CRUISE ADDICTS- How much is your yearly vacation bill?

[leighuf]

I adore cruising! I have a wish list of sorts . . . I'm hoping to win my husband over on cruising. He enjoys it too, but I think I love it more.:rolleyes:

 

Anyway . . . for those of you who sail yearly or more than once a year, how much do you spend yearly on cruising?

 

Include price of cruise ticket, flight (if applicable), on board expenses, and off board expenses.

 

Do you buy early and slowly pay off OR is everyone RICH?:D

 

I was just curious.

[jstducky]

on my two cruises this year, i spent about $2000 total. that includes a flight from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale, and also a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. we had oceanview staterooms on both cruises. if you're wondering why $2000 sounds a little low for 2 cruises, its because my cruise in July was FREE! or else my total vacation spending would have been much higher!

 

in 2003 i also went on two cruises (neith of which was free :( ) and i spent approximately $3500-$4000 on both cruises and that was with airfare from Los Angeles to Hawaii for one and Los Angeles to Vancouver for the other.

 

geez.... this vacation stuff is expensive!

 

i only get 2 weeks of vacation a year and traveling is important to me. so i save up so that i have the money to travel. i wish i was rich. if i was, i'd cruise even more!

[troden]

Having only cruised only in the Royal Suite, we spent in excess of $30,000.00 this year on our three cruises. Two booked for next year, one on the Brilliance and one on the HAL Westerdam. The HAL PS cost us $22,000.00 for a ten day Baltic alone. You can't take it with you!!!!

[bUU]

Last five years: $3462, $3201, *, $2628, $4831.

 

2001 included a Grand Tour of Egypt, which was (ahem) very expensive. :(

[Seaside2358]

Bicker, of course you would have it down to the dollar...:rolleyes:

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

OMG.....I don't even want to know!

Yes, we know, but we try not to think about it....if we can afford to go, we go.

 

 

 

***

[magicolor_girl]

I'll guess around $3500 for cruises this year. That includes 3 balconies, 2 RT flights to Miami, and money spent onboard... Tho it's just a guess since I haven't left on the third one yet... :rolleyes:

[LindaO]

I don't want to add it up... We pay as we go... and we usually go in suites... (Royal, Owner's or Grand).... and we fly first class.... You can't take it with you!!! And... I don't plan on leaving a dime behind!!!

[MszKitty]

OMG.....I don't even want to know!

Yes, we know, but we try not to think about it....if we can afford to go, we go.

***

I'm with you...I don't want to really think about it. We also do other trips during the year...New Orleans, Vegas, etc... and we do quite a few weekend getaways just for the heck of it. :D

[sgttami]

WOW....it's different every year...

 

In '04 so far we spent almost $20,000....and we're not done yet...still have our 11/04 cruise and 11 days in St. John.

 

On another note, I retired this month and we are coming into the realization that our travel days won't be what they used to be. I DON'T CARE...I've traveled more in the last year than some do in a lifetime....my only want/wish is Alaska next year...

[travellady]

We plan 3 nice vacations a year and a couple of long weekend getaways. I try to keep the nice vacations under 5K each te weekends under 1k.

 

This is but one reason why I don't retire yet - thankfully I have a decent paying job and 5 weeks vacation a year!

[MszKitty]

We plan 3 nice vacations a year and a couple of long weekend getaways. I try to keep the nice vacations under 5K each te weekends under 1k.

 

This is but one reason why I don't retire yet - thankfully I have a decent paying job and 5 weeks vacation a year!

Funny you should say that....Hubby and I were just talking about our retirement money, etc. and he said he wanted to retire before he turns 55 (in 5 years). I told him...look how much more we will have if you just wait until you are 60. He wasn't convinced. Well...I have 5 years to convince him....LOL

[bUU]

Seaside: But of course! I could even break them down by individual vacation, too. (Those numbers represent 2 vacations, 2 vacations, 1 "Grand Tour", 2 vacations and 4 vacations, respectively. :D)

[savva0122]

Med cruise in June probably cost us around £800 each and Caribbean cruise will cost us around £1200 each

 

£2000 x 2 at an exchange rate of $1.79 (that's gone down since I last looked, the price has gone up next month :( ) = $7,160.

 

No wonder we are poor and have to work every hour God sends!

[Travelgrrl]

I love to travel, and I don't have cable, a cell phone, a fancy car, etc. I also budget like a maniac, so I know exactly how much I spend on travel (and everything else).

 

This year I will spend $7,685, which paid for:

 

A trip to Ireland with my 15 year old son

 

Two Caribbean cruises, a Mexican Riviera cruise, and an Alaskan cruise (which were less because I was lecturing on them - but I brought sisters and friends along and paid their way - plus airfare, etc)

 

Four weekend trips to major cities

 

So - 9 trips this year for 6 people for almost 8K. Not bad!

[stretch]

The last two years ran about $5000 to $6000 each (11 day cruises including air and pre and post cruise hotel. Next year is a 12 day land tour/cruise that will run around $9000 for the two of us. I work all year for these vacations so why not spend a few extra bucks???

