Sticker Shock

I know there's a bunch of people out there who may have had a reaction similar to this. "Woohoo, Backstreet Boy cruise. I can't wait to go!! Let me just take out the good ole credit ca....Holy crap. It costs how much?? And for only a three day cruise. I wish, but I'm just not sure I can justify that."

Well you're not alone. In fact, I don't think any past cruiser didn't have that thought run through their head. I know I sure as heck had that mindset. But I'm here now as a two-time cruiser and am here to help ease the blow a bit.

Yes, the cruise is expensive and costs about three times the price of a normal cruise. Just remember that all that extra money goes towards around 10 Backstreet events (give or take) If you priced those out separately you could factor in $100 for a concert; $200 for what would be equivalent to a silver VIP meet & greet, $100 or so for 3 after party type events, and several other events that in my mind are priceless because you can't get them anywhere else. So hopefully this can at least help justify where your money is going.

You should also take comfort in the fact that you do not have to pay that money all at once. Rose Tours works out a payment plan and gives you the flexibility to make payments pretty much on any schedule you'd like. So don't think about it as $1,000-$2,000 all at once. Think of it as about $100-$200 a month. We also have the added advantage of being given a bit more notice this time around. So that means its even less money every paycheck than on the prior 2 cruises. I find this a lot easier to digest because that's a much more manageable number. For me that means eating out a few times less throughout the month or skipping out on buying a new pair of shoes I don't really need anyway.

Another way that I was able to reduce the overall cost of the cruise is to ask family and friends to help out. And I don't mean ask for a hand out. But we have the holidays coming up right around the corner, and odds are there might be a few other special occasions that would warrant gift giving between now and the cruise. Why not ask your friends and family to skip getting you a gift and instead ask them to contribute to your BSB cruise fund. I did this for both cruises and was able to knock a couple hundred dollars off easy. You can even get creative with it and create a BSB Cruise registry. Who says you need to get married to create a registry?! I found a good site called Celebration Wishes so why not set up something fun for your trip and spread the word to loved ones about your cruise fund.

My last point is that I don't regret spending the money on the previous two cruises as all. I'd much more regret not going than seeing my bank account just a little bit fuller. My ONLY caveat here...as much as I support going on the cruise and think its worth every penny, I also don't condone going into debt over it. So really take a good hard look at your budget and see if you can afford this trip before committing.

If you want more info on cruise costs...here are a few of my previous posts on the subject.

Credit Card Damage: The Final Cost  (2011 cruise cost breakdown)
Can you Afford a Backstreet Cruise? (2010 cruise cost breakdown)

Any of you past cruisers our there also feel free to comment below on your experiences/opinions with the cruise pricing and if you think its worth the money!