Age has its perks

[Denny01]

......after several passings in our family last year, My folks and I decided that we should enjoy life more, and bump things up a few notches. I think it was a wise decision.

 

There's 2 things sad about getting older. Becoming forgetful... and something else which I cannot recall :)

My wife's parents kept planning on all these great trips, but by the time they finally decided to go, they were in too bad of shape to travel. We watched this and we now travel as much as possible.

 

The Best thing about getting older is.......is......uhhhh....oh well, is it dinnertime yet???

 

den

[TLCOhio]

My wife's parents kept planning on all these great trips, but by the time they finally decided to go, they were in too bad of shape to travel. We watched this and we now travel as much as possible. den

 

Super great point on why you don't want to wait too long. Have two long-time friends, one in mid 60's and the other mid 70's, who are dealing with the issues of Parkinson's. Seeing these great places before health challenges set in can be very important. Also, there are and can be the vast changes in the "world situation". Think . . . Egypt!!! Right?? Don't wait too long to make certain of these "trips of a lifetime"!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,594 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[CaroleLee]

Yes, does that disease have a name :D?

 

KFWC (kids finished with college) :))

 

Carole

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Super great point on why you don't want to wait too long. Have two long-time friends, one in mid 60's and the other mid 70's, who are dealing with the issues of Parkinson's. Seeing these great places before health challenges set in can be very important. Also, there are and can be the vast changes in the "world situation". Think . . . Egypt!!! Right?? Don't wait too long to make certain of these "trips of a lifetime"!!

 

Agreed-- we're treating my wife's parents to an Alaska cruise this year, and DMIL has Parkinson's. It's touch and go somedays, and we're hoping her health holds up until then. If we don't do it now, we probably would never again have the chance.

 

If we wait until DW retires, she'll be 65 and I'll be 69. In a few years, money won't be a problem but she can't get enough time away from work for us to go cruising as much as we'd like. I'm slowly trying to convince her to take leaves of absence so we can still go while we're relatively young.

 

A while ago, we went shopping and I pulled into a parking space that was some distance away from the main door of the mall. I said, "We can walk. We're young and healthy." I thought for a moment, then said, "Well, we're healthy." After another pause, "Well, let's just walk.":D

[Onessa]

A while ago, we went shopping and I pulled into a parking space that was some distance away from the main door of the mall. I said, "We can walk. We're young and healthy." I thought for a moment, then said, "Well, we're healthy." After another pause, "Well, let's just walk.":D

Too true!

 

(Hey, Green Bay area here, where 'bouts in "Central Wisconsin"?)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Super great point on why you don't want to wait too long. Have two long-time friends, one in mid 60's and the other mid 70's, who are dealing with the issues of Parkinson's. Seeing these great places before health challenges set in can be very important. Also, there are and can be the vast changes in the "world situation". Think . . . Egypt!!! Right?? Don't wait too long to make certain of these "trips of a lifetime"!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 60,594 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

Yup, think Egypt. That was on my bucket list for after I retired. Didn't get to it fast enough. Doesn't look as if they're going to get their act together anytime soon there, in fact, it seems to be getting worse. Oh well, lots of other places I haven't been yet.

[raudacruise]

But if it comes down to cruising twice a year in an inside as opposed once a year in a CC class or above, I will take the inside and twice a year. Once your are out of your stateroom it doesn't really matter all that much for the most part.

 

We have limitted vacation (not retired yet). So when we do manage to cruise we do it up. 14 day cruise, 4 day pre-stay and the best places we can do. Unfortunately, can only do it about every two years :mad:.

 

Almost everyone has their bounds in what they can do. Envy the ones that don't.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Too true!

 

(Hey, Green Bay area here, where 'bouts in "Central Wisconsin"?)

 

The central part!:D

 

Sorry, for safety, I don't like to give out more than that. Never know who's watching the boards and figuring out who we are and when we'll be out of town.

[bakcd]

Definitely! I can't take it with me and I enjoy a bit more pampering.

 

Like many others, I'm spending my kids inheritence.

[fleckle]

My wife's parents kept planning on all these great trips, but by the time they finally decided to go, they were in too bad of shape to travel. We watched this and we now travel as much as possible.

You just described what happened in our family, and undoubtedly in many other families as well.

 

We also knew a number of people who kept postponing retirement, keeping on working and saving up so they could have a better retirement. They had great plans for all the trips they would take to wonderful places around the world after they retired but never got to retire.

