Budget? What Budget?

[babs135]

I'm sure the majority of people have a budget in mind when they pick a cruise. That same budget will have a certain amount of elasticity in it if necessary, but what if the cruise you really really want absolutely would smash your budget to smithereens Would you

 

a) Sigh, say 'if only' and look for something else

 

b) Beg, steal or borrow the money

 

c) Run out and buy a lottery ticket, or 2, or 3.....

 

d) Check if the cruiseline is running the same or very similar trip the following year and if so be prepared to give up your annual holiday so you could save up for 12 months

 

e) See if you could compromise somehow, eg if it was a world cruise you could do a half one year and the second half the following year

 

Interested in your comments.

[Keith1010]

If it was a cruise we were very much interested in but it far exceeded our budget we would look at deferring other vacation/holiday plans to another year to do that cruise or defer that cruise to another year or see if there were other things we could do for other related expense items.

 

Keith

[Cyber Kat]

I'm sure the majority of people have a budget in mind when they pick a cruise. That same budget will have a certain amount of elasticity in it if necessary, but what if the cruise you really really want absolutely would smash your budget to smithereens Would you

 

 

 

a) Sigh, say 'if only' and look for something else

 

 

 

b) Beg, steal or borrow the money

 

 

 

c) Run out and buy a lottery ticket, or 2, or 3.....

 

 

 

d) Check if the cruiseline is running the same or very similar trip the following year and if so be prepared to give up your annual holiday so you could save up for 12 months

 

 

 

e) See if you could compromise somehow, eg if it was a world cruise you could do a half one year and the second half the following year

 

 

 

Interested in your comments.

 

 

 

Pretty much D.

 

We knew we really wanted to do a Rhine River cruise. The whole time we were working we, we sacrificed here and there so we could save. Actually we have both always been savers. My parents taught me that if you want something, you save for it. My husband came from the same philosophy.

 

When we retired, we were able to take our “trip of a lifetime,” and it was so worth it - worth the saving, worth the little sacrifices along the way.

 

I think we have lost that save for what you want philosophy with our buy now, pay later thought process. Too much instant gratification.

 

I don’t honestly know which way is better. There is a lot to be said for do it while you can. A lot of people save all their lives to retire, then health issues come up and they can’t do what they planned. We were very lucky in that regard.

 

Maybe some sort of compromise between the two is best. I think you have to go with what floats your particular boat.

 

You did ask [emoji12]

 

Just curious - what is your budget smashing dream cruise?

 

Oh and PS I also buy a lottery ticket or 2 [emoji13][emoji857] - you never know!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate that we never have had to worry about a budget. And many of our cruises were very expensive -- plus the cost of air and hotels pre and post cruise.

[paul929207]

I would play around with our travel and other discretionary spending to reduce other spending

[puppycanducruise]

Well, we can't afford to cruise every year. (at least, the cruises we want to do).

We are currently looking at taking a cruise from Paris to Nice. So, with air to Europe and a few days extra in Paris, it's expensive, so we won't be doing it this year. We have to decide if we can do it next year.

But that's life.

Anticipation and planning are exciting too.

[sanger727]

D. Once we get something in our head we HAVE to do; I don’t have any problem putting it off until the money is saved to do it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[ilikeanswers]

I'm not interested in a holiday for a holiday's sake, I'm interested in increasing my experiences:D. Unfortunately that comes with a bigger price tag:eek:. I will look for any discounts I can but I will save for particular experiences and easily give up any other luxuries in my life. You only live once so I want to make the most of it;p

[sanger727]

I'm not interested in a holiday for a holiday's sake, I'm interested in increasing my experiences:D. Unfortunately that comes with a bigger price tag:eek:. I will look for any discounts I can but I will save for particular experiences and easily give up any other luxuries in my life. You only live once so I want to make the most of it;p

 

 

 

Agree with this. While it’s nice to get away on a somewhat regular basis, I see people on here post about cruising several times a year and some say they are so tired of the same islands they just stay on the ship. That’s not worthwhile to me. I’d rather take a larger trip every year or two and see some place I’ve never been. There are soooo many places to see in the world, not worth spending to go somewhere you are bored with.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Bizmark'sMom]

Once, my Ex and I did a budget smashing, pull out all the stops cruise. My mother-in-law had just passed. My father-in-law's dementia was starting to rear It's ugly head. We found a cruise line that would work with us given father-in-law's issues - Lindblad. On a fantastic ship - the Sea Cloud II. And we went for it.

