How do you afford all of these cruises?

[bugsy43]

I work 2 jobs so that I can try and go on a cruise at least once or twice a year. It's exhausting but for 2-3 weeks a year I am in my element and at my happiest so I guess that makes it worth it for me. :)

[LittleMissMagic]

In comparison to my peers, we vacation frequently - spring break, winter break, and take a summer vacation or two, and then we also often take long weekend trips. Our favorites are Disney World (where we go at least once a year, often more) and cruises (started the tradition of cruising over Christmas a few years ago).

 

I'll start by saying that I have older parents. And on top of that, my father is seven years older than my mom. While my mother hasn't worked since she had children so we are a single-person income family, my father is in a pretty good spot. How good? I have no idea - and until I was older, I had no clue. But now I'm old enough to understand some things that I hadn't known when I was younger...

 

That being said, vacations are important to us because we're a pretty close-knit family, and we enjoy spending time with one another. We don't invest too much into technology - don't have a blu-ray player or an xbox/playstation or DVR. I consider that an area we "save" in.

 

And then we're pretty good about learning how to save money. For Disney World, because we go so often but for short trips, we'll buy 10-day No Expiration passes so that we pay less per day - since we know we'll always go back to Disney World, we know the No Expiration option saves us money in the end (if you're going for 5 days or more, it is cheaper per day to buy a multi-day pass). Then we'll also buy annual passes to get the AP room discount rate. Since we stay in deluxe resorts, it's like getting a "free" annual pass.

 

As for cruising, we are driving distance from Port Canaveral and Tampa, so that helps. We book good deals - at least what we think is a good value. We've cruised in all types of accommodations - we've done an inside cabin once on a short, very last-minute cruise (great steal), and we've also booked our first grand suite.

 

I think what the responses are indicating is that everyone has a different vacation style - choose what best suits you. Some people go for less expensive staterooms so that they can cruise more frequently, while some people will go "all out" once or every two years... some people cruise during the off-season when it's cheaper, while people with school-age children have to cruise during the most expensive times... and then some people can just afford to sail in suites several times a year. Everybody vacations differently. Do what's comfortable for you.

[Texmike]

I had started a thread earlier in the year about cruising without having a job and it got deleted for some reason.

 

We had gone on 7 cruises from 2002-2010 and got laid off in 2011. Went on two cruises in 2010.

 

Now I doubt we will be able to go on a cruise until we find jobs again.

 

Once you go-that's the only kind of vacation that you want.

 

We have some money saved up for our old age but have changed our lifestyle quite a bit.

 

At least we were able to go on cruises when we could afford it.

[beachnative]

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.

 

I hesitated to post after reading the above, but here goes anyway:

 

We worked all our lives and took vacations when we could work them into our schedules and could afford them. When our son graduated from college we were amazed that we then had quite a bit of disposable income and began to travel and cruise more often. We retired in June 2010 and have taken 22 cruises since and have 12 more booked. So, what is the key to how do we do it.......NO DEBT as well as decent investments. Debt is the killer of dreams. It truly is amazing how much disposable income one has when their house, car, etc. are paid for an you have NO DEBT.

 

We do not scrimp when we travel but we don't book grand suites and above. yes, we sometimes book an outside with window cabin and we are trying an inside in May for the first time because the price was unbelievably low. A regular cabin with a balcony is our usual. We don't belong to a country club, golf, or ski anymore...we have simply chosen to spend our time deriving pleasure from sailing on cruise ships.

 

And just for the record, we are Diamond Plus and I'm not fibbing.

 

To the poster who asked "What is D+": it is just two words that are written on your sea pass card that allows you to have access to certain "special" things on the ship. It is Royal Caribbean's way of saying "Thank you for sticking with us and not handing over your money to our competition." Usually when the crew sees "Diamond Plus" on your card they smile at you and treat you more like family; they know that you like them because you keep coming back to them time and time again (that's my favorite part). Seriously, D+ is no more special than getting an upgrade at a hotel because you stick with that chain or frequent flier perks on an airplane.

