I'm frugal, is this $8000 or $9000 vacation worth it???

[momtofour]

Hi everybody! A little insight is needed here!! I have been saving for a seven day cruise for March of 2006. From what I hear, the prices should be out any day for these cruises. We are a family of 6, looking for two connecting staterooms of the cheapest category available. Considering the cruise, airfare for six from Chicago, a night at the Port, tips etc. I am figuring that this vacation will be about $8000 to $9000. I am frugal by nature, and am having a hard time justifying this vacation. I am so afraid that for some reason my expectations are too high and I just will not feel that it was worth the money. I am sure that it is wonderful but I am having second thoughts!! I need to decide soon. Any opinions will be most appreciated!!!

 

[debloco]

Hi momto4,
We did the 7 day this past March and had two cabins, a Cat. 6 and a Cat. 11. We booked in July '03 and the cruise only was just over $6200. We flew on miles so no airfare cost. We added a day at MGM and EPCOT prior to the cruise and a day mini-golfing/go-carting and the Astronaut Hall of Fame after. All of the additional expenses for the day prior and after and the cruise excursions, tips, drinks, bingo, Palo, souviners, etc. ran just over $2100 for the four of us (DH, DD 14, and DD's friend 15). So it was a little over $8300 for nine days without air from Chicago. We live in a NW suburb of Chicago and I assume you are going for Spring Break. Hopefully airfare will be between $200-250 per person. That would bring you to about $9K for the week.
If you book the cheapest cabins, it might be less for your family, but then again, you are paying for two more passengers. My DH and I both feel that it was worth the money and we all had a great time. We do budget a lot for vacations and I have finally gotten past keeping track of the budget every day we are on vacation. For me, I feel like the clock is ticking with my DD. We only have three more years until she leaves for college, and family vacations are great times for us. We have also resigned ourselves to paying more because we are travelling at peak holiday times. I don't know how old your kids are, but I am certain they will have a blast! You might even have the opportunity for some time with your DH! I'd say go for it!

CLC Tiger Pom Mom

 

[wide awake]

I am the cheapest person I know, and I was VERY stressed before our first DCL cruise last year. I was certain I'd spent $6000 on what would probably be only an okay vacation. We had a fabulous time, booked the Oct 16 Eastern while still on board, and have the August repo cruise booked for 2005. I didn't begrudge a cent that we spent.

 

[Sarangel]

You might also benefit by doing a cost per person analysis. I'm the family cheapskate, and I figured for our first cruise (in Cat 10 for me & DH) that we'd spend a little over $250/day (including airfare from CA!) for food, lodging, entertainment and transfers from the airport. Somehow it didn't seem so bad then.

Of course, we loved the cruise and have gone back twice with another one scheduled for the West Coast next summer (this time we get to take DD who will be 2).

 

[PlaneJoy]

I am with you and am very frugal. We went on the 7 day Eastern last summer and had an "okay" time. Given the $$ we spent was almost twice what we would have spent on another line, I don't think it was worth it.

We will go on Disney again? Yes, sometime in the future when both kids are old enough to really enjoy it and take it all in. I, however, will save my $$ and have just as good of a time on another line that doesn't cost quite as much for now (in fact we leave Monday on yet another cruise - spending less on a balcony than an inside on Disney).

If it were me (and I realize that its not) I would either go on another line for less or spend the same amount for a higher level cabin on another line. For a family of 6, the saving could be substantial.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[oybolshoi]

I don't really think that frugal and Disney go together -

A vacation to Disney World, Disney Land, Disney Cruise Line is not something that will come cheap, which you obvioulsy already know. For what it's worth, if you are not going to be able to enjoy the cruise because of your concerns about the costs involved vs. your potential enjoyment I would suggest that you spend that money on a vacation you are more certain to enjoy.

If you know that your family loves WDW why not take those funds and splurge on rooms at a luxury resort and have a blast at the theme parks?

I'm not saying you shouldn't take the cruise (I haven't even made it to my first one yet) but if you're going to spend that kind of money and then question whether or not it was well spent before you even take the trip I think you should consider alternative options and then weigh them all against each other to see which is the best fit.

Just a thought!

Oybolshoi

 

[jrabbit]

Only you will be able to decide if the "risk" of vacation letdown vs cost will adversly effect your vacation. It's hard to say whether or not you will have a terrific time or not on the cruise, until you have actually experienced it.

To save some $$ can you go during January or February off peak times. If there's a week where your kids have two days off it makes it easier to pull them out of school.

DCL will stick it to you during spring break season!!

We are planning on 10K for a family of 3 on the August repo cruise including some time at DL and WDW. At DL we will be staying OFF property and at WDW we'll be staying in an All Star or Pop Century resort. And we watch every penny we spend on vacation (we right down every purchase, every time). On the cruise we have a room with a porthole. And we are anticipating that the trip will be worth every cent!

