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Unexpected travel adjustments needed. Finding a path. What would you do?


bbtbear
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A couple years ago my stepdad and mom had finally retired and he started having some pain in his neck when he was on vacation fly fishing. It turns out he had a broken neck. Lung cancer had spread to his bones and was a gravely sick man. About a year later, my real dad started having trouble breathing. Gall bladder cancer (very rare and asymptomatic almost until it killed him) had spread to his lungs. He, too, was a very sick man.

 

As our dads both went through cancer treatment and passed away within 2 weeks of each other in late February, early March, my sister and I started planning a vacation together. For us it was something to look forward to in a time of deep darkness in our lives when our hearts were too heavy to lift off the ground. A Carnival cruise out of New Orleans to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel, arriving back in New Orleans just in time to stick around for a week and experience Mardi Gras. The vacation of a lifetime.

 

As we went along, I planned everything, soup to nuts. I wanted us to have the most decadent, joyful adventure together. We've never had the opportunity to travel together as adults, and we both just went through a deeply sad couple of years. We started planning when our dads were still alive, but it turns out that the anniversaries of their deaths will fall while my sister and I are together on our vacation.

 

I definitely went overboard when planning, as you'll see if you keep reading. I signed us up for, and paid for, every single thing the Carnival Dream (and New Orleans at Mardi Gras!) had to offer that looked amazing to me. I paid for much more of the vacation than my sister did because I just wanted everything and I wanted her to have everything, too. For the record, until this weekend, everything was paid for. I was just saving up spending money for a vacation in late February. I was in great shape.

 

And then my sister called me.

 

They got hit with a huge personal tax bill this year and she wants to cancel the New Orleans/Mardi Gras part of our vacation so she doesn't have to put any of this vacation on a credit card when they're trying to pay off a big tax debt. Totally understandable, but put me in a bit of a tailspin trying to figure out what to do.

 

I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to stay on in New Orleans whether my sister could or not. I am greatly looking forward to that part of our plans and don't want to give any of it up. I am going to start looking to see if a friend or my mom can come down and spend Mardi Gras in NOLA with me because I'd feel more safe with someone with me than alone. But I was going to spend 2 days alone there anyway, so if that turns into 5 days, I'm sure it will still be all kinds of amazing.

 

But in terms of finances, my sister was going to owe about $675 for the hotel in New Orleans. With her not coming, I need to make up at least part of that money by making some changes to the rest of our trip. There's plenty that can be shaved off and still have a wonderful vacation. But the question is... what? What stays in the plan and what goes?

 

So, sorry it took a long time to get to this question. I wanted to make sure you had the context about what this vacation is and why. But I'm curious. If you were me, what changes might you make to the plans I laid out below to make up some of that money? I don't need to make up for all $675. But I am going to carve some activities away to bring the expense down. I think I know what I'm going to do, but I'd like to know if any of you have good advice based on the following list of add on expenses that I could possibly do away with:

 

·Spa $758 total. massage and facial. Mani/pedis for both, Thelassotherapy/spa passes fpr both.

·Faster to the Fun $89.95

·Steakhouse $70 +tip

·Chef’s Table $218.50 +$75 for 2 bottles of good wine

·Cheers! Drink package $418.20

·Excursions

$239.98 Belize Lamanai Ruins excursion

$209.98 Roatan Jungle ATV excursion

$200 Cozumel snorkeling

·Grandstand Tickets Bacchus Parade in NOLA $150.00

·Swampboat tour/lunch/plantations tour $175

·Cajun cooking lesson $150

·Steamboat Dixieland Jazz dinner cruise $75

 

What do you think? What would you do?

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First thing I would cut are the grandstand tickets for the parade (I know cruises pretty well but I know New Orleans better). You’ll have more fun by the street mingling with other revelers and you’ll have a better chance at catching throws.

 

 

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I would cut Faster to the Fun and the Chef’s Table. Curious to why you added 2 bottles of wine when you can bring one per person on board and you have the Cheers package. plus wine is included in the Chef’s Table meal.

 

Melissa

 

You can bring wine, but you have to buy it somewhere. I had that money budgeted for it. I was going to bring wine because I'd read the included wine isn't very good and it seemed like it would take too much effort to get bar drinks with the Cheers package for that meal. I was going to bring some good wine along.

