How do people afford $20,000 suites?

[Tatka]

13 minutes ago, poocher said:

I gotta have my balcony.  I am out there at least 2-3 times a day for at least an hour each time.  My quiet morning coffee, sometimes a little afternoon nap and then a glass of wine & stargazing at night.  

 

I would absolutely have balcony if I used it. 14-15 times we had it we hardly used it at all. We are either in solarium (especially on Anthem) , or playing shuffleboard/ping pong, or listening to music in Boleros or in theater... That's why we are on the ship! We have large house for two of us, large backyard.. suburbs... We now work 100% from home. On cruises were are to enjoy the whole ship. Oh, we live 45 minutes from Cape Cod almost every weekend we drive there to oceanwatch. 🙂

 

 I am often looking at new huge suites and imagine myself there and what I would do there... The first thought is ... I will probably enjoy it for 5 minutes, but what will I miss outside of this gorgeous room?! 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Tatka

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

3 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

I am a Viet Nam veteran who has seen things and done things most people refuse to believe. I don’t normally talk about unless someone asks. Same thing goes with if someone ask how I could afford a big ticket item such as a $20,000 suite.

Yeah you know the horrors of war....paying for a luxury cruise suite...same thing. What a weird comparison. 

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Yeah you know the horrors of war....paying for a luxury cruise suite...same thing. What a weird comparison. 

The only comparison is not bringing up certain subjects but willing to talk about different subjects, if asked.

[iuki]

On 4/1/2023 at 2:42 AM, poocher said:

Why is that choice any better or worse than any other?  I love spending/giving money to my kids.  One needs the help, one doesn’t.  I don’t care because it’s what makes me happy. I don’t care how old they are, they’re still my kids.  Hubby & I aren’t living under a bridge because of it.  Would we have more money?  Yes.  Do I care? No.

Personally, giving your money away before you retire is really taking a gamble.  You never know what the future holds for you.  I knew a couple who made great money, owned their home and a vacation home, and put their kids through college. The gentleman developed cancer and they sold their vacation home and their home to pay for cancer treatment that was not covered by their insurance.  When her husband died, the woman wound up in low-income housing.  Their children, despite college degrees, had their own financial obligations and were putting their children through college.  No one knows what will happen post retirement.  The way I look at it, we are helping our children by being self-sufficient so that they don’t have to support us financially or physically take care of us when we get older in our retirement.  We don’t like to be dependent on anyone.  We just want our children/grandchildren, etc., to enjoy THEIR retirement years rather than being burdened taking care of us.  They can sell our house and have what’s left in our investments.  This will help them in their golden years.
 

After retirement, people need to have saved enough to carry them until they die.  Yes, it may make you happy to give money to your children, but unless you are a multi-millionaire, you’d better hope nothing catastrophic happens, because medical and long-term care could literally break you.

 

My husband and I never inherited anything from our parents and yes, we have helped our children.  But we DO NOT touch our savings and retirement funds to help them out.  In fact, when we have offered them help, they refused to accept our offer.  They told us no and to enjoy our retirement while we have good health.  Our daughter, a single mom, raised her daughter without child support, getting a student loan, and became a Nurse Practitioner and bought her home without any help.  My other two children were hard workers and were employees of the month and both became supervisors in their respective positions.  Yes, I said “were,” because both have passed.

 

Life is about the choices we make.  I pray every day for our Lord’s guidance.  

[HBE4]

8 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Obviously you're not alone... but much of this thread is just comical to me.

 

It's the gift that keeps on giving. 😊

[65Mommy]

On 3/30/2023 at 3:30 PM, njsmom said:

I keep trying to figure this out. Who is it paying $15,000 and $20,000 for suites on cruise ships and going multiple times a year? Are they putting it on credit or are they paying cash? 

 

Since this is an anonymous board, I can say that my spouse and I are very successful without sounding like I am bragging. No one knows me here. 🙂 

 

We each make well over six figures and our income easily places us in the top 3-4% of all households in our state. I am a vice president at my company, and my husband is quite successful as well. And it's not just our annual income. We have over $2 million already saved for retirement and we're still many years away from that time in our lives.Yet, I can't fathom spending $20,000 on a suite.  It's not that we're against spending. We love fancy things. We live in a lovely home, we drive luxury cars and we have taken our three kids to Europe and we go regularly to Napa and drop $600 a night for a 4-5 night stay, and do $300 dinners. But again, $20,000 on a suite? That is another realm of spending. 

