Thankful

[laudergayle]

There have been so many posts and threads lately lamenting the not so hidden cost increases that NCL, and other cruise lines, have imposed on their cruisers and potential cruisers.  I’m stepping back from my Karen.  Actually, since I’m a senior…I would technically be a “Skaren” and my DH would be a MaSkaren (male senior Karen).  I am grateful and thankful for several things.  1) that the CDC/Covid shutdown didn’t bankrupt every cruise line and the cruise industry, 2) I am grateful and thankful that there are enough people who have the discretionary income to take cruises, and lastly, 3) I am grateful and thankful that DH and I are part of #2.   I hope that this helps shut down a few of the current threads…cause even though I share many of the same opinions…I am ready for some new/different discussions.  So there you have it.  MO.  Oh, BTW sorry if I spoiled anyone’s fun. 🤓

Edited December 12, 2022 by laudergayle

[happytotravel]

I am too!

happytotravel

[www3traveler]

Thank You

[Shidah]

I’m thankful for posts like this one!  I believe we are in the silent majority!

[complawyer]

i have stated in the past, i'm happy even just to be on a ship, sitting on my balcony, sipping a cold heineken.  in 22 ncl cruises, i rarely if ever, even bother with the daily activities. my wife and i are 74 and 75 year old baby boomers, and watching the world go by while at sea or visiting some exotic port, is good enough for me.

 

jan 2023 we're doing trans canal, aug we're doing the 9 day baltic, and next dec, the good lord willin' and the crick dont rise, the 9 day from dubai to mumbai (how much more exotic an you get)  

[Nclgetawaymenhoney]

Thank you for your thoughtful post, I too am in that minority that is tired of all the complaining recently.  Just like we have a choice on where to buy our gas, groceries and clothing we have a choice of cruise lines and if you don’t currently like that cruise line please feel free to try another line.  Happy sailing!

[complawyer]

some people will complain even if they are being hung with a brand new rope. this forum is for comments, good or bad.

 

what is ironic, is that the naysayers are forgetting they're on a beautiful cruise ship, with lots of things to see and do, and regardless of the complaints, all these problems listed, real or imagined are 1st world problems. complain about  the food, but remember they are trying to feed a few 1000 people 3 times per day, in numerous restaurants, complain about the extra $1.20 for a shot of baileys, when you consider the cost of the cruise (even in an inside cabin), unless you drink over 10 shots per day, the overall cost is minimal. complain about the shows, simply dont go. 

 

i dont think most cruise lines will vary that greatly, ive been with ncl so long, it doesnt pay to try another line, we're sapphire, i enjoy the perks, and whatever issues i may have had throughout my 10 years of cruising with ncl (over 20)and 4 more lined up in 2023 were really minor when i look at the total picture.

 

i believe $ for $ ncl gives you more bang for your buck, and they have taken me to some amazing, extraordinary places in the past 10 years. my criteria for booking is price and itinerary. ncl meets these 100%

 

but nclgetawaymenhoney, thank you for your kind words

[KeithJenner]

5 hours ago, Shidah said:

I’m thankful for posts like this one!  I believe we are in the silent majority!

Don’t worry, the minority make enough noise that your silence won’t be noticed. 🙂

Edited December 12, 2022 by KeithJenner

[laudergayle]

6 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Don’t worry, the minority make enough noise that your silence won’t be noticed. 🙂

Yup. The Pareto Principle. But your comment is funny.

[cruiseny4life]

Well, from this Millennial Karen to you, our resident Skaren, thank you! Thanks for grounding us in the reality that we all live blessed lives. Just having the ability to post and complain about cruises is reason enough for us to be thankful we had the opportunity. Through a series of fortunate events (mostly luck in the interview process), I have a bit more disposable cash (it doesn't feel that way after the mortgage has been paid) than my parents and relatives. This has afforded my husband and I the opportunity to truly enjoy cruising.

As @complawyer stated so well, 

12 hours ago, complawyer said:

watching the world go by while at sea or visiting some exotic port, is good enough for me.

 is good enough for me too. 

 

So, I am taking this moment to step back be appreciative to those amazing crew members who made our vacations so relaxing, special, and soothing to the soul. They work strenuous 12 - 14 hour days for months at a time, with no break, to ensure I am able to relax from my (not so strenuous) job, errands, etc.

 

Also, all my fellow CC'ers, thank you! I've learned so much from this community. From how to best enjoy the Haven, to how to get through Bermuda's COVID protocols, y'all have helped me have better vacations. I'm trying to learn patience by not responding to a few threads right now too, so thanks for helping me understand when to/not to speak. 🤡

 

And, even with my venting about Frankie Boy, I'm thankful to him (and his leadership team) for steering NCL through the COVID lockdown. I had never sailed NCL before COVID and I'm very glad to have had the chance. I hope to continue to, so Frankie Boy, I'll continue my whining about fees, but at the end of the day, I hope you keep the ship righted. 

 

I'll see you on the flip side! 

