How do you people afford all those cruises?

[ClaudiaB]

First, when one says "everyone", it's helpful to remember that a very, very small percentage of people on a cruise ship have ever heard of Cruise Critic, much less have posted here. The fact that we're here means we love cruising or are at least very interested in it. I've heard 8% to 10% is an average number of people on any given cruise who were on Cruise Critic. Most people will eat in the main dining room, most people will stay in regular-sized cabins. What you read on *here* is not what is typical or average. Do the people who buy suites tend to post more often on CC? Who knows?

 

I was intrigued by your question. Since I can't see your face or hear the inflections of your voice it's hard to tell, but it is no doubt a real question that people have asked many times about various aspects of other peoples' lives. It's a fair question but not easy to answer, given where we are. Whether it's a vacation choice, a vehicle choice, the choice of home - whatever - there are always those who will look at other people and wonder... How? Fair enough and I get that.

 

I can only answer for myself and my husband. Great education, excellent jobs (careers) and a positive business climate for growth for many decades in south Louisiana in the petro-chem industry for many who work in it (or sell to it!). A decision early on to live under our means, to save and prioritize what was important, to invest and never ever go into debt. Being debt-free is the real key for us (think Dave Ramsey!!) and now we're at that stage of life where we can do what we want. But we couldn't always.

[CarolRick]

I budget for cruising. That is how I afford it. I don't go first class accommodations. Drive non-fancy vehicle. Keep same cars 12-18 years

Never buy things that aren't on sale.

In fact, we really don't buy anything, except cruises

:D

 

Same philosophy. We budget for cruises now that kids are gone, college tuition is done and mortgage paid off.

Underway is the best way now.

[JohnSnowGOT]

Well Kekelia,, the answer to your question is in your question.

 

1. you live in Hawaii, so you have to fly to the cruise . $$$$

2. You booked high end suites.

3. You buy the expensive extras like dinning packages and such.

This is not rocket science here

 

We live in Fl and watch the seasonal special rates and incentives. Stay in inside cabins sometimes and balcony or suites others.

Edited March 4, 2014 by JohnSnowGOT

[JohnSnowGOT]

First, when one says "everyone", it's helpful to remember that a very, very small percentage of people on a cruise ship have ever heard of Cruise Critic, much less have posted here. The fact that we're here means we love cruising or are at least very interested in it. I've heard 8% to 10% is an average number of people on any given cruise who were on Cruise Critic. Most people will eat in the main dining room, most people will stay in regular-sized cabins. What you read on *here* is not what is typical or average. Do the people who buy suites tend to post more often on CC? Who knows?

 

I was intrigued by your question. Since I can't see your face or hear the inflections of your voice it's hard to tell, but it is no doubt a real question that people have asked many times about various aspects of other peoples' lives. It's a fair question but not easy to answer, given where we are. Whether it's a vacation choice, a vehicle choice, the choice of home - whatever - there are always those who will look at other people and wonder... How? Fair enough and I get that.

 

I can only answer for myself and my husband. Great education, excellent jobs (careers) and a positive business climate for growth for many decades in south Louisiana in the petro-chem industry for many who work in it (or sell to it!). A decision early on to live under our means, to save and prioritize what was important, to invest and never ever go into debt. Being debt-free is the real key for us (think Dave Ramsey!!) and now we're at that stage of life where we can do what we want. But we couldn't always.

 

YES Grasshopper you have figured out the secret of success.

Unfortunately for me I have always had a problem with the concept of delayed gratification.... Bravo to you!

[tgmtgm]

Is there some secret to cruising regularly that I am not aware of? I just booked my second cruise in 10 years and it is costing me a fortune for a Sky suite, specialty dining and beverage package, let alone the flight and hotel stays. Is everyone out there a billionaire or am I just paying rack rates stupidly? I researched a bunch of online cruise sites, but Celebrity offered just the same price for the cabin I wanted. So what gives, get up off your secrets to great cruising, I want to join you....

