How to afford it?

[jetskier]

Like everyone else has said it is a matter of priorities. We are a one-income family of four at about 2/3rds less of what you are making. I paid for our cruise last year by buying items at a local store salvage company. I turned a $1800 investment into $8200 clearing $5k after expenses selling the R/C airplane parts on Ebay. I am self-employed and work in a seasonal business so getting away in the winter is no problem. A cruise that sails a week before or after a holiday is just as much fun as the one going on the holiday. The difference is that your wallet does not take a beating. While an outside cabin is nice, the savings for an inside one could mean you could take two cruises in a year instead of one. Like everyone else is saying it is about priorities. One of the vehicles I drive is 15 years old and has 300,000 miles on it. Could I afford a new vehicle, sure but why have the note plus I enjoy the look on people's faces when I tell how many miles it has on it. We also use the change can method. You will be surprised how much change can add up over time.

Dave

[Grayce]

When I was 24 I didn't have the money to cruise. We were just starting out. At that time we were paying of college loans, saving a down payment for a house. We seened to spend our 20's aquiring things. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just once we bought a house we needed the things to furnish/maintain it. We had a lot of big expenses. Now 10 years later we are just starting to have the extra money to take nice vacations (only 1 a year though). Also we have to take a careful look at prioritites. We don't have a huge mortgage, I drive a small car that is paid off, we don't use cell phones. Don't have a hot tub, not sure what TIVO is but we don't have that either LOL :D

[Sassy Chassis]

I've found out that I can plan the cruises a year in advance & pay for them with our tax return money. Year-end bonus money helps too :) Right now we are thinking ahead to next year's trip (10th anniversary), where we might want to go, and how much it will cost us. By the year's end I'm sure we will have pinpointed our destination and will be on track to making it happen.

 

Oh, and when we were 24 we had no money to go anywhere!! :( Getting older does have its advantages.

[creek42]

That is how I used to do it too....tax refund! that is untill I bought my own home, now the tax refund goes to property tax....thats OK...where there is a will there is a way! The Christmas Club! We can be very creative with our addictions! lol.....

[bama911gal]

I definitely understand the priority theory and agree...but my question is for those that work how are you able to get off for 2 or 3 weeks per year or more in some instances?

I know most places allow 2 weeks vacation after so many years but where does the rest come from?

Thanks a bunch, enquiring minds need to know!

[98Charlie]

I definitely understand the priority theory and agree...but my question is for those that work how are you able to get off for 2 or 3 weeks per year or more in some instances?

I know most places allow 2 weeks vacation after so many years but where does the rest come from?

Thanks a bunch, enquiring minds need to know!

In my case I have been working for the same company since Nixon was President and gas was fifty cents a gallon (and I thought that was high :eek: ). I get 4 weeks a year and have only missed one time cruising since we started in Dec 2002.

 

Charlie

[Leo Jay]

I definitely understand the priority theory and agree...but my question is for those that work how are you able to get off for 2 or 3 weeks per year or more in some instances?

I know most places allow 2 weeks vacation after so many years but where does the rest come from?

Thanks a bunch, enquiring minds need to know!

 

Hmm. I've been freelance for the last 8 years, but on my last salaried corporate job, the policy was 2 weeks vacation, and 3 weeks after 5 years, which was considered pretty conservative (i.e. 'stingy) by a lot of people I knew. I think 3 weeks is pretty standard after only a year or two in a lot of places, with many people getting 4 weeks after 5 years or so...

 

What say you people?

[LeftatGator]

I make about 50k a year, which I thought was not nearly enough for cruising. But, there is a way. 1) it's important to us (especially after experiencing the first one and becoming addicted to cruising). 2) We shop! I shopped, waited, and found an amazing deal. Since then, I have yet to find a price that comes within $300pp of what I paid. Right now, my balcony cabin costs $560 more than I paid for it! 3) I save until I book. Then, I pay until I go (pay each month). 4) We don't live extravagantly - in order that we can really LIVE. No car payments (but we have fairly nice cars). No credit debt. No MONSTrOUS house to impress people. And we budget carefully, but not oppressively.

