How do people afford $20,000 suites?

[Mikamarii]

These discussions always make me laugh. I get the same at work. I make decent money but nothing crazy. My wife works part time so we could raise our kids. 

Other than our mortgage we have 0 debt. We have a retirement plan in place. We go on at least 1 big family vacation a year. We finished one last year that we probably could have paid cash for a loaded suv. 

Family vacation is where we prioritize our money. 

 

Every year I had to convince my parents, I don't want your inheritance I'd rather you come on this trip with us...and they did. That was better than any cash they could ever leave behind. I dont need nor want their money. 

 

Everytime we go on a trip someone at work "you're going away again? Must be nice" as they walk out with their 500$ jeans to their 90k truck towing their 60k trailer from their 850k home to their 500k cabin on the lake.

 

We dont have any of that. We're happy with our choices. Just this month 4 young healthy co workers have departed this world. All that saved money doesn't mean much. 

 

[Bloodgem]

9 hours ago, njsmom said:

 From the way I read it on CC, some people do this 2-3x a year or more.  

Thank you for an interesting thread. 

 

Some members on CC are Pinnacle members. Pinnacle members get a free 7 night cruise. I believe this free cruise can be in a Junior Suite if the member has over 1400 cruise points.

 

[FSHLOT]

I heard that CCL stockholders have no problem spending 20G on a suite!!  😆😆

 

PS, It's a joke

[superduper123]

4 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

 

 

Everytime we go on a trip someone at work "you're going away again? Must be nice" as they walk out with their 500$ jeans to their 90k truck towing their 60k trailer from their 850k home to their 500k cabin on the lake.

 

 

YES, YES, this!  I travel frequently and hear the "must be nice" all the time. Priorities. 

[BND]

8 hours ago, crzndeb said:

Let’s hear it for the poor folk! I was a single mother by choice, raised 2 daughters alone, retired at 59, no mortgage, a small home equity loan I opened to buy my 2019 Buick encore, and am on the Ovation right now on a B5B in a Virtual balcony interior…oh and since people are listing numbers. I make a little over 1/2 of 100k a year. No problems, no drama, no health issues, just a happy little clam with my single life. 🤪

And, you are fortunate to have been able to retire at 59 (no SS at that age though).  Obviously you live somewhere where you can afford to.  50K here isn't enough to live on unless you have savings to supplement it and/or you don't do anything else except live.  People forget where you live impacts how far your money goes.  Average single family home in the NoVA area (unless you want a complete fixer upper) is over $500K so incomes, hence savings are higher.  My point is that the OP makes choices as to how they spend their money. 

 

And, I retired at 60, but my DH is 65 and still works so he can max out his SS because we want to keep cruising as long as possible.  We go 2-4 times per year depending on whether we do a b2b.  And, we also get the "you're cruising again" question. Although DH works with a few people who go quarterly to timeshares in the Carribbean and Mexico so they don't question it.

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by BND

[molly361]

11 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

 

 

3 of my current clients are single men with no wives and no children, and they're happy as can be 😂. One of them owns a mansion and a yacht on the coast of Italy (as a 3rd home) that he spends several months on, but has never been on a cruise ship. But his "regular" house is just 20 minutes down the road from mine, it's a tiny 1500sqft ranch house that only cost him $1.5mil, and you'd never know a billionaire lived there. 
 

It's crazy to me how many people have that kind of money. 

I'm a widow with no children.  My phone number is 386-555-5555😇

[Sigyn]

10 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

I own part of a company that plans luxury travel. There are a lot of people who travel in a manner where $20k doesn’t come close to covering airfare alone. I don’t know what all of our clients do but we definitely do not have a shortage of business. During spring break season this year a family of five going to Maui in a condo, not a high end resort, plus air would hit $20k very easily before any other expenses. The tech/finance/medical clients sometimes approach closer to seven figure budgets. There is definitely no shortage of people willing to spend. 

This blows my mind. Most Americans are not making enough to support this. You're clearly dealing with the top 2-3% of income.

[Sigyn]

5 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

These discussions always make me laugh. I get the same at work. I make decent money but nothing crazy. My wife works part time so we could raise our kids. 

