Movie Review: Frozen

Any animated feature that Disney released after Tangled was going to have a lot to live up to.  Tangled was a great movie and Disney hadn't hit that mark in quite a while.  With Frozen we get to find out if Tangled was a fluke or if Disney Animation is back on track.

About ten minutes before Frozen starts you get the feeling Disney Animation is back.  How?  Before Frozen is a Mickey Mouse short.  This short is great!  It's such a well done and creative cartoon that it will easily put a smile on your face.  What they do in this short is just awesome.  I'm not going to give anything away.  I'm just going to say that it ends miles from where it starts.

Frozen is proof that Disney Animation is on the right track.  It gives hope that Disney Animation is entering another golden age.   First of all the movie looks amazing.  The colors and design of the scenes are fantastic.

The story rivals Tangled.  I'm not going to say it's better but it's different.  Tangled reminded me of a Pixar film in the way it tugged at your heart.  Tangled tugs a little but it's story has some aspects to it that make it a unique Disney film.  The fact it ends up that way is almost shocking considering what happens only a few minutes into the movie.  I won't tell you what happens but something happens that should make you cry but might make you laugh and say "Well, this is a definitely a Disney movie."

The ending of this movie is great because it does not take the normal "princess movie" path.  This might have been a risk for Disney but it's a risk that pays out in spades. 

You can't talk about this movie and not mention the music.  Music often shows up in Disney films.  Try and think of an animated feature that does not have at least one song in it?  That's not an easy thing to do.  The music in this film is different.  In other films the music adds to the film but was optional in many ways.  In Frozen many of the musical parts make it feel like you are watching a Broadway show instead of an animated movie.  When the music hits it often relates major plot lines.  This movie would be broken without the music.

Overall Frozen is an amazing movie and should find itself fitting in with many of the Disney classics.  While this isn't going to make my top five Disney movies I could completely understand why this movie would make someones top five.

Royal Caribbean Grandeur Grand Suite Review

Grand suites on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are considered one of the highest categories.   Many people will write off these rooms based on that and not even consider getting a quote for one.  Granted they are expensive when compared to other staterooms but they also come with some killer perks. 

Often you see a list of pros and cons but it’s often hard to tell what the real impact of those are. In this review I am going to point out benefits of booking a Grand Suite and pull those facts off of paper and into reality.  I’m going to explain what you will use and what you should use if you book one of these staterooms.

Another thing to keep in mind this review is about getting to your room, the room, the rooms benefits, and leaving the ship.  Other details will be covered at a later date.

Getting On the Ship:

Yes I’m going to walk you through from beginning to end starting with getting on the ship.  This is going to be the first area that stands out from the normal when  you book one of these suites.

At most cruise ship terminals you’ll notice a series of lines.  Royal Caribbean breaks them down more than some other lines.  There is the general line, some lines for certain frequent cruisers, and then the line for the top tier frequent cruises and grand suite or higher cruisers.

When you get in your line you’ll notice that it’s not really a line.  When we showed up there were hundreds of people in the general line and no one in the grand suite line.  They reserve a number of people who only check in high tier cruisers and they do not take the normal cruisers when no one is in line.  This allows for extremely fast service for anyone who is accessing these lines.

It appears that Royal Caribbean picks their best people to serve the express lines.  The people checking us in were unlike people who have checked me in on other cruise lines.  They actually seem to have customer service skills.  That is something extremely rare today.

In a matter of minutes we were checked in and led to a roped off area that separated the people who went through the express line and everyone else.   They stick you here to put you on the ship as soon as it’s ready.  Within a few minutes they had us pack up and board the ship.

When you board the ship the sales mentality that all cruise ships have adopted hits you in the face.   Just after you manage to dodge the photo people you have a new obstacle to get beyond.  The restaurant jockeys!  These people are not awful but they do want you to stop and sign up for a dining plan.  I have to admit that Royal Caribbean needs to rethink this. This is a really STUPID time to do this.  Let’s break it down for a minute.  I tell you that you can now board the ship.  What goes through your head?  WOOOOO!! My vacation is starting! Let the running of the bulls begin!  If anything gets in your way until you step onto that ship there is a good chance they are going to get trampled.  NO ONE really wants to stop unless you guilt them into it.  Why not do this on the ship when everyone realizes that they can’t go to their rooms yet?  Hit people when they are bored and you’ll get better results.