 

But, the bottom line is, we can't afford not to. It's too good for us.

 

Jim

[shan&steve]

I get 2 weeks a year, after 5 years I will get 3 weeks (only 2 more years to go!! woo hoo!:rolleyes: )

 

HOWEVER, at my company, when we sign up for our benefits each year (medical, dental, etc) we have the option of "purchasing" up to 3 additional weeks, the money is taken out of our paychecks in even installments over a 6 month period. So, for half the year my pay is a little lower (I bought 2 weeks this year) but it is SO WORTH IT!!!

 

Shannon

[BMW325]

I took my first cruise last October, it was a three night and I was hooked. My question was the same, how can I afford to do more of this. We are leaving on September 3 for a 5 night on the Empress of the Seas.

 

It is all a matter of priorities and doing a re-examination of your lifestyle. A year ago I did a major look into how I was living. I had a cell phone with the minimum plan $30/month, but was only using about 8 minutes/month - that's $3.75/minute (I hate talking on the phone). There is nobody I need to talk to that bad so I got rid of the phone (contract was up). I also looked at my home phone, got rid of the call waiting (if someone wants me bad enough, they'll call back), caller ID (most came up as unidentified anyway), etc. Now my monthly phone bill is never more than $17/month. I don't use the air conditioner in the house unless it really gets humid and I'd rather enjoy the fresh air from outside than having the place all shut down. I started taking the bus to work instead of paying the huge parking rates in town, add this to the gas (the way prices are) and this was a HUGE savings. And the cable bill....I didn't cut down to the minimum but did get rid of the premium channels that I never watched. So, it's things like this and all of a sudden I find my self with this 'extra' money every month. If you can be disciplined and not blow it on other stuff (defeats the purpose), you can take wonderful cruises as your off time will allow.

 

The best part is I didn't find myself 'missing' a thing. It was a big reality check for me and made me realize how out of hand things were getting just to 'keep up with the Jones'!!!

 

Hope this helps.

[DFritz]

We try to take one each year for 7 days. Always interior staterooms during hurricane season. We make less than 20,000. per year in salary and wages, buy all of our clothing on clearance or at Goodwill, car is 20 years old, live in a 40 year old house trailer that is 12 by 60, have no extra's in life like dinners out or trips to the movies, clip coupons and pick up the change laying on the ground. Cruising is a need for us like cappucino is for others. Hubby works 65-70 hour work weeks, every week on the above salary. We would rather build memories and experiences rather than excess in a storage unit or stuffed in the attic, basement, etc. As others have said, it's all in priorities.

[Seago2]

I just triage what is most important to me. I live in Buffalo, which requires me to go on vacation once every quarter so that I don't hang myself. I have five kids from 21-7, so most of the time I go alone. Once a year I take them all as I am about to do next week.

 

The basic math is this: reduce spending or INCREASE INCOME. That is where you will find your cruise money, along with money to do whatever else you want to do in life. You are 24... when I was 24 I was a single mother with a three year old giving a halfway effort at getting a teaching degree. At that point, at exactly age 24, I got wise to the INCREASE INCOME factor and decided to go to law school. So now I have enough money to go on cruises and buy cars and things like that. Unfortunately, within the next 7 years I will have three kids in college at once, and I will have at least one kid in college or graduate school from now until 2021. So I can either quit cruising and going on vacation or I can INCREASE INCOME again. I pick door #2.

By the way, if you focus your efforts on getting a nice graduate degree now, not only will you INCREASE INCOME but you will also get MAJOR VACATION TIME.

Hope this helps!

