You're going on ANOTHER cruise?

Our friends have quit asking, "another cruise?" and now they just say, "where are you going this time?" We had family that had begged us to come visit them and go on a land vacation this past summer. We finally relented. We were just in the car and my 19 year old Grandson (who is Diamond on his own) said, "worst vacation ever." We're taking him with us on another Med cruise this summer. He's excited about seeing Pompeii. How often do you have a 19 year old get excited about a family vacation? He's turned us down on other vacations, but never turns a cruise down. :D

I am a cop for a living and my wife works as an accountant(not a CPA) so we don't make that much.

We went on our first cruise in Feb 2012(My Mom paid for that one, but that is another story. She paid for her whole family sons, daughters in law and grandkids)

I loved it so much we have two more booked for Nov 2013 and Nov 2014. I get asked the same question...."How can you afford to go on ANOTHER cruise"

Well, the first one was free(minus our excursions, alcohol, paid dinners..etc(my Mom didn't pay for any of those)) My wife and I put away $150 a paycheck for a "vacation fund." That's $3900 a year. THAT'S HOW WE CAN AFFORD TO GO ON ANOTHER CRUISE. We've actually had friends start doing the same thing. You don't miss the money if you never see it. It comes right out of my check and goes into a separate account from our regular one.

That is a super idea for the newbies to cruising to start saving for the next one....as we all know once you go on a cruise you are hooked !!!! Well we were this will be our 10 cruise, and each and every cruise is like the first!!!!

We are booked for April 2014...April 2015...with our Buddy Bear Bunch...we have so much fun ...we have a Putt Putt Tourny (bragging rights only and children are invited)...Scavenger Hunt....Slot Pull....and a Cabin Door Sign Contest.....Come join our Bunch in 2015.....April 25,2015 Liberty out of Port Canaveral 8 day...Eastern Caribbean.... Grand Turk...St Thomas...St Marrten and Tortola.....We have the best time....Just a thought!!!

Kathi

Not that it is my business (as I stated in a previous post), but to be frank, I do wonder how it is that many cruisers on these boards manage so many cruises! There are such long lists of past cruises on some folks' signatures, and so many I see take several cruises a year! I am both envious (yes, I know I shouldn't be) and curious.

Being a cruise fanatic (like most on these boards) my curiosity stems from a desire to understand if I could have that same resume of cruises some day :), not from a critical perspective of "why on earth are you spending so much time and money on cruises?"

What I wonder is how many folks who cruise seemingly non-stop (more power to them!) are actually in the tourist business, so they are cruising free or at discounted prices, how many live near a port and simply drive to the ship or have someone drop them off, how many are taking inside cabins (rather than the balconies I feel I "need!":o), etc. (I also wonder how many are physicians, dentists, lawyers, executives in large companies, etc. ..)

Yes, it is none of my business, but still, I am curious.

I understand why frequent cruisers' colleagues, friends and family would be curious. But I object to their being judgmental: "Shouldn't you be doing something else with your money?" That sort of attitude is inappropriate.

I suppose what I wonder about, that some of you might give me insight regarding, is whether CC members would be offended if I asked them straightforwardly what their secret is for managing so many cruises? I have never felt free to do this, even though I perceive my own intentions to be honorable... :rolleyes:

I guess if I knew someone was in the tourist business, for example (or a highly paid professional, not a stay-at-home Mom), I could have realistic expectations that my cruise "rap sheet ;)" will probably never look like theirs! But if they have some other tricks to cruise affordably often, I would love to hear about them.

We travel a lot and do a lot of cruises for people our age (30s), and the answer is simple.....we have no kids! While home we spend all of our time working....we are middle class....and cruising is the best way for us to get unplugged and relax.

We are in Quebec and need to fly to our cruise ports (thank you airmiles), if airfare was not an issue, we would cruise even more!

Not that it is my business (as I stated in a previous post), but to be frank, I do wonder how it is that many cruisers on these boards manage so many cruises! There are such long lists of past cruises on some folks' signatures, and so many I see take several cruises a year! I am both envious (yes, I know I shouldn't be) and curious.