Good luck with your decision and have happy caribbean dreams

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

My family and I (family of three) are Disney lovers and are willing to spend the extra money. We have done two land/sea vacations with Disney and we feel we get our moneys worth. If you can take Disney or leave it, it may be better to go with another cruise line. Or consider taking a four night Wonder cruise to see how you like it.
You have only so much time to spend with your (young) children and may regret never having done something like this with them. If you CAN afford it, remember you need to live for today also. I have a brother inlaw who is too cheap to spend $25.00 to go to a basketball game with his wife and son that got their tickets for free. Hopefully he won't regret these things in the future. We wait until we have the money saved up before we go, took us five years from the time we did the first one but at least we're not paying several thousand for the trip plus 18-20% in interest on top of it with a credit card. Save up for the next one quicker this way also.

 

[disneylover5]

We are frugal as well. I have booked 2 staterooms CAT 9 for the Jan 2005 Western. There are 3 adults plus DS16, DS15, DS15, DD11 and DD8. I just checked what we payed for all 8 of us for the week and the cruise costs will be $5,746. That is $102.60 per day per person, average. School is closed Monday and Tuesday that week, so the kids only are missing 3 days of school. We are driving...so no airfare...

Sometimes I think it costs me $100 a day just to feed the teenage boys!

The weather is fabulous in Jan and we have cruised the last 3 Jan's and had a wonderful time each time.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Another frugal one here!!

DH and I didn't take a real vacation for 10 years - instead we had "working vacations" at home. Then we had twins and our lives got nuts - it seemed like we lived just to take care of our kids!!

In 2001 my mother saw an add in the paper for the WDW Kids Stay and Play Free program and encouraged us to go with our then 3 yr old twins. We did and have never looked back. In fact, we've gotten hooked not only on WDW but now DCL too!!

In order to fuel our "addictions" as a family we've learned to "do without" in other areas bigtime and our trips make it all worthwhile. We've done so well that at times it feels like the trips almost "pay for themselves" (ok, that's a bit of a stretch, lol, but really - it isn't too, too painful to save).

We've had, like so many others here on the boards, some of the best times of our lives on our Disney trips. This year I found out I had breast cancer. I've finished treatment and they predict I'll be ok, but it really made me realize how fragile life is and how important fun family times really are to everyone. I read here somewhere that vacations "feed the soul" and I do agree with that.

With that said, I think you and your family will really enjoy the cruise. Is it a PERFECT vacation? No. But it is damn near close and incredibly enjoyable!! That MUST be why a good many of us rebook while still onboard!

I don't know if you and your family take many vacations but if you like WDW you will love your cruise on DCL. Just think of it as an investment in family togetherness (and consider other ways to save in the time leading to your cruise so it doesn't feel like such shell shock). I agree with the other poster above that maybe you could cruise in January instead of March, the prices are quite low then. And if it were me that would be my kids' Christmas gift that year - hey, it's a great gift, one not too many kids are fortunate enough to get!!

Good luck in your decision making...

P. S. We are going in 2006 also again with 3 other families we met here on the Disboards and also some friends from home are coming as well. Everyone is SO looking forward to it! Can't wait!!!

 

[madoug]

To cut cost we are doing a 4 night and going 1/2/05; booked in April and cat 4 for family of 5 was $3500; the week prior for the same room on Wonder would have cost $5500. For $2000, the ds14, ds12, and dd10 will miss 3 days of school.

For us though, I found that to get my DH to take a needed break from work, I had to take him out of town. For 10 years now, our Disney trips have worked the best. Most of my family would never spend $5000 on a vacation; however, for us, spending this money makes my husband more productive when his is back at work which translates into making more money.

 

[professorandmom]

remember, frugal means that you are careful in spending your money, not that you don't spend. It implies that if you find quality, it is a worthwhile expense

so the bottom line is: does this have value to you and your family? In my opinion, my cruise far exceeded many other vacations in value - and therefore, worth the money

ultimately it is a personal decision

never confuse cheap with frugal
Barb

 

[MommaluvsDis]

I have mixed feelings about this. I'm a money cautious person too. DH, DS, and I took a Carnival cruise, 5 day, for a total of $1800. That includes, on-ship purchases, shore excursions, tips, everything. We had a BLAST because we felt as if we'd really gotten our money's worth.

Then, we decided to spring for a Disney cruise as we'd heard how wonderful they were. We took the 7 day Western, had two connecting cat 10' (took 2 DSs with us along as a friend) and it ended up costing about $8,000 with air fare, hotel the night before, etc.

I have to say we did have a wonderful time and there is just no comparison! Disney is first class! But, if you cannot go and have a good time with feeling badly about how much everything costs, or putting yourself in hock for the next 3 years to pay it off (please don't think I'm judging your financial status, it's just a statement) then don't do it. There are other cruises that are fun as well and cost a lot less.

The good thing about a Disney cruise is that you can make the reservations about 1 1/2 years out and pay on it each month until it's paid for. This is how we did it.

Only you know your situation and what's best AT THIS TIME for your family. Maybe you could take a less expensive cruise now and start saving each month for a Disney cruise in the future!

 

[tvguy]

We booked a category 10 for 4, but it was new years week on the Magic. With air fare from the West Coast, a night in the hotel before the cruise, $1100 in excursions and on ship spending, it cost us $10k.
Was it worth it? Only time will tell. We went 12-27-03, which was the middle of our son's Junior year of high school. We went into this figuring it would be our last family vacation. We spent all vacation time this summer touring colleges. When he hits college, I won't have a lot of money for 4 years since I'll be paying tuition, and his sister is 4 years younger, so I suspect vacations will be slim for the next 8 or 9 years.

