Anybody else to poor to cruise every year?

[Gabsabunch42]

Hello everyone. I notice when I look through posts, some folks have soooo many cruises in their signature, sometimes a few a year. I am JEALOUS! We haven't cruised since 2001 and we are still having to be thrifty:confused: Am I the only one on Cruise Critics this is financially challenged! lol

[phinfan63]

Nope. I can't afford to take the cruises that some of the folks on here do. I am booked for my 2nd & 3rd at the moment but only one of them includes my DH. The other two have been girl trips (5 days) plus I get an interline discount which also helps with the cost. We are also within driving distance to the New Orleans port.

[jess43]

IT's half the price if you take a cruise on an older ship. That's what were doing in September!! But you do get spoiled on the newer ones.

[pacerzfan]

No, you aren't! How about less than 10 grand a year trying to raise 2 DD's as a single dad. But I scimp and save for all I can so my girls get the chance to see other cultures. Oh yeah and dad enjoys them too....LOL

[JOANN226]

I went on a cruise last summer and booked one again this summer, and my husband is already saying not next year, we have a son in college that we are paying for, and we are not wealthy, just one of those hard working people, I wish I could go even more than one a year, we have friends that are going 3 times this year, they did Alaska, they are going with us next week on the eastern caribean and they are going on the Dawn in Nov. Thats living.

[bsdmhutch]

I haven't been on one since 1997. Have two booked now, but the one with mom was paid for by her. The other is booked as a CC group cruise and the rates and length to pay for it made it much easier to do.:)

[blwms]

You are not alone. Although we are planning to go our our 9th cruise on September 3 of this year..those nine cruises cover a period of 35 years. I retired last year and the cruises will be even farther between now I'm sure. But when we can splurge a bit we will. It is worth the wait!

[Stimack]

I feel we are in a similar boat (no pun intended) as we will only book a trip if we have them money up front. Parents wanted us to go on a cruise in April of this year but we did not feel we had the $'s for it yet. Upset them but we are not going to live in debt just to go on a vacation. When you see the published prices for the cruises you feel that yeah we can do that, then you find out the other costs associated with it plus airfare which seems to be ridiculous at times makes it difficult.

 

We do have a vacation fund that seems to help but when we are only putting in $20 a week it takes a while to add up!

[HeidiHo]

We can't afford to cruise every year. In fact, I feel kind of guilty spending money next year for a cruise when I will be sending my oldest off to college in 2 years. We probably should be putting the cruise money aside for college but I keep telling myself that family vacations and the memories are important too. We aren't taking a vacation at all this year because of other expenses.

[MamaParrotHead]

After going on our first only just last month, I was depressed at the thought of the process of starting all over to save up again. I think we're going to go 6/07 though, and just having a rough plan in mind seems to help the PCD a bit. :)

[mummy]

I've been on two (Celebration 2002, Elation 2003) and I'll be going on my third (Elation again) in January 2006. I'm hoping to do Alaska in May of 2007. If I had more money, I'd definitely be cruising 2 times a year (more than that would be difficult because I only have two weeks of vacation time a year)

[joycemh]

I cruise a couple times a year. I for sure don't have money. I'm on a fixed income. The advantage is I cruise with friends so that's only one fare. I also cruise off season and am able to drive to the port. Sometimes the air fares are as much as the cruise. I also watch my spending while I'm on the ship. Because of cost all my cruises have been to the Western Carribean. For me I really like the experience on the ship. I usually only go on one excersion per cruise. So now I have really been on all the excersions that interest me. Some ports I just shop or just stay on the ship. As I'm reading this it really sounds boreing, but I have a ball.

 

Joyce

[musicmansmom]

Hello everyone. I notice when I look through posts, some folks have soooo many cruises in their signature, sometimes a few a year. I am JEALOUS! We haven't cruised since 2001 and we are still having to be thrifty:confused: Am I the only one on Cruise Critics this is financially challenged! lol

 

im with you too :mad: . i have to skrimp and save for two years in between cruises so i can afford to go. well, it is a 2 yr goal and it keeps me from spending my hard earned money on stuff i dont really need while i am saving. i sure wish i could go as many times as some can. but then im sure they have worked very hard and can take the time off to be able too. :)

[Gabsabunch42]

You are not alone. Although we are planning to go our our 9th cruise on September 3 of this year..those nine cruises cover a period of 35 years. I retired last year and the cruises will be even farther between now I'm sure. But when we can splurge a bit we will. It is worth the wait!

 

Hey we are on your cruise!!!!

[Gabsabunch42]

We do have a vacation fund that seems to help but when we are only putting in $20 a week it takes a while to add up!

 

You aren't kidding! I think this cruise in September (7-Day) for 4 of us (2 cabins) is going to end up being around $5,500. Phew! I hope we can keep it to that lol

[Gabsabunch42]

I cruise a couple times a year. I for sure don't have money. I'm on a fixed income. The advantage is I cruise with friends so that's only one fare. I also cruise off season and am able to drive to the port. Sometimes the air fares are as much as the cruise. I also watch my spending while I'm on the ship. Because of cost all my cruises have been to the Western Carribean. For me I really like the experience on the ship. I usually only go on one excersion per cruise. So now I have really been on all the excersions that interest me. Some ports I just shop or just stay on the ship. As I'm reading this it really sounds boreing, but I have a ball.