 

Being a cruise fanatic (like most on these boards) my curiosity stems from a desire to understand if I could have that same resume of cruises some day :), not from a critical perspective of "why on earth are you spending so much time and money on cruises?"

 

What I wonder is how many folks who cruise seemingly non-stop (more power to them!) are actually in the tourist business, so they are cruising free or at discounted prices, how many live near a port and simply drive to the ship or have someone drop them off, how many are taking inside cabins (rather than the balconies I feel I "need!":o), etc. (I also wonder how many are physicians, dentists, lawyers, executives in large companies, etc. ..)

 

Yes, it is none of my business, but still, I am curious.

 

I understand why frequent cruisers' colleagues, friends and family would be curious. But I object to their being judgmental: "Shouldn't you be doing something else with your money?" That sort of attitude is inappropriate.

 

I suppose what I wonder about, that some of you might give me insight regarding, is whether CC members would be offended if I asked them straightforwardly what their secret is for managing so many cruises? I have never felt free to do this, even though I perceive my own intentions to be honorable... :rolleyes:

 

I guess if I knew someone was in the tourist business, for example (or a highly paid professional, not a stay-at-home Mom), I could have realistic expectations that my cruise "rap sheet ;)" will probably never look like theirs! But if they have some other tricks to cruise affordably often, I would love to hear about them.

All good questions. From my point of view we were lucky to win a bit on the lottery last year. We decided, since its money we may never have had, we would spend it. Therefore we have 4 cruises booked in the next 9 months. We'll probably never be in this situation again, so we're going to enjoy it to the full.

Not that it is my business (as I stated in a previous post), but to be frank, I do wonder how it is that many cruisers on these boards manage so many cruises! There are such long lists of past cruises on some folks' signatures, and so many I see take several cruises a year! I am both envious (yes, I know I shouldn't be) and curious.

 

Being a cruise fanatic (like most on these boards) my curiosity stems from a desire to understand if I could have that same resume of cruises some day :), not from a critical perspective of "why on earth are you spending so much time and money on cruises?"

 

What I wonder is how many folks who cruise seemingly non-stop (more power to them!) are actually in the tourist business, so they are cruising free or at discounted prices, how many live near a port and simply drive to the ship or have someone drop them off, how many are taking inside cabins (rather than the balconies I feel I "need!":o), etc. (I also wonder how many are physicians, dentists, lawyers, executives in large companies, etc. ..)

 

Yes, it is none of my business, but still, I am curious.

 

I understand why frequent cruisers' colleagues, friends and family would be curious. But I object to their being judgmental: "Shouldn't you be doing something else with your money?" That sort of attitude is inappropriate.

 

I suppose what I wonder about, that some of you might give me insight regarding, is whether CC members would be offended if I asked them straightforwardly what their secret is for managing so many cruises? I have never felt free to do this, even though I perceive my own intentions to be honorable... :rolleyes:

 

I guess if I knew someone was in the tourist business, for example (or a highly paid professional, not a stay-at-home Mom), I could have realistic expectations that my cruise "rap sheet ;)" will probably never look like theirs! But if they have some other tricks to cruise affordably often, I would love to hear about them.

Like I said in the post above yours, we(who are also middle class) just put away $150 a paycheck.(Not from each of our paychecks, just mine) We do have 2 kids(7 & 2) and wanted to be able to take vacations(NICE ONES) every year, so started doing this a while back. We've been to Disneyland(twice) Yellowstone(Stayed in Jackson Hole), Grand Canyon(After spending time in Sedona)....etc.

For us with what we make(again not a alot) we don't miss the $150 every two weeks. We never have to put our trips on a credit card(the downfall of a lot of people) and have GREAT vacations every year.

From the last two years and the amount of time I have spent on CC, I also imagine a lot of people are retired and that is how they can afford it. Obviously some are just "well off" but again, if you plan right and plan a cruise out a year and a half(that way you can make small payments a month on it), you can take a cruise every year.

All good questions. From my point of view we were lucky to win a bit on the lottery last year. We decided, since its money we may never have had, we would spend it. Therefore we have 4 cruises booked in the next 9 months. We'll probably never be in this situation again, so we're going to enjoy it to the full.

