dmattinson

If you are happy with the profit and the tax that comes with that sale, then do it - I learned long ago that only I can set my own risk tolerances and being burned on 50% losses when I was holding out hope after seeing small rebounds eventually saw more loss. If you want to play with some shares, sell enough to get your original investment back and then let the rest ride. Its essentially free money and you can weather many ups and downs without sweating it or watching it too much. If you want to see if it goes up a little more, set a trailing stop loss sale trigger (I generally set them to about 10%). This way, it rides the increases in the price of the share and sets new sale price every time it goes up. If it loses 10% from the high price it sets, it triggers a sale. Gives a little tolerance to let the declines happen and acts as a monitored sell trigger if it goes down too much at once. Its nice if it has very little fluctuation and continues to go up...setting new stop loss trigger every time that happens.

I use TD Ameritrade for my stock trading platform. I used Robinhood and Webull but they didn't have the same priority and their limitation on trading hours made me lose $$$ on some deals where there were big run-ups in pre-market trading but dropped when those services opened up for trade execution. TD Ameritrade has the ThinkOrSwim tool that I like for tracking historicals, getting news and alerts and seeing what the buy/sell pending orders look like to see how I might want to position myself if looking to increase or reduce my positions. Side note, CCL hit my threshold and auto-sold yesterday. I also pulled the trigger this morning on my RCL shares and dumped them after more than doubling my money in the last 6 months or so. Off to find something else to try to make money on...

Trailing stop loss contingent orders to protect the investment are critical at this point - doubling my money is nice but I'd like to hold onto those gains as best as I can - I'm willing to tolerate a little volatility but 10% loss over any new high price is the trigger I set to sell them all.

Yeah, I wish I bought more…but the gains are better than the OBC I’d get over all my booked cruises

I have a Samsonite nylon soft-side carry-on bag that has been my trusty travel accessory for nearly a decade now - picked it up in a 2-piece set from Costco. It has 4 wheels for stand-up or pull rolling, is expandable, and is about the max size for domestic carrier overhead bins (travelled to Mexico a few times by air with this bag on JetBlue and never an issue along with hundreds of domestic flights on American, Southwest, and JetBlue). I can fold and roll a week's worth of casual clothing (underwear, socks, golf shorts, fishing shirts and polo shirts), travel sized toiletries in a quart bag, flip flops, and bathing suits for 8 days in this thing. I could even cram a bottle of sunscreen in there too if I really wanted. I suspect that someone that wears smaller clothes than I do (I'm an ample traveler) would be able to get more in there, perhaps even some MDR wear (slacks and a couple button-downs) without wrinkles if you just folded and laid on top. Coupled with a backpack for electronic items like GoPro, laptop, phone chargers, etc. make for a pretty worry-free boarding experience, especially once the room is open and I can quickly unpack for the week. I'm also a fan of the older EBags stuff (mainly the Mother Lode line) but the bag I love the most is a duffle/over the shoulder sling bag and that can get heavy and wear on me for a couple of hours of walking around the terminal and the ship. The carry-on roller I have from them was nice until a dog soiled it and it is now relegated to the garage for shop-vac accessory storage.

the pub on Oasis class ships often has big games on if they are set-up with a TV but arriving early to Playmakers is probably the best bet in getting a seat to watch

In December, it was rocky, murky and filled with seaweed - people that wandered out to the bar either were athletic enough to pull themselves up onto the short ladder or got a boost from below or a pull from on top. Coming off the ladder, people were taking that big step off into a murky unknown and a few hit rocks as they took a step of faith from the bottom rung of the ladder. It was enough for me to look and say "nah, not worth it" and just stick to being served from the loungers.

US school breaks are all over the place - good thing is that cruise leaves on a Monday so it won't be a weekend booze cruise crowd. However, depending on college breaks, you may get some of that demographic on board. Depending on what school systems or states have that week off, the cruise can be lots of families, lots of college kids, or lots of DINKs and retirees. Its a dice toss honestly

Forget the midnight buffet...bring back the $1.95 Planter's Punch!

It went from $13 to $14 - sailed in December on Odyssey - as long as I wasn't ordering higher tiered scotch or cognac, everything was covered (note I don't drink wine so I don't know about the higher priced wine options).

Wake up? That was for those that howl at the moon and need a little brekky food to absorb some alcohol.

