I love credit cards so much! v3.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[*WDW*Groupie*]

@*WDW*Groupie* We just had our RCCL Harmony of the Seas cruise canceled last Fri evening that was supposed to leave on 3/15/20. We have two options: a full refund or a voucher for 125% of the cost. All of the incidentals are to be refunds (drink package, excursions, WiFi, etc.) I am not sure which direction, we are going.

Here’s the message from them:
We’re sure you’ve been monitoring the news regarding COVID-19. This situation remains quite fluid, and we all continue to assess the impact and monitor the number of cases around the world. And while there are still a lot of unknowns related to COVID-19, we do know it presents the most serious health risks to older individuals, the immunocompromised, and those with serious underlying medical conditions.

At Royal Caribbean International, the safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our top priority. As a result, we are suspending operations for sailings that depart from US ports (including Puerto Rico) effective at midnight tonight, March 14th. Regrettably, we will need to cancel your upcoming Harmony of the Seas March 15, 2020 cruise. Our goal is to resume operation on April 11th, 2020.

Knowing this situation is ever-changing, we want to provide you with some options. As we know, this too shall pass, and we are optimistic that very soon you’ll be excited about planning your next cruise vacation. As always, the most important thing to us will always be the safety of both our guests and crew. In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor the global situation. And, when it’s determined that the time is right, we’ll be ready to welcome you back.

As a result of this change, we’re providing you with a 125% Future Cruise Credit to come back and sail with us by December 31, 2021.

• This amount will be based on of your total cruise fare paid. And, we’re giving you a little extra, knowing that this is such a unique circumstance.
• We will automatically issue you your Future Cruise Credit by Monday, April 13th, 2020 via email. So, there’s nothing for you to do!
• Please know, if you pre-purchased any amenities and packages – like internet, beverage, dining, or RoyalUp Upgrade, those will be automatically refunded.

Or, if you prefer the lower value in a full refund, we’re happy to process this for you. Given how fluid this situation is, and the opportunity to use the extra credit being offered, you have plenty of time to make up your mind. You do not need to request your refund until December 31, 2021.

• Please contact us to start the refund process, if you’re willing to give up the higher value of your 125% Future Cruise Credit.
• We’ll then deactivate your Future Cruise Credit and process your refund to your original form(s) of payment, which will include any non-refundable deposits.
• To avoid waiting on the phone to cancel, please click here and we will get the process started for you.
• You can expect to receive your refund 30 days after you submit your request.

And, if you purchased air or hotel…

• via Royal Caribbean, these will also be automatically refunded to you.
• on your own, please contact the service provider directly for your options with them.

If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at:

• 1-800-754-500 in Australia
• 0344 493 4005 in the U.K.
• 1-800-256-6649 in the U.S. or Canada
• All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and cooperation during this situation. We wish you good health and truly appreciate your continued loyalty.

Thank you! It's nice that they are offering such a great credit for future cruises. Quark is offering 110%, which I thought was generous (until reading the above offer!). I would really, really like to book another cruise, but the only time they offer the same cruise is early May, 2021, which is a few weeks after dd will finish her freshman year at university and I'm not sure what her summer plans will be.

Are you going to book another cruise?

 

[afan]

Ok I'm putting this out there so maybe someone will hold me accountable I've got to stop reading comments on twitter and facebook posts unless it's about sports, dogs or something like that. Yes I still want to know what's going on but I don't need to read people's commentary. I will continue to snooze people on fb if they are filling my feed with too many shares and no actual content, meaning it's not funny and/or it's not cute animals.

The worst thing for me is that while I have library books, none of them are light "easy read" books so I'm not reading like I normally do. It's not that they aren't good but they aren't as much/any escape and I'm easily distracted from them.

Grocery store was fine this morning, out of a few things that were in the ad but nothing we needed. Compared some prices on amazon fresh and I'll do an order there next weekend. The following weekend will require bread which is a store brand so I'll have to hit the store again. At least doing all the grocery shopping helps with my plat msr and I'll get some money from mom, no way I'm covering her bottled starbucks habit But she should be good for at least 3 weeks I hope.