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First thing I would cut are the grandstand tickets for the parade (I know cruises pretty well but I know New Orleans better). You’ll have more fun by the street mingling with other revelers and you’ll have a better chance at catching throws.

 

 

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Thanks for the advice!

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If I try were me, I would cut out the drinks package...that is over $400 towards what you are needing. We don't drink, so that one would be my choice. Have fun, enjoy the spa and fabulous dinners! $400 is a big chunk of change!

 

I probably would, too, but my sister is a drinker. I think that with the coffees, bottled water, etc. that are included in this, it probably won't be a huge upgrade from what I'd pay a la carte, but my sister will definitely save money this way.

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I would cut the mani/pedi if not part of a package deal. I usually have this done as a pre-cruise task. Ran out of time once and scheduled for first evening on the ship instead. Was not worth it in my experience. Most I've ever spent and was probably worst mani/pedi I've ever received. If there's not enough time to get this done before the cruise, I would do it myself.

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First, I am not a regular Carnival cruiser, but I would first cut out the faster to the fun. You will get to the fun pretty fast without any additional expense.

 

A large part of the expense is the spa and treatments. I am all for a great massage. You could keep the pampering or you could arrange spa time on land and save a bunch. Or keep the spa treatments and give up the therapy pool and stone chairs. Weather will be nice and it is so much nicer to be on deck.

 

For the excursions in port. Look for an independent tour and you should be able to shave off a bit.

 

Remember...you can always make more money. You can't always make more memories. Perhaps you can even shave off enough to treat your sis to the days in NOLO.

 

Whatever you decide, have a blast with your sister.

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My heart goes out to you and your sister. I am so impressed at your finding joy during hard times. It is such a difficult decision when the reality of finances come into play during an emotionally charged trip.

 

Knowing the goal of this trip for you, below are my thoughts:

 

- I would cancel the facials and mani/pedis at the spa. I, just personally, love to already have my nails and toes looking beautiful before the start of my trips. It has become a feel-good pre-cruise ritual. There will still be a cost to get them done on land, but it will be cheaper. Facials are amazing, but I prefer a massage to feel more decadent and spoiled. I think keeping the massages and spa passes will still REALLY give you the 'spa' experience while cutting costs.

 

- You could do either the steakhouse or the chef's table. Have one really special night.

 

- You don't mention if you booked your excursions through the cruise line or independently, but based on pricing I would bet it's through the cruise line. I believe other posters may advise you to book independently and save money, but I'm of two minds about it. Sure, you could save money, but if it creates additional stress to book independently, than it may not be worth it. This sounds like a trip to indulge and take it easy and sometimes (even if it doesn't make sense to everyone else) the easier, more expensive choice is the best.

 

- The drink packages may be an option to eliminate. I've seen threads on here about how to evaluate if they're worth it - you may try that and find you can save some money there... Or not, the package is great for some!

 

I haven't been to NOLA, but everything you selected there sounds amazing. Others will have to help with that.

 

I have never had a cruise not feel indulgent... Someone else is cooking, cleaning, making my bed; I love it. Whatever you do, it sounds like you'll be focusing on joy and healing - after your losses, that in itself will be decadent.

 

I hope you and your sister have a ball!

 

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Wow! What a great trip for the two of you. So sorry for your loss!

 

I've done the Dream from NOLA twice. It's my favorite city to cruise from, well, because it's my favorite city!

 

I've never been there for Mardi Gras, so I'll only comment on what I'd cut from the cruise.

 

I absolutely love having the spa pass ( i think it's about $250 for two for a week) but i was not impressed with the other spa offerings, so I'd cut the massage, mani/pedi etc. That would save a you a bunch.

 

Also, I've never understood FTTF although people swear by it. In 11 cruises, I never had a reason to go to Guest services and we have never had a line for embarkation. So that could save you some more.

 

You definitely don't need to bring or buy wine if you have Cheers.

 

Just my $.02! Have a great trip. Seize the day. We don't know what tomorrow brings!

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Remember...you can always make more money. You can't always make more memories. Perhaps you can even shave off enough to treat your sis to the days in NOLO.

