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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Cruise Line Comparison


It’s time for the shake down!  Royal Caribbean vs. Carnival vs. NCL – Who comes out on top?

First let’s talk price.  This section is not about value, it’s about price. All considered, NCL is the cheapest of the three cruise lines.  Coming in a very second is Carnival.  It’s so close that this can change depending on the specials they are offering.  You’ll want to compare them to see who is cheaper if your main focus is finding the cheapest cruise.

In third place is Royal Caribbean.  They are not close to Carnival or NCL but they are dramatically cheaper than Disney.

Food is our next category.  Coming in first is Royal Caribbean.  They still offer high quality food outside of their specialty restaurants.  In second is Carnival.  They have decent food outside of their specialty restaurants but you will have to pay for the high quality food.  In a distant third is NCL.  Every time I cruised with them, the food was not good.  It wasn’t good in the specialty areas either.

Service is our next category.  This is not customer service / problem resolution.   This category represents the employees you’ll run into.  In first place is Royal Caribbean.  They consistently offer am acceptable to high level of service.  In second place is Carnival.  They offer okay service.  Sometimes it’s lacking but overall it isn’t bad.  In last place is NCL.  There are going to be times when you wonder if the employees are slaves or employees.

Entertainment is next.  In first place comes Royal Caribbean.  They tend to have a better selection and the quality is good.  In second place is Carnival.  Their entertainment isn’t bad but they focus too much on Vegas style entertainment.  In last is NCL. They have some entertainment (term may or may not be used loosely).

Customer Service / Problem Resolution, is our last category, before we talk about value.  I’ll be blunt.  Two of these companies rank as poor and the other one is abysmal.  Royal Caribbean and NCL tie for first, but keep in mind they are both poor and need to improve.  In some ways NCL beats RC but it’s very close.  NCL was apathetic when I ran into an issue.  Royal Caribbean didn’t offer anything in the way of a solution to my problem when I brought it up. Carnival is just awful.  I had two major issues I presented to them and they blew off both of them.  If I had to give a letter grade to the three it would be: NCL = D, RC = D-, Carnival = F.

Now how does all that boil down to value? Royal Caribbean, even though it’s the most expensive, offers the most bang for your buck.  Carnival is a distant second.  NCL, even though they are the cheapest, comes in last.

Now for the most important question – Would I cruise on them again?

Royal Caribbean – Yes.  However, I am neutral towards them right now.  I would not recommend them and I would not tell someone not to cruise on them.

Carnival – No. I would not recommend them either. The only way you could get me back on Carnival, would be to give me a free cruise in a category equal to last one I paid for aka a Vista Suite.

NCL – No. The answer is just no.  I can’t imagine a scenario where I’d cruise them again. Even if it was free, I wouldn’t want to waste my vacation time on them.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

World Killer Is Back!!!

World Killer is back up.  It has a new cover that makes it easier to see the text and it's been through an extensive grammar overhaul.

You can buy it here.

Friday, March 21, 2014

The Pictorial Guide is Back!

The Pictorial Guide is back up on Amazon.  My editor finished cleaning it up.  Originally they were going to finish World Killer first but I asked them to switch after someone left a comment for me on here.  It only took my editor about an hour to blow through the book.  They've been working on World Killer for almost four months. :-/

It's up now.  You can get it by clicking HERE.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Calling All Deeks! Old School Disney World Videos!

Recently I was asked by some family members to convert some old home movies into digital files.  At first it was a painful process.  The video is captured in real time.  That meant I had to sit through hours of boring footage.  My boredom suddenly turned to surprise.  I stumbled across some old school Disney World footage.  All of it was from 1996, the golden age of Disney World.  Not all of it was usable but I trimmed it up and found some real gems on there.  There was footage of the monorail from riding with the pilot, the old double decker buses in Epcot, a good chunk of the original Illuminatiions and more.

Here is the full list.

Splash Mountain in 1996

Big Thunder Mountain in 1996

Magic Kingdom in 1996

The Monorail from the Pilot's Box (second half)

The Back Lot Studio Tour

Busch Gardens in 1996

Busch Gardens Orangutan Show

Disney MGM Studios in 1996

Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet

Epcot in 1996

Original Illuminations

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Review: Suncoast Casio - Las Vegas

Vegas has a massive selection of resorts.  Picking one can be a daunting task.  When deciding which one is the best fit, you need to first decide which of the five categories you would enjoy the most. 

The five categories are as follows:

1 - On Strip - MGM Grand, Paris, Stratosphere, etc.
These tend to be the most expensive but are also the most refined.

2 - Old Strip - Four Queens, Gold Nugget, etc.
Classic Vegas environment.  Wildest area to hang out in,

3 - Off Strip - Hooters, Hard Rock, etc.
Sometimes cheaper but not really in the thick of things.

4 - Satellite - Suncoast, etc.
Miles off the strip.  Sometimes they are very cheap.  Most laid back experience.

5 - Timeshare.
If you really love Vegas this might be an option.  If you hate Vegas, avoid these like the plague.

The Suncoast is miles off the strip.  In fact, the Suncoast is not even in Las Vegas.  It's in the neighboring town of Sumerlin. 

Before you rule out staying that far from the strip, consider this list of pros and cons.

1 - Numerous shuttles between the strip and the casino and airport.  All are free of charge.

2 - Large dining and shopping complex directly across the street and two other massive casinos within minutes. 

3 - Shocking amount of amenities inside of the casino itself.

4 - Rates below $50 a day.

5 - Free wifi.

Now let me explain a couple things.  The room rate does not count a resort fee.  Even considering the resort fee, it's not a bad rate.

The amenities here are excellent.  The include (but not exclusively) the following:

- A super cheap buffet of marginal quality.

- A TGI Fridays

-A decent sitdown cafe

- A decent Tex Mex restaraunt. 

- A giant Movie Theater with stadium seating.

- A huge bowling ally.

- A decent spa.

Okay, that's the short list.  There are a lot more that I didn't mention.  Another one I am going to mention is the small gift shop.  Now that might sound insane.  Why would I mention a small gift shop?  The alcohol prices.  I'm from NH.  We have cheap booze here because the state is the only one who sells hard alcohol.  Our prices are some of the best on the east coast.  I am almost convinced that the Suncoast sells their alcohol at cost.  It's hit or miss but some of the prices are crazy low.

The look of the Suncaost is okay. It's nothing fabulous.  They try to pull off an odd mix of modern and southwest.  One example is the stucco exterior mixed with light fixtures that look like they are out of the 1800s.  You can see an example of them here.  One strange thing about the exterior of the building is the natural grass.  Normally the casinos in Vegas use astro turf or another synthetic grass.  They do this because of the arid climate.  Inside there isn't anything to write home about.  There are a few nice features but overall it's a typical casino.  One thing I will say about the inside is that is seems clean.  I don't remember seeing anything that looked dirty.
 
The surroundings of casino are very nice.  It's closer to mountains and things are not as built up as they are on the strip itself.  This allows for some great sunrise and sunsets.  You can see one here.  The mountains have some red accents to them.  They really pop when the light hits.
  

If you like golf than you might really enjoy the Suncoast.  They have their own golf course and off some special rooms.  Some have a nice view of the course.  Others open up to the fairway.  The prices differ depending on what you want, but you can sometimes get a room with a view like this for next to nothing.



You can see a video review of one of the rooms here.
 
Overall the Suncoast is a viable option for anyone who wants to do Vegas on a dime but still experience Vegas.  As long as you are okay with not being on the strip,  check it out sometime.