Is everyone that cruises with DCL rich?

[Aust]

I'm already planning and saving for a possible cruise/visit to WDW in about 5 years! We are from Australia so need to add on 2 adult and 3 kids' airfares - about $9,000. We went to Disnelyand a couple of years ago and I saved for over a year for that (pre-having the 3rd child). It's a lot of money, but I think it's worth it.

 

[atinkerbellmom]

By no means are we rich. I did read through the thread and see that you have come up with a plan. Now, I have to say, your family size is not the traditional; especially with the kids being so old. It does change your situation a bit, because 3 adults in a room and one of the younger kids is really really tight. So I think you will have to remember that when deciding who will bunk with who. Three of your kids are very old.

Now for us, we both claim zero for taxes and get huge amounts taken out. We then get some of that money back at tax time. Take that money and place it in a CD and earn intrest for a year. Each year we cruise on the money from the CD the year before. The only way we could do it. We also do not really get into the excursion thing. We love spending the time in POCs as a family and there are not many that would work for all of us. So our over-all cost is not as high as some.

Now, not to get into your business, but you do need to budget tips for this cruise as well which can be a huger sticker shock for those on a budget. Now again not to step on toes, but your kids are so old; do they work? If they do, I think this summer they need to add some extra hours and help you with this vacation. Not that there is anything wrong with your size family (I am Catholic for goodness sake) but with 7 that does limit things. So you have to be creative. Disney in all avenues target families of 4. Even in the resorts, the prices given are for two adults, 1 child and a junior. Now once we had a DCL addict thread and I am the same person that wrote; "you know you are a DCL addict when you tell your OB/Gyn you can not have anymore children because my Disney vacations were based on a family of 4......" So, I could not imagine.... Tell the kids it needs to be a family adventure$.

 

[Disneydreamer5]

Only one of my children drive and work. The 17 & 16 year olds both play HS sports so there is no time for work. My 19 year old works part time and goes to college full time. All her money goes towards helping us pay for school.
My youngest are not old enough to work but I think I will have the other 2 look for jobs for the summer to help fulfill our dream.
FYI I too work part time, I was full time until this past September when I was laid off.

 

[skoi]

Not rich, just a family of 6 with one income. Vacations are the thing for us. We put priority on saving for them above any other "luxuries" (so not many brand name clothes, pay as you go cell phones for adults only, no extra pay channels, dh always takes lunch to work, old car, etc)

We also travel in the off season, and usually book far in advance as others have mentioned. We've booked the first Med cruise, but it'll just be the big kids and me because we can't justify the expense for the littler ones.

 

[Dr.Girlfriend]

Please don't take any of this the wrong way but is there anyone of modest incomes that cruises regularly with Disney?
I have been playing around with dates, lenghts of cruise, you name it and no matter what I do it comes out to like 6 grand for my famiy of 7.
Granted I realize my family is not the average size but its just so much more expensive then I could have ever guest. Espeically when you compare them to other cruiselines.
I am just curious how any of you do it.
I want to take the kids so badly but its starting to look like we will never be able too.
Any help or insight? Maybe DCL is only for people who make 6 figures.

Oh, trust me...we are NOT rich by any means! We just booked a 3 night for $299 a person in Cat 12 rooms. We don't care if you can't see the water...it's a good price! Our travel date is September 24th.

We only cruise between Septmber to November and we have never paid more than $299 a person. This time around, it's just myself and my husband going.

 

[Beesmom]

Like a lot of people here previously said, not rich but we manage our money well. We have a small house and both our cars are 10 years old (and both bought used). We have 0 debt, including our house.

Matter of fact, our first Disney Cruise was our reward for paying off the mortgage!

-Sandy (who would much rather have a great vacation once a year than a fancy new car ever)

 

[Txgirl1]

just a quick note on tips...they averaged out to $36.00 per person per day. We were on a 3 day cruise. Plus there are tips for room service, people you buy specialty drinks from, people you order water from, porters, baggage handlers at the airport, etc. (I took lots of $1 bills)

Also, keep the kiddos as healthy as possible because if one of them gets sick (vomiting/other end issues) the ship board doctor will confine that child and possibly the other children to their cabin for a min. of 48 hours. Disney is VERY serious about spreading germs on their ship and they will keep an eye on you.

