The Repositioning Cruise, Revisited!

Oh-Emmm-Geeeee I was just checking the prices the other day on the NYC-to-Bangkok flight and the Vancouver-to-Tokyo cruise when the prices converged!  It seemed that for our timeframe, the flights were suddenly looking more like $700 than $500 and then I decided to check on the cruise.  It was down, way down!  About $800 per person!  As in, we could afford it and justify the expense and go back to our enthusiasm about going by land/sea and literally going around the globe.  Woo-hoo!!!  I tried calling the cruise line immediately and their offices were closed.  Oh, yeah, the holidays.  So, there was Christmas and then we were gone a few days at the cabin, then on a fateful Monday between Xmas and New Year’s, I finally reached someone at customer services and talked details and thought about the budget for a fraction of a second and…put in a down payment.  Yes!

And it gets better!  The cruise goes all the way to Shanghai!  That saves me the $1000 two-day trip we were going to take from Japan to Shanghai.  Early forays into airbnb show much friendlier pricing in Shanghai compared to Tokyo when the cruise ends, also we could take the side trip to see the terra cotta warriors from Shanghai as I had researched, before heading to SE Asia.  Also wonderful, the cruise stops in Alaska for a day so we could explore there without paying for a hotel.  Also happily, it stops for 3 days in Japan!  Two in Kobe and one in Tokyo, again with the day trips and no need for hotel.  So we are bagging the 24-hour flight from NYC to Bangkok and we are back to hoping our car will make it to Vancouver about eight months from now.

Yay for concrete plans and driving across the country!  Now to continue to work on the budget, rent out the house, get passports, etc. Did I just say eight months?!?! I gotta sign off!