The Stateroom:

When you make it inside your stateroom one of the first things you’ll notice are the mirrors.  When you first walk in you’ll see the storage / bar area on your right.  They pack this area with mirrors.  This makes the room look much larger than it really is.  It’s a nice little trick.  In reality the grand suites on the Grandeur are about three times larger than a normal stateroom yet smaller than a standard hotel room (varies a little depending on the ship you are on). 

To your left is your bathroom.  It has a tub and dual vanities.  Normally you have a shower stall and one sink.  The toilet is right in with the rest of the bathroom and is a standard issue toilet.

Beyond the bar area is the sitting area.  You have a TV, media console with a PS3, chair, ottoman, and a pull out sofa sleeper.  There is another thing in this area that ruins the room.  In some of the grand suites there is a door to the adjacent room.  This is nice if you book both suites for a big family cruise.  This is AWFUL in any other situation! This door has NO insulation.  I mean ZERO insulation.  In fact the all metal door might actually act as an amplifier.  You will hear EVERYTHING going on in the other room.  If you talk in a normal volume your neighbors will hear you.  If you speak a little higher than that they will be able to easily make out every word you are saying. 

So how much of an impact does the door really have?  I know more about a toddler named Julian than I ever wanted to know.  I never met Julian but I often heard him and his parents until 1am. The noise was so bad that, after I called the desk to complain, I tried to figure out what I could stack against the door to try and give it some sound proofing.  I honestly thought about pushing the chair against it and then packing my clothes in the gaps.  Sadly that wouldn’t have been enough.

The bed area isn’t bad.  They put a bunch of mirrors here to make it seem larger than it is.  There are two night stands, a coffee maker (not in the bathroom!) and some more storage in this area.  The bed itself total crap.  If you enjoy a hard bed with no support this is the bed for you! I was really surprised by these beds considering the Grandeur recently went through an overhaul.  Carnival , NCL, and Disney have much better beds.  Maybe Royal Caribbean was hoping people would be too intoxicated to care about the beds.  Royal Caribbean was wrong.

The balcony was very nice but odd.  It was quite long with a table and two deck chairs.  The rest of it was empty.  That’s what makes this balcony odd.  There was a lot of open space / wasted space.  They could have put lounger or something else out there to fill in the space.

Now for a comparison, the same stateroom that does not have the “DOOR” in it is very different.  A family we ate dinner with most nights were staying in one of those suites about three doors down from us. 

T. Straub had this to say about that room compared to ours:

 

The adjoining door really screws with your space. We had a wrap around sofa that
gave the girls a queen space and the spacing between the pieces was
different which made the night stands much more usable. The play station
plugs and coffee maker and center was all together. The vanity area also
looked different from yours. It is a actually amazing how little things ,
like the adjoining door , changes the layout in the same class of suite. I
may never be able to book a Junior Suite Again. For a family with kids, this
is the only way to go.

 

The Concierge:

The Concierge for grand suite guests on the Grandeur is tucked away on the top deck, around the corner from their signature bar.  You are supposed to need a key to get into it but that feature on the Grandeur was busted.

Once you are inside you will be greeted by the Concierge.  On the Grandeur the staff in here is top notch.  They are some of the best concierge staff I have run into.  They were actually much better than the concierge staff I’ve run into while staying at club level at the Disney resorts.

While you are in this lounge you can drink whatever you want at no cost.  Between booze and soft drinks over the seven days my wife and I would have spent over $250 if we had to pay for what we drank (granted that’s at cruise ship prices).  We are not big drinkers either.   We are only talking about three drinks per person per day.  That goes a long way into lowering the cost difference between a grand suite and a normal junior suite.

There is also food available in the lounge.  The quality wasn’t bad.  It was better than what you would expect them to give away in a lounge.  It was much better than the food I’ve run into at the club level at the Disney resorts.