Other than our mortgage we have 0 debt. We have a retirement plan in place. We go on at least 1 big family vacation a year. We finished one last year that we probably could have paid cash for a loaded suv. 

Family vacation is where we prioritize our money. 

 

Every year I had to convince my parents, I don't want your inheritance I'd rather you come on this trip with us...and they did. That was better than any cash they could ever leave behind. I dont need nor want their money. 

 

Everytime we go on a trip someone at work "you're going away again? Must be nice" as they walk out with their 500$ jeans to their 90k truck towing their 60k trailer from their 850k home to their 500k cabin on the lake.

 

We dont have any of that. We're happy with our choices. Just this month 4 young healthy co workers have departed this world. All that saved money doesn't mean much. 

 

I get that. My ex-husband died young, leaving our son without a dad. I believe in living life to its fullest, and not saving money for my kids to inherit. But also being sure I have enough for a nice retirement, and retiring young enough so that I can enjoy it. 

It's definitely about setting priorities and what matters. I told our financial advisor that I'm happy as long as I have a nice house, a newer model car, a long weekend trip to Napa every year and a longer vacation each year, too, and the ability to go to Europe every couple of years. He laughed. It's the simple things, amiright? 😂

[Sigyn]

10 hours ago, edwrawhide said:

You have three kids? How much does that cost?

too much!

[poocher]

6 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

Please define what you consider a "suite".

Well this was one

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, BND said:

The same way people afford 100K cars and 2 million dollar homes.  Choices.  I would say most people on these boards make six figures (it's very common now).  DH and I just moved.  We bought our new home before selling our last one.  Once we close as we have a contract, we'll have a very small (if any) mortgage.  We have no other debt.  Our household income is over 200K and I'm retired. Our net worth is north of yours.  When DH retires, we'll prob still be close to that number.  But, we live in a fairly high cost of living area.  We have multiple sources of income.  While we don't spend 20K on a suite, we do always cruise in a JS.

 

If you spend $600/night on a hotel, you can do a 20K suite.  You just choose not to.

I agree. A lot of people make over $100K a year now. But not everyone. Not by a long shot. To be specific, I make $170K a year in my job as a marketing executive and I get bonuses, and my husband is in tech and he makes $230K a year but he doesn't get bonuses. So in a typical year we make over $400K with my bonuses. If we lived in California, that wouldn't go very far. (I know, because my household income in California 20 years ago was $250K and that got me very little!) But we live in the midwest and it goes quite far. Housing is affordable, groceries are not insane, and life is good. So there's a lot left over. But we're not rich by any means. We're just comfortable with money socked away for rainy days and retirement. 

 

Edited to comment on the $100K car portion of your comment. See, that part actually does make sense to me. Because you get to keep the car. Five suites or a beautiful car. I would choose the car. Right now our garage has a couple of fancy cars. Not $100K. But pretty nice. The $20K on a suite is only for a week and then it's gone. You can experience a vacation for a week in a $5K balcony cabin and it's nearly the same and yet you saved $15K. I guess I just answered my own question. It is about value and what it's worth to me. We all make choices as to what we value most. When I'm in Napa Valley, putting my head on a pillow in a gorgeous hotel room in Yountville is worth $600 or $800 a night, while others would gag at the concept. But then I also don't go to the French Laundry when I'm there and spend $1,600 for two people on dinner with wine, opting instead for $300 at Bouchon Bistro with a bottle of wine. I find my value where it works for me. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

11 hours ago, WinksCruises said:

Well no wonder you can't afford a 20k suite!

Honestly, you wouldn't believe how much carpet is for an entire house. Over $10K. ridiculous. 

[JuliaSugarbaker]

11 hours ago, davekathy said:

Those spending their kids inheritance. 😁

Sounds like my mom, she loves to laugh and say how much of my inheritance she spent on a big purchase 🤣🤣 

 

I’m glad they are enjoying their retirement!

