How do I answer this question?

[babs135]

And the question is:

 

Are we justified in spending xxx amount of money on a cruise?

 

It's one DH and I really want to do. We can afford it without too much trouble. It doesn't completely wipe out our 'holiday savings bank account'. But it seems a lot of money to pay for a cruise, especially when there are lots of others around which equally appeal and are a lot cheaper.

 

I'm pretty certain we will go ahead and book, but I'd like to hear from other people that I'm not alone in having these 'moments of doubt'.

[Enforcer]

Hi Babs,

 

It's a question only you can answer but there aren't any pockets in shrouds!

 

Pete

[GUT2407]

Only you can answer that.

 

We've got a few long cruises in our sights, can we justify it?

 

Probably not to many people.

 

But we work hard for our money, and went 18 years without a holiday when we first married, so if we want to spend 50 to 100 k that's our business.

[Dcoy]

Remember, you can't take it with you. Yes money is important but so is life. I had a friend who along with his wife planned and saved for retirement to travel and do all the things they talked about while they worked. Unfortunately he passed away less than 4 weeks after retirement. They never did anything they dreamed about.

 

If you can afford it, do it while you can.

 

Don

[paul929207]

Only you know if your savings are sufficient to take a cruise and if the cruise is of sufficient value for you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Only you can decide if you want to spend the money.

Besides the cost of the cruise, how will the cost of excursions affect your "Holiday" money?

[biker@sea]

When I offered a second cross country motorcycle trip to D.W. she ask about the same question.

 

"Can we afford it " she said.

 

I said " Can we afford NOT to" !

 

WE are getting older every day . Are you SURE we can Ever do it later in life.

 

If Not Start packin. :D

 

.

[Shawninrye]

Something other than the money as you said you have it, is causing you to hesitate before booking.

I would address that.

Then I would book my trip. I can't remember anything about the year 2011 off the top of my head but my mind is clear about the vacation to Belize!

Although, I do remember how much we spent lol.

[navybankerteacher]

OP seems to have the necessary funds in their vacation account, so the question is not WHETEHER to spend it on vacation, rather WHICH vacation to spend it on.

 

Some comparisons might help: the fixed costs of room, meals and entertainment at alternative locations form the base, then they should try to estimate the added value to them of seeing a number of different locations, and how much it might cost to travel to them other than by cruise, and finally estimate the added value to them of the experience of being at sea: something new and different for them.

 

If those added values do not make the cost of the cruise more attractive to them, they probably would do better to go to an AI.

[SadieN]

Is it a normal itin or an one-off itin? If it's an one-off itin that's rarely, if ever repeated then GO. Still kicking myself for not doing a certain one-off out of our home port, the itin was normal but it was on a cruiseline that has only sailed it that one time.

 

Another thing to consider, fares are going up every year. Some itins are just more expensive than others.

Edited June 13, 2016 by SadieN

[babs135]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. Decision to go with the cruise was clarified mid-morning when DH witnessed a young woman having a heart attack in front of him. He waited for an ambulance but doesn't know the outcome.

 

As Senior Citizens it drove home the point that if we don't take the opportunity when we can we may live to regret it.

 

Just hope the lady survived.

 

Everyone reading this thread, follow your dream because you don't know what tomorrow will bring.

[Hlitner]

Your "moments of doubt" just reflect a mature evaluation of your family priorities. Most of us have a limited amount of financial resources, and making a choice how to spend those resources is a very personal matter. Bottom line is that nobody outside your tight circle of family (and perhaps some trusted friends) should or could influence your decision.

 

Hank

[spookwife]

And the question is:

 

Are we justified in spending xxx amount of money on a cruise?

 

It's one DH and I really want to do. We can afford it without too much trouble. It doesn't completely wipe out our 'holiday savings bank account'. But it seems a lot of money to pay for a cruise, especially when there are lots of others around which equally appeal and are a lot cheaper.

 

I'm pretty certain we will go ahead and book, but I'd like to hear from other people that I'm not alone in having these 'moments of doubt'.

