8/17/08 Captain Jack's Repossession Repo Cruise to PC thru TPC Part 14

[captaincrash]

Is everyone hiding tonight????? We had some big storms go through last night with an inch of rain. My flowers appreciated the rain. We are going to have a beautiful weekend with 80 degrees and sunny!!!

So Maybe we've entered that Twilight Zone lull before the SPRINT for the next 1000th posting rolls around, eh?

 

[DisneyVegas1]

Todd, perhaps we need a committee pre-pre-planning meeting at a bar on the Magic next month on the repo????????????????????

Meeting Bar Im there

 

[captaincrash]

Hello Everyone,
It's been a little crazy around here. I was in a bad mood yesterday.................so I didn't come here as I didn't want to bring anyone else down. I am fine now but will try to ketchup for a few.

... glad to see you're feelin' better....

I can certainly understand how it is when a day just goes out the door!​

 

[captaincrash]

i'm a bit grumpy myself! hoping to get cheered up by browsing the dis!!

What?!?!

You too???​

 

[Friend_of_Piglet]

Have a very Happy Friday everyone!!!

 

[captaincrash]

Aww Tina...

I think we all could use a happy hour tomorrow to end this week....

I'd like to 2nd that notion!​

Have a very Happy Friday everyone!!!

 

[jonesing]

My general strategy for airfare is patience, but I used a number of tools.

First, I set a deadline that I will book by (e.g. for TOAL, I will likely set April/May deadline).

Second, I set a price I want to pay (e.g. for TOAL combined airfare per person of under $200 - don't laugh, for June trip to WDW, paid under $650 for 4 of us, after taxes and fees - its patience)

Third, I use some fare alert services (usually I use the Orbitz deal detector which lets you set dates and what you want to pay e.g. April 10 there, April 15 back and $100. It will send you a weekly update on fares and an e-mail or txt when it finds your fare. I usually use e-mail, so the fare may be gone by the time I get e-mail. When I get the alert....see Fourth below. One note, Orbitz's tool will only do round trip so I will set it for two week intervals and search for one that will do one ways)

Fourth, when an alert comes in and also periodically (weekly) I will use an all in one service to search multiple airlines for fares. Two examples are Sidestep and Kayak. Discount airlines such as Spirit, Southwest, etc. will NOT appear on these search engines so you need to search their sites separately.

Last, when you see the fare that is the "best" you think will come along, book it.

Now there are a few counterintuitive things you need to understand about airlines and airfare:

1) Airfare is cheapest when the plane is empty. Airlines need to have a certain number of passengers to make a flight profitable, so they give their cheapest rates up front to fill the plane to profit level and raise price on remaining seats to maximize profit.

2) Once a plane is full (95%) the airline will bring a new plane on line with similar flight times (e.g. when 9 a.m. fills, they will bring a 9:30 on line). When this happens, airfare drops back to lowest. This means that if airfare goes very high and you are 6+ months from when you need to fly, patience can be very rewarding (unless some intervening event e.g. gas prices, changes fee structure).

3) Periodic airline fare sales throw 1 and 2 out the window. Tom's Law on airfare sales: the flight you want will be the only one NOT on sale. If you are flexible, the sales can save you some bucks.

4) Not all airlines are the same when it comes to seat assignment, etc. Some airlines will not give you seat assignments for discount fares until you arrive at the terminal. This means you need to do on-line check in or get there early to get seats. Coming back from WDW I had to go to gate to get seats and they had 4 separate seats for us (meaning DS8 and DS10 were sitting alone with strangers - fortunately the very kind and highly complimented gate agent rearranged so DW and DSs were together and I had to sacrifice in exit row....). KNOW THE AIRLINE RULES when booking.

5) Non-stop can be as cheap or cheaper than connecting flights.

6) Expedia and Travelocity are discounters and they contract with airlines to purchase tickets at a fixed rate (e.g. they contract for $75 per seat). As the airlines airfare increases, so do the discounters (e.g. now they make more money). Sometimes they will have the cheapest rate available (or only seats on a flight) and other times the airline direct is cheaper. SHOP BOTH.

Hope this helps some of you.

I haven't ketched up yet so I don't know if anyone has posted about this.

Another useful tool is FareCompare. They will give the air fares for any given route except they also have 2 years of historical pricing data so that you can see when the fares have been lowest in the past.

http://history.farecompare.com

 

[captaincrash]

I just wanted to peek in here and say Hi and we're still alive...

It's great to see the thread's still going strong!!

I want to appologize for not stopping in here lately. I was explaining to goofyforlife that with all of the adoption stuff (which is still pregressing, but s-l-o-w-l-y...No real news yet. ), we have begun thinking that we may not get to go on the cruise. First off, it's looking like we may be getting more than one child...the children we've inquired about are almost all sibling groups of 2.

