How do you afford all of these cruises?

[nenasmum]

My answer- 2 jobs. I work between 4 and 2 hours extra 4 nights a week ato pay for my cruising. I am from Australia so there is ALWAYS an airfare and usually a couple of weeks accommodation before after or between cruises. We usually travel overseas between 4 to 6 weeks a year I get a balcony but I don't drink.

I am a single mother and my 10 year old daughter comes with me- and I am far from a high flyer at work- I am a teacher in the public system. It can be done.

[Kew Gardens Cruiser]

My wife travels quite a bit for work so we try to use her frequent flyer miles and points for flights and pre cruise hotel stays. We also try to cruise out of NYC from time to time so we don't have to fly. It's helps that we don't have any kids yet and that also leaves us more flexibility to book cruises when school is still going so we end up getting more competitive rates

[citrusflorida]

Living in Florida is definitely the contributing factor for us. No flights, no hotels and we don't have to travel in high season because of children's school schedules. For example, we did a 4 night in October for 2 for less than 400.00. We have spent more than that for a weekend at the beach!

[Big_G]

Retired, live in florida, get last minute deals....just my guess

 

Inside cabins!

 

For people who don't have to fly and don't drink or spend tons of $$ on excursions, cruising is very cheap. One time I got 4 of us on a ship for a week for less than 1500$ total after all taxes charges etc!

Personally we cruise every few years, and it is just a priority for me to save for. My husband is a photographer, so spending $$ on short weekend getaways does not happen he is always shooting something on a Saturday. :) Frees up the $$ for cruising. I take 120$ out of each paycheck, it goes right into a savings account, gives me enough $$ each year to do something fun. Even when I have to take some out for bills!

 

I'm not retired.

I don't live in Florida.

I always get a balcony minimum.

I always do 7 day cruises.

I always eat at least once in a specialty restaurant

I drink like a fish...

 

...and I have no clue how I can afford multiple cruises but it seems to always workout for me.:D

 

I will say that I was a technology consultant for an agency and could take as much time as I wanted without pay but I let them hire me full time so now I'm subject to their vacation rules. End result, I had to cancel a third cruise this year. A case of more money isn't always worth it.:(

[celie1110]

According to my coworker I am a millionaire because I cruise once a year. Lol. Really dh and I have no children and we both make a pretty decent salary so we are able to do this once a year plus other vacations throughout the year. As to vacation time I get 4 weeks dh 5 weeks. All our family live close so no traveling time to see them.

 

That's how we do it :)

[Tbrito]

Work hard.

 

Live simply - day to day.

 

Save money.

 

Cruise and enjoy!!

 

:):):)

[retiredonthesea]

DH and I still work and live in SD, so have to fly everywhere. Our credit card is used for everything (paid off in full every month) so we have FF miles to get to our cruise port. . What we DON'T have is a mortgage, car payments, loans, ect. just our monthly water, sewer, electricity ect. When we wanted something we waited til we could pay for it and not finance it!

 

Eating out maybe once a week and packing our own lunches. It's amazing how much you can save for a cruise when you cut back on the little things--daily coffee/latte, snacks, fast food/prepackaged (cook from scratch).

 

We can't take alot of cruises each year, but we do always have a suite and that amounts to about the same as two or three cruises and usally take 10 to 14 days off at a time.

 

I know this isn't possible for a lot of people, but just sit down and think of all the extras you buy or spend money on during the week--then ask yourself where can I/we cut back to enjoy more time with my spouse/ family/ friends! It is possible to have that extra vacation or a longer one or have a suite life!!;)

[TigerLady]

As I peruse the forums I see a lot of posters with the cruises they have been on listed in their signatures. Many people have 2-3 cruises per year every year for the past 10 years.

 

I'm not trying to poke and prod into your financial life, just wondering if I am missing something as far as getting free cruises or half off because I don't know many people who could afford 3 vacations per year every year. So is it all personal income or are you getting amazing deals? Should I sign up for anchor club?

 

Thanks for the tips/advice in advance!

 

 

For us, it is priorities.. We haven't had a new car since 1997. We don't go "out" and eat often, we are both retired military, and have chosen to work another job after retirement. We have four grown children, and a house with less than 5 years to pay on it. Anything is possible if you put forth the time and effort. We choose to cruise as our form of vacation. We don't fly in, don't stay at "the hotel" in the area, don't drink on the ship. We average two cruises a year. All depends on how you want top spend/ save your money for...

[jsteinberg]

I am still in my 20s and find a way to cruise twice a year....

 

 

We live in Fla and only 30 min from port everglades, 50 from miami, 2 hours from canaveral. We book inside cabins almost every time. I cruise during "off season" to get better pricing...typically jan or feb, and another in Sept....sept specifically is VERY cheap to cruise to the caribbean. I split my direct deposit to put a certain amount into a separate bank account, so i have deposit money ready to go when I come across a deal and also have enough cash to make final payment when that time comes.

