More cruises or nicer cabins?

[rudeney]

24 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

So if you remove those, we're at 31 (nicer) vs 32 (more). A pretty even split. 
 

I wonder which category you put my ambiguous answer in? 🤔😂

 

I put you in the "Nicer" category (yes, I kept a spreadsheet 😝)

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

At our age...this is not going to happen to us.   Don't intend to leave it behind.  So it's better  cabins...AND more cruises   When is the last time you saw a U-Haul behind a hearse?  😉 

 

What do you do when you have just about everything you want and do everything you want to do and the money keeps piling up? A good education and playing the stock market, and doing very well in it, will  do it. Retired at 55, haven’t paid a penny interest on anything since 1984, life is good. We used to spend a lot of it on cruising but they got greedy and started cutting back, and raising pricing so it is no long worth the price. Bottom line, nothing could make us happier knowing our only grandchild will be able to get a good education without going into debt, our son and daughter-in-law will be able to retire early, and a couple of charities will get a helping hand they need.

[ARandomTraveler]

15 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

I put you in the "Nicer" category (yes, I kept a spreadsheet 😝)

I love a good spreadsheet. I think that would be the most accurate answer to my vague response too. Cause I never go the most expensive (but often consider it), but I never go the cheapest either.

Edited July 18, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[Tatka]

3 hours ago, mpk said:

 

Does this mean when working, one stays in the room on the phone/laptop/video while the other relaxes on the balcony?  Do you find that ocean internet is good enough for working?  😀

My husband just checks stocks and corrects.

 

I’m in IT so I sometimes work even from solariums (especially on Anthem). If I need to have longer meetings I prefer to be in quiet space so it’s my state room. Mostly inside of stateroom. Sunlight and quietness are enough. VPN makes my connections slower so I always take surf & stream. In most cases connections are adequate for what I do. 

Lately with increased PTO I have enough days for 5 cruises with 6 to 14 days, but used to work 1-3 days on Thanksgiving cruises and maybe couple on Christmas/New Year. We have to take all cruises which involve holidays to maximize. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Tatka

[poocher]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

What do you do when you have just about everything you want and do everything you want to do and the money keeps piling up? A good education and playing the stock market, and doing very well in it, will  do it. Retired at 55, haven’t paid a penny interest on anything since 1984, life is good. We used to spend a lot of it on cruising but they got greedy and started cutting back, and raising pricing so it is no long worth the price. Bottom line, nothing could make us happier knowing our only grandchild will be able to get a good education without going into debt, our son and daughter-in-law will be able to retire early, and a couple of charities will get a helping hand they need.

You could give some to me!!!

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, poocher said:

You could give some to me!!!

I’d consider it if I knew you wouldn’t blow it on overpriced overvalued cruises.

[sgmn]

I have a pppn price limit, if we can't get a balcony for that price and I really want that particular cruise then we'll go for an inside or OV

Will probably never get a suite unless we win the lottery 😁

Edited July 19, 2022 by sgmn

[DrSea]

I strongly prefer insides because of nostalgia and all the benefits of an inside room (dark room for sleeping, cooler, etc.). We used to cram 4 people into insides when I was <18 yo. So whenever I get an inside, it brings me back to a time where things were much more simpler and cozy.

 

Don't get me wrong. Suites are nice. But it's always missing that nostalgic feeling no matter how many amenities/benefits that are packed in there.

[DrSea]

14 minutes ago, sgmn said:

I have a pppn price limit, if we can't get a balcony for that price and I really want that particular cruise then we'll go for an inside or OV

Will probably never get a suite unless we win the lottery 😁

Strongly recommend getting a suite at least once. Maybe reserve it for a big occasion. You don't know what you are missing and if it is something that you may like.

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, DrSea said:

Strongly recommend getting a suite at least once. Maybe reserve it for a big occasion. You don't know what you are missing and if it is something that you may like.

Looking back at our cruises the greatest memories are of the places visited and the people we travelled with. The accommodation is way way down on the list. Health/mobility issues have now made a basic balcony the minimum but anything above that is a total waste of our budget.

[DrSea]

1 minute ago, the penguins said:

Looking back at our cruises the greatest memories are of the places visited and the people we travelled with. The accommodation is way way down on the list. Health/mobility issues have now made a basic balcony the minimum but anything above that is a total waste of our budget.

The mobility issues makes sense to me. I have a lot of patients who are fall risks and need more room to navigate with their walker or etc.

 

And yes, the greatest memories are made with my company, not the level of cabin.

