In hindsight, though, if I knew this was coming in 2014, I would have not taken that Caribbean cruise in 2013 and just used the signature event in 2014 to do the exact same thing for much cheaper.

I did like that cruise, so if you are thinking of doing a cruise one, I would suggest that itinerary. It's pretty good, and I can even suggest some activities if you want. I'm not sure if they'd let you combine it with your annual trip to New Orleans, though. That would be ideal, as it would pay for your airfare and get you 50,000 RCs.