The Terrible Economy and Cruising

[bobbyleduck]

Wow, milk is cheap in Oregon. Here in the Phoenix area (where I am at currently) milk is over $3/gal approaching $4. I have checked at Albertsons, Frys, Safeway, and Walmart. I stand corrected.

 

One more correction. Safeway has milk on sale - 2 gallons for $6. That is $3/gallon to me. And that is the sale price!

 

We must have "Happier" cows in Oregon. Safeway's "Everyday Value Price" for milk is 2 gallons for $4.98, but Thriftway has it at $1.99 and Fred Meyer (Kroger) has it for $1.00 a half gallon. The grocery stores rarely go more than one advertising cycle without milk for $2 a gallon or less. Two weeks ago I paid $1.59 a gallon (and that was Whole milk) after all coupon savings.

 

Happy cruising to all who can still afford to cruise (and fly)!

 

Bob

[tada]

I'm sorry, but in what world do people pay more for milk than for gasoline? See the story below (Yes, that's me!) for more information:

 

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080618/NEWS0107/806180317

 

Happy cruising to all who can still afford to cruise (and fly)!

 

Bob

 

By the way, two of our local stores have milk advertised at either $1.99 a gallon (1%, 2%, skim & whole), or $1.00 per 1/2 gallon for the same, plus chocolate milk and orange juice.

 

That was a nice article. You really work hard at saving money. I do scan the ads every week, and sometimes I do find a coupon that helps. Kudos to you for your diligence. Peace.

[bobbyleduck]

That was a nice article. You really work hard at saving money. I do scan the ads every week, and sometimes I do find a coupon that helps. Kudos to you for your diligence. Peace.

 

You have some lovely cruises on your horizon, so you must be doing something correctly.

 

Happy cruising to all who can still afford to cruise (and fly)!

 

Bob

[*Luv2Cruz*]

Driving to the port and traveling with a CC Group is going to help us!:D

[JayinAZ]

I love to travel anywhere and have a hobby of researching vacations (a little obsession of mine) and there really isn't a cheaper vacation for a family than a cruise, considering everything is included. I have priced out Vegas for our family of 4 and it came out to $3400.00 for everything. Our last cruise cost us $2800.00. The big secret is research, book early and be willing to cut back. We originally booked a 7 day cruise for 2009 but because of the economy changed it to a six day cruise and saved $600.00.

 

I also do a lot of research on any big purchase including vacations and I'm still sticking with the cruise. I'm sure all of us here would love to hear any other bargain vacations if there are any that are comparable to a cruise. I just booked a weekend Carnival cruise out of LA and used the website where they compete for your business- not sure if we're allowed to post websites, but it was 15% less than the advertised price at Carnival's website.

Jay

[punkidoodle]

With the current uncertainty in the airline industry, we opted out of flying to San Juan next April and will be sailing out of Florida instead....all ports just a short drive away.

[ChevyCruiser]

With gas prices going up and up, people losing their jobs and unemployment at a all time rise since 1986, is the cruise industry hurting? * Has this terrible economy put a damper on your vacation plans for this year or next. Things have got to get better I NEED a cruise and I won't be sailing anywhere this year. I am saving for a 2009 cruise and I do hope it works out.

 

 

Unemployment is actually running around 5.5%. Not bad when you consider it hit around 11% in 1980. 1980 was about the same time home mortgages were running 14-15%. Maybe the good ole days weren't so good after all.

 

For gas prices, some of us can remember 1970 when gas was 35 cents a gallon. However, back then I had a hard time scraping up enough cash to fill the tank. I was driving a muscle car and it got around 7-8 MPG.

 

Today, gas is around $4.00 a gallon, I can afford to fill the tank whenever I need to and my car is averaging 24-28 MPG.

 

Dollar for dollar, cruising is the best value around for your vacation.

 

JMHO

[cruiselover57]

We are already locked into our Europe cruise this November and I am grateful because I fear our cruising will have to be curtailed over the next several years due to the perfect storm of: DD's braces (just put them on); DD's college fund; DD's car that she thinks she getting for her 16th birthday (which she won't) and the insurance that she will be getting (on my car), not to mention the recent increases in gas, groceries and electricity!!! :eek:

 

I'd get a second job, but I am already tired being a single working parent...which makes me want to cruise even more :(

 

In short, yes, our cruising will most likely be adversely affected.

 

My 2nd job doing part-time bartending and catering pays for my cruising habit! Try doing focus groups, on-line surveys - anything that pays you cash so that way, you'll have that extra $$ for cruising! Our trip to the Med. in 4 weeks is 100% paid for by all that odd-ball stuff I do!

 

Laurie

[mom2girls]

My 2nd job doing part-time bartending and catering pays for my cruising habit! Try doing focus groups, on-line surveys - anything that pays you cash so that way, you'll have that extra $$ for cruising! Our trip to the Med. in 4 weeks is 100% paid for by all that odd-ball stuff I do!

 

Laurie

 

I'd like to do focus groups. How does one go about doing that? I've tried doing online surveys, but it didn't really amount to much. I'm a single mother of 2, so if I get a second job I'd like to do one at home so I don't have to pay child care.

