How do y'all afford to cruise so often??

[onedog]

...Do you clip coupons and put the money you save away? Use non brand-name items? These are the things I need to know! My piggy bank has $120 in it just from the loose change I find and what's leftover in my pocket at the end of the day. I'm very frugal with my money as well...

 

Either you 1) spend less $$ than you earn, and then you will have money for immediate vacations or available to save for later, 2) credit cards do wonders for immediate consumption (not recommended) or 3) have lots of $$ stashed away due to a lifetime's habit of adhering to #1 above. The magic of compound earnings does wonders.

 

Thanks,

 

Onedog.

[KRUISE KING]

I just turned 40 been cruising for 16 years. I started working at a radio station at the age of fourteen. Three years ago radio station owner retired sold station for 90 million gave me (and five others who had fifteen years or more) 12 thousand dollars for every year worked well I had 22 years. so I retired opened up a bar and two years later I own three bars. I was very lucky I just liked hanging out at the station and ended up with a college education and a great job. Im not married and have no kids house is paid for and a lotta free time on my hands so I try to get in six cruises every year.:)

[sandy toes]

I just turned 40 been cruising for 16 years. I started working at a radio station at the age of fourteen. Three years ago radio station owner retired sold station for 90 million gave me (and five others who had fifteen years or more) 12 thousand dollars for every year worked well I had 22 years. so I retired opened up a bar and two years later I own three bars. I was very lucky I just liked hanging out at the station and ended up with a college education and a great job. Im not married and have no kids house is paid for and a lotta free time on my hands so I try to get in six cruises every year.:)

WOW. Don't know if it was luck or you were just very blessed. Either way,again, WOW. I am single. Have raised 3 children. Two to college (at my cost for their A's). One just did not want college and is doing good welding. I have 2 grand children. I have taken my family with me 4 times and try to cruise at least 2 times a year(more if I can fit it in...this is where those short cruises come in). I work hard at the hospital and feel my off time should be enjoyed. I am sailing in May with a family member and taking the entire family for Christmas this year. I don't go for just one cruise line (I love Celebrity but they are costly when I foot the bill for everyone, RCCL is my favorite (Diamond C&A), I sail NCL and Carnival when I find great deals.) I feel the itinerary is the most important. I do look at multi web sites, check out TA offerings and the lines directly. Whatever gives me the best deal on what I want is where I finally book. And working in critical care, I always get insurance. You never know when you will trip for be pushed down, getting a nasty compound fracture to your leg or when the heat will lead to a severe case of heat exhaustion with MI and you will have to be air vac'ed out. I want to spend my money having fun NOT giving to fund some wing of a facility I will never see again! I have done the long weekend cruises (3,4&5 night) and 11 night cruies. I have stayed IS OV Bal and JS. I love all of it. I am addicted to cruising and hope to never be cured!

[Tim Cruise]

My wife works for the airlines so we fly for free and get great deals on cruises. Right now we can buy a 7 day Pride of Hawaii cruise for $199 per person!!!!!

[fool4greys]

We are taking our first cruise in appx. 6 weeks. I booked our cruise online in Feb. and had to pay it off in 2 weeks. (I am assuming this is because of the 90 day deadline for payment.)

 

I have already thought about booking our next cruise. Is it really cheaper to book when we are on the cruise ship? Also I have noticed several posts about paying for it in payments, how does this work?

 

Thanks for the advise.

[robinpow]

When the kids lived at home, and I wore a suit... and cruised once a year.

 

Then the kids moved off, this alone will pay for a cruise on what you save in food. ;-)

 

Then I quit my job, dumped the suit and started my own company. This gives me the time off.

 

For those extra trips, I use my credit card that gives me travel points for everything!!!! I pay it off every two weeks, so they can't charge me any interest, but those points sure add up quick and pay for the airfare.

 

Last but not least, I bargain hunt big time! I've been on the bottom aft, I've been in a suite and everything in-between. The best deals are buy very early or buy last minute. My crusie next week was a last minute... $599 (+taxes) for 13 days.

 

My spending money, comes for the loose change jar, rebates, coupons and any other money saving device I use in my daily life.

[WvW]

I too am very jealous at all those long time cruisers. I hope you all realize how fortunate you are to be able to cruise that much. Personally, I sailed the equivalent of about 100 cruises (not continuously), but all being full time employed onboard. That too is a way of cruising and very lucerative ;)

 

Having changed my occupation, I miss cruising tremendously. I saved my salaries of the business after cruising to pay for a MBA program which I am currently doing in Australia.

 

Once I graduate and get a new job, (plan to move to Canada with my girlfriend), the first salary is not going to an appartment, car or a wedding but definately to a cruise vacation!!

 

That will be the first time onboard as a passenger! Can't wait and already look forward to the sail-a-way!!

[ZUL8TR]

I always look for best prices, fall is a great time to travel. I usually do not fly, I find a fairly close port and drive.

