To those that will keep cruising how do you plan to save $$

[AAAAmerican]

I guess your not looking at the simple answer they are showing ..

 

Five Weeks.

 

Your using only Four..

 

:eek:

 

And if he wants to tip well ..so be it..as it is a personal choice.:cool:

 

 

Well you are certainly a hefty tipper at approx. 26% tip per cup of coffee !!!

 

Also, glad to see you are being thrifty to cut back on that coffe expense but the #'s don't add up to $300.00 per month !

 

But you are correct that if folks will cut back on some of the daily :::perks::: they have grown accustomed to, they will still be able to take that dream vacation beit a cruise or land based holiday event ! Good Job ! :D

 

Originally Posted by DragginABag View Post

I've cut out the Starbuck's and am saving a HUGE amount ...

$4.75 x 2 = $9.50 plus tip(s) =$12 a day ... That's $60 a week I'm saving ...

$300 a month that I'm now sticking into the "Vacation Fund" at the Credit Union instead of 'doling it out to Starbuck's' ...

 

I was totally bowled over when I did the math on the amount I was spending on coffee 5 days a week ... Over the years, of 'imbibing' I probably could have bought my own Oceanliner ... lol ..

[Travel Angel]

I am not going to waste my time in responding to you further.....lets just agree to disagree :D

[gottacruisesoon]

Those Monkey Head drinks are also piggy banks. Our's is now being used for that:D

 

We are leaving Monday for our cruise and we just emptied ours and found $110.00! Nice casino money! Love my monkey head!

[luckycruzer]

no more hotel, day b4, as I live 100 miles from closest port, and 5 to 8 hours more to others..so no more shopping on the way...parking elsewhere, so that cuts out shuttle tips, share cabs, I figured that was over $150 spent BEFOR the cruise ! And at home I limit my driving to town(post), no more shopping frivously,or lunch out. Selling off stuff from storage. More couponing,for groc, Homemade martinis, and taking in ironing , and doing "me smalls" in the sink..

[posh08]

My husband and I quit smoking in 2002 we saved the money normally spent on cigs and placed in a jar with our change. We purchased our cruise and still had close to 3000 to take with us. We took it drove to Miami stayed in a too expensive hotel in my opinion and still came back with more money.

Since becoming unemployed in 2006 we have not been able to save on one income and all the medical expenses I have had but I will be starting a new job on the 23rd of June and I plan on "Purchasing" cigerettes each payday at the todays rate and placing that in the fund for vacation. This is something that to this day when I get stressed I want to have but couldn't afford it so I am actually afraid that if I have the extra money I will want to buy. So I will tape a picture of the cruise ship in the vehicle, on the piggy bank, in my office space and put my money in a better place instead of killing myself.

 

I quit this year so I could cruise more and longer. Amazing what I save:cool:

[elliebelle]

We will continue to cruise. We will still book a balcony - but we will try to stick to local ports to avoid flying - We are not big spenders on a daily basis anyhow .. but for a family of 3 to go out to a sit down dinner is a $50 bill no matter how you look at it.. we save the $50 for vacation.

~

this cruise we will not gamble in the #$%^ casino. We are both gamblers but the odds were horrific on the slots anyhow. the table games were fun but we honestly can pass on it.

~

We both work full time day jobs but I also bar tend 2 nights a week and all those tips go to the cruise fund..

~

I look forward to our cruise all year long and if it means I have to work a little harder to get there then so be it

[tbrown]

I quit this year so I could cruise more and longer. Amazing what I save:cool:

 

I called where I use to get my cigs at so I could see how much a pack was and they told me $4.56 a pack. HOLY COW and we went through 3 1/2 packs a day. That is $111.72 a week. Don't see much spare change going in with that at those prices. LOL But it is still over $5000. a year just on something to kill us.

[ksjserv]

We'll just keep on cruising as long as there are cruise ships leaving from Galveston. Its only about an hour drive for us to get to the terminal. We have cruises many, many times & normally cruise Royal Caribbean but this will be our 2nd Carnival cruise come January. Carnival's rates are better than RC, however, I hope the service is just as good as RC.

 

As for the OP that said they would not gamble as much in the ship casino but instead go to Vegas to gamble. Thats fine if you live close and like the crowds. On our last trip to Vegas in February after not being there for about 3 years I truly don't have any desire to go back. If I want to gamble, I'll just take the shuttle bus down to Louisiana.