 

Whatever you decide, have a blast with your sister.

 

The first thing I did was offer to pay for the whole thing, but she said she didn't want that. I'd do it in a heartbeat, though! Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions!

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My heart goes out to you and your sister. I am so impressed at your finding joy during hard times. It is such a difficult decision when the reality of finances come into play during an emotionally charged trip.

 

Knowing the goal of this trip for you, below are my thoughts:

 

- I would cancel the facials and mani/pedis at the spa. I, just personally, love to already have my nails and toes looking beautiful before the start of my trips. It has become a feel-good pre-cruise ritual. There will still be a cost to get them done on land, but it will be cheaper. Facials are amazing, but I prefer a massage to feel more decadent and spoiled. I think keeping the massages and spa passes will still REALLY give you the 'spa' experience while cutting costs.

 

- You could do either the steakhouse or the chef's table. Have one really special night.

 

- You don't mention if you booked your excursions through the cruise line or independently, but based on pricing I would bet it's through the cruise line. I believe other posters may advise you to book independently and save money, but I'm of two minds about it. Sure, you could save money, but if it creates additional stress to book independently, than it may not be worth it. This sounds like a trip to indulge and take it easy and sometimes (even if it doesn't make sense to everyone else) the easier, more expensive choice is the best.

 

- The drink packages may be an option to eliminate. I've seen threads on here about how to evaluate if they're worth it - you may try that and find you can save some money there... Or not, the package is great for some!

 

I haven't been to NOLA, but everything you selected there sounds amazing. Others will have to help with that.

 

I have never had a cruise not feel indulgent... Someone else is cooking, cleaning, making my bed; I love it. Whatever you do, it sounds like you'll be focusing on joy and healing - after your losses, that in itself will be decadent.

 

I hope you and your sister have a ball!

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

Thanks so much for your kind and thoughtful response. Here are a couple factors that influence some of my reactions to your suggestions.

 

The massage and facial are really for me and I'm really looking forward to them. I wanted to do that with my sister, but she isn't comfortable having those kind of treatments. A mani/pedi was the most she could relax into. So I booked those just because it was the only spa treatment we could get together and I wanted to share that decadence with her. I'll probably keep that booking because of this reason, but under other circumstances your suggestion would be a great one.

 

The chef's table is one thing that I do think I'm canceling. It sounds really cool, but $300 for dinner and wine would make up half of my sister's hotel bill and I've already paid for dinner and drinks that night in the main dining room, if you know what I mean! lol! Maybe save that experience for another trip another time.

 

The excursions are booked through Carnival. If I were planning the trip for myself, I'd definitely consider outside vendors, but my sister is much more comfortable with the idea that the ship will be there waiting for us if something goes wrong. :) I probably won't make changes to the excursions, unless it's to cancel one and stay closer to the ship or something.

 

Probably keeping the drink package because it will save my sister money and it will save me hassle. lol. I'm honest.

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Wow! What a great trip for the two of you. So sorry for your loss!

 

I've done the Dream from NOLA twice. It's my favorite city to cruise from, well, because it's my favorite city!

 

I've never been there for Mardi Gras, so I'll only comment on what I'd cut from the cruise.

 

I absolutely love having the spa pass ( i think it's about $250 for two for a week) but i was not impressed with the other spa offerings, so I'd cut the massage, mani/pedi etc. That would save a you a bunch.

 

Also, I've never understood FTTF although people swear by it. In 11 cruises, I never had a reason to go to Guest services and we have never had a line for embarkation. So that could save you some more.

 

You definitely don't need to bring or buy wine if you have Cheers.

 

Just my $.02! Have a great trip. Seize the day. We don't know what tomorrow brings!

 

Thanks for your kindness. Faster to the Fun is definitely one of the things I'm thinking of letting go of, as are the wine and the Chef's Table dinner.

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Well, if it were me, and all people are different, I’d have 12 slips of paper with each item on it (including excursions separately) and put them in order of ME/SISTER would enjoy. You already have many people telling you what they would want. All that matters is what the 2 of you would want. Having said that, I love faster to the fun but it’s not that important. Skip the steak house, the MDR is just fine.