 

[Anal Annie]

Another one who's not so rich but are also not "frequent cruisers" like some. We're the wannabee's of our neighborhood... I kept my thermostats set on 61 this winter and I have to stay away from stores like Target except for when I have to go and I NEVER go to the mall. We don't eat out EVER (we'll do cheap take-out meals and bring it home to save on drinks & tips). We have our DVC membership which helps A LOT but can only afford to to on DCL about once every 3 years. I pretty much start saving for the next time as soon as we finish one. I have a "vacation account" that I stash money in whenever I can. I used to try to save $75 a week for vacations but then I got laid off and had to drop that plan for now. Meanwhile, we do get a large tax refund so I always set a good chunk aside for vacations from that every year too. We went on our first DCL in 2005 and then in 2008 and am hoping to go again in 2011. We re-booked onboard last summer for the re-booking discount. Depending on the itineraries we'll hopefully get to go again in either 2011 or 2012.

Just keep planning & saving!!

 

[emsip]

On our DCL cruise in Sept'08, I walked passed a group of kids just sitting around. I heard one girl tell another girl "pretty much everyone on this ship is rich". I wish I could have heard the rest of that conversation.

 

[scrapgirl3]

And don't forget the Disney Visa. We booked our cruise a year out and then started putting everything on the Disney Visa. By the time our cruise came around we had over $400 in credits to use! We didn't "pay" for a single drink that week, and most of our tips were covered as well with those credits. So that can really add up. Plus if you use a travel agent and book and pay with the Disney Visa, I think they still give you onboard credits to use. Our family was a family of 5 so we needed 2 rooms also, and those onboard credits really added up and helped!

 

[Tigger98]

We are not on the "rich" list either. We went from mid-class to poor when DH job was outsourced. He got another job but making far less $$$. Our first DCL cruise (4/07) was taken about 6 months prior to DH job loss and we were able to save for it. For our second cruise (8/08) we used the stimulas check from Uncle Sam. We found a 4-night at the same amount (through DU) and spent the check. Our NCL was paid by the parents and now we will start saving for the next one DCL cruise. Hopefully in 2011 or 2012.

 

[GoofyTraci]

I just wanted to say that I think it is very sweet for everyone to share their personal info with the OP. It is nice to know that we have such nice and sweet people here that care enough to let the OP know how your family saves and ways to make DCL suit their family.

I am a single mom and I plan each trip a year in advance and research as much as possible. I save and save for each trip. I also have paid off my car and plan to drive it till the wheels fall off.

To the OP I hope you and your family have the best vacation possible.

 

[pperfectmom]

We are probably in the lower to middle "middle" class, so vacations are a little tricky for us as well. I only have a family of four to provide for and can't imagine how hard it is to plan a vaction for that many. I wish you luck. We are most certainly not debt free but are down to mortgage and student loans. I booked our first cruise ever for October of 2010 and used some of our tax refund to pay the deposit and also paid most of a trip to WDW for September of this year which we'll only be able to do with a free dining offer. We will drive down both trips to cut down on costs and get a room near the port that has free parking. One of hotels there(Radison, I think) has rates that are lower than your parking fees for the week and they even shuttle you to the port for free. I think the booking as far in advance as you can is the biggest thing and then paying a little here and there when you can. Also, look at different times of year because there is a HUGE difference in price from one season to the next(fall hurricane season is your best bet) and if you want to do WDW as well, definitely book it seperately so you can get a value resort and save a bunch of money.

 

[Im_A_Princess]

OP. I just wanted to say, It's not how much money you make, Its how much you spend/save.

This is SO TRUE!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet but one small way we go on cruises is we have the Disney Chase Visa Card. Not trying to get you to get one...but When you book your cruise (usually we do this while still on board) you save DCL's 10% for booking on board, then you get 6 months no interest on the Disney Chase Card for booking through Disney, then you get a $50 on board credit for putting it on the card, then you get Disney Dollars (Rewards) to spend on Disney (DCL, WDW, DL, Disney store & Catalog) for the amount you pay off on your card. I use the rewards dollars for souvenirs on the ship. More money saved.
Then sometimes if Dreams Unlimited is running a good on board credit, we transfer the reservation over to them and get that on board credit to. Still keeping it on the Disney Chase Card because of all the above benefits.
It saves HUNDREDS of dollars on the cruise price doing this.

Look how much you can save not making a car payment for a year! AMAZING!

I know some people on here pay everything on their Disney Chase card (mortgage, rent, utilities, shopping,... ) and pay it off each month. The Disney Dollar Rewards really add up.
It really helps pay for tips and extras on the ship!
We go as a family of 6 or DH & myself alone. At least once a year it is all 6 of us.

