Never-Haven Cruiser sails in the Haven. Here are her thoughts.

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 minutes ago, kismetique said:

We arrived at the port late because of the flight and were paraded past 100s of ppl with me apologizing profusely the whole way.  It was a lifesaver due to our age, but so very very embarrassing. You can't tell me that there isn't a separate entrance they could take us to for this perk, rather than shoving this down everyone else's throat. Simply disgusting.

It's marketing.  Designed to instill envy in the masses of steerage peasants so that they feel compelled to pay for Haven on their next cruise.  

[RussNJodi]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You had a Haven room connecting to a non-haven room?

Guessing it was a Jewel class non-Haven suite; we have the same setup for July--we have most of the perks for the suite (granted no Haven Courtyard) but my parents in the adjoining Club Balcony room will not. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by RussNJodi

[kismetique]

6 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You had a Haven room connecting to a non-haven room?

I guess, but when I booked the cabins I had no idea about Haven. They weren't in the Haven proper, because there really is not a Haven on the Jewel   It was on deck 11 and was a 2 bedroom family suite with balcony and the connecting room was a mini suite, so no perks.  

[kismetique]

3 hours ago, RussNJodi said:

Guessing it was a Jewel class non-Haven suite; we have the same setup for July--we have most of the perks for the suite (granted no Haven Courtyard) but my parents in the adjoining Club Balcony room will not. 

Yes, you're correct. It worked out ok, I slipped the Butler and Concierge money with a note on the front end and we all got priority tender, all got priority seating at shows and I could have had the meal served by the Butler to us all in our cabin, but our Butler was not very good, so we passed. When I ordered room service , I was only brought what the Butler decided was enough for just our cabin. My husband is a huge breakfast eater, but not other meals so I would order him 2 omelets, but he would only get 1. Needless to say the Butler didn't get much in his second envelope!!!😁

[kismetique]

6 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

It's marketing.  Designed to instill envy in the masses of steerage peasants so that they feel compelled to pay for Haven on their next cruise.  

I won't do it again. If I don't get to the port early enough to get on without having to pass everyone in line, I'll decline being paraded through and stand in line with everyone else. It was AWFUL!!!

[ChiefMateJRK]

27 minutes ago, kismetique said:

I won't do it again. If I don't get to the port early enough to get on without having to pass everyone in line, I'll decline being paraded through and stand in line with everyone else. It was AWFUL!!!

Yeah.  Funny story.  I was on the Bliss's first AK sailing in April.  She came in empty the day before, so there were no disembarking passengers.  We arrived at the port a bit before 9:30. They opened the doors at 9:30 and we literally just walked through everything and were on the ship at 10:00.  The Local wasn't supposed to open until 11:00 but they said we could have a seat and they got me my first beer.  They took our lunch order at about 10:30, which was fine because we ate breakfast at the hotel.  We were absolute steerage.  Cheap inside cabin.  As I enjoyed my beer and awaited my lunch, I observed a constant stream of Haven parades.  These are led by a NCL employee holding up a sign proudly proclaiming "HAVEN!!! passengers, get your cheap steerage butts out of the way!"  Okay, not really but that was the message being sent.  Where were these parades going?  I guess to their cabins, but ours were already ready as well.  Did it annoy me?  Absolutely not.  I was on vacation on a cruise ship.  Did it amuse me?  Absolutely!  I had paid 10 cents on the dollar to be in the exact same place! 😎

[kismetique]

14 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Did it amuse me?  Absolutely!  I had paid 10 cents on the dollar to be in the exact same place! 😎

Agreed!  We've had our fair share of inside cabins and probably why I found this so embarrassing. If we hadn't been sailing as a group and needed the living area to gather in, I certainly wouldn't have booked that suite and likely we would have been in inside cabins as well. Why pay that much more for somewhere to basically sleep?  I'm sure there are ppl who get a kick out of feeling superior, but coming from humble beginnings, this was nothing more than a convenience to us, not a status thing. NCL should offer an up charge for the connecting room to get the perks, I would have paid it in a heartbeat, only so we all could have enjoyed Cagney's for breakfast and lunch, and I wouldn't have had to bribe the conceige! 🤣🤣

[taylortime05]

On 6/5/2023 at 5:44 PM, JGmf said:

 

Agree with @LrgPizza and @vacation44 regarding the Haven: nice to do, but not worth it unless heavy discount. 

