[cowboy71]

SERIOUSLY

Me? The daughter just got her provisional driver license ("P Plates" as we call them in Australia), so just bought her a first car with the money that would have paid for a cabin in full on 70K.

Honestly got sick of waiting.

Will still be able to get a cabin IF sales are announced this month but will no longer will be able to pay in full until after next payday.

[Jotunheimr]

Just bought my flights to and from Germany for this beast. First time out of the country besides 70K and I couldn't be more excited! It's looking like I'll probably be on the next 70K as well due to just getting hired at a new place with a much better pay rate, though I can't pay in full - well - assuming that there will be a cruise next year.

[cowboy71]

NICE!

That is a pretty sweet lineup :)

[Phoenix]

While my uni grad present was a top of the line GPU and SSD, my computer itself is from when I graduated high school. I'm planning to build a new PC when RAM prices have stabilised.

[Jotunheimr]

While my uni grad present was a top of the line GPU and SSD, my computer itself is from when I graduated high school. I'm planning to build a new PC when RAM prices have stabilised.

Ooooh what specs and which games are you looking forward to playing?

[Phoenix]

While my uni grad present was a top of the line GPU and SSD, my computer itself is from when I graduated high school. I'm planning to build a new PC when RAM prices have stabilised.

Ooooh what specs and which games are you looking forward to playing?

Nothing specific yet, though I'm aiming for the low end of high grade. The only thing *current* I'm really interested in playing on PC is Ni No Kuni II, bit I do have the Witcher games in my backlog.

[Azazel101]

I have ordered, in the last 3 weeks, enough Vinyl albums, DVD's and a new DVD player and a couple books to pay for my 1/2 of a cabin but still have not renewed my passport witch I will need to board

[SpaceSlug]

Wife and I started booking a "honeymoon" 4 years after the big day. Yay mexico next year. And we are starting to book a trip to Germany for our first time out of the States other than 8 hours at a country on 70K.

Still hope to find the money to book 70K but I can at least say we have been focused elsewhere after this long wait.

[cegr80]

I got my money waiting in my savings account, just for the boat

[deathmetalpat]

A combination of
Within Temptation Show in October (Band that hardly ever comes to USA and probably won’t boat)
The reopening of The National Museum
And a ridiculously low airfare on premium economy round trip that was there for 1 day
Resulted in a trip to Stockholm in October
Can’t say I am totally out but line up must be spectacular now.

[Cardest]

Yeah, I gave up waiting and decided I'll spend my cabin $ saved cash on airfare to New York, Boston, Gettysburg, DC, Philly, New Hampshire and chase some Amish and see the mighty Niagara Falls from both sides. Spending my birthday-suit day in NY and hoping to catch up with some survivors in all these places!!
I waited....we all waited...well, they keep telling us the wait will be worth it. Nah...nice try!
Just checking in now, I am both angry and not surprised there are tumbleweeds blowing across the website.
So my airfare $$ has now been booked for that, but the $ for the cabin, has now gone to taking my mother to Yorkshire, UK in June, instead.

[Radashar]

Claiming one of the tickets for Wacken next year. Will be my first time getting to go, and figured the 30th +20th of Sabaton will be fun.

Still planning on doing my 70k #3, hopefully while convincing my brother/friends to get their first one in.

Luckily, I live in a garbage apartment for the low rent (and since I'm down the street from the port its less to go anyway) and should be fine doing both.

[Ti7aNiC]

I got my money waiting in my savings account, just for the boat

Same here. In the past I didn't save up, as I charge the full booking to my Gold AMEX anyway, which I then just pay off myself in the following whatever amount of time - but since things are delayed this year I have the money I need just chillin'. The money will remain there, untouched, until January if need be, haha. Though I certainly expect announcements within the next month.

I specifically use my Gold AMEX every year to pay it off in full for two reasons:
1) To get that sexy maximum 15% off.
2) To qualify for all the travel insurance and various coverage (as you need to charge at least 75% to the card to qualify), such as:
- $1 million (out-of-country) medical insurance.
- Trip Interruption Insurance (this includes "non-refundable" flights), $2,500.
- Flight Delay Insurance, $500; towards transportation, accommodations, & food.
- Car Rental Theft/Damage Insurance; for vehicles up to $65,000.
- Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance, $1000.
- Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance, $1000.
- Travel Accident Insurance, $500,000.
+ more.

Right now return flights from Halifax to FLL are $419 CAD, but I expect to be able to get a seat sale within the next month-or-two to drop that to around $350ish. Generally on random Thursdays for Air Canada and Westjet, but also Labour Day and Thanksgiving will have something going on. Otherwise one can gamble for later seat sales and try on Boxing Day weekend.

[Ethrivas]

Just finished a vacation Helsinki > Tallinn > Riga > Vilnius.

[JoAnnamayhem]

I have full payment burning a hole in my pocket though I am also currently looking for a new home. I have been looking at a few places and if the right place falls into my lap I might use my boat money towards the down payment. I am in no rush to move however I do want to upgrade, I would rather wait until next year after the cruise but at this rate I am unsure of how I should proceed.

