How do you afford all of these cruises?

[baldilocks]

We were on a 9 day cruise out of Baltimore. The discussion turned to cruise costs at dinner. One retired couple got the cruise for $400 total. They just got back from a FL cruise and called their TA when they got home. The TA said the Enchantment had a couple of inside cabins avaiable if they could leave in 6 days. The cabins were not in the best part of the ship (a bit noisy)....but $400!

[skinslvr26]

My DW and myself dont drink or smoke.. Dont have Cable or Credit Card's have 2 car's paid off and at the end of this year are 4 br 2 bath House paid off. We dont have great job's and have a 2 and a hafe year old son.

 

I personally like being home and hate going out unless it's a trip. We only do 1 crusie a year in a balcony room. but muti trips within the u.s

 

Like others have said its about livin easy and without the high priced crap most people thank they need that we dont want.. And knowing how to save. We are only in are early 30's and should be able to retire in are late 40's early 50's if everything keeps up the way its going now.:D

 

I love when are Friend's ask how we can Afford to crusie and i simply say i dont drink and piss my money down the pisser.. Reason i say this is because i have friends who tell me about spending 200 dollars in a weekend drinking at a bar and i laugh and thank to myself better him than me.

 

Ps its personal choices IMO :D

[fleckle]

Ps its personal choices IMO :D

That is the answer exactly.

 

Even people in the same income bracket will always have different priorities when it comes to how they choose to spend their money.

[newport dave]

Live in the UK, so very good holiday entitlement compared to a lot of people in the US.

 

Don't have kids, so can spend the inheritance.

 

Wife works for the NHS, so excellent holiday entitlement 41 days, and fairly well paid, mine reasonably so.

[cj_one2000]

Live in the UK, so very good holiday entitlement compared to a lot of people in the US.

 

Don't have kids, so can spend the inheritance.

 

Wife works for the NHS, so excellent holiday entitlement 41 days, and fairly well paid, mine reasonably so.

 

Wow, you are blessed. Sad that my husband serves in the military and he gets 30 days of holiday leave per year. Even after a deployment of 6 months. And its not 30 days for a regular work week of Monday - Friday, but literally 7 days means 7 days of leave. But I'm proud of him and its worth the sacrifice on his side as he knows its a job he is good at and provides for our family.

 

As a government employee (newbie, I was non-profit and corporate before this job), I accrue holiday leave up to 10 vacation days a year. That's two weeks for me as I work Monday - Friday. If I want more vacation time, it's leave without pay :( Wish I had more vacation days to cruise!

[KC Traveler]

DINKS = Dual Income No Kids

 

Fortunate enough to be able to live comfortably and buy most of what we want within reason. No mortgage, but no house either. We currently rent, but saving to buy that retirement home when we finally settle down in a few years. Traveling is important to us so we take 2 to 3 vacations per year, with one being a cruise. Will do two cruises this year but will scale down the third trip to a long extended weekend.

 

Always do a balcony cabin when available, do not gamble, and drink a little, and do excusions 50% of the time. Always look fo the best valve which does not mean the cheapest. I like 4 to 5 star hotels more than my wife, but usually I get my way.

 

Plan on continuing the cruises as long as we can.

[april47]

Big cruises I book 12-18 months out and pay a little at a time with each paycheck.

[bus man]

2012 will only be 2 because we're possibly going to start trying for children, kiddos will suck up a lot of our cruising budget.

 

You can remove the word "cruising" from the above sentence, and it'll be even more accurate! :D

 

I've noticed that many of the responses on this thread highlight the lack of children as a factor in allowing for more cruising. Obviously, families do take cruises; but for the average middle-class family, the fact of having kids will tend to put a damper on one's cruising frequency.

 

Having kids may be a losing proposition, from a financial standpoint; but they are worth it in so many other ways. :)

[paul929207]

You can remove the word "cruising" from the above sentence, and it'll be even more accurate! :D

 

I've noticed that many of the responses on this thread highlight the lack of children as a factor in allowing for more cruising. Obviously, families do take cruises; but for the average middle-class family, the fact of having kids will tend to put a damper on one's cruising frequency.