 

A big negative is that the courtyard, pool, and hot tubs are usually packed with kids and their families -- which is totally their prerogative as they paid for it and should enjoy it as they see fit.  However, it adds to the overall congestion of that space and it spills into the adjacent bar area too....which is relatively small and gets a lot of mid-day kid traffic for sodas, virgin daiquiris, etc.

 

We pivoted.  We've enjoyed the Haven Lite, as @Sthrngary has dubbed it: get Vibe passes, upgrade drink package if you like, and enjoy the specialty restaurants.  Way more economical!

 

 

 

Can you buy vibe passes ahead of the cruises?  

[jbcallender]

On 6/9/2023 at 5:57 PM, Greenpea2 said:

Just realized I was NOT in the Haven on the Spirit (it had no Haven). The Spirit was my first "Suite" experience. It was magical even without the Haven!

We were in a Spirit suite last November and throughly enjoyed it.  Our butler was outstanding, the suite conceierge attended to everything we needed.  Other than the bartenders at the Spice H2O area - I forget the name of that aft bar overlooking Spice H2O - the crew was outstanding.  In that bar the bartenders acted like they were doing you a favor.

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, taylortime05 said:

Can you buy vibe passes ahead of the cruises?  

Yes.  We already have them for our February 2024 and June 2024 cruises.   I called to reserve them immediately after NCL made the change.    The passes for the Viva are not yet selling beforehand. 

[Ozzieru1e]

On 6/6/2023 at 3:09 PM, LrgPizza said:

 

There was a boy in the Haven Restaurant, old enough to know better, who would take off running, screaming, from the table every night.  He would then go hide under a table in another area of the restaurant. Everyone would stare while the dad tried to reason with the child.  I said a little too loud, "Dad needs to get down there, haul that kid out, and get him out of here."  The server heard me, rolled her eyes, and said, "That boy does that every single meal. They never take him out."  If my husband had let me, I'd have gone over there and done it myself.  The little *****.

Maybe the boy was autistic❗️

[DMH15]

Hello.  I cruised for years in “regular” cabins.   My first was an inside the size of a broom closet.  The next several cruises I had a window, no balcony.   Then mini suite.  
 

Through a chance meeting we had lunch in the Jewel Haven with friends in their suite.   I looked at my mom and said “we’re doing this from now on”.  
 

You see, I realized that I was my mother’s personal concierge and butler.  LOL.  I was always the one making reservations, getting tickets, etc.   when I found out I could enjoy the same luxury I was all for it.  
 

I am divorced, no kids, work hard (33 years at same company) and although not wealthy I manage my money so I can splurge when it matters.  In my job I heavily cater to others. 
 

So, my point is… I am not embarrased walking down a corridor to avoid lines, I do not hide my card to avoid being “discovered”.   In fact, I tell people how wonderful it is.  Thank goodness someone else shared it with me.  
 

And I will say this.   My mother passed 6 years ago and I admired her in so many ways but perheps the quality that I try to emulate every day is how she could realte to everyone.  From a billionaire CEO (or TV Producer real story there) or a homeless lady on the Dallas downtown street she lived on and would often share her blue ribbon baked goods with. 
 

I have seen people get an upsell to the Haven and think they are KING and QUEEN.  And there are folks like me who pay full price because it is what we want and would prefer to cruise less often, than take the chance of not “winning”.

 

Maybe some people live ordinary lives and when they get an upsell they elevate themselves to what they think the elite are.  I have seen this!

 

In closing, all ships, crews, sailings can differ from a to z.   It really is a crapshoot.  
 

I have made dear friends in the Haven and out.  I hope those who meet me give me the benefit of the doubt to get to know me and not just make assumptions. 

Edited August 21, 2023 by DMH15
Typo

[lgdesign]

15 minutes ago, DMH15 said:

I have made dear friends in the Haven and out.  I hope those who meet me give me the benefit of the doubt to get to know me and not just make assumptions. 

What she said!!!  👏

[kismetique]

51 minutes ago, DMH15 said:

So, my point is… I am not embarrased walking down a corridor to avoid lines

While I agree completely... (We are a couple booked in a 2 bedroom suite JUST for the bathroom and separate bedroom from the living area)...I think it's tacky for NCL to parade us past a mile of passengers waiting in the freezing cold to get on the ship. I LOVE the perk of priority embarkation, but maybe they could use an alternative entrance.