[island lady]

14 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

What do you do when you have just about everything you want and do everything you want to do and the money keeps piling up? A good education and playing the stock market, and doing very well in it, will  do it. Retired at 55, haven’t paid a penny interest on anything since 1984, life is good. We used to spend a lot of it on cruising but they got greedy and started cutting back, and raising pricing so it is no long worth the price. Bottom line, nothing could make us happier knowing our only grandchild will be able to get a good education without going into debt, our son and daughter-in-law will be able to retire early, and a couple of charities will get a helping hand they need.

 

Ditto.  I retired at 55 and Bucky at 58.   Both had high stress careers with no time off.  Needed to be done with them (mine gave me a heart condition).  Also, no mortgage (for over 30 years now), no debts, and pay no interest.  Lived a very frugal lifestyle until we retired.  

 

Now...it's actually tough to find "holes" to fill in various cruises and land trips.  We are very booked up all the way into 2024.  

 

I have no children, thus no grand children.  No one to leave it to...except charities, but will try in earnest to spend it all while we can.   Our broker told us "The best scenario, is for the last check to bounce".  😄 

 

So...yup...bring on both more cruises and nicer cabins.  😉 

[Another_Critic]

6 hours ago, DrSea said:

Strongly recommend getting a suite at least once. Maybe reserve it for a big occasion. You don't know what you are missing and if it is something that you may like.

Been there, done that ... didn't miss anything.  YMMV.

[topnole]

16 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

What do you do when you have just about everything you want and do everything you want to do and the money keeps piling up? A good education and playing the stock market, and doing very well in it, will  do it. Retired at 55, haven’t paid a penny interest on anything since 1984, life is good. We used to spend a lot of it on cruising but they got greedy and started cutting back, and raising pricing so it is no long worth the price. Bottom line, nothing could make us happier knowing our only grandchild will be able to get a good education without going into debt, our son and daughter-in-law will be able to retire early, and a couple of charities will get a helping hand they need.

It is definitely easier to spend more when you are more secure.  Having spent years living way below my means (and spending less on accommodations than friends who I know have little to no discretionary income/savings), I now don’t mind spending for things because I know I can do it indefinitely if I want.  

 

I can still be happy with non suites and in the end the accommodation is only one aspect of a trip.  But when you have worked hard and saved/invested, at a certain point you have to realize it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  So in that regard, I think it is much easier for folks who have mature careers and a nice nest egg or those those who worked hard and smart to secure a very comfortable retirement, to spend what they want on suites and other add ons.   

 

 

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, topnole said:

It is definitely easier to spend more when you are more secure.  Having spent years living way below my means (and spending less on accommodations than friends who I know have little to no discretionary income/savings), I now don’t mind spending for things because I know I can do it indefinitely if I want.  

 

I can still be happy with non suites and in the end the accommodation is only one aspect of a trip.  But when you have worked hard and saved/invested, at a certain point you have to realize it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  So in that regard, I think it is much easier for folks who have mature careers and a nice nest egg or those those who worked hard and smart to secure a very comfortable retirement, to spend what they want on suites and other add ons.   

 

 

We had some lean years starting out too, and that memory never goes away. We have no trouble spending money if we really need it or want it, and it’s priced what we consider to be of good value. The last thing I bought because I really wanted, but didn’t need was a $3,000 hdtv last fall, and I’m surely glad I did.

We really do have everything we want and do anything we want to do, so nothing will change with us, the excess cash will keep accumulating and when the stock market comes back we’ll be rubbing elbows with Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, just kidding.

[queenschick9b]

I travel solo - sometimes with friends and family, but always in my own cabin - so I would love to do one cruise in a suite here or NCL, but it's just realistically going to happen because I can't afford that for myself (but I do continue to submit for upgrades because I am hopeful  one day it might happen 😁)

 

I prefer to cruise more often so I'll take an NCL studio if the price is right, but i just got a balcony on the anthem for an amazing price vs a different holiday week on NCL in a regular inside, so I switched cruises(the ncl inside holiday week one was 3x the price of Anthem balcony).  

 

 

[CruiseWendy]

I will only cruise if I have an ocean balcony. It's 100% personal preference but I use my balcony. It's my morning coffee spot, relaxation area, book reading spot, quiet from the hustle and bustle of the cruise. It's an important part of my vacation to not be going 100% of the time. 

[allennn]

for us, after we started sailing star class it just wasn't an option to go back.  We'd rather do fewer cruises but with much a much higher end room.  Side note to that, we have started just focusing on the ship (always oasis class for us) and ignoring most of the shore excursions.  This makes the room more important for the way we choose to cruise.

[mac66]

Sometimes it's not about more or better.... We've done cruises when we were never in our cabin except to sleep. We were out and about from morning to late at night. Why pay for something (balcony/suite) you don't use?