Also Airplane wasn't as funny as I expected it to be and Bull Durham wasn't as good as I thought it'd be. But I'm happy to say I did get the Moonstruck reference since it was one of my 80's movies so far

 

[afan]

Oh and if anyone is searching for meat don't forget Omaha Steak and whatever other one's are out there that I've seen advertised the past couple of days. I think swagbucks has 2 or 3 they give cash back on. I know it generally costs more but if it makes things easier or can provide what you need the extra cost might be worth it.

 

[gottalovepluto]

DD has a trip to Costa Rica on United in June that I suspect we'll be canceling. 54k miles at stake and I think it is something like $125 to re-instate.

Yes, be ready to pay that even if they cancel the flight. They are being VERY difficult to work with. Some people are getting re-deposit fees waived on the phone but many others aren't.

 

[havaneselover]

Best Buy has switched to curbside servicing effective today according to an email I've received. Maybe they were already doing this in your area?

****


Beginning Sunday, March 22, we will offer contactless curbside service at all locations across the country where state or local laws allow. Rather than ask you to come into our stores, any items you order on BestBuy.com or the Best Buy app will be delivered to your car curbside. If, for any reason, you didn't order the product in advance and the product is in stock in the store, one of our employees will be more than happy to go get it in the store and sell it to you while you remain in your car. This service also extends to returns and exchanges, the period for which has been extended on most products so that you have more time. Only employees will be allowed in the store, but we are determined to serve you as fully as we can. Unfortunately, we are temporarily unable to continue our product trade-in and recycling services.

For those who want to continue shopping with us online or on the app, we will, of course, still get you what you want.

It was awesome. I ordered what DD wanted (gray switch lite and animal crossing). Got text message within 5 minutes that my order was ready. Drove to BB and there were 5-10 employees outside. All in good spirits. Asked what I ordered and I told them. Came right back with my order and handed it to dd. He wasn't wearing gloves and I commented on that and dd said she was the one he handed it to

DD is on to the fact that nothing is graded. She has worked her butt off and is headed into her senior year. I just keep telling her to study for the SAT/ACT and then take a break. 11th grade in the IB program is brutal.

In other news she and her brother are at her dad's for the weekend. Her brother wants to come back to my house. I asked her what was up and she said he's starving because their microwave broke and he refuses to use the oven, step-mom bought whole wheat goldfish, and he refuses to eat cheez its that aren't in single size bags. I love this kid but he's going to be the death of me!

 

[Judique]

Oh and if anyone is searching for meat don't forget Omaha Steak and whatever other one's are out there that I've seen advertised the past couple of days. I think swagbucks has 2 or 3 they give cash back on. I know it generally costs more but if it makes things easier or can provide what you need the extra cost might be worth it.

I was up for ordering from wild Alaska salmon at least one box until I realized I had no choice of what white fish would be in the box. In my opinion there is a big difference in halibut and cod.

I have never ordered Omaha steak.

 

[havaneselover]

Ok I'm putting this out there so maybe someone will hold me accountable I've got to stop reading comments on twitter and facebook posts unless it's about sports, dogs or something like that. Yes I still want to know what's going on but I don't need to read people's commentary. I will continue to snooze people on fb if they are filling my feed with too many shares and no actual content, meaning it's not funny and/or it's not cute animals.

The worst thing for me is that while I have library books, none of them are light "easy read" books so I'm not reading like I normally do. It's not that they aren't good but they aren't as much/any escape and I'm easily distracted from them.

Grocery store was fine this morning, out of a few things that were in the ad but nothing we needed. Compared some prices on amazon fresh and I'll do an order there next weekend. The following weekend will require bread which is a store brand so I'll have to hit the store again. At least doing all the grocery shopping helps with my plat msr and I'll get some money from mom, no way I'm covering her bottled starbucks habit But she should be good for at least 3 weeks I hope.

