I also empty my change into a piggy bank each time I am home and it can add up to several hundred dollars over the course of a year.

Like Debbie said…keep expenses down on the ship and you needn’t take much money with you once the cruise is paid for. I made the mistake of cruising during spring break on my first cruise and I was talking to one college student that brought along only $75 for expenses on the cruise, that was after gratuities I am sure, and he was having a ball.

Searching out the best deals also helps to keep expenses down. This has been a great year for cruise deals and I expect that as soon as these mega ships start coming online over the next year, Oasis, Epic, Dream, ect…, that the deals will get even better.

Being self employed does help us to be able to cruise when the cruise fares are lower too.

We’re also not terribly fussy about hotel accommodations if we’re arriving the night before a cruise. Some accomodations have been better than others and a few are on my “Don’t Ever Go There Again” list, but overall it works. I’m going to Mexico twice in the next 6 weeks. The first time with hubby for 10 days and then with a group of girlfriends for 5 days.

Another expense the frequent cruisers don’t fret about is clothes. Hubby bought two tuxes a while back (summer/winter) and I’ve acquired about 6 formal ourfits that will get rotated until they are hopelessly out of style.

While hubby likes the occasional massage, we don’t spend a lot of money on spa services. I have an objection to spending more money for a service than I would on land and then having to put up with the additional sales pitch for overpriced products.

Finally, frequent cruisers don’t feel the need to buy souveniers, including ship photos of every breath you take. We always have a portrait taken and we buy it only if we love it.

So overall, there’s lots of ways to cut corners, big and little, in order to have multiple cruise experiences.

I am sure they often opt for non-balcony cabins. They also keept eh flying to minimum.

The people who spend more often fly fairly far, get a suite and a hotel. They end up paying most of the money off the ship.

Thos are the kinds of choices you make. having free time (being retired) makes it so a person can cruise a great deal more.

The best deals come in long cruises, not that all long cruises are cheap, but some of the cheapest you ever see, per diem, are long.