How do they do it?

[CALMOM]

I have loved Cruise Critic website for years and I can't imagine my cruises being so successful without CC and their members.

 

I do have a question. I notice several CC members signatures showing several cruises under their belt, some go as often as 4 to 5 times a year, for years. It takes everything I have to try and cruise once a year and as you can see by my signature, I haven't always been lucky enough to go every year. I just want to know, how do they do it? Are they just rich :rolleyes:, do they rob banks :eek: or is there a secret :confused: to how to afford to cruise that often.

 

If you are one of the lucky ones, please share how you do it, if you don't mind. I am so jealous and if there is a way other then being rich, I want to try it, too.

 

Thank you in advance.

[UKBayern]

I don't get it either, but I think they:

-are retired or have the possibility to travel any time a nice offers comes up

-probably live near a port with a lot of cruise ships, so they don't have land/air travel and pre-/post-hotelreservations

-are in the travel industry themselves, so know about great offers as soon as they are published. Or even get an industry discount.....

-spend the money whilst cruising in a different way than you might do, eg. take an inside cabin, don't frequent the casino, don't drink expensive cocktails and don't book expensive excursions.

[geoherb]

We're not to that level yet. We had been taking a cruise a year, and the past couple of years we have managed to take two cruises instead of just one. There were a number of years we did not go at all and took land vacations.

 

We both still work but have good jobs and no kids. We don't splurge on the finest cabins. We don't eat out very much at home. We don't have cable TV.

 

And, the biggest reason, I look for good prices. We'll be in an obstructed view cabin again for spring break. We could have splurged and spent the extra $500 to upgrade to a balcony. One of these days we'll do that again. But I would rather take a second cruise instead of upgrading our cabin on one cruise.

[cloudchaser]

We cruise 3 to 5 times a year. I work full time for a major corporation. We always get a balcony cabin. We use different cruise lines. Here are some thoughts about our process

 

- Kids are gone, no pets (you laugh but it is a major constraint for some)

- Live in FL, four major ports within ~3 hours. no travel costs, no extra travel days, wide selection of deals/off-season cruises

- Cruise benefits credit card, charge everything

- Don't do casino or expensive drinks, do most off-ship travel ourselves. Our biggest on-board expense is usually my gym class bill.

- Don't need to buy on-shore things anymore (well, wife occasionally needs something shinny)

- Absolutely brilliant wife who finds cruise deals and knows the system

 

I don't know how many of these are useful to you but that is how we save $ so we can cruise more.

[cherylandtk]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=418653

[nseagirl]

Though money and pets are certainly an issue, my biggest problem would be taking that much time away from my office.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We use to cruise at least 4 times a year -- some of them were also back-to-back cruises.

 

We are retired -- have absolutely no family.

 

But now we both have some major health issues -- so are lucky if we can cruise 3 times a year.

[Aquahound]

I live within driving distance of 4 Florida ports. That, combined with booking discounts from loyalty programs, and OBC from my credit card make cruising very convenient for DW and I.

[lhanson38]

Live in FL so for the most part no airfare. Work at a job where i can take a lot of time off. Work like crazy when not cruising. So I can cruise.

No cc bills 1 car payment. :)

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Costs and vacation time aside, if I lived near a cruise port, I'd probably take 5-6 cruises a year too! LUCKY DOGS!!!

 

Our biggest expense is the flight to the port city! UGH! :eek:

[Cuizer2]

I have loved Cruise Critic website for years and I can't imagine my cruises being so successful without CC and their members.

 

I do have a question. I notice several CC members signatures showing several cruises under their belt, some go as often as 4 to 5 times a year, for years. It takes everything I have to try and cruise once a year and as you can see by my signature, I haven't always been lucky enough to go every year. I just want to know, how do they do it? Are they just rich :rolleyes:, do they rob banks :eek: or is there a secret :confused: to how to afford to cruise that often.

 

If you are one of the lucky ones, please share how you do it, if you don't mind. I am so jealous and if there is a way other then being rich, I want to try it, too.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

When I receive my paycheck and put some money away for vacation travel. Also, I save some extra bills each week to use as cash during the cruise. As a result I don't have to budget for the cruise, as everything is already taken care of.

[yogi2929]

Live within 1 1/2 hours from 2 ports.

Take 3 day cruises to recharge our batteries and we only have to take Friday afternoon and Monday morning off.

Even then we are on the phone til embarkation and back on the phone waiting to debark. Only way we can do it running our small office.