Also Airplane wasn't as funny as I expected it to be and Bull Durham wasn't as good as I thought it'd be. But I'm happy to say I did get the Moonstruck reference since it was one of my 80's movies so far

I hear you. Comments on articles are doing me in (why do I read them?). I really don't want to hear how screwed we are!

I have to follow the financial news for work and that's stressing me out.

I did rent the new Jumanji and a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood from Redbox. They were both great. Otherwise I've just been attached to my Kindle.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

It's been 3 years and 2 months since my last grandchild and things change quickly, so I'm probably out of date already. AAMC had all the supplies, including diapers, plus other little extras for the mothers. I will have to ask our friend who still works there what they are doing now.

They may be doing the same things there were 3 years ago. My sister had her twins 11 years ago and there was no nursery where she delivered. She gave birth in and stayed in the same room with babies for the whole time. The hospital I work at does still have a nursery and no birthing suites, so moms deliver in Delivery room and then transfer to Mother-Baby unit. I believe the nursery is not used much as most babies stay with mom. The policy about no samples, etc is company wide and affects pharmacy, nutrition, maternity, etc. We are not even allowed continuing education which used to be provided by manufacturers of oral supplements (like Ensure) even though we have an exclusive contract and must use their products in house. It’s a bit crazy.

Just back from Costco. Gas is now $1.45/gallon for regular here.

The store was unusually quiet and lines were super short. They had social distancing signs up. Still no ground beef (but I don't really have space in the freezer for it now). No paper products (I heard one of the employees tell someone to call early in the morning). I noticed they are not only allowing 1 rotisserie chicken purchase per household. They pretty much had everything I wanted.

I looked to buy a few things online today since DH forgot to put dishwasher soap on the list and I’ve been to Target, local grocery and Aldi in the past 3 days. Not braving Costco in person but did check out Costco, Sam’s and Boxed online. None of them had kleenex or pasta, nor did any of them have everything I needed. I ended up finding more stuff at Boxed and was able to get to $50 for free ship, plus a 20% off Amex offer. Sam’s was the least helpful as I found 3 items but it would only ship 2 and I had to go pick up the other one.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I was planning to use amazon so I don’t have to go into the store. Similac is only showing with like 3 cans and it’s over $100. Enfamil has one 20 oz can for $27.98. Does that sound right?

I really have no clue on cost. Sorry.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I asked her what was up and she said he's starving because their microwave broke and he refuses to use the oven, step-mom bought whole wheat goldfish, and he refuses to eat cheez its that aren't in single size bags. I love this kid but he's going to be the death of me!

Poor kid. He might die at my house. No single serve bags of anything and I don’t actually cook in the microwave (it’s good for reheating coffee and steaming veggies ). Really though I do sympathize, my sisters kids are super picky and each one eats different things. Ordering take out or making a meal everyone will eat is quite a challenge.

 

[Jax1023]

I was planning to use amazon so I don’t have to go into the store. Similac is only showing with like 3 cans and it’s over $100. Enfamil has one 20 oz can for $27.98. Does that sound right?

About 30 bucks for a can of formula sounds normal. FYI- that will only last a weekish, maybe less. I never used formula, but my sister in law did.

I never felt the need to have back up formula in my house, but that was back in the wild days of old when you could just go to the 24 hour grocery store and buy whatever you wanted. Just don’t stock up too much, from what I’ve heard of from friends and family, there can be a lot of trying different formula to see what agrees the best with your baby’s tummy.

 

[Judique]

It was awesome. I ordered what DD wanted (gray switch lite and animal crossing). Got text message within 5 minutes that my order was ready. Drove to BB and there were 5-10 employees outside. All in good spirits. Asked what I ordered and I told them. Came right back with my order and handed it to dd. He wasn't wearing gloves and I commented on that and dd said she was the one he handed it to

In other news she and her brother are at her dad's for the weekend. Her brother wants to come back to my house. I asked her what was up and she said he's starving because their microwave broke and he refuses to use the oven, step-mom bought whole wheat goldfish, and he refuses to eat cheez its that aren't in single size bags. I love this kid but he's going to be the death of me!