 

As for type of accommodations, we like our comfort as much as anyone else, but have decided that the large suites are overkill for us. Unless planning a party, it is just lots of unnecessary, unused wasted space when there are only the two of us.

 

We also like to stay at nice hotels when we will be there for a while, but when it comes to a hotel for overnight before a cruise, all we want is a room that is clean, safe and comfortable. After coming off a long flight, we hit the bathroom and the bed and could not care less about the fancy lobby or stylish room decor.

[miched]

.

 

 

What you have stated is true and that is due to a few things. One is when we were younger we didn't have the money. Another is we were satisfied with some of the simpler things because we weren't use to any luxuries that many people feel they are entitled to today.

 

When I was younger a weekend in a sleeping bag and fishing with a cane pole with the night crawlers that we caught the night before was a big thrill.

 

Never had the money to go away for a honeymoon and for many years after we got married our main entertainment was a few of us would get together with a case of beer and a deck of cards on the weekends.

 

Now we have to spend thousands to enjoy ourselves.

 

Damn we had fun. Wish those days were back.

 

 

.

[nikel]

Agree: spend it all...if we don't, our kids will!

 

It's called the SKI club (Spend Kids Inheritance)

[CHEZMARYLOU]

My DH retired last fall but returned part time. I am retiring in mid April, right before our next cruise. We splurged on a suite for this cruise but booked CC for a holiday cruise. Right now our goal is to be able to cruise as often as we want, but not necessarily in a suite.

 

Mary Lou

[jackdiamond]

My answer to this is yes and no. There were many, many years when we had to be careful when grocery shopping not to exceed the budget or risk not being able to make the mortgage payment or buy gas for the car. About the time of our 25th anniversary, we had some extra money from selling some property, so we splurged on a once-in-a-lifetime, one whole week Caribbean cruise. Well, once in a lifetime is coming around once a year now, because we're finally at a point where we can buy the brand-name grape jelly instead of the store brand, so a cruise a year is something we've found we can afford. We'll still book a standard balcony, not CC or AQ (unless there's a price drop), and try to get a deal on a precruise hotel on Priceline. I'll squeeze into an economy seat on a plane, rather than paying several hundred dollars more so I can have a little more room in first class for a few hours. But we'll splurge on that $400 couples massage or pay $70 extra for dinner in the specialty restaurant, since it's something special that we only do once a year.

By the way, I have found that the store brand grape jelly is just as efficacious as the brand name thereof. My favorite is Great Value concord grape jelly, which I will enjoy with breakfast tomorrow.

[cruise kitty]

My wife's parents kept planning on all these great trips, but by the time they finally decided to go, they were in too bad of shape to travel. We watched this and we now travel as much as possible.

den

 

You're so right on this, we were lucky enough to spend some time with my favorite aunt over Christmas, she was widowed last year, after her husband spent 10 years struggling with Parkinson's & dementia. She said right before he fell ill they had finally started to plan major travels together, & on their first big trip to Alaska, she realized something was wrong with him. Her advice, was to do it now, & we're definitely taking that advice, we go on a budget, & only every two years, but what really matters is that we're doing it, & not putting it off until we can afford suites & first class. I'm happy in Premium Economy & AQ!

[SusieV]

I'm not by any means worried about my age (I'm 29), but life is for living now. So while I can't afford to fly business class or stay in a suite, travelling is important to me because no matter how old you are, you never know how much time you have left. You can always get more money, but memories are priceless.

My father died at 57 years old. He never got to retire or see all the places he wanted to see. I remember when I was a teenager and he took me on Monarch of the Seas and I saw how much everything cost and was so surprised- he told me that was not the important part- how much I would enjoy it was.

[4774Papa]

[quote name='Bridge Maven']Do you find as you are getting older that you are more willing to spend money on perks when you cruise that you once considered to be a waste of money - such as better cabins, two cabins for three people instead of just one, more upscale pre-cruise hotels, upscale restaurants in a port, a more convenient flight that costs more, etc.[/quote]
Yes to a degree. First, my DW and I had three to put through college and then we focused building our retirement home. Second, we lived in Germany for four years 87-91 and our resources did not allow for luxury hotes, etc. Still, we had great fun staying in pensioniones and bed and breakfasted.
Now, we have very little expenses, nothing more to buy and are just spending our kids inheritances.

