Any tips/advice on how to afford cruising with a VERY tight budget?

[MrsPete]

You say you are looking to travel cheap but you book an Aft balcony. Probably one of the most expensive cabins on board.

No flames, just a big ???

 

Checking Travelocity and using my September dates (because I don't know the OP's dates), a balcony cabin -- aft is same price as those on the side, just a little harder to snag -- is only $220 per person more than an inside room. More expensive? Yes. One of the most expensive cabins on the ship? No. A worthwhile expense for a honeymoon? Yes.

 

Personally, for that price difference, I'd rather have the aft balcony than more drinks and souveniers.

[jst4fun715]

I think the OP is talking about budgeting for future cruises, not their honeymoon trip. This is a once in a lifetime cruise for them (hopefully;) )and doing a bit of a splurge on this one is a good thing in my book. Others have given wonderful advice on saving for future cruises. We did this route a couple of years ago. As for the shore excursions, we didn't book any with the cruise line. Actually, we were traveling with another couple so when we got off the ship, we just hired a taxi to take us on a sightseeing trip of "their" island. They were really good trips that lasted about 3 to 4 hours and ended up costing us about $25 pp. Then we had time left over to shop or whatever we wanted to do.

 

I also live in Ohio and am always on the lookout for good airfares. I just snagged a fare on Delta for our upcoming Panama Canal trip. We are flying from San Juan to Columbus for only $127.50 pp. I can't find anything near that cheap to get us to San Diego for our embarkation...at least not yet. In my research, it seems that I can usually find the best fares out of Columbus.

 

Have a wonderful honeymoon cruise. Just get ready to feed that ugly monster called Cruise Addiction!:p

[Ali-in-Texas]

Mrs. Pete,

 

Great advice!

 

You sound like a great teacher.

[smurd83]

Thank you all SO MUCH for the great information! This has been extremely valuable information, and I'll definitely be printing off this entire thread for future reference (aka - when I get out of grad school).

 

The main point of this thread was indeed to get information on how to save and afford future cruises AFTER the honeymoon. I thought it was important to splurge on the honeymoon a little bit, especially since it's a surprise (and since my dad's paying for it!). She still has no idea what we're doing or where we're going. So basically the entire planning process has been up to me, which is nice to have total reign over what we do, but on the other hand it's kind of a drag since I don't have her input on what excursions we should do and what not. Anyone have any ideas on how/when I should spill the beans on what we're doing for the honeymoon? Or should I just completely surprise her and don't even give her a hint until we get to the cruise port? The only bad thing about that is she wouldn't get the chance to get to know everybody on the Roll Call for our ship and participate in those discussions.

 

I have heard numerous times to book excursions outside of the cruise line which I think I'm going to do. If anybody here has any personal favorites for the ports of Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maartin, or St. Thomas, I'd LOVE to hear them (side note: One thing I'm pretty sure I'm going to do is go to St. John's from St. Thomas. I've heard many great things about it from my parents and can't wait to see it for myself!) I'm thinking we're going to be big into the whole beach thing, as well as seeing really nice landscape/architecture throughout the islands.

 

In regards to the credit card, I suppose it would be a good thing to have, especially for emergencies like car trouble in the middle of nowhere or whatever. I'd use it for other things as well of course...but that means I won't be able to use my dad's credit card anymore! I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up that privilege! :)

 

I met with my dad's accountant yesterday and we drew up a retirement plan "estimate", which basically pointed out if we put in $200 every month, and were able to get a rate of 10%, we'd have a retirement fund of a little over $1,275,000 after 40 years...retirement, here I come!! Okay, it's still a long ways down the road, but maybe that'll be enough encouragement to keep me from spending any extra money on things I don't need.

