I'm an Aussie .....

[LC1950]

...... or am I a failure? Or maybe just a drongo?

 

Hubby and I have been able to cruise 3 times. Not much money here, so not too many cruises under our belt. And they've all been on the small Princess ships ... well, the Sun and the Dawn actually. We've loved all our cruises and we've drained as much fun out of them as most cruisers do.

 

Just wondering? How come, so many people on here at Cruise Critic can do world cruises year, after year, after year, after year? Is it because they have gazzzillions to spend whilly nilly? Or is it 'cause they're 'smart' with their money?

 

Gosh, all these 'financial advisors' (and I use lower case!!!!) It seems that all "they're" interested in is their fees? Just sayin'?

[John Bull]

Oh dear, LC - going thro your mid-life crisis? ;) :D

 

Bear in mind that those cruisers on CC aren't broadly typical cruisers - they're more like aficionados. And a lot won't take other types of vacation.

 

Being retired makes a big difference. Kids & mortgages are a thing of the past. And saving gives way to spending - there's a shorter future to look forward to, & you can't take the money with you.

 

You can cut your cloth in different ways. A given budget might give you a week of luxury or a couple of months of frugal cruising.

 

But yes, some do seem to have rather more money to burn than the rest of us.

Even communism doesn't level the playing field. ;)

 

JB :)

[whogo]

You can read up on conspicuous leisure here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspicuous_leisure

[paul929207]

I don't know that we see so many people here that go every year around the world, but we certainly have some people who cruise often.

 

How do we do it? Probably there are as many answers as there are people answering. If most cases it is because they have enough money to be able to afford it. That money comes from many sources. Many earn it and have saved well. Others inherited it or won the lottery. Others put it on a credit card.

[iancal]

We find cruising can be a little repetitive and we find that it simply does not give us enough time in the ports that we are interested in. Additionally, we have no desire to visit, let's say Europe, and spend the majority our time sleeping/eating in a US type hotel environment when we could be staying in small local hotels etc. So for us the cruise is not the destination. We may do a 10-12 day cruise on a 6 week land vacation. We are fairly independent travelers. But I can understand that for many the cruise ship is the destination.

 

So, we usually add a cruise to a land vacation as a sort of break. But we only book is the fare is very attractive. Just did this in Australia last month. Picked up a last minute on an RCI cruise. By the way, for this particular cruise it was about 25 percent cheaper to book with RCI Australia, adjusted for currency, than it was to book with RCI in Canada/USA. Our schedules are wide open so when we travel we keep the schedule very open to change so that we can take advantage of any attractive offers...land, sea, air, or packages.

 

We spent six weeks in Australia this past Feb/March. Just missed the cyclone in Fiji by a week. We loved it and plan to return. Very friendly people. Wonderful beaches! You have a beautiful country. If we did not already live in Canada, Australia would be at the top of our list of places to live.

Edited April 29, 2015 by iancal

[Velvetwater]

I havent seen many of those here...just mainly US folk who live near Florida.

 

The ones I have seen post are all retired...they have the time after all.

[ithaca gal]

It is impossible to figure out all the ways that people pay for cruises or why. Some people, like me, don't fly anymore -- drive to a port and get on a ship -- instant vacation!

 

How can some people afford so pay for so many cruises? Lot of reasons: Born rich, worked hard, inherited money, sued someone and won big, lived frugally in all other areas of their lives, never smoked or drank (that's a huge savings for two people over a lifetime -- no judgments here -- just saying!), invested wisely (or with great luck), won the lottery (even a modest amount), don't go out to eat a lot (just a lot on the cruise!), etc. etc. etc.

 

Also, some people purchase the cheapest cabins (which I have always said is darn smart, but I am claustrophobic and need a balcony!), don't buy alcohol, art, excursions, spa treatments, etc. on the cruise. They don't go to gift shops (on the ship or in port) and buy trinkets for themselves or every friend and relative. Cruising doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg

 

And, most often, you won't be able to tell which one is which when you sit next to them on the cruise!

[iancal]

We worked hard, worked smart, invested wisely, lived modestly, and retired early.

 

Now we travel smart...lots of last minute deals etc.