How about just keeping the buffet open longer? Maybe I don't want just pizza, Mexican, or BBQ (where those last 2 are an option) if I'm a little late on lunch, especially when I have an 8P MDR seating. Or maybe I'm feeling a little peckish around 9-10P after a 5P dining time... I don't need a midnight buffet...what I'd prefer is an hour or two longer on the dinner time and/or maybe not shutting down between lunch and dinner (or keeping the break lower to 1-1.5 hours). Spacing out the load on the buffet will make it more enjoyable to the guests and hopefully alleviates food waste over the longer period of time as they don't have to process so much food for the short window and can assess throughout and have more time to determine need based on passenger demand.

There are better cards out there for travel perks / cash back options compared to the BoA RCL card. The earning rate of 1-2% is low overall but better than not earning anything. Personally, I try to use my Costco Visa card as much as I can as I earn 3% on travel and dining related expenses. But it goes to be used at Costco only, so I am deferring my earnings to a 1-time a year payout and will generally only spend that amount in-store. No matter what card you use, if you get something back its good - now whether you apply those savings to the vacation purchase vs. being forced into OBC with the BoA card, that is the bigger question...like my Cap One card allows real-time redemption once the charge clears. The Discover, only at statement close. Costco, once a year depending on when you signed up and it comes in via a rebate check only valid at Costco (but can be exchanged for cash there). Pick your poison...

I just went on a cruise with my 70 yr old MIL - after this cruise, she has relegated herself to the fact that she will likely need a mobility scooter for port days. It might be something to look into if you are concerned about her getting around. You can rent them from companies like Special Needs Group who will deliver them to the ship on embarkation day. While she isn't disabled, her knees and hips were really bothering her. She didn't heed the advice to walk a lot in advance of the cruise and she parked her butt down on any wall, stool, bench, or shuttle that she could find. Lots of stopping and waiting during the trip...

The Chophouse at Manchebo is a short cab ride away in Aruba - I hear that it is the best place, hands down In the fort in Curacao, there are some shops but I didn't see a full blown restaurant. There may be one or two but I didn't specifically notice.

They have signs up about utilizing re-usable cups to dispense drinks - I think as long as you don't touch the cup to the spout, no one will care. But Bubba mugs or Yeti tumblers are on the list for next cruise.

Last cruise, I had some MDR table mates find it on the main street shops in town. They over paid for it, but they got it. The score is going on the ship shopping pier down by where the ferry dock is - there is a liquor store there with Havana Club for cheap. 3 and 7 yr for $50 total.

Thank you - I try to be funny in writing as I tend to be in person... No mention of any unrest at all. Just enjoy the day on Labadee - be back by 4:30 because we are leaving then (and they pulled away at 4:30). It was nice to see the dancers and percussionist play a farewell to us all as the ship pulled in the lines and moved away from the dock. I don't think the GoPro picked it up though given the angle of the camera to oversee the lifeboats 3 decks below.

No, it was just nature of the zero-entry shower for the accessible cabin. We knew what it was going into it on day 1 (Imade our cabin attendant made sure to let me know and proactively brought extra towels to make the flood dam around the shower itself. We didn't find it to be bad and we liked the location so no need to move nor any reason to ask for a OBC. We had a stack of 6-8 beach/pool towels on hand to lay day plus 5 bath towels morning and night to take care of it. Basically, it was floor pitch, shower curtain that wasn't long enough, and pitch of the boat that would make the water run away from the drain in certain circumstances. Happened 5 of 8 nights due to the ship rolling on the sea or docked pitch pulling the ship slightly starboard.

I like it too but when it is pretty much the only one they have (last cruise had Whistle Pig Rye, BT and Wild Turkey 101), it gets old over the week. They also had Balcones TX bourbon but it wasn't in my preferred flavor profile (tasted like a scotch).