[Gratch]

I use Delta miles for the flight and Marriott points for the hotel, so the delay doesn't really have any effect on either of those. The cruise fare is just sitting in the bank, so no rush there either.

So other than being mildly annoyed, waiting doesn't change my plans any.

[Pellaz]

SERIOUSLY

Me? The daughter just got her provisional driver license ("P Plates" as we call them in Australia), so just bought her a first car with the money that would have paid for a cabin in full on 70K.

Honestly got sick of waiting.

Will still be able to get a cabin IF sales are announced this month but will no longer will be able to pay in full until after next payday.

Like a few others, my portion of our combined fare is still sitting in my savings account, where it's been patiently waiting -- and lately, IMpatiently waiting -- since I got my tax refund back in February.

[Phoenix]

I should be clear - even if I DID buy a fancy TOTL PC, I'd still have enough money to pay for my cabin AND hotel AND airfare. But if announcements finally happen and In Vain isn't part of it I may just try PAX South instead.

[zerkz]

I should be clear - even if I DID buy a fancy TOTL PC, I'd still have enough money to pay for my cabin AND hotel AND airfare. But if announcements finally happen and In Vain isn't part of it I may just try PAX South instead.

Do it! Plenty of stuff to do in the Austin/San Antonio area, and quite a few metal shows usually. I've lived in Austin for 3 years but have yet to go to PAX South (always went with some friends to Magfest instead in Baltimore, but its been getting crappier).

[acidbasement]

Just bought my flights to and from Germany for this beast. First time out of the country besides 70K and I couldn't be more excited! It's looking like I'll probably be on the next 70K as well due to just getting hired at a new place with a much better pay rate, though I can't pay in full - well - assuming that there will be a cruise next year.

Looks like we'll see you there! We haven't bought flights yet though.

[cegr80]

I should be clear - even if I DID buy a fancy TOTL PC, I'd still have enough money to pay for my cabin AND hotel AND airfare. But if announcements finally happen and In Vain isn't part of it I may just try PAX South instead.

I built a gaming PC a few years ago and I barely use it, LOL ... ain't nobody got time for that!

[Phoenix]

I should be clear - even if I DID buy a fancy TOTL PC, I'd still have enough money to pay for my cabin AND hotel AND airfare. But if announcements finally happen and In Vain isn't part of it I may just try PAX South instead.

I built a gaming PC a few years ago and I barely use it, LOL ... ain't nobody got time for that!

Says you, I use my baby all the time! It's how I play all the JRPGs from before I was a gamer and play D&D with my friends in the UK

[Amalu]

My gaming PC is hard in use most every evening. I am in the lucky position that my wife is just as a gaming freak as myself.

While my uni grad present was a top of the line GPU and SSD

Which GPU?

I'm planning to build a new PC when RAM prices have stabilised.

So say we all. RAM prices are a just insane at the moment.

[Phoenix]

While my uni grad present was a top of the line GPU and SSD

Which GPU?

NVIDIA Geforce GTX 780. For those keeping score at home, this is the card they released as a ~5% step down in power from the Titan, at a minimum 15% price cut, because a Titan was LITERALLY excessive.

So yeah, I figure whatever new machine I build can use that card for a few more years.

[ymapazagain]

If they don't get the ball rolling soon my husband and I will most likely be out. Flights for the two of us from Tasmania have already gone up $500 since I checked a month or so ago. That puts it at $1300 more than we spent on flights last year!

Unless Blind Guardian are announced early on (in which case I won't care how broke it sends me, I will be there) I think it's much more likely that our money is going to end up being put towards a bathroom reno.

[cowboy71]

Clearly not that UMC give a fuck, but the other super shitty thing for us Australians is that the Australian Dollar has dropped markedly this year.

If booking had of opened up at a 'normal' time of the year it would have made a cabin for my family about $500 less than it would be at the moment.

[taketheday]

The advantage is that now I have the money to pay it full, but to be able to pay the flights and the hotels, I have been very strict all over the year, by buying only one album every 2 - 3 months (have still a lot to buy), to not buy what I need to buy for age, etc... I had to change my plans for 2019 and postponed the holiday I hoped to do in Australia. I have finally decided to do another cruise (not a music one) from the UK, cheaper than the holiday in Australia. It's actually a brainstorming to plan anything

[angelyuyo]

WOA 2019 and looking at force fest right now...

[deathmetalpat]

Forum looks like it is in the middle of a makeover,looks a lot better on my iPad.

[PotatoPotahto]

Forum looks like it is in the middle of a makeover,looks a lot better on my iPad.

I am very caught off guard by this sudden UI change.

[cowboy71]

Forum looks like it is in the middle of a makeover,looks a lot better on my iPad.

I am very caught off guard by this sudden UI change.