That's AWESOME and a perfect way to spend the money if you ask me. ;)

Not that it is my business (as I stated in a previous post), but to be frank, I do wonder how it is that many cruisers on these boards manage so many cruises! There are such long lists of past cruises on some folks' signatures, and so many I see take several cruises a year! I am both envious (yes, I know I shouldn't be) and curious.

 

Being a cruise fanatic (like most on these boards) my curiosity stems from a desire to understand if I could have that same resume of cruises some day :), not from a critical perspective of "why on earth are you spending so much time and money on cruises?"

 

What I wonder is how many folks who cruise seemingly non-stop (more power to them!) are actually in the tourist business, so they are cruising free or at discounted prices, how many live near a port and simply drive to the ship or have someone drop them off, how many are taking inside cabins (rather than the balconies I feel I "need!":o), etc. (I also wonder how many are physicians, dentists, lawyers, executives in large companies, etc. ..)

 

Yes, it is none of my business, but still, I am curious.

 

I understand why frequent cruisers' colleagues, friends and family would be curious. But I object to their being judgmental: "Shouldn't you be doing something else with your money?" That sort of attitude is inappropriate.

 

I suppose what I wonder about, that some of you might give me insight regarding, is whether CC members would be offended if I asked them straightforwardly what their secret is for managing so many cruises? I have never felt free to do this, even though I perceive my own intentions to be honorable... :rolleyes:

 

I guess if I knew someone was in the tourist business, for example (or a highly paid professional, not a stay-at-home Mom), I could have realistic expectations that my cruise "rap sheet ;)" will probably never look like theirs! But if they have some other tricks to cruise affordably often, I would love to hear about them.

I think those are good questions. If we can learn from others how they are able to enjoy many cruises, then maybe we can enjoy a few more of our own.

Back in 2001 I did a dive trip to Papua New Guinea. My job was not that high paying, but for a couple of years prior to that trip I would put a $20 bill in an envelope every Friday evening. Not exactly high finance, but it served the purpose of getting enough money saved to have the trip paid before we left.

We cruise every year (In April) and only one.......I am retired and no I could never go on a cruise with the money I get from SS so we put our megger down payment and pay on the cruise all year....I too wonder how all the others can do so many cruises but maybe they are the 3 and 4 day trips ( well I find these to just wet my apptite lol ) we also do Balcony"s because we love them....we did one inside and never did another....only because we like the open view of the balcony, and it is so much fun watching the late runners to the ships sailing in the ports....

We are very middle class, and I don't really care what people think about why we chose to Cruise...we have traveled cross country for years and camped and did the Hotel thing ,rented House Boats on Lake Shasta....at our age now we find cruising the best form of relaxation that you will ever find......with HBP, and also being a care giver to our 42 year old Son who had a TBI when he was 16..... we need the stress free feeling we get from a Cruise..... Our Son also goes along that is another reason we love the Cabin Space of the Balcony Cabins... Keep your opinions coming I truly love reading them...Going on a Cruise In April2014 and plan another in 2015.......Kathi

We love to cruise and enjoy doing when we can as DH and I work very hard and our DS is in high school, so we know we have just a few more years before he is on his own.

We started cruising in 2008, and had two that year. I think Thanksgiving 2014 is in the plans.

I feel this a lot since we go on a cruise every winter. I'm in my late 30's and I feel people are judging me and wondering how we can pay for it even though cruises are a good value. I've decided not to let it bother me anymore. My husband and I work hard for our money and can do whatever we want with it.

Let's keep it a secret and leave those folks at home! I thought the same stuff, glad my wife made me go on my first.

Yep, get it all the time! It makes me chuckle, because it's usually from someone who makes very different choices than I do.

Someone on here said they are also curious how some people afford to cruise more. I'll give my answer.

Most of the cruises have been family vacations that my parents (and now just my mother) take me on. My mom is 85 and since the late 90's they've been taking me, DH (now deceased), DS and DBIL on a cruise almost every year. So, that accounts for many of them.

