How do u do it? Cruise costs

[jpolm]

Ok I've just got to ask so many repeat guests of cruising. This will be my 2nd time and I'm trying hard to afford a cruise on oasis or allure I really don't want another ship. But we are in Los Angeles (horrible cruise choices here) and I live the Caribbean. But family of 5 needing 2 rooms (for bathroom and privacy) and air this is costing the same if not more than our Hawaii vacations and close to our Mexican all inclusives. I've noticed u have to book out way in advance. Any helpful hints? Remember I have kids so we only can travel summer or spring break. I really wanted to try this out for June 2013. If we get one room it's affordable. But that's crammed for us.

 

Anyways I had to ask

 

Love all the reviews.

[reedprincess]

Repeat cruisers with different lines are available for different discounts - if you were a loyal cruiser on RCI, there are balcony discounts or other offers that come up often. Also, we sign up for every discount travel site out there with notifications of sales, etc. RCI often runs sales and oboard credit offers - but you have to be signed up to get notification.

We don't find Oasis/Allure much more expensive than any other 7 day cruise - especially for inside cabins, etc. (we only cruise balcony and above, but we do see the prices) When you factor in air for 5 people though - it adds up real fast. At least you have multiple air options, Spirit and Southwest and other discount options - we have exactly one flight choice to get to South Florida - imagine the prices on that!! But, I digress.

Also, there are occasionally sale prices for different States, and the like. Work with a good travel agent who can monitor prices for you and can also include incentives or onboard perks - tips or onboard credit, etc - that can be a huge help too.

Mostly - we shop around! Good luck - the ships are truly amazing and worth every penny.

[barriecruiser]

We (my family of 6) are doing a cruise in April 2013. We are cutting costs by driving down to Florida (from Canada) and I have a family promenade room booked which was much cheaper than booking 2 rooms (I did the research on 2 rooms compared to the family room). We are taking our kids out of school. Not a huge deal to us as we don't do it often. We are also going on Freedom of the Seas which is a bit cheaper than the 2 bigger ships and my husband and I have been on the Freedom twice and the Allure and both are amazing ships.

 

My suggestion would be to NOT go in the summer or during spring break as the prices are higher.

[R'man]

I'm trying hard to afford a cruise on oasis or allure...But family of 5 needing 2 rooms (for bathroom and privacy) and air this is costing the same if not more than our Hawaii vacations and close to our Mexican all inclusives. I've noticed u have to book out way in advance. Any helpful hints?

 

First off, as the father of three, you have my sympathy being tied to a school schedule...which generally ties you to more expensive cruise fares because families are all in the same boat (pun intended). Like barriecruiser, we took our kids out of school, too. The choice was that, or not go at all, and we thought the value of travel offset a few missed school days. We found "teachers convention" days were good to minimize the school attendance loss, and came in the "off season", when prices are more reasonable.

 

Pay attention to cruise prices - they go up and down. If you're a past RCI passenger, check out the savings certificates for one that might help. And if you're willing to gamble, often the prices drop inside the last 90 days prior to departure...pay attention to the trends for those ships around those dates, and if you see a price that meets your budget at any time, grab it. You might also find "WOW sales" that minimize your deposit requirements, or offer added ship board credits. If you work with a travel agent, you may be able to work out some other money saving deals. Don't be bashful about asking.

 

Airfare is a budget killer these days...watch for sales, and keep combing the travel sites. Airfare is more volatile than cruise fares. If you see a good fare on the date you need, grab it then. Just clicking out, you may not find it again going back two seconds later.

 

Good luck! Good bargain hunting!

[DonnaK]

We book our kids in an inside cabin across the hall from our balcony, but we've also gone with connecting insides or window cabins to save money. We've also found that prices go down in the middle of August, and since school here doesn't begin until after Labor Day, we've gotten more reasonable prices for the last two weeks of August than for the rest of the summer (of course, that puts us into more of a risk for hurricanes, but we go with the flow). Now that my kids are in college, we save even more by going during the January break or the end of May.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We use rewards credit cards, never paying a penny of interest but running almost all of our expenses through the appropriate card. The RCI Visa offers 10,000 (sometimes 15,000) bonus points, worth $100 - $150 of OBC. If you use the card to pay for the cruise, you will build up points for more OBC. DH and I each have a Delta SkyMiles American Express, which came with 30,000 bonus points (or $300 towards flights). We use the Marriott Rewards Chase card for hotel stays; during promos, we stay at moderately-priced Marriotts for weekend getaways and earn a free night (at a nicer property) for each two nights we pay for. Everything else goes on a cash-back rewards card which we use to pay for cat care. When you add up all of the rewards, it takes a serious bite out of the total costs of cruising. We either book very early (and watch prices rise) or catch good prices just before sailing. I also have a certain amount of money from each paycheck set aside to pay down cruise balances; it comes out of the checking account first and what is left is spending money for that period.

