KWong

7 hours ago, Balsam said:

From what I've seen on RC, they use continuous shufflers where the cards are shuffled back into the show after each hand, thus killing any hope of counting.

Most casinos nowadays are going this way unfortunately... after the years I spent trying to stop card counters, now that I'm out of the game, I can't use my skills for my own benefit.

 

I've found that there's usually one table in the non-smoking area that does hand shuffling, but with a higher minimum. And it's usually busy.

I did. It was something like $550 USD round pp from BUF to SEA with 1 stop. That's not including getting from SEA to Vancouver. 

I've seen good deals on SW before. This was not one of them.

21 minutes ago, Gears said:

Yup! That's the way to do it!

WJ and AC flight prices are a joke sometimes.

I actually just priced it out on google flights. The sticking point is that it's an open jaw flight, going cross-border.

BUF-YVR/SEA-BUF is around $540CAD pp. This includes a 2 stop, 13 hour flight to Vancouver, and a 1 stop 7 hour flight back through ORD. Might be able to finagle something better with a discount airline.

YYZ-YVR/SEA-YVR is around $680CAD pp. Direct flight to Vancouver, 1 stop 7 hour flight back through YVR. 

If I'm being honest, I could live with the price difference because of the time and stops, plus I don't have to travel an extra 2 hours to Buffalo. 

But either way, the cost of one person's flight is almost the same as the cost of an OV balcony for 2. So even if I could finagle the time off, it's probably not worth it.

I am sad that I live on the other side of the country. And that I've used up my WestJet companion pass for the year. Otherwise the wife and I might be ditching the kids for this after May two-four weekend.

5 minutes ago, Balsam said:

And this affected your play how?

After 20 years working in casinos, it always amazes me how people think in this regard. If that person was in box 7, and the next two cards out were 6, 10 and they didn't draw, this would mean you win. If they did the "correct" thing and drew the 6, you would probably lose.

Unless you know what the next card out is going to be, just ignore the other players on the table and play your own cards.

To be perfectly honest, I was being semi-facetious. I figured the self-deprecating nature of the post would be indicative of that.

Also, explaining a joke is the fastest way to kill a joke.

To your point, while I do play basic strategy, I know that this does not guarantee winning every time out. I do tend to come out in the black when I play, as I'm generally smart enough to quit while I'm ahead. Not huge victories - $50 here, $100 there - but it's enough for me. And it helps take care of the gratuities.

Where I went wrong here is that I did not quit while I was behind. It is true that there was a player that was making generally accepted "bad plays", and frankly it did create more losses than wins for the table, but I was the one who engaged in a bit of gambler's fallacy and kept going. I could not accept the loss, kept playing and it cost me.

Tangent: I've started getting "$50 in free play if you book your cruise now" emails, so I'm thinking I should maybe cut down on the penny ante table games. I need good offers or none at all.

12 minutes ago, SteveinSC said:

You can give the house your money before you set foot on the boat? Perfect! 

Last cruise I was too dumb to leave the table when the person beside me was standing on 14 vs a 10. I deserved to lose my money. 

KWong is obviously a first initial-last name.

But normally I go by "starvenger" or "starvenger88" on message boards, and I've used it since the Usenet days. If you're on the DIS or CC, you'll find me using that handle. But as to what that means:

88 is lucky in Chinese. That's the easy part to explain.

Starvengers is a late 70s/early 80s American adaptation of an anime called "Getter Robo G". Basically 3 jet-like vehicles could combine to form various robots.

Don't know if this will help, but here's an image:

You're very welcome!

4 hours ago, FManke said:

The one thing I would say is don't forget to relax. Big mistake on our first cruise. Came home from our vacation, needing a vacation.

Happy Cruising!

Underrated tip right here. You definitely can't do everything, so just relax and go with the flow. As they might say on another cruise line, hakuna mutata. 

37 years together... amazing! Wife and I have only been together for half that. 
 

ahem, anyway, I think the second formal night might end up on day 6, depending on itinerary. 

As for attire, yeah it runs the gauntlet now. I personally like getting a little dressed up, and what others do doesn't bother me.

They do set up photo stations on other nights, so keep an eye out, or just ask one of the photographers. 
 

if you're doing pictures, I would look at getting a photo package, especially if they have a sale going on. 

33 minutes ago, JoyJoy said:

Thanks for this tip. Too early arrival wasn't super necessary on my Feb sailing on Navigator for the shows. So I would have assumed the 15 minute was good enough. Thanks for informing me of the contrary lol.

You did your blog on one of the message boards, correct? I read some of it. I will revisit. Thanks!

 

Yes, right here

I did a not so live blog from my January cruise - it might help.

The usual cruise tips are, of course, applicable. Especially Matt's! 

For me, we were on super early thanks to having Expedited Arrival. Made checking in via the app very worthwhile.

- WJ was open earlier than the posted time, so if you're on early you may want to check in every 10-15 minutes to see if it's open.

- Register for Adventure Ocean sooner rather than later. It can get busy that first evening.

- I would get to Grease early. My daughter and I got there 15 minutes before showtime and it was PACKED. There were basically seats on the side and the Bob Uecker seats left

When I was on Indy last month Playmakers was empty. I think it might be Sorrentos and WJ only.

Enjoy the cruise!

I'd book it if the itinerary appeals to you. Indy is a good ship. 

You're very welcome!

2 hours ago, Va4fam said:

Thanks @KWong.   That might work.   Now I just have to convince our UBER driver to take us there.   

There is also a Total Wine in the same plaza, two shops down from Publix. But it might not be open on Sunday morning. 

You start and end on the sports deck. There are stairs that take you to the top and you slide back down. 
 

apologies as I don't remember offhand what the deck number is. 

Maybe the Publix at The Harbor Shops off 17th?

https://goo.gl/maps/gcKERadASH3ywUVaA

17 minutes ago, WannaCruise said:

We saw it a year ago in December and it was the full show. Great production.

Agreed. Saw it on-board in January. Get there early or you'll get the seats behind the pillar. 

My Symphony cruise in August is hitting both. 

12 minutes ago, DublinFC said:

@KWong Thanks for sharing the "On a Roll" photos.  I am trying this on Oasis later this year.  Now I am even more excited for it!

Bring someone to help you "take care of" the food. Believe me, it is a lot.

Thanks for the kind words  

Highly doubtful about becoming a CD - hours are way too nutty for me!

4 hours ago, ksam97 said:

We have the drink package, so we really will not need the wine. I was just going to bring some along in case we got quarantined. LOL 

You can make new friends with that wine. 

New screen doesn't appear to be giving me much troubles but I remember the issues from a couple of years ago so... maybe they're not using us to Alpha test the webpages now?

4 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

We have experience with our kids, nieces/nephew, and grandkids. The kids who DON'T have lots of time in day care or other similar arrangements tend to love the program and those who DO have day care, etc. do not enjoy it as much.

That being said - YMMV.

Interesting perspective. Hadn't thought of that. But my nieces might be the exception to the rule. They seem to have as much fun as my kids in the clubs. 
 

Mind you, my older one is now 12 and it's a whole new world going to the teen clubs. The club on Independence was empty for the post-New Year's cruise and I'm hoping that the August cruise on Symphony will be a different experience for her.