 

I don't hide my card, but then I didn't even realize I had a different card until the end of the cruise! 🤣 It had been years since we last sailed.  I don't mind singing the praises of the perks, but I'm not one to lord them over on ppl, and I'm not saying you do... Just that I've encountered some that even went so far as to tell me, "you don't look like you can afford anything but an inside, don't lie to me that you're in a suite, so step aside and let me go first!"  I kid you not!

 

[Russiamomm]

4 minutes ago, kismetique said:

While I agree completely... (We are a couple booked in a 2 bedroom suite JUST for the bathroom and separate bedroom from the living area)...I think it's tacky for NCL to parade us past a mile of passengers waiting in the freezing cold to get on the ship. I LOVE the perk of priority embarkation, but maybe they could use an alternative entrance.

 

I don't hide my card, but then I didn't even realize I had a different card until the end of the cruise! 🤣 It had been years since we last sailed.  I don't mind singing the praises of the perks, but I'm not one to lord them over on ppl, and I'm not saying you do... Just that I've encountered some that even went so far as to tell me, "you don't look like you can afford anything but an inside, don't lie to me that you're in a suite, so step aside and let me go first!"  I kid you not!

 

I agree on the walking past the lines, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.  We were in a 2BR Haven last September on the Joy.  The line to clear immigration in Portland literally spanned the length of the ship.  We were walked past the entire line to cut in front of everyone to speak with the DHS agent.  We got some smirks and heard some nasty comments, but the ship was not in a position to have a separate Haven exit to clear immigration.  
 

On the comment you got, there are no words.  It reminds me of being avoided at a BMW dealer a few years back.  Apparently based solely on my cut off jeans and a t-shirt they didn’t think I was able to afford the car and totally ignored me.  After 20 minutes I took myself to the Audi dealer.  They treated me like a queen.  I wrote them a check for the car that same day.  😂

[DCGuy64]

I guess one of the things in life is you can't (or shouldn't) assume things without prior knowledge. My wife and I save a lot of money by finding discounts on things and also I squirrel away whatever I make as a singer into my travel savings account. We can afford to fly business class some of the time thanks to that, but we always look around on the plane and say to each other "when are they gonna find out we're not supposed to be here?" LOL I know there are people who don't think twice about flying first class all of the time, but we never, ever lord things over on people. It's just classless. We still feel weird on MSC in the Yacht Club when they escort us everywhere.

[Two Wheels Only]

53 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

The line to clear immigration in Portland literally spanned the length of the ship.  We were walked past the entire line to cut in front of everyone to speak with the DHS agent.  We got some smirks and heard some nasty comments, but the ship was not in a position to have a separate Haven exit to clear immigration.  

 

If anyone had a problem and made nasty comments, that is a negative aspect of them, not of you nor NCL.

 

Those people are the same type that complains that the people in first class shouldn't take up so much space on a plane with those wider seats and more legroom.

[Russiamomm]

2 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

If anyone had a problem and made nasty comments, that is a negative aspect of them, not of you nor NCL.

 

Those people are the same type that complains that the people in first class shouldn't take up so much space on a plane with those wider seats and more legroom.

I agree.  We’ve worked hard our entire lives to be able to afford this.  It’s only in recent years we’ve been able to afford to travel in anything other than coach.  I don’t feel guilty, but do continue to feel awkward sometimes.   😃

[DMH15]

2 hours ago, kismetique said:

While I agree completely... (We are a couple booked in a 2 bedroom suite JUST for the bathroom and separate bedroom from the living area)...I think it's tacky for NCL to parade us past a mile of passengers waiting in the freezing cold to get on the ship. I LOVE the perk of priority embarkation, but maybe they could use an alternative entrance.

 

I don't hide my card, but then I didn't even realize I had a different card until the end of the cruise! 🤣 It had been years since we last sailed.  I don't mind singing the praises of the perks, but I'm not one to lord them over on ppl, and I'm not saying you do... Just that I've encountered some that even went so far as to tell me, "you don't look like you can afford anything but an inside, don't lie to me that you're in a suite, so step aside and let me go first!"  I kid you not!