 

everyone has their own personal cut off point where the outlay of cash exceeds the perceived value. my own personal one requires me to have X dollars in the checking account for immediate access in case of emergency. like last minute plane tickets to NY in case his mother takes a turn for the worse.

[BlueRiband]

And the question is:

 

Are we justified in spending xxx amount of money on a cruise?

 

It's one DH and I really want to do. We can afford it without too much trouble. It doesn't completely wipe out our 'holiday savings bank account'. But it seems a lot of money to pay for a cruise, especially when there are lots of others around which equally appeal and are a lot cheaper.

 

I'm pretty certain we will go ahead and book, but I'd like to hear from other people that I'm not alone in having these 'moments of doubt'.

 

So that is the difference between the one you are contemplating and the others with equal appeal and a lot cheaper? If it was just dollars you would go with the cheaper offering. Only you can decide if the more expensive one has the atmosphere and amenities which are important to you.

[babs135]

Thanks again everyone. As you say, only we can make such a decision. I suppose part of the problem is that as we are both retired any money we spend is not replaced and, therefore, choices have to be made.

 

Odd isn't it, that when you are working and earning you don't have the time to take long holidays (the one we are looking at is 27 nights) and when you have retired you have the time but maybe not the money :(

 

Anyway, as things stand at time of posting we will be booking the cruise of our choice. We still have one or two issues to sort out but they should be resolved by the middle of the week.

[LHT28]

life is short

go cruising while you can enjoy it

 

It really is a personal choice, if it something you want to do & have the funds then go for it

 

we do not spend $$ on dinners out, entertainment so we cruise once a year

[Flatbush Flyer]

Some other observations:

 

What is value? So many CC posters seem to equate "value" solely to a singular parameter- cabin cost. And, they do so while disregarding the negatives that may go along with the "cheap" price (e.g., bad food, hordes, nickel/diming, annoying photogs, CDs, art shows, etc) that they later bemoan.

 

OR, worst still (IMO), they do minimal research and miss many opportunities to get "more bang for their buck".

 

Growing up in Brooklyn in the mid 1900's, one of the more popular mantras I quickly learned was "never pay retail." So, the challenge here is not just whether to buy something of real quality. It is also to do the research that adds value to the equation and eases any concern about choosing vacation over some other non-crucial expenditure.

 

And then there's the somewhat more subconscious element for some folks regarding not wanting to spend money in general. I am reminded of the movie "Moonstruck" where the family patriarch is a cheapskate and his wife confirms with other characters that "men believe that, if they can hang on to their money, they will not die." Great line (great movie)!

[srlafleur]

If there's a choice between 2 nearly equal options (same itinerary, similar class of ship), I will go with the least expensive, even if it means a few compromises: is the room a bit smaller, are there fewer choices on the dinner menu? Will either of those matter to me or will I even notice? (no)

That would be my choice because it would mean affording a second vacation or have more spending money on that one.

If all things aren't nearly equal, well, that's up to you. Are the differences between the pricier selection and a lower cost selection things that are important to you? That's something only you can answer. What might not matter at all to me might make or break your vacation.

It's a very personal decision.

[Bizmark'sMom]

Only you know whether or not the price of a vacation is worth it.

 

For the standard cruise destinations, I shop by price. Lots of ships do the Caribbean, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean. I do my own wandering around while in port, and before and after the cruise, and am happy with that.

 

For more exotic destinations -- Antarctica and the High Arctic spring to mind -- I want to see as much as possible and will pay for the expedition ship that has all of the goodies to get me onto the beach, touring through the ice bergs, and the experts to teach me about what I'm seeing and how it all works together.

 

The more exotic trips do not come cheap, but they are so worth the cost! So I save money and book with the main lines when I just want a floating hotel and I'll do my own wandering through Amsterdam, or Dublin, or Barbados...

[SadieN]

Some other observations:

 

What is value? So many CC posters seem to equate "value" solely to a singular parameter- cabin cost. And, they do so while disregarding the negatives that may go along with the "cheap" price (e.g., bad food, hordes, nickel/diming, annoying photogs, CDs, art shows, etc) that they later bemoan.

