Is everyone that cruises with DCL rich?

[ChocoKat]

Yes, we are very rich... OK OK I kid . I wish though, I keep telling DH we need to make really rich friends so they can take us jet setting. *Sigh*

We are double income, no kids adults, not by choice mind you, just really rotten medical luck.

We don't make a ton of money either, but we choose carefully how to spend it and save it. I am not much of a shopper, normally wear clothes until they are about to fall apart, just own 5 pairs of shoes, and a couple of handbags which together are worth less than $100

We eat home made lunches and dine at home nearly every day, we are not into the club and drinking scene, and shop around for bargains. We still have the same ole non-stereo old fashion TV we bought 9 years ago when our old TV died.

Every time we are tempted to spree for a flat screen HDTV we think that those $1000 buckaroos could be a trip to WDW, a cruise, or some other travel adventure.

For our first cruise with DCL I worked extra hours for 2 months, that counts with being on call (oh how I miss those calls at random times including the great ones at 3 or 4 am in the morning), jarring and stressful business trips on a very low budget (helloooo motel 6 ), etc etc.

We still treat ourselves though, we have a wii and a wii fit, we buy DVD's and try to make it out to the movies when there is something we really want to watch. We have a "fancy" sushi dinner once a week, but we did buy the wii from Costco... and the wii fit... and the DVD's on sale at walmart, so we are careful even when spoiling ourselves.

Oh yeah, we also have the very same Honda Civic from 2000, still runs great, and we keep it nice and tidy and up to date with services, etc. We carpool and save a ton of gas that way, we are lucky our offices are in the same side of town

I think that's pretty much it!

 

[DVCconvert]

I make 50 billion per year...and I can't afford DCL!!!!

 

[2Princess&aPrince]

A family of 7 will fit quite nicely in two Category 11 staterooms. We just booked two of them for our family of five for $4000 setting sail October 30, 2010. Half price deposit now and rest of it not until August 2010. Until that payment is due we will, as with most of the rest of you, go without the unnecessary luxuries and stick to the basics...it is sooooo worth it! (We did our first DCL cruise in November 2008 and are hooked!) The Cat. 11's are great rooms and we only use them for sleeping/showering/changing/and napping the wee one...so you wouldn't need much more room than that. You can get rooms beside eachother if you book early and we booked through CAA (US equivalent of AAA) and get a $75 onboard credit per stateroom to use on what we wish.
It doesn't have to be extremely expensive or an unreachable dream....just go for it! You won't regret it!

 

[Paula13]

It all boils down to living within your means! We are NOT rich by no means, but manage very well. How much you make doesn't matter if you don't manage it well. You can make the top % of the tier, but if you don't manage it correctly, you won't have much! Let alone money for vacation. Moto is...save, save, save!!

 

[tinkerbell34]

I'm a single mom with two boys. I suppose I would be considered lower middle class. I have a house and a car payment but no other debt. We don't eat out and we don't have cable television (just rabbit ears). Everything in my house was a hand me down from someone. I started when my eldest son was 4 saving for his suprise 10 year birthday cruise! I do live paycheck to paycheck but took my yearly tax return and set a portion aside. We couldn't afford a 7 night cruise but did a 4 night cruise w/ a verandah (5 of us went). We also cruised in Sept, which was the cheapest time to go. That worked out great because my son's birthday is in September! We were on a tight budget and the only excurison we did was renting bikes, tubes, and snorkeling gear at CC. There is enough to do on board, without spending extra, that we didn't feel like we were missing anything. Heck, there were activities and places on the ship we never got to with all the other things we were apart of! We had a dreamy time and I must say we are hooked. My son's still cry when they watch our home cruise video and beg to go back. Hopefully in another five years I can take my youngest son for his 10 year old birthday cruise. The point is, with enough planning and a lot of determination, you can do what you want! If this is something you really want to do with your family, you'll find a way!

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Funny story about people thinking you are rich...

My boss told me that they haven't been to Disney since his youngest was 3 and they really have to go back. Said it was so expensive that its cheaper to rent a house at the Jersey shore for the week. Hmm, we both live in Jersey and I know how much houses go for. Seems he spends $4,000 a week for a beach house. So I told him that his family of 4 could cruise for less for on a 7 night DCL and his wife wouldn't have to cook or clean(obviously dependent on time of year and category). He was like - REALLY???

Idiot just assumed that I was loaded and he never even looked into it. And yes, he's still NOT looking into it. He booked the house at the beach because he really likes it. Well stop saying that I'm rich darnit!!

 

[jajomo0118]

Funny story about people thinking you are rich...

My boss told me that they haven't been to Disney since his youngest was 3 and they really have to go back. Said it was so expensive that its cheaper to rent a house at the Jersey shore for the week. Hmm, we both live in Jersey and I know how much houses go for. Seems he spends $4,000 a week for a beach house. So I told him that his family of 4 could cruise for less for on a 7 night DCL and his wife wouldn't have to cook or clean(obviously dependent on time of year and category). He was like - REALLY???