 

If someone said that to me I would smile and say in my sweet, Sothern drawl, my brother’s favorite response to stupid questions, “Really”?  It is neither affirmative or negative and that gets their goat. 

[DMH15]

2 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

I agree on the walking past the lines, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.  We were in a 2BR Haven last September on the Joy.  The line to clear immigration in Portland literally spanned the length of the ship.  We were walked past the entire line to cut in front of everyone to speak with the DHS agent.  We got some smirks and heard some nasty comments, but the ship was not in a position to have a separate Haven exit to clear immigration.  
 

On the comment you got, there are no words.  It reminds me of being avoided at a BMW dealer a few years back.  Apparently based solely on my cut off jeans and a t-shirt they didn’t think I was able to afford the car and totally ignored me.  After 20 minutes I took myself to the Audi dealer.  They treated me like a queen.  I wrote them a check for the car that same day.  😂

I love it.  
 

It is 2023.  Wake up people.  Judge not or lest be judged.  It is no longer easy to judge a book by its cover.   
 

My favorite scene in Pretty Woman is the shopping scene and Julia Robers asks “do you remember me”?

[DMH15]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I guess one of the things in life is you can't (or shouldn't) assume things without prior knowledge. My wife and I save a lot of money by finding discounts on things and also I squirrel away whatever I make as a singer into my travel savings account. We can afford to fly business class some of the time thanks to that, but we always look around on the plane and say to each other "when are they gonna find out we're not supposed to be here?" LOL I know there are people who don't think twice about flying first class all of the time, but we never, ever lord things over on people. It's just classless. We still feel weird on MSC in the Yacht Club when they escort us everywhere.

That’s awesome.  Keeps us humble.  And grateful.  
 

I am frugal and use coupons.  I own clothing, purses and jewelry I watched until they were marked half-off.  And I splurge on things I choose too.  Like travel.  I miss the good old days of America West / US Air where I used my miles for upgrades on inexpensive fares.  Those were the days.  
 

I have done YC once.  Loved it. 

[Ozzieru1e]

2 hours ago, kismetique said:

While I agree completely... (We are a couple booked in a 2 bedroom suite JUST for the bathroom and separate bedroom from the living area)...I think it's tacky for NCL to parade us past a mile of passengers waiting in the freezing cold to get on the ship. I LOVE the perk of priority embarkation, but maybe they could use an alternative entrance.

 

I don't hide my card, but then I didn't even realize I had a different card until the end of the cruise! 🤣 It had been years since we last sailed.  I don't mind singing the praises of the perks, but I'm not one to lord them over on ppl, and I'm not saying you do... Just that I've encountered some that even went so far as to tell me, "you don't look like you can afford anything but an inside, don't lie to me that you're in a suite, so step aside and let me go first!"  I kid you not!

 

Wow…the nerve of some people‼️ You can’t judge a book by its cover.  I use to be Seven Stars from gambling in Atlantic City & use to get looks from some (quite often clerks working in the establishment) that I couldn’t be Seven Stars❗️ Some are better at managing their finances and can treat theirselves to gifts they want from time to time…you don’t have to be rich.

[Smitheroo]

On 6/5/2023 at 11:50 AM, LrgPizza said:

I didn't put my Username in the title, but I did refer to myself in 3rd person, so you know this is important stuff right here...

 

I have always been a never-Haven cruiser, and I just spent a week of Haven on the NCL Joy.  Here are my thoughts on the whole “once you go Haven, you’ll never go back” movement.

 

We originally booked a standard balcony cabin. To my surprise, my husband placed a bid on a Haven Forward-Facing Penthouse with Balcony. The bid was barely into the “Fair” category, which is orange on the little pie chart bid thing.  The very next day, he was notified it was accepted.  Our cabin was a two-room front corner thing, with a balcony off the living room area and a forward-facing porthole off the bedroom.  We were on Deck 10, so not in the actual Haven space.

 

Our cabin was fantastic.  We loved everything about it.  There was so much storage space that I could have brought every article of clothing, purse, shoes etc. that I own.  There was way more storage just in the bathroom alone than in my own bathroom at home.  I think we used about 1/10 of the storage space in this cabin.  The bed was comfortable, the shower was spacious, there was a tub we never used, and a separate mirrored, seated vanity area. (Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures of the cabin. We aren’t really picture people. There are lots of pictures out there already.