[Beth C]

People wonder how my father who's now retired manages to do it... it's all about finding the deals. He did a TA last spring from FLL to Rome and all in was under $1500 for 15 or 16 days total... having to fly from Canada to the major ports is always a big expense but by watching flights we've had return flights for just under $300. Many times it's been cheaper to stay an extra day or two and get a good deal on a hotel than to fly directly home afterwards.

 

We all usually travel insides but did a JS on the last cruises since it was only $100 more per person and we got the double points to get them to Emerald and myself to Platinum so that was a no brainer but luckily it didn't put us in the "have to have a suite or balcony now" mindset.

 

I had a 6 night on Navigator booked last November for an AMAZING price ($499 aft balcony) but since it was US Thanksgiving week airfare was insane so I moved it to the Oasis in April and the overall cost is going to be less than the November one was for a phenomenal upgrade in ships.

[Granny&Pap]

We do lots of cruises; sometimes 4-5 per year....BUT ALWAYS interior. We only dress and sleep in the cabin.

Use Royals Visa card for EVERYTHING. Watch computer for deals. Have great TA that also watches for deals.

That's how we do it!! AND, No Lie, we are also D+.

[Lady Hudson]

Inside cabin -- don't drink -- never fly (always leave from northeast) -- have already done many of the excusions so don't spend much on them now (but the spa takes up the money that used to be allocated for them!). Waiting to retire to be able to take advantage of last minute deals!! Cruising is a great deal when you consider what a hotel room and meals would cost on a land vacation. Plus I love the sea days.

[Granny&Pap]

Inside cabin -- don't drink -- never fly (always leave from northeast) -- have already done many of the excusions so don't spend much on them now (but the spa takes up the money that used to be allocated for them!). Waiting to retire to be able to take advantage of last minute deals!! Cruising is a great deal when you consider what a hotel room and meals would cost on a land vacation. Plus I love the sea days.

Amen on the sea days. Sailing from Bayonne, NJ gives 3 days at sea to the Caribbean and back. Trying to get up the nerve to do a TransAtlantic (don't like flying that long). Really cheap for 14 or so days....and half of them are sea days. SOME DAY!!:rolleyes:

[Zach1213]

I've wondered the same thing myself! Maybe some stay in inside cabins and don't drink??? That would be pretty ecinomical.

Oh man kill me now...

 

I guess that's why I don't fit in to the cruise scene. I enjoy spending time in my room and need a balcony because of it. I'd rather sit on my balcony reading, watching the waves go by than fight for a chair up top with annoying people and bad entertainment. But, that's why I don't fit in on CC...

[sugarcat]

Don't have kids. Put whatever you would spend on childcare towards cruises. Four weeks a year at sea.

[cruzincurt]

Everyone generally gets to make life's choices.

 

We started cruising after moving to Florida, thus no airfare. No kiddos. Cruises are our only vacations. No smoking, fishing boat, sports car, cabin in the woods, etc. Some people buy big houses and toys. It's all personal choices assuming one has the time and means and sets priorities.

 

There are no "free" cruises. Over the past few years, all the TA's have the same fares, some choose to discount their commission as payback.

 

By the way, there ARE lots of Diamond and Diamond Plus cruisers, and some frequent CC. Those ships are not being filled with newbie cruisers each week.

[Granny&Pap]

Activities on board are many.... We drink, a little, Gamble, a little and see ALL the shows. If the ship has an outside promenade deck....that's where we are. Never the pools up top!! Too much noise and YOUR RIGHT!! have to fight for a chair. Not worth it. BUT, still go interior....plenty to do else where. Did balcony twice...once to Alaska...toooo cold. To Hawaii thinking I could leave the door open and listen to the water ripple...WRONG, TOO windy....sounded like a storm all night. Will stick to the interior.....just my opinion.

