Affording a cruise

[hockey grannys go 4]

I'm sure we all agree that a cruise is a very cost effective way to vacation, but it still is a considerable expense. The basic cost of passage even in a modest cabin plus air fare, side trips, beverages, tips etc. can result in quite a good sized bill. So, here's my question: what allows you to take a cruise? Or more specifically, where does the money come from? Stretching out credit card payments, personal savings, an inheritance, a fantastic job, wise investments or perhaps conservative ones (is there a difference?), great luck at the track, or perhaps a wealthy spouse:p. Please don't respond if you're sensitive to the question, as I'm asking out of curiosity of people I don't know. In my case my spouse's job allows for free air transportation , we are older and my retirement is adequate, plus we have invested extremely conservatively recently, so we been spared the down market. But in my single days, the credit card route was my saviour.

YOU ARE LUCKY WITH FREE AIR. MY dw and i are retired but when pension time comes every month we pay our self first $1000. per mth. we than budget for 2 cruises a year.air fair is the big problem as we live in cental Canada and have fly all the time. we look for good deals and long cruises like 28 days and up longest was 49 days some of our cabins have been inside others outside. balcony reseved for up grades if lucky in the past 10 years we have been lucky 2 times. If i had free air like you i would probably do 4 to 5 cruises a year. last but not least our pension are not large just average

[Duck Duck Cruise]

For most people it is a matter of priorities. If you sit down and see where your money is going and compare that to where you want it to go. You then can make adjustments

 

 

I agree........

 

We do not .....

Buy Magazines

Go out to eat, including fast food, coffee, breakfast, lunch, (bag lunch from home), or dinner. We love our own cooking!

Go to the movies

Camp, Fish, Hunt, Ski, Boat,

No Concerts, comedy clubs etc

We only buy clothes when we REALLY need them.

 

I like to tease and say....."There is no end to the things we DON'T do"

 

All the little things add up!

[sabookkeeper]

I should have added a few more things to my previous message. When we decided we wanted to cruise every year, we stopped buying gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas etc. It was something we were willing to give up in order to cruise. Also, because my husband travels so much, we get free hotels which we use before and after the cruise.

 

Darlene

[kruzinRiva]

My mother and I love to cruise together and our approach echoes many of the other "plans" people have described -- we both have VERY modest incomes but are able to put aside a bit each month into our cruise fund. By planning where we would like to go well in advance we work out the amount we will need by final payment time and divide that by the number of months between now and then -- voila!! This gives us the minimum # to shoot for each month... Whenever we resist temptation to go out to eat or whatever? that $$ goes into the kitty as well, along with any windfalls that come our way.

 

This works so well that half of our upcoming cruise was already saved for when we got back from last year's trip!!! (I guess we should have sprung for that balcony, after all :D.) We always have the cruise (and ancillary costs) paid/saved for before we sail -- way too depressing to be making payments without a trip to look forward to, isn't it? Maybe in a few years when I can retire we'll have to step up the program to be able to cruise more than once a year or go for a month at a time as so many of you lucky folks are able to do! But so far, so good!

 

Happy sailing!

 

Becca

[Times Prince]

Our answer to the question varies with where we are in our life. Cruising started when we were working jobs on emergency pagers 24x7 and we wanted to get away. Our TA had the answer - take a cruise.

 

Since the first we've cruised because we enjoy being able to get away, and are still working. We look into alternative vacations and with motels, eating out, driving, park fees, etc, the costs run close to cruising, and the cruise is much less of a hassle.

 

We've cruised after the death of our parents, partially enabled by some inheritance, partially as the remedy for a trying period prior to their passing.

 

My DW has retired, so there is less income, but we, like others in the thread, live wisely but not frugally. Our cars are paid for, children are out of college. Years ago we decided we have enough "stuff" so our annual cruise is our birthday, valentine's day, Easter, Mother's/Father's day, Christmas gift to each other. It is fun to pick a day on the cruise and just say "happy birthday!". (we do celebrate the events during the year with family dinners).

[Fore on the Floor]

We are DINKS double income NO KIDS.

[ISABELLA]

Well, we like cruising a lot and how we paying for it:

We both work, we save for retirement, we only have mortgage to pay plus some other bills,

we don't drive new cars, we don't buy $3.00 cup of coffee every day, we eat out only on special occasions (likely my DH loves to cook and he is fantastic cook), we buy stuff on sale. We cruise 2-3 times a year, I look for bargain prices. Out of 40 + half of them we sailed in inside cabins. I have vacation account, where we contribute every month, so paying for the cruise doesn't come as a shocking surprise. We use points to buy airfare when we can. And we hold 2-3 yard sales a year and you will be surprise how much people are willing to pay for the stuff you don't need anymore.

If anyone can save $50/ week on eating out, here is your $ 2500. That is exactly how much we paid for 14 days TA cruise last year and we had a balcony. So some people prefer spending their money on the cruise, some on that gourmet cup of coffee..........

[bhopal21]

We are DINKS double income NO KIDS.

