Tell me about an expensive vacation experience that was worth every penny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PP about private tours - not multi day but private experiences. Also always a private car traveling between towns. I like custom and never do tours. I project manage my holidays with family and it's a lot of work planning but I know what we want.

Renting a boat for the day in Amalfi was $2400 but worth it last summer. So is staying at sugar Beach in St Lucia. Overwater bungalows honeymoon in bora bora years ago. Helicopter ride over Grand Canyon years ago during Spring Break. Countless 1:1 experiences with animals for kids.

In general I don't stay at hotels rather prefer Airbnb or a home. I've been happy 95% of the time booking - I've stayed at the best hotels and I just don't like the hotel vibe. And I mean top hotels in the top locations v just a top brand hotel aka Mandarin in HK is going to be better than DC. Although the best massage 3 hr spa experience I've had in my life I have to say was there

Completely disagree. Give me a great hotel over staying in someone's house and having to make my own bed.

[Anonymous]

Heli Hiking trip in Canada (Bugaboo Mountains)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will call me super basic but here is my list —

Helicopter tour of kaui

Glacier dog sledding in Alaska

Getting the suite at el Tovar with the enormous patio looking over the south rim

Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable. I’m always embarrassed to tell people we did this though.

Oh and I don’t know if this was crazy expensive but chartering a boat for day snorkel trip for family — we’ve done that a couple times when we vacationed with my siblings and it is totally worth it to have the boat to yourself.

Snorkeling is so bad compared with diving. My 10 yo was eye to eye with a sea turtle today. I would never go back and neither would my kids.

DP. One upping that poster added nothing.

I was confident someone would call me basic and PP did not disappoint! FWIW, we are gojng to try a “discover scuba” dive this year. One of my teens is scuba certified and has done a lot of dives—the other has really bad asthma so it’s not great for them. But I also think scuba is a different experience than just a nice snorkel charter — they will often grill food, make fresh guac, etc. on board, you spend some time catching the rays, the often have slides or rope swings. It’s just a lovely way to spend a day relaxing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable.

this is awesome, I love this, and now I want to book it for our family!

FYI the price varies by low or high season and you can bring up to 10 people per tour for the same price so consider splitting with another family if you have the same priorities. We’ve done it multiple times and the guides are really great—super nice people each time, and will give you back story on the rides or insights if you say you’re interested in that. You need to book at least a few months in advance. There are some restrictions — eg right now they can only take you on Tron once in a day and on Guardians twice in a day. And depending on the design of the ride you still have to wait typically, but it’s usually 1-10 minute wait instead of 20-120 minute wait.
Universal also has a VIP tour but it is more expensive and less necessary unless you want to ride Hagrids a whole bunch.

[Anonymous]

This might not be exactly what you mean, but for me it was business class on my trip to Japan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will call me super basic but here is my list —

Helicopter tour of kaui

Glacier dog sledding in Alaska

Getting the suite at el Tovar with the enormous patio looking over the south rim

Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable. I’m always embarrassed to tell people we did this though.

Oh and I don’t know if this was crazy expensive but chartering a boat for day snorkel trip for family — we’ve done that a couple times when we vacationed with my siblings and it is totally worth it to have the boat to yourself.

Snorkeling is so bad compared with diving. My 10 yo was eye to eye with a sea turtle today. I would never go back and neither would my kids.

DP. One upping that poster added nothing.

I was confident someone would call me basic and PP did not disappoint! FWIW, we are gojng to try a “discover scuba” dive this year. One of my teens is scuba certified and has done a lot of dives—the other has really bad asthma so it’s not great for them. But I also think scuba is a different experience than just a nice snorkel charter — they will often grill food, make fresh guac, etc. on board, you spend some time catching the rays, the often have slides or rope swings. It’s just a lovely way to spend a day relaxing.

I am the jerk PP and am so excited you are going to try scuba diving! I hope you love it! It’s so beautiful and some of the animals look like they belong on another planet. Xoxo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

Dog sledding is a not-to-be-missed experience, but there are plenty of places you can access it without a copter. Helicopters are inherently dangerous. Any hint of unpredictable wind gusts or of humidity that could lead to fog, and you can crash so, so easily.

Alaskan here. I fly in helicopters and small planes every year for field work. I have had several field seasons where I was in helicopters 7 days a week for months. They are very dangerous and Alaska's weather and terrain are very unforgiving. Google "temsco helicopters crash skagway" as just one example of just one company in just one town in Alaska. Last year I lost 3 coworkers in a helicopter crash, pilot also lost. The year before we lost a pilot in a crash. It is not a joke and you don't have to trust my anecdotes, you can easily do your own research.