 

Who is it spending this much on a suite? If my husband and I can't afford to do it, who can? There's not that many people who make more than us, to be frank. I just don't get it. 

My husband and I were wondering if the people in the suites go on the ship organized tours or if they also spend large amounts on taking private tours for excursions???

[gingerpeaches]

9 hours ago, molly361 said:

I feel like the poor little Red headed stepchild on this thread.  Not even close to most of you that have posted about your personal wealth. SIGH😇

 

Don't believe everything you read. The people who have it don't feel the need to talk about it. 

 

 

[Cayman1]

10 hours ago, PompeySailor said:

We drive to all ports as well

Perks of living with 5 ports so beautifully placed around us.

Does the Jacksonville port really count though? 😂

 

I agree though... those of us who live in Florida have a luxury that many don't.

[parrotfeathers]

On 4/1/2023 at 8:44 AM, BecciBoo said:

We are tent camping this weekend and scrounging around for deals on new cots today.  Ahhhh, the simple life!

One of the best vacations I've ever taken was a drive from Mississippi to D.C.  Paper map since that was before the internet or cell phones.  We were so incredibly ignorant.  We loaded up the Starcraft van (nice in its day), tossed our 2 doggies in and off we went.  Decided to take the scenic route up the east coast.  Stopped at some state park in Georgia (maybe the first night).  Built a fire and had grilled cheese sandwiches for supper.  It was freezing cold in the van.  Somewhere near Cape Hatteras learned there was a ferry we had to take.  Dogs loved it.  Had booked a hotel in downtown D.C.  Clerk told me the doors were locked at 9 p.m. and I never had heard of such a thing.  It was such a good time and I think of it much more than any cruise I've been on.

[A&L_Ont]

9 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Yeah you know the horrors of war....paying for a luxury cruise suite...same thing. What a weird comparison. 

 

8 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

The only comparison is not bringing up certain subjects but willing to talk about different subjects, if asked.

 

I totally understood what you were saying @grandgeezer Add politics and religion to the list of things not to discuss and they probably would have got it. 

[orville99]

18 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

To each his own. I found the jammer to be the best in the fleet

We felt that there were too many pinch points around the kiosks the once you got into the WJ.

As an aside, do you have an email address to contact the person who manages the Pinnacle program? I've searched all of our documents and can't find one.

[cruisegirl1]

7 hours ago, gingerpeaches said:

 

Don't believe everything you read. The people who have it don't feel the need to talk about it. 

 

 

Love this post.  Goes with the big tipper posts.   

M 

[poocher]

10 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

I would absolutely have balcony if I used it. 14-15 times we had it we hardly used it at all. We are either in solarium (especially on Anthem) , or playing shuffleboard/ping pong, or listening to music in Boleros or in theater... That's why we are on the ship! We have large house for two of us, large backyard.. suburbs... We now work 100% from home. On cruises were are to enjoy the whole ship. Oh, we live 45 minutes from Cape Cod almost every weekend we drive there to oceanwatch. 🙂

 

 I am often looking at new huge suites and imagine myself there and what I would do there... The first thought is ... I will probably enjoy it for 5 minutes, but what will I miss outside of this gorgeous room?! 

I have a house on Cape Cod!  Well my brother thinks it’s his house but I have a room there!  It’s in Teaticket.

[ReneeFLL]

21 hours ago, Cayman1 said:

 

The topic subject is "How do people afford $20,000 suites"... Not "Why are people spending $20,000 on suites".

 

She did ask how do people afford $20,000.00 suites, but according to her it was about saying she doesn’t have the money for them. Seems odd to me.

 

On 4/2/2023 at 5:52 PM, njsmom said:

I never said I spent 100K on a car. I have no car in my garage that is anywhere close to 100K. My husband and I drive cars in the 60K range. 

 

And I do save for carpeting. I don't put things on credit cards. Nor am I rolling in dough. I never said I was. I said my salary and what I save. You extrapolated the rest. The whole point of this thread was me saying I do not have the cash to spend  20K for suites. I am saving for carpet. I am saving for a garage remodel. I have three kids. I have expenditures that go beyond a cruise suite. I save for retirement and rainy days. I like cash in the bank for unexpected expenses. 

