Perspective Check. When to cruise?

[sweetpee_1993]

Hubby and I have been thinking long and hard about our cruise plans, park plans, and how all the timing works out. Currently we've only been on 1 cruise this past September and have 3 more booked for the next 2 Septembers. Excited to cruise with Mickey again! Originally our plan was to go to Disneyland the week before Thanksgiving so we can see Disneyland decked-out with its holiday finery as well. The more I look at it, the more I think we have this backwards. Let me explain. The old man switched jobs again since the cruise and the upcoming bookings were laid out. He's back to a contract which means no paid time off. So any trip we take his wages are part of the trip budget. Puting a week vacation right next to a week the office is closed more than 1 day for a holiday makes that timing kinda bad. Going on vacation during a holiday week would be great but we also know we'd be subjecting ourselves to utter insanity in the parks then. Buuuut, the cruise ships only hold a set number of people. Doesn't matter when you cruise, the "crowd" doesn't fluctuate drastically. I often wondered why people would pay such a premium for a holiday cruise aside from the novelty of it. I get it now. :hammer:

Still no closer to figuring out what to do with our plans. Keep? Move things around? Cut back? Hubby wants to keep shooting for what we have while I'm the voice of reason who thinks we should reevaluate and makes some moves sooner than later.... The saga continues.... :lol:

Anyone else have different factors they work around or give in to when deciding when to cruise???

 

[tracyandalex]

we go to the parks on the cruises when it's cheapest. for your situation i would wonder which is more - the premium on the holiday cruise or the lost wages?

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Hubby and I have been thinking long and hard about our cruise plans, park plans, and how all the timing works out. Currently we've only been on 1 cruise this past September and have 3 more booked for the next 2 Septembers. Excited to cruise with Mickey again! Originally our plan was to go to Disneyland the week before Thanksgiving so we can see Disneyland decked-out with its holiday finery as well. The more I look at it, the more I think we have this backwards. Let me explain. The old man switched jobs again since the cruise and the upcoming bookings were laid out. He's back to a contract which means no paid time off. So any trip we take his wages are part of the trip budget. Puting a week vacation right next to a week the office is closed more than 1 day for a holiday makes that timing kinda bad. Going on vacation during a holiday week would be great but we also know we'd be subjecting ourselves to utter insanity in the parks then. Buuuut, the cruise ships only hold a set number of people. Doesn't matter when you cruise, the "crowd" doesn't fluctuate drastically. I often wondered why people would pay such a premium for a holiday cruise aside from the novelty of it. I get it now. :hammer:

Still no closer to figuring out what to do with our plans. Keep? Move things around? Cut back? Hubby wants to keep shooting for what we have while I'm the voice of reason who thinks we should reevaluate and makes some moves sooner than later.... The saga continues.... :lol:

Anyone else have different factors they work around or give in to when deciding when to cruise???

I feel your pain for different reasons! Now that Chase is a junior in high school we just can't take him out like we used to. And after the next year and a half, we have to work around college schedules!

It's really put a damper on my cruise schedule!! Cruising during holidays and breaks is so expensive!!

Right now I've got a Thanksgiving cruise booked during his freshman year in college. I have no earthly idea if that's what he'll want to do on his only break, but I'm taking the chance right now.

Our Med cruise is probably too far into the summer to hope for any discounts, but again, it's a school thing.

We really agonized taking him out of school for the Fantasy preview cruise in March but we decided that's a once in a lifetime kind of thing and we should do it. We just won't have him much longer, you know? Every vacation memory is becoming more and more valuable.

So we are going to close our eyes to the price and try to stick to holidays and breaks for the forseeable future. UNLESS something amazing comes along of course.

 

[Crush Dude!]

I feel your pain for different reasons! Now that Chase is a junior in high school we just can't take him out like we used to. And after the next year and a half, we have to work around college schedules!

It's really put a damper on my cruise schedule!! Cruising during holidays and breaks is so expensive!!