 

I don't regret one single penny. The memory of father-in-law sitting in the sun watching the sails and perfectly happy is one I will forever treasure. He only got away from us once - on Bonaire. A fast thinking crew member sprinted after him and caught him while Ex and I scrambled to get off the ship.

 

Now, I look for interesting itineraries to places I haven't been yet. And I save up until I can afford that cruise.

[NMLady]

Definitely a). Even scrimping there are some cruises we definitely cannot afford. So we find something that fits our budget which is very tight.

[sanger727]

I’m also in a situation at work where I’m lucky enough to have many many overtime opportunities. So, if you give me an amount to save and enough time to save it; can get there with overtime. So putting a trip off a year generally gives me enough time to save for it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Sea Hag]

I can't really enjoy a vacation unless it's completely or nearly paid for before we go. So, I'd postpone the trip until I could afford it.

[bigwally]

F) Put it on the bucket list and tell myself "maybe someday".

[mom says]

We do what our grandparents and parents did- we save for it until we can afford it. We're both retired now, so when we decide to do a bucket list trip, like the one planned for next winter, we wait until we have enough in the travel budget to pay for it. In our case, it means no trips this summer or fall. The money we would have spent on those trips gets pushed to next year's travel budget.

[Yukonjake]

I'm 59. Every year at vacation planning time, I suggested an Alaskan cruise. Each year I got outvoted. My youngest is now 19, 20 in May. This year, my bride of 35 years and I are going to Alaska, without the kids (they cannot keep up with us old folks anyway!). I booked it without even consulting with Mrs. Jake (called it an anniversary present so I could get away with surprising her, luckily, I knew it was something she'd like too). Call it a bucket list item. I guess this makes me a b), beg, borrow, or steal.

 

I mention all of that to say that I have blown through my budget with a clear conscience. I have selected some great excursions and onboard perks. And, this year, this time, I don't care about the cost, because I have wanted to do this for years.

 

Of course, this may have been a bad mistake. I may enjoy it so much that I want to do it again and again.

[babs135]

 

Just curious - what is your budget smashing dream cruise?

 

Oh and PS I also buy a lottery ticket or 2 [emoji13][emoji857] - you never know!

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Actually there are a couple of cruises that keep catching my eye (greedy I know :D) Both are repeatable to a large extent each year BUT

much as DH is also keen on them he is very reluctant to go without his annual holiday. I have suggested delaying our annual break but at the moment he won't do it. So, first thing tomorrow morning I'm off to buy a lottery ticket.

I can't grumble; we've just come back from a fantastic cruise and have another one booked for the end of the year (have been going away over Christmas for the last few years and DH really enjoys these particular cruises.

[Cruise Junky]

I think there are budget breakers and then really big budget breakers. If something I really wanted to do cost 2x as much as I usually pay for a vacation, then we could squeeze that out of other areas but if it's 4x then no, I'll find something else on another line or usually my first response is how much of this trip could we do on our own on a land trip. I also look at cruises history, does it go on sale, could we do an inside, etc.

 

Usually my issue when looking at trips I really want to do is not enough vacation time. Like a post above, I like them paid for before we go but could be persuaded to charge it if the right opportunity came along.:halo:

[Slugsta]

OH and I like the saying ' You can have anything you want, but you cannot have everything you want. If a budget buster cruise comes along, we have to decide how much we want to do it. Do we want 1 cruise at £10000 or 4 at £2500? Unless it is a real 'bucket list' for both of us, we usually decide we would rather do more cruises than blow the savings on just one. If it is a real bucket-lister, the saving accounts will take a hit!