[Parallax_Attack]

I should be clear - even if I DID buy a fancy TOTL PC, I'd still have enough money to pay for my cabin AND hotel AND airfare. But if announcements finally happen and In Vain isn't part of it I may just try PAX South instead.

I've been happily lurking, waiting for news like everyone else but this finally makes me feel the need to comment.

As a PAX veteran (I think I'm up to about 6? Wests, and East and a South) I have to recommend South. I'm not sure if you've done any of the other PAXes but I found South was much more relaxed than either West or East, there is a little bit less going on so it doesn't always seem like you are missing something. It's still got all the same PAX stuff, just less hectic. San Antonio is nice city and the weather was super nice compared to BC in January

I did South in 2017 when it was the weekend before the Boat. PAX, 3 days in Florida, then on the Boat. 2018 was and 2019 will be 2 weekends before so hitting both on the same trip is much less attractive...

[Godflesh]

FYI, I heard that you can still buy tickets for PAX West in a few days at cost via https://www.reddit.com/r/PaxPassExchange/

[Phoenix]

I've been happily lurking, waiting for news like everyone else but this finally makes me feel the need to comment.

As a PAX veteran (I think I'm up to about 6? Wests, and East and a South) I have to recommend South. I'm not sure if you've done any of the other PAXes but I found South was much more relaxed than either West or East, there is a little bit less going on so it doesn't always seem like you are missing something. It's still got all the same PAX stuff, just less hectic. San Antonio is nice city and the weather was super nice compared to BC in January

I did South in 2017 when it was the weekend before the Boat. PAX, 3 days in Florida, then on the Boat. 2018 was and 2019 will be 2 weekends before so hitting both on the same trip is much less attractive...

Yeah, I've heard a similar recommendation. Flights to Seattle SKYROCKET PAX weekend so I'll likely never hit West, but East not only sounds more manageable in terms of people (I can't even go to Calgary Comic Expo, it's so over crowded) but it sounds more chill in general. It's the one I'll check out if I ever get around to it.

Problem is I don't get much vacation time anymore. So I need to plan it carefully.

[mooyagi]

Need to purchase flight tickets for Disneyland next month. Of course now it looks like there might be life on the UMC front. Great timing there, Skip.

[captaingabbeh]

Looks like the 70K money is gonna get dropped on a birthday trip to England/maybe Germany. So I'll probably go to Damnation Fest in Leeds and get my NeO fix on, then see Powerwolf in London if all goes well. Also maybe drop in on Empathy Test playing in Germany because I like to randomly surprise people.

I did the wishlist, but I actually don't think there's a band that could get me on 70K this year, because they'd also have to NOT be doing additional tour dates. My vacation time is insanely flexible at this gig and I can stay for cheap/free in multiple US cities now. So yeah. Probably no boat for me! :)

Also-also Infest is next summer, as is M'era Luna if I can be away from Calgary long enough.

[cowboy71]

Had hoped that booking would not open for another couple of weeks, until after my next payday.

As it is, cannot afford to pay all up front. Well I could, but I'd be eating bread and water for the next 10 days until I got paid again.

So instead, I'll just pay in installments.

I probably would choose that option anyway even if I could afford to pay outright, because the difference is only around $USD150, and the Australian Dollar is low at the moment. So I'm hoping that it will increase in the next couple of months.

My math:

As it stands now, a 5D cabin for 3 people, at $1166 each minus 15% discount for upfront, plus $423 each fees = $USD4,242.30
At the current exchange rate that is $AUD5,901.099

Via installments
$1166 each minus 10% gold survivor discount plus $423 fees = $USD4,417.20. Or, $USD1,104.30 per month for four months

Month 1 - $AUD1,531.44 at todays exchange rate around 72 cents US
Month 2 - $AUD1,510.505 if AUD goes up 1 cent against the USD
Month 2 - $AUD1490.12 if it goes up another cent
Month 3 - $AUD1470.28 if it goes up yet another cent to around 75 cents US

A total of $AUD6,002.35

So only $100 different. Of course that is gambling on the currency increasing. If it heads down I'm more out of pocket but willing to take that risk.

[Amalu]

My math:

[...]

So only $100 different. Of course that is gambling on the currency increasing. If it heads down I'm more out of pocket but willing to take that risk.

That's what I call a man with a plan. Sounds like a calculation I would do. I like it!

[Ethrivas]

My math:

As it stands now, a 5D cabin for 3 people, at $1166 each minus 15% discount for upfront, plus $423 each fees = $USD4,242.30
At the current exchange rate that is $AUD5,901.099

Via installments
$1166 each minus 10% gold survivor discount plus $423 fees = $USD4,417.20. Or, $USD1,104.30 per month for four months

On the Terms and Conditions website it says:
A) Pay In Full At the Time of Booking (5% Discount)

Question: Does gold/silver survivors get another 10% discount for upfront?

[mbob]

Question: Does gold/silver survivors get another 10% discount for upfront?

5% discount for paying in full
Gold Survivors get an additional 10% discount if they book before public sales.
Silver Survivors get an additional 5% discount if they book before public sales.