[ksjserv]

We'll just keep on cruising as long as there are cruise ships leaving from Galveston. Its only about an hour drive for us to get to the terminal. We have cruises many, many times & normally cruise Royal Caribbean but this will be our 2nd Carnival cruise come January. Carnival's rates are better than RC, however, I hope the service is just as good as RC.

 

As for the OP that said they would not gamble as much in the ship casino but instead go to Vegas to gamble. Thats fine if you live close and like the crowds. On our last trip to Vegas in February after not being there for about 3 years I truly don't have any desire to go back. If I want to gamble, I'll just take the shuttle bus down to Louisiana.

[posh08]

I called where I use to get my cigs at so I could see how much a pack was and they told me $4.56 a pack. HOLY COW and we went through 3 1/2 packs a day. That is $111.72 a week. Don't see much spare change going in with that at those prices. LOL But it is still over $5000. a year just on something to kill us.

 

That really adds up! Oh, I want to add that my DB cuts my hair now. Lot of $$ saved there too.

[Cruzman]

No more airfare for the foreseeable future! For us, that means no more cruises from the west coast, as well as the northeast, nor P.R. Fortunately, we live within a 12 hour drive of many cruise ports, including all of the Florida ports, as well as Charleston, Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston and Houston. We will also take advantage of on board future cruise reservations wherever they are available (are you listening Carnival?).

[memphislonghorn]

I don't do excursions, just go to the beach; I will cut back on the pina coladas; eat on the ship, and cruise from ports closer to home.

[glrounds]

Ha Ha dont laugh saving all my change really helps. At the end of the week I dump my pocketbook into a jar. You will be surprised at how the money grows.

 

I never use coins to pay for anything during the day and dump all my change in a huge jar at the end of the day. Had over $400 just before my last cruise ! ! :eek:

 

I have noticed a few threads about pax that are throwing in the towel and deciding not to cruise. I would like to hear from those that plan to keep cruising and some of their thoughts on saving money.

 

Personally, I plan to limit my time in the Casino. I will just fly to Vegas when I want to gamble. Im also looking at doing more beach days rather than booking excursions.

 

Some have mentioned downgrading their cabins from Balcony to oceanview or insides. I think going the guarantee route could would be a good idea, especially on the Spirit class ships, which have lots of balconies. I imagine in the future, more people will be doing Guarantees as a way to save money.

 

So what are some of your cost cutting ideas?

 

Unfortunately for me, I already cruise INSIDE solo. Soooooooo, can't save anything there.:rolleyes:

 

I NEVER gamble on a cruise ship casino. Live 3 hours from Vegas where the Nevada Gaming Commission guarantees a "fair" shake. Sooooooooo, can't save anything there.:rolleyes:

 

I rarely take a cruise ship excursion, prefer to mingle with the locos and enjoy the beaches and other sites on my own. Soooooooo, can't save anything there.:rolleyes:

 

I'm a non-drinker in California (long story) and might drink 5 beers some day on a cruise if I'm celebrating something very very special ! ! Sooooooooo, can't save much there.:rolleyes:

 

Apparently I'm already "saving" for cruising, so I'll most likely confine my cruising to "local" ports of embarkation, the PRIDE out of Long Beach-45 minutes, the SPIRIT out of San Diego-2 1/2 hours. Both Spirit Class ships, which is my favorite deck configuration. Have done the Mexican Riviera Upper and Lower over 10 times, but it never gets old for me. I just get better at knowing where to go to have fun in the ports (plus, if the cruise director ever falls ill, I could fill in). :D

 

PLUS . . . Princess and RCI have similar cruises out of the same ports, so maybe I'll jump ship to avoid airfare and check out the cmpetition ! !

[Karshrimp]

Have to agree with others that say no more flying to ports. We are a 5 hour drive to Galveston, so that's what's it's going to have to be for any cruises in the future. Since we have already taken the Rhapsody and Conquest out of Galveston before, we have pretty much "been there, done that". Future cruises not looking really good right now...:(

[dan40]

The high airfare and the tightening of credit will stop many from cruising. That will serve to keep cruise rates lower for those that can easily drive to a port. And tight credit hopefully will stop some of the fiscal irresponsibility shown by some that cannot afford to cruise. Not those who must save up to cruise or those that deny themselves some other pleasures in order to cruise. But those that take on debt that they absolutely cannot afford. And in the long run, that's probably to their benefit.

 

Dan

[WishIwerethere]

I'm gonna retire. That will save me $20.00 per day in gas :( for commuting, and won't have to buy 2 coffees at work each day thats sopme more $, and won't have to chip in for a present every time somebody's dog has puppies or all that other stupid stuff, and saves mopney on clothing and all kinds of stuff.

