get new cartridges for the pen as far as I know though I plan to keep looking. Nor can you put a Fisher Space pen cartridge in the pen to replace the spent cartridge it came with. The Fisher Space pen cartridge isn't long enough even with the extender it comes with for certain click pens like Parker pens.
The cartridge in the pen comes in standard black ink. The pen comes in 2 designs apparently and 2 different colors - gray and black. Advertising on the box can be a little over the top as there isn't any cruise control with the pen.
Overall, the pen is a pretty good deal BUT, I'd really like to be able to get cartridges that would work with the pen. I hate throwing away a perfectly good pen just because the cartridge is used up. I still hope to find replacement cartridges for it. Happy writing all!
One downside to the pen and why I call this a semi good deal is you can't get new cartridges for the pen as far as I know though I plan to keep looking. Nor can you put a Fisher Space pen cartridge in the pen to replace the spent cartridge it came with. The Fisher Space pen cartridge isn't long enough even with the extender it comes with for certain click pens like Parker pens.
The cartridge in the pen comes in standard black ink. The pen comes in 2 designs apparently and 2 different colors - gray and black. Advertising on the box can be a little over the top as there isn't any cruise control with the pen.
Overall, the pen is a pretty good deal BUT, I'd really like to be able to get cartridges that would work with the pen. I hate throwing away a perfectly good pen just because the cartridge is used up. I still hope to find replacement cartridges for it. Happy writing all!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Maryland Lottery Wizard of Oz Game Review
For those who like or love the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) classic movie "Wizard of Oz," you might like the new $5 scratch off game the Maryland Lottery launched on September 21, 2015. The tickets show characters from the beloved movie and has that theme. The game offers six top prizes of $50,000. Other big prizes offered are $5,000 (12 of them) and $1,000 (50 of them). All the top prizes are up for grabs at the time of this post except for 1 of the $1,000 prizes.
The game is like a slot machine game in that you have 2 columns of 7 chances each in rows. You scratch off a row in the column and, you win the prize at the end of the row if you get 3 alike symbols or you win five times the prize shown if you hit a tornado symbol among the 3 symbols (I'm not sure if the 2 other symbols must be the same, the ticket I got isn't clear about that point).
Odds of winning OVERALL (you can do better and you can do worse, I have it had happen both ways for me personally) are 1 in 3.61.
The game does qualify for lottery rewards points and has the box in the lower right hand corner that you can scan at the ticket seller or on the new Maryland Lottery Rewards app that lets you scan scratch off tickets with your smart phone and see if you're a winner or enter them for reward points (it's a pretty handy app and it's FREE).
Overall, it's a decent game. If you like or love the movie, you might enjoy playing this game.
Disclaimer: I'm not associated in any way with the Maryland Lottery and all opinions expressed here are my own. All statistics stated here came either from the Maryland Lottery website (www.mdlottery.com) or from the ticket I got on my own. Please do remember to gamble responsibly and good luck to any of my readers!
Maryland Lottery Royal Gems Game Review
Six days ago, the Maryland Lottery launched its latest $1,000,000 prize scratch off game called Royal Gems. Like all $1,000,000 prize ($50,000 a year paid over 20 years, a lump sum is available but will be less than $1,000,000) games, the tickets cost $20 each.
The game offers an instant winner at the upper left of the corner under a gem studded throne. Scratch any amount under that and, you win it instantly.
In the main part of the ticket, you get 5 numbers where you can match between 1 and all 5. Here, they offer another instant win. If you scratch a 5X symbol, you win 5 times the prize shown below example: scratch a 5X symbol and have reveal a $100 prize, you actually win $500.
Top prizes offered are $1,000,000 (3 of them), $50,000 (5 of them), $10,000 (20 of them), $5,000 (25 of them) and $1,000 (283 of them of them). At the time of this post, only two $1,000 prizes had been won so, this game has LOTS of big prizes out there.
Odds of winning OVERALL (you can do better and you can do worse) in this game are 1 in 2.99.
The game does qualify for Maryland Lottery Reward points and has a box you can scan at the lower right corner if you want to find out if you won anything without scratching the whole ticket. Also, thanks to this box, you can scan the ticket with Maryland Lottery's new Rewards app for smart phones and save yourself having to enter the ticket the hard way i.e. having to enter both sets of numbers. I've used the new app. It is very good and, it's FREE.
Overall, the game is a decent game. If you like sparkly game tickets, you may be drawn to this game as it does sparkle.