Stretch

[Sea Island Lady]

I'm with Stretch!

 

In a one year period -

 

For our September cruise 2003, a 7 night out of Puerto Rico, we spent around $4500 (a Junior Suite) including flight, excursions (all booked on our own to the beach) and shipboard expenses, plus a pre cruise stay booked on Priceline.

 

Our cruise in 7 day out of Orlando in July for 5 ( a deluxe balcony and an inside) cost around $10,000 including flight , excursions (booked on our own), shipboard expenses and off shore expenses. We had pre and post stays at both Disney and Universal, so I included those cost as well.

 

For our most recent September cruise 2004, an 11 night to Hawaii for 2 (a Junior Suite) , the cost was about the same as we also stayed pre and post nights in Atlanta, Vancouver and Honolulu. We had many more expensive excursions booked through either the ship or hotel. We booked two excursions on our own also.

:eek:

[dougp26364]

Thank goodness you just asked about cruising. If I sat down and figured out how much I'm spending each year on all my vacations, I might have to cut back.

 

For cruises I set aside $5,000/year out of my paycheck. I have it taken out each pay period and placed in a special savings account.

 

I've seen far to many people who wait until they retire to start traveling, only to have illness keep them from going all the places they want to go. My father died at 52 and my mother died at age 60. When my mother died in 1998, I decided it wasn't such a good idea to wait before seeing the world and we started taking regular vacations. I find it's easier to put in a few extra hours at work in order to afford vacations than to wait until "things settle down a bit." I'm fortunate to work in a field where I can work extra when I want to and if I want to.

 

 

Since neither of us are sick very often, we take the full alotment of paid time off days each year to go somewhere. We've been hanging around the hospital so long we now have over 5 weeks each year of paid time off and we use almost all of 'em.

 

Cruising generally is a once a year trip. Next year we're going twice, but that's only because I found a discount online TA that saved me enough $$ off my next cruise to pay for the short 3 nighter to Mexico.

[keasc]

Well, this year for me, my fiancee, my mother & my aunt I've spent about $5,000. Add air fare & spending money & it'll be around $7,000.

[sgttami]

If your husband wants to retire in 5 years....LET HIM...I saw so many people in my profession who kept putting off retirement thinking that they would have more money...they all died before they ever saw a pension check...and they all had dreams of travel and never went anywhere...

 

I am fortunate, retired at 51..my husband is 45 and we have our business..We have spent major $$$ on trips over the last few years and I don't regret a single one... but I saw too many co-workers put their lives on hold to save and save...and for what???? They died and their heirs are now cruising on inherited $$$.....GO FOR IT NOW!!!!!!

[Tex_Jen]

Last cruise, which was the first one, cost my sis and I about $4000. Could it have been less expensive? Probably, but I wanted a balcony cabin and we can only sail when she has school breaks as she is a teacher. We are going again this year, and yes, it will be a tad more costly, but we both enjoyed our time so much this past year, we can't help ourselves.

 

I do other 1 week trips that are much less expensive during the year so that I can spend my wad on the cruise. It helps to have family in fun places.:D

[MszKitty]

If your husband wants to retire in 5 years....LET HIM...I saw so many people in my profession who kept putting off retirement thinking that they would have more money...they all died before they ever saw a pension check...and they all had dreams of travel and never went anywhere...

 

I am fortunate, retired at 51..my husband is 45 and we have our business..We have spent major $$$ on trips over the last few years and I don't regret a single one... but I saw too many co-workers put their lives on hold to save and save...and for what???? They died and their heirs are now cruising on inherited $$$.....GO FOR IT NOW!!!!!!

Oh..trust me...he's not going to work any longer just because I said so....LOL

 

 

Actually...we own the business and he is president of the company. We already pretty much go and do whatever we what, whenever we want. I actually don't think he could retire completely anyway because he wouldn't be able to let go of the company. He built it up and I don't see him letting anyone take it over.

[cruislovin]

I'll guess around $3500 for cruises this year. That includes 3 balconies, 2 RT flights to Miami, and money spent onboard... Tho it's just a guess since I haven't left on the third one yet... :rolleyes:

Wow, where do you book your cruises? I need to get in touch with your T/A as soon as possible!!! $3,500 for THREE BALCONIES on 7-day cruises + 2 R/T flights to MIA (from PA?) + onboard spending included sounds to me like it is "free"!

 

OR did you mean $3,500 for each cruise, including the air? That is still good for Voyager class ships. Are there 2 people sailing?

[savva0122]

The last two years ran about $5000 to $6000 each (11 day cruises including air and pre and post cruise hotel. Next year is a 12 day land tour/cruise that will run around $9000 for the two of us. I work all year for these vacations so why not spend a few extra bucks???

Stretch

HEAR, HEAR!!

[WeirdEyes]

DH and I set aside money throughout the year for our vacations. This summer, we took two vacations...one for us (cruise - $5,000) and one for our son and his friend (Univeral Orlando - $3,000). Next summer, all three of us are going on a cruise and we'll probably spend around $6,000. We don't think about money while we are on vacation. We have a good time because we save and don't have to worry about credit card bills when we get home.