u/mwgrover

I’m sure you see lots of posts like this, and I did do a brief search and checked community rules. I apologize if this post is redundant.

I was born in Tacoma but have spent most of my adult life in the midwestern US. I am really hoping to retire to WA or OR and get back to mild gray weather instead of the extreme hot and cold we get in Tornado Alley.

Out of these towns/communities, which would you be most interested in for retirement? Main criteria would be relatively affordable housing, access to semi-decent healthcare, and a decently sized airport within two hours or so.

* Florence
* Astoria / Warrenton
* Coos Bay / North Bend
* Newport
* Aberdeen / Hoquiam
* Longview
* Port Angeles

With ESO really struggling the past couple years, whether due to poor choices by the prior leadership team, not listening to the playerbase, or the more recent massive Microsoft layoffs at ZOS and Bethesda, hearing about GW3 was like throwing a life preserver to a drowning MMO player.

I have LOVED playing ESO - I love the world, the lore, the playerbase, even the content has been overall excellent. But it just feels especially with the gutting of the developers and employees at ZOS that there’s no way it can recover to be the game it once was or could be.

Crossing my fingers that GW3 can step in and fill the anticipated void that ESO is creating.

I'm planning on taking my first cruise to Alaska. I'll be traveling solo, 54M. I'm a budget traveler. I don't drink alcohol and don't spend money on lots of extras. I'll be booking the cheapest cabin and don't care where on the ship the cabin is located. So these are my priorities:

* good views from common areas (both inside and outside) since I won't have a window in my cabin

* as much peace and quiet as I can reasonably find (related: minimal children on board)

* a good buffet

That's pretty much it. I don't care about shows, casino, specialty dining (I am absolutely not a foodie), or a lot of the other things people seem to care about on the ship. I also don't care to mingle with other solo travelers, I'm an introvert and am happy to be alone with my own thoughts. I'm there to relax, look at the scenery and wildlife, and enjoy yummy simple food like a good sandwich or salad.

Looking at September options next month, the following ships all have reasonable pricing:

Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Bliss, Grand Princess, Star Princess, Royal Princess, Queen Elizabeth, MSC Poesia

Would love it if anyone has any thoughts on these ships and which might fit my priorities the best. Thank you :)

EDIT: Thanks for the comments and suggestions, everyone! I had not considered HAL but a lot of you were very persuasive… I just booked on HAL departing 8/16 going from Vancouver to Anchorage!! So excited, thanks again! :)

Watching the World Cup final and they just played an NFL commercial at halftime. And the soundtrack for the commercial was It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).

First of all, huh? Second, has anyone ever heard REM used in a TV commercial before? Such an odd choice in 2026. Would REM have signed off on that? I don’t remember them selling control of their catalog rights away like a bunch of other older bands.