thistlechaser: (Tetsu points "Hey..." (PMK))
[personal profile] thistlechaser
I never did rant about (or finish my Yelp review on) my local grocery store. My beloved Safeway. Just a minute or two drive from my apartment, I've been shopping there for more than ten years.

Then they got self-scan machines in.

When it's an option, I have no problem with scanning my purchases myself. When it's an option. It's not an option at my Safeway anymore, it's required. (Sometimes they have one single check-out lane open, but when they do, there's a massive line for it.)

Self-scanning is fine for a few items, but it's a royal pain in the butt for an entire cart full of crap. It takes a LONG time, and the machines error out endlessly. (Plus the stations aren't made for scanning a whole cart of groceries, which makes it even more frustrating.)

Anyway, Lunchables were on sale, which usually would still not be enough to make me buy them, but I stopped and looked at what they are: Crackers + cheese + turkey or ham. If I'm going to eat crackers with cheese anyway, this was kind of a handy packing. 4/$5 was a really good price, too. So I got them.

The meat in them is pretty icky. I don't really like wet meat. So I eat the cheese and the crackers, but tonight the cheese stuck together so I had crackers left over at the end and ate one plain. It was sweet. What the heck? Nothing like a cracker at all.

I guess if we needed further proof these were evil made for kids, it's putting meat and cheese on a darned cookie.

On a related note, I had wheat thins for the first time in decades. They were amazingly good, like a really crisp cookie. Last time I had them they were thick and woven with "wheat" (something whole-wheat, nasty to eat). Today's wheat thins I'd happy eat as a cookie replacement. Oddness. They really need a new name.

RP continues to be good. I continue to fight off some kind of sickness (I went downhill this morning, but feel quite good tonight). Cruise is booked, vacation time is approved. Passport is in the works (takes a couple months for them to mail it out, but the paperwork is all submitted). Now if only the weekend were a few months long, life would be perfect! :P

Date: 2011-10-30 02:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
technically she does NOT need a passport if it is a closed-loop cruise in the western hemisphere (closed = leaving/returning to same US port), but it is always a better idea in case you get stuck in a foreign country

Date: 2011-10-30 05:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com
Oh, huh! I thought I read on the Princess site that it was required. I must have misread.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
It's a hyper-technical set of rules and you ARE definitely better off with a passport. People w/o sometimes have problems because their birth certificates don't meet all of the rules.

Are you coming/going from the SAME US port? E.g. leave Seattle-return Anchorage will NOT work for example.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com
Yep, in and out of San Fran. My mother would (understandably) like to save the $150 on getting one if possible, but I think it's going to be safer if she has one. No need to risk her not being able to go, when the trip's for her!

Date: 2011-10-30 06:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
Understandable, and if she got stuck in Canada and needed to be airlifted back NOT having the passport would be a > $150 problem. Which is why it is recommended. It is not required for the closed loop.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
btw this topic comes up about once/week on CruiseCritic message boards and the answer is always look you do not NEED a passport, but it is highly recommended. Also if you are going to skip the passport, read the fine print about the birth certificate requirements.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com
Oh, huh! I've been visiting that site now and then. Good to know!

Date: 2011-10-30 06:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
it's a useful site, I recommend scanning the princess threads about "but if you ask" and also the "secrets" thread. There is a bunch of useful information about freebies that you just need to ask for. Also it's nice to sign up for the roll calls for your sailing might give you a few people to know a bit before the cruise and just wave hi to.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] thistle-chaser.livejournal.com
I think we do? From the Princess site:

3) As of June 1, 2009, Passports or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant documents are required for domestic cruises including: Alaska, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and Panama Canal. Neither oral nor written declarations of citizenship are accepted.
a) U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 16 and above traveling on domestic cruises may present one of the following valid WHTI-compliant documents:
Passport Book RECOMMENDED travel document; accepted for travel by air, land and sea
US Passport Card Limited to land and sea border crossings
Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) Limited to land and sea border crossings NEXUS Card Accepted for land and sea border crossings. Air travel is limited to participating airports. For more information visit www.cbp.gov
SENTRI and FAST Cards Limited to land and sea border crossings

For information regarding WHTI compliant documents, please visit www.getyouhome.gov.

Link from this page https://book.princess.com/cruisepersonalizer/pifBasicInformation.page "Travel Document Information. When Applicable >> " link.

Date: 2011-10-30 06:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elo-sf.livejournal.com
What's your cruise itinerary? Is it a closed loop.

Notice it says "RECOMMENDED" next to passport book.

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