[woodards]

Today, gas is around $4.00 a gallon, I can afford to fill the tank whenever I need to and my car is averaging 24-28 MPG.

 

Dollar for dollar, cruising is the best value around for your vacation.

 

JMHO

 

Have read most of the posts in this thread with great interest as the declining economy is really starting to pinch in the UK. I am currently paying over $9 a gallon (£1.30 per litre), don't drive a monster truck (get about 40-45 mpg) but it is still costs me over $150 a week to run!!

 

Agree with ChevyCruiser completely, cruising is still the best value for money for us even if it does mean inflated air fares to the US. Euro is so strong against the £ that travelling in Europe is now very expensive for us, add in high VAT and expensive hotel a Euro cruise costs us as much if not more than an equilvalent length Carib. cruise. One thing that is working in our favour at the moment is the strong £ against the $ both in spending whilst in the US but also recenty we booked the cruise from the US rather than UK.

 

Get this ncl.co.uk price was nearly $900 more than ncl.com price!!!

 

Happy cruising.

[rebeljohn]

With the economy the way it is, the wife and I decided that a lifestyle change would be better than cutting out our cruises/vacations. Since she doesn't have a job that pays(she takes care of her elderly father, and grandkids, I call her a social worker), we made cutbacks to our lifestyle. Stopped eating out, buy our clothes from Goodwill, plan our trips to the stores to maximize gas, etc. The savings have let us keep our cruises, and we have plans to share a ride to Ft. Lauderdale in Nov. It is amazing what you can save, when you set your mind to it..............

[Kruzrazkal]

I'm just waiting to see what develops before I book a cruise for 2009. The major obstacles are that I don't live near any port, (meaning I have to fly to a port,) and that my wages are not increasing at all amid the inflation of travel costs. I already have conservative spending habits. I want to see whether cut backs with airlines settle down. Will I even get a decent flight schedule?Then I'll have to see if I can get a good deal on cruise fare. I most certainly won't be considering Europe.

[EGG]

I didn't think that I would answer this thread. But in deciding on our next cruise, I was astonished at the price of air tickets. I was looking at Australia, and a Panama Canal cruise that had debarkation in Mexico (gasp!).

 

I still think cruises are an economical vacation, especially since we are happy with inside cabins and we don't drink. So our next cruise will be from/to U.S. ports to keep the airfare within reason. We might even leave from our homeport (NJ/NY) again.

[*Luv2Cruz*]

I didn't think that I would answer this thread. But in deciding on our next cruise, I was astonished at the price of air tickets. I was looking at Australia, and a Panama Canal cruise that had debarkation in Mexico (gasp!).

 

I still think cruises are an economical vacation, especially since we are happy with inside cabins and we don't drink. So our next cruise will be from/to U.S. ports to keep the airfare within reason. We might even leave from our homeport (NJ/NY) again.

 

We're doing the same thing. Leaving from NYC. On our last cruise, luckily I had some frequent flyer miles. znut either way, going to Bermuda again out of NYC is always a good thing!:D Can't wait for #4!!;)

[KsLs185]

We are doing the same thing. Just booked a European cruise for Nov 09. That gives us plenty of time to save, even if it's only $100-200 a month. Going in the off season makes much more sense for our work schedules as well as saving money and going without the heat and crowds. We're so excited!

 

We are thinking of cruising next year to Europe too. I have an account that I save money every week, even if it is $100 and I have been saving for 2 years. I also may have to cruise after the high season of summer to save some money. Wish me luck and hope I get a good price and it works out.:) I am glad you have a 5 day cruise coming up it is better than no cruise at all Enjoy!!! And then you still have the January cruise to look forward to. Have a ball. Who know how many more will be in our future if things still continue in this downfall. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[VABeachPeach]

We just booked a cruise for April 2009 for four. However, we will drive the 14 plus hours to Florida rather than risk the airlines. Will bring our own wine and take pictures with our own camera. We had originally booked a Med cruise last fall for last month but cancelled because of airfare. My friends in the UK are getting hit hard by rising costs too. The days of Europe on 40 dollars a day are gone.

[tdogcruiser]

With the economy the way it is, the wife and I decided that a lifestyle change would be better than cutting out our cruises/vacations. Since she doesn't have a job that pays(she takes care of her elderly father, and grandkids, I call her a social worker), we made cutbacks to our lifestyle. Stopped eating out, buy our clothes from Goodwill, plan our trips to the stores to maximize gas, etc. The savings have let us keep our cruises, and we have plans to share a ride to Ft. Lauderdale in Nov. It is amazing what you can save, when you set your mind to it..............

 

Yes it is...that is exactly what we are doing, basically enjoying our backyard and growing vegetables in our garden to can, cutting out most discretionary spending (is that even in anyones vocabulary anymore?) to be able to take one vacation a year (cruise, if possible). I stay at home too and take care of my elderly father in law and my husband's teacher's salary doesn't go very far but we are sailing in less than 3 weeks, who knows when or if our next cruise will be.

