La Salle Explorers

[Jungle Rat]

When is your next cruise?

Believe it or not, we have nothing scheduled (yet.)

Book Soon!!!

[innocentbystander]

When is your next cruise?

Believe it or not, we have nothing scheduled (yet.)

Book Soon!!!

We did. We booked one year in advance, Mediterainian cruise. We do that shit because our family is very organized.

Problem rat is the airfare to Europe. We had no idea it would cost so many thousands of dollars to fly from Arizona to either Venice, Barcelona, or Monte Carlo. We figured maybe $600 per person rountrip, not $1400. Add the airfare to the cruise ticket prices and the spending money and there is no fucking way we are spending five figures on a vacation. Not. Going. To. Happen. So we are backing out on our booking since it wont cost us anything to cancel this early before the summer of 2014.

We'll probably just spend a week on our own silly motorboat down on the lake, spend hundreds instead.

[Jungle Rat]

You didn't know that going in? My point still stands. You are an idiot.

[aTm]

We did. We booked one year in advance, Mediterainian cruise. We do that shit because our family is very organized.

Problem rat is the airfare to Europe. We had no idea it would cost so many thousands of dollars to fly from Arizona to either Venice, Barcelona, or Monte Carlo. We figured maybe $600 per person rountrip, not $1400.

lmao

[innocentbystander]

We did. We booked one year in advance, Mediterainian cruise. We do that shit because our family is very organized.

Problem rat is the airfare to Europe. We had no idea it would cost so many thousands of dollars to fly from Arizona to either Venice, Barcelona, or Monte Carlo. We figured maybe $600 per person rountrip, not $1400.

lmao

I know aTm, foolish us.

(shrugs)

the thing is, I take little peeks at those cheapo websites for cheap airfare to Europe, but then I get spooked because I realize that many of those quotes are just bullshit because there are a bundle of garbage fees added afterwards making it not nearly as affordable. Its way cheaper to go to Hawaii than Europe. You can fly round trip on Allegiant Air from Las Vegas to Honolulu for $400. I could do that. $1400 r/t to Europe? No.

[Jungle Rat]

You are such an idiot

[AlabamAlum]

Heh.

Also, it's way too early for the lowest priced European airfare. There is no motivation for the airlines to go wholesale on prices so far out.

Also, consider leaving from LAX and going to larger airports over there. Monte Carlo and Venice almost never reduce prices the way flights into CDG, and FCO do at 6-8 weeks out. Yes, both would be a train ride, but the countryside in both is gorgeous.

[hedge]

" But the expansion in ship size is worrying safety experts, lawmakers and regulators, who are pushing for more accountability, saying the supersize craze is fraught with potential peril for passengers and crew....."

To me that's the best part...

[innocentbystander]

Heh.

Also, it's way too early for the lowest priced European airfare. There is no motivation for the airlines to go wholesale on prices so far out.

Also, consider leaving from LAX and going to larger airports over there. Monte Carlo and Venice almost never reduce prices the way flights into CDG, and FCO do at 6-8 weeks out. Yes, both would be a train ride, but the countryside in both is gorgeous.

Thanks. Problem is waiting 6 to 8 weeks out, we risk not getting the ticket and I don't think we back out on our cruise booking for full refund. Its a game.

I said to my wife we HAD to leave out of LAX if we were going to Europe. That is pretty much the only affordable airport to Europe, worth driving 400 miles just to catch the plane. Flights to Europe out of Sky Harbour are just ridiculous in price, stupid expensive. LAX to Berlin was only $990 (heh, still way too much) but I would do that and catch a train if we could save $1000 to $2000 collectively.

[hedge]

"Some experts doubt that ships can grow much larger than the current behemoths, marvels of naval engineering that combine the latest technology and entertainment. "

Is the entertainment part really a marvelous component of naval engineering? And although I realize that it's of the foremost importance to the blubberous zombies who infest that spectrum of the vacation travel market, just b/c you can build a ship that can hold 16 tons of bacon (etc), as well as the apparatus to dispose of the inevitable result of its consumption, I don't put that on par with the actual engineering aspects of the vessel....

[hedge]

" worth driving 400 miles just to catch the plane."

400 miles total or 400 miles each way? I would gladly pay an extra $500 if I didn't have to drive 800 miles...

[AlabamAlum]

Didn't realize phx was so far away from lax. 400 is too far.

That said, I will drive from bhm to atl or bna if I can get a direct flight overseas.

[AlabamAlum]

I would rather have a 4 hour drive than a 2 hour layover.

[innocentbystander]

" worth driving 400 miles just to catch the plane."

400 miles total or 400 miles each way? I would gladly pay an extra $500 if I didn't have to drive 800 miles...

400 miles each way.

I would gladly drive 400 miles each way to save $500, but more to the point I am saving way more than that because I am not the only one in the car that is flying international. When you start doing the math, it just makes sense to drive huge distances to fly from A to B internationally, if you are collectively saving big dollars.

When vacationing on the cheap, always look at what you collectively save. Its kind of like college kids going to school in B1G-T(12)N country and driving 1500-2000 miles EACH WAY from Michigan/Wisconsin/Indiana/Illinois to Florida for Spring Break. When you've got 7 of them, all piled up in the mini-van, it just makes sense to get on I-75 and drive 1500 miles to Daytona instead of flying.

[hedge]

" Its kind of like college kids going to school in B1G-T(12)N country and driving 1500-2000 miles EACH WAY from Michigan/Wisconsin/Indiana/Illinois to Florida for Spring Break. When you've got 7 of them, all piled up in the mini-van, it just makes sense to get on I-75 and drive 1500 miles to Daytona instead of flying."

So basically you're saying that when it comes to your vacation plans, you have the budget and the mentality of a college undergrad trying to decide how to pay for spring break. That's kinda sad. But hey, whatever works for you...

[hedge]

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to, nor can I really afford, to throw away money gratuitously. I guess it all comes down to what counts as "gratuitous" at any given point in one's life. But it sounds like what you're saying is that PJ Chang's is gratuitous if there's a Waffle House within 200 miles. I bet you're a blast to vacation with...

[AlabamAlum]

PJ Chang's?

[hedge]

Don't ask...

[hedge]

Maybe I should've said The Cheesecake Factory, which is right beside PJ Chang;'s at the mall in Raleigh, so I just assume that they are equivalent. Crowds of IB's kind line up and wait for hours for the privilege of eating food service noodles and overcooked chicken dishes. But hey, he saved $16, so it's worth it...

[AlabamAlum]

PJ Chang's, huh? I've dined at AppleCee's, Ruby Wednesday, and the Olive Grove. My favorite is the Purple Lobster, though. Will have to try PJ Chang's soon.