The Concierge will also make reservations for you.  In fact you will do better booking through him than on your own.  If something is sold out it might not be sold out when you book through your Concierge.  In some cases they can bend and break the rules for you.

The Shows:

This is not an overview of the entertainment on RC.  This is to let you know that if you book a Grand Suite you get reserved seating.  I can’t explain how nice this is if you are going to go to one of the shows.  On other cruise lines you have to get to the venue an hour early and sit through bingo to get a seat you can actually see from.  That’s not the case if you are staying in a grand suite.

Exclusive Party:

People staying in a grand suite or better also get access to an exclusive party.  They have the typical free booze and food that you would expect at one of these.  They also role out the ships officers who make the rounds and meet everyone.  This was a nice little bonus. 

Getting Off the Ship:

Normally this is awful.  If you are staying grand suite or better you report to the lounge.  They feed you and then your concierge reserves the elevator to keep anyone else on the ship from using it.  Once the call is made he personally takes you down to the correct deck and sees you off the ship.  I think for this alone it might be worth the cost of staying grand suite or higher. 

 

Wrap Up:

Overall if you take advantage of the perks that come with a grand suite it can actually be a value.  However, the worst thing you could do is book this room and then not go to the lounge or take advantage of the other perks.  For this to be a value you REALLY need to take advantage of all the perks.

You can see a video tour of the room here.

If you are looking for a cruise review, that’s coming at a later date.

Tablet Buying Guide

A lot of people are shopping for tablets this year.  They seem to be hotter than ever.  The problem is the selection is bigger and more confusing than ever.  There is no such thing as one tablet fits all.

 

I hope you find this overview of the major tablets helpful.

 

iPad

 

Pros:

Easy to use.

Lots of Apps

Large Hi Resolution Screen

Easily imports files from iTunes

 

Cons:

Expensive

Controlled software environment limits flexibility

Too large for some people.  Does not fit in a purse or pocket.

Limited customer service unless you pay for Applecare.

 

Best for: People who only want to use apps, mail, and streaming with the money to afford it.

 

iPad Mini

 

Easy to use.

Lots of Apps

Hi Resolution Screen

Easily imports files from iTunes

Easy to carry around in purse or large pockets

 

 

Cons:

Expensive for a 7” tablet.

Controlled software environment limits flexibility

Too small for some people.

Limited customer service unless you pay for Applecare.

 

 

Best For: People who a small tablet they can take anywhere and have the money to spend on one.

 

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

Pros:

Easy to use.

Inexpensive

Decent Amount of Apps

Large Hi Resolution Screen

Mayday button!

Awesome for Prime members.

Top notch customer service.

 

Cons:

Ads on your tablet unless you pay extra.

Apps limited by lack of Google Play support

Have to jump through hoops to add non-Amazon apps.

Not as refined as the iPad

Too large for some people.

 

Best For:  People with limited electronics experience  – because of Mayday.  Prime members who will get the most out of this tablet.

 

Kindle Fire HDX 7”

 

Easy to use.

Inexpensive

Decent Amount of Apps

Hi Resolution Screen

Mayday button!

Easy to take with you when on the go.

Awesome for Prime members.

Top notch customer service.

 

Cons:

Ads on your tablet unless you pay extra.

Apps limited by lack of Google Play support

Have to jump through hoops to add non-Amazon apps.

Not as refined as the iPad

Too small for some people.

 

Best for: People who want a high quality yet very inexpensive tablet.

 

 

Android Tab (Samsung 2013 or smiliar)

 

Pros:

Huge selection from many makers

Google Play access

Very flexible and customizable

Hi resolution screens

Some have a built in digitized stylus

Big selection of apps

 

Cons:

Some makers are just AWFUL

Versions of OS can differ between makers

Too many options for some people

Some Android overlays can be confusing, cluttered, or outright broken

Customer service varies between the makers.  Ranges from average to non-existent.

 

Best for: People who don’t like Apple products.  People who love to customize things. People who hate iTunes.

 

Windows 8 (not RT)

Pros:

Often have high resolution screens.

Can run almost anything that can be run on a windows PC.

Possibly the most flexible of all the tablets.

