Gas Prices/Cruising

[dutchess43]

I too unfortunately remember the 70's & it's a shame we did not learn our lesson from back then. Back then we had a 68 plymouth sport fury with a v8 383 double barrell carburetor talk about a gas guzzler. We usually for the last several years have been taken 3-4 cruises a year next year I will be happy with 2. Living in the northeast especially on Long Island I just imagine what gas & heating the houses will cost for this fall & winter.

[Gonzo70]

I am with Davey as well.

[pcur]

I have to agree with Davey. I lived through the 70's, and this is not the same. Inflation is on the move, and the recent figures have been played, as you might know. Unemployment is lower than back then, but the quality of job is nowhere near the same -- back then, our steel mill was a chuggin' along with good paying jobs -- all gone, now. Peak oil has occurred, and there is no end in sight for the misery that creates. I heard today that Northeasterners were paying 3.10 last year for their heating oil, and this winter it looks to be nearly 5. Last year, on my various blogs, the NE'erners were really screaming about that. You can choose not to drive, assuming most of your necessities are near, which they aren't in rural areas, but not heat?

 

I don't see things turning around in my lifetime. I am really ticked about it as we are near retirement and planned on more travel, but I am thankful that we are as well off as we are. I do see some good possibilities in all this, like the reemergence of the rust belt as shipping becomes cost prohibitive.

 

To the point at hand, changing travel/cruising plans because of the cost of oil. Our family cruise for 2009 has 5 bookings -- in 2007, we had 10, and since we all must fly from the mid-west, we could lose a couple of those. My husband's tickets to Greece, which I purchased in Sept. 2007 for June 2008 -- were 75% more expensive than in 2006. Flights to FL are running double what I am used to paying, now around $400. Until this year, I was taking 2 cruises a year -- that will be cut to one, or one every other year.

 

As much as the money, is the absolute nightmare of flying -- book a flight, have it changed several times even before you board, if you board on time with all the bumping, then sit on a tarmac for hours, and have them nickle and dime you. I am just really sick of it. It has impacted my desire to even travel.

 

I pretty much agree with you. It's got a different "feel" to it this time around.

 

I haven't lost my desire to travel and cruise, but I'm booking much further in advance, and trying to be creative about the ports and transportation. We, like many others, are sticking close to Southwest Airlines, and using our SW Visa to pay for the cruises and get the free roundtrips in time for the cruise.

 

Packing lighter helps, too, so we pack to the lowest weight allowance. I now have a packing list for both of us for a 15-night cruise. I know how much that weighs, and adjust up or down from that.

 

I think there will be some creativity coming from the cruise lines, too. I told DH this morning I can see them giving an air "allowance" if you book through them, and going back to the cruise lines booking the air with the cruise again. We'll see.

 

I see this all as a mental challenge and an adventure. We have to be adaptable and move with the changes.:D

[katiel53]

We are concerned about the increase in fuel prices. Fortunately, for us, we live in Florida so we are able to drive to cruises. In the past we would also sail from San Juan and we were looking forward to doing that again. Instead, we opted to do Liberty of the Seas from Miami.

 

We can drive to Miami and it will cost us less than it would to fly to San Juan and stay overnight. The fuel surcharge would be the same either way. I do think that there will be people who will feel the pinch more than we do.

 

With the limits as to where we can sail from Florida, if things continue as they are, we will probably decide on some other vacations as well as cruises.

[FanofFlorida]

I guess I am not too worried. Flights from Oregon are always expensive unless I find a rare deal... and the fuel charge... well...

Honestly, I paid over 3K to RCI for our cruise. To pay a couple hundred more in transport will not change my travel planning.

 

The higher fuel costs/environmental risks HAVE changed what I do on a day to day basis. (Errands only once a day/Use public transport to work/ Ride bike or walk to the store/ carpool for parties and dinners, etc etc etc)

I preserve my financial splurging and glutten spoiling of natural resources for just a few times a year :p when I get an opportunity to get away from work (and errands, and grocery shopping; not so much from parties and dinners out;) )

[Davey Interweb]

No they are not fairly dire. I invoke history because unemployment and inflation are nowhere near the levels they were during the last stock market crash nor are they close to the level reached in the 70's for either metric.

 

I'm having problems with the comparison because in my mind, I see a vast difference between what are really two distinct eras. I just don't see where a valid lesson is to be learned by making parallels between two very dissimilar economies. Our world, our circumstances, and the way we collectively do things as a society has changed.

 

I reused your word "dire" because I honestly didn't like how negative "total crisis" sounded. It seems that when they're not disposed to the TV set, everyone is so focused on the price of a gallon of gasoline or a can of tuna they either don't see or don't want to see the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room. Watching crude trends and their effect on business models is interesting and sometimes amusing even, but the price of oil is really only one of our problems right now. It's not too hard to figure out already that crude prices will continue to rise, and that the government is powerless to stop this trend in the near future. I just accept this and I try not worry about it too much.

 

I'm still looking forward to the next couple of cruises my mate and I have planned, though. Hopefully that will all work out cool, we'll see.

[Brian131489]

This time around I found it cheaper to take a train from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale. In searching for flights, it was way to expensive for the group that I travel with and the price for two to take the train was the cost of one to fly. I know it's about 25hrs to get there, but there are no baggage restrictions, no fuel supplements, and sense I have never traveled this way before I thought it would be fun. Remember it's all in how you get there......

[Merion_Mom]

[It'sRC4ME]

Our next cruise isn't until October 2009 (unless I can squeeze something else in in the meantime), and when it comes time to get air tix (January or so) we will be carefully pricing out available airfares vs. driving vs. the Amtrak Autotrain. The autotrain leaves from Lorton, VA, which is about 10 minutes from our house, and we've taken it to the Orlando area before. If we can't detect a big cost savings we'll fly, but if it's way cheaper to drive or autotrain we'll do that.