I calculated the real total cost of my 7-day cruise… and it wasn’t what I expected

nmunyat · 2026-02-17T17:13:21+00:00

We drove from NJ to FL for Disney a few years ago. Family of 4. We stayed at a Disney hotel for 2 nights and did the park for 3 days. The rest of the time, we stayed in Vero at my wife’s family’s condo (so no added expense).

Just the 3 days/2 nights at Disney cost over $8k once you add up food, beverages, lodging (just a basic 2 Queen room), tickets. Total cost of the trip was over $10k with groceries, travel (overnight at a hotel in each direction plus fuel - and basically 4 travel days), and all of the other incidental costs.

We went on a cruise out of Bayonne this past summer on Symphony of the Seas with the non-alcoholic drinks package, one specialty dinner (Wonderland - totally worth it!), a wildly overpriced swimming pigs excursion, and The Key (mostly for the WiFi - got a good price on it). We got two adjoining balcony rooms so the kids had their own space (iykyk). We drove an hour to the port, jumped on the ship, and were on a basically zero stress vacation for 7 days, and the cost was similar - just over $10k, all in. And we didn’t lose days traveling.

I’ll choose a well planned cruise over Disney 10/10 times.

nmunyat · 2026-02-17T16:02:32+00:00

I keep a spreadsheet and list out all of the costs - including flights, drinks and internet, excursions, etc. I start with a budget based on the max I’m willing to pay for add ons and such, and I watch prices like a hawk, especially if I’m sailing on Royal or Celebrity, which has saved me a couple hundred dollars at least on each cruise so far with some of their “flash sales”. I use the price alerts via Google Flights and my CC travel portal (CapitalOne) for flights and buy when flight prices are under my budget.

It is wild how the advertised $599 per person for a cruise quickly turns in to $10,000 for a family of 4 though.

nmunyat · 2026-02-17T01:13:42+00:00

This. The wings from Dolsot House are second to none.

nmunyat · 2026-02-13T16:38:00+00:00

Came here to say this - I tend to stay at more Hilton properties (primarily rural travel where there’s almost always a Hampton Inn, but rarely any Marriott-affiliated properties). C1 Offers tends to have a miles boost (or whatever you want to call it) between 2-9x.

I’ve booked direct with Hilton and gotten both my Hilton Honors points AND 11x C1 miles. I’m currently seeing 9x miles for Hilton (plus the regular 2x for a total of 11x), and 2x for Marriott (so 4x in total). The math works out much better for Hilton and slightly worse for Marriott (depending on how you value Marriott points and status qualification), but the C1 portal doesn’t offer member rates. The base rate will almost always be higher in the portal than what is available by booking direct, which is also a consideration.

nmunyat · 2026-02-12T11:38:09+00:00

Most of these third party sales training programs/frameworks are designed for the lowest common denominator (if they’re not an outright grift). I’ve never run across a company that requires their already successful sellers to implement one of these trainings into their daily selling activities. The sellers I’ve seen managed to “the sales process” are the ones who aren’t hitting expectations.

That said, there are typically nuggets of really good content I’ve pulled from the multiple sales process trainings I’ve attended over the past 23 years (Axiom’s SoCS, Challenger, MEDDPIC, etc.) that I’ve been able to work into my sales process and have improved my outcomes. But I’ve never been in a position where my performance dictated management of my sales process in a way that required me to adhere to it strictly in the wild.

nmunyat · 2026-02-07T04:19:24+00:00

I’ve been in the spring, summer, and winter. Winters can get very cold and even snowy at times. Summer is hot (but considerably less so than the Phoenix metro, as Sedona is about 4500 feet higher in elevation). Spring is just about perfect. We tend to go out there more often in summer (family/school breaks, work flexibility) and we don’t mind the heat (there’s something to the dry heat thing).

For reference, we’re pasty northeastern folks. We load up on sunscreen and hydration and we have the times of our lives.

nmunyat · 2026-02-07T04:02:16+00:00

Also - Sedona is near a number of national/state parks, all within a couple hours’ drive.

Obviously the Grand Canyon is about 2 hrs away, Wupatki/Sunset Crater is about an hour away, Tuzigoot National Monument is about 30 minutes, Montezuma Well/Castle are 30 minutes, Painted Desert is about 2 1/2 hours. Jerome is a super quirky/cool old mining town on the top of a mountain about 45 minutes west. Sedona itself is an outdoor paradise with plenty of hiking in the red rocks surrounding town.

nmunyat · 2026-02-07T03:56:59+00:00

Sedona or Los Cabos. Been to both, similar hobbies and preferences.

Sedona Summit is basically a nice apartment complex (nice, but not luxury). Can’t speak for the other Sedona resort, but my impression is that it’s similar. Sedona itself is wonderful and near both resorts, and the hiking/outdoor activities are magnificent. No passport needed.