[jpolm]

thanks all good pointers, unfortunately we try to save our time off for when the kids are actually off school- summer break, christmas break etc.. so we don't have to spend extra on summer camps rather take that money and put towards a vacation but does make sense to take it when the kids are back in school and have a shortened week due teacher conferences etc...and it's less expensive.

 

i guess the best bet is to pre plan but that's also always hard to do. we have no idea until at least 6 mths what our schedules will be.. i am at the 6 mnths now and June is pricey!

and most rooms sold out for our family needs (5)

 

right now i can't find anything under 7K (not including air) ouch!

[BecciBoo]

We do the same as Zoe. We have the Delta card as well as AMEX , (who is a Delta partner), platinum and we charge EVERYTHING on it, even food at the grocery. We do have a business and charge the operating expenses for the business on it as well, so it would take you guys longer to build up points, but with this system, we have not paid for a flight in 8 years!

We almost always cruise in hurricane season...have only had one glich and we lucked out and ended up no problem...always cheaper as was said before....and of course the Crown & Anchor discounts and coupons when you become more established with RCCL helps a lot. I agree you could probably find a family stateroom for less and they are large. Stay on Cruise Critic for a few months and all the tips will be revealed. We just completed Freedom with my DD and her family and it was expensive for them, but they drove to Fl. from TX to save. Know this is probably an impossibility for such a long distance for you though. Cruise on.....:D

[skandls]

You want to go on the newest ships during a very busy month (even though its hurricane season). We live in SoCal and know how expensive it its to fly and cruise from the east coast. You might consider the Freedom from Port Canaveral. The Freedom class ships are great and have a lot to do. If you insist on the Oasis or Allure it will cost more.

[Griswolds]

I agree with everything R'man said. We have also taken our two kids out of school for a cruise. We have also gone during Easter break and in June. In fact our Oasis cruise was during Easter break. We usually plan 6 months to a year out and honestly have never paid near $5k for a cruise. We always do inside cabins though and do tons of research for sailings at a decent price. We have made the drive from Michigan on several occasions to save too although that adds 4 days of driving to our vacation. I know you don't really have the option of driving and airfare is nutso these days, but I think it is possible to do your vacation without going bankrupt with some research and maybe some compromises and creatve planning.

[jpolm]

Thank you everyone. I do agree on all , we have the Amex card and Hawaiian. And pretty much have a free trip to Hawaii right now. I also am gold c&a member and also got the Rccl credit card last year so I have a few points. I also am obsessed with travel sites and researching the best price. But man cruising isn't cheap. (Yes I'm picky wanting to try the oasis or allure) and June would not be my first pick I prefer to go in April around Easter for Caribbean travel.

 

Thanks again.

[goldgirl2]

We leave the kids at home. You would be amazed how much money that saves!

[jpolm]

Love that idea now by didnt I think of that gold girl!

[sherilyn70]

We leave the kids at home. You would be amazed how much money that saves!

 

We just can't wait until the kids are 18... then not only do we not have to spend the money to entertain them but there will be far more money to spend on even more vacations when we're no longer feeding them and clothing them every day. :D

[mek]

thanks all good pointers, unfortunately we try to save our time off for when the kids are actually off school- summer break, christmas break etc.. so we don't have to spend extra on summer camps rather take that money and put towards a vacation but does make sense to take it when the kids are back in school and have a shortened week due teacher conferences etc...and it's less expensive.

 

i guess the best bet is to pre plan but that's also always hard to do. we have no idea until at least 6 mths what our schedules will be.. i am at the 6 mnths now and June is pricey!

and most rooms sold out for our family needs (5)

 

right now i can't find anything under 7K (not including air) ouch!

