My children say no more cruises. What

[Tabsmom]

Said another way... I had some stock options come due... so I took the family to Maui for 3 1/2 weeks... and the whole trip, for a family of five,including airfare, was $8500. We are talking having a condo directly on the beach in West Maui and eating and drinking well. However, we did not spend money on excursions... except for three 2-tank 6 SCUBA dives at $60 each I did.

 

Wow, sounds like your the rich one to me. I couldn't imaging paying $8500 for any vacation. No way can 3 weeks in Hawaii be less than my 7 day cruise. $2700 (for 3 of us) cruise, air, presail hotel is definitely a lot less than $8500.

[Catnip]

Time to leave them home with relatives and bring them a tee-shirt!

 

Sounds like a good plan!

[Catnip]

We arnt part of that 'in debt' society. If you cant pay cash for it, you cant have it.

 

I feel the same way........I was raised to pay cash for everything. If you couldn't afford it, you didn't do it until you could afford it. It's called budgeting and planning ahead and saving your money.

[Catnip]

Sell them to the gypsys and go on your cruise.

 

 

I burst out laughing when I read this!!!!!!! :) I think it should get the post-of-the-day award!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[Catnip]

sorry for the double post..........board is a little slow today

[DqALEX]

Time to leave them home with relatives and bring them a tee-shirt!

Thats what I would do. Leave them with and aunt that can't cook and bring them back a tee shirt

[eponym]

can I do? We took them on 2 back to back one year apart and they loved both. When we got home we asked them when they would like to go on another and they said they don't want to. The older one said he got bored doing the same thing each day.

 

Is there anything I can do or say to them to change their minds?

 

Take them to a working dude ranch for vacation one year for 2 weeks.

[truecruiser]

take them on a shorter cruise! two B2Bs are long. kids aren't interested in relaxing. it must get boring for them at some point, esp since camp carnival probably repeats, on the second leg, everything they did on the first leg.

[Homosassa]

LOL - guess I can't relate. DD always traveled with us on our vacations and, now, as an independent 23 yo working adult, still asks what we are doing for a family vacation.

 

By the way, she has just booked her first cruise for herself and a female friend [after putting in the maximum amount allowed in her 401(k)].

[Thatmom]

I second leaving them home with Grandma.

 

 

We have been doing that... and it's wonderful to have each other all alone for a whole week...:)

 

 

I vote for leaving them home and taking GRANDMA!!!!

Carla ( a GRANDMA)

[CBussey64]

I'm not knocking what you spend... But I have a hard time believing that most of the folks who spend a lot on vacation can actually afford it in the long run.

 

Yes... maybe I could afford to take my kids too if I didn't add to my 401K.

 

But you have to admit...that $20K is likely about 50% of take-home pay for many... not gross pay... but take home pay.

 

I make a good living... but honestly... I don't know where folks come up with the money unless they are not saving for retirement... or the like. I have to believethat most do not have goof financial skills... or they wouldn't be spending over their heads.

 

 

Said another way... I had some stock options come due... so I took the family to Maui for 3 1/2 weeks... and the whole trip, for a family of five,including airfare, was $8500. We are talking having a condo directly on the beach in West Maui and eating and drinking well. However, we did not spend money on excursions... except for three 2-tank 6 SCUBA dives at $60 each I did.

 

Frankly I don't think people can't afford to NOT take a vacation ... with all the stress that life gives us everyone needs a mental break and how we get there well really is each individual's decision ... I'm a firm believer in vacations ... I take one every fall with my best friend to Vegas / Laughlin or Phoenix while my husband hunts and now we have a cruise and then he and I take many mini vacations to a cabin in the mountains to get away. It saves our sanity!!!!

[VentureMan_2000]

Wow, sounds like your the rich one to me. I couldn't imaging paying $8500 for any vacation. No way can 3 weeks in Hawaii be less than my 7 day cruise. $2700 (for 3 of us) cruise, air, presail hotel is definitely a lot less than $8500.

 

 

That's $900 per person per week.(I'm assuming you $2700 does not includes cocktails and sodas and excursions and photos and other purchases). For a family of 5, that would be $4500 for a week. The Hawaii trip was still less expensive per day than a cruise. I'm also assuming you have an inside cabin, for the price you mention.

 

Yes... I could have spent less than $8500 if I opted for the inside category version of a condo in Hawaii... could have shaved off another $800.