In 2004 I moved to Florida, so have been able to take some shorter cruises since I can drive to the port. Also, I've been able to get some last minute deals since I don't have to fly here.

Finally, I saw an ad offering to "be a TA and cruise for free." I responded and here is what happened. I signed up with the sponsoring agency for free, I get all of my training for free, and anything I book I get 50% of the commission. I've booked a couple of my own trips, and a couple for other people since I just do it on occasion. The commissions aren't much, however, the BIG thing is that sometimes cruise lines will offer a FREE cruise to TAs. You just pay port fees/taxes/tips. I took one in October from Carnival, and have 2 booked this month with Norwegian. I would post the name of the host agency here, but I have a feeling it's not allowed. You can probably find it through Google, and I imagine there is more than one agency out there that does this.

Happy Sailing!

Carol

While we might not cruise as often as the majority of posters we do travel a lot. We both work very hard at jobs we love (60+ hours per week usually for the last 10 years). We do not drink, smoke, eat out, buy "stuff", or go to movies/entertainment. We are just too worn out after working and instead sleep, go to church, and yard work. If we do not go somewhere unreachable our jobs find us and we end up working anyway. Vacations are essential to our physical and mental well-being.

We are cruising 3 times in 12 months. Love it.

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Someone on here said they are also curious how some people afford to cruise more. I'll give my answer.

 

Most of the cruises have been family vacations that my parents (and now just my mother) take me on. My mom is 85 and since the late 90's they've been taking me, DH (now deceased), DS and DBIL on a cruise almost every year. So, that accounts for many of them.

 

In 2004 I moved to Florida, so have been able to take some shorter cruises since I can drive to the port. Also, I've been able to get some last minute deals since I don't have to fly here.

 

Finally, I saw an ad offering to "be a TA and cruise for free." I responded and here is what happened. I signed up with the sponsoring agency for free, I get all of my training for free, and anything I book I get 50% of the commission. I've booked a couple of my own trips, and a couple for other people since I just do it on occasion. The commissions aren't much, however, the BIG thing is that sometimes cruise lines will offer a FREE cruise to TAs. You just pay port fees/taxes/tips. I took one in October from Carnival, and have 2 booked this month with Norwegian. I would post the name of the host agency here, but I have a feeling it's not allowed. You can probably find it through Google, and I imagine there is more than one agency out there that does this.

 

Happy Sailing!

Carol

Hi Carol. Would you be able to send me the information as to what company you work for. I would love to be able to do that. I already plan all my family, friends and co workers vacation as it is...May as well get paid for it. You can reach me at blubea5 at yahoo dot com. Thank you!

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I always answer:

"the kids are getting a bunch when we are gone but they ain't getting it all"

Fly business class or your children will!

We get it all the time from neighbors, family and coworkers. Some ask why we don't just wait till we retire. My husband says "I work hard and I am going to enjoy it while I can. No guarantees on how long I will be on this earth, so I'm going to go whenever I can!"

Yes, people often wonder how my husband and I can afford cruises too! Well, firstly I always monitor the Internet and secondly we budget our money -

We cook at home, go for walks, go to church, and socialise with family and friends! We don't go out (very often,if ever) to pubs, clubs or restaurants! We prefer to cruise! Hope this helps!!😎😎😎😎

I get this too! But it's from non-cruisers. I think this is because they think it's prohibitively expensive. The non-cruisers I've spoken to would often quote a cruise price 3 times or more what I'm actually paying. I think it's down to the TA's in my area, the cruises they have in their windows are crazy expensive! Way above what you get online.

I set my work up so can do it off a ship or anywhere with Internet

It pays for the cruises

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Yes, people often wonder how my husband and I can afford cruises too! Well, firstly I always monitor the Internet and secondly we budget our money -

We cook at home, go for walks, go to church, and socialise with family and friends! We don't go out (very often,if ever) to pubs, clubs or restaurants! We prefer to cruise! Hope this helps!!😎😎😎😎

I am most intrigued by how this particular factor plays into your cruising frequency... :confused: :)

I just tell them, I paid it on layaway (technically, that's true if its year or months ahead[emoji13])

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