Disclaimer: I don't have any association with the Maryland Lottery. All remarks are my own. Statistics for the game came from either the ticket I bought with MY own money or the Maryland Lottery website (www.mdlottery.com). Please do remember to gamble responsibly. Good luck!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Tallinn Estonia Cruise Terminal WiFi
On August 1, 2015, I got to visit Tallinn, Estonia for the first time. I did a walking tour of the old city. It was awesome. At times, it felt like I was stepping back in time. At the end of the tour, I chose to return to the pier with the tour bus. At the pier, you can find a small building that is sort of a cruise ship terminal even though it isn't used to process people for cruises.
The small building has 2 or 3 souvenir shops including one that sells postcards and stamps. Just outside the building is a mailbox where you can mail the postcards. Throughout the building, the terminal offers free WiFi. At one end of the building is a small cafe that has tables and chairs both indoors and outdoors. The cafe offers various drinks including Estonian beer. I think the cafe also offers food though I don't remember what exactly they offered in that way. This part of the building was packed with people taking advantage of the free WiFi. I felt bad for the lady behind the cafe counter as so many of the people weren't buying anything from the cafe (it wasn't required) and yet using her tables and chairs. This was the main reason I decided to buy one of their drinks and settled on one the beers they had for sale as I thought it would be neat to try it. During my travels, I will try various foreign beers. Some can be very good like Carlsberg Dark I tried in a hotel in Arhus, Denmark and some can be basically piss water like one I had in a restaurant in Peru one time.
Overall, the WiFi at the terminal was very good. It had a good connection speed and, I liked that it was FREE. If you do a cruise into Tallinn (well worth doing), I'd recommend you take advantage of the free WiFi and maybe try one of the Estonian beers the cafe has. Happy Internet surfing all!
The small building has 2 or 3 souvenir shops including one that sells postcards and stamps. Just outside the building is a mailbox where you can mail the postcards. Throughout the building, the terminal offers free WiFi. At one end of the building is a small cafe that has tables and chairs both indoors and outdoors. The cafe offers various drinks including Estonian beer. I think the cafe also offers food though I don't remember what exactly they offered in that way. This part of the building was packed with people taking advantage of the free WiFi. I felt bad for the lady behind the cafe counter as so many of the people weren't buying anything from the cafe (it wasn't required) and yet using her tables and chairs. This was the main reason I decided to buy one of their drinks and settled on one the beers they had for sale as I thought it would be neat to try it. During my travels, I will try various foreign beers. Some can be very good like Carlsberg Dark I tried in a hotel in Arhus, Denmark and some can be basically piss water like one I had in a restaurant in Peru one time.
Overall, the WiFi at the terminal was very good. It had a good connection speed and, I liked that it was FREE. If you do a cruise into Tallinn (well worth doing), I'd recommend you take advantage of the free WiFi and maybe try one of the Estonian beers the cafe has. Happy Internet surfing all!
Neptune Internet Cafe St. Petersburg Russia
To my great surprise, as far as I can tell, there isn't any information on the Internet about the Neptune Internet Cafe located in Terminal 2 of the Marine Facade Complex (cruise ship and ferry complex) in St. Petersburg, Russia. This blog entry will give a little information on the cafe and the terminal. I personally visited this terminal during a port call at St. Petersburg, Russia from 29 to 31 July 2015 while cruising on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas.
The Marine Facade Complex is located 3 miles northwest of the city center (source: cruiseportwiki.com/StPetersburg) in an area of the city that is being developed by city authorities. I personally saw a number of new buildings close to the complex. The complex was finished in 2008 and comprises of 7 berths which serve 3 cruise ship terminals and 1 ferry terminal (terminal 3) (source: www.passengerport-mf.spb.ru/en/).
According to the Marine Facade Complex webpage (www.passengerport-mf.spb.ru/en/), all of the terminals have a cafe so, all of them may offer Internet service though I can only vouch for the cafe at terminal 2 which I personally used.
The Neptune Internet Cafe is located on the 2nd floor of terminal 2. It's a small cafe offering WiFi access for a fee and a selection of drinks (I didn't buy any so I can tell you how much they cost). I don't remember if they offered any food for sale. The cafe accepts U.S. dollars, Euros and Russian rubles (I didn't note what the charges were in Russian rubles). WiFi charges were:
$3/3 Euros for 1 hour
$5/5 Euros for 2 hours
$8/8 Euros for 24 hours continuous service
The cafe offered better WiFi prices than what were offered on Serenade of the Seas and had better connection speeds though I didn't have a meter to see just how fast the connection speeds were. I don't remember if they had terminals for use if you didn't have a WiFi capable device.
Concerning connecting to their WiFi, once you paid for how ever long you wanted to connect to their WiFi, they gave you a ticket with a username and password. The ticket told you how long you would be able to connect to the WiFi and the fee you'd paid. Lastly, there was a time limit in which you had to activate your account by. I don't know what would happen if you didn't activate it in time.
