Cheap or Frugal?

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Are you cheap or frugal?

 

Neither cheap nor frugal...am willing to pay whatever the cost as long as I feel I am receiving value for the cost. Example...flying to vacation a couple months ago we paid 5 times more than those in coach...worth it? Absolutely. Paid sticker price for my last car...worth it, yep.

 

Some people just look at the bottom line...we did that on NCL Sun...got a balcony on Sun...it was a great price...worst cruise ever. Wouldn't sail on that ship for free...not worth my time...let alone my money.

[grammax3]

We only spend extra money when whatever it is will substantially add to our enjoyment of a vacation. So, yes, we did pop for $800 for a private car in St. Petersburg, and had we not, we would not have seen all that we did or have the advantages we had. So, yes, we do pop for balcony cabins, as we don't like sleeping in a closet. No, we do not have drinks on the ship because we don't care about that. No, we do not buy soda cards and coffee cards for the same reason. We do not eat in the pay restaurants either nor do we eat on land unless we have a tour that includes it. I already paid for the food, and it is acceptable. Our guide is, does this extra item enhance our enjoyment, period.

 

Not to be offensive to you, but an inside cabin is not sleeping in a closet. You are fortunate you can always afford a balcony, some people cannot. There are people out there who take a cruise for a respite from caring for individuals at home. Personally, we had a balcony, wasn't that impressed! I would do an inside or oceanview, and go to the outside decks to mingle with other people. By the way, we book our "closet" for respite care.

[spacewoman]

.I always worry about her, such as will she speak up when people for the second or third time push ahead of her to get into an elevator first

 

 

You can start a whole new thread on that subject:mad:

 

Saw it just off the Jewel myself. Don't these idiots realize the people in the elevator have to get OFF the elevator first so there is room for them?????? We make room for the chairs, walkers, canes, let them on first, let them off first, common courtesy!!!!!

 

What we saw a blind couple go through on a Carnival ship a few years back would infuriate you. If they only could walk in that persons shoes for a few hours, maybe they'd get it:rolleyes:

[Luv Cruising Land or Sea]

Not to be offensive to you, but an inside cabin is not sleeping in a closet. You are fortunate you can always afford a balcony, some people cannot. There are people out there who take a cruise for a respite from caring for individuals at home. Personally, we had a balcony, wasn't that impressed! I would do an inside or oceanview, and go to the outside decks to mingle with other people. By the way, we book our "closet" for respite care.

 

Cheers to you grammax3! We book inside as well for a number of reasons:

1. the cost allows us to spend more money on excursions and sightseeing- going places we might never have gone if only "luxury" cabins were available.

2. Dark rooms = better sleep! Being a person who is distracted by "outside" light I find I sleep best in a very dark room and we can totally loose track of time which for me is what a vacation is all about.

3. If money were no object I wouldn't mind booking outside, or balcony but for us it's a matter of cruising or not cruising - booking inside allows us to vacation without going "broke".

 

As many on here agree it's not a matter of being cheap or frugal - it's a matter of being able to go on vacation without breaking the bank and how wonderful that there are options that fit all kinds of budgets :)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We are FRUGAL....... Inside cabins.

[Giantfan13]

It's really not about what you spend and don't spend.

 

 

Frugal

People who don't have a lot of money and look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[SilentHill]

Not to be offensive to you, but an inside cabin is not sleeping in a closet. You are fortunate you can always afford a balcony, some people cannot. There are people out there who take a cruise for a respite from caring for individuals at home. Personally, we had a balcony, wasn't that impressed! I would do an inside or oceanview, and go to the outside decks to mingle with other people. By the way, we book our "closet" for respite care.

 

To each their own. I personally also think sleeping in an inside room is like sleeping in a closet. There are people who are outgoing, love to be out and about, doing excursions and sightseeing. Then there are people like me who go on a cruise for complete and total relaxation. My wife and I spend tons of time in our room. We would never book an excursion (except in port Canaveral lol) as we would just like to relax on the beach or walk around wherever we are at our own leisurely pace. We would be very upset in an inside room. AFT Balcony's only for us.

[Countrygirl44]

Was rereading this thread and had to chuckle. I knew all along that I was frugal...(if my definition of frugal is correct)..one who is cautious of how they spend their earnings...yes that is me in everything not just cruises.

 

As I said in a previous post, it really is ALL ABOUT CHOICES,

 

This post has also gone back and forth about cabins. IF DH's health was better, we might go back to an inside, but again, how I do love to sit on the balcony with room service coffe and just enjoy.

 

We also enjoy the ports. I don't believe we would be happy or enjoy just walking around the ports (we do ship excursions in all ports, if it is a port we have visited before, we will take a different excursion or will do the same one if it is something we have enjoyed). Some may say that is not being frugal, but it sure gives me peace of mind. Alaska (so far) has been our favorite destination. We have also sailed the Western Caribbean, Panama Canal, East Coast and Canada. We have sailed Alaska five times. Our next cruise is September 2012 on the POA.

 

I think a previous poster mentioned that cheap was having the money and refusing to spend it to enhance enjoyment. I think that is a very true statement.

