Worthwhile Indulgences

[Beee]

It seems so bizarre that it is cheaper from aus to go via akl yet from nz it was cheaper to go via syd - ridiculous!
I hate being trapped in a plane so sucked it up and paid the higher cost to go direct akl-lax, lax-hnl, hnl-akl. $8000 for 3 adults thinking that for dec there wouldn't be any deals so bought beginning of april once plans were set. Of course if I had waited a month I'd have saved a grand I've never been a good gambler!

Anyway great questions and its been an interesting read for me going on our first proper international holiday.

So far we've splurged on disneyland hotel, a few character meals and I was umming and aahing over the fantasmic dessert seating so great to hear people think that's worthwhile.

will let you know if theres been any regrets when we get home, hopefully not!

 

[Melbourne5]

I like to ensure we always have something that's not disclosed before we go. So it adds to the bigger surprise. Sometimes big, sometimes small.

A trip to the baseball in our first visit, a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon , instead of the 12 hr bus trip on our 2nd trip, tickets to priscilla on broadway for our third trip and Neil diamond tickets for our most recent trip.

Happy wife happy life....(and kids too)

 

[zanzibar138]

1: When deciding how to treat yourself, what luxuries do you find the easiest to justify and why?

I'm always happy to splash out a little on 'experiences'. For example, on our trip to the US, we included the mule trek at the Grand Canyon. It was $800 for 2 people for 1 night, but what an incredible experience that we will never forget! As a less extreme example, in San Fran we decided it was worth the extra to do the night time tour of Alcatraz instead of just the day tour - was so beautiful watching the sun set over the city skyline

I also don't mind splashing out a bit on accommodation if it's a special occasion. For our honeymoon we stayed at a luxury resort in Vietnam in an ocean front villa with private pool - it was just magical (and the only time on the whole trip that I actually swam!). Also splashed out on the DL Hotel in HK (which incidentally, was more than our villa with private pool just for a basic room ), but it was absolutely worth it! We took full advantage though by spending lots of time at the hotel, mainly sitting in the grand lobby listening to the pianist or watching the character interactions, accompanied by a cocktail each of course.

Having said that, I've never really 'got' club or concierge level rooms and would never be able to justify paying the ridiculous extra amount for the priviledge... each to their own. I'm also happy to fly economy. I know that flying is never going to be an enjoyable part of the holiday, so I'm not willing to part with the extra cash. But if I can upgrade with points - I'm in


2: Do you have any little indulgences that you will now always find a way to justify?

See above - experiences. Also to an extent, paying extra for convenience, like getting the WOC dining package at DLR instead of having to worry about rushing to get fastpasses in the morning.


3: Lastly, have you ever 'splashed out' on holiday and regretted it.

Never!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

1: When deciding how to treat yourself, what luxuries do you find the easiest to justify and why?

I'm always happy to splash out a little on 'experiences'. For example, on our trip to the US, we included the mule trek at the Grand Canyon. It was $800 for 2 people for 1 night, but what an incredible experience that we will never forget! As a less extreme example, in San Fran we decided it was worth the extra to do the night time tour of Alcatraz instead of just the day tour - was so beautiful watching the sun set over the city skyline

That would be so cool. Alcatraz was the highlight for me of San Fran, but I don't think they offered a night tour when I went.
When we went to the Grand Canyon, we too splashed out on a unique experience. We flew to the quiet North Rim and some local ranch owners took us for a tour of the canyon including a cowboy lunch and some clay shooting. When I think back on the experience with fondness, it's not the canyon itself that impressed me, but the local cowboy's passion for story-telling. For hours we were entertained with tales of canyon pioneers, prickly pear cactus, and native wildlife. I can still remember one quote as if it was yesterday... "Y'all watch out for 'em Rattlesnakes and Scorpians. There's lots of dangerous critters in 'em hills".

I also don't mind splashing out a bit on accommodation if it's a special occasion. For our honeymoon we stayed at a luxury resort in Vietnam in an ocean front villa with private pool - it was just magical (and the only time on the whole trip that I actually swam!). Also splashed out on the DL Hotel in HK (which incidentally, was more than our villa with private pool just for a basic room ), but it was absolutely worth it! We took full advantage though by spending lots of time at the hotel, mainly sitting in the grand lobby listening to the pianist or watching the character interactions, accompanied by a cocktail each of course.

That place in Vietnam sounds beautiful. I'd love to get to Vietnam one day

Having said that, I've never really 'got' club or concierge level rooms and would never be able to justify paying the ridiculous extra amount for the priviledge... each to their own. I'm also happy to fly economy. I know that flying is never going to be an enjoyable part of the holiday, so I'm not willing to part with the extra cash. But if I can upgrade with points - I'm in

If you're ever in Auckland, try upgrading to the clubrooms at The Langham. Then you'll get it. The 2 hours + of coctktails and delicious canapes is almost enough on it's own for me to justify the upgrade.



2: Do you have any little indulgences that you will now always find a way to justify?

See above - experiences. Also to an extent, paying extra for convenience, like getting the WOC dining package at DLR instead of having to worry about rushing to get fastpasses in the morning.

I agree. I think it's the same way I would justify express passes at Universal.


3: Lastly, have you ever 'splashed out' on holiday and regretted it.

Never!

Edited: Bother, I tried responding to each part in red, but for some reason it didn't work. My respones have COLOR written around them.
I need to download the Disboard App for my IPad, because using my iPad to navigate the actual website is proving challenging.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

It seems so bizarre that it is cheaper from aus to go via akl yet from nz it was cheaper to go via syd - ridiculous!
I hate being trapped in a plane so sucked it up and paid the higher cost to go direct akl-lax, lax-hnl, hnl-akl. $8000 for 3 adults thinking that for dec there wouldn't be any deals so bought beginning of april once plans were set. Of course if I had waited a month I'd have saved a grand I've never been a good gambler!

Anyway great questions and its been an interesting read for me going on our first proper international holiday.

So far we've splurged on disneyland hotel, a few character meals and I was umming and aahing over the fantasmic dessert seating so great to hear people think that's worthwhile.

will let you know if theres been any regrets when we get home, hopefully not!

Not long now till you go. How exciting!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Happy wife happy life....(and kids too)

I like your way of thinking