Idiot just assumed that I was loaded and he never even looked into it. And yes, he's still NOT looking into it. He booked the house at the beach because he really likes it. Well stop saying that I'm rich darnit!!

I also get the "rich" line at work...I always reply...We just do a really nice special vacation every 2-3 years instead of a run of the mill beach one every year. Seems to shut up them up pretty quickly. LOL

 

[stampinshauna]

Rich? Not even close financially.

We find that we can cruise on Disney cheaper than a lot of other vacations--even cheaper than a trip to Disneyland.

We book for the cheapest time of the year, cheapest stateroom category (category 12) where the cost is $699-799 per person (for the first 2--it gets cheaper for the 3rd and 4th). We take advantage of rebooking onboard which scores us a $200 shipboard credit. We also transfer that ressie to DU which gets us another $100 shipboard credit (meaning that our tips and souvineers are paid for with that onboard credit). We use our Disney Visa for most expenditures and pay it off monthly, which gets us Disney Dollars that we use towards excursions. We don't play bingo, buy drinks, or buy any snacks on the ship.

We also count going on DCL cruises as early or late birthday/anniversary/christmas and we have a great time! When I have a cruise to look forward to, I am less likely to make impulse purchases because I know what I'd rather spend the money on. You really can cruise pretty cheap (or make it expensive).

 

[Castaway Kev]

I pride myself on my penny-pintching, yet LOVE DCL!

I am not wealthy, by income standards. But I have a wonderful wife and sweetheart of a daughter, a roof over my head, and a full belly. I consider myself very rich. It's all about your perspective.

 

[DisneyDan24]

We also had sticker shock at the DCL prices. Plus the fact that every phone call the travel agent told us Disney never discounts because "they don't have to." My DW was persistent and kept calling a variety of places (DCL, Orbitz, Travelocity, COSTCO, VISA Membership Rewards, etc) COSTCO ended up being the winner. Lesson learned here, DCL always the highest, but with some research and persistency discounts can be found.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We're not rich by any means. But we do save to go on our vacations. It usually takes us 2 years to save up. We go to WDW every other year. We went on our first cruise in 2007 and have another cruise scheduled for 2010. I do think the DCL cruises are expensive. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to go on these vacations.

On a side note, we've priced vacations such as Hawaii, Williamsburg, Virginia, England. Even U.S. vacations often seem to run us about the same price as a WDW vacation. Nothing is cheap anymore. And a European vacation is even more expensive. I wish we could afford the European sailings on DCL, but we can't.

 

[disney1990]

I am really curious how much the "average" "not rich" and "middle class" families on this board really earn.

I saw an article today on layoffs in New York City, where the 2007 median household income was $48,631. One family told the reporter how hard it is to live in NYC on less than $400,000 per year - a family that considered themselves normal, average, middle class people.

Here's what the US Census Bureau has to say for 2007:
The median household income was $50,233 - half of all households earned less, half more.
If your household income was $62,000 or more, you were in the top 40%.
If your household income was $100,000 or more, you were in the top 20%.
If your household income was $177,000 or more, you were in the top 5%.

As I said before, almost nobody is rich. I have met people with eight figure incomes who don't consider themselves rich, even though most people I know would consider a family with a $200,000 annual income rich. Then again, in much of Southern California, $200,000 is not enough money to buy a house!

So I hope some of you following this thread will indulge my curiosity. How many not rich people are in the top 5%? The top 20%? The bottom half?
I recognize I should not ask without confessing, so I will state I just barely missed making the top 20% last year but I expect to be in that group this year.

If this is the criteria, DH & I are poor. And now that I have been laid off, we are very poor.

We have been on 2 Disney cruises so far -- a 3 day in 2007, and a 4 day in 2008.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Sorry about the layoff, disney1990. DH's employer relocated us to Kansas and I haven't gone back to work yet. So I know how hard it is to lose an income. I hope you get back to work soon! Don't cancel that 7 day cruise. We had a 7 day booked for this May, but have rescheduled it for 2010.

 

[slk]

We're just an average family living in an average home. We didn't take
alot of big vacations when our kids were really little. We did go to the
beach a few times with a big group and split the cost of a condo. When
we paid our mortgage off a few years ago we decided to take a trip to
WDW then, a couple years later the Disney cruise. We are taking one
more cruise next year before DD goes to college. We save up for them
and I couldn't do it every year.

 

[Sully]

We are wealthy by many standards of the world ( retired educatiors). We own a ton of DVC points and have been on 9 DCL cruises. We have booked 3 more. We stay in studios through DVC and usually inside rooms on the cruise ship. We usually book cruises while on the ship for the discount. Our bar bill on the cruise usually runs around $20.00.

