In Reply to: Flossie posted by darkstar on Monday, 4. June 2007 at 09:17 Bali Time:
Once you do it darkstar (CSN&Y fan?)that's it..game over. You will be ruined for life and never travel economy again to Bali.
At an additional $300 - $400 the Garuda upgrade is pretty good value actually - priority boarding/disembark, more luggage allowance, wider seats, stacks more leg room, personal AV, very attentive service (there are only a max of 42 people), better choice of meals, better meal presentation, pretty good wines and lounge access either end. Sure, it doesn't really compare with the BC experience of say a Singapore Airlines or Emirates; but neither does the price. Singapore air adds about $3000 to price...not $300. Mind you, in the good old days of Golden Bali Tours Adelaide, proprietor, Putu Les, would add a touch of glamour by transferring Garuda Biz Class passengers to the airport in a Rolls Royce...how good was that!
As for whether it's worth the extra or not, I really believe that's all in how you view the investment and what's important to you...after all, it's you who is funding the journey; not the people with contradictory opinions.
Sure, you could go econ and spend more money in Bali. Nothing wrong with that line of thought - lots of people would agree 100% with this plan. You could upgrade your accommodation and stay somewhere more spectacular...there's nothing like a bit of luxury to recharge your batteries by! Or you could choose to add something special to the 12 hours of travelling part of your trip (there and back) - damn good thinking as well.
In the end perhaps it's a case of deciding whether everything else about your Bali adventure is how you would like it to be - spending money, accommodation and so on. If it is, and all you would do by not upgrading your flight is save the money... then maybe there's your answer right there.
My advice to you is, if can comfortably afford it, then try it and see for yourself...what's the worst that could happen other than you feeling a little disappointed with your decision?...in which case you simply would'nt do it again. On the other hand, you may also find it was just what you wanted and congratulate yourself on having the vision to try something new!
Personally, I think the investment adds far value more to the whole Bali thing than it actually costs and I think it's worth every penny. But my wants and needs differ to others...so don't just take my word for it (or anybody elses for that matter), bite the bullet and give it a whirl! Cheers - keivn