SO...Here's the dilemma:

If we get a placement within the next month or so, we should be fine. We'll be settled in enough by next August that we could make the trip.

If we don't get a placement until after the new year, we may not be able to go simply because when we booked, we booked for 2A and 1C...We don't know how difficult (and how expensive) it will be to add another child at the last minute...

And if we don't get a placement at all (which hopefully won't happen... ), then we will DEFINITELY still be going...

Sheesh...I sound like a crazy lady. But this is just all so emotionally frustrating and draining. So I'm finally ready to admit to all of you that we "MAY NOT" get to go on the cruise. But I plan to become a part of this thread again, because no matter what happens, you all have been a fun group!

(and I want to make it perfectly clear that while I was deeply saddened by the possibility of not getting to go on the TOAL, I know that if we don't get to go, it will be for the GLORIOUS reason that "I'm a MOMMY finally!!" And once that happens, there will be PLENTY of cruises in our future!!! ...I don't want it to appear that I would in ANY way let the cruise plans interfere with our plans for children...Good grief I'm not really making sense so I'll shut up now...LOL)

Thanks!
-Christal


ETA: I WILL NOT be taking my ticker or my banner out of my signature until the very LAST, BITTER moment So if you still see them down there, then we still might be going!!!!

Although we wold miss your family on the voyage - what better reason to withdraw than to have recently added TWINS to your home!

Having said that - may I add that children under 3 are generally very inexpensive to add to your cabin - provided you have a QUAD. Generally it is just port fees and taxes for the under 3 PAX. Your complications may come in needing a quad rated cabin. But with so many guarantee assignments floating out there - I think you should call to request a quad - and cough up the extra deposit money. That way you're covered or prepaid a little more for the trip.

aside from that - I think your larger concern should be how you think things will go with two very young ones in tow. I know my spouse and I are pretty gung ho about going no matter what - but that was before we had some pricey trips get fouled up with 2 little ones in tow - and not entirely BECAUSE of having two kids along - but certainly if you havn't struck a tone and pace with the kids then the added complexity and adjustment necessary with the new additons can destabilize the pleasure equation.

So - having spouted so much - I would like to take a step back and say no matter what choice and route you walk - the notion of adding another one or two to your home is a truly beautiful and wonderous pursuit. May I convery our fond wishes for you to have a successful and happy adventure with the adoption process!

 

[captaincrash]

I haven't ketched up yet so I don't know if anyone has posted about this.

Another useful tool is FareCompare. They will give the air fares for any given route except they also have 2 years of historical pricing data so that you can see when the fares have been lowest in the past.

http://history.farecompare.com

2 years of historical pricing data is terriffic!

We use Kyak and as I recall it only has a year of history. So I'll definatelyhave to check this out. Thanks!

 

[jonesing]

Today I got a new notebook computer - a Toshiba A135-s4467... my otherwise regular computer DIED a couple of days ago right after I got it back from being reloaded / repaired by a friend. He warned me that it looked as though the hard drive was failing - and sure enough it did. Fortunately all my files are backed up - and now I'm having a great time with my new computer.

It's got an Intel Core 2 Duo processor - the mid line T series T5200, 1025 MB SDRAM, a 160 GB HD (only 5400 RPM) and a DVD RW +/- wit 15.4" WXGA (1200x800) screen. On the weak side it has an intergrated video processor as opposed to a stand alone card - so it is unsuitable for 3D games. That's probably just as well I figure.

So - I guess this qualifies as my "cheapie" computer - as I got it for .... are you ready?.... I got it for only $350 net after adjusting for the $350 gift card that was included from Best Buy (clearance priced at $699). Then on top of that I bought it using old Best Buy gift cards amounting to about $440 ... so my net out of pocket expense was only $315! My old notebook lasted a long time and cost me about 2500 - so I am sort of off-setting that purchase with this cheapie one. And as cheap as it is - it DOES have a true dual processor CPU - and 160G HD + 1MB of RAM. So how can I complain at the cofiguration and price ... so long as it works for a year or so??? Plus the reviews on the new Toshiba say it was introduced brand new in the product line in January of 2007! And now it's being clearanced out already!!!! WOW...this does not mke any sense except to say that the truly HOT notebook configurations are almost never seen in the clearance area! So this is about as good as I can get without paying a LOT more for a marginal gain in processing power among those thast were on sale or being clearanced.

This is a similar tactic to that which I'm employing with my DSLRs. I alternate spending a lot on one camera - then the next one is a cheapie stop gap of some sort - then alternate back to a pricey model. I am satisfied with this approach - as I save a little and then I satisfy my itch for the latest and greatest - so to speak.