[Mekamax]

We make far less but cruised once a year at first and then twice a year and back to once a year lately do to time constraints. When people ask me how we cruise so much I tell them it is the "Cheapest Marriage Counceling around!" LOL

 

Really it is priorities for us as many above have mentioned. We do NOT have a lawn crew - hubby cuts the lawn himself. Do NOT have cable or satellite, Do NOt have cell phone monthly bills (pay by minute and don't use much), local telephone only, keep the a/c on 78-80, Do NOT eat out but maybe 1-2 times a month, make our own lunches, do not buy coffee, buy few clothes and drive used cars... etc. etc. etc.

 

Cruising and we also have an RV now are things we like to spend money on so we cut expenses that most people just will not cut. But we would prefer a cruise to having a lawn crew cut our lawn sooooo... :) :) Debbie

[Seago2]

Like everyone else has said it is a matter of priorities. We are a one-income family of four at about 2/3rds less of what you are making. I paid for our cruise last year by buying items at a local store salvage company. I turned a $1800 investment into $8200 clearing $5k after expenses selling the R/C airplane parts on Ebay.

Dave

 

This is exactly what I mean about increasing income. Not getting premium cable is chump change- if you didn't get HBO etcetera for... 150 months you could take a 5 day cruise. Jetskier saw a need, took the bull by the horns and there you go. Brown bagging it day after day for two years probably wouldn't earn you the 5K.

For some people with fixed incomes and very good accounting skills and willpower, saving small amounts is doable. For you, at age 24, you can aim sky high in terms of income. I know all about student loans, but if you think like that you will never get to where you want to be in life (ie: on the QM2 taking a transatlantic cruise). Student loans got me where I am today and they are the best money I have ever spent in my life. My cousin owes 300 grand in student loans and she is an MD making 250K a year. Do the math!

I take between 6 and 8 weeks a year. I am an independent contractor for a state legal services agency and I also have a private practice. I am able to work double speed, max hours, for the week before and two weeks after a vacation. I am freaking out right now because I am leaving in a week!

I am just saying to you: read the responses on here and see where you want to be, lifestyle-wise, and plan accordingly. Having a nice income is a good goal.

[Fritz265]

I too live in the Washington DC area (Northern VA) and it's not an inexpensive place to live. 100K in household income in this area doesn't go far and is about the median for the region.

 

My wife and I are in our late 30s and have had time to get established in careers before we had kids and boughts the house in the burbs. We carry minimal debt load (just a mortgage) but we're able to now afford the things we like. We've both spent the last ten years working our tails off and we didn't do much in the way of vacations. Now that we have kids, I make sure that we do some things that are memorable. We can afford to do it up nicely when we plan a trip whether it be Disney or a cruise.

 

I like to have a suite when we cruise because I like the space and amenities. We splurge a bit because we know that we don't get enough time to take a lot of trips. Honestly, our issues is more about getting the time than spending the $$.

 

The bottom line is that a cruise, all told, probably costs less than a resort trip anywhere else dollar for dollar. Airfare from DC to FLL is fairly inexpensive (JetBlue from IAD to FLL is about 80 bucks each way). Where there's a will, there's a way.

[critterchick]

This is exactly what I mean about increasing income. Not getting premium cable is chump change- if you didn't get HBO etcetera for... 150 months you could take a 5 day cruise. Jetskier saw a need, took the bull by the horns and there you go. Brown bagging it day after day for two years probably wouldn't earn you the 5K.

 

For some people with fixed incomes and very good accounting skills and willpower, saving small amounts is doable. For you, at age 24, you can aim sky high in terms of income. I know all about student loans, but if you think like that you will never get to where you want to be in life (ie: on the QM2 taking a transatlantic cruise). Student loans got me where I am today and they are the best money I have ever spent in my life. My cousin owes 300 grand in student loans and she is an MD making 250K a year. Do the math!

 

I take between 6 and 8 weeks a year. I am an independent contractor for a state legal services agency and I also have a private practice. I am able to work double speed, max hours, for the week before and two weeks after a vacation. I am freaking out right now because I am leaving in a week!

 

I am just saying to you: read the responses on here and see where you want to be, lifestyle-wise, and plan accordingly. Having a nice income is a good goal.