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First thing I would cut are the grandstand tickets for the parade (I know cruises pretty well but I know New Orleans better). You’ll have more fun by the street mingling with other revelers and you’ll have a better chance at catching throws.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I hear you about the tickets for Bacchus, but I originally got them for a specific reason. I live in NJ and one time my sister came to visit me and I saw her have a panic attack in Penn Station in New York. The people crowded around her really got to her. So I wanted us to have seats (and a bathroom!) for at least one of the parades so that if she couldn't handle the crowds for the other parades, at least we'd still get to see one.

 

Now that she's not coming, I still lean against getting rid of these tickets is because they were non-refundable, so I'd have sell them on Craig's list or something to get rid of them. Easier to keep them and bring my camera and get amazing photos that night from the grandstand and then go mingle in the crowd and get a bazillion throws for other parades on Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras. :)

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Well, if it were me, and all people are different, I’d have 12 slips of paper with each item on it (including excursions separately) and put them in order of ME/SISTER would enjoy. You already have many people telling you what they would want. All that matters is what the 2 of you would want. Having said that, I love faster to the fun but it’s not that important. Skip the steak house, the MDR is just fine.

 

I love your idea about the slips of paper! :)

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A couple years ago my stepdad and mom had finally retired and he started having some pain in his neck when he was on vacation fly fishing. It turns out he had a broken neck. Lung cancer had spread to his bones and was a gravely sick man. About a year later, my real dad started having trouble breathing. Gall bladder cancer (very rare and asymptomatic almost until it killed him) had spread to his lungs. He, too, was a very sick man.

 

As our dads both went through cancer treatment and passed away within 2 weeks of each other in late February, early March, my sister and I started planning a vacation together. For us it was something to look forward to in a time of deep darkness in our lives when our hearts were too heavy to lift off the ground. A Carnival cruise out of New Orleans to Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel, arriving back in New Orleans just in time to stick around for a week and experience Mardi Gras. The vacation of a lifetime.

 

As we went along, I planned everything, soup to nuts. I wanted us to have the most decadent, joyful adventure together. We've never had the opportunity to travel together as adults, and we both just went through a deeply sad couple of years. We started planning when our dads were still alive, but it turns out that the anniversaries of their deaths will fall while my sister and I are together on our vacation.

 

I definitely went overboard when planning, as you'll see if you keep reading. I signed us up for, and paid for, every single thing the Carnival Dream (and New Orleans at Mardi Gras!) had to offer that looked amazing to me. I paid for much more of the vacation than my sister did because I just wanted everything and I wanted her to have everything, too. For the record, until this weekend, everything was paid for. I was just saving up spending money for a vacation in late February. I was in great shape.

 

And then my sister called me.

 

They got hit with a huge personal tax bill this year and she wants to cancel the New Orleans/Mardi Gras part of our vacation so she doesn't have to put any of this vacation on a credit card when they're trying to pay off a big tax debt. Totally understandable, but put me in a bit of a tailspin trying to figure out what to do.

 

I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to stay on in New Orleans whether my sister could or not. I am greatly looking forward to that part of our plans and don't want to give any of it up. I am going to start looking to see if a friend or my mom can come down and spend Mardi Gras in NOLA with me because I'd feel more safe with someone with me than alone. But I was going to spend 2 days alone there anyway, so if that turns into 5 days, I'm sure it will still be all kinds of amazing.

 

But in terms of finances, my sister was going to owe about $675 for the hotel in New Orleans. With her not coming, I need to make up at least part of that money by making some changes to the rest of our trip. There's plenty that can be shaved off and still have a wonderful vacation. But the question is... what? What stays in the plan and what goes?

 

So, sorry it took a long time to get to this question. I wanted to make sure you had the context about what this vacation is and why. But I'm curious. If you were me, what changes might you make to the plans I laid out below to make up some of that money? I don't need to make up for all $675. But I am going to carve some activities away to bring the expense down. I think I know what I'm going to do, but I'd like to know if any of you have good advice based on the following list of add on expenses that I could possibly do away with:

 

·Spa $758 total. massage and facial. Mani/pedis for both, Thelassotherapy/spa passes fpr both.

