Pre Day 1 of trip for 2015 adventure

Pre trip 

This trip to the South Pacific started as a joke.  Almost two years ago, Cunard sent me an e-mail about a trip from Los Angeles to the South Pacific and back to Los Angeles.  The fare for the 2014 trip was really inexpensive because it was last minute.  I showed to Neil as a joke and asked him if he wanted to go.  I didn't really thing he would say yes.  He did.  We couldn't go because we were still teaching.

I started investigating the trips for 2015 since we were still teaching .  In January of 2014 I booked the cheapest room for the trip.  We were going.   Excitement!   

In the March of 2014 we were able to book our first train.  We booked a bedroom, complete with its own bathroom, on the Southwest Chief.  We had to wait until May to book  our return train.   When the time came for those tickets, I found that the return trip was more twice the cost as the way out.   Investigation found that we could go from Los Angeles to Emeryville / San Francisco and then San Francisco to Galesburg for less money.  We also could go through the Rocky Mountains.  Booked that.

In July I was checking the Cunard website again for sales.   If you find your voyage on sale, Cunard allows you to request the lower fare.  Our voyage was on sale for $2,000 per ticket less than we had paid.  Our trip was rebooked at the lower fare with the same room etc. and we received free gratuities as well.   After saving all that money, we were able to select and book excursions at each of the ports of call over the next couple of months.  

The hotels were booked in Long Beach, Los Angeles and Emeryville.   We had enough points to book the two Marriott hotels on points....fun.

We began the countdown at 100 days.   We did our hepatitis and typhoid vaccinations, got our Australian visas and kept counting.  We arranged for the suitcase with our formal clothes to be sent through Cunard's White Star Service....FedEx from out house to the ship.

We officially retired on December 16 for a second time.  Not sure if the college has figured it out, but we have.

The real count down began with lists and everything after Christmas.

I put together the trip notebook of tickets, reservations, and the other documentation needed for the trip.  I printed our tickets and the luggage tags for the ship because in my mind they would not give us a free upgrade with the discounts they had already given us.   The next morning I got an email informing us of the first upgrade....an obstructed ocean view room.   Two weeks later I reprinted the tickets....next morning another upgrade to an ocean view room with a real view.  No more upgrades.....although there is still a $43,000 room still available.   Don't think we will get it.

More lists...have to figure to figure out how to pack formal clothes for 12 nights and semi formal clothes for 38 nights.  We also need daytime clothes for the ship, clothes for cold and warm weather and clothes for excursions.   The formal clothes and a few semi formal filled a 34" suitcase...a biggy.  That suitcase will be in our state room when we arrive, thanks to Cunard White Star Service which had FedEx pick it up at our house and shipped to the ship.  The other suitcases get to go with us on the train.  It left for Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 10th.

The last two days were quite busy trying to get anything done.

Sorry no pictures for this entry.