Those were the days

Cleaning out some boxes filled with paperwork and old receipts when I came across our final invoice from an Alaskan cruise on the Star. The service charge then was only $10 per person, Cagney's was $20, and I spent an embarrassingly small amount on drinks for the week. Also found a $200 for the Galleria Jewelry Shop that my wife does not remember what it was for. 'Probably something I don't wear anymore.' was her best guess. It will be fun to compare this one to the one we will receive in about 2 weeks when our cruise is over.

I save all of my paper work and don't know why.:D Seems silly, but I don't want to part with it all. I even have all of the brochures that we used to be able to get.

Nice to find stuff that brings back good memories. For whatever reason, I have receipts and all sorts of paperwork from all of my cruises.

I have all of the "Freestyle Dailies" and other assorted "mail/flyers" we received on our last cruise. Not sure why, LOL. Although it's probably good that I saved that stuff because I think our 2 Cruise Next deposit certificates are in there somewhere. ;)

Not surprisingly, I don't think our final bill/invoice is in there. I am probably still in denial over how much we managed to spend in spite of having had UBP, UDP, and $300 OBC!!!

Glad to see I'm not the only one that saves all this stuff. I even have some menus from many, many years ago. If you requested them they would give you the weeks worth tied in a ribbon.

We save a lot of paper since there are always CC questions that require some research or a quick scan/photo.

I have all of the "Freestyle Dailies" and other assorted "mail/flyers" we received on our last cruise. Not sure why, LOL. Although it's probably good that I saved that stuff because I think our 2 Cruise Next deposit certificates are in there somewhere. ;)

 

Not surprisingly, I don't think our final bill/invoice is in there. I am probably still in denial over how much we managed to spend in spite of having had UBP, UDP, and $300 OBC!!!

Luckily the Cruise Next certificates are in your Latitudes account number. My TA sees them. I don't send her anything.

I save so much stuff too. [emoji848]

Ahhh yes the $20 Cagneys!!!!

Those were the days when you got credit for not eating in the MDR and you only paid a portion for the upgrade. Those were the days of the JUMBO shrimp and porterhouse too ;)

We go further back - early bird special for specialty dining supplement was 2 for 1, $10 in Asian, LeBistro/Cagney was $15 p/p on embarkation & port days. Staterooms in all categories get those single-use shower cap, shoe mitt, sewing kit, notepad & pen on the desk ... pre-Dawn era when the "Sea" was still flying the NCL flag.

MDR has 3 hot soup & 1 or 2 cold soup selections daily (at least) and several salad options, plus other starters - and chef special for the evening, the Cooking Light Menu & the Presidential choices (recipes by ex-White House chefs) ... noodles in broth, cooked to order in the buffet.

Besides DSC, tipping was entirely discretionary and 15% extra gratuities in specialty didn't come till years later. Even when we sailed the Crown to Bermuda in 2006, Mexican & Italian specialty was like $10 p/p.

All the dailies & flyers are sitting somewhere in the home office/library - might be fun to just pull a few out and see what else was in there ;)

Luckily the Cruise Next certificates are in your Latitudes account number.

Ah yes, memories....

We still have a complete commemorative menu set (combined in one booklet) of all of the dinners we enjoyed on the S.S. Norway NCL 2000 Millennium Celebration sailing. Each night was a different dinner theme:

1. Bon Voyage Dinner

2. Captain's Gala Dinner

3. Caribbean Dinner

4. The Presidents Dinner (our fondest memories)

(every course was a favourite of a U.S. President: Reagan, Ford, Carter, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, and/or the First Ladies)

5. Italian Dinner

6. Captain's Farewell Dinner

7. Viking Fest Dinner

The dinners were sumptuous, the choices overwhelming and the service was par excellence.

Ah yes.....memories..

