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I am so frustrated about honeymoon costs right now. We had these grand plans of going to the Maldives, Tahiti, or Australia, but scrapped all those to save money and decided to go to Hawaii instead. I thought this would be a pretty reasonable option. However, the costs are ballooning out of control:
Flights from NYC and between islands: $2000
7-day cruise: $2000
5 nights in hotel: $1000
Renting a car, food, activities (was hoping to do snorkeling, horseback riding, etc and these things don't come cheap!): $1000-$2000.
I feel like at this rate we might as well go to Australia or Tahiti because it couldn't be much more expensive. Seriously, we went to Europe for 2 weeks last summer as a graduation trip and it was significantly cheaper than this Hawaii trip.
So I'm interested to see how much everyone's budgeting for honeymoons and how you're keeping costs reasonable while still having a real honeymoon. I know some people are lucky to have relatives or friends with time shares or beach houses, but we don't have that option.
Hmm it does seem pretty expensive. I don't really have ideas though.
@MissAsB - we were planning a cruise for 7 days and 5 nights in a hotel...but the cruise is like $1200 and the excursions are at least $100 a day, so it's not cheap at all. I had also heard cruises were a cheaper option, so I was shocked to see how much it costs.
We're spending about $5K on 8 days in Anguilla.
I don't have the actual budget right in front of me, but I believe it's about $1K transportation (flights, transfers, rental cars), $3K on accomodations, and $1K spending money.
@GirlwithaRing: I've always thought that Hawaii is super-expensive. And food is more expensive there as well. Also you might save money on flights by staying in the Caribbean area.
I have always thought of Hawaii as very expensive.
FI and I haven't really sat down yet and budget the HM. But come hell or high water we're doing this HM because it's been a dream of ours forever. And we know how we are. If we don't do it now we probably won't do it till the kids are grown up. That being said I've been researching like crazy on what to do on the cheap.
We're backpacking through Europe and not staying at fancy hotels but rather at hostels and it may come as a surprise renting small studios and such are sometimes just as cheap as hostels. No hotels. Eat on the super cheap. Maybe 1 or 2 fancy meals bc it IS our HM after all!! Looking into the cheapest way to travel from A to B whether it be Raynair, Night Train, etc etc.
Been subscribed to Eurocheapo blogs, how to travel on the cheap, etc.
Maybe start thinking in those realms if you haven't already? Think renting a house/apartment via VRBO if you'll be centered around one main area instead of a hotel.
Good Luck!
What about going to Thailand or something similar? The flight will be expensive, but the activities and accomodations should be significantly cheaper.
Our honeymoon is going to be under 2000, but we're just going to California.
I'm confused why you have hotel and flights between islands if you are going on a cruise. Are you staying past the cruise time or something?
Cruises can be cheap. It all depends on timing. If you have the flexibility of timing check out different rates during different weeks. Change room sizes, that'll be cheaper. Or either of you in the military or any other organizations? Ask about discounts.
Check different cruise lines. Don't do as many excursions. There are cheaper excursions (at least for the cruises we have been on). One of our favorite excursions of all time was a simple $30 excursion taht was a trip to the Corona beach (private!), lunch included provided by the locals and all you can drink Corona's all day long.
Are you subscribed to newsletters like TravelZoo? They consistently have cheap cheap deals on cruises. You know those sales that only have certain days available for 2 days only? The more flexible you are the more you can save. If I see any for Hawaii or Australia I'll be sure to PM you.
Try to find pre-packaged deals with a cruise already included or pre-packaged hotel + flight combos so you can just add-on the cruise. Sometimes flying into another city first with (Southwest Air) can save you money.
Good luck!
Hawaii is pretty expensive. I would therefore suggest somewere in the Carribean, because flights will likely be cheaper, or going more exotic, such as Turkey or the Sinai in Egypt or Goa in India or Thailand or Vietnam. If you work at it you should find a flight around $1200 or less, but the actual costs once you get there will be MUCH less. FI and I lived like royalty in Vietnam last summer on $1000 for two weeks and $800 in India for two weeks in 2004.
Yeah hawaii is expensive. I've been there before--IMO it's a little overrated for the cost (depending on where you are flying in from). There are many beautiful places you can go that are closer/cheaper flights/more feasible and you'll have JUST as amazing of a time.