·Faster to the Fun $89.95

·Steakhouse $70 +tip

·Chef’s Table $218.50 +$75 for 2 bottles of good wine

·Cheers! Drink package $418.20

·Excursions

$239.98 Belize Lamanai Ruins excursion

$209.98 Roatan Jungle ATV excursion

$200 Cozumel snorkeling

·Grandstand Tickets Bacchus Parade in NOLA $150.00

·Swampboat tour/lunch/plantations tour $175

·Cajun cooking lesson $150

·Steamboat Dixieland Jazz dinner cruise $75

 

What do you think? What would you do?

 

I would cut the Spa ($758) AND The Chef's Table ($300.-ish). Neither one sounds like it will give the value for the cost. IMHO.

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I would cut the Spa ($758) AND The Chef's Table ($300.-ish). Neither one sounds like it will give the value for the cost. IMHO.

 

I agree with you about Chef's table. It's one thing I am probably going to cancel. I may be canceling one of the spa treatments. But I'd never get rid of all of it. I've been daydreaming about it for 14 months lol! :)

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The first thing I did was offer to pay for the whole thing, but she said she didn't want that. I'd do it in a heartbeat, though! Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions!

 

I would insist on her staying in New Orleans with me after the cruise, if I could afford it. I wouldn't have it any other way...I wouldn't give her the option of going home after the cruise. Would you regret not insisting she stay if, heaven forbid, something happened to her in the weeks/months after the cruise? If the answer is yes, then I think you have the answer to your dilemma.

 

Hope y'all have a wonderful time!

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I would keep the spa passes since you can use the T-pool multiple times, and skip the mani-pedi.

 

Much as I enjoy them both, I would skip either the Steakhouse or the Chef's table. Dinner in the dining room is a fun experience and the one special night will be truly special.

 

If you keep the Chef's Table, I would definitely skip the extra wine. What Carnival provides is quite decent and it flows freely.

 

I would skip the excursion in Cozumel. Shop a bit, maybe grab a bite to eat, or grab a taxi to a nearby beach.

 

Alternatively I would skip the excursion in Roatan. There's a free beach at the dock. No taxi needed.

 

You have three long, tiring days in a row. Make one of them somewhat shorter and more relaxing. Get back on the quiet ship earlier and enjoy it without the crowds.

 

You'll have a wonderful time whatever you do.

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I remember reading your 'packing list' thread and know why this trip is so important to you. I am really sorry that fate has thrown another spanner into the works for you! :(

 

Would your sister accept any of these extras as birthday/Christmas gifts from you? Is there anyone else who might also 'chip in' as a gift?

 

Yes, you have already paid for dinners on board the cruise ship and I would second the suggestion to cancel the chef's table. It can make a nice change for seasoned cruisers who have 'been there; done that' but I think it is unnecessary on a first cruise when everything is new and special.

 

$200 for snorkling in Cozumel sounds overly expensive (says she who has never seen to Mexico and has no idea of the usual cost of these things!). Have you looked at the cost of independent providers for this? I understand your point about wanting to save your sister anxiety, but it might be worth considering if it is a relatively short excursion and the ship will be in port for significantly longer.

 

Other than that, I think you should take a good look at how much the extras cost versus the pleasure you will get out of them (and whether any of the cost is refundable). For me the spa passes and treatments would not be value for money but it sounds as if this is something that will give you a lot of pleasure.

 

I hope you find an acceptable plan and are then able to relax and anticipate your lovely cruise.

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I've been on many CCL cruises & have done the western itinerary numerous times. If I were going to cancel an excursion, it would be the one in Belize - of course it's easy for me to say because I'm not in to seeing ruins. I typically stay onboard when in Belize these days.

 

Also, in reference to the spa - you might want to cancel now and book once onboard especially if you're planning to cancel one of the excursions. The spa typically runs specials on port days and I'm sure you could get the package much cheaper then. I've never known the spa to be booked up - as a matter of fact, on embarkation day spa staff are all over the ship trying to get people into the spa.

 

I know that this will be a special trip with your sister. My older sister and I are best friends and cruise together all the time - she's my cruise buddy for sure.

 

I'm sorry for your loss & think that you are amazing for planning this thing out.

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