[CALMOM]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I wasn't trying to be nosey, just trying to figure out what the secret is.

 

I can see if you live by ports, that we certainly save a lot of money. I am going on an Alaskan Cruise in July and the airfare cost 1/3 of our cabin cost. I also have to figure in a hotel stay the day before as I am scared to fly in the same day of the cruise knowing how flaky the airlines can be. we cruise to Mexico three times and not because I really wanted to go to Mexico, it was becasue we could drive to the pier just and hour away.

 

I like the ideas of using a cruise line credit card, think I'll check into that. I was told that you can get a great deal if you can cruise at the last minute. The problem is, I like balconies and there usually not available for last minute.

 

Thank you again for the info, I really do appreciate it.

[ooomwizard]

I work hard, make money and cruise with it. (self employed) My gal makes money (excellent sales gal) and she spends it on cruises. Sometimes I buy the airfare or have credit card miles to use. Overall, we pretty much end up splitting the bills.

 

We average about 2 cruises a year. Best bang for the buck!

 

GL! :D

[chrispb]

Doesn't it get boring always cruising from a port in Florida? I imagine most of them are in the Caribbean and once was enough for me. There's a big world out there.

[Traveler353]

My cost cutting scheme:

 

1. I live half way between NOLA and Mobile.

2. I book the the cheapest cabin I can find. Same service, beds, food and entertainment as the folks in the most expensive cabins.

3. I don't take expensive cruise ship sponsored tours.

4. Lately I am staying far away from the casino.

5. I carry a reasonable amount of booze onboard.

 

This allows me to take 2 to 3 cruises a year plus a couple of land vacations to Europe and Merida/Progreso. I am semi-retired still working when I want too as a consultant to the government.

[ehfl]

Cruising is easy and inexpensive. We go several times a year. Just a short drive over to the pier, hope on, and you're away. It's a great weekend getaway, and much cheaper than driving to a hotel.

 

Yes, you can make cruising expensive and complicated if you want. But for us anyway, it's easy and inexpensive, so it's not hard to get in 3-4 cruises a year.

[simplelife]

Because of DH's job (and mine to some extent) we are limited to an academic calendar and can cruise only at "high dollar" times. Can't wait for his retirement so we can have the flexibility to take advantage of the great deals at offpeak times.

[flashdog_1]

. I just want to know, how do they do it? Are they just rich :rolleyes:, do they rob banks :eek: or is there a secret :confused: to how to afford to cruise that often. If you are one of the lucky ones, please share how you do it, if you don't mind. I am so jealous and if there is a way other then being rich, I want to try it, too.Thank you in advance.

 

All the suggestions so far apply. I save hotel and airline points thru using a credit card, almost never paying in cash. That way I hope I'll be able to get to the port free, or else drive to a hotel that allows us to park the car there during the cruise at no additional charge, plus get a good night's rest before the cruise.

 

Although we are only about 1 1/2 hours from a major airport we find that it's only a few dollars more to get a hotel w/free parking the night before the flight, rather than getting up before dawn to drive to a parking lot and scramble for parking. So we'll be in the airport city getting a free meal,(Drury Inn) free shuttle to the airport (and same on return but no food~) without having to worry about a parking lot being full. And I'm accumulating more hotel points, too.

 

I take credit card offers that give you enough points for a free night or two at a hotel, then use those nights, and cancel before the annual fee goes into effect.

 

Same with airline miles. If someone wants to give me enough points for 3 seats to my next cruise, I'll take their credit card, use it once, and get the points, fly, and then only use the card if I'm planning to fly that airline again.

 

I had an unexpected invitation to visit a high school friend. I had enough points for a one way fare there on one airline, and one way back on another. Feels like it's a free flight because I hardly ever use either card. I simply was given incentive points years ago that I've never completely used.

 

Also use a cruise credit card to accumulate on board credit so I can splurge and have a massage, or to cover DH's beer helmets etc. and of course the daily service charge. Therefore I have a card for the two lines I like best. Just putting the cruise fare on the card will earn you some OBC.

 

I am on the email list of most online cruise travel agencies, so get alerted to special fares or perks, although I have pretty much stuck with one for its loyalty perks (but I do book with the cruiseline sometimes). I pick the one with the best deal.

 

Also I save those airline points for long hauls that would cost a bunch rather than using them on short hauls that only cost a couple hundred. You have to think ahead. For instance, it costs more than two short hauls to go to say Anchorage or Honolulu, so your points are best used for those long hauls, even to Buenos Aires or London if you can hold off that long!