[orville99]

For us it really is simple. We are both retired, house is paid off, car is paid off, $0 debt (for the last 30 years), 401K drops ~$65,000 a year into our bank account (which currently pays 4% interest) and our children are all grown and successful in their own careers. So, we are just spending their inheritance. Our wills are simple - "being of sound mind, we spent it"

Edited March 31, 2023 by orville99

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 hours ago, Mikamarii said:

Just this month 4 young healthy co workers have departed this world. All

Yikes! I’m sorry. Sounds like a dangerous line of work. Great perspective you have!

[Lady Hudson]

I will comment here.  I understand that there are people who can afford to spend $20,000 on one cruise.  Good for them and Godspeed.  We choose to do 8 or 9 cruises a year instead and enjoy each one.  I know many people struggle financially but there is also a much smaller percentage who don’t.  Spending as much as we do on cruises is something we would not have done for many decades.  Now, in our seventies, it’s a different story.  It’s a matter of choice.

[rimmit]

It’s really just how you choose to spend your money.

 

I know people that spend spend 20k for biz/first class flights, but won’t even buy a pop at a restaurant because they view the 3.29 too expensive.  They only drink water in the airport unless there is a lounge they can access where drinks are free but they won’t travel long haul unless it’s lie flat and preferably a Q-suite on Qatar if possible.  Highly recommend if you ever have a chance, especially for a family of four.
 

I refuse to spend money on specialty restaurants, but will spend extravagantly on shore excursions or tours.  It’s just your preference’s.

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by rimmit

[luckyinpa]

spend while you are in good health. you can pay 29 dollars a month minimum on your CC and stimulate all the lenders for 30 years. they need to make money too. if you wait till you can afford it you may be too old to enjoy it. if you are lucky you will have age health and money all at the same time.

[colesc15]

I wouldn't spend 20k on a suite but have I dropped 20k in the casino over a week?  Absolutely. To each their own. 

[Sigyn]

29 minutes ago, rimmit said:

It’s really just how you choose to spend your money.

 

I know people that spend spend 20k for biz/first class flights, but won’t even buy a pop at a restaurant because they view the 3.29 too expensive.  They only drink water in the airport unless there is a lounge they can access where drinks are free but they won’t travel long haul unless it’s lie flat and preferably a Q-suite on Qatar if possible.  Highly recommend if you ever have a chance, especially for a family of four.
 

I refuse to spend money on specialty restaurants, but will spend extravagantly on shore excursions or tours.  It’s just your preference’s.

 

I read recently that accountants have tons of celebrity clients who ended up filing bankruptcy in part due to their insistence on flying first class. That was enough to turn me off from the idea of paying $3K for a 3-hour flight. Now, I have upgraded with miles for long hauls over the ocean. (Obviously, they overspent on a lot of other things, too. But the first class spending stood out to me.)

 

My ex-FIL was very, very, VERY rich. Probably was the richest man in my entire state, or even multiple states, although no one would have known. Many buildings have his family's name on them now that he's passed away and his children like to flaunt their inherited wealth. Anyway, I always remember something that happened one time when I was a young woman, married to his stepson. My MIL bought my FIL a pair of socks. This was in 1988. He said, "How much did these socks cost?" She said, "Six dollars." He said, "Return them. That's too much. I like the $4 socks I normally wear just as much and there's no reason to spend an extra $2 on socks."

Now, that was obviously a bit ridiculous given this man's wealth. But it made a point. There's no reason to spend 1/3 more on something when a lower-priced product does the job just as well. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by njsmom

[BecciBoo]

We once got a steal and I mean that literally on the Presidential Suite on Liberty (a mistake by the Next Cruise agent) and shared it with 3 other couples...about the same as a balcony per couple.  That will be the limit for us.  Don't see it happening again and never will, we don't make a 10th of what OP does, not even!  We'll never make Pinnie (don't have the time!), and we'll never be able to afford another suite.  Heck we hardly can afford our inside cabin on ICON.  I always wanted at least a loft, but that has become unachievable.   Not to worry, we can still be on a ship in the Big Blue and that's what matters most to me.  But the day is coming sooner than later,  when we won't be able to cruise at all.  Such is life.

[mandyleighflies]

2 hours ago, superduper123 said:

YES, YES, this!  I travel frequently and hear the "must be nice" all the time. Priorities. 

 

THIS. 