One drawback to using the cafe were the tough Russian customs rules. If you were on a cruise ship, you could visit St. Petersburg (for no more than 72 hours) without a tourist visit ($100 U.S., good for 2 years) but, you had to show a tour ticket to the Russian customs officer at the terminal. Otherwise, you weren't allowed to pass through the terminal and, you had to get through customs to be able to get to the Neptune Internet Cafe.
Another drawback is there aren't any other alternatives to the Neptune Internet Cafe that are close to the terminal. The cruiseportwiki.com/StPetersburg webpage has a picture of the Marine Facade Complex which if you click on the view larger map offers some excellent pictures of the complex and the area close to it. You'll see from the pictures there isn't much close by.
According to the Marine Facade Complex (see previously mentioned webpage), authorities do run buses (bus number 158) to terminal 3. If you click on directions on that webpage, they give a bus schedule. The bus runs to the Primorskaya Metro Station. Also, according to the webpage, taxis run from all the terminals though I don't have any idea how much a taxi or the bus would cost you.
Overall, I was really pleased with the Neptune Internet Cafe. The people running it were very courteous, the connection speeds were very good and, their prices were better than what were offered on my cruise ship. I would definitely recommend it and, I give it a thumbs up. I hope to use it again when I visit St. Petersburg again some time in the future. Happy Internet surfing all!
The Marine Facade Complex is located 3 miles northwest of the city center (source: cruiseportwiki.com/StPetersburg) in an area of the city that is being developed by city authorities. I personally saw a number of new buildings close to the complex. The complex was finished in 2008 and comprises of 7 berths which serve 3 cruise ship terminals and 1 ferry terminal (terminal 3) (source: www.passengerport-mf.spb.ru/en/).
According to the Marine Facade Complex webpage (www.passengerport-mf.spb.ru/en/), all of the terminals have a cafe so, all of them may offer Internet service though I can only vouch for the cafe at terminal 2 which I personally used.
The Neptune Internet Cafe is located on the 2nd floor of terminal 2. It's a small cafe offering WiFi access for a fee and a selection of drinks (I didn't buy any so I can tell you how much they cost). I don't remember if they offered any food for sale. The cafe accepts U.S. dollars, Euros and Russian rubles (I didn't note what the charges were in Russian rubles). WiFi charges were:
$3/3 Euros for 1 hour
$5/5 Euros for 2 hours
$8/8 Euros for 24 hours continuous service
The cafe offered better WiFi prices than what were offered on Serenade of the Seas and had better connection speeds though I didn't have a meter to see just how fast the connection speeds were. I don't remember if they had terminals for use if you didn't have a WiFi capable device.
Concerning connecting to their WiFi, once you paid for how ever long you wanted to connect to their WiFi, they gave you a ticket with a username and password. The ticket told you how long you would be able to connect to the WiFi and the fee you'd paid. Lastly, there was a time limit in which you had to activate your account by. I don't know what would happen if you didn't activate it in time.
One drawback to using the cafe were the tough Russian customs rules. If you were on a cruise ship, you could visit St. Petersburg (for no more than 72 hours) without a tourist visit ($100 U.S., good for 2 years) but, you had to show a tour ticket to the Russian customs officer at the terminal. Otherwise, you weren't allowed to pass through the terminal and, you had to get through customs to be able to get to the Neptune Internet Cafe.
Another drawback is there aren't any other alternatives to the Neptune Internet Cafe that are close to the terminal. The cruiseportwiki.com/StPetersburg webpage has a picture of the Marine Facade Complex which if you click on the view larger map offers some excellent pictures of the complex and the area close to it. You'll see from the pictures there isn't much close by.
According to the Marine Facade Complex (see previously mentioned webpage), authorities do run buses (bus number 158) to terminal 3. If you click on directions on that webpage, they give a bus schedule. The bus runs to the Primorskaya Metro Station. Also, according to the webpage, taxis run from all the terminals though I don't have any idea how much a taxi or the bus would cost you.
Overall, I was really pleased with the Neptune Internet Cafe. The people running it were very courteous, the connection speeds were very good and, their prices were better than what were offered on my cruise ship. I would definitely recommend it and, I give it a thumbs up. I hope to use it again when I visit St. Petersburg again some time in the future. Happy Internet surfing all!
Friday, September 11, 2015
Serenade of the Seas WiFi
To provide more information on Royal Caribbean's ships, here is my review on their Serenade of the Seas WiFi.
I sailed on this ship from July 26, 2015 to August 8, 2015 though I didn't use the ship's WiFi that entire time. The reason for that was it had problems. When I first tried to log in to see what discount I would get for being Diamond with their Crown & Anchor Society (frequent cruiser program), it couldn't give me the discount. It told me I could pre-pay the plan now and see about getting the money for the discount through guest relations later - no thanks. The second time I tried to pick a plan, it wouldn't even let me into the plans. The third time I tried, it finally would give me my Diamond discount AND let me pick a plan. So, I finally signed up though I still had issues with the ship's WiFi. I tried to connect to various websites at times and, the connection was sooooo SLOW that the connection would time out. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! Still, there were pluses to the ship's WiFi.
