justhappy

I was raised this way, not from a military family but a lot of uncles and aunts were, my cousins were also raised that way. I still abide by this rule and it drives my kids crazy😉

At my age and with my husband’s memory loss, trying to remember is definitely not going to work for us so notes on our phone calendars, photos of everything on our phones and lists in notes app is how we survive! So losing our phones is now my biggest worry 😂

I’m going to use this advice in the future, thanks!

I’m going to check out your podcast list. DH and I spend a lot of windshield time going cross country in our little class B RV (with Princess Daisy of course) and listen to a lot of podcasts. We are space nerds so our favorite podcast is StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson. I hope y’all have an awesome cruise, and that you post a lot of awesome photos❤️ Food porn is always appreciated 😍

Loving your review! And love your Halloween costumes. All the Choir of Man shows I’ve seen have the gay character. I too hope they didn’t change that. I’m sad to hear still no hash brown sightings 😬 I hope that changes before January! If you ever have an issue in the buffet please find Lilibeth Espinosa, she is amazing and is a very special lady. She usually supervises the buffet. If you see her tell her the Mals and Snows send their love.

I have been in a Haven Courtyard Penthouse in the Haven proper and the aft facing penthouse as well. I would choose the aft penthouse every time over being in the Haven proper. I’m in my mid sixties and the walk to the Haven and back never bothered me. I love the space to spread out with the separate living room, the second bathroom and that wide aft balcony view. Some people prefer to be in the Haven bubble the whole cruise but I want to enjoy the whole ship. You will have a great time I hope.

I know that at Pensacola NAS you have to have an EDL or passport to see the Blue Angles practice or go to the Naval Aviation Museum.

I’m so sorry for the loss of your fur baby, but glad you offered a home to another dog that needed that love you had to give. I am looking forward to your 💀 trip review😉

You’re killing me smalls!!

That food looked delicious! And the reindeer sausage corn dog sounded interesting to me. Loved the photos along the pier. You didn’t have a photo but did you visit Patsy Ann’s statue?

The almond croissants and Banana Banoffe are worth every stinking carb for sure! Enjoy them for all of us 😃

Being a big fan of Captain Kate and watching her TikToks, it is required of any ship that can to give assistance to any other vessel at sea in an emergency situation like that. I believe it’s part of SOLAS.

Geez, you heard the ruckus from two cabins down?! Man I’d love to hear that story! We were on the Encore August 27 and had friends staying in a forward facing penthouse, I know what you mean about the bouncy drawers, they were showing that to us! And good grief about the room key fiasco.

Thanks, but I don’t want credit, you have given Haven Lite (hey, you need to trademark that😉) the recognition as an alternative to folks who don’t want to pay Haven prices🥂 And thanks for starting that Haven pricing thread, I’ll keep an eye on that one.

Hey Gary, I think I’m the one who originally coined that Haven Lite, but you gave it a life of its own! Thank you! Agree about adding the free at Sea plus, with that it definitely makes a cruise Haven Lite 😁 I think part of my problem with the current valuation comes from knowing back in 2015 we got the Haven Courtyard Penthouse on the newest ship in the fleet for 5k total and that included $300 obc, a truly unlimited drink package and specialty dining package (no limits on number of dinners) with prepaid service fees and no gratuities charged on the Free at Sea packages! This was booking directly through NCL. I know prices go up over the years but all those included perks went away too.

I do believe they gave their butler a small tip and gave their stateroom attendant a lot of what would have gone to the butler.

You are right about the time factor, and a good butler should work to make your time onboard all about relaxing and enjoying your limited vacation time. The huge difference I’ve seen between my very first Haven cruise in 2015 and my last in April of this year, I saw a huge difference in that feeling of the butler was doing everything they could to enhance my trip and I blame the cutbacks at NCL for part of it. More cabins per butler means less time to actually stop a minute and say hello, and ask if you have everything you need. That genuine sense that they were there to please. On our first Haven cruise our butler was constantly asking about our day whenever he saw us and doing special little things like filling our bathtub with water and rose petals. Taking my husband’s dinner jacket straight to the laundry to get it pressed and having it back in our room in 3 hours. The concierge saw us in the buffet one evening while I was getting a crepe and chided me about not letting the Haven staff get it for me (miss you Adrian!) On this last Haven cruise we never saw our butler until the second day and not till I had asked the concierge about that did they have her come to the Haven restaurant to meet us. Then we only saw her again on the final sea day of the cruise. On this last cruise our friends also staying in the Haven had a butler that just ignored most of their requests and when they asked for half an half told them they could get some themselves in the buffet. THAT would have never happened in 2015. That is an amenity you are paying extra for my opinion, and why I feel like the inflated prices for the Haven are no longer worth the the going price for the services received. So like the candy bar that’s no longer a dollar, but now $1.25 and 5oz instead of 8oz, the Haven experience is no longer a good value to me. If a bargain comes along I would think about taking it, for the room size and Haven complex, but I’ll have much lower expectations of the service I’ll receive. For now I’m happy with my club balcony suites and Vibe beach club passes. At the price point I feel I’m getting more value for my money.

Same for me.

Enjoyed the photos of Mt Rainer, it was so smoky in late August that we weren’t able to see it when we departed.

So yesterday I went ahead an purchased two $500 OBC vouchers. I did receive the same email mentioned above above saying congratulations on using your offer. The purchases are still pending, so it might take a few days for the charges to be verified as qualifying. I’ll update as soon as I know.

It is a good option, it won’t be my Amex on file.

That’s why I prefer the Cruisenext to Cruise first.

Definitely something to consider.

So it’s on different cards, maybe it’s a targeted offer then.

Thanks for the information re OBC. I have the Amex Platinum so it may only be available for that card.