How do y'all afford to cruise so often??

[mandrews2u]

Could you shed some light on how you do that? PLEASE?? HA.HA. Travel Agent?

[basill1970f]

The only bingo game i play is the one for coverall... I feel somehow im getting my moneys worth even though I never win.. it sure is fun to look through those punched out holes.

[Alamogirl]

We are like you, HOW do they do it? We have gone on 3 since 2004, we go every other year. Would love to do more, but we save and pay cash - don't like cc's unless the bill is paid in full each month. No kids but retirment is in a few years and then maybe more.

[hockeymom97]

I'm cruising for FREE this time & it's a balcony too!!!

All we paid was $198!!

 

3rd cruise this year! Wooo-weeee!!!:p

 

 

Do you want to share how you are cruising for free? :confused: Inquiring minds want to know!

[Skyev21]

Do you want to share how you are cruising for free? :confused: Inquiring minds want to know!

 

I posted a thread about it but they removed it. Guess they don't want others to know:confused:, so let's see if this sticks? lol!:p

 

Here it is...

 

$1,189 - total cruise BG fare, including taxes, fees, ins, etc.

-$1,000 - Marriott Reward points certificate redemption

-$100 - OBC

-$50 - Check (via mail) Rebate

An upgrade (8A to 8C aft)

& An onboard Savings Booklet

 

Ok. So I actually paid $39 total!!! lol!:D

 

Finally, being in Platinum status & saving those points actually paid off! LMAO!!!:)

[jschm27]

Both of us are retired, home mortage is low, kids are grown up and have moved out. With that scenario we should be cruising a lot more than what we do, BUT we bought a motor home last year so we do a lot of our cruising on land. Between gas and loan payments on the coach, we have to plan ahead and save for ocean cruises.

 

John

[mandrews2u]

My husband has all kinds of marriot rewards, how do you use them for a cruise, can you ccash them in for money$, We have only used them for hotels? <aybe I should check my other cards that have rewards of some type on them that I have never cashed in or asked for,hmmmm

THANKS

[Skyev21]

My husband has all kinds of marriot rewards, how do you use them for a cruise, can you ccash them in for money$, We have only used them for hotels? <aybe I should check my other cards that have rewards of some type on them that I have never cashed in or asked for,hmmmm

THANKS

 

For years, I too also exchanged those points for suites.

 

However, recently I stumbled on a new reward & couldn't help buut to take advantage of it!

 

Logon to their website & check out their rewards they offer.

 

It's fairly new that they're offering my deal.

 

For 145,000 points, u can get a $1,000 cruising cert to use for fare, taxes, fees, fuel, excursions, OBC, etc.

 

I am a platinum member so I don't know if that's an exclusive deal but do check it out. Maybe your DH is too.

 

Good luck & let us know!;)

[mandrews2u]

He is a platinum memeber, thanks so much for the tip,

[cruiselife4me]

I've cruised pretty often but that's when it was just me. (The ex didn't cruise.) So all I had to afford was me. Now that I'm remarried, it's my hubby and I or the 3 of us. (son)

 

We just built our dream house, so even though it's driving me CRAZY (!!) there's just no money for cruising. I'm telling you, I have to make MORE MONEY!

 

mary

[737NG]

My wife and I are lucky that I work for an airline. It gives us access to interline rates for cruises. I can save about 30 to 40% off regular fares.

[hopfme]

It's just the 2 of us. The only debt we have is our mortgage and we both save A LOT throughout the year. Pack a lot of lunches, clip coupons, rent movies occasionally vs. going to the theater, etc.

[Travel-Bum]

Ok, I've seen everyone's posts listing all their past cruises and upcoming cruises. Most times, they're only weeks or 2-3 months apart. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??? There's no way I could afford that! My family and I generally take one big vacation a year in the summer, and maybe 2 short trips (2 or 3 days) in spring and fall. Does anyone vacation doing something else besides cruising, or is cruising the ONLY WAY to vacation to the majority on these boards? My husband and I are planning on a 7 day cruise on the Mariner in Nov. 2007, and I have to start planning and saving NOW! Anyone else out there in my shoes?

 

Simple! I shot my dumb arse boss; Robbed the Fed bank; And, I am hiding on the cruise from local, state, and fed authorities. :-P Additionally, I stopped drinking, smoking, and dating. These things cost $$$...Instead of dating several women a week, I am dating ONE woman. :cool:

[Travel-Bum]

Do you want to share how you are cruising for free? :confused: Inquiring minds want to know!

 

If you want to cruise for free, try apply guest lecturer. They don't pay you. but, you get to cruise for free.