 

Even with all the freebies mentioned above, you still do have to pay the cruise fare! So you pick the cabin you can afford & will be happy with. You do not book a suite if you are short on funds!

 

You book a lower category if necessary, and as prices sometimes fall, upgrade yourself to a balcony if it becomes the same fare you paid for an obstructed ocean view, for instance. That happened to us for our Hawaii cruise last year. Or you can stay in the original cabin and just lower your final payment. After final payment, though, they usually will not give on board credit, only an upgrade if one is available.

 

You yourself have to monitor all this, and kind of know in the back of your mind how many points you have on each account so you can make decisions quickly.

 

Happy cruising!

[WeBeGone]

We bascially don't do anything but cruise. All "extra" money goes into the cruise fund.

[luvs2travl]

We are both retired. We lived very modestly over all our "younger years" - didn't have a huge home, didn't buy a new car every other year, did not feel the need to buy every new gadget or technologically-advanced item that came out on the market, ----and didn't travel a whole lot! :rolleyes: I worked from the time I was 18 until I retired. DH did the same, retired once at 65, then continued to work part time doing consulting work until he turned 70. He finally said "Enough was enough!"

 

We raised one son, put him through college, but he helped with his education expenses by receiving scholarships and working. He bought his own vehicle by working while he was in high school - we did not "gift" him with a brand new vehicle because he did what all kids are supposed to do anyway - get good grades and graduate.

 

We don't live off credit cards and all our bills are paid, except the monthly expenses of food, utilities, insurances, etc. No house note, no car note.

 

We put as much as we could into our 401k's and never touched them - not even once! We had a "Life Plan" or "Bucket List" if you prefer, of things we wanted to do, God willing, when we were able to retire. First on our list was cruising/traveling, and enjoying all the wonders of our beautiful world & the people in it. Now, thankfully, that plan has come to fruitition and we are able to cruise at least 2 to 4 times per year. We feel as if we have earned every bit of our 'indulgence' - and eagerly look forward to planning and taking each cruise. We have met some wonderful people and have friends all over the US. In fact, we are off to AZ next week to visit with 3 couples we met on 3 separate cruises!

 

Life has been so very good to us. We felt it was worth it to us to give up some things earlier in life to gain the things we wanted later in life. Very few people are fortunate enough to be able to do it all - all the time! ;)

 

May life be as good to you as it has to us, and may you all be as blessed as we feel that we are.

 

Smooth Sailing always to everyone! :)

[Philip217]

I work very hard, make plenty of money, and spend it wisely.

Where I live, going on a cruise is less expensive than staying at home.

And taking a cruise is definitely far less costly than a land-based holiday.

[Johnthed0g]

I asked a similar question to this elsewhere & I was absolutely flamed for being jealous of those who can afford to cruise a lot....now, I at no time said I couldn't afford it but just wondered HOW people managed to do so much, & how on earth they justify the expense. In the UK we do have short cruises of 2/3 days but they are looked apon as not proper cruises so we are talking at least 7 nights....BUT what I was talking about is WORLD CRUISES usually with P&O for about 100 nights & costing something like £40,000 for two in a decent cabin, some even "claim" they have done several of these. I maintain that no ordinary working person can possibly afford this & even if they spent 20years saving it up I doubt they would spend it on a holiday!! How much money must people have spare to do this?? People do as the ships are always full!!

[diane.in.ny]

We are retired so time 'off' isn't an issue.

 

We use airline affinity credit cards so our air is almost always free. Like a previous poster, we save the points for the long haul. Saving $1000 pp on our Fall cruise.

 

I carefully scope out reasonably priced hotels for pre and post stays

 

We avoid the ship's tours as much as possible

 

We are not big drinkers to bar tab is small. And, after so many cruises, my shopping budget is now very small.

[silentbob007]

I'm still in grad school but I've been averaging 30 days per year at sea the last couple of years. I work extra jobs to help earn money. I have to fly, but only book cruises if I can get reasonable airfare (from IND, that is under $200 r/t) and generally use credit card points or frequent flier miles for one leg of an air trip. I haven't booked a hotel through anything but Priceline or Hotwire (in the US) in 5 years. I almost only book cruise "deals" ... either residency discounts or last minute rates. I generally stay in insides unless balconies are extremely reasonable. I'm sometimes a "devil" customer for the line in that my account balance at the end is generally under $100 (not includig tips). Almost all of my travel money goes towards cruising.