 

Also I am a nurse, I have a second job in the pool at a different hospital and can work as much extra as I like. If I decide I want to take a cruise I will schedule myself for five or six 12 hour shifts in a week and have it paid for. It is really tough, but the entire time I remind myself what the goal is. The second job allows me the luxury of extra vacations and other things I would like to purchase.:)

[NCJennifer]

We are DINK's... double income, no kids -- so we have more disposable income than others. However, we don't spend much money on "stuff" -- our house is barely furnished, we don't have expensive hobbies (we like to exercise and ride our bikes). We don't spend a ton of money on clothes (DH has to wear a uniform to work, so that helps).

 

We also don't go to excess on the cruise - no spa treatments, no gambling. We don't go on an excursion at ever port - especially if there aren't any that interest us. Having said that, we do drink quite a bit on the ship and don't worry about what our tab is at the end....

 

We also look for good deals. Our next cruise was booked less than 2 months in advance - $499 pp for a 7 night Eastern Caribbean (interior cabin). I would have preferred a balcony, but for an extra $300 pp, I couldn't justify the expense.

[mandrews2u]

Good question, I always wonder the same thing, how does one afford to go so often. I know everyone has different income levels,priorities,

responsibilities, vacation time allowed.This will be # 4 cruise for us, I am so excited, and it's not till Sept, ha,ha. Anyhow could someone explain what a fire sale is? Also early booking?Is that when you book your next cruise while you are on a cruise? Also pertaining to the last question, does that mean that one knows in advance already where they want to go next and what dates? Is it a big enough discount to book while on a cruise laready? Also when is off season for cruising? I know summer time is high, as we only took the kids once, during their summer break,very expensive, so we deffinetly decided then and there we need to be selfish and just sail the two of us, as we love it. We really try to cut cost in other areas, we never drink on board

( we bring our own) we will really limit our excusions expense this trip and we take advantage of free flying miles so we do not have to pay for flights, although we live in Florida and are VERY lucky we have so many ports available to us,these last 2 cruises are from west coast.We seem to be doing one every 2 years, once kids are all gone maybe we can do more, I sure hope so.

[neatokimmo]

I get a lot of time off from work and I budget for trips. I am not a big excursion person, I'm mostly a beach bum, happy as can be if I'm on some sand.

 

To stay on target to go on the trips I love to do specials and deals. -Walgreens and CVS are fun to do (can't remember the last time I paid for toothpaste).

-When people ask me what I want for Christmas, it's all trip related. Locks, luggage, guides, sunglasses, all that little stuff that adds up.

- I never buy cruise clothes that can't be worn to work.

- I buy my formal wear at Ross and on Ebay.

- I signed up for 4 Citi cards and over the course of a year with charges and first time charge promos I've accumulated 80,000 points which I cash out for gas cards. I paid them off and do not carry a balance.

 

I am a SINK (single income no kids? lol) but soon will be a SISM (single income single mom? hehe) and I learned how to do extreme budgeting for the adoption costs. I've carried those over because I love the debt free feeling :)

[mzsumthing]

My family cruises every year and I have two teenagers. I usually start my planning in August/Sept for trip in the following July timeframe.

 

I make the necessary deposits in Sept/Oct and will use any money received from tax return to payoff any balances and any remaining money helps with airfare. Additionally, we have vacation savings account that we both contribute to which helps with additional expenses.

 

We're able to fully enjoy ourselves, however, we DO watch our spending, etc. We're able to leave the cruise each year within our budget constraints.

[grammyofjess]

:D Took us a long time to find cruising and we love it, but can only afford one a year. Hopefully I book really early then I budget payments so its all paid without a credit card. Sure fun and we're now planning our number 4 cruise next Feb. Enjoy, can't take it with you and the kids can work for their own cruise LOL

[renata102]

We try to cruise at least once a year. We are contstantly looking for a good deal to a place we want to cruise. At first all we have cruises was RCCL, however we are going on Princess next. Its a matter of careful planning.

we are double income NJ State workers, with two kids and a house. No car payments, no credit card debt (pay monthly the whole total), and the only debt we have is the mortgage. If we can't afford a cruise or a vacation, we won't do it. If we can afford it, we book it. Also, we need to relax away from our lives and our children. We see cruising as a neccesacity (sp?) to our livelyhood. So far we can't put that down on our tax returns. :p

[airlink diva]

Hi! I love to cruise at least once a year. I just returned from a cruise (Maasdam April 4-14!!) and I have one for next year in December.

I will start a budget chart for how much I need for the trip.

Somethings are a must, my hotel room for the day prior, money for last minute items that I buy in the port town (underwater camera,bottle water,soda).

Very little on airfare since I work for an airline!!

I also budget how much to spend on the ship. I know that on port days, very little or no spending. Drinks? Since I don't drink alot at home, I allow myself two drinks on boarding day, two on sea days, and one a day for the remaining days. On my last two cruises, I normally only drink the first two days and only had 5 total.

I don't buy t-shirts,or shot glasses,or the normal tourist items.

I like handmade local items and the prices are normally reasonable.

I allow myself $100 in each port.

On this last cruise, I took $600 to spend in port and only spent $260.

In June, I will start saving for my next cruise. I act like my cruise is a bill and take out so much each month.

That's how I can cruise each year.

[concour]

We cruise as often as our work schedules allow. We afford it by spending our children's inheritence.