 

My fiance brought the whole "having kids" topic back up from the vaults...we had discussed (and agreed!) to wait at LEAST 5 years, and that's even IF we wanted to have kids at all. We were perfectly happy with just having a dog or two. Well, now apparantly she's thinking more like 2 or 3 years MAX! Now don't get me wrong, kids are great, and I'm sure I would LOVE to have them some day. But right now, I can't even fathom the thought of having a little kid running around. Anyways, we comprimised after a little of jabbing each other back and forth, and decided that we'd see how things are going in 3 years. We'll see how that goes. (Just so you know, her mom runs a day care in her home, so she has been around children her entire life..me on the other hand, I was the youngest, and I honestly have VEEEEEEEEEERRY little experience with young children, in fact I held a baby for the first time this past summer..it was a frightening experience) I love kids, and quite honestly they seem to love me as they always like to tackle me to the ground and wrestle with me..little boogers.. just don't want them anytime in the near future! I want to enjoy married life with her first, enjoy going on vacations with just her. Anyways, that was a fairly big tangent, I don't even know how I got to talking about this, but there you have it!

 

Thanks again to everyone for the great advice!! I got everything from financial advice, to vacation advice, to marital advice! All for free! What a deal!

 

P.S. - MrsPete - you hit the nail on the head.."Oh, the money I save by not being a coffee drinker" (AND by not being an alcohol drinker!)

[funfamilyfun]

Just an idea of how to present the cruise. I just saw this on a tv show. The man gave his wife a t-shirt. The woman thinks it is just a t-shirt...but on the back he had his itinerary printed for a trip to Paris!

[smurd83]

Just an idea of how to present the cruise. I just saw this on a tv show. The man gave his wife a t-shirt. The woman thinks it is just a t-shirt...but on the back he had his itinerary printed for a trip to Paris!

 

Not a bad idea! I don't know if she'd ever wear the shirt, but I like the idea of it!

[Hlitner]

I would echo most of what has been said and add a few other things. We generally cruise 5 or 6 times a year and have learned not to have any loyalty to a particular travel agent. We always shop around on the internet and have a "short list" of 6 different agencies we have used in the past few years. As to the Caribbean (I assume this is where you will go) or Bermuda, you can save a lot of money by avoiding any cruise line excursion/tour, which are always overpriced and a bit crowded for our taste. If you want to go to a beach on any of the islands, you can easily get there for less money by using public transportation (good option on Aruba) or taxis. In most of the Caribbean ports, there will be large taxis that organize according to your destination. Its generally very easy to join a group going to a certain beach. One difficult port is St Lucia because this island is quite large and many of the more popular sites (such as the twin Pitons) are quite far from the ship. An option we use on some islands is to simply rent a car which usually will cost us about $50 - $70 for the day. This is often cheaper than taking a crusie line tour to even a single beach, and it gives you lots of options. We will often rent cars in Barbados, St Thomes (traffic can be awful around Charlotte Amalie), Aruba and quite a few other islands. On St Maarten, its usually cheaper to just take a taxi to your preferred beach and use the water taxis to get to downtown Phillispburg. My suggestion would be to spend a little time in a large bookstore (such as Borders) reading about the various ports and your options. As others have said, avoiding alcohol can save you a lot of money on-board (we typcially spend over $50 per day on drinks and wine) although it also might hinder some of your fun. I would also suggest you don't get suckered into things like the Art Auctions, Bingo and the Casino.

 

Hank

[KT32]

A general idea for saving on wedding costs is to borrow anything you possibly can! I've lent my shoes and tiara to friends and borrowed a cake topper and decorative box (for the envelopes) for my own wedding.

 

We get most of our DVD's, books & magazines through the library for free - saves a bundle on a yearly basis. We also did a general looking over of where we spend money and where we could cut back - did we really read the newspaper every day, could we cut out some of our phone features, could we switch to less expensive cel phone plans...

 

We also started looking at how we could cut our utility costs - installed some inexpensive water saving fixtures, replaced most of our lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, unplug appliances/tv when we're not using them, hang dry clothes instead of using the dryer, etc - managed to cut back electricity by over 10%.

[MrsPete]

She still has no idea what we're doing or where we're going.

That's a personality-based question. For me, anticipating the trip is half the fun -- well, maybe not half, but you know what I mean. Only you know whether she'd love the surprise, or whether she'd be disappointed that she hadn't had time to familiarize herself with the ship, meet people online, etc.

