ok. so we got our estimates and mine is exactly what i wanted it to be, but as carlo moved into a higher tax bracket and doesn't receive some of the offsets he used to, his return is 3 times less than i expected/needed it to be.
we've also been really lax with saving, and i've been lax with dieting/exercise (read: none) and so now i've fallen into that pit of despair and i'm suddenly rethinking our trip.
the cruise we're doing on the fantasy is $$$ expensive. we've chosen a really, really nice cabin at a really expensive time of year, and we're planning on doing a lot of optional extras. flying from lax - mco that week is also crazy ridiculous in terms of price (can i hear thanksgiving week anyone) so it's costing us mucho dinero.
so...
i was browsing, checking my options, as you do and i stumbled upon a different cruise... still
dcl, but out of galveston on the magic. a deal they're running for verandah staterooms at oceanview room prices. would save us approx $1500. then i checked the flights. direct from lax - hou would be no problem, the timing works, and each flight is approx $80 cheaper per person, each way. so that's another $320 in savings right there. no
castaway cay, and it's on the older magic instead of the new fantasy, but the $$$ savings are pretty nice...
but it would mean having to pay oop for the hotel the night before the cruise, and cruise transfers (included in the price for the fantasy cruise), and we would have to give up on seeing castaway cay, the new ship and the plans we'd made with our FE group and dismeet...
so we decided to stick with our original fantasy cruise which has been paid in full... just means that we have to buckle down in the next 4 months and really be vigilant around money and trying to save a few pennies so that we have some spending money for this trip.
carlo wants something romantic and special. and right now all i can see is effort and planning and scrounging and scrimping and having to diet like crazy to fit into nicer clothes...
this holiday better be worth it