 

This reminds of the game of telephone where things get blown out of proportion. 

 

There are things that people spend their money on here that I never would, but I definitely wouldn’t make a thread about it. Everyone spends what they are comfortable with for the items they buy.

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[Tatka]

4 minutes ago, poocher said:

I have a house on Cape Cod!  Well my brother thinks it’s his house but I have a room there!  It’s in Teaticket.

 

Nice!!!

Falmouth is one of my favorite place on Cape. Surf Drive... Woods Hole (Nobska)

[poocher]

8 hours ago, iuki said:

Personally, giving your money away before you retire is really taking a gamble.  You never know what the future holds for you.  I knew a couple who made great money, owned their home and a vacation home, and put their kids through college. The gentleman developed cancer and they sold their vacation home and their home to pay for cancer treatment that was not covered by their insurance.  When her husband died, the woman wound up in low-income housing.  Their children, despite college degrees, had their own financial obligations and were putting their children through college.  No one knows what will happen post retirement.  The way I look at it, we are helping our children by being self-sufficient so that they don’t have to support us financially or physically take care of us when we get older in our retirement.  We don’t like to be dependent on anyone.  We just want our children/grandchildren, etc., to enjoy THEIR retirement years rather than being burdened taking care of us.  They can sell our house and have what’s left in our investments.  This will help them in their golden years.
 

After retirement, people need to have saved enough to carry them until they die.  Yes, it may make you happy to give money to your children, but unless you are a multi-millionaire, you’d better hope nothing catastrophic happens, because medical and long-term care could literally break you.

 

My husband and I never inherited anything from our parents and yes, we have helped our children.  But we DO NOT touch our savings and retirement funds to help them out.  In fact, when we have offered them help, they refused to accept our offer.  They told us no and to enjoy our retirement while we have good health.  Our daughter, a single mom, raised her daughter without child support, getting a student loan, and became a Nurse Practitioner and bought her home without any help.  My other two children were hard workers and were employees of the month and both became supervisors in their respective positions.  Yes, I said “were,” because both have passed.

 

Life is about the choices we make.  I pray every day for our Lord’s guidance.  

And I tell my kids when the money runs out, we’re moving in with them.  Gonna need someone to change my Depends!!  

My father died at 43 in a time when there was no retirement funds beyond Social Security.  He worked in a factory his whole life.  When he died, he left mom with 2 kids and an 8th grade education.  She left school to help raise her younger siblings.  Never had 2 nickels to rub together but when she did, she gave one to me and one to my brother.  The ONLY thing in life I care about is my family’s happiness.  If I die broke but they are all happy, it will have been worth every penny.

[Tatka]

7 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

She did ask how do people afford $20,000.00 suites, but according to her it was about saying she doesn’t have the money for them. Seems odd to me.

 

 

She has money. She (they?) do not want to spend so much on suites. Which is completely fine. But other people are other people. They do want to spend money. She cannot believe somebody wants to spend so much money. In her mind people who want to spend so much money are probably not that smart to begin with... and they put use credit cards for cruises.

 

(Actually maybe it is a good idea to get points?)

[Tatka]

She has money. She (they?) do not want to spend so much on suites. Which is completely fine. But other people are other people. They do want to spend money. She cannot believe somebody wants to spend so much money. In her mind people who want to spend so much money are probably not that smart to begin with... and they put use credit cards for cruises.

 

(Actually maybe it is a good idea to pay balance right away and get points?)

Edited April 4, 2023 by Tatka

[ReneeFLL]

6 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

She has money. She (they?) do not want to spend so much on suites. Which is completely fine. But other people are other people. They do want to spend money. She cannot believe somebody wants to spend so much money. In her mind people who want to spend so much money are probably not that smart to begin with... and they put use credit cards for cruises.

 

(Actually maybe it is a good idea to get points?)

I know she has they money according to her. That’s why I said everyone spends what they are comfortable with. As for charging things, we try to charge everything. We use it for miles. The key thing is, is that it should be paid off in full each month, otherwise it doesn’t make sense. The only time we won’t use it is if someone wants to charge us a percent (usually 2%) and it’s usually the home repair/remodel companies.