I met with my dad's accountant yesterday and we drew up a retirement plan "estimate", which basically pointed out if we put in $200 every month, and were able to get a rate of 10%, we'd have a retirement fund of a little over $1,275,000 after 40 years...retirement, here I come!!

Hmmm. Does the accountant know much about teachers' retirement plans? In my state a teacher who's put in 30 years of service can -- at any age -- begin to draw a pension, which lasts for the rest of his or her life. I expect to begin to draw about $1800/month at age 56, which -- with a paid-for house and a middle-class lifestyle will go a long way. And I'll still have my own personal savings too.

My fiance brought the whole "having kids" topic back up from the vaults.

We waited four years, and it was perfect timing for us. We'd had enough time together "just us" to become established in our marriage, and we'd put aside enough for financial stability.

P.S. - MrsPete - you hit the nail on the head.."Oh, the money I save by not being a coffee drinker" (AND by not being an alcohol drinker!)

I think most teacher are naturally frugal. It's a matter of stopping to think instead of just spending as advertisers prompt you to spend.

[Merion_Mom]

I would also suggest you don't get suckered into things like the Art Auctions, Bingo and the Casino.

 

Hank

As long as you have no intention of buying anything (personal comment: YUCK!), attending the Art Auction can be one of the MOST AMUSING ways to spend time on a cloudy/cold sea day! ;)

[sicsinohio]

If you are in the Columbus area, check into flying out of other airports. We live inear Toledo, but to fly from there is expensive. Last time we flew to Miami, we flew out of Dayton...it was $200/pp cheaper, parking was cheaper, etc. AND we got non-stop flights at ideal times. Check Cleveland, Cincy, Dayton...you can easily offset the cost of the gas to get there if you find the right price.

 

If you drink the foo-foo umbrella drinks, ask for them in a "regular" glass rather than the souvenir glass, unless you really want to take that souvenir home. Soda is expensive...either pack it in your luggage or drink the iced tea and lemonade that are included in the price of your cruise.

 

Ship casinos are NOTORIOUSLY tight, especially the slots. If you're into gambling save your quarters for a riverboat in Cincinnati.

 

Research your ports and do your own thing when you get on shore. Walking, a taxi to the beach, etc. is cheaper than a ship excursion and exploring on your own can be fun, as long as you follow basic safety precautions - don't wear flashy/expensive jewelry, limit your cash, stay in safe areas, etc.

 

Skip the bingo, and don't buy the pictures on display in the picture gallery.

 

Skip Johnny Rocket's...the food isn't that great, but if you can, do splurge one night on Portofino's or Chops. the food and service are wonderful and a great value for the money.

 

Get a RCCL Visa card and use it to buy everyday items and make cruise payments. Then, pay it off every month. The points add up quickly and can be used for ship board credit or money off your cruise. This takes real discipline, but has been great for us.

 

DH is retired from Toledo Public Schools and I am a part-time public employee, so money isn't plentiful for us, either. But we love to cruise, and it can be done with some planning. Congratulations and good luck!

[negc]

I met with my dad's accountant yesterday and we drew up a retirement plan "estimate", which basically pointed out if we put in $200 every month, and were able to get a rate of 10%, we'd have a retirement fund of a little over $1,275,000 after 40 years...retirement, here I come!! Okay, it's still a long ways down the road, but maybe that'll be enough encouragement to keep me from spending any extra money on things I don't need.

 

Your dad's accountant may be being a bit optimistic with his estimate of an annual rate of 10% and he also may have neglected to mention that in 40 years that $1.275 million might not be as big a number as it seems right now. If you figure in inflation over that period, and try to figure what it would represent in 2006 dollars, you might get a more realistic idea of just how comfortable you would be able to live on the annual income from that amount. It is very good and advisable to plan for retirement while you are still in your prime earning years, but unfortunately not everyone reaches retirement age, and some of those who do have health concerns that affect just how much they can enjoy retirement. It is good to be prudent with your money, but don't be so frugal that you aren't able to enjoy the present. Don't deny yourselves some fun over the next 40 years in the hope that you can have that fun when you are older. :)

[Nancyquilts]

Glad to see you planning cruises while you are young.