[sanger727]

OH and I like the saying ' You can have anything you want, but you cannot have everything you want. If a budget buster cruise comes along, we have to decide how much we want to do it. Do we want 1 cruise at £10000 or 4 at £2500? Unless it is a real 'bucket list' for both of us, we usually decide we would rather do more cruises than blow the savings on just one. If it is a real bucket-lister, the saving accounts will take a hit!

 

 

 

I like that saying. And fully agree. When you want something you can set out and make a plan to make it happen. But it takes a plan and time to set it in motion. You can’t do everything at the moment you want it. I refuse to dip into savings for travel. That will always be an item that I save up for.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Ms Jo UK]

I'm not interested in a holiday for a holiday's sake, I'm interested in increasing my experiences:D. Unfortunately that comes with a bigger price tag:eek:. I will look for any discounts I can but I will save for particular experiences and easily give up any other luxuries in my life. You only live once so I want to make the most of it;p

 

 

We think alike

[geoherb]

I vote for A. There are several cruises that I'll probably never splurge to take--Antarctica and Galapagos Islands are two at the top of that list for me. The cost per day is outside my budget. To date, our most expensive cruise was last summer's to the British isles. We managed to get a deal on the cruise itself, but once we added in airfare, hotels beforehand, excursions, and on-board spending, the total was still a pretty penny.

 

The one thing we will do is economize by taking the cheapest cabin. On our British isles cruise, we had an inside cabin. It was fine for such a port-intensive itinerary.

[Joebucks]

I am not yet at that point in my life where I need the grand vacations and exotic locations. As a relatively new cruiser, any experience is still a great one. To keep costs low, I love going in either Spring or Fall. Beautiful weather, low amount of kids, and low prices while tracking for sales.

 

I could afford more than what I take, but why? I found a 7 day Southern Carribean on Carnival for just over $400 a person (with taxes and fees too). It's tough to justify a vacation that is 2-3x more than that in most cases. Even with a budget in mind, let's say I had $1500 in the vacation fund. Would I rather do two cruises, or one? My first cruise I thought I needed to go all out and even got the balcony. Didn't use it. Decided I wanted more cruising for my money.

[bigwally]

I don't like an inside cabin, so minimum for me is an OV (obstructed even). But I do like to keep the PPD down to between $50 and $75 (plus port fees and taxes). Getting much harder to find $50 rates booked further out, but a rather unexciting (by comparison) itinerary I was looking at before we booked on Volendam is now showing $40++ daily for an OV guarantee (15 day Celebrity Millennium from Yokohama on April 26th), so that's a pretty good deal. The Volendam is currently (and has been the whole time actually) about $80++ daily for an OV, but it is a much better itinerary.

 

I don't know what the answer is for us when it comes to rolling the dice on a last minute booking. We book the air using miles/points, so that has to be done as far out as possible to secure the seats and dates we want. Even this cruise I made sure I had the flight to Tokyo first before I even thought about booking the ship.

[sanger727]

I am not yet at that point in my life where I need the grand vacations and exotic locations. As a relatively new cruiser, any experience is still a great one. To keep costs low, I love going in either Spring or Fall. Beautiful weather, low amount of kids, and low prices while tracking for sales.

 

I could afford more than what I take, but why? I found a 7 day Southern Carribean on Carnival for just over $400 a person (with taxes and fees too). It's tough to justify a vacation that is 2-3x more than that in most cases. Even with a budget in mind, let's say I had $1500 in the vacation fund. Would I rather do two cruises, or one? My first cruise I thought I needed to go all out and even got the balcony. Didn't use it. Decided I wanted more cruising for my money.

 

 

 

If you are satisfied then that is all that matters. I felt similarly until a few years ago. In the space of a year; 2 coworkers died of late diagnosed cancers, a coworkers husband died of a late diagnosed cancer, and another coworker died at work. I began looking at time as a limited commodity as well as money and came to the conclusion that it’s a lot easier to make more money than more time. We still occasionally take vacations for ‘getaway’ purposes that are budget minded. But it’s within a greater plan on hitting bucket list locations as we can afford to go.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums