It's been a hard day.
In case you've been living under a rock for the past 13 hours, here are some of the details:
What IS included with the prices?
- 3 Nights Accommodations onboard Carnival Imagination
- All Meals & Snacks
- Coffee, Tea, Iced Tea & Juices
- 24-Hour Room Service & Pizzeria
- Full Use of Ship Facilities: Three Pools, Whirlpools, Fitness Center, Salon, Spa, Casino, Library, Duty-Free Shopping & all Carnival Events
Private Event Pass which will include:
- NKOTB Welcome Cocktail Party
- NKOTB Experience with all band members
- Full Concert by NKOTB
- Photo Session with NKOTB in small groups
- Question & Answer Session with NKOTB
- Deck Party with NKOTB and DJ
- 2 Additional Deck Parties with DJ's
- Gift Bag with cruise event souvenirs
- Trivia Contest with special prizes
- Karaoke
- Chances to enter other onboard drawings for exclusive NKOTB Event Opportunities!
- Full Access to all of Carnival's activities and facilities!
- VIP Concierge at your service
- Port Charges & Government Taxes
- Transfers from the Airport to the Cruise Ship
- Gratuities for the dining & cabin staff
- Personal expenses such as photos, souvenirs & island tours
- Airfare or Ground Transportation to Miami, Florida
- Sodas, bottled water or alcoholic beverages (except at our 2 on board cocktail parties.)
You know what, kiddies? That's a lot of dough. We could go to 5-10 shows (depending on how many VIP we did) for the amount of money that we would blow in one weekend. As I was telling a friend, it's like eating an entire cake in one sitting, or saving a piece to eat each day of the week. Which one has the better payoff? It's a very personal decision. We intend to do a lot of road tripping this spring/summer, and for us, the cost-benefit analysis of the situation leans heavily in favor of skipping the cruise.
In the past, a lot of you have commented on our ability to have gone to so many shows. You know what the key is?
Fiscal responsibility.
I'm a little bit nervous reading the community boards... All of these women who can't make their mortgage payments, or who are about to lose their jobs to downsizing, or they're not working right now but they're *pretty* sure their husband is okay with them going - if they eat ramen for a year... There are big plans to put it on a credit card and pay for it later.
Honestly? That kind of talk scares me. This cruise is going to be amazing, and I wish that I had enough disposable income right now to do both the cruise and the tour (and pay bills and keep contributing to savings and retirement accounts), but that's just not the way it is. For those of you who can afford to go, I think that's awesome. Please check in with us. We'll be looking for guest bloggers. For those of you who are planning to "have a once in a lifetime experience and pay it off later," I wish you luck.
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15 comments:
I'm sad too:( That "Fiscal responsibility" thing is the reason I'm not going either. Now multiple shows would be awesome (assuming I can get my husband onboard with that idea)
I'm sad too. But as you wrote its about being responsible. For me that means paying off a credit card and saving for the next tour. I am glad we live in a time where we will be able to see pictures and read stories on the internet. - gabby
P.s. I am a big fan of your blog. Found it after the tour was over but can't wait to read your adventures on the next tour. :D
In a way, I"m kind of glad you aren't going. A lot of fans read your blog and I'm glad you are both being responsible. I too find the boards scary. I didn't do VIP the first time around and I've been saving since my show in October to be able to this time around. I was especially bothered by the threads after the first leg of the tour and people were practically bragging about how much they had charged to their credit cards! Now some of those same people are mad at the guys for hosting a pricey event. I even met a girl at my show that had spent $5000 and didn't know how she was going to pay her rent. So far I have half of what I need for summer saved in cash and I am proud that I've done that.
The real question is, how do we make sure the boys perform in FARGO? I think they should perform on the old TPAS stage. The second question, where in Fargo will we host our sweet preshow party?
Kudos to fiscal responsibility - You gals are ok role models.
well written! I love the cake part. I'd rather enjoy our guys one slice at a time. I can afford the cruise, but I don't want to drop that kind of cash over a weekend when I can see them in different cities & get to see this great country at the same time.
p.s. I love your blog =)
Hey girls we are going and we would be more than happy to be guests bloggers. We have been saving since we we walked out the door on the night of the St. Paul concert. Let us know if you want updates from us. We we will be posting updates on our blog too. Check it out. www.nkotbstalkerfest.blogspot.com
Pizza rolls for everyone!
So ummmm Barbie girls... do you think over that weekend we could get a happy hour together for those of us staying in the states?
I totally understand, I can't affor going having a baby on the way :(... i prefer to wait and see if i can go to more shows this time, and get another VIP and Donnie's kiss to let him know he got me pregnant with his magic kiss...
I know I don't know you, and maybe have no right to say this, but I'm proud of you :)
Thats a lot of dough. As a single woman with a mortgage and under 5k in credit card debt I'd like to stay that way.
Close friends and smart too -- thanks for blogging! :)
Gals,
I have to say I am glad to know you kids are not going to starve because of ditching reality and going on the cruise. I second Jewels in that I am proud too!
On the other hand I am kinda bummed since I was depending on your guys to live vicariously through your insanely funny blogs. I hope you find a wonderful guest blogger to live up to your site!
I too found you guys after the tour was over but loved reading all the old posts! Thanks guys!
A standing ovation for your post....ladies! When I saw the prices...I freaked! Your reality post then hit me (cause I actually was trying to figure a way to go) and my hubby actually said “do it” if it is your childhood dream...but I could not bring myself to pay that much for a cruise with 2,000 other women. More five star shows are what I'm after now! Hopefully, we'll meet up this year at some point. Stay warm…I hear it’s frigid up there!
I'm going. I've got travel money saved up and what better to spend it on that an NKOTB cruise. That's why I put in so many hours at work, so that I can use the money to have some fun.
Girls - round of applause. I couldn't have said it better myself.
You & I had the same rationale about the cruise - sail or not sail...that is the question.
I decided not to sail for financial reasons, so I could go to more shows and make this ride last longer, and because I turned down a free cruise at work because the thought of being on a boat without my son didn't jive for me.
Plus, do I really want to fight 2,000 other girls for a 2-minute facetime moment that I paid $1,700 for? And the thought of being in a bathing suit in front of the man I've lusted/adored for half of my life scares me to no end. :)
I envision this little cruise to be like a floating Disney theme park. Everyone is going to be dressed up in their gear, and when the "characters" take a stroll through the park, they will have their handlers with them. A few pictures, a few autographs, and then they go back into their special places. :)
I'll skip, thanks.
Thanks for the comments, everyone. We aren't feeling any non-buyer's remorse. In fact, thanks for helping us feel better about our decision. Solidarity in Responsiblity!
xoxo, Kim and Alexis
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