 

Joyce

 

Does not sound boring to me at all...Is it time for my cruise yet!!?? lol:D

[AppleValleyCruisers]

No, you aren't! How about less than 10 grand a year trying to raise 2 DD's as a single dad. But I scimp and save for all I can so my girls get the chance to see other cultures. Oh yeah and dad enjoys them too....LOL

 

Wow, what a great, great father:)

[palmtre2]

When I told my DD (10yrs) that there would be no cruise next year - I was told that she couldn't live without one!!!! She's only been on 2!!!! So we plunked down a deposit and start a fund thru the rest of the year that even she contributes to. This past cruise wasn't so bad I was only scrambling for airfare at the last minute, we had saved up for everything else.

[SouthernCaribbean]

I would suggest looking at one of the group cruises. You only have to put $25 pp down as a deposit and usually the rest is not due until 6+ months later. That can give people that like to make payments a chance to lock into a great rate and not have to worry about coming up with the full $250 at the time of booking.

[SouthernCaribbean]

I would suggest looking at one of the group cruises. You only have to put $25 pp down as a deposit and usually the rest is not due until 6+ months later. That can give people that like to make payments a chance to lock into a great rate and not have to worry about coming up with the full $250 at the time of booking.

[Sablerose]

As a military family on a military income (I work at home as a transcriptionist, but working for myself as much as it has advantages, can also have the disadvantage of just not having a lot of work from time to time) I can tell you that we are THRILLED to be able to take this cruise.

 

We have been saving and were able to put our $500 deposit down in cash, and our $351 remaining on the cruise portion only, will be paid in cash some time in August. We are also saving to be able to have cash available to pay off our CC when we get home from the cruise (we're going to charge everything to our rewards credit card).

 

If we couldn't do this all in cash, we wouldn't be doing it. It's not worth it to us to put ourselves (back) in debt for a vacation. We just got ourselves OUT of a ton of debt and are currently living essentially debt-free, with one car payment.

 

We figure we should be able to get through our entire cruise counting excursions, bar tabs, and everything, for around $2,000. We aren't cruising fancy, mind you, a porthole room (free upgrade from inside cabin) and a military discount through Carnival... but I think if we can keep it to that budget, it's something we could do maybe once a year. After all -- if I don't work, I don't get paid. I wish I could pay myself vacation time!

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, we probably won't cruise again for a few years because we hope to conceive our first child on or about the time we hit the seas on our fabulous cruise in October/November. If all goes as planned, then we'll be family-building for a while. I can't imagine taking a cruise with infants and/or toddlers, so unless we could talk Grandma and Grandpa into watching the kids for a week AND allowing ourselves that luxury in spite of "kid expenses," then we'll be landlubbers for a few years.

[ladycaveat]

It's funny, I was thinking about that very same thing when I booked my next cruise for April 2006 . . . after having just returned from a cruise in May 2005. I took a cruise once a decade . . . 1974, 1984, 1994 and 2003. Then, after the 2003, I booked a cruise for 2005 and now 2006. I was married from 1973 to 1995 . . . now, I'm not. I just know that the past two cruises I've been on (traveling solo) have been so much fun . . . I'm gonna try real hard to take one cruise a year for as long as I am able. Financially, it's not easy but I budget $100 a month for my cruise fund and . . . so far, it's worked. :p

[Stimack]

You aren't kidding! I think this cruise in September (7-Day) for 4 of us (2 cabins) is going to end up being around $5,500. Phew! I hope we can keep it to that lol

 

 

Yeah we do the $20 a week, it just gives us a little extra to play with when we plan something. It has helped on the past few vacations thats for sure.

[viennacruiser]

I have had a second part time job for the last 2 years and all that $$ goes towards vacations.:) Well, not all of it, I get $200/wk for the vacation fund and give $200/wk towards the household bills. It has allowed us to take 2 cruises this year and have one booked for next summer.:D .

I book early, this time we received a military discount and I look for good fares.

We are driving to this up coming cruise so that has saved on 5 airfares :eek:

[marvholly]

I too scrimp and save. I have done 10 cruises over 35 years, 2 w/ kids most since 2001 since college was paid. I always look for a "deal". Usually travel in slower post hurricane season and frequently take inside cabins.

 

I will not be cruising this year:

Hubby passed away in 03, lost 47% of household income & have no travel partner

Oldest DD is giving me 1st grandchild about 8/1

Youngest DD is getting married 9/4

Fixing up the big house to sell (did bath, need to do kit and basment)

 

I probably will in 06 because:

Paid off 2nd mtg 5/05 (savings $500/mon

Will pay off primary mtg this winter (savings $300/month)

 

I have increased my 401K and will my IRA but even with my increased property tax (schools went up and reassessed this year) that still leaves over $5000/year.

 

I think you will notice the REALLY frequent cruisers live driving distance/time from an embarcation port. This eliminates the $250-500 the rest of us spend on air.