 

[Poppins2000]

Contact Dreams Unlimited with your requirements (# people, cabins, dates) and let them come up with the most inexpensive costs. They are excellent at that

I agree! Middle Class DH & I are going on a 7 night cruise this spring and with our discounts (we are FL residents, retired military, repeat cruisers and whatever else!) we are getting a Cat. 6 cabin for $2100.00 LESS than the amount posted on the DCL site (and a $200 shipboard credit too!)

 

[MommyMouse]

We are a family of 6 and we are about to go on our 4th Disney cruise. We only go during FL resident rate times and the savings are huge for us. We are in the lower "six figure end" BUT we send our children to Catholic Schools (Elementary and High Schools). That fee in itself is over $2000/mo. Our public schools are horrible here, so that's the choice we made. However, our house is nice, but old..... built in the 60's. Haven't bought new furniture in ages. Our cars are older and paid for. My kids wear uniforms, so don't require a bunch of clothes. When I do purchase them, it's from Ebay etc. I am also a seller on EBAY. I don't make a killing, but I sell odds and ends I don't need any longer.....the money adds up! I clip coupons for everything. I pair a lot of BOGO items from the grocery with my coupons and end up with an average of $50-70 savings a week. My kids can only buy lunch twice a week, the rest they pack. Our local dollar store has loads of items that are truly worth much more than the dollar. (i.e. Coppertone sunscreen. They aren't expired items either!) DH and I don't go out much at all. We oftentimes will have a date lunch where the menus are half the cost than that of dinner. We don't buy a lot of toys and "things" extra for our kids. They would rather take the Disney Cruise any day. As another poster mentioned, our cruises are memories of a lifetime! A house, car, clothes, toys will eventually fall apart. Your memories will be with your family forever

Also....check out the budget boards here. People share great ideas for saving!

 

[cmhand30]

Not rich, just Blessed. DH is military for 20 years and not high ranking, so anyone could look up his salary. I am currently a SAHM, due to economy can't find a job in my field. But loving staying home.
Cars are paid for and 6 & 10 years old. Furniture loan is 0% for 3 years or would not have gotten new furniture. I cut coupons and make menus. No long term credit card debt, pay off only one card every month (Disney Visa for reward dollars).
Last DCL was 3 1/2 years ago. But have AP for WDW, all paid with tax refunds. I don't pay "rack" rate for any stay or admission. We use higher withholdings through out the year to have a "fun check" every year. But kids are getting older and deductions are disappearing.

We have no home phone to help pay for the cell phone bill. No mani or pedi here. We all get haircuts at the strip mall on "special" days. I shop the outlets or Kohl's coupon sales for clothes.

 

[aspen37]

just a quick note on tips...they averaged out to $36.00 per person per day. We were on a 3 day cruise. Plus there are tips for room service, people you buy specialty drinks from, people you order water from, porters, baggage handlers at the airport, etc. (I took lots of $1 bills)

Also, keep the kiddos as healthy as possible because if one of them gets sick (vomiting/other end issues) the ship board doctor will confine that child and possibly the other children to their cabin for a min. of 48 hours. Disney is VERY serious about spreading germs on their ship and they will keep an eye on you.

The tips on the Wonder for a 4 night cruise is $48.00 for the cruise. That is $12.00 a day. That is per person. I don't know how they came up with $36.00 a day PP. I have been on 6 cruises and have never been charged that much.

 

[aspen37]

I also am not rich! I'm a solo traveler some of the too. I have to pay almost double when I cruise alone. I try to book as far out as I can and pay off as much as I can every paycheck. That is the nice thing about Disney in general that you can pay it off over time.

 

[hgon76]

We are a family of 4 and went on our 1st DCL cruise last January and LOVED it, so booked another for next January. We are middle class, I work part-time, but get paid fairly well and my husband works full time. We have to start saving a year ahead of time to pull it off but, we really don't eat out, I put about $40/week into a Christmas club to use toward tips, rental car, drinks, etc. for the cruise. We do have car loans, but nothing fancy or expensive. We decided last year that instead of expensive Christmas gifts, we were going to give the kids a Disney Cruise for Christmas. Best idea EVER!!! I don't know about you, but every Christmas we get the kids a bunch of stuff they don't NEED, they play with it for about a month and I am throwing it out by summer because pieces are missing or something. So now we are going to get them cheap "cruise stuff" just for something to open (sunblock, sunglasses, buckets, sandals, etc.), but the cruise will actually be their gift. Last year, they LOVED finding out that they were leaving in 3 weeks for a Disney Cruise! We also cut back on getting them a whole bunch of stuff they don't need for birthdays as well. They will remember the year they got the Disney cruise for Christmas, forever. They're not gonna know which Nintendo DS game they got the Christmas of 2009!