[ChiefMateJRK]

Put me in an inside cabin on any NCL cruise, with the current perks/fees/etc. and I'm as happy as a pig in 💩.  Cheap balcony upgrade?  Just icing on the cake.  Thanks for creating a thread just for us NCL fanboys/fangirls.   Life really is more fun over here on the sunny side of the street.😎😎

[wil e coyote]

I'll chime in - thanks for starting this thread! As others have said, I am thankful to be able to even consider the topics that are so hotly debated on this board.

[palpieha]

An inside cabin on a day with 20 foot seas, $1 (+20%) Bailey's, not being sure where my gratuities go, and the same menu every day in the MDR beats a good day at work.

[KarlChilders]

Yep, I'll chime in. We just finished our 5th cruise and while there were a couple of issues that probably bumped this one to the bottom of the list, we still had a great time and it beat being in the office. Plus we are now 3 for 3 in making a scheduled stop at GSC, which by my read of the board is a rarity. Talked to a fellow on the waterfront the night before and he had never made it there.  We knew one of our streaks would come to an end the next day, glad it wasn't ours 😉

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, palpieha said:

a good day at work

I'm not too sure I ever had one of those.  Sounds like an oxy-moron.  🤣

 

(disclaimer:  I quit working years ago, so may not even remember all the 💩that went with it.  I do remember enough to never go back....  That's what makes any cruise so darned enjoyable.  I really pity those who have to take their w$%k along with them.)

[ChiefMateJRK]

40 minutes ago, KarlChilders said:

Plus we are now 3 for 3 in making a scheduled stop at GSC, which by my read of the board is a rarity.

Cool 😎.  We're only one for two but are going to spin that wheel again twice in 2023.  IIRC, the one we missed wasn't because of current weather, but was due to lingering damage from a recent hurricane.  Probably 2016ish.

[complawyer]

we were  1for 2 for gsc. personally, i wouldnt bother to get off the ship, even if we were able to dock.

 

i'd rather sit on the deck , with a glass of scotch.

[gmbhardy]

21 hours ago, Shidah said:

I’m thankful for posts like this one!  I believe we are in the silent majority!

Nope!

[KarlChilders]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

we were  1for 2 for gsc. personally, i wouldnt bother to get off the ship, even if we were able to dock.

 

i'd rather sit on the deck , with a glass of scotch.

Each to their own, to me, not much better than a bright white beach, crystal clear water and standing chest deep sipping an included cocktail. YMMV.

[ChiefMateJRK]

41 minutes ago, KarlChilders said:

Each to their own, to me, not much better than a bright white beach, crystal clear water and standing chest deep sipping an included cocktail. YMMV.

Absolutely.  Where else can I roll out of bed and take a short boat ride to a pristine beach with all the free food and drinks I want.  If I decide I've had enough, I'm back on a cruise ship in 30 minutes.  Thankful indeed!!!!

[BoatParts]

I am also thankful for being privileged enough to take my upcoming cruise vacation with NCL. It will be our first real live vacation in 34 months that hasn’t been dedicated to a CT—>FL move, some medical stuff, or doing nothing much during pandemic. 12/23 can’t get here soon enough! 2023 will bring a move back home but for now a great vacation is needed!

[laudergayle]

1 minute ago, BoatParts said:

I am also thankful for being privileged enough to take my upcoming cruise vacation with NCL. It will be our first real live vacation in 34 months that hasn’t been dedicated to a CT—>FL move, some medical stuff, or doing nothing much during pandemic. 12/23 can’t get here soon enough! 2023 will bring a move back home but for now a great vacation is needed!

OMG, I’m so happy for you!!  We did a GA to FL then back to GA move in 2009/2017.  We had too much at risk every hurricane season+/- and found it difficult to travel. Being so close to sea level, a good tropical storm at the right tide level could flood our home.  Don’t know your circumstances, but I’m still happy you will be cruising again.  My guess…you’ll be buying a Cruise Next certificate while onboard.  Bon Voyage.

[Birdnutty]

On 12/11/2022 at 8:39 PM, complawyer said:

the good lord willin' and the crick dont rise,...

Got a real chuckle out of this.  I use that saying all the time, word for word ( and spelling too) and people always laugh at me.  But it's so true, metaphorically, at least. (I don't live near no crick.)

 

I agree 100% with the OP.  We are people who are fortunate enough to be sitting here reading these boards, meaning that we have the free time to do this and having experienced at least one if not many multiple cruises.  Meanwhile, others can't even dream of a cruise. 
Yes, prices are going up.  But the cruiselines are still there, and they have huge deficits to make up.  And interestingly enough, on my first cruise, 38 years ago on the Nordic Prince, (about 700 passengers) , we had a tiny indoor cabin on the second deck. This year, we had a balcony cabin on a ship that held 5 times as many passengers, had enormous amounts of entertainment, more lounges, more food venues, constant buffets (as opposed to only one buffet at midnight)... I could go on and on.  That balcony cabin cost me the same amount as I paid for the little dinky one 38 years ago.  The same amount!!!   The differences between cruising now and then are astronomical.  But the prices, at least for us, were comparable.  Now, we get a much bigger bang for the buck.  Absolutely nothing to complain about.