Some come with a digitized stylus

Cons:

Tend to be the hardest to setup (it’s like getting a new PC up and running).

Terrible app selection (getting better)

Can be glitch depending on the maker

Customer service varies depending on the maker

 

Best for: People who want a tablet that can also function as a laptop. Professionals who want easy integration into a Microsoft environment.

 

Windows RT

Pros:

Umm…it’s a tablet?

It runs some stuff

Some of them look good

 

Cons:

VERY limited in what it can run.

Runs an awful version of windows.

 

Best for: People who like to be frustrated.  People who think beating their head against a wall is fun.  People who like to waste money.

Top Ten Videos

I recently posted by 78th video to YouTube.  It amazes me what attracts views and what does not.  I would have figured that the montage videos would have been the most popular.  They are the most entertaining of the 78 videos.

So what are the most popular videos?  Here are the top ten and how many views they've attracted.

#10 Good Jungle Cruise Skipper
Views: 1963
This video is of a Jungle Cruise Skipper who really goes all out to entertain the park guests.  Sometimes he went a little over the top but he did a good job.

#9 Bad Jungle Cruise Skipper
Views: 2215
This video is now private by request.  A cast member currently working on Jungle Cruise that knows the cast member in this video asked that it be removed from the public's eye.  Now the only way you can get to it is through the above link.

Why is it called Bad Jungle Cruise Skipper?  The reason will become clear when you watch it.

#8 Mariachi Cobre Part One
View: 2672
This was the second Mariachi Cobre video I uploaded to YouTube.  This one takes place outdoors and is a little easier to watch than the original one.

#7 When You Know You Went to Mickey's Philharmagic Too Early In the Day
Views: 3107
This one was originally ended "Too Close to Rope Drop" but that name only made sense to the true Deeks so I tweaked it.  This is a short but funny video taken in Mickey's Philharmagic.

#6 The Haunted Mansion Stretching Room in 1080p
Views: 3195
This one is what it sounds like.  A short video of the famous pre-show in the Haunted Mansion.

#5 Mariachi Cobre - Epcot Mexico
Views: 4316
The first Mariachi Cobre video I captured.  This one was taken from inside the pavilion right next to the San Angel Inn.

#4 Overview of Carnival Miracle Stateroom 6260
Views: 4744
A detailed overview of a Vista Suite on the Carnival Miracle.

#3 Secrets St. James Junior Suite Overview
Views: 5095
A detailed overview of a very nice room in the all inclusive resort.

#2 Splash Mountain
Views: 6933
Splash Mountain in all it's glory.  This video was captured on a very nice day just after a major refurbishment. You don't get to see Splash Mountain in this kind of condition very often.

#1 Broke Splash Mountain
Views: 13,976
As you can see it's not even close.  This one blew up.  Sadly this one is the total opposite of the last video. I annotated all the broken things in the ride and sadly there were so many that I cold hardly catch all of them.

This one also generated the most comments of any video I posted.  To date there are 59 comments.

First Reviews for "World" Killer Are In: Four Five Star Reviews

"World" Killer has received it's first reviews.  Four have been posted and all four came in at five stars.

You can see the reviews and buy a copy of World Killer here.

If you are a Disney World, mystery, thriller or just like a good story you should check it out.

New Video Posted: Baltimore Departure

A new video has been posted to YouTube.  It's a video of the cruise ship departure from the Port of Baltimore.   My goal is to get a series of these overtime.  I want to add Boston, New York, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and maybe some others.

The video is in 1080p and can be viewed here.

New Video Posted: Royal Caribbean Grandeur Grand Suite in 1080p

A new overview of a Grand Suite on the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas has been posted to YouTube.  A detailed written overview will be coming soon too.

The video is in 1080p and can be seen here.

Upcoming Topics

Here is a list of what is coming up. There should be a lot of activity over the next few weeks.

A video overview of a Grand Suite on the Grandeur of the Seas

A detailed written review of a Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean and what comes with it.

A few reports on Bermuda and things you can see there.

A fun joke video of a windy day in Bermuda.

A comparison of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and NCL.

There will be more too but that's just the short list.