 

We did a suite for our 40th wedding anniversary. It was very nice but didn't make the cruise any better than it was.

Edited July 19, 2022 by mac66

[DrSea]

7 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

Been there, done that ... didn't miss anything.  YMMV.

agreed that i didn't make a significant difference for me (and you). But each person might gravitate toward different things. So its worth a try at least once imo if you can afford it

[Thesandman12]

On 7/18/2022 at 12:56 PM, mpk said:

 

You mean you made a deal for an upgrade at the port when checking in?  Or at Guest Services?

We made the deal at checkin when we asked. Most ships have a passenger limit, which means some rooms are still available even though the ship is not full of people. Either the ship is not full or a suite has not been purchased, for example. Cruise line gets a little more money from you and you get a deal.

You never know unless you ask, we always do. One other thing, on rare occasions someone does not show up, and no refund is going to happen, perfect storm, you fall into an owners suite for 250. As I said, rare, but it happened to our friends after boarding because they asked and they took their name and cab #, called after sailing and they did not mind moving. We all enjoyed the suite.

 

 

[ReneeFLL]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:26 AM, rolloman said:

I have found the beds to be far superior when staying in a suite.  Often those inside cabins tend to have a worn, bowed out mattress.

I have found the bowed out beds in balcony rooms also and more than once. I don’t remember which ship (Royal) it was, but it was so bad that they had to use either 4 or 5 towels to fill it in and try to even it out. It was the worst thing ever and I was in pain everyday. I was so happy to get off that ship. Ever since then I travel with one of these. It also really helps with beds that are to hard or to soft.

https://klymit.com/collections/sleeping-pads

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I have found the bowed out beds in balcony rooms also and more than once. I don’t remember which ship (Royal) it was, but it was so bad that they had to use either 4 or 5 towels to fill it in and try to even it out. It was the worst thing ever and I was in pain everyday. I was so happy to get off that ship. Ever since then I travel with one of these. It also really helps with beds that are to hard or to soft.

https://klymit.com/collections/sleeping-pads

We have had this once. Cabin Steward's solution was a board under the mattress. Tried it for 10 minutes, totally unacceptable. Went down to Guest Relations (always face to face never on the phone) to ask if there was anything they could do to help - not to complain or rant just to ask if they can assist. Ten minutes later a new mattress had been brought to the cabin. Another tip, from day 1, we always strike up a friendly relationship with the Guest Relations staff. We try to pass by the desk early in the mornings when they are not busy just to say hello. Most nights we go down to wish them goodnight. It works wonders if we then have an issue that needs sorting. 

[ReneeFLL]

On 7/11/2022 at 4:29 PM, cruiselvr04 said:

…Does anyone have any numbers as to what the Pins book most or how they got there?  Just curious. 

 

I can’t say for others, but ours have been mostly balconies. Did 3 insides, 1 ocean view, will have my first 3 CP balconies in January. Some JR suites and GS thrown in. First cruise since restart was our first as D+ and will be pinnacle in either this February or the first week of March. If I would have booked more with the double points we would already be pinnacles.

 

On 7/18/2022 at 12:56 PM, mpk said:

 

You mean you made a deal for an upgrade at the port when checking in?  Or at Guest Services?

Was this pre-covid or after?

 

22 minutes ago, the penguins said:

We have had this once. Cabin Steward's solution was a board under the mattress. Tried it for 10 minutes, totally unacceptable. Went down to Guest Relations (always face to face never on the phone) to ask if there was anything they could do to help - not to complain or rant just to ask if they can assist. Ten minutes later a new mattress had been brought to the cabin. Another tip, from day 1, we always strike up a friendly relationship with the Guest Relations staff. We try to pass by the desk early in the mornings when they are not busy just to say hello. Most nights we go down to wish them goodnight. It works wonders if we then have an issue that needs sorting. 

I didn’t think to ask guest services but it probably wouldn’t have helped. The cabin attendant had his supervisor come to look at the situation. They said there weren’t any more mattresses. I didn’t really believe them but I just left it at that. 

[cruiselvr04]

2 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I can’t say for others, but ours have been mostly balconies. Did 3 insides, 1 ocean view, will have my first 3 CP balconies in January. Some JR suites and GS thrown in. First cruise since restart was our first as D+ and will be pinnacle in either this February or the first week of March. If I would have booked more with the double points we would already be pinnacles.

 

That’s awesome for you!  Unfortunately we are still working but the double points will help us.  It sure got me to book some suites. We will still be a ways to pinnacle but it will be nice to be over half way there by December.