Now This Is the Way to Celebrate an Anniversary!

Cruises trigger memories of  The Love Boat.
 
I’m a kid on a couch watching a bunch of awkward passengers setting sail, looking for romance and fun. I sit up a little straighter when Captain Stubing  shows up to greet the passengers boarding. He’s a tall man with a commanding presence.  He deserves respect. I mean, really, he’s about to “set a course for adventure,” don’t get the man upset!
 
Cruises also remind me of Saturday Night Fever. You know, John Travolta rockin’ it out with “the point.” Yeah, that move totally reminds me of cruises. The disco-let-loose-vibe makes you feel free.  Doing the electric slide while Julie, the cruise director, is busy making the love boat exciting and new.
 
“Stayin’ Alive, stayin’ alive..ah.ah.ah.ah.stayin’ aliiiiiiiiiiive.” As the cruise sways you side to side and your romance takes you to the dance floor where the grooves are played by a 5 piece band.
 
So many memoires of cruises and yet, I’ve never taken one. What better time than our 8 year anniversary?
 
I boarded my first cruise tonight on the Odyssey Boston, and really, my teen dreams weren’t too far off.

Let me be the first to introduce you to the divine Odyssey in Boston. They have cruises in other big cities, but I went here, because, well, I live here. I never imagined the Love Boat, er, Odyssey to be very big, but she is quite the looker. This is the view as we walk up to meet our ride for the evening.

It didn’t all start this way. I am The Frugalette after all. With a quick check for best prices, I went on Restaurant.com to buy a discounted gift certificate. Move over Captain Stubing, I’m the captain of this saving ship!

More than 50% off a $50 certificate. Why $50 you ask? Why not $100? Good question friends! Keep ‘em coming!
 
When you purchase a discounted gift certificate at Restaurant.com, always check the restrictions and rules. Only parties of 4 or more would be able to redeem $100. While normally, that wouldn’t be a problem for this family of five, I’m booking the evening-after-hours- kids-should-be-asleep-by-now-romance-filled evening cruise. Or, just two of us are going. So $50 off it is!
 
Usually, just print out the certificate, take it to the resturant and Poof! savings earned. For Odyssey, I needed to call in my reservations. When I told them I had a Restaurant.com certificate, I held my breath waiting for resistance…
 
and got a, “Great, do you have that handy for me, I’ll take down the info.” Huh? So, easy and no breath holding required! That’s an easy 36% savings, even after factoring in the price of the certificate.

 
We weren’t quite ready to sit and eat dinner when we boarded. I wanted to explore the decks before it got dark. The whole staff was very encouraging and helpful. They even gave us tips of what to check out.  We found this cozy spot on the lower level and hung out at sea level. Remember, this is your cruise too! Tell Cruise Director Julie McCoy how to direct your night, after all she just wants you to have a good time.
 
Dinner was a luxurious 3 course meal starting with a seafood melange (ooh la la) and ending with…
 

 
Raspberry Mousse in chocolate cups…“stayin alive, stayin alive, ah, ah, ah, ah….”

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by restaurant.com. The 8 year anniversary, reference to TV shows, John Travolta and pics are all mine.
 

The one where I show you my 8 year anniversary @odysseyboston: bit.ly/NKFe3Cvia @thefrugalette@restaurant_com

— Isra(@thefrugalette) August 2, 2012