70's music in elevators but it changed once you went to the rear of the ship - I didn't mind a little Fog Hat in the morning to get coffee

Day 9 - Disembarkation Day I wake up at 6:30 and look outside...did we dock in an oil refinery? Oh...we docked opposite of how we departed. It was Captain Per's last sailing before time off and I wonder if he just wanted to pull in and leave it for the next guy? It was the end of the Odyssey's 100th sailing. We were bittersweet to leave. We wanted to be home with the pups that we left with a sitter for 10-days but the idea of vacation was still good in our heads and we weren't completely sick of it. We had our last Key benefit to use, departure breakfast...which is regular breakfast with no wait to be seated in a separate part of the MDR. Take that you line-waiting people. So after a little hemming and hawing, we finally get up and make our way to get off the ship. We hear self-appointed line monitors tell people if they aren't number 34 or lower, they can't get their bags and people have to wait right there! Karen wasn't pleased when I asked the attendant if Key bags are available and he soundly said "Yes, sir! Right down here...", I think her brain may have cooked a little. We grabbed a porter, got our checked bags and made our way out to lot 19...this is it, its over. Time to load up the car and make our way back 200 miles or so north. MIL wasn't pleased that the back seat now had large roller bags on it next to her but better than sitting on the roof, aunt Edna! Seriously, I don't know why I bought a sedan...I should have just got the Highlander instead of the Avalon. Once the wife's scooter gets broken down, its tough getting other things in the car. So off to Costco in Davie for gas and back on the highway to home. Trip is over...time to do some laundry and prepare myself for the storm I'm about to walk into at work in the AM. So, final thoughts. I had a love/hate experience with this ship. Nice and new, rooms were nice. Public spaces were nice until they weren't. The Promenade isn't ideal on deck 4 - I don't like how it bottlenecks outside the Starbucks and Sorrento's and forces you around the side of the pub to get to the theater and the front elevators. On deck 5, its OK but I wouldn't be a fan if I was dining at Izumi and someone walked by me staring at my food while I'm dining. The opening at Giovanni's was better planned than the Promenade and handled traffic flow much better. I didn't sit in the MDR where people could see me while eating so I didn't mind it being open to deck 5. Seaplex / Playmakers just seemed out of the way and forgetful. I only went the one day and it never crossed my mind to go there for drinks again, maybe because the wife needed to find the special elevator? Don't know... Solarium was nice - adults only the entire time (there were only 300 kids on this sailing). The main pool was busy...plenty of seats crammed in, side-by-side but there were seats on 14 and 15 available if you looked. Smoking area on this ship on 14 was right outside the Solarium...going to the men's room was like walking into an ashtray. Windjammer was only experienced during breakfast...why is their hash different than the hash in the Solarium? Giovanni's - probably the best meal of the cruise - we did a lunch seating on day 4. Wow! So good and too much food! The shows...oh boy, I was not a fan of "The Book"... "hahhahahahhaha" "oooohhhhh" "ackkkk" for 10 minutes and then who knows what the next two scenes were. Its like they developed a show with no language for international cruising but at the same time made it very weird and to fit into a specific theater. We got up and walked out... The Effectors - this one was OK - very cool display tech incorporated into the show. But it didn't have a story, just each of the "heroes" showing up, chasing around some flying monkey type characters while singing cover songs...OK I guess. Showgirls - this one was the best of the three. Used much of the visual display tech that the Effectors show used but at least you could understand that it was a show about Showgirls over the years with interaction between the characters. It wasn't a Broadway type show but was good for 45 minutes of time killing. People - listen, I know it takes all types to make the world go round but there were some people on this ship that I wondered if they were raised in a barn. Like the lady eating french fries from the tongs on the buffet, the guy taking candy off the gingerbread display houses outside the MDR, or the lady hacking up a lung in the Windjammer with no regard to cover up or move away from food or other people. This is just a sample...I mean 97% of the people were good but the standouts really made themselves stand out. I don't know that I will rush back to this class of ship. I think the Oasis class is laid out better (and needs to be for 25% more capacity) and even the Freedom class is laid out better with a more open Promenade space. I'm sure I missed some stuff so I'll post more comments as I think about stuff and as I gather all the pictures and videos.