 

[crisi]

That is a lot of money to drop on a vacation.

Have you cruised before?

Are you Disney fans?

Do you have to go in March?

If you haven't cruised before, a shorter cruise may be better. If you don't like it, you are out about half as much money. If you have cruised before, then you have some idea of the value a cruise will provide you.

If you aren't Disney fans, there are plenty of cruise lines out there, many of the much cheaper than Disney. The folks here tend to be pretty excited about the Disney brand. DisFans think the extra cost is worth it.

If you don't have to go in March - Fall and January and Febuary are much more economical times to cruise with DCL. However, sometimes we only are given a few choices in life - with work and school schedules.

My own frugal nature would recommend a three or four day cruise in the fall or mid winter on either another cruise line or DCL - depending on how important Mickey is to you.

 

[lovethattink]

I've sailed on 4 cruises. 3 were on the Disney Magic and 1 on another cruise line. By far the ones on DCL were way better. The rooms were larger, the staff more attentive, and better upkeep of the vessel. Of course, the children's programs are excellect on DCL, other ships can't compare there. The shows on DCL were more spectacular. Castaway Cay was better than the other ship's private island. One of the major reasons we keep coming back to DCL is the smoking policy. Our son has severe asthma and it is easy for him to avoid the cigarette smoke since there are designated smoking areas on DCL.

 

[UKIan]

when it comes to booking my vacation. I travel a LOT through my job, and as a result, miss a lot of time at home with my wife and two young children.

We only get to spend 3-4 weeks per year, together as a family, and I can't think of a better thing to spend my money on than making sure we are in a place that almost guarantees a good time.

I used to be the type of person who would nitpick over the smallest details, and I worried endlessly about being ripped off in hotels etc, now I just try and enjoy the good points and not dwell on the negatives that almost inevitably occur, regardless of how much money you spend.

That's not to say I'm not consious of how much I'm spending, I just tend to be a little less "precious" about it once the money is commited and just try and enjoy the valuable time with my family.

 

[hopelea]

I LOVE to travel. I plan trips for our family all the time. My dh jokes that we haven't gone on one trip and I am planning the next! Well, that is true.

I work a part time job as a pre-school teacher. My salary goes for vacations!! I wouldn't have it any other way. Each time I have to change one of my 2 year olds diapers at school, I think of my cruise!! It is all worth it!

I have been thinking about trying a different cruise line after our next disney cruise, BUT.......I am just affraid that I will be totally jealous when we pull up to port canaveral and see the Magic sitting there and we wouldn't be boarding it. IF I do another cruise line, I will book us out of another port so I don't have to see the MAGIC!

It is well worth the $$$$$$$ to travel disney. Our 1st cruise my dh complained while saving because he needed a new/used car really bad....(really, really). He said that all the $ we spent on DCL we could have bought him a good used car. Well, he hasn't complained again after returning, he loved it so much!!

Have a great trip on whatever cruise line you decide.

 

[tvguy]

Was it worth it from any logical financial perspective? Probably not.
Was it worth it from a once in a life time, special family vacation perspective? Definately yes.
Hey, I'm likely the cheapest guy on this board. I'm 47 years old and just bought my 3rd car ever. Always buy new, and drive them forever. My first car was a new 1974 PINTO!!! I drove it 16 years and only got rid of it because it was too small for a family of 4.
I traded it in on a brand new 1990 Sable. I drove that car for 13 years, and still have it, it's my son's car now. My third car is a brand new 2003 Focus. Total cash outlay for all three cars....$31,400. These days, that's what most of my neighbors spend every 4 years on a car. All the savings have gone to cruises and other trips.

 

[jhorstma]

We're doing a March, Spring Break, ohmigod look at the cost we could buy a small car for the price 7 day Eastern cruise (3/19/05, for anyone out there also booked that week). We're boxed in to the week because my DS (11) and DW (39+++) BOTH have spring break that week from the same school (we're actually taking my DD(9) out of her school for a week - she'll end up with a 2 week spring break). So we're kinda stuck - it's tough looking at the Expedia site and seeing that the same cruise 2 weeks earlier is $2K cheaper for the same cabin(s).

Our thinking - timing's perfect for DCL for our kids, 4 nights in the Bahamas is too short, like but don't love WDW so a Land/Sea fails the cost/benefit analysis, and are willing to spend extra for all the perks - verandah, fun excursions, etc. Plus March seems like the best time to go - cold at home and warm/pleasant weather in the islands.

That said, we're not big Disney fans but do value the top-notch value they provide (I like to think of them separating us from our money as painlessly as possible). As much as I'm sure we'll enjoy the heck out of the cruise I don't see us dropping $10K+ on DCL again, so the thinking is let's do it once and really enjoy it. As the kids reach their HS years I look forward to traveling a bit with them as money and time allows, definitely New Zealand, likely Europe, and hopefully elsewhere.