 

The only problem with taking out $300K in student loans is (1) if you end up hating what you do you'll be trapped because you have the equivalent of a mortgage to pay off and (2) if you enter the job market during a recession in your chosen field, you are in big trouble. I saw that happen in 1997, when I graduated from law school (late in life). Many of my classmates were carrying $125k in loans (I can't even fathom $300k), working horrible hours at jobs they hated just to pay them off. I'm fortunate to have found a job that I can tolerate easily (to say "love" or even "like" would be a real stretch) that pays me very will, but many lawyers and doctors don't like what they do, so their big income comes at a very high price.

 

Chump change adds up in a hurry. I brown bag it every day and I have a little $10 coffeemaker in my office that makes much better coffee than that sludge they serve at Starbucks. I figure that I save $10/daily by not buying coffee & a muffin in the morning and lunch at noon. Over a year, that's $2400. We also don't eat out much (more for calorie control since I have no SELF control), so that's another $50/week we save, for $2600. There's your $5k cruise right there.

 

I think you need to find a balance between the income and the savings, myself. Where there's a will, there's a way!

[geoherb]

We've only been able to cruise two times in a year once. Unfortunately, our work schedules make it hard for us to plan vacations far in advance. We're both about to change jobs, so it may get a little easier. My DH's schedule will be fixed according to the academic calendar. My new job (with the company I've worked for for 20 years) will have more flexibility than my current job, especially around holidays. The bad news is that we won't be able to take any cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas--the weeks we went most often because of the great prices.

 

Somehow, though, I bet we will go on a cruise within a year.

[fti]

I kind of chuckled when I read the posts above about using a tax refund for the cruise. If you are getting a tax refund, you are giving the gov't an interest-free loan. Just have less money taken out of your check each week/month and save it yourself. Hey, if you are disciplined enough to do other things, you can be disciplined enough to save some of each paycheck. Make it automatic from your checking account each month or even have your employer take it out before you get the check if they do such things.

 

I rejoice that I haven't received a tax refund in years.

 

The above tips are great. I use so many of them myself. I don't make a fortune but I an frugal (though not to the point of being obsessive about it). I prefer to save my money and travel rather than have nice toys. Many here in MN have boats, second homes, etc. No thanks.

[ladycaveat]

I too live in the Washington DC area (Northern VA) and it's not an inexpensive place to live. 100K in household income in this area doesn't go far and is about the median for the region.

 

My wife and I are in our late 30s and have had time to get established in careers before we had kids and boughts the house in the burbs. We carry minimal debt load (just a mortgage) but we're able to now afford the things we like. We've both spent the last ten years working our tails off and we didn't do much in the way of vacations. Now that we have kids, I make sure that we do some things that are memorable. We can afford to do it up nicely when we plan a trip whether it be Disney or a cruise.

 

I like to have a suite when we cruise because I like the space and amenities. We splurge a bit because we know that we don't get enough time to take a lot of trips. Honestly, our issues is more about getting the time than spending the $$.

 

The bottom line is that a cruise, all told, probably costs less than a resort trip anywhere else dollar for dollar. Airfare from DC to FLL is fairly inexpensive (JetBlue from IAD to FLL is about 80 bucks each way). Where there's a will, there's a way.

 

Oh my goodness . . . how did you find a round-trip airfare of $160 from IAD to FLL? I live about five minutes from IAD and have been checking out airfares for my April 2006 cruise for a couple of months now and I haven't seen any airfares like that. Oh wait a minute . . . I've only been checking out non-stop flights . . . maybe this is one that has a stop. Actually, I don't even remember seeing any JetBlue flights . . . only United (Ted), AA and I think USAir. Gonna go to JetBlue's web site . . . :)

[ladycaveat]

The only problem with taking out $300K in student loans is (1) if you end up hating what you do you'll be trapped because you have the equivalent of a mortgage to pay off and (2) if you enter the job market during a recession in your chosen field, you are in big trouble. I saw that happen in 1997, when I graduated from law school (late in life). Many of my classmates were carrying $125k in loans (I can't even fathom $300k), working horrible hours at jobs they hated just to pay them off. I'm fortunate to have found a job that I can tolerate easily (to say "love" or even "like" would be a real stretch) that pays me very will, but many lawyers and doctors don't like what they do, so their big income comes at a very high price.