First, they were now offering unlimited time on the plans for one flat price. You could get the unlimited WiFi plan for one device which cost $20 per day. Or, you could get the unlimited WiFi plan for two devices which cost $30 total per day. If you didn't like either of those plans, your final option was getting their daily plan which was 24 hours continuous for $39.95. I thought the first two plans were better though I didn't care to give them another $10 a day for a second device. If you had a family on the cruise, the second plan would probably be worth it.
Second, there is the convenience of using the ship's WiFi. I did use the free WiFi offered at various ports but, that meant I had to have my device on hand. Often I did as I was using my new smart phone which can connect to the Internet using WiFi. Still, it was nice not having to lug around whichever device I wanted to use while visiting various ports.
Third, using the ship's WiFi gave me something to do when we were at sea. I know the Royal Caribbean comes up with lots of things to do at sea but, I find I still get bored which why I hate days at sea. Being able to surf the web then gives me something I find entertaining to do.
Overall, I felt the ship's WiFi was worth it though I still looked for free WiFi spots while in port because I found they usually offered a faster connection. I've heard about Royal Caribbean's new VOOM system and, I can't wait to try it to see if it's equal to all the hype they're putting out about that. I don't know when I'll get to cruise one of their ships that has it. My next cruise will be on their Independence of the Seas November of next year. It'll be an interesting cruise for me because, I'll be doing the opposite of what I did on it the last time I sailed on that ship. The last time I sailed on her, I boarded at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and left the ship early at Philipsburg, St. Maarten. This time, I'll board at Philipsburg, St. Maarten and depart at Ft. Lauderdale. Also, it'll be my first cruise as Diamond Plus. I'm curious to see what discounts you get at that level.
FYI, for Diamond members, the discount was $39.95 which would could be applied toward your bill if you got one of the first two plans or you could get one 24 hour continuous period for free.
I sailed on this ship from July 26, 2015 to August 8, 2015 though I didn't use the ship's WiFi that entire time. The reason for that was it had problems. When I first tried to log in to see what discount I would get for being Diamond with their Crown & Anchor Society (frequent cruiser program), it couldn't give me the discount. It told me I could pre-pay the plan now and see about getting the money for the discount through guest relations later - no thanks. The second time I tried to pick a plan, it wouldn't even let me into the plans. The third time I tried, it finally would give me my Diamond discount AND let me pick a plan. So, I finally signed up though I still had issues with the ship's WiFi. I tried to connect to various websites at times and, the connection was sooooo SLOW that the connection would time out. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! Still, there were pluses to the ship's WiFi.
First, they were now offering unlimited time on the plans for one flat price. You could get the unlimited WiFi plan for one device which cost $20 per day. Or, you could get the unlimited WiFi plan for two devices which cost $30 total per day. If you didn't like either of those plans, your final option was getting their daily plan which was 24 hours continuous for $39.95. I thought the first two plans were better though I didn't care to give them another $10 a day for a second device. If you had a family on the cruise, the second plan would probably be worth it.
Second, there is the convenience of using the ship's WiFi. I did use the free WiFi offered at various ports but, that meant I had to have my device on hand. Often I did as I was using my new smart phone which can connect to the Internet using WiFi. Still, it was nice not having to lug around whichever device I wanted to use while visiting various ports.
Third, using the ship's WiFi gave me something to do when we were at sea. I know the Royal Caribbean comes up with lots of things to do at sea but, I find I still get bored which why I hate days at sea. Being able to surf the web then gives me something I find entertaining to do.
Overall, I felt the ship's WiFi was worth it though I still looked for free WiFi spots while in port because I found they usually offered a faster connection. I've heard about Royal Caribbean's new VOOM system and, I can't wait to try it to see if it's equal to all the hype they're putting out about that. I don't know when I'll get to cruise one of their ships that has it. My next cruise will be on their Independence of the Seas November of next year. It'll be an interesting cruise for me because, I'll be doing the opposite of what I did on it the last time I sailed on that ship. The last time I sailed on her, I boarded at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and left the ship early at Philipsburg, St. Maarten. This time, I'll board at Philipsburg, St. Maarten and depart at Ft. Lauderdale. Also, it'll be my first cruise as Diamond Plus. I'm curious to see what discounts you get at that level.
FYI, for Diamond members, the discount was $39.95 which would could be applied toward your bill if you got one of the first two plans or you could get one 24 hour continuous period for free.
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