[Bookish Angel]

and live frugally so we can travel well and often. We own our modest townhouse, I drive a 12 year-old Subaru, I don't want or need a smart phone, have no need for lots of clothes, gadgets, etc. My husband banks about 45% of his annual salary, gives the maximum 6% to be matched by his employer and will get a pension (barring anything cataclysmic) when he retires in 8 years. I retired very early in life but still work part-time to put more away for retirement. I get lots of entertainment perks through my job so we almost never pay for a play, the opera, etc. We are big into saving and feel we miss nothing by not having the newest, "next big thing." Neither of us smoke, we are very light drinkers and stay in shape through diet and exercise so as to avoid medical co-pays. We eat organically and fair trade and don't buy very many convenience foods that almost always cost more than nutritious, home-cooked meals.

 

Hubby and I generally take one 10-day cruise a year, usually around our anniversary in January, from a port to which we can drive, just for togetherness, relaxation and a good value. We book an interior cabin to save money and like it fine.

 

We now do more land-based trips as we like spending more than a day in a place.

 

We always say "We Can Own Stuff or Stuff Can Own Us." Guess which one we live by?

Edited April 29, 2015 by Bookish Angel

[boating girl]

I've sometimes wondered, too, how some afford to do repeated world cruises. My husband & I paid for our own college educations; worked hard at professional, well paying jobs. We've never won the lotto and never inherited any money. But......We both retired in our early 50's after sending our sons through college. Although, we haven't done a world cruise, we have enjoyed our lives in our motor home, boating,and traveling extensively by land, air and sea. I haven't kept track of our cruises but I think the total is 30+. My point is that we all choose to spend and save our money differently. I feel very fortunate for the fun and experiences we've enjoyed. To the OP-comparing lives is like comparing apples and oranges. There's just too many variables.

[sfaaa]

I shop for deals. And if you are flexible and look hard and long enough, you would be surprised how often you can afford to cruise.

[ithaca gal]

[quote name=

 

We always say "We Can Own Stuff or Stuff Can Own Us." Guess which one we live by?[/quote]

 

I wish you had taught me this forty years ago! I JUST learned it! :)

 

I have an attic FULL of possessions that own me. Would love to have the money I spent on all those purses, clothes and home décor items! And just the Christmas stuff alone!

 

I tell every young person to save money for vacations as opposed to buying lots of crap (it seems like something great but years later you realize most of it is crap! LOL). Except for dishes. I love buying dishes! I cook from scratch almost every day and like to make pretty presentations at the table for DH and me! (Dishes don't count -- haha!)

[LC1950]

Thanks for your input everyone. LOL yes Bookish Angel, I can relate to the "stuff" comment, so much so that I now only spend money when I absolutely have to and for some years have told friends and family "no presents" either for Christmas or birthdays, etc. Who needs all that "stuff", right? :D

 

I don't know if I could do a World Cruise (assuming I could afford it that is). Just the thought of being on the same boat ... errr I mean ship ... for weeks and weeks simply doesn't appeal to me. Yes, to see the world would be wonderful but I think after about a fortnight or so of cruising I'd be wanting to go home. I sometimes wonder if the people who do these long cruises year after year ever become jaded? But in the meantime, I'll save any spare dollars I have so I can book another cruise. :)

Edited April 30, 2015 by LC1950
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[SPacificbound]

We spent eight weeks in Australia in 2013 and really enjoyed and loved your country. :)

[GUT2407]

It is also easier if you are in a position to go at short notice.

 

There are some great last minute deals.

[OzKiwiJJ]

It is also easier if you are in a position to go at short notice.

 

There are some great last minute deals.

 

Unless you drink alcohol :( On RCI the drinks prices wipe out the savings on the deal :mad: :mad:

[iancal]

Based on recent experience, we would take a Princess cruise from Australia well before we would take an RCI cruise. We have just done both.

 

The reason is on board currency. RCI prices, especially drink prices, we about 20 percent higher that Princess prices. But, Princess drink prices were in AUS, RCI was in US. That made the price delta 40 percent.

[Laughing Angel]

We always say "We Can Own Stuff or Stuff Can Own Us." Guess which one we live by?

 

I LOVE this...it's a great philosophy to live by.