anybody else thinking of throwing in the towel?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

With the prices of fuel steadily going up it is affecting everything. Airfares are going crazy. With these prices I know the airlines have to raise their prices to even stay afloat but it's getting beyond what I'm willing to pay.

 

The price of our flights to and from Alaska will probably be as much if not more than the cruise.

 

With all the flight changes, flights canceled, charging for luggage, etc. I'm just about at the point where it's just not worth it.

 

Maybe the cruise lines can put some ships closer to where people live so that they don't have to fly. I know, wishful thinking.

 

Oh well, hopefully something will give.

 

Bill

[soon to cruise]

If our family of 5 had to fly we wouldnt be able to cruise. As it is we have to drive 11 hrs to Galveston or 12 hrs to New Orleans...which we are going to do in 2 weeks!! Still with gas it's much cheaper to drive. If it was just the two of us I'd still fly though.

[Pegs222]

I will never stop traveling. It is what I have always wanted to do, and I will not let gas prices change that.

[Timmys_mom]

I'm with you. And it isn't just cruising that will be dropping off the radar. I probably won't be flying anywhere. Gone will be the quick, 4-day visits with friends "just because I got a great deal on airfare".

 

Thankfully, my children want to go camping next year.

[cathyz]

We live within driving distance of L.A. (5 hours) and San Diego (8 hours), so, no, we are definitely not throwing in the towel (and my car gets 35 mpg on the freeway)! I don't fly anyway, so those are the ports we cruise from and will continue to do so.

[SouthernCaribbean]

With the prices of fuel steadily going up it is affecting everything. Airfares are going crazy. With these prices I know the airlines have to raise their prices to even stay afloat but it's getting beyond what I'm willing to pay.

 

The price of our flights to and from Alaska will probably be as much if not more than the cruise.

 

With all the flight changes, flights canceled, charging for luggage, etc. I'm just about at the point where it's just not worth it.

 

Maybe the cruise lines can put some ships closer to where people live so that they don't have to fly. I know, wishful thinking.

 

Oh well, hopefully something will give.

 

Bill

 

Im not even close to giving up. I live to cruise and short of death, I will take 2-3 cruises a year.

 

At time you have to make sacrifices in other areas, I dont buy new cars or go out to movies that often, paid off my home and dont plan to move anytime soon.

 

Dont let it get you down. Vacation and planning should be something that makes you smile rather than depress you.

[DarthGrady]

Not this boy, then the terrorists win............

[Aplmac]

With the prices of fuel steadily going up it is affecting everything.

 

I'm just about at the point where it's just not worth it.

 

Oh well, hopefully something will give. ===> Our Life Savings??

 

You're not alone, sir!

 

Already I'm regretting booking our Med. cruise scheduled for mid-September.

 

The comfortably-rich(the original cruisers) have no worry,really

-not until Crude gets over $300 a barrel, then they'll start to feel a slight pinch

but for us wanna-be's who are cruising on a shoestring, the horizon's coming up fast!

 

This crude crunch came at a bad time for a cruise industry looking to addict The Common Man

into what was once the preserve of The Comfortably Rich.

 

I'm just about to inherit the two cents my father's passing will leave me

and I see it disappearing in a hurry: it isn't much to begin with,

and seeing Crude jump from $125 to the $133.70 I see now

at http://www.oil-price.net/

I reflect your sentiment that maybe we should wait 'until something gives'.

[MD34]

I certainly won't throw in the towel. I might alter my plans - cruise the Caribbean rather than the Med or Alaska for example, but not stop. After all, I am only a 24 hour drive to Florida! :)

[Toddcan]

I will now drive the 18-20 hours to a port rather than fly.

 

But, as long as I have my sources of income (job), I do not plan on cutting out cruises.

[simkoreb]

After pricing plane tickets over $450 per person (we usually can find them for 250 or less) to Florida, I think booking our next cruise is definatly on hold. And we are only 2 people (no kids) with very good jobs. I just can't justify spending that much just to get to the port, let alone cruise.....

I wish I lived in Florida!

And I do wish they had more east coast departures...or Carnival could put a ship in the Great Lakes!

[SouthernCaribbean]

After pricing plane tickets over $450 per person

 

Have you thought about trying a larger airport..$450 seem outrageous for Michigan. How far are you from Detroit?

[UK.Girl]

you should see the cost of coming out to the Carribbean from the UK !!