 

I am an FA and my husband is a pilot...we travel for a LIFE. The other night, on my last trip before our upcoming cruise, I was talking to a man in first class about our upcoming trip. He was a Pinnacle member with RCCL and told him I was about to break into Emerald after this next trip. The man sitting next to him LITERALLY SAID TO ME "must be nice to be able to take such lavish vacations all the time, guess they need to look at your pay". I was SHOCKED. This was coming from someone sitting in first class himself...do we not deserve to have nice things too since we work a service job for a living? I have been an FA for nearly 15 years and never had that happen before. 

 

ANYWAY getting to the my two cents of this conversation. 

 

As many others have mentioned, people spend their money how they want to spend their money. I see it everyday, the majority of frequent fliers book main cabin and get the comped upgrade to first, they don't spend the "big bucks" all the time. It's the same with cruising honestly, as you gain more status you get bigger discounts on balcony rooms and suites. We as airline employee's get massive discounts on last minute sailings. 

 

I tend to only cruise in suites, but we have never spend $20k...at least not yet. We will once just to have that experience, but that won't be for a LONG time. Travel is our thing, we do it for work so when we do it for fun we go big. I personally do not fly in basic economy when I buy tickets, I always buy main cabin extra/comfort or first class. If I am paying for my ticket, I am going to enjoy my trip. It's the same on the ship, I value my space and I am in my room often enough to make it worth having that extra space. I also love the perks, double points, priority lines, lounges, etc. That's MY choice.

 

Those $20k suites are basically All Inclusive also and for a family traveling together that would be a bargain once you add up the cost of all the other things that they would otherwise be paying for outside of just the stateroom. 

 

That's all...I am sailing in my NOT $20k GS this weekend and cannot wait!! 

[Sigyn]

2 minutes ago, mandyleighflies said:

 

THIS. 

 

I am an FA and my husband is a pilot...we travel for a LIFE. The other night, on my last trip before our upcoming cruise, I was talking to a man in first class about our upcoming trip. He was a Pinnacle member with RCCL and told him I was about to break into Emerald after this next trip. The man sitting next to him LITERALLY SAID TO ME "must be nice to be able to take such lavish vacations all the time, guess they need to look at your pay". I was SHOCKED. This was coming from someone sitting in first class himself...do we not deserve to have nice things too since we work a service job for a living? I have been an FA for nearly 15 years and never had that happen before. 

 

ANYWAY getting to the my two cents of this conversation. 

 

As many others have mentioned, people spend their money how they want to spend their money. I see it everyday, the majority of frequent fliers book main cabin and get the comped upgrade to first, they don't spend the "big bucks" all the time. It's the same with cruising honestly, as you gain more status you get bigger discounts on balcony rooms and suites. We as airline employee's get massive discounts on last minute sailings. 

 

I tend to only cruise in suites, but we have never spend $20k...at least not yet. We will once just to have that experience, but that won't be for a LONG time. Travel is our thing, we do it for work so when we do it for fun we go big. I personally do not fly in basic economy when I buy tickets, I always buy main cabin extra/comfort or first class. If I am paying for my ticket, I am going to enjoy my trip. It's the same on the ship, I value my space and I am in my room often enough to make it worth having that extra space. I also love the perks, double points, priority lines, lounges, etc. That's MY choice.

 

Those $20k suites are basically All Inclusive also and for a family traveling together that would be a bargain once you add up the cost of all the other things that they would otherwise be paying for outside of just the stateroom. 

 

That's all...I am sailing in my NOT $20k GS this weekend and cannot wait!! 

Sounds nice! Thanks for explaining how you and your spouse do it. (What is an FA?)

[mandyleighflies]

1 minute ago, njsmom said:

Sounds nice! Thanks for explaining how you and your spouse do it. (What is an FA?)

 

Flight Attendant. lol sorry I am so used to short hand and acronyms at work. 

[orville99]

1 hour ago, njsmom said:

Honestly, you wouldn't believe how much carpet is for an entire house. Over $10K. ridiculous. 

Put in hardwood or tile floors and you won't need carpet (or the dust, dirt, and allergens that it traps) any more.