Washy Washy Happy Happy

I found this video on Youtube and had to share!  This makes me smile and I hope you do too!

Washy, Washy! Happy, Happy! Smilie, Smilie!

If you’ve recently been on a cruise and have been wondering about Lobster Night, I have the scoop for you!

Lobster Night is now on the first night of the cruise.  Yes, the first night!

Now, before you go and blow your stack.  Lets look at it from NCL’s point of view.  Cruise lines lose a lot of revenue and with rising fuel cost, they are trying to make cuts so they don’t have to pass these cost on to their customers.  Lobster is thee most expensive item on the menu and by not having to order so much, they are saving a lot of money.  A majority of people eat during the sail away party or eat in the buffet that night.

I know it’s a kind of cheesy thing to do but I’d rather eat Lobster on the first night than pay an extra hundred or two for our cruise.

So what do we take away from this post?  GO TO THE RESTAURANT ON THE FIRST NIGHT! *giggles*

Happy Sailing, everyone!

This is the one thing about NCL that I can honestly complain about.  They still haven’t quite figured out what priority means.

Priority : the right to precede others in order, rank, privilege, etc.; precedence.

With that being said, Gold & Platinum members be warned; you, my friends, are NOT priority.  Priority are those walking off the ship with their luggage and those staying in suites or above.   So even though that little latitude coupon tells you that you may skip the lines, it lies.  Dave and I tried to disembark when they asked us what luggage tag we are.  We (along with quite a few others) said that we were priority.  They sent us over to the concierge whom asked us our color luggage tag.  We said, “yellow” and he told us that this was for gold tags (suites and above).  Oops!

So, people who stay in suites and above take precedence over people whom have cruised 14+ cruises.   Tsk Tsk.

The evening of our arrival, we received two silver and white envelopes with our names on them.  Inside the envelopes, a booklet was filled with a welcome back letter and coupons.  You will receive a coupon for one bag of free laundry, a complimentary dinner at Le Bistro with a bottle of wine, a complimentary behind the scenes tour, and the ticket to your latitudes party and a formal shh invitation to the VIP formal wine and cheese party.

Dave and I weren’t sure how a few of these things worked, so I wanted to take the time to answer some questions that a few people may be wondering.

Laundry: You get one bag of free laundry per platinum person and only one a cruise.  Our laundry day just so happened to be on their $24.99 a bag special day. We left on Saturday and Tuesday was our free laundry day.

Le Bistro: You get one coupon per platinum person. You can reserve your dinner for whatever night you like! You may choose your complimentary wine from a limited list that consist of 11 or so wines.  Red, White and one blush.

Behind the scenes tour: Every cruise has one behind the scenes tour.  All you have to do is go to the reception desk to confirm your attendance.

Latitudes Party: Just take your ticket to the party for your chance to win all kinds of gifts at the party.  FREE DRINKS!

Wine and cheese party: A very formal party including the captain and other ship officers. FREE DRINKS!

Concierge services:  You can really take advantage of this fine lad or las! You can get the nifty seating in the theater and they will make restaurant reservations for you.

Take note of the super cute new Latitudes pin!

With increasing winds and large swells, the ship was not able to anchor at Great Stirrup Cay.  Being a seasoned cruiser, we are anything but surprised. Anchoring at Great Stirrup Cay is truly a coin toss.  Back-to-back cruisers know what I mean.  One cruise you’re able to enjoy the island and all of its amenities and then with the turn of the tides; the next cruise you can’t go.

But don’t fret folks, your wonderful cruise director will amend the daily and there will be plenty of onboard activities.  Can we say, “Two for one BINGO!”? That’s right, an inconvenience BINGO if you will. lol Buy one, get one FREE.  Take advantage of this! I recommend the super package if you’re a group of four. That equals to only $5.00 a game per person.

How many cruisers does it take to get internet at a Florida port?

None!  All that is required is some trusty duct (in this case gaffers) tape, a porthole and a 3G hotspot.

Oh the things we do to use our technology!

*disclaimer* I would not recommend using duct tape for this project unless you have some window cleaner to remove the glue.

We’re in steerage this time but you know what? I don’t care! A cruise is a cruise and I’d sleep in with the crew if the price were right.  How do you like them apples?

The cabin we’re in on this cruise is none other than the infamous most forward cabin you can get, cabin 4500.  Not really knowing what to expect, since there isn’t much information online about this cabin, my first impression was, “Hey, this is actually nice!”  My eyes were immediately drawn to the well area that you have around the porthole.  It’s big enough for two people to crawl in and just relax.  If you’re adventurous, one could even sleep there.  The closet is a bit smaller than ocean view cabins and above, the head is the same size as the others and you have the same amount of drawer space.

So for the bad part, this is NOT a quiet cabin when you’re docking or if the seas are rough.  You have to talk a little loud to overcome the thunderous roar of the bow thrusters when docking or pulling away.  When the seas are choppy or rough you hear a loud banging from water piling up at the bow.  I can only imagine how loud the anchor will be tomorrow if we’re lucky enough to anchor at Great Stirrup Cay.  You can also hear noises from the maintenance shop (we’ve heard banging, sawing and drilling so far) but it’s not loud and it’s easy to tune out.  You can also hear music from the Stardust theatre when they are performing shows like Band on the Run, but again, this is something that isn’t overly loud and can be easily tuned out.  Other than that so-far, so-good!

Oh and another note…if you’re enjoying your cruise you won’t be spending much time in your stateroom!  The sounds of maintenance workers is absent after normal sleeping hours even if you’re early to hit the sack!

I’ll leave you with some pictures  now.

We will be on our way to New York in a mere 10 and half hours.  I’m thrilled to be going on another cruise but I’d be lying if I said it were easy to leave.   The hardest part about leaving is leaving the “kids” and in our case the kids are a 13 year old Havenese, a two year old Jack Russel, an 8 month old Min Pin and a 13 year old Cat.  The dogs especially know we are leaving when the luggage comes out.  Porter (the Jack) and Simon (the min pin) especially start moping and even laying in the luggage as to say, “You’re not leaving without us.”  *sniff*  I wish I could take them with us!  I’d smuggle them all if I knew I could get away with it. lol

Anyone else feel this way?

Dave and I are deeply saddened to read about what happened on-board Costa Concordia.  Our hearts go out to the family and friends of those whom lost a loved one.

We pray that they find those that are missing alive.

We will be onboard the beautiful NCL Jewel January 28th.  I’m beyond excited!

What an awesome Christmas present!