 

Likewise. We are DINKS with great jobs and no debt.

 

We love to travel (not limited to cruising) and get away when we can.

 

Because of the jobs it is hard to take off long periods hence our longest cruise has been a 10 day full transit of the canal.

 

Mike:)

[DrivesLikeMario]

Ugh. :( I don't know whether to be encouraged or discouraged! With 2 kids in an expensive university with no government financial assistance, it's a rough year for cruising. :( Reading the posts of those of you that have already put your kids through college makes me realize there IS a light at the end of the tunnel...somewhere...

[Loonbeam]

Lol. Basically, you're us (me and my wife) - not no debt, we have a mortgage and car loan, but relatively the same boat.

 

 

Likewise. We are DINKS with great jobs and no debt.

 

We love to travel (not limited to cruising) and get away when we can.

 

Because of the jobs it is hard to take off long periods hence our longest cruise has been a 10 day full transit of the canal.

 

Mike:)

[xxoocruiser]

• Never leaved beyonds my means.
  
• Always banked pay raises.
  
• Never traded up houses. Live Mortgage free and debt free
  
• Always book inside cabins
  
• Before retirement my career required me to travel the world for a living. So cruising is now more about the ship experience than the ports. So don't spend a lot on excursions unless it's something I've never done before.
  
• Not a drinker or shopper so those are other expenses saved
  
• Look for good deals.
  

[UlvaZell]

DW and I work our butts off during the year. We have very little debt and are aggressive savers. Cruising is my way to "disconnect from the Matrix" and recharge for another year of work...

[Ethel5]

It sounds like most of us who are answering the OP live a frugal lifestyle and are happy to do so in order to cruise. :)

[Times Prince]

It sounds like most of us who are answering the OP live a frugal lifestyle and are happy to do so in order to cruise. :)

I don't think it is a matter of frugal but more of placing one's priorities in order, and having sufficient means to be able to afford cruising.

 

I am sure that after I retire there will be inside cabin bargains in my future, but until then we'll choose balcony guarantees, or the occasional choice of a specific cabin.

[Cristallo]

The DH and I are another voice in the chorus for living below our means. The DH works and makes a very nice income that allows for me not to have to work. We have no debt outside of our mortgage, save as much as we can, I cook 95% of our meals at home, cut coupons and only buy things when they are on sale. We cut cable since we can either netflix it or watch online. We have one car and a scooter for my local trips(high gas mileage and low ins). Basically we did away with things we didn't need or use.

 

My grandmother lived through the depression and taught our family to save, save and never go into debt. If we can't pay cash we can't afford it.

[MissRabbit]

 

Other than a mortgage we have only necessity debt (utilities, medical co-pays if needed, etc.)

 

If we can't pay for the cruise up front, we don't go. One time, many years ago, we paid for our cruise with a credit card and it took forever to pay it off. We learned our lesson.

 

This sums us up perfectly. We paid for our honeymoon with a credit card, couldn't afford to pay it and got bad credit because of it. Now, we do not put *anything* on the credit card that we cannot pay off right away. It's our rule.

 

We don't have debts other than what you mentioned. We can afford to cruise every year if we wanted to, but *chose* to put that money away for a down payment on a house when we are ready to take that on. Now that we have that, we can go back to cruising again.

 

Cruising IS our vacation. If we are going to do a vacation, nothing beats it. To pay for a hotel, unlimited food (filet mignon and lobster) and the plethora of entertainment each day somewhere else, you'll spend just as much or more. Why not go on a cruise where you don't have to constantly worry about the price of things AND see other countries to boot?

 

Unfortunately for us, the airfare to get to the cruise ship is about 1/3 the entire cost of the vacation. That is what stops us. If we lived in Florida, we'd go every year.

 

But really, it doesn't matter *how* you save up the money to go as long as you ONLY go if you can afford it. I would never advise anyone to pay for their cruise (or any vacation for that matter) if they don't have the money to pay for it in full.

[Bonnie J.]

WE are both sort of retired. I have social security, a pension from teaching, am a Realtor with a terrible market and now do a lot of substitue teaching. My paychecks from that go into our 'cruise fund'. We have been downsizing- my husband has been selling stuff he no longer has use for and that goes into our 'cruise fund' also.

We do not owe on anything but our AmX that we put our cruises on and pay off right after the cruise if not before. (Have no mortgage, YEA!) We NEVER take ship's tours, usually book those ourselves, and often don't drink on the cruise, don't gamble. We have had final bills (with prepaid tips) for as little as $60 for something I may have bought on the ship. We can do very last minute- less than a week- and my husband watches for good prices. We have often cruised for $299, 7 days. Usually an inside cabin but once it was a 7 day balcony on deck 9 for $299! We don't care inside or other - have had every type of cabin, even suites with names but we try to stay on deck 9. Never do less than 7 days and drive to the port from NC, spending one night before cruise in hotel. Never park car at pier. Leave car at hotel or a parking garage so save 1/2 parking fee.

I always tell 1st time cruisers to make sure they are sitting down the last morning when they get their final bill. If they don't they will fall over when they see how much it is!