 

We met our butler, Xolani, on the very first day.  I never saw him again the entire cruise, which was fine, because I really didn’t need anything from him.  I called him once because the hair dryer was broken. After 2 days, I mentioned it to my outstanding cabin steward, Cleward, who immediately got me a new one, and had an electrical person install it. (Which I call “plugging it in.”)    I had often read about requesting specific snacks to have in the cabin.  We really aren’t snackers, and don’t spend much time in the cabin, but that first day Xolani asked us if we wanted any special snacks.  My husband asked for chocolate chip cookies, and my son asked for pretzel rolls. I couldn’t think of anything, so I passed.   This was on Sunday.  On Tuesday, a plate appeared with white chocolate macadamia and oatmeal raisin cookies. We never saw a chocolate chip cookie.  No big deal, because if my husband wanted some, there were plenty to be found on board.  On Wednesday, my son was brought some pretzel rolls.  That was the only time.  This wasn’t what we had expected to happen with the stories we had read here, but again, we aren’t really snackers, and if we were, there are plenty to be found around the ship, in the Haven’s Horizon lounge or the regular observation lounge. We were also brought some little sandwich things that looked gross. They always had potato chips with them which were soggy from having been enclosed with the sandwiches.

 

I think someone named Patrick was the concierge. He greeted us in the waiting area of the terminal before boarding.  After that, I don’t think we saw him until disembarking. There was a man named Mr. X who was always behind the concierge desk, who was handy if we had any questions, or when we needed to move a reservation.  It really was no different than going to the box office, but I can see how it would be convenient if you have lots of changes and things to coordinate between dining and shows.

 

The Haven restaurant is often described as the best part of the Haven, and we agree, even after it got off to a bad service start. The food was spectacular.  I ate dinner there 3 times, lunch 6 times, and breakfast 3 times.  When we arrived for our first meal there (dinner on embarkation day), they were trying very hard to divert people to Q the smokehouse to dine for free.  We declined and were seated immediately. The place was about 2/3 full.  We waited over 20 minutes for someone to stop by and say anything to us.  After we had finished our appetizers and had plates cleared, it was over an hour before our entrees arrived, or before anyone even stopped by to check on us.  By the time we finished our entrees, we had already been there nearly 2.5 hours, so we skipped out before being offered dessert. It was our first night at sea, and we had other things to do.  That first night, I had the surf & turf, and my meal was delicious. My son had the pork loin scallopini.  It comes with spaetzle, a mushroom sauce, and some veggies. He asked them to hold the veggies. They held absolutely everything except the tiny dry portion of pork. We had a chuckle at this. He just headed to the buffet for more food later, so no big deal. He didn’t want to risk waiting another hour for them to fix it.  Interestingly, this was the only time our service was bad in the Haven restaurant, and we never saw that waiter again the entire cruise.  While we quickly learned that special requests often would not be granted, we learned to adjust.  Some examples: The mini buffet has all the fixings for lox & bagel except the bagels, so I made mine on plain bread the first day. The next day, I asked if I could get a bagel, but it never arrived, so I think the answer was no?  It was not a big deal, because I would get lox and bagels in the regular Garden Café buffet.  Further, my son asked for apple juice for lunch, since he does not drink soda or alcohol. He was told no, they can only get it at breakfast, so he just drank water every meal.  One dinner he asked for pretzel rolls. He was told no, because “those are only in the lounge.”  He apologized for asking.  I asked for broccolini (a listed side on the menu) instead of spinach with my surf and turf.  It didn’t happen, so I just ignored the spinach…   Anyway, while it was certainly a learning experience for us regarding special requests, we really enjoyed all the food that we did eat.  On the very last day, my son asked for 2 lobster tails instead of the steak part of surf and turf.  They did indeed accommodate him, so I was happy he was brave enough to make another request.

 

The other thing we liked about the Haven was having a place to chill out away from the crowds.  It rained quite a bit on the cruise, and when we could not find space outside on the deck 8 Waterfront, we could always find space in the upper level lounge chairs around the pool area. This is not an area we would typically spend any time, because there is no view of the ocean from the Haven Courtyard, and we like to see the ocean when we cruise, but it was great when no outside space could be found on rainy days. We never used the Haven pool. It was packed with kids the entire trip.  We were not bothered by this in the slightest, but we heard many others complaining.  I found a hidden plastic duck near a stair rail and I tossed it to the kids in the Haven pool.  They loved it. 

