Anybody else to poor to cruise every year?

[musicmansmom]

Of course lots of us are too poor to cruise. Being a single woman for many years, I've learned to cut many corners to be able to afford my one luxury in life.....cruising. I have recently started doing CC group cruises with the $25 deposit & planning & booking way ahead, I am able to save the money for onboard expenses & pay for the cruise while waiting for time to cruise.

 

 

Cruising may put me in the poor house but every penny spent on cruising has been well worth it. :D Compared to land vacations.....cruising is still a better bargain.

 

brendab1=== since i am single also that is exactly what i must do. i am also going to check out a cc group cruise for the area i want to go to next ( canada/new england 2007). ''SO FAR AWAY''. it seems like they have some very good deals. as i stated above, i have 2 xmas clubs that go out of my check right into the account so i cant touch it untill i get the check in oct. then i am very religious about putting it and my income tax return ( i have been lucky enough to not have to pay anything yet :D ) into the '' special savings for my cruise ''. i too have to cut many corners. i just had my dish turned off so i will be saving $40 a month from that to go towards the credit card. i only watched about 5 channels anyway so it was a waste of money when i consider all the dvd's and videos i have that i can watch anyway. i also purchase wine for dinner ahead of time and photo coupons so i can have them paid off before i board. it is really hard to be able to go on my cruises, but any sacrifice i make in between cruises is worth it when i go. i have also found out that i have plenty of clothes that are very nice for my trips so i dont have to go out and buy a new wardrobe for the cruise. it would be wonderful to be able to go as often as some members can do. i envy them and wish it were me, but for now i must be satisfied to go once every two years.

[Gabsabunch42]

Not sure if anybody mentioned this--for those who aren't picky about their ports and want to sail in the Caribbean, gambling with hurricane season can be a great way to save money. The summer family travel season is over and the kiddies are back in school, and the odds of being affected by tropical weather are pretty low. This year will be my second time sailing in September, plus a cruise last October...and I've only had one portcall cancelled (Grand Cayman last year, after Hurricane Ivan). At this point, I've done the Caribbean so many times that thought of being diverted doesn't really bother me, when I compare that potential inconvenience to the money I'll save. Use the extra money to buy travel insurance, and enjoy!

 

bcc, we were originally going to go in September due to the low rates, but guilt got to me about taking my 14 year old out of school at the beginning of the year, and I finally was able to convince my family that we should change it back to the Summer. We are now sailing the Glory in August instead:) . The financial burden was significant, but its worth it to me to not have to worry about my daughter missing 4 or 5 days at the beginning of the school year. She is 14 and an honor student, and it would have been so hard for her to catch up. We actually changed from two interior cabins on the main deck in September to a balcony room on the Upper Deck in August (Since we were changing, we wanted it to be worth our while, lol;) ) Anyway, it was a $1700 increase in cruise cost:eek: ) still makes me wince (We are a family of 4 btw). I am much happier with this decision though. Sailing at peak times is a killer, but sometimes we simply have no choice:(

[ladycaveat]

Of course lots of us are too poor to cruise. Being a single woman for many years, I've learned to cut many corners to be able to afford my one luxury in life.....cruising. I have recently started doing CC group cruises with the $25 deposit & planning & booking way ahead, I am able to save the money for onboard expenses & pay for the cruise while waiting for time to cruise.

 

 

Cruising may put me in the poor house but every penny spent on cruising has been well worth it. :D Compared to land vacations.....cruising is still a better bargain.

 

Hi Brenda! Can't wait to meet you on our April Castaway cruise. Looks like we are in the same boat . . . oh my goodness . . . I mean "ship" . . . tee hee! I too have to cut corners to be able to cruise solo . . . Starbucks? What's that? The two plus dollars I save every day by making my own coffee at the office saves me over a hundred bucks a year. That's a hundred dollars toward a cruise. Also, by booking so early, I'm able to pay a little every month toward not only the cruise but funds for my S&S card. This will be my first "group" cruise on Carnival and I can't wait! :D By the way, are you, like I, traveling solo? If so, were you able to pay just the $25.00 deposit?

[BrendaB1]

Hi Brenda! Can't wait to meet you on our April Castaway cruise. This will be my first "group" cruise on Carnival and I can't wait! :D By the way, are you, like I, traveling solo? If so, were you able to pay just the $25.00 deposit?

 

I paid the $25pp deposit for two & booked a balcony with a TBA but looks like I might be going solo. My b/f can't take off them & we are booked on Saints & Sinners in Oct so unless I find a roommate to share my cabin, I'll be calling Kevin to switch to a single cabin.

[62texan]

We just returned from our first cruise, a 7-day cruise on the Elation, which my very generous parents took all of their children and grandchildren on to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. It was lots of fun. My parents generally go on about 5 cruises a year. It is their favorite way to travel now that they are older.

 

We have three kids quickly approaching college, and I am a stay at home mom. We can't afford expensive vacations, so I am sure we won't be able to go on a cruise again anytime soon. Particularly being a family of five, we would need two cabins! Our children did enjoy the vacation, and this website provided me with lots of invaluable information.

[jordanaire]

Although we have taken a couple of cruises in each of the past few years, we are by no means rich. The company I work for (Toyota) gives us a bonus every 6 months that we use to cruise with. If it weren't for these bonuses, we would only cruise every other year or so. We have gotten ourselves accustomed to living comfortably on our wages and not depending on any overtime, so these bonuses are just that....bonuses.

 

If Toyota wants to give me a cruise twice a year, who am I to say no? I greatly appreciate them giving us the chance to sail the Caribbean at least once a year!

 

:cool: Bill

[musicmansmom]

Although we have taken a couple of cruises in each of the past few years, we are by no means rich. The company I work for (Toyota) gives us a bonus every 6 months that we use to cruise with. If it weren't for these bonuses, we would only cruise every other year or so. We have gotten ourselves accustomed to living comfortably on our wages and not depending on any overtime, so these bonuses are just that....bonuses.

 

If Toyota wants to give me a cruise twice a year, who am I to say no? I greatly appreciate them giving us the chance to sail the Caribbean at least once a year!

 

:cool: Bill

 

i would take advantage of that too and smile the whole time :D .