How Much Should We Save??

[GoingAway9]

Our cruise is booked for September, and there are two of us going. We are each saving money respectively but, being a couple, I'm sure we'll pool our money together and just have a good time. I was wondering though: how much is a good amount to save?

 

We haven't booked airfare yet, but my dad works for an airline, so I fly free and he flies very cheap.

 

Also haven't booked hotels, but I work for a hotel (I know, I have a perfect set up with the airfare/hotel thing) and the employee rate is usually around $35-50 dollars/night. We plan on staying at least three nights (two before embarkation and one after disembarkation).

 

Then there's the cruise itself. We havent booked any excursions through Carnival because I'm a MAJOR planner and have already managed to find much better deals than the cruise offers.

 

We're both 23 and plan on drinking and going to the Casino. No trips to the spa, but have massages booked in one of the ports.

 

We're also both college students and work full-time. I've been putting aside $50/week for the cruise and will probably have close to $1500 when we leave. Plus whatever he saves up- we'll probably have around $3000 to cover the cruise, airfare, ports, and anything we do in Miami before/after the cruise.

 

Will this be enough, or should we try to save more??

[cb at sea]

That sounds ample, to me....as long as you don't go "hog wild" in the casino! We generally bring about $1500 for the 2 of us...and end up taking money home. (Of course, the drinks and onboard expenses (except for the casino) don't come out of our "spending cash"--they go on our credit card/room account)

[bqkali]

Last year, our 7-day cruise ended up costing $1600 per person - about $700 for the cruise itself (including tips) and $900 for everything else, including the airfare, 1 night hotel, meals pre-cruise, touring pre-cruise, excursions in every port, transfers to/from the airport, souvenirs, some food in port, a few drinks, a manicure on the ship, a few photos...literally everything (except the casino which we never went to).

 

Since you've already done some research on what you want to do in each port, add up what you KNOW you will spend on the cruise itself, hotel, flights, and excursions. Then see how much is leftover from the $1500 you have budgeted and you will have an idea of how much you will have available for the drinks and casino you mentioned. For reference, a beer is about $4, mixed drinks $5-10 (things like rum & coke are cheaper, martinis are more), wine $5-10/glass or $20+++ per bottle. Casino minimums are pretty standard.

 

How much you will need to save is very dependent on personal habits. We spent a TON on excursions even though we booked independently because that was our priority; other people only spend $10 on cab fare to get to a beach in port. Only you know how many drinks a day you will want, how much you spend in the casino, if you want to try out the specialty restaurant, or if you spend a lot shopping.

 

There are tons of free activities onboard and you could have a fun vacation without spending a penny over your cruisefare. You seem to have a budget that will allow for a few excursions, drinks, and other expenses if you are just conscious of what you are spending. Stick to whatever budget you can afford and I guarantee you will still have a great time.

[GoingAway9]

Thanks for your responses & suggestions. We have already paid for the cruise & pre-paid our gratuities, so the approx. $3000 is for everything else. I was adding up excursion prices and I think we'll be just fine. I just wanted to make sure we'd be comfortable- able to spend freely and not worry too much about not having enough funds on our vaca. Thanks for helping me rest easy!

[bqkali]

Thanks for your responses & suggestions. We have already paid for the cruise & pre-paid our gratuities, so the approx. $3000 is for everything else. I was adding up excursion prices and I think we'll be just fine. I just wanted to make sure we'd be comfortable- able to spend freely and not worry too much about not having enough funds on our vaca. Thanks for helping me rest easy!

 

If the cruise has already been paid for and with highly discounted airfare, you're golden :) Either pre-pay your excursions or set the money aside in envelopes or something so you know you'll have enough cash to pay for them. Then spend away on your drinks and casino. Maybe you'll even win some more money to spend on extra drinks!

[grandmato4]

Thanks for your responses & suggestions. We have already paid for the cruise & pre-paid our gratuities, so the approx. $3000 is for everything else. I was adding up excursion prices and I think we'll be just fine. I just wanted to make sure we'd be comfortable- able to spend freely and not worry too much about not having enough funds on our vaca. Thanks for helping me rest easy!

 

The more you save the more choices you'll have to do as you wish while on vacation. Although one can choose to spend as little as they wish too so everyone approaches how much money they need a bit differently.:)

 

Sounds like you will be in good shape to enjoy your cruise the way you wish to. Here's what we tend to do when planning. Not including the cost of the hotel room we usually plan on $100 per day for each of the days we spend pre and post cruise to cover food, sightseeing, taxi's, ect. Don't always spend that much but that's what we budget and often have been glad that we did. I'd advise deciding ahead of time how much you each want to budget per day in the casino and stick to only spending that much of your budget per day. If you come out ahead that's great and either have more money to spend or money to bring home which is even better! If not, you'll still have money to spend the next day in the casino.;) On a 7 night cruise $100 for each of you per day will mean budgeting $1400 for the casino. Just for budgeting purposes plan on $7.00 for each alcoholic drink. Some can be less and some can cost more. 5 drinks for each of you for 7 days will mean $490 for drinks. The cost of these drinks can add up quickly if you aren't paying attention to how many you're ordering each day ! Then look at what the excursions you've planned will cost and add $25 for each port for spending money for a few trinkets. A couple of ships photos will cost about $30.00 and you may find something in the ships shops you want so another $50 there.

 

Hope you enjoy every minute of your cruise!:)

[dougt1957]

You could just take what you think you will spend in the casino and in port. Everything on board will be placed on your onboard account and charged to the credit card you specify at check in. Leave most of the cash in the bank and pay the bill when you get back. If you run short of cash you can get cash on your sign and sail card in the casino. You actually can't pay in cash on the boat until the last night, when you have the option of going to the pursers office and paying your bill off. But there will be a line of people so why bother.