[Zach1213]

Activities on board are many.... We drink, a little, Gamble, a little and see ALL the shows. If the ship has an outside promenade deck....that's where we are. Never the pools up top!! Too much noise and YOUR RIGHT!! have to fight for a chair. Not worth it. BUT, still go interior....plenty to do else where. Did balcony twice...once to Alaska...toooo cold. To Hawaii thinking I could leave the door open and listen to the water ripple...WRONG, TOO windy....sounded like a storm all night. Will stick to the interior.....just my opinion.

 

I will say we've only done one cruise, but the activities offered were absolutely horrible...only a couple each day sounded worth even a consideration. Same with the shows...we never went to any of them and never had any desire to. Still, we would rather have the balcony and sit out with our books than do most other things on a cruise ship. That is why we're pretty sure it will be quite some time before we cruise again...we didn't see any advantage to a "regular" beach vacation.

[DaQuix]

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!

 

Oh wow. That sounds great. So does $1 = 1 point? That can't be right?

[clean1owner]

I guess I'll be the only one here to actually tell the truth.

 

I ROB BANKS

 

 

 

Seriously though:

 

No Starbucks for me = $35.00 a week

No Mac & Dons lunch = $40.00 a week

No big screen TV = $30.00 a month

We both drive cars more than 10 years old no car payment = $500 a month

Coupon like crazy at the grocery store = $30.00 a week

Never buy anything without using the points credit card $300-$500 per cruise

 

I was without regular full time work from Dec 2006 until April 2010, was laid off again in March of 2011, and still am. The wife was without regular full time work from Dec 2007 until Dec 2011. We worked as many part time and temp jobs as we could find. Between living right and collecting credit card points, we were still able to afford a cruise for us, our daughter, and my mother last summer. We have also been able to take some land based summer vacations.

 

It's all about forming a plan and sticking to it.

[Gilgo Surfer]

spending the kids inheritance....or ski ing as we say!

 

lol!!!!!!

[Clayswife]

I work to pay for our vacations:D Plus, I am the ultimate bargain hunter and always try to find the best deals (we got our last cruise for 239.00 for an Oceanview room) and always use our free flight credits through Southwest and Best Western/Holiday Inn Points to get free Pre Cruise and Post Cruise hotels :) Smart planning means more vacations !! :p

 

But, sometimes, I am blown away by the number of cruises some of the people on these boards take. I guess I just always assumed they were retired and spending their children's inheritance ... ha ha ha !!

[rubrrick]

After reading all of this........we are very fortunate! Right now, my DW is cruising the Mexican Riviera with friends on the Princess Sapphire......while I'm home working.

 

I can't tell you how many cruises that we have done per year........as it varies........from a low of about 5........and up.

 

Two years from now, I plan on retiring..........at age 69, or 70 tops.

 

Then, I think, I would like to do more land based trips, while the car rental companies will still rent to me. :D

 

We are Pinnacle Club members with Royal Caribbean, Elite with Princess and Celebrity, 2 star with HAL, and have cruised many other lines.

 

Rick

[jonbgd]

Its not to difficult to do 3-4 cruises a year.

2 income family and no kids

Good thing GF doesnt get more vacation days a year or we would do more

[notladjr]

My observation is that most of the people who cruise multiple times a year are either retired or are independent businesspersons whose schedules allow it.

 

Within the large group of retired people who cruise there are those who retired with enough money to cruise as many times as they want and those who hunt for bargains and then don't spend money on a booze and extra cost items.

 

If a person wants to they can cruise very inexpensively. In May my wife and myself will on a 15 night cruise that is costing us less than $90 per day for both of us. That includes our meals, entertainment, and room. Even adding in the tips it still is only $113 per day for both of us.

 

I am a hard working middle aged guy still a few years away from retirement. I was standing at the rail as we sailed away from Honolulu a few years ago and struck up a conversation with a guy about my age. Turns out a few decades ago he started a very successful company in Boston and he had just sold it and had bought a home in Hawaii. We were the same age and he was about to start enjoying retirement while I still had at least another 15 years to go! I confess I was a bit jealous.

