How to make annual trips

[elsbarre]

So we are a middle class family, but we want to make cruising an annual adventure for our family. We have 2 kids that will always be with us and possibly a third, we want to know what the best time of year to book our cruises, or how far out. The best way to make this possible for our family :) This is my 7th carnival cruise coming up, but luckily for me only the second one I have had to pay for haha!

[WAHMto5]

We are lucky and have found that the two times per year we cruise are both the times that our kids have off of school and are both not during peak season so the prices are good! We normally always go the last week in May, right after our kids get out of school and the last week in September for their fall break. In all the times, we have only had 2 wash out days due to weather;) I like to book them as far in advance as I can, as it gives me time to pay on them monthly or as often I can without a crunch period. If you can hit the reduced deposit specials, that helps as well!

[elsbarre]

Thanks! I know one of the things that hurts us is the travel to get the ship... I guess that means we need to move! haha! We live in Chicago so travel is a big part of our expense... Hubby and I are going this may, i am hoping to take the kids next year. I would love to hit two this year but I know we can't. I noticed the price difference between when kids are in school and when they aren't, I was like holy cow! haha

[lcpagejr]

Cruising was annual ritual for us from when our children were "tweens"...up to their college years. Some years we did Thanksgiving or Xmas cruises...but mostly it was Spring Break time in March.

 

We tried but DID NOT limit our cruise dates to the school calendar (I know this isn't a popular statement with our fellow Teacher cruisers....) However many times I could find significant savings in air and cruise fare by going a week or 2 early or later than our Spring Break.No worries from a kid perspective as there were always other states who had different weeks for Spring Break and kids were heavily present.

 

You also need to take into consideration your childs school activity calendar because if they are in sports (Basketball playoffs, wresting, etc is going on in March as well as performances at State by Cheerleaders and Pom/Dance Teams) this could be an issue.

 

From a timing perspective...Airfare is always the 1st thing I focus on .... Once I locate cheap/reasonable airfare...I then look at cruise ship options. Since FLL and Miami are so close...you can still fly into/out of either Airport which allows numerous cruise ship choices at either Port.

[poison7fl]

Yes, the big thing is off season... I know the kids may have school or whatnot, but are they really missing anything for a few days that they can't make up? Another thing is plan ahead, and if possible, book onboard for shipboard credit to cover the next cruise's tips. Make small payments along the way instead of going out for dinner or lunch, turn that into a payment, it adds up. DON'T go into debt for a vacation though, if you cannot afford it, pay off other things first.

[Sauer-kraut]

You might want to broaden your horizons. Its usually cheaper to fly into JFK or LGA from ORD so look at summer cruises from NYC or even Boston. Plus you can drive to NYC quicker than down to Miami.

[lcpagejr]

Elsbarre -

 

What a coincidence...During our childrens tween/teenage years and for most of our cruise trips,,,we were living in Chicago as well!!!

Edited March 21, 2015 by lcpagejr

[skrufy]

We cruise in September and October (Caribbean), the prices are lower and the weather is perfect. The earlier you book the better chance you have of getting the cabin and location you like. Our bookings are usually at least a year in advance.

[Kristi Williamson]

We have four kids, so we feel you! We've cruised with them since our oldest was around 10.

 

For us, travel is something that has great relevance to a well rounded education and someone who isn't afraid to get out there and live and immerse themselves in other cultures. Since cruising is one of the least expensive ways to travel, it's something we try to do at least twice a year.

 

We cut cable, don't eat out often ( we love to cook, though) and try to really shop for what we need, not things we "want". Cable alone saved us between 800-1000 a year.

 

We almost always cruise in May, October and/or November. We've found that these months have great weather and are relatively inexpensive, certainly compared to summer months, which I'd never pay for. We usually book 3 to 4 months in advance and often end up with a nice OBC waiting when we board.

[dadof2boys]

I am a school administrator and we take our kindergartener and second grader out of school for a week each year. I don't plan on stopping. My DW is a stay-at-home mom and budgeting is necessary to make that happen. Spending time as a family like this is important to us.

 

We cruise most often in September, after our kids have been in school for a few weeks. We start school in August. We have gotten lucky on pricing that was over our Spring Break. The other time we have gotten amazing deals was the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. People typically aren't traveling then. Plus at school, those are the weeks I refer to as, glitter and glue. As I walk around the classrooms I see a lot of holiday projects and activities. If I'm pulling my kids, it makes me feel better that they're not missing as much of the academic rigor.

 

As others have mentioned we have made cuts to our family budget. We don't have cable (check out Apple TV), we canceled our gardener (this might be a regional thing, but in SoCal not very many people mow their own lawns) and typically take advantage of as many community activities as possible. Keeps the kids busy and costs down.

[winddawn]

Thanks! I know one of the things that hurts us is the travel to get the ship... I guess that means we need to move! haha! We live in Chicago so travel is a big part of our expense... Hubby and I are going this may, i am hoping to take the kids next year. I would love to hit two this year but I know we can't. I noticed the price difference between when kids are in school and when they aren't, I was like holy cow! haha

Try cruising from ports that Southwest Airlines flies to since they offer service from Chicago Midway. Make sure you go to their website to check fares since they are not in the major online booking engines. Sometimes they offer $49 each way fares, so if you could catch that sale and fly into one of their cities it could make it cheaper to get to the port. I find Florida ports, and especially Fort Lauderdale and Miami, to be some of the most expensive ports to fly to. Try New Orleans (MSY) or Baltimore (BWI) instead. Also try to choose ports where the airport is closer to the cruise port since that can save you money on transfers. Cruising during off season is much cheaper than cruising during peak season in summer and over the holidays. The first week or two of December can be one of the cheapest times of the year to cruise to the Caribbean. Be flexible. If you can cruise on shorter notice and have your vacation fund ready, last minute cruise fares can save you quite a bit. Flexibility is key since letting Carnival choose your cabin is often part of the deal with those last minute fares.