Day 8 - Sea Day Up at 8A this morning (which is late for me) and off to get coffee again. Today we decide to dine in the MDR for brunch and find Esperanza again for service. I have a love/hate relationship with the MDR breakfast/brunch. Its nice to be served but I also feel like its essentially the same food as the buffets at a much slower pace. Could be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Afterwards, we meander around the ship and eventually determine that we have to start the packing of the dirty clothes at least... So off to the room to do that and get ready for the casual evening in the MDR. Well, tablemate #2 is a no-show. Out of 8 nights, she was 25% in attendance. Maybe I scared her off last night? Oh well.... Close the MDR down again - but we left before 10P because we knew they needed to clean for the next sailing. Every server told us that...it was their sad tale of woe for this cruise. Off we go for one more night of drinks. Crown and Compass, too loud. Schooner Bar, packed with piano guy, Music Hall, PERFECT! Until 5 minutes later, the Latin music started up. No worries, we are upstairs and its not too loud. Didn't know they had pool tables in here - that would have been cool to discover earlier on. I got an Ice, Ice Baby - it was a nice little twist on the Curacao Cosmo. I'd order it again. We finish the conversation, exchange contact info with our tablemate and bid her a fond farewell as she needs to spend Sunday in FLL waiting for a 6P flight to Canada. We go back to the room with another bottle of booze in hand (me and tablemate #1 split the Bacardi buy 2 at a discount deal) and finish packing the carry-on bags. We lay out the clothes for the morning and go to sleep one more time with the waves rocking us to sleep.

Day 7 - Sea Day I'm up early again today so off to get coffee and grab some chairs. Off to Windjammer today for coffee (because the Splenda is on short supply elsewhere) and then to the Solarium. I save 5 chairs today thinking that our newest table mate will actually join us as I offered the evening before and a gentleman holds true to his word. Our 1st tablemate is the 1st one to join me this morning. The wife is the last with MIL showing up around 10A. Thankful for having internet to kill time waiting for people but after tablemate #1 shows, we get into conversation about soccer and football that went on for a while. The Solarium is a little cooler today...the A/C is cranked and the sun is hiding behind some clouds. When everyone lays down, they cover up with towels to take their pool-side naps. Me, I'm enjoying the bar service today...more tequila sunrises to start and then some rum old fashioneds. We spend a good portion of the day here today and we eventually wander off to head back to the rooms to get out of the bathing suits, shower and get ready for the evening. Dinner mate #2 shows tonight...she slept in again today (although there was a lady walking around that looked like her in a hat and sunglasses that I am not exactly sure it wasn't her). It's wave the napkin night in the dining room and the 2nd of the formal nights. No tie tonight but suit and dress shirt is the clothing choice. Close the MDR down again (man, we are annoying) and off to the Crown and Compass for music and drinks. Bedtime comes around midnight and the inevitable sets in - tomorrow is our last day!

Day 6 - Curacao Today we get up and meet in Windjammer. The ladies have a Northstar appointment this AM (my ample tookus is apparently too ample to ride this) so I spend time walking deck 15 and getting some shots from on high. We are in dock with Rhapsody today (only time we are in port with another ship this sailing) so its still a very manageable port day people-wise. I head down to get some bottles of water and go meet the ladies off the ship. MIL quickly finds the golf cart shuttle and wifey and I make our way along the dock to the Fort. The last time we were here, they made you exit and head up to the main street which took you to the ferry and bridge. Now that the fort is open with the shops all set-up, it makes for a nice walk-through in shaded areas as you head to the old side of the town. We headed over to the floating bridge and made it over the bay. We needed to stop (old knees and hips) so we parked at the Iguana Bar and had a few drinks. After that, MIL found her tablecloth store to get some napkins and runners. We left the store and headed down to the customs house when MIL tapped out. She went back to take a seat and wait for us to make our rounds through the back streets. We walked down past the Drijvende market and down the back pedestrian shopping streets to check out the shops and listen to music. On the way out of that area, we came across the Curacao and Dushi signs in the park. Just a good afternoon of walking around and checking things out. Once we made our way back to the bridge, we picked up the old woman, errr, MIL and headed back to the ship. We stopped in the fort for some Royal Deflt souvenirs, a bottle of Alcolado Glacial, and to take pictures of the Christmas decorations (Curacao was MUCH more seasonal than Aruba). As I'm headed back to the ship, I stop for a cheese sample and I wind up buying a wheel of aged gouda. I load that into my backpack and lug another 10 pounds back to the ship. We get on board and head back to the room to drop off our stuff. A trip to the pub is in order...Sorrento's? Sure... drink a little more and head to dinner. Tonight we have a new person at our table...where has she been all week? Sleeping apparently... We make plans for the next day (Dennis the chair donkey is back to saving chairs for everyone) and we close down the dining room. I'm a lucky man...I get to escort 4 ladies out of the dining room this evening. Some more drinks and then settle in for the night.