 

 

My once a year bank heist usually covers all my cruise expenses... ;) :D

 

Tony

[Wayneair]

For me, I bring my lunch to work nearly everyday (left over dinners or whatever is in the pantry). I never purchase breakfast upon arriving to work, and I drink the coffee provided at work (no Starbucks). Do the math at just $10/day that's a savings of $2,360 each year. That is accounting for holidays and vacation days where you do not purchase lunch. Also, on weekends before going out to dinner, have a glass of wine or a cocktail or two at home...more savings. While I budget for a cruise each year, these other cost cutting measures is what gets me to the Veranda staterooms.

[SUSIEK]

We generally cruise 2x's per year-

 

1. We live in Florda - big plus!!

2. Book in off season if possible

3. Look to see if any online agent is offering onboard credits, perks, etc.

4. Short cruise then we book outside cabin. Longer cruise we go for balcony - (never suite)

5. Only eat in an Alternate Dining Restaurant 1 night

6. Bring on the allowed bottle of wine per person

7. We are not huge drinkers... so we don't buy the package

8. Give yourself a limit in casino.... once it's gone, it's over!

9. We have always done the "Tour of the Island" excursion the 1st time we visit a new place. After that we go on our own.

 

The big ones.....

 

10. We work

11. We don't eat out alot at home.... I cook. We brown bag lunch.

12. Drink Folgers coffee at home or the "free coffee" at work. Never step foot into Starbucks a/k/a 5bucks

12. I do my own hair & nails

13. I clean my own house (strange, but I know alot of people who hire out??)

14. Designer names are not important to us. Saves alot of money on clothing.

 

All that may sound trivial, but it adds up. AND we get to enjoy the pampering and relaxation that a cruise vacation offers.

Edited March 4, 2014 by SUSIEK

[We're The Groupnors]

Is there some secret to cruising regularly that I am not aware of? I just booked my second cruise in 10 years and it is costing me a fortune for a Sky suite, specialty dining and beverage package, let alone the flight and hotel stays. Is everyone out there a billionaire or am I just paying rack rates stupidly? I researched a bunch of online cruise sites, but Celebrity offered just the same price for the cabin I wanted. So what gives, get up off your secrets to great cruising, I want to join you....

 

It's all about what you want...

 

We don't have kids, drive a 7 year old car (yes, car singular, we share one), don't have mobile devices other than the ones our employers pay for, I love to cook so we rarely go out to eat, don't like movie theatres, not clothes horses, and we don't even have TV...but we love to vacation, especially cruise.

[Presto2]

Is there some secret to cruising regularly that I am not aware of? I just booked my second cruise in 10 years and it is costing me a fortune for a Sky suite, specialty dining and beverage package, let alone the flight and hotel stays. Is everyone out there a billionaire or am I just paying rack rates stupidly? I researched a bunch of online cruise sites, but Celebrity offered just the same price for the cabin I wanted. So what gives, get up off your secrets to great cruising, I want to join you....

 

Just the title of this thread made me laugh --- we too wonder about the same thing ! Am off to read the replies now ---:)

[harz99]

We hibernate 8 months of the year, don't eat, drink, drive, eat out… then come out of our cave and spend 4 months at sea… ;)

 

Can't afford to live in Hawaii, would not think of buying a premium drink package nor booking a suite unless on a great GTY.

Now we have cruised so often drinks are included…

 

For us it's more important to pick cruises carefully, live frugally but well.

 

Some pick their parents carefully or marry well. :eek:

There is no secret other than setting priorities.