 

Chump change adds up in a hurry. I brown bag it every day and I have a little $10 coffeemaker in my office that makes much better coffee than that sludge they serve at Starbucks. I figure that I save $10/daily by not buying coffee & a muffin in the morning and lunch at noon. Over a year, that's $2400. We also don't eat out much (more for calorie control since I have no SELF control), so that's another $50/week we save, for $2600. There's your $5k cruise right there.

 

I think you need to find a balance between the income and the savings, myself. Where there's a will, there's a way!

 

I graduated from law school in 1999 (at age 52) and have admit . . . I love what I do. I'm a criminal defense attorney for a Public Defenders Office in Northern Virginia. But . . . as a single (divorced) female earning probably the least amount of money an attorney can make . . . taking one cruise a year is all I can afford (always in the least expensive cabin). And . . . as so many have said . . . even taking that one cruise a year . . . means cutting a lot of corners and being very frugal. I book my cruises about a year out and pay a little every month (for both the cruise and the $ for my S&S card). It's sometimes sad to think that one works 51 weeks a year for that one very special week on a cruise ship . . . but it's more than worth it! :p

[KruznKel]

CAlling CArnival and asking about their specials helped us out just yesterday..:D saved 600 total for our booking.. had we not called we would be out that 600 that could be and WILL be used on our excursions and other stuff..

[DEL67]

We are empty nesters who usually cruise 3 times a year because we love it. We can do so by not being extravagent in other areas and by looking for value as well as itinerary when we choose our cruises. We do not care what type of cabin we have, but will choose an outside or even balcony if it is not much more. One cruise, usually in the fall, is a long one (10 - 14 days) that we plan well ahead. We book the others about a month to 6 weeks out to take advantage of last minute deals. We might wait even longer, but we can not because we need a handicap cabin. After booking, I continue to look for price reductions that I can take advantage of. I also take leverage stockholder benefits and/or credit card rewards when I can.

[cruzincurt]

No cigarettes.....2 people x $5.00/day x 365 = $3650

 

2 and 5 year old cars (paid for) that orginally cost under $20,000 each

 

No cable TV, rabbit ears.....$65x 12 = $780 But...high speed internet!

 

Mortgage paid off by extra principal payments = Extra $1000 / month

 

Drive to the cruise...no airfare.

 

JC Penney, Sears.... only during sale days

 

Brown bag lunch, $5.95 x 2 x 250 = $2975

 

No Starbucks $2.95 x 250 x 2 =$1475

 

No golf... Greens fees $75 x 30 = $2250

 

It's easy once you make your choices.

[cruisin_in_my_dreams]

In my case, my husband and I do not make a lot of money and i've been recently unemployed. I drive a new car only because I drive the furthest to work and hubby doesn't want me breaking down anywhere so he drives a beater truck.

 

When my girls were small, we couldn't even afford a vacation....of any kind. We had it tough back then. We have recently come into a small windfall and yes, we do have better things we can do with the money,but we never had a honeymoon when we got married 20 years ago, we couldn't afford that either. So "hopefully" we are treating ourselves to our first cruise and first honeymoon in October.

 

We've done our duty and raised our children and paid our dues..now it's time for us :)

 

patty

[cruzincurt]

Have the time of your life and enjoy every minute!

 

To the OP, etoile, "but if we were to take a cruise every year we would be staying in the lowest category cabins all the time" ... the nice thing about cruising is that no matter what the cabin category, you get everything that everyone else gets more or less. There is no longer first class and steerage, at least on the mass market ships.