 

AND I can cruise whenever I want to then.:D

[Cruisin2Sun]

I also save daily change and take it to the bank right before we cruise for spending $$.

 

We have booked inside cabins on the last 2 cruises. Although I'd love the balcony, I don't want to spend the extra $$.

 

And - I took a PT job in addition to my FT one. Just a few extra hours- don't want to run myself ragged. That extra pay gives me the $$ to cruise after working a few months.

[firefly333]

We are a 5 hour drive to Galveston, so that's what's it's going to have to be for any cruises in the future. Since we have already taken the Rhapsody and Conquest out of Galveston before, we have pretty much "been there, done that". Future cruises not looking really good right now...:(

 

Why not try the Voyager or Ecstasy then? Rhapsody is gone and Voyager to me was awesome. Try out a PR cabin if you havent.

[onejeepster]

We both have a payroll savings deduction go into our travel account. We just booked our cruise for next year. This time we are not flying as we are going to drive for 10 hours to New York. We are travelling with our friends in our new Matrix so this will cut our cost to get their and back by half. I don't want to rely on what the airlines will be doing next year.

 

We have a flight booked for our cruise this year and thankfully I booked and paid for it in Feb. It has since almost doubled in price. This will be our last flight for awhile.

 

Doing my best to keep cruising.

 

Dave

[shabcruzn]

Ditto to planning ahead--since cruising is an addiction--not cruising is not a option:D

[Vettebuf]

I'm gonna retire. That will save me $20.00 per day in gas :( for commuting, and won't have to buy 2 coffees at work each day thats sopme more $, and won't have to chip in for a present every time somebody's dog has puppies or all that other stupid stuff, and saves mopney on clothing and all kinds of stuff.

 

AND I can cruise whenever I want to then.:D

 

I love your strategy, WishIwerethere! I'm taking the opposite approach. I'm putting off retirement for a few more years and using some of the difference between my salary and my pension to cruise. I'm also booking way ahead, passing up the balconies, and using frequent flyer miles or buying cheap plane tickets. We'll be looking at more NYC and Baltimore cruises too after the ones we've already booked and one from the west coast.

[mek]

Really nothing different from what we have always done.

 

Use FF miles, but only when the ticket would cost more than $600 to purchase. Preferably, use the points for Europe or Hawaii.

 

When paying for airfare, we fly out of cheaper regional airports.

 

We don't pay airport parking. Our kids drop us off and pick us up and then when they travel, we return the favor.

 

We look for the best bargain out there and plan our trip around that. Only a handful of times have we planned a cruise more than three or four months in advance and we usually don't have our hearts set on one particular place or week . We have been known to cancel one trip because another, better one came along before final payment.

 

We don't have to have a balcony unless the price is right.

 

We don't do the extra charge restaurants on the ship.

 

We don't drink much, so we have a low bar bill.

 

We use Marriott and Amex points for pre and post cruise stays.

 

I dump my loose change in a jar daily. Every two weeks on payday I give myself a cash allowance ,( I haven't had an ATM card in 18 years), and at the end of the two weeks anything I haven't spent goes into the kitty for cruise spending money.

 

I've cut back on Starbucks lately - not because of the economy, but my habit was way out of control. I don't need a grande latte every day of my life and have decided I really do like McDonald's regular coffee better. I'm down to once or twice a week at Fourbucks - a huge savings!

[glrounds]

Not really doing anything different. The fuel charges may relax a little too. I just read that the Saudi's are releasing or boosting production by a half a million barrels. Maybe this will help the fuel costs for airlines, cruise ships etc.

 

Little help I'm afraid . . . the World uses over 82 MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY, so an extra 1/2 MILLION isn't really going to have much of an effect on pricing.

[BND]

Little help I'm afraid . . . the World uses over 82 MILLION barrels of oil PER DAY, so an extra 1/2 MILLION isn't really going to have much of an effect on pricing.

 

Everything helps. But the reality is demand is only slightly above supply which accounts for a portion of the increase we've seen. Most of the increase is due to speculators. If the supply can increase and match our demand, prices will drop as speculation will slow greatly. This release by the Saudis' would be their highest production EVER. But, that said, our bigger issue is the friggin environmentalists who have so much power over congress and the democratic party that we can't drill in a lot of areas that have a LOT of oil in and off the coast of the US. We also need new refineries built. Our prices would be below $3/gallon and possibly below $2 if we were exploring and drilling more in our own backyard.

[floridacruiser63]

Since we live in Miami, sailing out of Miami is a great option, as we save on the airfare.;)