The ship is happier if you have a credit card, and they can use it for your tips, so you don't need a lot of extra money there.

Before your cruise, it is useful to check out books from the library on your destinations - I make copies of the pages and maps I need, as the ship's maps only show the locations of Diamond International (okay, that's an exaggeration, but not much of one). As this is for one time personal use, and I prefer not to carry the library books with me, it doesn't seem to violate the copyright laws. Then using the books and the internet, you can plan where you'd like to visit. We would only take a ship's tour if we couldn't get to someplace exciting without it.

During the cruise, follow the above advice - stay out of the casino and bingo games, enjoy the art auction only for the entertainment (unless you have a motel that needs pictures). (IMHO).

You will probably get a nice picture on your honeymoon, so won't need to buy any more on future cruises (besides, the film won't be as good when you're older - it'll show more wrinkles!).

The water on the ship is quite drinkable.

Children aren't so bad (they're a great comfort in your old age, and also make you get there sooner). Nancy

[QM2 Cruiser]

I also have to agree with the posters who suggest shopping around for airfare. I live in the suburbs of Columbus, specifically Tartan Fields, and while I am not on a budget, I scrutinize airline pricing and schedules to find the best deal. I just can't see why I should spend more if I could spend less. Two times I have driven to Cincinnati to get on a plane bound for Florida that had a layover at CMH. Yes, I drove to Cincinnati to fly back to Columbus before flying to Fort Lauderdale. If I were to book only the leg between CMH and FLL, the price was $100 more per person! I made calls to find out why it costs more to fly a shorter distance, and a representative told me it was because Columbus is the capital and had a higher demand. Go figure! After all, Cincinnati’s airport handles more flights including non-stop international flights to Europe. I’ll never figure this one out….

 

Many cruisers have the attitude or strategy rather that when the price of your cruise goes down, you get an upgrade opportunity, or you get a "holiday bonus", you should splurge on your cruise and spend more money than you normally would. Why someone would do that is just absurd. If your cruise fare reduces by say $1,000, do not upgrade to get a better room. If you don't save the money you don't need to spend, what is the point of having that money at all?

 

Finally, never pay for a vacation with a loan, or extend the payment until the trip is over. This is the silliest thing I have known people to do in my entire life. If you can not afford to cruise for a year, take the year off and look forward to the next year. Although off topic, the same goes for house and car payments. Why buy a house for a $1.5 million and pay for it over ten or twenty years, when you can pay for a house that costs $750,000 in just five years?

 

Good luck, Happy Cruising, and Happy Holidays!

[MrsPete]

he also may have neglected to mention that in 40 years that $1.275 million might not be as big a number as it seems right now.

But, on the other hand, it's doubtful that the OP will continue to put only $200 per month towards his retirement for 40 years. $200/month may be reasonable for someone just out of school, but once his salary has risen, he'll likely put much more than that in his retirement account.

 

And 1.2 million might not be enough for retirement. My personal goal is considerably higher PLUS I have a pension.

[MrsPete]

I made calls to find out why it costs more to fly a shorter distance, and a representative told me it was because Columbus is the capital and had a higher demand . . .

Many cruisers have the attitude or strategy rather that when the price of your cruise goes down, you get an upgrade opportunity, or you get a "holiday bonus", you should splurge on your cruise and spend more money than you normally would.

We have a similar situation in our area. The big airport, which is an hour away from my house, is an international airport, and they command significantly higher prices. I can drive two hours to a smaller town and find lower prices. Hmm. An extra hour to save $100 x 4 family members.

 

I agree about the upgrade thing. If you were satisfied with a D1 when you booked, why would you "move up" to a JS just because the price went down? Why not keep what you already decided was adequate for your family, and have the extra cash?

[traveler/]

We have a similar situation in our area. The big airport, which is an hour away from my house, is an international airport, and they command significantly higher prices. I can drive two hours to a smaller town and find lower prices. Hmm. An extra hour to save $100 x 4 family members.