 

OR, worst still (IMO), they do minimal research and miss many opportunities to get "more bang for their buck".

 

Growing up in Brooklyn in the mid 1900's, one of the more popular mantras I quickly learned was "never pay retail." So, the challenge here is not just whether to buy something of real quality. It is also to do the research that adds value to the equation and eases any concern about choosing vacation over some other non-crucial expenditure.

 

And then there's the somewhat more subconscious element for some folks regarding not wanting to spend money in general. I am reminded of the movie "Moonstruck" where the family patriarch is a cheapskate and his wife confirms with other characters that "men believe that, if they can hang on to their money, they will not die." Great line (great movie)!

 

 

There's a marked difference between being frugal and being cheap. Frugal is getting the best 'bang for your buck' Cheap is basically the lowest cost.

 

OP-- is the cruise you want to take have lower fares any other time of year?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[jayne62]

I used to work in palliative care, have listened to too many stories of people who put off travel until it was too late. It seems that every few weeks I hear of someone getting a serious illness, or having a heart attack or having to leave their job due to illness. Life is short. I wanted to travel my whole life and when i turned 50 I was so sick I couldn't even get to the bathroom on my own. I made a decision that if I got better I would travel every year. So as the previous poster commented I am frugal, I track down great bargains, but I'm not cheap. I do shore excursions, but I save money elsewhere.

Only you can decide whats 'value' to you. But I like to apply the 'rocking chair' test and when I'm old and sitting in that rocking chair I will have a lot of wonderful travel memories to pass the time with.

[babs135]

 

OP-- is the cruise you want to take have lower fares any other time of year?

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

No. It's over Xmas and the New Year which is one of its appeal.

[notentirelynormal]

Only you can answer that.

 

We've got a few long cruises in our sights, can we justify it?

 

Probably not to many people.

 

But we work hard for our money, and went 18 years without a holiday when we first married, so if we want to spend 50 to 100 k that's our business.

 

It never ceases to amaze me how many people tell me how I should and shouldn't spend my money. It's not like I'm asking you to pay my bills. So you eat out 5 times a week and wonder why you can't afford what I can. :rolleyes:

[TC1957]

We are in a slightly different quandary. I had someone ask me how I could justify the cost of a cruise when doing X is cheaper. I just told them I didn't have to justify it, my wife and I just had to want to do it...because we get to spend our money the way we want to spend it.

 

What we are wrestling with now is if we can justify the risk of spending our vacation time on a cruise. We live an easy drive from an RCI departure port and have family living in three other cities where their cruises originate. That allows us to either save money on air (when we drive) or fold in a visit with family we don't see often before and/or after (and save on hotel). However, given the decline in the quality of service we noticed between our last two cruises and the reviews we have seen on RCI lately we are having a hard time risking the waste of half our vacation time on them. If it is a land based vacation and the resort is not what you expected you can always do more things in other places in the area, or even change hotels...on a ship, not so much.

 

Fortunately we are not deep into the reward program so we could "change lines"...but then we add the factor of the unknown about the line to the risk of an overall poor experience.

 

I know...first world problems.

[VennDiagram]

And the question is:

 

Are we justified in spending xxx amount of money on a cruise?

 

It's one DH and I really want to do. We can afford it without too much trouble. It doesn't completely wipe out our 'holiday savings bank account'. But it seems a lot of money to pay for a cruise, especially when there are lots of others around which equally appeal and are a lot cheaper.

 

I'm pretty certain we will go ahead and book, but I'd like to hear from other people that I'm not alone in having these 'moments of doubt'.

 

Last year my DH encouraged me to take a cruise that cost more than I was comfortable spending. He really encouraged me :) I'm so glad I did it, despite those moments of doubt. And there were many moments of doubt.

 

Once I made final payment, I didn't even notice the money was gone. Yeah my bank balance was way down, but it didn't keep me from sleeping at night.

 

I'm glad you have decided (so far) to book :)