Glad best Buy worked nicely!

When I was divorced and my kids would go to be with their father, they at least lasted the weekend, as he was in Virginia and I was in Maryland, so no quick drop backs.

However, neither of them made it through the longer visits. I happily said, take them whenever you want, and also gave back child support to help out, and thought I was guaranteed a summer month of peace and less work. A week later son was back. Daughter refused to go at about 15. When daughter wasn't there, son was too lonely. It wasn't my ex's fault. The kids did not want to be at the house alone all day while the adults were at work during the week. They were old enough but at my home they had activities and a set schedule and the familiarity of feeling at home. It's difficult to replicate 'home' in two homes. Fortunately ex was understanding as was I and we did what we could to make all have a decent life.

 

[Hoosier John]

@*WDW*Groupie* We just had our RCCL Harmony of the Seas cruise canceled last Fri evening that was supposed to leave on 3/15/20. We have two options: a full refund or a voucher for 125% of the cost. All of the incidentals are to be refunds (drink package, excursions, WiFi, etc.) I am not sure which direction, we are going.

Thank you! It's nice that they are offering such a great credit for future cruises. Quark is offering 110%, which I thought was generous (until reading the above offer!). I would really, really like to book another cruise, but the only time they offer the same cruise is early May, 2021, which is a few weeks after dd will finish her freshman year at university and I'm not sure what her summer plans will be.

Maybe book a better stateroom on the first available cruise and hope for another 125/110% bonus if it gets cancelled?

 

[IFlossU]

I was super tempted to buy a switch for the new animal crossing game, but in about a month we won't have any time to play it.

I’m optimistic that you might have more time to play than you think. Babies sleep A LOT! Except at night. Just kidding (sort of)! In hindsight, I was definitely exhausted having a newborn, but still had way more time on my hands than I do now with older kids. I say buy it, and play it while you can. Once your kids stop napping, that’s when you’re life is over.

 

[Alexle2007]

Ok I'm putting this out there so maybe someone will hold me accountable I've got to stop reading comments on twitter and facebook posts unless it's about sports, dogs or something like that. Yes I still want to know what's going on but I don't need to read people's commentary. I will continue to snooze people on fb if they are filling my feed with too many shares and no actual content, meaning it's not funny and/or it's not cute animals.

The worst thing for me is that while I have library books, none of them are light "easy read" books so I'm not reading like I normally do. It's not that they aren't good but they aren't as much/any escape and I'm easily distracted from them.

Grocery store was fine this morning, out of a few things that were in the ad but nothing we needed. Compared some prices on amazon fresh and I'll do an order there next weekend. The following weekend will require bread which is a store brand so I'll have to hit the store again. At least doing all the grocery shopping helps with my plat msr and I'll get some money from mom, no way I'm covering her bottled starbucks habit But she should be good for at least 3 weeks I hope.

Also Airplane wasn't as funny as I expected it to be and Bull Durham wasn't as good as I thought it'd be. But I'm happy to say I did get the Moonstruck reference since it was one of my 80's movies so far

Ha, yes! I just posted assistance on selecting new kitchen rugs on mine... Anyone want to help?

 

[Hoosier John]

About 30 bucks for a can of formula sounds normal. FYI- that will only last a weekish, maybe less. I never used formula, but my sister in law did.

I never felt the need to have back up formula in my house, but that was back in the wild days of old when you could just go to the 24 hour grocery store and buy whatever you wanted. Just don’t stock up too much, from what I’ve heard of from friends and family, there can be a lot of trying different formula to see what agrees the best with your baby’s tummy.

Okay, just figured this out. Expecting that Haley R prolly won't really need formula, but wishes to have a safety net, maybe buy a couple different brands of formula and keep the receipt. Then, once it is evident that the baby will be fine without formula, donate them to a women's shelter, and use the receipt to take off your taxes.