[PROCRUISE]

I'm sure we all agree that a cruise is a very cost effective way to vacation, but it still is a considerable expense. The basic cost of passage even in a modest cabin plus air fare, side trips, beverages, tips etc. can result in quite a good sized bill. So, here's my question: what allows you to take a cruise? Or more specifically, where does the money come from? Stretching out credit card payments, personal savings, an inheritance, a fantastic job, wise investments or perhaps conservative ones (is there a difference?), great luck at the track, or perhaps a wealthy spouse:p. Please don't respond if you're sensitive to the question, as I'm asking out of curiosity of people I don't know. In my case my spouse's job allows for free air transportation , we are older and my retirement is adequate, plus we have invested extremely conservatively recently, so we been spared the down market. But in my single days, the credit card route was my saviour.

 

1. My desire to cruise as the most economical way to see some of the world.

2. My parents told me to save as much as possibly, all the time, but to travel while I could still walk!

3. Pay as you go and leave no debt trailing after you.

4. I am still blessed with good health and an above average income, but I work hard for it.

[debandbruce]

My Dh and I did the debt road trying to give our kids the life we wanted too. We found the more we did the less we could afford to do because we were always paying something off. We finally got out of that cycle by adjusting our lives. We camped with our kids instead of hotels that way we paid less and cooked our own meals. We managed to travel to quite a few nice places that we couldn't of afforded if we had to pay for lodgings and food.

My hubby and I both were hired when our city transit company was doing a hiring blitz and we make very good money driving city bus here in Ontario. I know that is not the case with transit in other cities unfortunately.

Our children are almost 20 and don't go with us anymore so the costs are less than half now. We keep our cars till they are old and never buy new. We don't go to the movies or if we do we use the points on our debit card. Our only debt is our mortgage. All of this has come with time and it felt sometimes like we would never be able to do what we are able to do now. We took our first cruise last year and have one coming up this September and Next January. I find younger people telling us now they are jealous of us, I assure them that their day will come. I find cruising to be so wonderful I still have to pinch myself when I am sitting on deck and I realize yes it took a while but we made it!

[collegecruiser346]

I'm 25 and have worked full time since my Junior year of college. I make a decent salary, and have become good at budgeting my money. $300 out of every pay check goes into a savings account, at a separate bank than my checking account. I keep it at a separate bank so I have to think twice before dipping into that account. I book a cruise at the last minute, usually within 30 days of sailing. I don't spend like crazy on the cruise. I don't drink at home, so I don't drink on the ship. I'm not a big gambler, so I usually don't spend anymore than $100 in the casino for the week. Like many other people have said before me, its all about priorities. My yearly cruise is my priority, so I focus on that.

[Norwaylin]

I was wondering what the average cost would be for a 10-day Panama Canal Cruise -- airfare to/from Cleveland to Ft. Lauderdale, cruise, excursions, misc. expenses. I know excursions can add up fast.

I have done the Caribbean (East, West and Southern) and Bermuda on six cruises, but have never done longer than a 7-day cruise.

[brettsmom2004]

I booked my January 2012 cruise in January 2010. I put down my deposit and pay on it maybe monthly if I have the extra funds. Gives me almost 2 years to pay it off...pay on it whenever I want to, will use some of my paycheck, and part of my tax refund....all along I put away a little at a time for my expenses....works out quite well.

 

If I had to pay up front the full balance I wouldn't go. I refuse to put it on my Credit Card as I don't want to pay finance charges each month and it would take me forever to pay off, I do use the Credit Card for my onboard purchases because I pay that off right after the cruise with the money I save up for my expenses.

 

gg

[paul929207]

I booked my January 2012 cruise in January 2010. I put down my deposit and pay on it maybe monthly if I have the extra funds. Gives me almost 2 years to pay it off...pay on it whenever I want to, will use some of my paycheck, and part of my tax refund....all along I put away a little at a time for my expenses....works out quite well.

 

If I had to pay up front the full balance I wouldn't go. I refuse to put it on my Credit Card as I don't want to pay finance charges each month and it would take me forever to pay off, I do use the Credit Card for my onboard purchases because I pay that off right after the cruise with the money I save up for my expenses.

 

gg

Good planning

[yellowsnow]

I am in my mid 20's and don't make a lot of money, but I also don't have children and live a simple life. It helps that I don't have a car but my job pays for my car and gas. Maybe the main part is I am disciplined about putting money aside from every paycheck in a savings account. Like another 20 something said earlier, traveling is my priority and I treat it as such.

 

Also I work a lot. I am pretty sure I have had overtime every paycheck for the last 6 months and I only get 5 days of vacation a year, which is just one trip a year which is not crazy expensive... also not enough but in the past I have taken a quick trip in between jobs, so maybe I'll do that again when I get the chance :)

[BosoxI]

I'm glad I started this thread, because so many people have shown that they are willing to do without things in order to afford something they really enjoy. That's an old time virtue that has been lost on a large number of people, individuals and governments alike. Thanks for brightening my day