As for my old computer - I'm gonna give it one last shot at renewal - as I'll buy a replacement hard drive (for a pitttance) and try installing it. With any luck the thing will soldier on for another year or more of service. Or maybe not....

OK - I have a lot of catching up to do on the DIS and off...

TTFN!

Glad you got your new machine! I wound up going for a Compaq v6310 which was on a special steal at Staples. My tech girl who works there worked some magic and located one 2 states away and had it overnight shipped to here...gratis

DW will tell you how happy she is about me finally settling on one. At one time or another I had about 3 or 4 laptops sitting around unopened because I couldn't decide on which one and the sales were ending. I still kinda wished I got another Sony VAIO but at this point, because of the cheap price, rebate and such, I'm pretty happy with it.

I hear ya about the integrated video. Mine has it too but rather than coming with the horrid Intel graphics, mine comes with Nvidia!

So are you going to bring your shiny new tow on the TOAL? I thought about bringing mine since it has a DVD burner with Lightscribe. Handy for offloading the 1000s of photos we'll be taking.

 

[jonesing]

Thanks! I know things will work out one way or another. I just have a [somewhat] Type A personality, and the waiting/not knowing/not being able to get things in order and finalized is driving me bonkers...LOL

But whatever happens, it's what's meant to be, and we've had to just kind of take a deep breath and "let go" the past couple of months. (and realize that there are just some things in life we can't have control over...HMPH!! *stomps foot* )

I feel you! Just remember, whether by adoption or birthing, kids make you jump according to their schedule...no matter how elaborate your plans are (were)!

Right now we're thinking about kid #2...she wants a girl. But there are times when DS(Terrible)2 puts the kibosh on those thoughts! One moment he's just the sweetest kid and we think "yeah, we could do this again" and then he turns into Atilla the Hun!

 

[captaincrash]

I agree.. been buying scrapbook stuff and still have 2006 to do.. plus the kids baby books and from year 0-14.. oh well maybe when we retire I can scrap..


Funny story unrelated to the cruise - so skip here if you are not interested...

when Eric was in 4th grade, they were studying farming.. and the teacher asked what is a crop... So he raised his hand and said that a crop is where all the moms get together at Mrs D's and put pictures in scrapbooks... yep that all he knew of crops...

 

[jonesing]

I didn't post pics of DS and his birthday Crocs....

This is one of the only photos of him standing still in them:

Once they were on, he was off like a shot!

I pretty much had to pry them off him because he wanted to sleep in them! Luckily the easy way to get him out of these things is to show him his Keen shoes...he'll gladly swap because he's a shoe hoe!

 

[captaincrash]

I feel you! Just remember, whether by adoption or birthing, kids make you jump according to their schedule...no matter how elaborate your plans are (were)!

Right now we're thinking about kid #2...she wants a girl. But there are times when DS(Terrible)2 puts the kibosh on those thoughts! One moment he's just the sweetest kid and we think "yeah, we could do this again" and then he turns into Atilla the Hun!

 

[jonesing]

greetings s

I don't have to for ketchup right now, but I wanted to check in and let you know that we found a house (rental) in the Mount Vernon area about 3 blocks from the Mount Vernon Yacht Club (we're not rich, but we can see it from here!). There is even a plaque by the front door that says it sits on land that was part of George Washington's Five Farms of Mount Vernon. We're about a mile from George's house. We're going to make a sign for the guest room that says "George Washinton's tobacco slept here" or something like that.

All the other areas we looked in made us grumpy - too much traffic, too many people, too much suburban sprawl. This area is less commercial, less congested and much better for us.

Anyway, I had a 3 hour job interview yesterday that seemed to have gone well & I have an interview at Mount Vernon next week. Of course living a mile away from there, I just guaranteed that I won't get that job...that's the way my life goes.

I hope all is well and I will try to ketchup in a few days.

Yay on the house! "too much traffic, too many people, too much suburban sprawl" C'mon M, whatdidja expect moving to the Big City?
Me ==>

<== M That's for being silly Out there you'll see REAL traffic jams...not one with 4 pickups lined up behind a moose!

Three hour interview?!? I guess one of mine was 3 hours...INCLUDING the time it took to fly there!

 

[Verandah Man]

"T.G.I.F."​

"Have a great weekend everyone!!!"​

 

[bellelinus]

I needed the cake Monday but will take a slice anyway!!!



I got my cabin number a week later after I booked(saying very quietly). However, if DCL wants to up-grade me from a Cat5 to a Cat 3 or 4 .......I would be willing to make the scarifice.