[mandrews2u]

I like your answer, my husband and I plan to do the same, we are both on our second marriages, found our love for crusing while on our honeymoon ( together,ha,ha) we love to cruise, we have just gotten started, and no one left us anything and as far as we are concerned our children can dend for themselves as we have, they will appreciate things more if they work for them and we hope to be in a better position each passing year to cruise more often.Not to say we will not invvite them when there at more enjoyable ages, say in there 30's,and can pay there own way, ha,ha

[BS102]

1. We cruise in off-season, Spring and Fall. Repositioning is best

2. Inside cabins (We find we spend very little time in cabin, anyway)

3. Use Senior or Military discounts

4. Use close-by ports often, so there is little airfare. If we travel to a far away port, we combine a couple of cruises or B2B

5. Use internet to book or get booking discounts while on board for next cruise

6. Obtain excursions independently--cruise lines are 2-3 times more expensive

7. It gets cheaper as you cruise more. For example, when you get Diamond status on RCI/X, you get drinks boarding, drinks at welcome party, drinks at "Crown&Anchor" party, drinks at 'Diamond" party, and perhaps when Officer's guest when dining with them. In other words, don't buy drinks!

8. Don't gamble. Cruise line slots are much tighter than most land-based casino's and all of them cost you money in the long run.

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

I am a coupon cutter so I save a lot when I shop, don't go out much, don't smoke,. I am retired so no work expenses & DH is semi-retired very little work expenses... I shop early & also use senior, past cruiser or military discount whenever or whichever is available. Pay for everything on credit card & then pay bill off every month, this gives us money back to get things for free. As for leaving the kids some money if any is left they are welcome to it, if not OH, Well...LOL.. I do ask for Carnival coupons for birthdays, Mother's Day & Christmas you would be surprised how they add up & help with the S & S bill. Also I think cruising is the best value for your dollar so I have giving up most of my land based vacations.

[hockeymom97]

I also get bonus points on my debit and credit card that have carnival as one of the rewards I can choose from. (www.visa.com/extras to see if your debit card is eligible-a lot of people don't use it!)

 

I'm just wondering what bank your debit/credit cards are from that you are using for the extra Visa points? I went to the site to try and register and none of my 3 cards are eligible:(

[EJ'S MOM-MOM]

I'm just wondering what bank your debit/credit cards are from that you are using for the extra Visa points? I went to the site to try and register and none of my 3 cards are eligible:(

 

I don't know about Visa but Discover has cash back bonus rewards toward Carnival but you have to use their TA. I don't use my rewards for Carnival because I use a Carnival PVP. I use the bonuses for other things like: Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohls , Sharper Image & restuarant gift cards etc. Maybe you should call your Visa bank & ask if they have Carnival bonuses...Anyway happy shopping...:)

[chrelaine]

It's great to see all of the responses because I was wondering if we were the only people who hadn't won the lottery! :)

 

We'll be going on our first cruise but, if we like it, we'll be sure to start using some of the tips you all have given. Thank You!

[Cruise Junky]

We make vacations a priority....not always cruising. Between us we put $150 per paycheque in our vacation account. Every scrap of change is emptied out of our pockets every night. Usually adds up to around $150 per month. We also both have stock purchase plans at work, with 100% match. That's our vacation fund. $150 x 26 pays = $3900, $150 change x 12 months = $1,800 My ESPP is $6,000 his is around $3000. We're not house poor, we live in a condo to keep mortgage payments low and we have no kids. This is an absolute painless way to save for travel. We don't even notice the deductions. All depends on what your priorities are. Mine are travel.

[mandrews2u]

Cruise Junkie, I have a question for you that has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, however after seeing that you are from vancouver, I have a question. I had bidding on a hotel for vancouver for months, messed up the other day, got A 3 star in New Westminister it's called the The Inn at

West Minster Quay. QWe are only going to be in vancouver for a day prior to our cruise departure, any suggestions other than Taxi to get from airport to this Hotel and then from Hotel to Port the day of our cruise?? I meant to get downtown hotel by port, I really screwed up. Is this a nice area? Any thing to do their on a Saturday night? Any help would be greaty appreciated

[Cruise Junky]

Cruise Junkie, I have a question for you that has absolutely nothing to do with this topic, however after seeing that you are from vancouver, I have a question. I had bidding on a hotel for vancouver for months, messed up the other day, got A 3 star in New Westminister it's called the The Inn at

West Minster Quay. QWe are only going to be in vancouver for a day prior to our cruise departure, any suggestions other than Taxi to get from airport to this Hotel and then from Hotel to Port the day of our cruise?? I meant to get downtown hotel by port, I really screwed up. Is this a nice area? Any thing to do their on a Saturday night? Any help would be greaty appreciated

 

You didn't mess up too badly The Inn at the Quay isn't that bad. It's just a shame that you won't be downtown. You are right across from the Skytrain station that will take you downtown, but the train station is pretty scummy, especially at night. The Boathouse restaurant is right below you, it's quite good. There's a good little pub attached to the quay and if you're into gambling, there is a floating casino right next door. I think Taxi from the airport will be your best bet to the hotel.