 

Have you considered an Alaskan cruise for summer? The past few years, the prices have been fantastic, even on short notice and you would have an advantage with air since you already live on the west coast. A few cruises actually go RT out of San Francisco or if you have time, you could drive to Seattle where there are RT cruises as well.

[funfamilyof6]

We are a family of 6 and have been cruising mid to end August which someone has already pointed out. This year got real difficult because our oldest is going to college and can no longer go at that time so we had to switch to July.

 

We really wanted to try the Allure or Oasis this year, but instead ended up on the Freedom again in a family room (which still wasn't that cheap). It will be tight with one bathroom but we will manage. The Allure/Oasis are very expensive even when booking more than a year out in the summer months (we looked). We also fly to Florida from NY which saves a lot, although this may not be an option from you.

 

I just wanted to let you know that you are not the only one in your situation. We still consider ourselves lucky to be able to cruise at least once a year and enjoy our 4 kids for the rest of the year! :)

 

I forgot to add that if you haven't cruised on the Freedom yet, it really is a great ship with a lot of the Oasis/Allure features although not all.

[DMickey28]

We leave the kids at home. You would be amazed how much money that saves!

 

Yup. So far that is what we do. Our kids are only 5.5 and 2.5 though. Cruising is our adult only vacation once a year. We might try a cruise with them next year but it will replace a family and adult only trip!

[fishin' musician]

The newest ships are always going to demand the big $$$. Even the Voyager class ships have tons of kid activities and at a fraction of what the new ships bring. How about a spring break Mexican Riviera cruise on Princess then sock away enough dough to go on the ship of your dreams next year?

[jpolm]

Yep it looks like it might be 2014 but I won't have the school calendar until August.

[Sky616]

We leave the kids at home. You would be amazed how much money that saves!

I suggested this to my wife the other night for our upcoming Oasis cruise but she didn't budge. We really don't have anyone else to keep them anyways but thought I'd give it a shot.:D

[sandy toes]

We just can't wait until the kids are 18... then not only do we not have to spend the money to entertain them but there will be far more money to spend on even more vacations when we're no longer feeding them and clothing them every day. :D

 

Don't bet on that one!!! College cost and then apartment and furniture, car expenses, auto insurance...the list goes on and on...weddings, honeymoons, and then there are the grandchildren!!! I spend more on them than I did my own children!!! But, know what? Every penny and every memory is worth it!!!

[Darkwolfe]

GF and I leave her daughter with my folks. Works out pretty good for the time being, but there may come a day where it doesn't work any longer.

 

I'd take her daughter along but she's not at all ready to be on a ship for any amount of time, much less going ashore at a foreign port of call. Hopefully, as she gets a little older, we can start taking her with us instead of leaving her at home. It's going to take time.

[kruzerci]

It was harder for us when we had kids in school and could only cruise during Spring Break and in June/July. I can certainly remember spending about $10,000 on our Mariner curise (with 4 of us in an inside room) after air, cruise, and excursions/shipboard bill. Granted it was a new ship in peak season, it cost entirely too much for a cruise.

 

Since they're in college and we don't take them on every cruise, we try to cruise in May and December when rates are good, use our balcony discount, and rack up as much OBC as possible from travel agents. We drive if possible (6 hours or less) and use frequent flier miles if we fly. It definitely pays to book very early or extremely last minute if possible, as well. All that being said, we have to be a more budget friendly than we used to while paying out of state tuition for two kids. At least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

[misty57]

We save for our trips. We also use credit card points ( paid off each month) for airfare and another for OBC. I work extra holidays ( double time and a half:D)

and we book only what we can afford, and watch for price drops. Look into the board on saving money on your cruise for other ideas.

There is also something to be said for setting your sights a little lower. The Oasis class ships are great, but maybe you can book a shorter cruise on another ship which will also be fun ( Freedom class) or look at (gasp!) Carnival for a more reasonable cruise fare. Bid on a hotel on Priceline or book through lastminutetravel or Hotwire. You can also bid on airfare through Priceline although I have never done that.

I don't know your kids' ages, but if old enough maybe you could get them involved in saving ( earning) for the trip as well as planning it.

[goldgirl2]

We never left our kids until the oldest was 15. We paid our dues. We do one or two trips with the kids and as many as possible without! Mine are now 24, 21 and 15. No babysitter needed here the 21 year old does it!