[IL2Crz]

Curious, I was reading through the post and found some interesting cost savings. What I didn't see was anything to assist with the cost of rising airfare and thought I would provide a suggestion. If you have a charge card that can be used for mileage points...use it to pay your bills..i.e. electric, phone, etc. Then pay the card each month as you would your utilities..You can even do this for mortgage and/or rent payments. As long as you are diligent and pay the card each month, you will not incur interest and will be paying your bills as usual. and cashing in on mileage points. Hope this suggestion helps

[lincolndog]

There are eight of us driving the twenty hours to Fort Lauderdale this winter. Yes, it will be tight and lengthy but we still get to go. Gas will be expensive but not what the price of airfare will be.

[*Luv2Cruz*]

No flying for our next one!;) Just a hop, skip, and a jump to NYC to Bermuda!:D

[krznkim]

Usually cruise in the month of January, we have for the past 3 Januarys, and will do so this January (because it is already booked and paid for) however, after this next cruise we are going to go every other January. It is just getting crazy with the prices and all. I might have to look into other kinds of vacations as well.

[rcacace]

As long as we don't have to fly to the ship I'll continue to cruise which for us it means leaving form Florida. With airline cost out of sight plus the hassle of limited luggage, extra charges & delays it doesn't make it enjoyable any longer. We were considering a European cruise when you add in the air fare it's to rich for us to consider.

[mtncouple]

Curious, I was reading through the post and found some interesting cost savings. What I didn't see was anything to assist with the cost of rising airfare and thought I would provide a suggestion. If you have a charge card that can be used for mileage points...use it to pay your bills..i.e. electric, phone, etc. Then pay the card each month as you would your utilities..You can even do this for mortgage and/or rent payments. As long as you are diligent and pay the card each month, you will not incur interest and will be paying your bills as usual. and cashing in on mileage points. Hope this suggestion helps

 

I use my credit card for most everything and pay it off every month. I recently cashed in for $600 (cash limit per year) and put it into my cruise account. I still have 5 months before my Panama cruise. From now until I leave I will be building up my points again and will get gift cards from several stores so that we can buy clothes, etc. I'm getting new flooring throughout the house and put that on the card and then I will pay it off when I get the next bill. Even though I have the cash to buy something I put it on the card. That $600 plus our $1200 government stimulus check pays for half of our 14 day cruise with an extended 4 day stayover. Plus we can drive to port (about 8 hours). There are 3 ports in CA that I can drive to.

I've priced other vacations and it still is cheaper for the 2 of us to cruise and I love it!:D

[Cruz4us4]

If you're willing to spend a little more time on your computer than usual, you can still find great deals. It may sound terrible, but as far as the travel industry, we aren't seeing a huge difference in the economy over last year.....it just takes a bit more work to get the trips put together.

 

My husband travels a lot and the planes he's on are always full. I tried to book a rental car in a major western city for this weekend and the major car company had no cars. My travel agent said she can't keep up with the demand for cruises and resorts.

 

I purchased 4 tickets to a major US theme park for $76 under the park's online price. About a month ago I saw airline tickets to San Juan for less than $250 roundtrip on a major carrier. At the beginning of this week they had only risen $10, for dates that are in Sept.

 

Here's what I do......Look at what deals your credit card company is running. If you need airline tickets, check all of the discount and airline sites on a regular basis. I check sites a couple of times a week if I'm planning a trip. It only takes a few minutes and can save you hundreds of $. Look at websites that post the lowest price for gas near your home or work, or travel detination and always, always, look for the "special" or "deals" tab on websites. Sometimes they're not in an obvious place, but often they will be the only spot on the website you can get deals.

 

When renting cars, check back just before your trip and see if the price has dropped. A car I had rented in July dropped $10 a day within a few days of my trip!

 

Although this may not be feasible for everyone, (and I'm not too choosy about which cabin I book), I watch prices for cruises within 90 days of sailing. Last Oct. I got an inside cabin for 4 of us on an RC 5 day cruise for $169 each. We don't normally stay in an inside cabin, but that was too good to pass up.

 

And last, sign up for e-newsletters from car rental companies, travel companies, hotels, airlines, etc. You will often learn about deals before others hear about it. (That was the key to the $169 cruise.) If you stay in one brand of hotel on a regular basis, sign up for their loyalty programs and earn free stays.

 

It really comes down to keeping an eye out on a regular basis instead of sitting down a couple of times and being frustrated by what's available just then. If you save money in one place, you have more for cruises!

 

Hey, Cruise Critic has saved me hundreds of $ from their tips. Discussion boards, coupon sites, etc will help you, too!

 

Happy Travels!

[bigwally]

We put off a planned Baltic cruise this year in favor of a land vacation at an AI in Mexico. It seemed like the only really good value for our vacation dollar.

 

But now the $ has started to gain against both the £ and the € (quite rapidly at that!), we're back on for 2009 with the hope that it's going to be really strong again come next spring.

 

I would love to see $1.45-$1.50 = £1 and €1,00 = $1.20(ish). Since the UK seems to be about 6 months behind us when it comes to their own little recession, and I don't think that Europe is in that much better shape, it seems possible.