 

I agree about the upgrade thing. If you were satisfied with a D1 when you booked, why would you "move up" to a JS just because the price went down? Why not keep what you already decided was adequate for your family, and have the extra cash?

Maybe it is viewed as an opportunity to better the situation for a low cost and that is now a better value. I recently upgraded myself to a better category cabin (int.) for no money out because a discount rate made that category the same as 2 or 3 cat's lower. Interestingly enough, some cruisers don't just look for reduction in price, they look for upgrade within category.

[RCCLCARIB]

Try to go on off seasons and maybe on a smaller ship.........for example....the Freedom OTS is new and big....so the prices are huge and big.

[PEGLEG]

You could just stay home until you can afford to go on holiday.

[smurd83]

PEGLEG: I'm definitely not going to spend money on a vacation that I can't afford. However, I've travelled my entire life with my family, to say I'm going to take a break from it for a while...that just doesn't cut it for me. From what I've read from a lot of posters on here, where there is a will, there is a way.

 

MrsPete: True. 1.2 million may not be enough for retirement, but that would be my seperate retirement fund from the one I'd get from being a teacher, assuming I go that route. The other route I'm looking at possibly going is performing with a military band, particularly the Air Force or Navy bands. If I get my way into one of those, and decide I like it, I could stay and retire after 20 years and keep getting the same pay check I've been getting the past 20 years for the rest of my life (from what I hear anyways...haven't verified it yet) Either way, this would just be our own retirement fund, seperate from our work-related retirement (assuming that wherever we end up working has a retirement plan set in place).

 

I also agree with you that we would end up putting more into it eventually once things get more situated and what not.

 

QM2 Cruiser: If I could ever afford a $750,000 house, I would be on cloud 9. I'd say my goal is to afford a $175,000 once we get our jobs in place and everything. Unfortunately, I don't think with both of us being teachers/performers we'll ever reach that $750k, but that's alright. It's not a necessity!

 

negc: Way to put a dampener on things! geesh! :) You're correct, he didn't happen to mention inflation or anything of that sort, but that was just our first meeting and he was just showing us a sample of what we could do be starting our retirement so early. That is all.

[negc]

PEGLEGe a break from it for a while...that just doesn't cut it for me. From what I've read from a lot of posters on here, where there is a will, there is a way.

 

MrsPete: True. 1.2 million may not be enough for retirement, but that would be my seperate retirement fund from the one I'd get from being a teacher, assuming I go that route. The other route I'm looking at possibly going is performing with a military band, particularly the Air Force or Navy bands. If I get my way into one of those, and decide I like it, I could stay and retire after 20 years and keep getting the same pay check I've been getting the past 20 years for the rest of my life (from what I hear anyways...haven't verified it yet) Either way, this would just be our own retirement fund, seperate from our work-related retirement (assuming that wherever we end up working has a retirement plan set in place).

 

I also agree with you that we would end up putting more into it eventually once things get more situated and what not.

 

QM2 Cruiser: If I could ever afford a $750,000 house, I would be on cloud 9. I'd say my goal is to afford a $175,000 once we get our jobs in place and everything. Unfortunately, I don't think with both of us being teachers/performers we'll ever reach that $750k, but that's alright. It's not a necessity!

 

negc: Way to put a dampener on things! geesh! :) You're correct, he didn't happen to mention inflation or anything of that sort, but that was just our first meeting and he was just showing us a sample of what we could do be starting our retirement so early. That is all.