Yes, Cheryl, I would allow an upgrade of my cat 6 for a cat 3!!!! With how packed this ship seems to be, it seems unlikely that there will be any upgrades at all; the only surprises might be from those who have lower category GTY cabins (wishing all of you good luck!).

 

[bellelinus]

Welcome to THE Committee...

But on this committee aren't we all going to say "Aye"????? Which of us are the horses?????

 

[bellelinus]

Meeting Bar Im there

I thought you'd be up for that . . . with all those days at sea it's not as though we will have trouble fitting a "committee meeting" in somewhere . . .

 

[captaincrash]

Glad you got your new machine! I wound up going for a Compaq v6310 which was on a special steal at Staples. My tech girl who works there worked some magic and located one 2 states away and had it overnight shipped to here...gratis

DW will tell you how happy she is about me finally settling on one. At one time or another I had about 3 or 4 laptops sitting around unopened because I couldn't decide on which one and the sales were ending. I still kinda wished I got another Sony VAIO but at this point, because of the cheap price, rebate and such, I'm pretty happy with it.

I hear ya about the integrated video. Mine has it too but rather than coming with the horrid Intel graphics, mine comes with Nvidia!

So are you going to bring your shiny new tow on the TOAL? I thought about bringing mine since it has a DVD burner with Lightscribe. Handy for offloading the 1000s of photos we'll be taking.

I found these 2 citations of your model - its' a posting on the Staples clearance sale. I don't know if it is actually your configuration - as I found the same model number associated with HPs - and the HP V6310 seems to have several configurations without changes in the model designation. Maybe I'm mistaken -

Price: $629.98 (reflects $103 instant discount)
12% discount: -$75.00
Subtotal: $554.38
Easy Rebate: -$30.00
Total: $524.38

Specs:
Processor AMD Turion T 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TL-50 (1.6GHz)
Cache L2
Memory (RAM) 1024MB DDR2 System Memory (2 DIMM)
Memory Expandable to 4GB
Hard Drive 100GB
Optical Drive LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVDñR/RW with Double Layer Support
Display 15.4" WXGA High-Definition Brightview Widescreen Display
Operating System Genuine Windows r Vista Home Premium
Battery Type 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery
Network Card 802.11b/g WLAN
Other ports 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Warranty 1 year warranty

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

$697 Compaq V6310 SKU:684312 (1 sealed, 1 display)
Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ Processor 1.83GHz
1024MB DDR2 SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive
15.4" WXGA (1280X800) LCD
Super-Multi DVD
Wirelsss B/G, TV-OUT
Nvidia GeForce 6150 Graphics
Windows Vista Home Premium 6.6Lbs

When I was sorting through my options I found the convoluted CPU names to be confusing. I finally settled on notebook reviews which sited benchmarks for 3D rendering, floating point calculations (time to find the 2 millionth place of Pi) and so on. And to my mild amazement - I was considering an HP that cost a couple hundred more net - and was originally proced a lot more then the one I finally settled on. Plus it boasted of having an NVIDIA video processor. However- the techs at Best Buy said these were not really seperate boards - even though they had typically 64MB of seperate processing memory for the video. The techs said to get effective 3D game rendering I would need at least 256K of V-ram. I don't know about this except the HP with the NVIDIA with 64K had half the benchmark 3D rendering performance of the Intel intergrated graphics performance (9500) of the cheaper TOshiba I bought. So even before the techs told methis I had discovered this bit of unexpected performance.

Either way - I think the only way to get good 3D game performance is to go for the big expensive gaming notebooks - the $4000 ones. And I don't really value 3D 1st person shooter games like that enough to lust after those machines. The only games I need engage in are the slow strategy games and basic childrens edutainment programs. So - my little cheapie Tishiba should serve well enough.

Only thing I've sort of come to realize now - the Tosh I got is prety BULKY compared to my old Dell... even though it weighs about the same. Ans as such - I appreciate the larger keyboard and screen size. Since I don't travel nearly as much as I used to - I don't really care about size - and the fit, build quality and construction strength are more then adaquate - especially compared to my Dell - the one I paid 7x more for! BUT to be fair - with the Dell I added a 4 year replacement warrenty covering abuse and accidents. That was expensive - and I used it several times PLUS right at the end of the warrenty period they declared my motherboard was unrepairable and gave me a totally new (refurb) notebook. one with superior specs all around except for the screen resolution. My "other" Dell had some kind of super ultra SXGA screen which I shelled out top dollar for - and the refurb at the end only had a pedestrian XGA screen. Shock and horrors, eh?

At any rate - I am sort of flexing the notebook now - I have just loaded an old version of Ofice Pro - and all seems to functioning well. I have 14 days to return this if I find a serious problem. So far I think I've been lucky with my purchase.