 

(we're well shy of a million, have planned and invested wisely but intend to die broke)

 

Amen to all the above, and especially the last part in brackets!:D

[missm]

What so many folks here have shared with you are great strategies for making good choices in life and maximizing the money that you earn. Its not how much you make, but what you keep that gives you more choices and opportunities. :)

 

You can also apply these same strategies to planning your vacations. One good one is to combine land and cruise vacations. For instance if you are flying to the mainland to visit family, combine that with a cruise. Or if you want to see different parts of Europe, plan a combo land/cruise tour, or two back-to-back cruises so you have only one airfare to cough up. When you take a little time to plan, you are able to get more for your money.

 

And, last, save the suites for really special occasions like a special birthday or anniversary! :D

[bigbenboys]

We book Aqua or Concierge Class. We have no kids, no car or house payment. Paid the house off many years ago. I'm going to work until Jan 2017 and retire at age 58. I'm very lucky to work for a company that gives me 6 weeks vacation paid and 4 more weeks a year unpaid. We are still saving and investing for our retirement. Richard:D

[ghstudio]

One of the nice things about cruising is that once you leave your room, everyone is equal. No one looks at the color of the key card (and there are so many colors anyway). It doesn't matter if you are on the lowest priced inside cabin or the owners suite....you have no idea what the person next to you at dinner or at the bar does for a living, has saved, is spending on the cruise.

 

There are more very frequent cruisers that book inside cabins than you would ever think. Once out of the cabin in the morning, they return to change clothes and sleep. They can do three cruises for what we pay for an aqua cabin or a suite.

 

Everyone has different finances, different retirement plans, different family or medical needs....but all can be on the same cruise ship enjoying the world.

 

It's helpful if you pay all your bills using credit cards to build up airmiles...that can cut out a major portion of the cost. We've flown business class to singapore entirely on miles given as sign up bonuses for AmEx cards last year. We rarely pay for tickets, usually flying economy, unless it's a crazy long flight.

 

Finally, book excursions on your own using the roll calls here...you'll not only save money, you'll see more. Same goes for transport from airport to hotel to ship...do it on your own...for 2 people it's almost always less expensive.

 

Finally, book cruises so that you get both Celebrity offers (e.g. 1-2-3) AND offers from your TA....you can get both. You have to work a bit to figure out what TA's will offer...in fact, you probably have to call them...and many are receptive to matching other TA offers. That's sort of a game...but it can mean an extra $500 in terms of OBC's or free gratuities.

 

Yes...lots of tricks...but find a $ level that you can afford and cruise....it's a great way to travel.

[cruzinlisa]

We are definitely not wealthy and we definitely are not frugal the rest of the year, but we usually do a vacation each year, either a cruise or AI usually. And we have a kid, in diapers still (please let that change) and with day care costs, a house, two cars etc. How we manage:

1. If we can cruise from New Orleans or Galveston, we pick that one. Even if its more expensive. We can drive there and save airfare for 2-3 people. If we have to fly to port, we sail from Florida. Airfare from the midwest to Orlando, Miami/Ft Lauderdale and Tampa is fairly reasonable.

2. We are not locked into a specific time of the year. So we make cost one of our deciding factors in picking a cruise. Its not always the deciding factor though, for the last couple of years we have sailed in April due to driving to port and wanting decent weather.

3. We typically cruise in the cheapest room available. I have been in an Ocean View, Inside with window (but no real view), regular inside and Balcony.

This cruise we are in AQ. Why- We needed OV or higher to get the pick your perk promo to get the beverage package. DH said if we do that he would rather have the balcony. Then we found a deal with an online TA that if you booked concierge class or higher you would get an upgrade to premium beverage package and prepaid grats. AQ was cheaper than CC at that time. SO that is how we ended up with that. I couldn't afford this same cruise every time. Normally we go cheaper. The last 2 years we drove to port and spent about $1500-$1700 total on cruise and taxes.

4. We book as far in advance as possible. We get deals and we have more time to pay it off.

5. We do not spend a lot on the other things when we travel. We got the drink package this time included. Otherwise we buy out of pocket. I don't drink that much. DH on the other hand, drinks like he is on vacation. We do not do expensive excursions, buy jewelry etc.