Right now I've got a Thanksgiving cruise booked during his freshman year in college. I have no earthly idea if that's what he'll want to do on his only break, but I'm taking the chance right now.

Our Med cruise is probably too far into the summer to hope for any discounts, but again, it's a school thing.

We really agonized taking him out of school for the Fantasy preview cruise in March but we decided that's a once in a lifetime kind of thing and we should do it. We just won't have him much longer, you know? Every vacation memory is becoming more and more valuable.

So we are going to close our eyes to the price and try to stick to holidays and breaks for the forseeable future. UNLESS something amazing comes along of course.

Hubby and I have been thinking long and hard about our cruise plans, park plans, and how all the timing works out. Currently we've only been on 1 cruise this past September and have 3 more booked for the next 2 Septembers. Excited to cruise with Mickey again! Originally our plan was to go to Disneyland the week before Thanksgiving so we can see Disneyland decked-out with its holiday finery as well. The more I look at it, the more I think we have this backwards. Let me explain. The old man switched jobs again since the cruise and the upcoming bookings were laid out. He's back to a contract which means no paid time off. So any trip we take his wages are part of the trip budget. Puting a week vacation right next to a week the office is closed more than 1 day for a holiday makes that timing kinda bad. Going on vacation during a holiday week would be great but we also know we'd be subjecting ourselves to utter insanity in the parks then. Buuuut, the cruise ships only hold a set number of people. Doesn't matter when you cruise, the "crowd" doesn't fluctuate drastically. I often wondered why people would pay such a premium for a holiday cruise aside from the novelty of it. I get it now. :hammer:

Still no closer to figuring out what to do with our plans. Keep? Move things around? Cut back? Hubby wants to keep shooting for what we have while I'm the voice of reason who thinks we should reevaluate and makes some moves sooner than later.... The saga continues.... :lol:

Anyone else have different factors they work around or give in to when deciding when to cruise???

Welcome to my world folks! We have to do this with the parks every year!

As we go for 3 weeks we have to wait until the summer to head to wdw!
Now at the same time we love the heat and are well able for the crowds!

Its all a matter of geting used to it!

As far as your problem Sweetpee id say just way up what is more, extra money to pay for holiday cruise or money lost to take work time off!

If the difference is substantial then adjusting dates may be the way to go :wave:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Ah. Thanks y'all. :wave:

Tammy, isn't it straight-up freaky to have to even price these things with your "babies" as adults, etc.???? That kills me! I feel ya. I was talking about prices and stuff with Chandler the other day and he said, "I bet y'all will be glad when we get moved out so you don't have to pay for us anymore." Um...NO. I'd rather go less and spend extra to have everyone together. Our time is growing so short. I laughed and said, "The trick will be getting you to still want to go with us when you can go with anyone else you want." Why do they have to grow up??? I coulda kept that precious little redhead running around playing with his airplanes and vacuum cleaners forever.

Then this afternoon the kid was talking about going into the military and I'm thinking how fun it'll be to attempt to plan vacations around my son's leave...again...IF he wants to spend his time with us...

It is nuts to try and work all these trips around all the variables. It really is.

Yes, we'll have to do some price comparing with the holiday cruises and lost wages. From what I looked at today it's really close to a wash with the money. The cruise costs a lot more but a weeks wages is a pretty penny, too. Personally, I'm trying to get the old man to accept that we'll likely need to choose the cruise or Disneyland and not do both. Good luck with that, huh? :hammer:

 

[Crush Dude!]

Ah. Thanks y'all. :wave:

Tammy, isn't it straight-up freaky to have to even price these things with your "babies" as adults, etc.???? That kills me! I feel ya. I was talking about prices and stuff with Chandler the other day and he said, "I bet y'all will be glad when we get moved out so you don't have to pay for us anymore." Um...NO. I'd rather go less and spend extra to have everyone together. Our time is growing so short. I laughed and said, "The trick will be getting you to still want to go with us when you can go with anyone else you want." Why do they have to grow up??? I coulda kept that precious little redhead running around playing with his airplanes and vacuum cleaners forever.