 

And yes... $8500 is... and was... a lot of money. I received a one-time payout from work and decided to blow it all on a once in a lifetime vacation. I don't expect to be able to do that again... :D

 

Still don't see how folks can afford to cruise as a family. I haven't been able to get it any lower than $1000 per person (7 day cruise)... and thats with cramming 5 into a cabin... and it doesn't include cocktails or soda cards... :eek:

[szdiver]

We usually get 3 cruises a year......one in January for just the two of us, one in May for just us two and the big one (10-15 day) in fall for the family. Then we do a 3 or 4 night land based somewhere away from home. It isn't as expensive as you might think - look at all the 75% off cruises and there are a lot of them to consider.

[123KIA456]

Hello:

 

Maybe if you plan another cruise, you could find out thru these boards,

how many other children that are your children's age going, that may share the same interest. My children are 12 & 16, this will be their 2nd time going, it will be me and my husband's 9th time. Last time 38 of us

went (family & friends). This time 40 of us will sail on the Valor in August.

Thankfully, there will be 10 children of all ages. Another option will

be to allow them to bring a friend if possible. Good Luck, and I hope it

works out for you.

[truecruiser]

i still say skip the B2B next time and do one cruise, either 5,6 or 7 day where the CC activities will be different each day.

[restasured]

We've been on RCCL and Carnival and my kids believe Camp Carnival is miles ahead of RCCL kid's explorer club.

 

LOL We have taken our kids and grandkids on several cruises and the grandkids like RCCL much more than Carnival, and the kids do as well. Carnival only lets you drop the kids off in 2 hour spurts. With RCCL you can take them in the morning and pick them up in the evening. The grandkids like it because the kids they meet and befriend get to hang around and play all day and not be interrupted several times a day. They have kid meals on RCCL for the kids and on Carnival they have you pick them up and you either go to the buffet for kid type stuff or have been in the dining room not wanting to be there.

[halos]

Frankly I don't think people can't afford to NOT take a vacation ... with all the stress that life gives us everyone needs a mental break and how we get there well really is each individual's decision ... I'm a firm believer in vacations ... !!!!

 

I agree whole heartedly.

My parents NEVER took vacations. I vowed to take as many as I could.

My Dad died unexpectedly very young, and my Mom still sits around and does nothing even though she has the means to travel a LOT...I don't get it.

I don't plan to leave this earth unitl I've seen most of it. :D

[restasured]

I asked a honest question... I believe you must make a lot of money to afford this, and save up for retirement. Let me ask another way... what percentage of your net income do you spend on family vacations each year...?

 

I spend about 10 - 15% on vacations a year. I save in my 401k 21% matched by 6%. And though I won't live in a castle when I retire, at least when I retire, I won't have to sit back on my rocker and say "I sure wish I would have done that when I was younger". I know 2 people that save just about every penny they can so they can retire early (55). That is okay for them but they don't do anything other go to work and back home. BORING in the main sense of the word. I also have had several friends that both have saved much of what they earn and some that spent about everything they earned that died in car/motorcycle wrecks, heart attackes, etc and won't see retirement. Guess in that case it may not make much difference whether they saved or not, but some saw and did much more than others. Like eating dessert before dinner. I would sure hate to think I ate a bunch of green beans and spinich for dinner and died before I got to my Strawberry Cheesecake. So eat your dessert first!!

[restasured]

I am there with you on this. What a relief not living my life in debt. It sounds like you are way better off than I am financially but I still only pay cash for everything. If I don't have the cash I don't buy it. I've had to learn the hard way to live like this.

 

When I first married that was what I told my wife. That last all the way up till I wanted to buy a car. We bought a used one a few times but started paying as much for monthly repairs as a new car payment so the "cash only" thing went out the window. Same with a house, not many can save up $200k and pay cash. For incidentals I am 100% with you. I charge everything I buy on a single credit card and pay one bill a month. I get an airline ticket at least once a year by doing this also. So not only pay no interest I get to fly to Vegas or wherever on their $$.

[restasured]

I agree. Until the day comes that people are asking him for "his" money to go on vacation, what difference does it make to him what other people do?

I sincerely doubt a family who has only one income from costco is taking cruises every year. They are probably lucky to be able to eat, much less cruise.

my own thought is that cruising is the cheapest family vacation you can take.