[aggieastrosfan]

We have airfare for our next cruise booked, but not the Splendor, little worried about that one. After that, it'll probably be all Galveston for us for a while. The same ports will get old, but I'll still be on a cruise. :) Just have to try some new ships - well, the Voyager is the only one there I haven't gone on. :o

[Mekamax]

Carnival is the only one with a ship in Galveston right now and RCL is only here a few months a year so I'm hoping we will hear an announcement of which cruise lines might be going out of the new port of Houston soon... :) Being only 1 hour from Galveston is very nice. I flew in January to Florida and even with decent air costs the hassle is so much more than driving to the port. I booked the next one out of Galveston again and hope there will be new routes soon from Texas. Carnival announced an Eastern Caribbean route and now I'm hoping for 10-11 night Southern Carib from here - that would be awesome! Debbie

[poobears]

We live in MO and typically vacation in FL. With 4 kids we can't afford to fly, we drive. Yes it's more expensive but I can set aside and extra $10-$20 a month to cover the higher fuel costs.

 

As far as cruising we are porting out of Mobile next month and Port Canveral next year. We will drive to both locations for much less than flying.

[G'ma]

I will sacrifice whatever is necessary to continue traveling. I've been retired for a coupla years now, am single.

 

Life is very short...too short for me to sit around looking at 4 walls or simply denying the pleasures I worked hard for all those years.

 

I have SocSec and a very small savings. I do many things to generate income; sell on eBay, work a couple of part time jobs several days a month (only things I love to do), don't have cable, drive an 11 year old car, live in a small apartment with very reasonable rent, don't eat out more than once or twice a month. I shop carefully and do my own cooking....no convenience foods or pre-packaged dinners. Any funds that come into my possession that aren't earmarked for rent, utilities, groceries, etc., goes into my travel stash.

 

My mother always said "you're a long time dead". I have no reason not to believe that....HA!!

[Aplmac]

.$450 seem outrageous for Michigan.

Outageous.

 

Now there's a word we'll be getting familiar with

in the not-too-distant future.

 

I'll hear y'all screaming when Crude gets to $150 a barrel

which should in about...ooh...five or six days time? :D

 

Whaddya think?:)

 

 

________________________________

When does "critical" begin for you?

 

150? -- 165?

 

How about 200??

250 maybe? :D

[big_duck]

I'm thinking of having the family take up skiing for March break. :cool:

[Mikel1733]

Throw in the towel? Maybe. My original plans were for a cruise this fall and one next year with the entire family for our 35th anniversary. The trip for this fall is definitely off, and I'm very uncertain about next years trip. Who can even begin to predict where airfares will be and driving is not an option from where I live. If oil goes to $200 barrel as some are predicting they say gas will be at $7 gallon. Can't imagine what fuel surcharge on the ship would be. Carnival management had it right when they delayed/cancelled new ship orders. Looks like the Carnival stock price is beginning to show some concern by investors also.

[bethaniesmom]

we will be changing to ports closer to home...New Orleans is an easy drive....Tampa, a bit longer....but airfares to Alaska and San Juan are causing us to reconsider those ports!

And if I can't do something about my 100 mile a day commute, I won't have to worry about cruise ports at all because I will have to quit work and therefore have no cruise money!

This is the first time in a long time that we haven't had a cruise booked already!

And I don't see any solution to the fuel issue!

 

Beverly

[Grits53]

I have 2 cruises booked and plan to book another one, possibly two, this week. I am FAR from wealthy! It's just that my priorities include cruising! ;) If money gets too tight, I will still cruise, but will drop down in class from cat. 11 or 9A to whatever I can afford.

[okgirl]

I will never stop traveling. It is what I have always wanted to do, and I will not let gas prices change that.

 

I agree completely. I may not always be able to afford to fly to a port, but hopefully I can keep my driving range to within 8 or so hours.......There are lots of things I'd cut back on in my life before I would quit cruising

I'm seriously thinking about relocating to Florida when I retire in a few years just to have more affordable options.

[Drew B]

Sadly, half of my family lives on the East coast and half on the West. We are GOING to fly to see one another, one way or another. Doing it on a cruise ship just makes it more palatable...

[Aplmac]

Don't think any of us will quit cruising entirely.

It's simply too addictive for anything as drastic as that.

Easier to quit smoking, frankly. :cool:

 

But for those who used to cruise 3 maybe 4 times a year, that'll contract down to maybe 2?

 

And guys like me who hoped for two a year...it's lookin like 1 per annum, from here on in

- unless I see some good news,energy-wise soon..

 

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