For circumstances beyond my control, my mom isn’t going on our cruise to Greece in August. Originally the trip was my idea to help fulfill a longtime dream of hers–take a Greek cruise. When I found out that MSC Cruise lines was offering quite the deal I was on it. We booked the cruise in March.
All details fit into place including hotel rooms in Venice, the cruise’s port and frequent flier flights for my son and me. Because he is seven, the cruise is free for him.
Now that my mom is unable to go, and it’s less than two weeks from the trip, rather than go with my son on my own–or lose 100% of the money we’ve paid for the cruise, we’re switching my teenage daughter for my mom. Here’s what the change has involved so far.
- $100 to make the ticket switch with the cruise line.
- 75,000 in frequent flier miles. Amazingly enough, I could get her on the same flight to Venice with my son and me for 30,000. She’s on a different flight back for 45,000.
- $165 for taxes and fees for her plane ticket.
Now that she’s going on the cruise instead of my mom, there are her expenses of drinks and shore excursions which I expect won’t be particularly inexpensive. Plus, I’ll have to feed her in Venice.
All in all, the lemonade isn’t too sour. What’s $1,000 more dollars? That’s what I’m anticipating the total cost for my daughter’s trip will be. It’s better to over budget than under budget when it comes to making lemonade.
When I told her the ship has a no shorts or jeans dress code after 6 p.m., her response was. “Geez, it’s like middle school.” Teenagers.