[iSailor]

You're "officially" a Millionaire and you're worried about all this?:rolleyes:

 

He just like to read what others are posting to kill his times.:D:D:D

[iSailor]

SOOOOOOOO:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Purplsmurf]

We seem to book at the last minute. Just booked last week for sailing in April. Did the same last year. We get 2 balconies...one for us and one for our kids....the deals were too good to pass up! I don't work so am flexible and my hubby has 6 weeks vacay. We might have not gone this year, but the weather has been sooooo awful that my DH just can't handle it anymore! Couldn't pass up the cruise deal.....although airfare is another story :( kids will be off to college soon so have to enjoy traveling with them while we can!

 

 

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[HokiePoq]

Well for one thing, you're booking a suite. Some people that book several do so in lower level cabins.

 

 

Although we will have a nice cabin on our upcoming Celebrity cruise, we will not hesitate to book an inside or an oceanview. Sometimes it is really cheap and we have a great time.

We didn't cruise until the kids were out of college and the house was paid for.

[Aussiepair]

Cruising is probably the cheapest form of holiday for many people, depending on where you live. Americans have access to some ridiculously cheap fares, some less than $50 a day. What other holiday can you take for that sort of money that includes accommodation, high quality meals, entertainment and transport to exotic destinations.

 

Unfortunately living in Australia we do not have access to many of the cheap fares and if we do we have the high cost of travelling to get to there. Cruises from Australia are much more expensive than cruises from other destinations.

 

People living in places like Florida could probably live on cruise ships for less than it costs us to stay at home.

[Eleris]

We get this all the time from family and friends how do we afford it but it is simply life choices. We pay our bills first, cook 3 squares a day at home. Have two kids in college, (this has slowed our cruising down a bit) so we get to go without them now. Typically we work 7 days a week and take a cruise not for a vacation but to get away from work. We have cut way back on material items over the years and would rather spend our funds on adventure and memories. :rolleyes:

[vmarq]

I was going to try and be funny by stating we eat bread and water all year, and rob a bank every 6 months but decided that wasn't in good taste!! HA-HA

 

We didn't travel hardly at all when are children were young. Now that we have our children grown and my husband is retired, we do take a cruise every 1 to 2 years. We want to see the world before mobility issues become a problem. We feel very grateful and privileged that we can do this.

[Redtravel]

I do not book insides. I look for bargains. I am retired and have time to shop for deals. I now take 2 or 3 cruises a year. I do not stick exclusively to Celebrity. I am not wealthy. My wealthy friends book on more luxurious cruise lines.

[kkid]

Give up suites. Give up specialty restaurants. Why not eat the MDR food, which I find quite good. Save those specialty dining fees to use at home, instead of paying for MDR and not using it. Get yourself to Elite status, which provides enough fee alcohol to satisfy my requirements.

 

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[junetraveler2014]

Well, Blessed I guess! in our forty-five years of marriage we have been on six cruises. HAL=Volendam Bermuda, RCL= Song of America Bermuda, Celebrity= Galileo Bermuda Zenith and Horizon to Bermuda, Millennium to the Caribbean. This June we will be on the Summit again to Bermuda. All were and will be in Suites. Last cruise was in 2002. Saved for this cruise. As you can guess, we do not sail for the itinerary. But to a beautiful place that we can enjoy without the rush and in a spectacular setting. We thoroughly enjoy relaxation and sitting on our butts watching life go by. For this, we save, because this is what we want. My advise is do what you want, go where you want and live life to your fullest. We are blessed that we can do this!!!!

[iancal]

We do the same as Redtravel.

 

We often book Tuesday specials balcony cabins-usually in the non refundable window.

 

We almost always have a land trip before or after. And when we are on a land trip, especially in Europe, we keep an eye out for last minute specials on all of the cruise lines. We like Celebrity but are no means married to them.