Do you feel the same way about the float planes? I am also eyeing a day trip to Lake Clark or Katmai for bear viewing.

We did the lake Clark one day trip with Rust's. I think it is safer than a helicopter, but I don't know that for sure. It was great (I had wanted to do Katmai but rest of family outvoted me).

[Anonymous]

For Japan posters, can you provide specific recs for services you used/where you splurged?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

Dog sledding is a not-to-be-missed experience, but there are plenty of places you can access it without a copter. Helicopters are inherently dangerous. Any hint of unpredictable wind gusts or of humidity that could lead to fog, and you can crash so, so easily.

Alaskan here. I fly in helicopters and small planes every year for field work. I have had several field seasons where I was in helicopters 7 days a week for months. They are very dangerous and Alaska's weather and terrain are very unforgiving. Google "temsco helicopters crash skagway" as just one example of just one company in just one town in Alaska. Last year I lost 3 coworkers in a helicopter crash, pilot also lost. The year before we lost a pilot in a crash. It is not a joke and you don't have to trust my anecdotes, you can easily do your own research.

Do you feel the same way about the float planes? I am also eyeing a day trip to Lake Clark or Katmai for bear viewing.

I’d be interested in hearing the Alaskan perspective on this but my impression is that the float planes have a worse safety record. The pilot we used for our float plane tour of misty fjord who was very highly recommended and experienced sadly died in a crash a few years later—his plane was hit by another plane as they were taking off or returning to the one small launch area for float planes. The time I did the helicopter tour, they actually held us on the glacier for quite a while because of fog, then finally set us down in elevation on a snow cat where the helicopter could fly safely. The pilot grumbled a lot saying it was perfectly safe but they have particularly stringent rules for flying tourists so he couldn’t take off until the clouds cleared. The second time I had a helicopter tour scheduled they had to cancel due to cloud cover. It is one of the few tours I would book through the cruise (assuming you are cruising not doing a land tour) because the risk that you’ll be delayed or cancelled is pretty high.

[Anonymous]

Gorilla tracking in Rwanda is a pretty expensive experience ($1500 per person) but it was so worth it. Unlike any other wildlife encounter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am currently trying to justify a helicopter ride to a glacier for dog sledding in Alaska.

Are you OP. Came here to say; every time we’ve done a helicopter tour it’s been worth every penny, absolutely unforgettable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We managed to get tickets to the quarter finals for the Championship League game while in Madrid - saw Real Madrid play Man City, if I remember correctly. It remains a priceless memory for our sons, who still talk about it and reference it as 'the time mom got us tickets to the game and made our dreams come true'. I definitely had reservations about spending that amount of money on tickets (via Stubhub in a foreign country no less) but I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was worth every penny experiencing that with our kids.

That is so awesome!! How much were the tickets per person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did a luxury private tour in Peru - They handled everything. Hotels, flights, trains, drivers, drivers, and most meals. We did the Amazon, Machu Pichu, Cusco, and Lima.

The Galapagos

Private charters with captains in the Virgin Islands and in the Bahamas.

Only luxury vacation I have regretted is with Inspirato.

Why did you regret it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will call me super basic but here is my list —

Helicopter tour of kaui

Glacier dog sledding in Alaska

Getting the suite at el Tovar with the enormous patio looking over the south rim

Disney VIP private tour where they take you on all the rides with almost no waiting and drive you around between the parks — crazy expensive but you can do in one day what you would otherwise do in three so if you factor in savings on park tickets and hotel, it is more justifiable. I’m always embarrassed to tell people we did this though.

Oh and I don’t know if this was crazy expensive but chartering a boat for day snorkel trip for family — we’ve done that a couple times when we vacationed with my siblings and it is totally worth it to have the boat to yourself.

Snorkeling is so bad compared with diving. My 10 yo was eye to eye with a sea turtle today. I would never go back and neither would my kids.

This is such a weird thing to write. I’m an experienced scuba diver, and I also snorkel. Have done both off of every continent.

You can often get closer to ocean life, including large turtles, dolphins, etc, as a snorkeler, or I should say, ocean life tends to come closer to you. Your experiences will depend on location, conditions, skill, and luck, among other things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did a luxury private tour in Peru - They handled everything. Hotels, flights, trains, drivers, drivers, and most meals. We did the Amazon, Machu Pichu, Cusco, and Lima.

The Galapagos

Private charters with captains in the Virgin Islands and in the Bahamas.

Only luxury vacation I have regretted is with Inspirato.

Not the point of this thread, but I’ve been wondering about Inspirato so would love to hear more about why you regretted it.

Same here -- would like to know how Inspirato let you down.