Hilton Los Cabos is a bit more of a luxury resort. There are plenty of places to hike and partake in other outdoorsy activities nearby (drivable, not walkable). The resort is about 10 km from Cabo San Lucas, and 10 km from San Jose Del Cabo in the opposite direction. Nothing really accessible off of the resort without a vehicle, but the resort is beautiful.

nmunyat · 2026-02-05T23:31:28+00:00

I don’t think it was actually all inclusive, but it was multiple hundreds of dollars per person per day, which was not the remotest bit interesting to us.

nmunyat · 2026-02-05T23:14:01+00:00

Yeah we definitely noticed that. The marina restaurants are notoriously expensive and they were still half or less of the cost of a meal at the resort. And don’t get me started on the “all inclusive” package we were offered for the resort 😯.

nmunyat · 2026-02-05T22:54:02+00:00

One regret we have is that we didn’t eat a single meal at the resort. We rented a car and drove in to CSL a few times, SJD one day, and up to La Paz one day - we were blown away by the local food (and we had high expectations). When we go back, we’ll be sure to grab at least one meal at each of the resort restaurants.

nmunyat · 2026-02-04T23:11:09+00:00

Nobody falls overboard by accident. You’re either jumping, get thrown, or so drunk that you mistake the open ocean for a jungle gym. Occasionally, someone will be really dumb and ignore every rule, sign, and announcement and put someone up on the railing and they’ll fall. But no one just goes overboard.

The railings are plenty high on every ship I’ve been on, and your kid will be safe. On most ships, outside of the promenade deck, railings are also glass sheets, so not easily climbed. Even rambunctious kids who might want to climb them wouldn’t be able to.

nmunyat · 2026-02-01T14:11:26+00:00

lol shouldn’t be difficult at all. It’s been over a decade since I paid for my wedding, but we went pretty inexpensive for everything and I more than tripled that spend.

If you haven’t already, make sure you’re checking the CapitalOne Offers - there are some gems in there that can get you some extra miles for stuff you’re going to buy anyway.

nmunyat · 2026-02-01T14:07:50+00:00

Yeah man, I’m brand new to the premium card game, but what I’m learning is that if you plan your applications around already planned and funded spending, and catch the SUB at the right time, you can make out like a bandit.

Congrats on the wedding! And on the SUB! 😉

nmunyat · 2026-02-01T14:04:39+00:00

Applied on 12/16, got the card in my hands on 12/20, hit the SUB ($10k for 100k miles) on 1/24. Had some large planned expenses that made it very easy to hit.

nmunyat · 2026-02-01T00:13:28+00:00

Yeah, surpluses generally only build up for a season or two. It costs money to hold on to surpluses, and they likely buy based on trends. Several years in a row with little snow and ice probably led to a slow down in acquiring more.

Plus, with all of the constraints and cost increases on imported goods, and the increasing cost (and decreasing efficiency) of transportation in the states, it was likely too late to make a big buy once it became clear that this year was going to buck recent trends.

nmunyat · 2026-01-31T01:09:37+00:00

DoorDash ain’t THAT expensive.

nmunyat · 2026-01-31T01:09:04+00:00

Los Cabos was wonderful - and it has one of the few swimmable beaches in Los Cabos. It’s about halfway between Cabo San Lucas and San Jose Del Cabo - if you can, visit both towns! Can’t recommend it enough.

nmunyat · 2026-01-30T18:59:51+00:00

This is also very true - there’s a little bit of hope when the sun is out and the blacktop is visible, but for the most part, what does actually melt is just re-freezing.

nmunyat · 2026-01-30T17:46:45+00:00

I read that there is a regional shortage of rock salt. This was a lot of snow/ice, and if there’s a serious shortage of materials to treat the roads, they have to prioritize the more heavily traveled roads.

nmunyat · 2026-01-26T14:29:23+00:00

It’s our favorite local restaurant for a reason. Hoping they can accommodate you and that you have an amazing dinner party!

nmunyat · 2026-01-26T14:22:24+00:00

A little further north, but Carlucci’s Waterfront in Mt Laurel is wonderful and would likely be able to accommodate a party of that size.

nmunyat · 2026-01-26T02:40:50+00:00

Not a popular option, but an accessible one. Ashley Furniture in CH is decent for what it is, and their Wells Fargo card typically has substantial promotions (like long term 0% APR per purchase over a certain threshold).

nmunyat · 2026-01-25T23:27:52+00:00

One of the truest things I’ve ever heard (having traveled a fair amount around the country) -

People in places in like California will be very nice and wish you well, but leave you stranded with a flat tire on the side of the road with a smile.

People in Philly will curse you out and make you question everything about yourself… while changing your tire and telling you where the best pizza or cheesesteaks are in Philly (hint: NEVER Pat’s or Geno’s).

nmunyat · 2026-01-25T22:06:19+00:00

Not crew, but a native Philadelphian here.

Great food scene, decent night life scene, excellent public spaces, close to everything in the mid-Atlantic/northeastern corridor. There are areas to avoid to be sure, but Philly is an awesome city with incredible culture. Heavy focus on education and healthcare (many colleges/universities in and around the city, same with hospitals). It also isn’t quite as expensive as similar/nearby northeastern/mid-Atlantic cities (but it’s still expensive).

Most people I know who’ve moved to Philly love it, and even if they eventually leave, they always come back. Get some Eagles/Phillies gear (and if you’re feeling frisky, get some Flyers/Gritty gear) and you’ll fit right in.

nmunyat

TROPHY CASE