Okay - now I've got a bit more time to write something substantial.
I've spoken to Wayne and we have a couple of options for the club trip and we are interested in hearing your thoughts. As Greg says - the bookings commence in 6 days time, but I think we'll have a bit more time than that. The cruises won't sell out on the first week! I'm posting the options here, but we'll also email out the following for those members who don't participate on the web forum (and as we know - that's most of our members!!!)
So here are the basic options.
School Holidays
The NSW school holidays in spring 2018 are from Saturday 29 September, until Sunday 14 October 2018 inclusive. As quite a few of our members have school aged family members - we've agreed that we'll use those two weeks for the majority of the trip (and you might need a day or two at either end for travel time).
That gives us two options for itineraries:
Option 1 - 5-night cruise followed by Disneyland
- Depart Sydney for LAX late September (participant's choice) and then head to San Diego by 29 September.
- On Sunday 30 September - join the Disney Wonder in San Diego for 5-night Baja Mexico cruise.
- On Friday 5 October - disembark cruise in San Diego. You can stay a day or two in San Diego to visit the famous zoo or Sea World (or if you want to, just head straight up to Disneyland).
- On Sunday 7 October, commence a one week stay in Anaheim at the Disneyland Resort area which will include a one day tour mid-week of the Los Angeles area with Disney-related stops around the Burbank, Glendale, and Hollywood areas.
- You can then decide your own return date to Australia, or perhaps you would want to continue your stay elsewhere in the United States.
Option 2 - Disneyland followed by 7-night cruise
- Depart Sydney for LAX late September (participant's choice) and meet at the Disneyland Resort on Sunday 30 September.
- On Monday 1 October, commence a one week stay in Anaheim at the Disneyland Resort area which will include a one day tour mid-week of the Los Angeles area with Disney-related stops around the Burbank, Glendale, and Hollywood areas.
- On Saturday 6 October, board a bus to San Diego and stay one night in San Diego.
- On Sunday 7 October, join the Disney Wonder in San Diego for 7-night Mexican Riviera cruise.
- On Sunday 14 October, disembark the Disney Wonder in San Diego where you can then determine your own return date to Australia or perhaps you would want to continue your stay elsewhere in the United States.
Cruise Itineraries
I've included the two cruise itineraries below for you to compare.
Option 1 - 5 night cruise
Day 1 - Embark San Diego California
Day 2 - At Sea
Day 3 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Day 4 - At Sea
Day 5 - Ensenada, Mexico
Day 6 - Disembark San Diego California
Option 2 - 7 night cruise
Day 1 - Embark San Diego California
Day 2 - At Sea
Day 3 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Day 4 - Mazatlan, Mexico
Day 5 - Puerto Vallara, Mexico
Day 6 - At Sea
Day 7 - At Sea
Day 8 - Disembark San Diego California
Prices for the two cruises are not yet available however the 5-day Baja cruise in April next year is currently priced from $2,150 for an Inside Cabin; from $2,380 for Oceanview; and from $2,720 for Verandah (US dollars). I can't give a 7-day cruise estimate as there are many factors affecting the cost, including how far out we book and what class of cabin you buy. We'll have more detail after the 18 May when prices become available.
So in the meantime - we'd like everyone to consider the options above - do you want a 5 night cruise followed by a week in Disneyland; or a week in Disneyland followed by a 7 night cruise?
Please post a comment here or let Wayne know your thoughts as soon as possible so we can gauge the general consensus and make an informed decision based on people's preferences.
I'm looking forward to everyone getting on board and planning this club trip together!