Look Great for Your Vacation

Start $aving for Your Next Cruise Vacation

Part one of a two-part series

Cruise vacations can be the most enjoyable time couples can spend together. You are pampered 24 hours a day with great food, good entertainment, fitness facilities and plenty of beautiful sights to see. Yes, this all sounds fantastic but aren’t cruises very expensive?

On the surface, the cost of a cruise vacation may appear to be out of one’s budget. However, if you consider that the cruise includes not only your lodging but also your food, entertainment and your transportation to multiple ports of call. When all of this is totaled together, many cruises are value priced compared to the cost of a comparable land based tour. Still, with some discipline, smart scheduling and daily cost cutting a cruise vacation is possible for most couples.

Take for example a 7-day Caribbean cruise on Carnival Cruises Conquest. This itinerary is operated from year round. As a smart scheduler, assuming we have some flexibility when we can take vacation, we look at the April 6, 2014 cruise. This provides the best value of the season for this itinerary. Wouldn’t that be great to sail away on a couples cruise to the Caribbean?

The total base price of the Conquest Caribbean cruise is $1,109 ($500 deposit to book the trip with remainder due by January 15, 2014) but we are not done. It is customary to tip many of the crew members who provide the services. This adds another $161. Some people insure their trip against unforeseen circumstances which would cause them to miss the trip. This could add as much as $130. Finally, I highly recommend arriving one day prior to the cruise. This adds another $150 for a decent mid-range hotel. All totaled the true cost of the cruise equals $1,550 which does not include airfare.

How do we get our better half and us on a fun cruise get away? We need to start now by looking at some daily expenses that we are willing to give up and stick to it. How many of us have to have that $5 specialty coffee to start the day or how many hit a fast food drive through for lunch rather than make a sandwich at home? It all starts here. How much do you want that couple’s cruise?

If both you and your better half each give up one specialty coffee and one fast food lunch per week and set that money aside you have just added at least $25 to your cruise fund. This was not too much of a change to your daily routine and you are on your way toward a Caribbean cruise. You must be disciplined though and leave that cruise fund money alone and continue to make your contributions.

If you had started this cruise savings five months ago and stuck to it, you would have enough in your cruise fund to pay the deposit without increasing debt. Continuing at this easy pace you will have saved enough money in 10 more months to make the final payment on the cruise plus prepay the tips and to purchase travel insurance. You have now a fully paid cruise (not counting on board spending) and you have not increased your debt.

There are additional optional costs involved with a cruise. Your fare does not include costs for alcoholic drinks, shopping or shore excursions. As you continue to save money for your vacation, you can also add money to you on board account to pay for any of the optional on board activities. If you each enjoy a couple drinks per day and want to take a shore tour you could easily need an additional $500 for on board spending depending on the expense of the tour and how many drinks you really consume.

Now you also have to get to the Port of Miami for this cruise. Check the prices to both Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports then add the best one to the vacation budget.

You can see how just a few small changes to your daily spending habits over time, can pay for a very nice vacation. How quickly could you fund this cruise if you cut out a couple other daily expenses? Maybe drop two specialty coffees each week? The key is to make a plan that you could live with and stick to it.


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If you have always wanted to take a cruise, it is within reach. There are plenty of wonderful cruise vacations available all over the world and nearly all are budget-able with the right effort and discipline.

Bon Voyage
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