[Tatka]

That is what we do as well. Only use CC and pay off.

But I do not think we ever used CC for 20K purchase. I know you cannot buy a car on CC

[topnole]

This whole thread is based on the premise that one has to pay 20k for suites.  Sure, one can certainly pay that much or more, but that is very far from the norm.  
 

We (family of 5) have sailed three times in the last year (6 nighter, 6 nighter, and 12 nighter).  All have been Oasis Class in suites (one Star Class and two Sky Class).  None of those cruises cost 20k and in fact none of those even cost 10K.  No casino comps involved.  One of them was under 5K (not counting tips).  So the assumption that a bunch of folks are paying 20k for suites is way off imo.   Not even Star class cabins cost that much on many of the cruises.  

 

Obviously on some cruises star class cost that much or more.   But there are only 10-12 of those on only the newer ships.  There are plenty enough very wealthy folks who won’t bat an eye at 20k or more  for a top suite.  

 

The issue with this whole thread is framing.   The ships aren’t full of folks paying 20k for suites.  That is rare.   What we should be wondering is who is willing to spend 3.5k for an over the water Cabana?   Now that to me is crazy money, but again, there are plenty of folks who have the money to enjoy it and if they do, good for them.  Personally, I’ll pay for a suite, but zero chance I would ever rent a cabana for 3500 a day.  That one I just can’t understand (but to each their own).  
 

 

[OCSC Mike]

11 hours ago, Tatka said:

I would absolutely have balcony if I used it. 14-15 times we had it we hardly used it at all.

 

This is exactly our situation as well. My wife grew up with her parents taking her on cruises in balconies or above. I had never been on a cruise til our honeymoon. She said we need a balcony so we got a balcony. This continued for a few cruises (despite us barely using the balcony). Then when we were exactly 4 points from Diamond, I suggested we just take a cheapo 4-nighter in an interior to get to Diamond, then we could go back to the balcony she thought she needed. Well, all it took was those 4 nights for her to realize the balcony was a waste and we've been getting interiors ever since (unless her generous parents are taking the family on vacation).

 

As with most things cruising, different strokes...

 

We had an amazing time in our first ever GS on Harmony last May with the family (the suite was very nice but I appreciated the perks more than the large room). They also got us all an OTW cabana (for $1599, booked during covid before prices went crazy) and that was pretty great too! In the following months, sailing alone, we spent 11 nights in an interior on Indy eating mostly in the WJ instead of CK and 3 days doing Coco Cay without spending a dime (besides tipping for drinks) and had a great time too!

[topnole]

57 minutes ago, poocher said:

And I tell my kids when the money runs out, we’re moving in with them.  Gonna need someone to change my Depends!!  

My father died at 43 in a time when there was no retirement funds beyond Social Security.  He worked in a factory his whole life.  When he died, he left mom with 2 kids and an 8th grade education.  She left school to help raise her younger siblings.  Never had 2 nickels to rub together but when she did, she gave one to me and one to my brother.  The ONLY thing in life I care about is my family’s happiness.  If I die broke but they are all happy, it will have been worth every penny.

And when you hit a certain age, you see many folks your age passing.   If you have saved and have appropriate savings, it seems reasonable to enjoy while you have your health.   I for one am not going to wait until I’m 65 or 70 to do certain things.  
 

I’ve done tons of inside cabins and cheap hotels.  I’m now to the point that I’m going to enjoy some extras versus packing every possible penny away.  I have my safety net firmly set and I have my health.  You can’t wait forever to spend your own money or you may miss the chance to reap the rewards of your own work.   It’s obviously a balance, and one needs to make sure they plan for the long haul as well.  

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, orville99 said:

We felt that there were too many pinch points around the kiosks the once you got into the WJ.

As an aside, do you have an email address to contact the person who manages the Pinnacle program? I've searched all of our documents and can't find one.

 

Not really, sorry 

 

Hopefully someone else here does

 

 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, Tatka said:

That is what we do as well. Only use CC and pay off.

But I do not think we ever used CC for 20K purchase. I know you cannot buy a car on CC

 

We once bought a Honda CRV using the Royal credit card. Though typically, they tend to cap you at around $3K