[AngAndBoys]

For savings on airfare, consider an airline credit card. I have one and use it on everything then pay it off each month. I don't pay airfare anymore.

 

The other ports to consider are Galveston and New Orleans. They may be cheaper to fly to then some of the others, especially on SW airlines. New Orleans cruises tend to be priced a bit lower than Galveston.

 

Because I consider vacation an important part of my budget, I set up an account just for vacation fund. I have money auto drafted weekly to that account. When it's time to book, I just get it from there. If I don't have it, I don't go. Easy. Sorta. ;) Then of course, use that airline card to pay for it, immediately paying off the card.

 

Depending on the ages of your kids, booking right before school lets out can save significantly. When mine were in elementary and did not have finals that last week, I was able to book one the last bit of May and saved $1000 from the price of the following week for a family of 4.

[evandbob]

For savings on airfare, consider an airline credit card. I have one and use it on everything then pay it off each month. I don't pay airfare anymore.

 

The other ports to consider are Galveston and New Orleans. They may be cheaper to fly to then some of the others, especially on SW airlines. New Orleans cruises tend to be priced a bit lower than Galveston.

 

Because I consider vacation an important part of my budget, I set up an account just for vacation fund. I have money auto drafted weekly to that account. When it's time to book, I just get it from there. If I don't have it, I don't go. Easy. Sorta. ;) Then of course, use that airline card to pay for it, immediately paying off the card.

 

Depending on the ages of your kids, booking right before school lets out can save significantly. When mine were in elementary and did not have finals that last week, I was able to book one the last bit of May and saved $1000 from the price of the following week for a family of 4.

 

All good suggestions! I've redeemed 2 million miles on one airline alone since 1998, so having a freq flyer acct attached to a credit card is very worthwhile!

 

I also gave up drinking and smoking, and $$$ that used to go to those activities now go into my vacation fund. By not drinking and smoking, I can afford to go on at least 6 vacations a year.

[bluemoon12]

We are lucky enough to have jobs where we can work extra 12 hour shifts. We work those to pay for our vacations so the money does not come out of our regular paycheck. We have two cruises booked this year and of course we live only a few hours from New Orleans. No airfare saves us a lot of money! Like others have said booking during non peak times also help.

[CowPrincess]

We economize in our daily lives to afford a nice annual vacation. And travel when we can get away, without worrying about whether it is high season, low season or shoulder season.

 

No Starbucks (except in extreme circumstances :D ), very little in the way of convenience food or fast food or restaurant meals (I keep the freezer stocked with home made "heat and eat"), we drive cars that we paid cash for, DH takes lunch to work, we use credit cards that give us various kinds of points, and we pay them off every month. For us, it works. It may not work for everyone.

[maryann ns]

It really can be a matter of priorities - short term 'sacrifices' for long term gains.

 

Brown bag lunches, no take out coffee (Starbucks, Timmie's etc.), few restaurant meals, pay cash for cars (often used) and keep them a long time. Eat simple whole foods (as few packages as possible).

 

We are also eliminating satellite TV and I do not have a data plan for my phone. (That is a generational thing, I know!)

 

We still live this way though we do not need to but then again we do get to take a big trip most years.

[FlyerTalker]

One thing to remember is our old friend "Supply and Demand". If pricing is an issue, keep in mind that those prices are directly related to the demand that others will have for the same trip. Air pricing is very S&D dependent - ditto with cruise fares.

 

For example...Alaskan cruises are generally more expensive in the middle of the season. Why? Well, the weather is better, leading to higher demand, leading to higher pricing. Conversely, the beginning and end of the season have less demand, thus lower pricing. You can take this common sense analysis and apply it to many many situations.

 

A college professor once told my class "All life is a series of cost/benefit decisions". Combine that with the economic theory of scarcity and you get -- it all comes down to choices. Do your research and know when are the times for the best VALUE in travel. Examine your own preferences and decide how to allocate your family's economic resources. Then go forward as an informed and thinking consumer.

[elsbarre]

Thank you so much all! I found an April cruise that looks like we might take! I cannot travel from January - April 15 because I am an accountant, so we are limited there. However I found an end of April for 5 of us about 3500 for just cruise fare! [emoji2] I will book on our cruise in May! If I book now to make sure I get the rate, can I cancel and get all deposit and everything back? Or if they offer a better deal on the cruise can I get the deal if I'm Already booked?

 

We have 2 of 3 in school. One is a senior in high school, the other will be in kindergarten (starting early, she is 5 in December) and the baby will be 2 this October!

 

Thanks Again everyone!

[Bonnie J.]

Do check Southwest airlines. Our cruise buddies, from Flint, MI, always fly them and say they get great prices if they book their flights 30 days in advance. We just cruised with them and they were sorry we didn't plan this cruise 30 days before we cruised so they had to pay more!

Prices are good in the fall and in January right after New Years. If you book Carnival they have an early saver program. If YOU see a lower price for the cruse you have booked, you let them know and they will match that price up until final payment is due. After that you get on board credit for the difference. But YOU have to tell them the price is lower, they do not automatically lower your price unless YOU tell them its lower. You have to book usually 6 months in advance for a 7 day cruise for the early saver program. (WE once had $240 OBC for the Glory!)

[elsbarre]

Definitely going to check out southwest and see where we can fly and fare cheapest! Thanks a bunch. This is REALLY a going to help. I want to hit diamond before I'm 30 [emoji2] I will be 26 this September. The high schooler is my step son fyi haha