 

[pmama]

DCL prices alone have such a wide spectrum on the same sailing. We've booked a gty category 12 for one of the cheapest sailing times for a 4 night. We've been traveling to Disney about every 7-11 months but we are much happier w/ the less expensive rooms and more chances to visit. The following thread made a good example of how WDW and DCL are really not much different after you factor in food an park tickets. In fact, she found DCL to be cheaper.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2134114

 

[lattemomof3]

My dad passed away 6 months ago, he used to always tell us he was "rich in everything but money", we actually used that in his eulogy. This thread has done a wonderful job of having great conversation with positive vibes, even with people from all different income levels. We live in a fairly inexpensive part of the country, my dh makes a good living but we are definately not rich (in $, anyway). I have a teaching degree but have stayed home with my kids since the oldest was born. Our van is 10 years old, and most of my friends have remodeled their homes w/ new furniture, etc. 2 or 3 times while we have not. I have gotten comments from friends about how we really need a new van - they all drive brand new, expensive suv's, BUT we are able to take a nice vacation every year or 2 as that is a priority to us. I read an article recently that said people who spent their money on events, or memories vs. things were overall happier w/ their lives. I would agree w/ that! I love to come to the disboards bec. in my small town most people put a huge priority on having the best, biggest home, car, new phones, gadgets, etc, and the dis is one of the few places I feel like I am normal for wanting to save in those areas so we can spend our $ on wonderful, memory filled vacations w/ our family instead.

 

[tvguy]

My dad passed away 6 months ago, he used to always tell us he was "rich in everything but money", we actually used that in his eulogy. This thread has done a wonderful job of having great conversation with positive vibes, even with people from all different income levels. We live in a fairly inexpensive part of the country, my dh makes a good living but we are definately not rich (in $, anyway). I have a teaching degree but have stayed home with my kids since the oldest was born. Our van is 10 years old, and most of my friends have remodeled their homes w/ new furniture, etc. 2 or 3 times while we have not. I have gotten comments from friends about how we really need a new van - they all drive brand new, expensive suv's, BUT we are able to take a nice vacation every year or 2 as that is a priority to us. I read an article recently that said people who spent their money on events, or memories vs. things were overall happier w/ their lives. I would agree w/ that! I love to come to the disboards bec. in my small town most people put a huge priority on having the best, biggest home, car, new phones, gadgets, etc, and the dis is one of the few places I feel like I am normal for wanting to save in those areas so we can spend our $ on wonderful, memory filled vacations w/ our family instead.

Hey, your van IS new. Our family vehicle is a 1987 Suburban, purchased new, got it when my son was 6 months old, he's 22 now. Seen a lot of trips to Little League and Soccer games over the years. As for cell phones, I almost cried when my first cell phone died after 14 years. We won't mention our 1985 model standard definition TV.
As evidenced by recent string of foreclosures, we ARE free in America, free to do some really stupid things.
I think that's why Suze Orman is my hero. Some of the folks who call in asking if they can afford something amaze me. The fact that some of them are even asking if they can afford it given their financial situation kind of indicates to me that we haven't done a very good job of teaching our children personal financial responsibility.

 

["Got Disney"]

Hey, your van IS new. Our family vehicle is a 1987 Suburban, purchased new, got it when my son was 6 months old, he's 22 now. Seen a lot of trips to Little League and Soccer games over the years. As for cell phones, I almost cried when my first cell phone died after 14 years. We won't mention our 1985 model standard definition TV.
As evidenced by recent string of foreclosures, we ARE free in America, free to do some really stupid things.
I think that's why Suze Orman is my hero. Some of the folks who call in asking if they can afford something amaze me. The fact that some of them are even asking if they can afford it given their financial situation kind of indicates to me that we haven't done a very good job of teaching our children personal financial responsibility.

So how many on here would Suzy say if you called her on her show

DENIED APPROVED

DH and I watch her every weekend and have learned a lot from her. We are financially blessed the last few years and have taken her advice and payed off all of our debt, increased our Emergency fund and pay cash for everything. We save for our cruises...if we dont have the cash we dont go. My boys have started watching her also...they are 12 and 15.

If you dont watch her start......she will make you feel powerful with your money. whether you have some or not.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Hey, your van IS new. Our family vehicle is a 1987 Suburban, purchased new, got it when my son was 6 months old, he's 22 now. Seen a lot of trips to Little League and Soccer games over the years. As for cell phones, I almost cried when my first cell phone died after 14 years. We won't mention our 1985 model standard definition TV.
As evidenced by recent string of foreclosures, we ARE free in America, free to do some really stupid things.
I think that's why Suze Orman is my hero. Some of the folks who call in asking if they can afford something amaze me. The fact that some of them are even asking if they can afford it given their financial situation kind of indicates to me that we haven't done a very good job of teaching our children personal financial responsibility.

Just curious ....how many miles on the suburban?

Rob