I save all of my paper work and don't know why.:D Seems silly, but I don't want to part with it all. I even have all of the brochures that we used to be able to get.

my security blanket, as family says:)

I would like to see some of those Cruise of yesteryear items return again. I miss the Cooking Light menu items, chilled soups in the MDRs,and guest lecturers

I would like to see some of those Cruise of yesteryear items return again. I miss the Cooking Light menu items, chilled soups in the MDRs,and guest lecturers

We took the kids out of school years ago for an Alaska cruise in 2003. There was a guest lecturer who was just soooooo dry. The kids wanted to kill me. I have to admit, I couldn't even attend her second lecture. I was going to just to make the kids but my mother told me I couldn't subject the kids to that.

That same cruise, there were crew members helping my daughter do her Spanish homework.

Simple things then, just found this one ... Shoe Mitt.

via Nexus* over Google Fi - WiFi network, VPN secured

I wish I could find our final invoice from 2014!! We are getting ready to book our next cruise for Nov 2017 and I wish I could remember how much we spent on board and how much the "Free at Sea" Promo will "save" us.

I miss the President's Dinners. The descriptions on the menu always made for fun chit-chat while ordering and eating. I remember a dessert named Floating Islands....one of my favorites. Not sure which president it was linked to, but I very much enjoyed the little meringues in some kind of sauce.

While I too miss some things from "those were the days" (can anyone say Watermelon with Fried Feta Salad?) I don't miss the worry about whether or not they were going to implement the fuel supplement we all agreed to (and I think we still do?) when we booked. And while I haven't done any number crunching to prove it, I suspect if I compared what a seven day cruise cost then to what I pay for a comparable cruise today, that the price as gone down when adjusted for inflation. If not, it certainly hasn't gone up as much as other things in my life have!

Memories of when my husband took his tuxedo (formal nights), dark suit (semi-formal nights) and a navy sports coat on NCL cruises.

Believe it or not, at one time people "dressed" of dinner on NCL.

Things certainly have changed! :D

LuLu

Guilty here too. I keep all kinds of things from my trips.

Around '98 or '99 I recall eating in Le Bistro for $5/pp. I think it was the first and only specialty restaurant at that time. It was either on the Norway or Dream.

I do miss the dining productions like the Baked Alaska procession and table side cooking.

I do not miss the set dining times and formal nights.

DH is happy not to bring suits and ties on cruises. He likes the casual atmosphere NCl has today.

We can use less luggage.

DH is happy not to bring suits and ties on cruises. He likes the casual atmosphere NCl has today.

 

We can use less luggage.

Yes, a less stressful vacation.

We took the kids out of school years ago for an Alaska cruise in 2003. There was a guest lecturer who was just soooooo dry. The kids wanted to kill me. I have to admit, I couldn't even attend her second lecture. I was going to just to make the kids but my mother told me I couldn't subject the kids to that.

 

That same cruise, there were crew members helping my daughter do her Spanish homework.

We attended a talk by a guest lecturer whose subject was Caribbean Pirates. He illustrated his talks with videos, which everyone enjoyed. This was on Royal.

Cleaning out some boxes filled with paperwork and old receipts when I came across our final invoice from an Alaskan cruise on the Star. The service charge then was only $10 per person, Cagney's was $20, and I spent an embarrassingly small amount on drinks for the week. Also found a $200 for the Galleria Jewelry Shop that my wife does not remember what it was for. 'Probably something I don't wear anymore.' was her best guess. It will be fun to compare this one to the one we will receive in about 2 weeks when our cruise is over.

It is easy and fun to look back, but if you are wishing for those days, you will be disappointed. I remember when pictures were $5 also or Le Bistro was $5, but I also realize those days are gone. Heck I had never heard of a resort tax or charge on a hotel until a few years ago or mandatory tip % in a restaurant except for large groups. Now, Florida restaurants do add a service or tip amount. it wasn't many years ago when we set the limit for a basic, one night hotel price, if we were just passing through at $75.00; now we are happy to find $100 rate.

I do miss some things like the sea day horse races and the really interesting port talks with lots of give aways, but there are things I like better today: casual dress for starters.