 

The Horizon lounge (the observation lounge for Haven guests) was cozy, but there is no bar. The same with the sun deck. There is such a tiny bar for the entire Haven area, and it just cannot keep up.  While servers would generally come around the various areas, it was usually half an hour to get a drink.  Since we were not actually staying in the Haven, we would stop and grab drinks elsewhere before heading there.

 

We found there to be lots of demanding and entitled people in the Haven.  While there are demanding and entitled people everywhere, I always imagined it would be more highly concentrated in the Haven, and my expectations were certainly met.  I called these people “letter-writers”, because these seemed like people that would send those lengthy letters prior to boarding requesting the sun and the moon be delivered to them, and don’t forget the white gloves. I found myself sitting at bars and places with the key card upside down because I didn’t want anyone to know. We had priority boarding on the ferry from the ship to St. Georges.  As we were paraded past the giant line of other cruisers, I felt embarrassed.   I would love to call out so many people specifically, and maybe I will later, but I am sure that many will recognize themselves here, so for now I will refrain.  It just made me uncomfortable.  There were also lots of normal, fun people in the Haven, but you had to really look for them. We made some great new friends. 

 

My overall impressions of the Haven are mixed.  I can take it or leave it.  I loved the cabin. I loved the restaurant.  We will probably place a bid in the “fair” category again in the future, but I cannot imagine ever booking it directly. We had an absolutely fabulous cruise, and can't wait to sail again.  This one was a blast, but it had nothing really to do with the Haven.

I didnt read all the comments nor did I quote your entire post but I read it all and  much of what you reported are the reasons I would not be interested in the Haven.  First off, I could never afford it and I dont know enough about bidding yet.  I dont go to sea to stay in accommodations that make me feel like I am in a condo.  I like inside cabins, I feel like a sailor but I agree that a balcony cabin at the right time of year would be a very nice splurge.   I started out on ships in the 60's where the masses were in cabins with bunk beds and the bathroom was down the hall. And everyone was assigned to a dining room with a set table and sitting.  Corridors like on the Titanic. Then I experienced the QM2 about 10 years ago and really appreciated a private bathroom.  I would dismiss the butler as soon as I got to my cabin.  I think it was on a QM2 forum where someone said a butler will "draw your bath". Ugh.  It doesnt bother me that my inside cabin is not made up twice a day and there are no towel animals. I agree that if you are in a cabin where beds need to be pulled down, that does require assistance by bedtime.  On my last two cruises I told the room stewards to just make sure there are towels and empty the trash. I can take care of my bed. (and I tipped xtra at the end)  If you are in a group and like to have small parties or Happy Hours in your cabin I can see the advantage of a larger cabin. But a solo traveler or a couple- nah.    I laughed when you said you felt embarassed when you, as a Haven guest, were escorted past the ordinary folk.  Same here.  I dont need to be able to ask for endless substitutions at my meals and I found the servers in the Main Dining Rooms to be extremely pleasant and efficient, as was the crew everywhere we went.  While I couldn't  stand an entitled attitude, I dont fault anyone who prefers the Haven.  To each his own as the expression goes.

[kismetique]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

It's just classless.

Agree 100%!

[Russiamomm]

12 minutes ago, DMH15 said:

That’s awesome.  Keeps us humble.  And grateful.  
 

I am frugal and use coupons.  I own clothing, purses and jewelry I watched until they were marked half-off.  And I splurge on things I choose too.  Like travel.  I miss the good old days of America West / US Air where I used my miles for upgrades on inexpensive fares.  Those were the days.  
 

I have done YC once.  Loved it. 

Right there with you!  My mother could squeeze a dime until it screamed,  she thought me well.  Although I can now afford not to, I still shop the specials at the grocery stores and buy most of my clothes at WalMart, Costco or thrift stores.  Our kids tease me about it.  But I like to think that years of being careful with our money has paid off.  We can now afford to spend what we’ve saved on the things that really matter.  Helping out the kids, spoiling our grandson and cruising well and often.  😂.

And I hear you on the airfares!  I remember the days you could upgrade to first class on an international flight for 15,000 miles.  Those days are long gone.  (I’m still too cheap to pay outright for first class air.)