[Travel-Bum]

I still think not playing bingo is a great way to save...your experience, while wonderful, is not by any means the norm...the odds of winning significant $ on bingo games are low...generally speaking you lose, so if you are looking for a cost to cut this may be a place to start

 

CASINO [is] alternative way of making additional money, but try not to DONATE your kids, house, wife, or your soul. Gambling [can] be VERY addictive!!

 

and, if you're considering risking your saving on gambling, i'd suggest BLACKJACK. This game [has] the best odds in the entire casino. ;)

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

My DW and I like to go on cruises. How...we have no guns, no boats no pick up trucks, no bar b que pit or a lot of cowboy boots and hats.

 

We have part time jobs in addition to our investments, pensions, and Social Security for both of us. College is paid for, wedding is paid for, and our two kids are grown, on their own, and both are very financially stable (both are employed and do not ask us for any money...we would help if asked).

 

The key for us though is that our part time jobs (we are substitute teachers) pays for our travels. And we look for the specials and travel in the off season as much as possible.

 

Going to Hawaii on OCtober 22...counting the hours.

 

Fred

[mandrews2u]

We do not cruise that often,now we are trying one cruise a year together. We have only taken the kids once. We have 4 between us. We take our tax return every year, I use half towards my daughters college debt and the other half is ours to do as we please, we are not big savers, we have 401k's etc, bought a couple acreas to hopefully build a place on for retirement,we contribute regurlarly but we also are trying to enjoy life .We do not have any of the greatest and latest anything, we stay out of stores due to the temptations, we spend no money on entertainment during the year, this helps us not have to touch our tax return when we get it amd then we pick our cruise. I am already trying tyo think where we could go next year, and I will put the deposit down once I figure that out.

[suezyq50]

Always watch the rates. Just this week residency rates became available for two cruises I have already booked. One cruise was a $180 credit back to my card, with a upgrade. The other was $100 credit back. It all adds up.

[Tmrlovesjr]

My husband and I cruise at leat 1 time a year, this year 2. Cruising is our favorite way to vacation, except for short weekends here and there and a 10 day honeymoon in Seatle Wa its all we have done. This will be our 5th cruise in a little over 3 years. As for affording it, we have to make our dollars stretch, since he is a employee of our local school district specializing in special education, and I am at home with our 18 month old. We buy only necessities, allways on sale, use coupons(which saves us at least 1 fare) a year. We don't go out to eat often, and when we do it is usually lunch. This year we decided instead of having heaps of presents, that will accumulate dust and we have nowhere to put anymore stuff, to go on a cruise early in Dec. We always get the soda cards, stay away from making donations to the casino, always eat on the ship, don't buy anything on the ship, and find cheap $1 souvineers for others. Our passion for travel, we share with my parents, and this time my inlaws are coming too. This will be our son's first cruise, I do worry about that since he is too young for the childrens activities, but he likes to hang with grown ups since his brother and sister are adults he is practically an only child. Cruising is also cheap mental health vacation. No cleaning and cooking is 1 of the biggest treats for me, running a household of 5 1 under 2 and 2 disabled senior citizens. Gosh I hope these next 40 days go quick :p

[CruiseIsFun]

I am a single mom with two kids that I support solely (one in college). Luckily I am good at running my business. If I can find more time I will cruise more but now I can only do once a year.

 

I don't think cruising is all that expensive if you know how, there are plenty of deals around. I don't live near port cities but I do know how to find reasonable airfare since I am always booking air for my business trips.

 

Being a businesswoman and constantly sourcing for my business, I am a very smart shopper, I sort of have a skill where I can spot a rip-off. To save money, I sometimes book inside cabin, but this time I splurge on Veranda cabin because it is just too cheap to pass. ($650 per person for a Veranda cabin during Christmas). I never book cruise line's excursion. Sightseeing tours in my opinion is THE most boring thing I can do and a total waste of time and money. I will book snorkeling trips separately but mostly do what you do on an island, got to the beach! Spa on cruise ships is also a rip off. I don't splurge on drinks and I don't gamble. I certainly never buy over-priced souvenirs, jewelry is the biggest rip off. The only thing the cruise line really gets me is the pictures. I just can't refuse those pictures of my sons especially on formal nights! But in a way that saves me money too as I rarely take pictures of them and this way I have a professional picture at a good price.

 

I also don't own a big house, most people I know live in million dollar homes. I live in the same neighbourhood but I live in a very good condo but only half their price. I don't own boats, cottage, or have other expensive toys. I don't buy jewelry and I no longer buy designer clothes or bags. Being in a condo I also stop buying unnecessary kitchen appliance and kitchenware due to limited space, you will be surprise how much you spend on those. I rarely go to movies, just can't sit through one any more and I enjoy my LCD & cable at home just as much. All these add up to hundreds of dollars savings a month and easily pay for a cruise!