[cruzeluver]

Very interesting thread!

While we are not that advanced in years (DH is 51 and I am 40) we do make our vacations as comfortable and appealing as we can afford.

When we started cruising a few years ago, it was cheapest inside staterooms on whichever cruise line had the cheapest prices. Now we look for the best stateroom we can do (can't book suites yet, but some day!) and gladly pay for those "enhancements" that mean something to us and make the experience what we want, particularly beverage packages and specialty dining.

[Bridge Maven]

I enjoy reading the responses to my question. If Cruise Critic had a like button I would have used it for every post on this thread :)

[TLCOhio]

[quote name='SusieV']travelling is important to me because no matter how old you are, you never know how much time you have left. You can always get more money, but memories are priceless. My father died at 57 years old. He never got to retire or see all the places he wanted to see. I remember when I was a teenager and he took me on Monarch of the Seas and I saw how much everything cost and was so surprised- [B]he told me that was not the important part- how much I would enjoy it was[/B].[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Blue"][SIZE="3"][FONT="Georgia"] Agree strongly with cruzeluver and others that this a "Very interesting thread!" As noted above, it is about what you are doing and the experiences. As the Nike message says "Just Do It!". Great question by Bridge Maven but to me it is not totally about the upgrades and perks. [B][I]Getting "out there" and pushing to see and do more might be the higher priority. [/I][/B]

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from [B]Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik[/B]. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 61,004 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:
[B][url]www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474[/url][/B]

[Bridge Maven]

There have been a few studies recently which suggest that money spent on experiences, such as a vacation, brings more happiness than money spent on "things". The theory is that people may feel very happy when they buy something new but that feeling usually doesn't last very long, while an individual experience might be relatively short but it can provide wonderful memories that last a lifetime.

[lunula]

We've tried to have children for years and it just isn't happening, so last year when I turned 40, we decided to splurge on fantastic travel instead of squirreling away for kids. We aren't compromising our retirement, but no kids means a lot more cash on hand for us, and we definitely don't mind spending it on upgraded cabins, private tours, great dinners and drinks and direct flights!

As SusieV mentioned below, my dad, who loved to travel, died at 62 and I learned my lesson...live now!

[Thechats]

The older I get, the more I have come to recognize that what really matters most in life is memories, rather than "stuff." While we've always enjoyed cruising (even in the days when we crammed our family of five into one cabin because of a tight budget), it's only recently that we've loosened up with spending because we're now at a point where we can do so (i.e., adult kids with good careers). At one point we almost felt guilty about getting a CC balcony, splurging on an excursion, etc. but fortunately we're now past that! We're always willing to spend based on what'll provide the best memories (e.g., aft balcony on a Panama Canal trip was awesome) from the trip because who knows if we'll ever get to that place again. For example, on a recent visit to Ephesus, we found a fantastic guide who brought history to life which was much better than us stumbling around on our own not knowing what we were seeing (which is what we once did when traveling as a young family of five). Who knows what tomorrow will bring, so if you can afford it, go for it because life passes in the blink of an eye.

[In Range]

Thanks so much for this thread. I'll be 65 next month and gave notice yesterday to my wonderful boss who has been a great friend as well for almost 50 years. After working 42 years and watching friends die way too young, I'm not going to spend my remaining years at my desk. Too many places to see and things to do!

We love business class air travel, great hotels and spectacular cruise cabins, but part of the fun for me in planning the trip is to find the best for the least. I always figure if I poke around long enough I'll find a deal and it usually works out.

Thanks everyone for helping me extinguish whatever anxiety I was feeling for taking the big step yesterday!:)

[Kellie Poodle]

[quote name='SixOneTwo']I'm definitely making decisions on WHERE to go (and not to go) based on my age. We were on a road trip in November, and the knowledge that I'd likely not be returning to some spots in my lifetime made me appreciate them more. Additionally, we're trying to get in the physically intense trips now while we are very much able-bodied (we're not seniors yet). We've seen too many people on cruises who clearly waited too long to take that "trip of a lifetime."[/quote]

We are both seniors and one of us has some serious health issues that effects the way we can travel, yet we find that there are still ways to see the world. Cruising, whether ocean liner or river boat, works well for us.

We are trying to squeeze in as much travel as we can, while we still can. We intend to spend our money before we die and not leave anything to the kids. We have their blessings to do this, so we must have done something right raising them. :)