 

I also book almost all my tours independently to save there, and try to drink more on land than on the boat. My typical on board account for myself and my girlfriend is $300 or so for a 7 day cruise.

[catilope]

Work hard.

 

Live simply - day to day.

 

Save money.

 

Cruise and enjoy!!

 

We rarely dine out, maybe twice a year, stay home a lot, keep life simple and save, save, save $ whenever possible.

 

It's amazing what you can do if you set a goal and stick with it. That goal being cruising :)

[Cruising89143]

Please do not flame me here because I think there is a giant liars club on CC. I am not trying to make trouble, I'm just using what I see here on the boards to make my judgement.

 

There are so many D+ people on the boards based on thier signatures. My guess would be that there are more D+ people here than actually exist.

 

It would be impossible for all the D+ and above members to be CC members.

 

Just an opinion that is not intended to offend anyone.

 

LOL........ Not sure how one can come come to this conclusion based on what is posted here. It doesn't take much to reach D+. We reached it rather quickly based on the cabins booked.

 

I receive five weeks vacation a year plus about seven holidays so that gives plenty of time to cruise and do other things. I took my first cruise in 1986. We average two to three a year depending on what other things/places we would like to do.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[yarlenna]

I don't drink

I don't gamble

 

Back when I worked, I would cruise 2 - 4 times a month

Now that I am retired, and have heath issues, I can't cruise every year, but when I can, I enjoy every moment.

 

I look at my old scrapbooks and remember, and it was worth every cent.

[DaQuix]

Oh, and the RCI Visa...great idea. Just remember it is still a charge card. I buy many things with it, and immediately pay them off when I get home. You still get the points. I put my cruise payments on it for the double points. Also, any excursions you book, onboard restaurants, etc.

 

It works for me because I pay those things off immediately. When I go on Freedom in February 2013, I will have between $250.00 and $300.00 in onboard credits to use for things.

 

How many "points" do you need for a full cruise, or half off cruise, or whatever it is they offer? And how many points do you get for a standard 5 or 7 day cruise?

[dappledumpling]

Key is to live in florida.. no airfare

have friends near most the ports a nd leave our car there when possible

I work a second job that pays for cruises and spending money

(Luckily my primary job is fri-sat-sun and pays the bills)

I get 25 days vacation per year

will go on at least 4 cruises this year (jan feb march and december) and hopefully will find a few deals in sept and october

 

Rick

[DaQuix]

Sorry for the ignorance, but what is a D+ and what are the qualifications to become one?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Please do not flame me here because I think there is a giant liars club on CC. I am not trying to make trouble, I'm just using what I see here on the boards to make my judgement.

 

There are so many D+ people on the boards based on thier signatures. My guess would be that there are more D+ people here than actually exist.

 

It would be impossible for all the D+ and above members to be CC members.

 

Just an opinion that is not intended to offend anyone.

 

Cruising Doggie, you can tell if someone is a Diamond Plus poser because anyone that has achieved D+ or Pinnacle staus has cruised enough to be quite knowledgable about ships, itineraries, activities on ships, cruiselines, even meals and restaurants on ships, entertainment and such. They can answer many questions you might ask and probably answer them in even more detail than you want.

 

Someone who hasn't sailed that much would be challenged to answer certain questions such as compare and contrast Voyager Class, Freedom Class and Oasis Class ships. Most, but not all, have probably sailed at least a few cruises on other cruiselines.

 

It would be extremely difficult to fake being a D, D+ or Pinnacle. If someone posts info here that is wrong or appears to be just guessing, plenty of people here will call their bluff. I honestly don't think there are many posers here. It would be too obvious.

[TexCruise371]

We've been on3-4 cruises a year over the last 5 years. The kids are grown, married and on their own. We've worked very hard for what we have. We've lived in the same house for 30 years and have always bought used vehicles. Everything we own is paid for due to the snowball payment plan. We fly free on Southwest because we put ALL of our business expenses on a SW Visa but, we pay it off EVERY month, sometimes twice a month. We own our own business which is seasonal and super employees that take fantastic care of it while we are away. :)

[Cruzin-K]

I don't have kids and I have a great job, so I can afford a few cruises each year. My married friends with kids are jealous of my travels, cruises and land based, but I need something to take my mind off of what is missing in my life. I'd rather have the husband and kids.

 

 

I also don't have kids and have a good job. It would be nice to have a husband and kids (although at this point kids are no longer a possibility except for step-kids) but I don't think of that as something "missing in my life."