Story time: Once I stopped at a quick-mart. A girl outside the door was asking for money to buy milk for baby. I shook my head and went on in. But then feeling bad, and not wanting her to use the money for something else, I bought a gallon of milk and kept the receipt so she couldn't return it. I gave it to her on my way out. She said the baby needs formula!

 

[Alexle2007]

Okay, just figured this out. Expecting that Haley R prolly won't really need formula, but wishes to have a safety net, maybe buy a couple different brands of formula and keep the receipt. Then, once it is evident that the baby will be fine without formula, donate them to a women's shelter, and use the receipt to take off your taxes.

Story time: Once I stopped at a quick-mart. A girl outside the door was asking for money to buy milk for baby. I shook my head and went on in. But then feeling bad, and not wanting her to use the money for something else, I bought a gallon of milk and kept the receipt so she couldn't return it. I gave it to her on my way out. She said the baby needs formula!

A lot of places are not accepting returns right now on purchases.

 

[Alexle2007]

Thank you! It's nice that they are offering such a great credit for future cruises. Quark is offering 110%, which I thought was generous (until reading the above offer!). I would really, really like to book another cruise, but the only time they offer the same cruise is early May, 2021, which is a few weeks after dd will finish her freshman year at university and I'm not sure what her summer plans will be.

Are you going to book another cruise?

I think so. A redo for next Spring Break or maybe Europe next summer. I haven’t given it much thought yet. I still need to book HI for Christmas. And keep hoping that Australia happens in Aug.

 

[Judique]

They may be doing the same things there were 3 years ago. My sister had her twins 11 years ago and there was no nursery where she delivered. She gave birth in and stayed in the same room with babies for the whole time. The hospital I work at does still have a nursery and no birthing suites, so moms deliver in Delivery room and then transfer to Mother-Baby unit. I believe the nursery is not used much as most babies stay with mom. The policy about no samples, etc is company wide and affects pharmacy, nutrition, maternity, etc. We are not even allowed continuing education which used to be provided by manufacturers of oral supplements (like Ensure) even though we have an exclusive contract and must use their products in house. It’s a bit crazy.

I looked to buy a few things online today since DH forgot to put dishwasher soap on the list and I’ve been to Target, local grocery and Aldi in the past 3 days. Not braving Costco in person but did check out Costco, Sam’s and Boxed online. None of them had kleenex or pasta, nor did any of them have everything I needed. I ended up finding more stuff at Boxed and was able to get to $50 for free ship, plus a 20% off Amex offer. Sam’s was the least helpful as I found 3 items but it would only ship 2 and I had to go pick up the other one.

Daughter ended up having two c sections. The first after being admitted several days earlier to try for a natural birth. The second after a lot of discussion and going back and forth on trying again for natural, but in the end it had to be c section. These actual births were nothing like what I experienced, much more difficult. Babies were in the room a lot but did spend time in the nursery. First delivery daughter was in hospital for 7 nights, second time if I remember correctly it was 5. Before being able to get pregnant, daughter had 3 surgeries at Johns Hopkins, so the whole process was a little bit different from what I went through. I spent most of my time at the hospital, with a couple trips home for clothing etc. The end result has been wonderful.

I want to go to Costco tomorrow. Also Aldi. My younger daughter probably will order stuff instead. Common sense says stay home if you don't have to go. I don't have to go.

 

[Haley R]

About 30 bucks for a can of formula sounds normal. FYI- that will only last a weekish, maybe less. I never used formula, but my sister in law did.

I never felt the need to have back up formula in my house, but that was back in the wild days of old when you could just go to the 24 hour grocery store and buy whatever you wanted. Just don’t stock up too much, from what I’ve heard of from friends and family, there can be a lot of trying different formula to see what agrees the best with your baby’s tummy.

I'm gonna wait at least two weeks to see how the situation changes. If it gets worse and formula really is extremely hard to come by, then I might buy some. Otherwise, I'll just wait and see if I actually need more than the samples I already have.