 

To all of my fellow frugal cruisers, continue to do what is necessary to make the cruise enjoyable to you. :)

[Tatka]

I only consider person to be cheap if he/she is cheap to the other people.. aka removes tips. Otherwise it's completely up to him/her how to spend own money.

[Nebr.cruiser]

To me, cheap is when someone trys to skirt all the rules such as the Daily Service Charge (tips) and sneaking on alcohol because they don't want to pay ship alcohol prices. As someone who went the sneaking route once, I'll own up to that. The obnoxiously cheap (different from the standard cheapie) constantly complains about the cost of everything, expecting to pay $1 for their beers like they do at their local dive bar, $10 for a tour because they are visiting a poorer country, etc.

 

To me, frugal is when you watch what you spend on everything with a budget in mind, but you do so with respect to the contract and norms of cruising when you made your cruise purchase.

 

I so agree; being cheap is watching the budget to the point of actually cheating. We are frugal to a point; we like balcony cabins but are fine with a guarantee. We spend very little on board, but do buy excursions, especially to places we haven't been before or to do special things. At some ports we are fine with just walking around or taking a local tour.

 

We have actually had as much as $80 of OBC refunded back to us at the end of the cruise, even after paying tips (which we never, ever skip).

 

To me, being frugal is spending with common sense and restraint for the things you personally enjoy and not spending money on a lot of extras that aren't necessary for a good time.

[newjerseygeorge]

It's really not about what you spend and don't spend.

 

 

Frugal

People who don't have a lot of money and look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

 

That is a great way of putting things.

 

For me, it is who I travel with. When I am with my DD, I can be as frugal as I want as she loves an inside cabin (no sunlight) as her bedtime is 2 AM which is later than mine. If I travel with DW, we splurge a little or a lot more, not over the top but a lot more than my kid would ever spend. In February my DW and I will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary and we will have a Suite:eek: I better start being frugal again to save for that trip.:D

 

I love what everyone posts. None mad at NCL Nice for people to comment on things that are fun and some are funny. Reading these posts make my day, I hope you like them also.;)

[4774Papa]

It's really not about what you spend and don't spend.

 

 

Frugal

People who don't have a lot of money and look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

Cheers

 

Len

That might work as a definition, however, I think even people of modest means can be cheap.

My Mom was frugal and our family was not poor. However, she grew up during the depression and frugality was her calling.

She would save the plastic wrapping from the newspaper, wash it out and use it to wrap leftovers for freezing!

I knew another person that would kept a book of every penny he spent and would write down everything, including pennies in a parking meter!

I could go on, but still not sure if these examples are frugality or cheap or both.

[Nebr.cruiser]

It's really not about what you spend and don't spend.

 

 

Frugal

People who don't have a lot of money and look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

I really don't agree with this, especially that people who have money to spend but don't spend it are cheap. You can be a multi-millionaire and still be frugal--as per Nebraska's own Warren Buffet.

 

The idea that you can't really enjoy yourself if you are not spending lots of extra dollars on board just isn't true. We don't spend much extra and we enjoy ourselves immensely--and, we have enough money to go to the spa, do specialty dining, buy artwork, etc., , if we wanted to, we just don't want to and wouldn't enjoy it.

 

It's not wrong or extravagant to spend money on extras, but it's not 'cheap' if someone chooses not too, either. Cheap is stiffing the staff of their tips, hiding alcohol in shampoo bottles, trying to get away with something. Frugal is spending wisely, for you.

[Tatka]

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

How do you know what people enjoy? Your opinion on this matter may greatly differ from theirs. :)

 

For example one person can't imagine a vacation without a gambling, or bar hopping or you name it, does this mean that another person who doesn't do the same while having means not enjoying him/herself?

[APDMOM]

JMHO....

 

Cheap = not tipping

 

Frugal = wisely spending every dollar so that we can cruise more often

 

We are the frugal budgeteers. :D

[Nebr.cruiser]

How do you know what people enjoy? Your opinion on this matter may greatly differ from theirs. :)

 

For example one person can't imagine a vacation without a gambling, or bar hopping or you name it, does this mean that another person who doesn't do the same while having means not enjoying him/herself?

 

Exactly. For example, bar hopping would be literal torture for me; don't like it, don't want to do it, would never spend money on it. That's not being cheap, or even frugal; it's just choices. It doesn't mean we're not having fun.

[swedish weave]

Frugal -- Booking a cabin I want -(Inside) Taking several cruises a year. Spending what I choose. Tipping and taking gifts for the kids who work on the ship (My enjoyment)

 

Cheap == Booking an expensive cabin, then complaining about the cost of everything including tips and/or cancelling the tips. (also known as selfish)

[Victress2007]

It's really not about what you spend and don't spend.

 

 

Frugal

People who don't have a lot of money and look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who have the money to spend and just don't spend it to really enjoy themselves.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

I would just amend this slightly.

 

Frugal - People who look for the best value they can get for the money they spend./ they are not afraid to spend their money as long as the value is worth it.

 

Cheap

People who just don't spend because they really enjoy themselves by complaining about how expensive everything is!