 

I am looking forward to the days when I no longer have to worry about vacations only when the kids are not in school. I will then sell my business and cruise 3 times a year!

[CruiseIsFun]

We are like you, HOW do they do it? We have gone on 3 since 2004, we go every other year. Would love to do more, but we save and pay cash - don't like cc's unless the bill is paid in full each month. No kids but retirment is in a few years and then maybe more.

 

Actually, if you plan well financially, you should charge as much on cc as you can. Get a no-fee cc that gives you points that can be transferred to airlines or hotels, some of the points/miles can pay for a cruise.

 

I charge as much as I can on my cc, of course, never buy anything you don't need because you can charge it. About the only things I can't use a credit card on are utility bills and taxes. The miles I accumulated already gave me 5 first class tickets to Asia and I have enough to book 6 more, that's $8,000 per ticket. If I were to use it on cruise I am sure I can too but booking long haul first class ticket is the best use of miles.

 

Hotel points are great too! recently I had to go to NYC for business and to my shock the hotel room costs $400 a night! I ended up using my SPG points and got 5 nights for free. Other times I will Priceline and always save at least 50% and stay in 4* hotels.

 

Do some research online and you will find that there are a lot of really good no-fee or low-fee credit card that gives you so much points on your everyday purchases that you need to buy anyway, such as groceries, and will allow you to pay for at least part, if not all, of your next cruise!

[Girlfiend]

I've been reading this thread with quite a bit of interest. We are a couple just out of college who recently discovered we love to travel together and want to cruise as much as possible! Despite our low incomes, we've managed to book three cruises in a little over a year. Here's how we do it:

 

I may not earn that much money, but I spend less than I earn. I'm a line cook, so I get to eat most meals at work. I drive a reliable 12-year-old car and share a 600 sq. foot apartment with my partner. I don't have any expensive hobbies or habits (other than cruising!). I don't pinch pennies and I don't feel deprived--in fact, I feel very wealthy and blessed every day. :)

 

Every paycheck, I put 10% (pre-tax) in a 401(k) and 10% (after tax) in a travel fund. This is a high-yield online savings account that I can transfer money to easily. When there's enough money in there, I book a cruise for us. By the time we sail, there's enough to cover our onboard account, also.

 

For cruise deals, I watch CruiseCritic and a handful of other travel sites for steals. Price is the primary consideration. I love sea days the most, so itinerary isn't really important. We think Carnival offers the best vacation value, but will happily book Norwegian or Royal Caribbean if the price is comparable. We always book inside cabins. (A standard inside is about the size of our bedroom at home, and besides, we're never in it! We'd rather cruise more often than have deluxe accomodations.) We'd love to try Alaskan, small ship, Transatlantic, and gay/lesbian cruising when the time is right--but that time is not now and we're fine with it.

 

I book with online travel agents because the price/perks can't be beat, and so far I've had only positive experiences. I use a rewards credit card, like CruiseIsFun suggested above, and pay it off at the end of the month with my travel savings account.

 

So far, we've only booked cruises out of our home port of Galveston. Besides being close enough to drive, we have family there who will give us a ride to the terminal. (So we save on airfare, transfers, and parking.) If that departure port ever gets old, we'll drive to New Orleans or Mobile or start looking for airfare deals as well.

 

Onboard, we find that there's plenty to see and do at no extra cost. Looking at the ocean, dining, taking in the shows...you pay for all this "free stuff" with your cruise far, so why not enjoy it first? We drink at the bars but also bring our own liquor to cut down on the tab. We don't gamble, (except for bingo and the free $5 chips), don't buy souvenirs onboard, and don't book excursions through the cruise line. (Maybe one if it's really special.) We bring a limited amount of cash for tips and spending in port, and when it's gone, its gone.

 

Well, that's all my secrets. See you onboard!

 

--Michelle (and Sarah)

[Roz]

Michelle,

 

Nice, inspiring post! I think it's called living within your means, and making a little go a long way. Lot's of good practical tips.

 

Roz

[KULPN]

We have to space it out. We went last time in 2006 & are going 11/29. One before that was 1999. Now we live in Florida so it is much cheaper, but we end up using vacation time & money to visit relatives in Ct & NY! Plus I am disabled & no longer working. I wish we could go more. I love it!

[Girlfiend]

Michelle,

 

Nice, inspiring post! I think it's called living within your means, and making a little go a long way. Lot's of good practical tips.

 

Roz

 

Thanks Roz!

 

--Michelle