 

Having kids may be a losing proposition, from a financial standpoint; but they are worth it in so many other ways. :)

We did not vacation as much when our children were younger and our financial responsibility. Now they are grown and gone and self supporting (Praiise the Lord!!!), so we have the money to travel.

[Teacher_91]

We just spend the kids inheritance.

I think that's wonderful. My parents are very frugal people who have worked hard all their lives. Now that they are retired, I encourage them to travel and enjoy themselves. They've certainly earned the priviledge! :D I would much rather them have some great experiences then leave me a dime.

[circuitrider]

You can remove the word "cruising" from the above sentence, and it'll be even more accurate! :D

 

I've noticed that many of the responses on this thread highlight the lack of children as a factor in allowing for more cruising. Obviously, families do take cruises; but for the average middle-class family, the fact of having kids will tend to put a damper on one's cruising frequency.

 

Having kids may be a losing proposition, from a financial standpoint; but they are worth it in so many other ways. :)

 

Having kids hasn't put a damper on our cruising frequency (yet). Oldest sailed on Disney before he was 3mo old (the rule was 12 weeks, which he just barely was). Then a Transatlantic, then a B2B Alaska. Here comes another kiddo; they've shared three cruises I believe (well, I guess five, because kiddo #2 was legally smuggled on the B2B Alaska cruise, i.e. not quite born yet).

 

What IS putting a damper on our cruising is coming to Australia. I do check the prices, just in case, but there are NO last-minute deals (no early booking deals...no deals of any kind!). Yes, some are less expensive than others, but none are what I'd consider a "deal". But that's ok, we'll just find something else to do! Once we know when we're going back to the US, you betcha I'll be trying to snag another cruise deal :)

[Gathina]

When you think about it, people in general (in my opinion) waste a lot of money on a daily basis. Example: $2 (or more) on coffee at Starbucks daily...lunch out 3x week @$10 a pop, dinner out 2x week @ $40 or more..thats close to $100 per week or close to $400 (more or less) per month..then add all the other uselss things..movies, magazines, cigarettes, happy hours, clothes/shoes you don't need, etc.

 

My husband and I don't have children but we travel a lot every year..becauase we don't waste our money on a daily basis

 

I grew up in a family that never ate out...I still rarely eat out..when I do, I can't believe the prices of food in restaurants and the poor quality of it. Big money waster!

[kelmac]

When you think about it, people in general (in my opinion) waste a lot of money on a daily basis. Example: $2 (or more) on coffee at Starbucks daily...lunch out 3x week @$10 a pop, dinner out 2x week @ $40 or more..thats close to $100 per week or close to $400 (more or less) per month..then add all the other uselss things..movies, magazines, cigarettes, happy hours, clothes/shoes you don't need, etc.

 

My husband and I don't have children but we travel a lot every year..becauase we don't waste our money on a daily basis

 

I grew up in a family that never ate out...I still rarely eat out..when I do, I can't believe the prices of food in restaurants and the poor quality of it. Big money waster!

 

I don't consider eating out and movies a waste of money. These are experiences, like travel and cruising, and are important when living each day to the maximum! Now, cigarettes, happy hours... these can be negative experiences that are expensive.

 

I think the big ticket items are the real culprit here -- like fancy cars (car payments), large homes (large mortgages), expensive clothing, electronic toys, jewelry, gasoline, insurance, church, collecting hobbies, renovations...,

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[biker@sea]

I don't drink don't smoke . Did make a thermos full of coffee and a brown bag lunch for work every day. Only drove used cars that I bought cash ( No loan No interest ) pay my credit cards in full on time with no interest charge.

 

It helps that we live 25 min from a port.

 

We cruise last Minute and get great deals. Twice we scored 7 day to Bermuda for $299pp once @ $349pp and Boston to Canada 7 day @ $349 with a return Canada to Boston 7 day @ $349pp :)

 

We always keep a bag packed as I have receive a call from the cruise line as little as 23 hrs before sailing.:D

[jewopaho]

There's no substitute for frugality ... not downright pennypinching, mind you, but at least keeping track of where the money goes. I'm still amazed to hear from acquaintences that they have no clue as to why they're living from payday to payday, even though they make a supposedly "good living."