Then this afternoon the kid was talking about going into the military and I'm thinking how fun it'll be to attempt to plan vacations around my son's leave...again...IF he wants to spend his time with us...

It is nuts to try and work all these trips around all the variables. It really is.

Yes, we'll have to do some price comparing with the holiday cruises and lost wages. From what I looked at today it's really close to a wash with the money. The cruise costs a lot more but a weeks wages is a pretty penny, too. Personally, I'm trying to get the old man to accept that we'll likely need to choose the cruise or Disneyland and not do both. Good luck with that, huh? :hammer:

With other cruises a definite id go for Disneyland!

Esp after seeing Tammys pics a few weeks back :sohappy:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Me, too! The old man says he'd rather go to Disneyland also but I'm not 100% sure he isn't saying that to please me. He's that kinda guy...not a bad thing...but I don't want him compromising for me. Eventually we'll get to see Disneyland.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Ah. Thanks y'all. :wave:

Tammy, isn't it straight-up freaky to have to even price these things with your "babies" as adults, etc.???? That kills me! I feel ya. I was talking about prices and stuff with Chandler the other day and he said, "I bet y'all will be glad when we get moved out so you don't have to pay for us anymore." Um...NO. I'd rather go less and spend extra to have everyone together. Our time is growing so short. I laughed and said, "The trick will be getting you to still want to go with us when you can go with anyone else you want." Why do they have to grow up??? I coulda kept that precious little redhead running around playing with his airplanes and vacuum cleaners forever.

Then this afternoon the kid was talking about going into the military and I'm thinking how fun it'll be to attempt to plan vacations around my son's leave...again...IF he wants to spend his time with us...

It is nuts to try and work all these trips around all the variables. It really is.

Yes, we'll have to do some price comparing with the holiday cruises and lost wages. From what I looked at today it's really close to a wash with the money. The cruise costs a lot more but a weeks wages is a pretty penny, too. Personally, I'm trying to get the old man to accept that we'll likely need to choose the cruise or Disneyland and not do both. Good luck with that, huh? :hammer:

Good luck! :lol:

I know! It's freaky when they read the summary and say 3 adults! I always want to correct them! :lol:

The military can be awesome about leave depending on the job. You get 30 days a year from the get go. Now unlike other jobs, holidays and weekends will still count off those 30 days if you are gone for them. For instance, at Christmas Stephen may only miss 3days of work and yet he will end up using 9 days of leave.

One great thing is being able to store leave. You can bank up to 60 days. Then if you do that you HAVE to take 30 every year after. The military frowns on people losing their leave, so bosses make sure you take those use it or lose it days.

Now some jobs will be very strict about when you take that leave, and yes, in some high profile jobs people use leave on weekends and holidays so they're not gone much.

But overall, the military isn't always an easy life and commanders recognize that people need those breaks with their families.

That is so much more than you wanted to know about the military. :lol:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

LOL! Nah, my dad was Navy. If I hadn't met Tracey when I did I would've been USAF, too.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

LOL! Nah, my dad was Navy. If I hadn't met Tracey when I did I would've been USAF, too.

Oh yes, I knew that! Go Air Force! :lol:

 

[tiaragirl]

I
We really agonized taking him out of school for the Fantasy preview cruise in March but we decided that's a once in a lifetime kind of thing and we should do it. We just won't have him much longer, you know? Every vacation memory is becoming more and more valuable.

For the record, Tammy, my parents have been saying that since my grade 12 year - and we're still family vacationing 5 years later! =)


So much confusion, Kelly. Wah, I feel for you. You'll make it work! =) What cruise would it be that you'd be doing pre-Disneyland? MR? Because I'll be back in 16 days (ew ew ew ew vaca will be over in 16 days?) and at least you'll be able to see what it's all about ahahha.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

For the record, Tammy, my parents have been saying that since my grade 12 year - and we're still family vacationing 5 years later! =)

Excellent!