[rummenroman]

I've always wondered too --- and not just afford it, but get all that vacation time.

 

3 or 4 weeks, do you take any other time off for holidays and birthdays and other family events

 

Our family understands, if they want to catch us on vacation they have better booked the same cruise. I live in Colorado and most of the family lives in Wisconsin, we get together on a ship. Pre-cruise is spent with family in Florida who joins us on the ship.

 

We too are DINKs (duel incomes, no kids) have very little debt, have a great landlord who doesn't charge us what the house could get because as he puts it, we pay on time, and don't trash the place, I'll take that over more rent and more problems. We make decent money, and work in places that give generous vacation benefits.

 

We live within our means, and save when we can. We could afford more cruises a year but we both like to eat out. For us we work for vacations, and if the family wants to see us, they know where to find us!

[circuitrider]

Priorities. That's about it.

 

Every so often we take a look at what we're spending money on, and decide if our spending is in line with our values.

 

We don't have cable or satellite. We put a bunch of DVDs on a Media Player (specifically, the WDTV Live Hub), so kids have something to watch whenever they want. Add $8/mo for Netflix and free Hulu, that's all the entertainment we need. We do budget $50/mo for entertainment, so the occasional movie outing is fine.

 

We do value going out to eat, to the tune of $50/wk. Might sound like a lot, might sound like nothing. When we're not watching, we can easily spend much more.

 

Use a prepaid mobile phone plan, about $5/mo each (so $10/mo for the two of us). Price in the US was similar, I had AT&T gophone that was a bit more, wife had Net10 which was a bit less.

 

We buy at thrift stores. Loved $1 Mondays at Value Village. Bought an almost brand-new pair of Nikes for $10 (I wouldn't normally buy used shoes...but these looked brand-new).

 

We own a small 3-bedroom home in a rural community (in the US). Property taxes are about $110/yr, doesn't cost much to maintain when we're not there.

 

No house payments, no car payments, no credit card payments, etc.

 

I don't have to cruise on a particular cruise line or ship. Don't even care what the destination is, though preference is given to a cruise with ports we haven't visited yet. Cheap transatlantic, sure! Oooh, look at this deal for an Alaska cruise. Hrm, 11-night Celebrity under $600pp, why not?

 

That pretty much sums up the "how can you afford it?"

 

Past few years, my wife's worked 6-9 months out of the year. I stay home all year with the kids. That takes care of "how can you find the time?"

[Trainman-2]

We are both retired which gives us the time.

 

We are on fixed retirement incomes and are not rich by any definition.

 

Our choice is either to cruise or to dribble our money away day by day on non essential things.

 

We chose to save our money and spend it on cruises.

[Sinppu]

We are in our early thirties and we hear this all the time. We like to travel A LOT and we usually take three or four trips abroad every year and people around us don't seem to understand HOW or WHY we can do it.

 

It's actually quite easy.

 

We don't have children.

We don't own a car (big city, great public transport) let alone two.

We don't have expensive hobbies like sailing, skiing, scuba diving, golf...

We plan our finances extremely carefully, DH has studied economics and he knows his stuff.

We don't party hard every weekend (or if it's me, every month...).

I don't go shopping very often, DH only when he needs something.

We eat at home as we both love cooking.

I'm an expert at saving and a real bargain hunter. I check flights and hotel prices on a weekly basis and something ALWAYS comes up.

DH is fortunate enough to make good money at work and earn up to nine weeks of vacation time a year.

I free-lance so I can put in a lot of work if I need the money.

 

 

Lay most of these thing out in front of them and suggest they follow us so they could also travel. "But this...but that...we can't...we need..."

 

Now that I've discovered cruising nothing can hold us back!!

[sredish]

Oh wow. That sounds great. So does $1 = 1 point? That can't be right?

 

No. You get a large bonus simply for signing up. Then you get double points per dollar for booking RCI cruises and the rest do end up being one point per. But no, everything isnt one point.