 

We've had a wonderful life, without spending a dime on finance charges, late fees, or the like; both our vehicles (2010's bought in 2011) are paid for; we own three homes (two rentals), of which two are free and clear ... the third has a small mortgage (under $60k), easily covered by the rental income (it's rarely vacant for longer than a month). We contributed the maximum to our 401k's (up to the point at which they were matched), after which those funds went to Roth IRA's, both of which we monitored pretty closely ... as we approached retirement, we moved the money out of the stock market, just in time to avoid the 2008 collapse. Neither of us smoke, and our alcohol consumption is minimal.

 

No, we're not financial geniuses ... but we took the time to do some research, and followed the advice of people whose incomes were not dependent upon what products we invested in. I know that Suze Orman is tough to take for more than a couple of minutes, but she's right on track.

 

No question about there being a few sacrifices along the way ... but they proved to be well worth the outcome. We did manage to cruise pretty regularly (perhaps once every 18 months or so); now we do so even more (3 or 4 per year). We still ferret out the best deals, and take advantage of the great off-season (and often post-final-payment-date) bargains.

 

I know it's tough for people just beginning their adult lives to look toward the day when they'll no longer be working ... but that day will come, and sooner than expected. Another thought ... the estimate for raising a child from birth through college is now around $270,000. Yikes!

 

Al

[Love.II.Cruise]

I think that's wonderful. My parents are very frugal people who have worked hard all their lives. Now that they are retired, I encourage them to travel and enjoy themselves. They've certainly earned the priviledge! :D I would much rather them have some great experiences then leave me a dime.

 

We couldn't agree more! My parents are retired and we told them to spend away. If they run-out of money, we told them not to worry and that we would take care of them. We told the same to my in-law parents (of which only one is retired, but the other will be soon).

[okgirl]

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'm guessing you are talking about a loyalty program...:confused::confused:

 

Which I'm not sure what that has to do with this topic but okay...

 

I cruise 2 to 4 times a year on Carnival, I'm leaving on my 26th cruise with them this Sunday.

 

My sister and I live together and have a pretty good salary even with her now being retired. I get 6 weeks of vacation a year and 7 paid holidays. We book inside cabins, but we do drink a lot...

 

We don't do excursions or bingo or specialty restaurants.

 

We have a very low mortgage and our cars are 10 years old. We try to drive to the port if we can, but we do go in a day early so there is hotel expense.

[newport dave]

Wow, you are blessed. Sad that my husband serves in the military and he gets 30 days of holiday leave per year. Even after a deployment of 6 months. And its not 30 days for a regular work week of Monday - Friday, but literally 7 days means 7 days of leave. But I'm proud of him and its worth the sacrifice on his side as he knows its a job he is good at and provides for our family.

 

As a government employee (newbie, I was non-profit and corporate before this job), I accrue holiday leave up to 10 vacation days a year. That's two weeks for me as I work Monday - Friday. If I want more vacation time, it's leave without pay :( Wish I had more vacation days to cruise!

 

I use to be in the Royal Air Force, I now don't want to say what leave I got after reading that. Leave entitlement is one area where you yanks get shafted compared to Europeans (inc. UK)

[Gathina]

I think eating out and movies are the biggest waste..IMO that is no way comprable to being in the same category as a vacation, travel, etc...I don't hang onto the memory of the lunch I ate at Chilli's the same way I hold onto a memory of seeing Big Ben in London up close

 

My opinion.

 

I don't consider eating out and movies a waste of money. These are experiences, like travel and cruising, and are important when living each day to the maximum! Now, cigarettes, happy hours... these can be negative experiences that are expensive.

 

I think the big ticket items are the real culprit here -- like fancy cars (car payments), large homes (large mortgages), expensive clothing, electronic toys, jewelry, gasoline, insurance, church, collecting hobbies, renovations...,

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Love.II.Cruise]

I think eating out and movies are the biggest waste..IMO that is no way comprable to being in the same category as a vacation, travel, etc...I don't hang onto the memory of the lunch I ate at Chilli's the same way I hold onto a memory of seeing Big Ben in London up close

 

My opinion.