 

I didn't mean to put a dampener on things, but I can remember hearing stories (usually from someone pushing a particular annuity or pension program) that made similar promises based on unrealistic earnings rates and totally ignoring the fact that values change over the years. I know that when I was your age, I would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven if I were ever to earn the income that I was making at the end of my career. When I reached that time, however, prices had risen to the point that my level of income, while comfortable, did not allow the extravagant level of living that I would have thought it would thirty or forty years earlier. I also don't think you should lower your current standard of living too far in order to bank it for the future, and am glad that you aren't going to drastically change your life style and take a break from travel and other interests. It is always wise to plan for the future but it has to be a well-thought out plan, that allows you to enjoy the present while making sure that you won't suffer in the future. Have a great honeymoon cruise.:)

[FloridaFan]

We always budget for the trip before doing anything else. This keeps us from buying all the extras we're tempted to get. For example, we'd love to stay at a fancy hotel the night before departure, but if we haven't put it in our budget and don't want to trade-off something else, we stay somewhere a little cheaper. It's our little reality check, although the budget isn't written in stone.

 

Another suggestion is to keep in mind what is most important to you both. For example, my DH and I are going to Alaska this summer. We wanted to spend as much time there as possible, so we booked an inside cabin as a trade-off for extra days. It's impossible to get everything you want, so just remember what you want most, and go for that.

 

After a few cruises, my DH and I have found that some things bring us a lot of pleasure (a romantic sunset drink on our last day) and some things don't (for us, the casinos). You and your fiancee will have a wonderful time finding out those things together.

[French_Fry]

Once you have a house and kids, etc. you'll be lucky to put 200 bucks away a month.

 

And IMHO save for what to die 6 months after turning 65?

 

My father in law scrimped and saved and went without working 40 + hour weeks every week of his life as was dead within 7 -8 months of turning 65.

 

Now I don't say spend it all, you need to save some for the rainy day and the future, but you do not have to worry so much like you seem to be doing.

 

You sound very well grounded with money, you also need to have a good time while you are young as well.

 

And as an accountant earning 10% on your money means you are giong to be taking some risk with your principal.

 

At least at this time. No bank has a CD with a 10% rate that I know of. And if you find it please let us know!

[MrsPete]

Maybe it is viewed as an opportunity to better the situation for a low cost and that is now a better value. I recently upgraded myself to a better category cabin (int.) for no money out because a discount rate made that category the same as 2 or 3 cat's lower. Interestingly enough, some cruisers don't just look for reduction in price, they look for upgrade within category.

I guess people look at it differently. For me, I'd have already chosen the room that'd best suit my family's needs, so I wouldn't be looking for a "better value" -- I'd be looking to keep what I'd already chosen . . . at a better price!

I didn't mean to put a dampener on things, but I can remember hearing stories (usually from someone pushing a particular annuity or pension program) that made similar promises based on unrealistic earnings rates and totally ignoring the fact that values change over the years.

Perhaps mileage varies, but my retirement savings have vastly outperformed my expectations. If you'd told me when I was 22 and just out of college that I'd live in a paid-for house and be as comfortable as we are . . . well, I wouldn't have believed you.

Once you have a house and kids, etc. you'll be lucky to put 200 bucks away a month . . . And IMHO save for what to die 6 months after turning 65?

I disagree. I have a house and kids (and all the expenses that go with those things), and I save much more than $200/month. Believe me, though, it's not luck or a big paycheck (I'm a teacher, and my husband is in the research field); it's planning and frugal living.

 

And I expect to live longer than six months after retirement! I anticipate retiring at age 57. The women in my family tend to live well into their 90s. If I don't save, I'll be in serious trouble!

[French_Fry]

I guess people look at it differently. For me, I'd have already chosen the room that'd best suit my family's needs, so I wouldn't be looking for a "better value" -- I'd be looking to keep what I'd already chosen . . . at a better price!

Perhaps mileage varies, but my retirement savings have vastly outperformed my expectations. If you'd told me when I was 22 and just out of college that I'd live in a paid-for house and be as comfortable as we are . . . well, I wouldn't have believed you.I disagree. I have a house and kids (and all the expenses that go with those things), and I save much more than $200/month. Believe me, though, it's not luck or a big paycheck (I'm a teacher, and my husband is in the research field); it's planning and frugal living.

 

And I expect to live longer than six months after retirement! I anticipate retiring at age 57. The women in my family tend to live well into their 90s. If I don't save, I'll be in serious trouble!

 

Good luck.

 

What will you do for health insurance until you are 65 & are ready for Medicare?