 

I agree. We are going on the Conquest in September and the cost for our daughter, son in law and 2 grandkids (under 12) is only $1450 for an inside cabin. We way I cipher it, $1450 x 3.5 = $5075 and if you throw in one more kid in the cabin, which is possible it would be another $300 x 3.5. So still have over 2 grand to spend on whatever as opposed to 3 1/2 weeks on Maui. I have to add the $75 a week for parking so knock that down to about $1800. I live about 40 minutes away from the port in Galveston. I could live on a cruise ship after retirement, and probably cheaper than living on land!!

[deborahjo]

Glad I didn't have you as a parent:rolleyes:

 

No it is a parent is a parent. When my parents decided to go some place we had to go or stay with grandparents. We were the children, they were the parents. I see nothing wrong with this.

 

My parents took one week a year with us children and one week for themselves. I see nothing wrong with this either.

 

My sons when they were living at home never questioned going on vacation. They loved going. Of course we planned our vacations together. That way no one got bored. We discussed where we were going and what we could do there. They had some say in things.

 

I guess if you call this bad parenting then go ahead I do not. But few of their friends have been on 3 cruises and Disneyworld several times. I call those pretty darn good vacations.

[CBussey64]

Personally I think any amount of money spent on a vacation is well spent money ... with all the stressors life brings each and every one of us ... plus I work on an oncology floor so I see tragedy strike without warning and people never getting to live their lives .... enjoy it while you can. How people spend their money doesn't concern me, that they do it and enjoy life, that's what is important. :)

[cruisecastle]

You all must be rich...

 

 

It would be waaaaaayyyyyyy less expensive to to take the family two or three weeks in Hawaii than a week on a cruise...

 

 

I'd love to know how much y'all make in a year... or if maybe you are spending all your retirement money now (i.e., not saving hardly any)... :cool:

 

NO way going to Hawaii is less than a cruise. No Way! I'm doing Hawaii this year in June and it's going to cost much more than a 7 night mexican or caribbean cruise with a balcony cabin. Also I don't think you can judge what people spend on their vacations unless you know all their details. Incomes vary greatly depending on where you live and what you do. Spending 30k a year on vacations is easy for some and more than others make

[Anne34]

That's $900 per person per week.(I'm assuming you $2700 does not includes cocktails and sodas and excursions and photos and other purchases). For a family of 5, that would be $4500 for a week. The Hawaii trip was still less expensive per day than a cruise. I'm also assuming you have an inside cabin, for the price you mention.

 

Yes... I could have spent less than $8500 if I opted for the inside category version of a condo in Hawaii... could have shaved off another $800.

 

And yes... $8500 is... and was... a lot of money. I received a one-time payout from work and decided to blow it all on a once in a lifetime vacation. I don't expect to be able to do that again... :D

 

Still don't see how folks can afford to cruise as a family. I haven't been able to get it any lower than $1000 per person (7 day cruise)... and thats with cramming 5 into a cabin... and it doesn't include cocktails or soda cards... :eek:

 

 

We also have a family of 5 and have cruised a couple times. We have also done all-inclusives and Disney multiple times. Cruising is not any more expensive than those options. I am also a stay at home mom (who just started subbing at my children's school -- making only a few hundred this year). We easily spend $7 or 8000 per vacation. But that also includes all the extra things we do while there.

 

Personally, I can't imagine spending 3 1/2 weeks in Hawaii and only going scuba diving a few times!!! How boring -- there are so many other things to do there that cost money. I would want to see something of the area -- it would probably be comparable to shore excursions on the cruise. You need to compare apples with apples. These comparisons are way off.

[dyslexic pirate]

My daughter (16) didn't want to go on our last cruise. Said she would be bored etc. After several conversations it really came down to the fact that she wasn't looking forward to the teenage cliques that form on board. She had a good point. So we just scheduled fun excursions and figured out some fun ways for her to spend her time with friendly people and pretty much avoid the teen center altogether. (she's a beautiful "cowgirl" who says she doesn't fit in with what she called the "prissy girls") I didn't fight her on this subject because I didn't expect her to have to be more self conscious than she already is at 16.

 

We had a great time! Maybe it's the fear of being forced to go to the kids programs or deal with the whole teen culture thing that's making the OP's kids not want to cruise.

 

(for the record - we cruise as a family, use discounts/group rates/credit card points etc. have great investment property/investments/stocks/own land & home, we both work, DH makes great money but I make even more:) and we save money whenever we can. We make cutting out useless spending kind of a game and put the money that's saved towards cruising.)

 

Smooth sailing!