How do people afford $20,000 suites?

[spooky981]

Time is the most valuable resource. I have more money than I have time to spend it. Two kids at home, a half dozen games and practices every weekend, we get about one date night per month and that's it.  We also spend a lot of our vacation time caring for sick kids, attending their field trips, and taking a friday off for a long weekend at the shore.

 

We get one major vacation per year, and the kids are the perfect ages for cruising. So we go big, and usually spend about $30,000 to be Star class in a very spacious and comfortable suite with separate bedrooms. The two bedroom aquatheater suite has been a big hit for us, but we're trying the royal loft suite for the first time next year, and an Icon Loft suite in 2025. It is the only seven days of real vacation I'll take all year so there's no point in cutting corners.

 

We don't deserve pity for our situation. Lots of parents are in the phase where kids overwhelm their time and don't leave room for much else. We're lucky that our jobs pay so well that we have no financial concerns. In the absence of children we would probably go on a vacation every three months, and probably make them a bit more modest as a result.

Edited April 6, 2023 by spooky981

[Tatka]

43 minutes ago, spooky981 said:

We don't deserve pity for our situation. Lots of parents are in the phase where kids overwhelm their time and don't leave room for much else. We're lucky that our jobs pay so well that we have no financial concerns. In the absence of children we would probably go on a vacation every three months, and probably make them a bit more modest as a result.

 

Absolutely!

Our kid graduated from school when we were late 30 and college some times later (we already could cruise more). Fully emptynesters for about 8 years (minus pandemic when we did 2 A/I) and instead of 2 cruises a year we do 5.. in modest accommodations. 

[renji]

13 hours ago, pink845 said:

Well, let's see, we usually opt for mini suites, but maybe once my youngest kid opens up his medical practice this year, I won't have to spot him anymore, and I will have some extra cash to treat myself to a FULL SUITE, just not the $20,000 variety.   My husband has many clients that earn well over $1.0 million a year.  The amount of discretionary income out there is unreal.  Also, remember that a lot of people did not use their travel budget due to covid over the last few years and now are flush with cash and are able to afford to splurge. Some of them prefer the $20,000 suite.   

This is what happened to me.  I could have afforded suites but always chose inside cabins.  Last year I had so many cruise credits it made $8k-16k suites feel like “half price” in terms of current spend. Then I got hooked (more on the nice treatment, less waiting than on cabin size) and decided to alternate—sometimes suites, sometimes balcony.  If I’m solo, I actually prefer an inside.  I hate to “waste” money on myself…but don’t judge those who enjoy it!

[renji]

1 hour ago, spooky981 said:

Time is the most valuable resource. I have more money than I have time to spend it. Two kids at home, a half dozen games and practices every weekend, we get about one date night per month and that's it.  We also spend a lot of our vacation time caring for sick kids, attending their field trips, and taking a friday off for a long weekend at the shore.

 

We get one major vacation per year, and the kids are the perfect ages for cruising. So we go big, and usually spend about $30,000 to be Star class in a very spacious and comfortable suite with separate bedrooms. The two bedroom aquatheater suite has been a big hit for us, but we're trying the royal loft suite for the first time next year, and an Icon Loft suite in 2025. It is the only seven days of real vacation I'll take all year so there's no point in cutting corners.

 

We don't deserve pity for our situation. Lots of parents are in the phase where kids overwhelm their time and don't leave room for much else. We're lucky that our jobs pay so well that we have no financial concerns. In the absence of children we would probably go on a vacation every three months, and probably make them a bit more modest as a result.

It is also true that suites save you time waiting on lines….

[Mum2Mercury]

3 hours ago, spooky981 said:

Time is the most valuable resource. I have more money than I have time to spend it. Two kids at home, a half dozen games and practices every weekend, we get about one date night per month and that's it.  We also spend a lot of our vacation time caring for sick kids, attending their field trips, and taking a friday off for a long weekend at the shore ... 

I think "time" is a resource that ebbs and flows over the course of your life. 

- When we were young and just starting our careers, money was in short supply, as we were trying to put away money /let compound interest work for us while we still had many years ahead of us. 

- By the time our kids were in school, we were in a position much like yours. 

- Now we're retired and have more time than we had in the past, but we're young retirees and much of our savings is tied up in accounts we're too young to touch.