Preservation of Privacy in Personal Cruise Expenditures

[HeatherInFlorida]

I believe my earlier poll about costs above and beyond the upfront bottom line has been misunderstood by some and I feel I owe an explanation to some who I consider "friends through cruising", so to speak.

Just by chance, I came across my name on another poll by RevNeal where I chose not to post. My reason for not posting on that thread is that I feel there is plenty of information available all over the internet on how much cruises cost in each category.

I see a huge difference between RevNeal's poll and mine. My thread did not ask how much anyone spends (though some people chose to do so) ... but rather I took pains to word it in such a way that it would give people an idea of how much one can spend over and above the "all-inclusive" cost of the cruise.

Many people come to these boards who have never cruised. They go online or talk to a TA and are often not aware of the costs that can be added on during the cruise. So I think it can be extremely helpful to get a ballpark idea of what these costs can be as compared with the original price.

Except for the mention of under $500, no other dollar amount was mentioned in the poll. But it does give an idea to a new cruiser whether they might expect to spend around $500 (not excessive), the cost of the cruise, or more than the cost of the cruise.

No one could value everyone's privacy more than I do. Perhaps my first option should have been "Less than worth a mention", but I didn't think of it at the time. There are people who did not respond to the poll that ordinarily would and I respect and support their right not to, but I don't think anyone can accuse me of snooping when I tried very hard to keep it generic.

In any case, I do apologize to anyone who felt it was offensive. But I must continue to defend it is valuable information to many. You have only to look at the thread to see that others thought so, too.

[sail7seas]

You make a valid point, Heather. Your intent, I believe, was to alert new cruisers (or those who have not cruised in recent years) that what they pay up front is, in many cases, only a portion of what they will end up spending when everything is totaled.

Those who have not cruised in many years may not be aware that the price of excursions has climbed dramatically and the price of beverages/cocktails is 'not like the old days'. Etc

It was pointed out to me (and others) in the other thread that anyone who didn't wish to participate should just 'cruise on by' the thread.

Hope you understand why I chose to not participate. I simply didn't wish to discuss how much we pay to cruise and how much we spend when aboard.

Just my personal preference........ :)

[kygal]

Heather
I just wanted to "thank you" for the poll! I am a first time "cruiser" and I found your poll to be VERY valuable to me!! ;) Now I have an idea ..WHAT to expect on our first ever cruise!
thanks again!
~kygal

[Aussie Gal]

Heather,

I too think it was a great idea. I remember when we first started touring Europe and did a bus tour!! The extras for all the excursions nearly cost more than the tour. It was a shock to find out what we were up for while on tour.

At least this way, first time cruisers have an idea of what can be spent on board.

Anyhow, those that feel awkward or do not like the survey do not have to respond.

Jennie

[DFD1]

Heather. Not to worry. Your poll was a good idea well executed. With some people's sensitivity level, it's a wonder how they make it thru life.

[Whiskeyman]

I with everyone else, I too am going to be a first time cruiser and the information you provided helped me. Don't worry your pretty little head about anything... :) OK

[HeatherInFlorida]

I feel much better already:) . Thank you.

And, yes Sail, I totally understood your reasons ... I've know from the beginning how you feel about privacy and I respect it. And your not responding certainly was not an insult; it was as you say "cruising on by" ..... something a lot of folks should do more often;) rather than getting their knickers in a knot.

But having seen the post comparing my thread to the one about the actual cost of cruising made me feel I should explain my true intent. At the same time some posters wanted to "spill the beans" and that was helpful to these guys so no harm done (IMHO).

The poll obviously achieved its intent and that's all I would hope for.

[Escrowgal]

Heather,

Don't give it another thought. If anyone was offended, they could just not opt to participate. That way, their "privacy " was intact. I found the poll very enlightening - Ryndam, here we come!!!:rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Heather

As I stated earlier, and yes I did vote and did post what we spent on our 21 day cruise, I found it very enlightning to check in from time to time and seehow the votes were going.

Excellent poll. JMO

[Ziggy7]

Heather, I thought it was a good post :)
You see I could have used this post back in Aug, our first Hal cruise, I can not say enough how easy it is to spend... spend... spend with those sign and sail cards. For the 2 weeks we were on board we spent a little over 1,000 dollars! We dont drink, so we cant even blame that! It was on excursions, bingo, shop stores and pictures. DH about had a stroke when we got the bill hehehehe. Next time I will be more frugal and cautious! I do not regret the purchases I made but will spend less next time :)
So I say thanks Heather on your attempted heads up to new cruisers! :)

[palmgirl]

Thought your poll was an excellent idea. If I had not cruised before or recently it would have been a wonderful primer.

Actually made me feel a little better about what we overspend each cruise.

Remembering back to our first years of cruising costs have definately changed. Remember when it was cheaper to drink on board than back home and you could afford to buy a round of after dinner drinks for the table.

Keep up the good work. We are here to help right :confused:

[KCat]

Heather...

You definitely cannot please everyone, we all know that!:cool: But please do not worry about your poll! We have cruised before, but never with HAL...so I cannot tell you how enlightening it was to see what the general populas spent for onboard expenses. It has truely helped us! Every cruise line is SO different!!! I did participate, but maybe shouldn't have since it was with another cruise line:ooh well, too late now.

Anyway, you only have to read a few of your posts to know that you are a kind person who only wants to help and probably has many better things to do than delve into someones finances (which we all know that you DID NOT DO!)

So please don't worry! I found your poll VERY insightful! and I THANK YOU!:cool:

[gizmo]

Sorry if you took offense since I was the one that mentioned your name and thread.


I don't see any difference between this thread and Heather's since both are on how much a person spends.

If people want to talk about how much they spend, fine. You don't have to participate or question why. Obiviously it is of interest to some, and they have choose to particpate in the discussion.Both discussions are on the subject of money. Your poll addressed how much a person spends on board, while the Rev's addressed how much is spent per person on cruising in a year. It doesn't make one right and one wrong. Both polls have value to many people.

I felt there was nothing wrong with either of the polls , nor did I take offense. Many voted in the polls and many participated in discussions.

[MISSYLOU]

Heather:

You do not need to explain your poll or comments. Anyone who has read your previous posts would know that you do not have a desire to be negative or to know anyone's financial business. I thought it was an interesting poll and found the same to be the case on Rev Neal's post about cost. But I can understand how others may not be interested in a particular thread.

All of the posts on this board should be taken with a grain of salt and if the topic offends some then just avoid it.

Criticism of polls or posts or bantering a topic back and forth scares some posters away.

[ekerr19]

Heather -

You know how I feel about the whole thing - I think it was quite beneficial to many. We always spend more when the kids are with us, they like to buy t-shirts, knick-knacks, etc., we buy more photos, usually buy the video and take a lot of shore excursions.

To any family cruising for the first time with their children, it is helpful to know that you may spend double what you paid for the cruise. Between airfare, hotels and all the rest - it really does add up. I think your innocent poll helped people realize that just because the final cruise invoice is paid - you are not off the hook.

I respect those who chose not to particpate and those who also chose not to make negative comments about the whole thing. Many others found it not only helpful, but fun.

In my mind no apology is necessary - but it was nice of you to offer one to those who may have been offended by it. :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Sorry if you took offense since I was the one that mentioned your name and thread.

Both discussions are on the subject of money. Your poll addressed how much a person spends on board, while the Rev's addressed how much is spent per person on cruising in a year. It doesn't make one right and one wrong. Both polls have value to many people.

I felt there was nothing wrong with either of the polls , nor did I take offense. Many voted in the polls and many participated in discussions.
Gizmo, I took no offense at all that you mentioned me or the poll. But it did prompt me to make an explanation. I still feel that RevNeal's thread talked about actual dollar amounts while mine really did not. My poll purposely didn't have cost ranges because I know how many people feel about divulging personal expenses.

Anyway, I certainly had no problem with you or what you said.

[RevNeal]

Thank you gizmo. Both the wording and the intention of my poll has been misconstrued or misunderstood by several; it's nice to know that both have been understood.

[cruisinjudy]

I found both polls to be interesting. Both polls were also about money, something that is very related to cruising. Neither poll asked anyone to reveal anything they didn't want to reveal.

[RevNeal]

My poll purposely didn't have cost ranges because I know how many people feel about divulging personal expenses.

Heather, would you mind explaining how offering people an anonymous opportunity to anonymously indicate how much they spend, per-person, over an entire year of cruising ON cruising constitutes asking them to "divulge personal expenses" to the board. I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. If some want to post how much they spend -- as they have on your thread and on mine -- that's their business, but I never solicited such personal information from anyone. The poll on my thread IS anonymous ... meaning that people can and have voted and NO ONE KNOWS who voted, or what they voted.

I'm sorry I posted the poll and the question at all. I knew when I posted that some would find a way to TWIST my intention and the very meaning of my question, but I had no idea how ridiculous it would get.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Heather, would you mind explaining how offering people an anonymous opportunity to anonymously indicate how much they spend, per-person, over an entire year of cruising ON cruising constitutes asking them to "divulge personal expenses" to the board. I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. If some want to post how much they spend -- as they have on your thread and on mine -- that's their business, but I never solicited such personal information from anyone. The poll on my thread IS anonymous ... meaning that people can and have voted and NO ONE KNOWS who voted, or what they voted.

I'm sorry I posted the poll and the question at all. I knew when I posted that some would find a way to TWIST my intention and the very meaning of my question, but I had no idea how ridiculous it would get.No debate, RevNeal. I agree with you totally. In fact, I hesitated with my poll and tried to word it so it wouldn't offend, but :o . I voted in your poll, but didn't post ... just a personal decision. But I certainly had no problem with either your poll or mine ... they were just different. If they hadn't been, you wouldn't have been inclined to start your poll.

But I began to notice some people have a problem with both of them and I just wanted to offer an explanation for mine. I felt it could provide valuable information to many and for others it would just be fun. As for me, unlike most New Englanders, my life is an open book. I have no problem talking about how much I spend on anything ... maybe the result of living in NYC for 20 years;). My openness about such things drives my mother nuts!:)

Anyway, we can't make everyone happy, can we? But for some unknown reason, I continue to try. I just really hate upsetting people.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Heather & revneal

I enjoyed both of your polls.

Neither bothered me in the least - already gave my explanations and reasons.

[kryos]

Heather
I just wanted to "thank you" for the poll! I am a first time "cruiser" and I found your poll to be VERY valuable to me!! ;) Now I have an idea ..WHAT to expect on our first ever cruise!
thanks again!

I'm not a first-time cruiser, but not a seasoned one either, and I too thank you for this poll.

It's good that people who perhaps have never sailed before realize that the cost of the cruise is not the last of their expenditures. Cruising is far from an "all inclusive" experience and it is good for people to gain some insight into that and perhaps evaluate all of their vacation options. For example, for some with larger families, it might be more cost-effective to take a land-based vacation at an all-inclusive resort.

I didn't find this poll as intrusive at all. In fact, I found it enlightening.

Blue skies and thanks ...

--rita

[RevNeal]

Heather, I agree with you completely on this. I found your poll and the thread it generated excellent and informative (both in a general sense and, specifically, for me). The discovery I made, personally, by thinking about the question cased me to think about how much I spend in a whole year on cruising, and that in-turn generated my poll and thread. I find such issues interesting, personally. To put it simply, I find I'm even more thankful for all the resources I've been blessed to have which enable me to cruise at-all.

[dakrewser]

In any case, I do apologize to anyone who felt it was offensive.
And you promised me you'd behave while I was away! :rolleyes:


:) -dave

[HeatherInFlorida]

And you promised me you'd behave while I was away! :rolleyes:


:) -dave
Dave, I absolutely did!!! But some people didn't like my poll about shipboard costs and since I want to please all the people all the time, I felt I owed an explanation. I have since decided I'm not going to do that anymore, but my friends here were very supportive ..... as I know you would have been had you been here:D !