 

I too get all the comments from married friends about my travels and pretty much just roll my eyes when they comment about it. Most of them, even the ones without kids, just choose to spend their money on other things like going out to bars drinking every week, or buying new clothes, or paying to enter marathons, half-marathons, etc. If they saved all the money they are spending on races and booze, they could take a cruise as well.

 

It's all about priorities. The ones who act like they are all jealous of my travels, probably spend more on things I wouldn't consider priorities, than I spend on cruises.

 

I get five weeks of vacation a year and am trying to budget so I can use two or three of those weeks for cruising.

[skandls]

Sorry for the ignorance, but what is a D+ and what are the qualifications to become one?

 

If you check out the Royal Caribbean website and look at the Crown and Anchor section - you will find what it takes to get to each level of membership and what the benefits are for each one. All cruise lines have some kind of repeat cruiser benefits so always sign up for the 'club' on your first cruise with a cruiseline.

[laurspag]

I think we all have different lives, salaries, etc. I am finding this thread very informative. We make choices, and those choices in turn affect the next set of choices.

 

We are currently transitioning from 1 vacation a year to two. Each are a week long. We save the rest of our vacation time to do things we need to take time off for.

 

I recently saw a new car I liked with a much larger payment than what I pay now. I decided that my 2008 car had a lower payment, and it meant I could save for a cruise. It was a no brainer for me.

[Sadie cruiser]

You asked what I was afraid to ask :).

I think it is wonderful to have the time, spirit, and health to cruise as much as I see many do on this forum. I felt so blessed to take our family cruise on the Allure last April. Would I spend that amount of money again to cruise and fly from Wisconsin? Probably not. But I am sure glad I had the chance since many cannot afford to take such a vacation.

It truly does make a difference to sail as a couple and not have to fly or waste money on hotels. Really it does! I hope when my child is grown and out of college I too will have the fortune of cruising more. For now money goes elsewhere.

[sail2sea]

Good income; no kids; company was based in Florida. Need I say more? ;)

 

My small company was bought out by a huge corporation based in NY area and the whole company moved up last year. Me and my coworkers, who are also my cruising buddies, are now transplanted in NY. The new company is generous enough to provide a FREE corporate house for all of us Floridian transplants. So now my cruising buddies and I are also housemates. Super fun planning our next cruise out of NY together! :D

[kruzerci]

I make payments on a cruise just like any other bill and it makes it seem more reasonable. We usually book 9-12 months out, so I pay a few hundred dollars on it every month, then there's no big final payment date and no credit card debt.

 

We try to do 2 cruises and one land based vacation a year. We don't limit ourselves with any certain category- sometimes we do an inisde, sometimes we do a suite. It varies from trip to trip.

[Shanafan]

How many "points" do you need for a full cruise, or half off cruise, or whatever it is they offer? And how many points do you get for a standard 5 or 7 day cruise?

 

25,000 points for a 'companion fare on a 3 or 4 night cruise. For 50,000 points you can get a free cruise for 2 at the least expensive ocean view cabin rate.

 

125,000 points gets you a free cruise for 2 for 7 nights.

 

We use our Visa for everything......and I mean everything.....and pay it off every month. We auto-pay our utilities and phone bills and any month to month stuff that we can have billed to our Visa....we put it on it. All our gas, groceries, prescriptions....anything we pay for......if you can use credit to pay....we use our RCCL Visa to pay for it. The key is to pay it off every month.

 

We have had our card for several years now, but have done probably 3 seven night free cruises and 3 or 4 four nighters. You also get double points for any RCCL purchases. It adds up! I loved when our oldest daughters college tuition was payable without a service fee. That racked up points quickly! Can't wait for the day we can live in a port state and not in Michigan!! We spend more on airfare and hotels than we do our cruises half the time!

[Chigirlcruzin]

I also don't have kids and have a good job. It would be nice to have a husband and kids (although at this point kids are no longer a possibility except for step-kids) but I don't think of that as something "missing in my life."

 

I too get all the comments from married friends about my travels and pretty much just roll my eyes when they comment about it. Most of them, even the ones without kids, just choose to spend their money on other things like going out to bars drinking every week, or buying new clothes, or paying to enter marathons, half-marathons, etc. If they saved all the money they are spending on races and booze, they could take a cruise as well.

 

It's all about priorities. The ones who act like they are all jealous of my travels, probably spend more on things I wouldn't consider priorities, than I spend on cruises.

 

I get five weeks of vacation a year and am trying to budget so I can use two or three of those weeks for cruising.

 

Hello fellow Packer fan :) I could cruise every month in a suite with what I spend on clothes! I just don't have the vacation time. My job takes me to Hong Kong several times a year, and sometimes Europe. The miles are nice, but I hate using them for domestic travel when for 10k more, I can go to Europe!

 

I have a lot of friends that do Ironman triathlon and constantly complain about money. But, to each their own.