 

I couldn't agree more! We even cancelled cable 3 months ago and just use Netflix ($8/month) and hulu for free. We also don't do starbucks/lunch outings or anything that slowly increases to several dollars a month when you aren't paying attention. Those low ticket items can really add up!

 

Of course, we also watch the high ticket items. We only have one vehicle and we will drive it until it is at least 10 years old. We rent where we live because to buy is way too high when you consider property taxes and insurance. We rent and pay a substantial lower amount than owning... plus we don't have to deal with maintenance costs. Eventually we will consider owning again, but where we live it isn't worth it.

[Gathina]

Isn't that the truth..we have two cars, though both 11 and 15 years old..and even those were used when we bought them and still moving along fine..although the high price of gas is making me consider getting a bicycle to use as a viable form of transportation..I live in an area where I can do that and my office is only 2 miles away so I am seriously considering it...that and for errands...I can't afford one of the "green" cars the President is urging us to buy..I dont see how anyone could..but all of his peeps said gas isn't going down so guess I'd better start saving in other ways!

 

I couldn't agree more! We even cancelled cable 3 months ago and just use Netflix ($8/month) and hulu for free. We also don't do starbucks/lunch outings or anything that slowly increases to several dollars a month when you aren't paying attention. Those low ticket items can really add up!

 

Of course, we also watch the high ticket items. We only have one vehicle and we will drive it until it is at least 10 years old. We rent where we live because to buy is way too high when you consider property taxes and insurance. We rent and pay a substantial lower amount than owning... plus we don't have to deal with maintenance costs. Eventually we will consider owning again, but where we live it isn't worth it.

[bus man]

Of course, we also watch the high ticket items. We only have one vehicle and we will drive it until it is at least 10 years old. We rent where we live because to buy is way too high when you consider property taxes and insurance. We rent and pay a substantial lower amount than owning... plus we don't have to deal with maintenance costs. Eventually we will consider owning again, but where we live it isn't worth it.

 

Renting is cost-effective in the short term, but not in the long term. By renting, not only do you miss out on the mortgage deduction; but more importantly, you have no equity. When you move out of your rental home, you get back nothing. (Well, maybe your security deposit, assuming you've kept the place tidy.) When you sell a house, you get something back. Historically, you get back more than you paid for it. Though that's not always the case now, you'll still get something back. And something is better than nothing.

 

If you're only going to stay in your location for a few years, then yes, renting is the sensible way to go. But if you intend to stay where you are for longer than that, you ought to consider buying. (By the way, property taxes are also deductible, if you itemize.)

[Texas Tillie]

Renting is cost-effective in the short term, but not in the long term. By renting, not only do you miss out on the mortgage deduction; but more importantly, you have no equity. When you move out of your rental home, you get back nothing. (Well, maybe your security deposit, assuming you've kept the place tidy.) When you sell a house, you get something back. Historically, you get back more than you paid for it. Though that's not always the case now, you'll still get something back. And something is better than nothing.

 

If you're only going to stay in your location for a few years, then yes, renting is the sensible way to go. But if you intend to stay where you are for longer than that, you ought to consider buying. (By the way, property taxes are also deductible, if you itemize.)

 

Suze Orman, who'd always been a proponent of buying, is now counseling that for many, renting is more cost effective, even on a long term basis.

[newport dave]

Isn't that the truth..we have two cars, though both 11 and 15 years old..and even those were used when we bought them and still moving along fine..although the high price of gas is making me consider getting a bicycle to use as a viable form of transportation..I live in an area where I can do that and my office is only 2 miles away so I am seriously considering it...that and for errands...I can't afford one of the "green" cars the President is urging us to buy..I dont see how anyone could..but all of his peeps said gas isn't going down so guess I'd better start saving in other ways!

 

Americans complaining about expensive fuel!!!!! You should try living in the UK, where I currently pay £1.34 a litre!!!!!

 

That works out at about $2 a litre.

[paul929207]

Americans complaining about expensive fuel!!!!! You should try living in the UK, where I currently pay £1.34 a litre!!!!!

 

That works out at about $2 a litre.

Since most Americans do not understand liters, that is about $7.50 per gallon