Hawaii for us, from the midwest, was like 3K more than the caribbean. I didn't even THINK about hawaii while I was there. Tropical vacation is a tropical vacation!
I just did a quick search, I was curious:
Goa from NYC - $996
Sharm al-Sheik, Egypt - $1006
Bangkok - $904
Go have fun!
We visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for a little bit less than your trip. The international airfare was quite expensive, but the internal domestic flights were cheap, and most major hotel chains had a stay 2 nights, get one night free plan that helped keep down costs. We had an amazing time - we played with tigers, lions and elephants in Thailand and visited Angkor Watt and visited the tunnels that the Vietcong built during the war. Thailand has amazing beaches if that is more your scene.
@MissAsB: Yes, 7 nights cruise and 5 nights in a hotel - we didn't think it was worth flying 14 hours just for 1 week
@ Gerbera: Thanks for the help! You are going to have an AMAZING time in Europe. We started dating there during a semester abroad and did a ton of traveling on the cheap. It is so doable on a budget. And we just went to Austria and Czech Republic this summer for two weeks also very reasonable.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I haven't done any travel outside of Europe so it's very helpful to get your perspectives :)
Wow, that does seem expensive. Have you thought about doing a HM registry? We're going to Australia for 2 weeks, and you probably could on the same budget. It all depends on where you fly into and where you stay.
Honestly this has been a huge topic for us...we both REALLY wanted to go to the Carribean - but looking at all inclusive PLUS airfare PLUS money to spend we're looking at EASILY 3 grand that we do NOT have...and a cruise would have been 2 grand for only 3 or 4 days! and again that's NOT including money to spend...
SO since we are really concentrating on paying off some debt that we have - we decided to stay inside the states and we are DRIVING to south carolina from indiana. we can still do the beachy stuff - parasailing, swimming, fishing - and still relax and have a good time without spending a rediculous amount of money.
PLUS we may have a time share through my uncle, which will help - but if not - hotels aren't THAT bad in myrtle beach (compared to the islands!)
honestly I would suggest looking closer to home! there are SO many great places you can go that aren't gonna break your wallet!
We are doing Hawaii and this is what our breakdown is looking like..it is definitely adding up and getting expensive...definitely look into the caribbean or mexico!
Round Trip Airfare from NY: $1700
Interisland Airfare: $200
6 nights in Kauia: $2400 (split between Hyatt and St. Regis)
6 nights in Maui: only $400 (because we are getting 6 nights free with starwood points)
Car for 12 days: $750
Total $5,450 (would have been $1500-$2000 more if we had to pay for all of hotel)
We actually came close to Hawaii but ruled it out b/c of all the 'nickel and diming' going on with honeymooners. The food is super expensive and nothing is free at the resorts, so you have to pay $100's if you want to rent snorkel gear or go on an excursion, etc. And the flight there from NYC was about $700 at the cheapest.
In order to save $ we are using frequent flier miles for our flight and only staying 6 days at a nice 4-seasons that has a "5th night free" deal. So our hotel will only be around $2,400 after tax, etc. and our flight will be free. So factor in at least $1,000 in spending and that's only around $3,400 which we won't have to take out of savings, we can just pay with our paychecks that month.
JuneBride--if you can I recommend going to Pawleys Island instead of Myrtle. A little quieter and a lot more upscale :)
LaborOfLove - I will look into that. All I know is that as long as he can fish in the ocean, he'll be happy! lol. :D
So Hawaii is a great option for West Coasters, but not so much for East Coasters... just as the Carribean makes sense the other was around.
From Seattle, I've never paid more than $400 and change for my flight to Hawaii, which makes everything else more do-able. Also I tend to go to the Big Island and not stay in the big budget hotels. (Stay in Hilo and rent a car to get to Kona). So Hawaii has always been really economical for me... Now, Carribean on the other hand, would cost me at least $700 to get there. That's already such a huge chunk out of the budget that it doesn't seem worth it to me.
Next week, we're going on a Babymoon and we ended up searching high and low for cheap flights. The search landed us on the Mexican Riviera with $150 flights. By remaining flexible in our destination, we were able to get the best possible deal on transportation. You don't want to spend your money getting to where you want to go, you want to spend it when you get there!
Not sure if I missed it, but have you thought about Mexico? If your goal is to just be pampered and lay out in the sun, they have some really nice resort areas in Cancun. People think of Cancun as just a wild spring break spot, but it actually is pretty cool for couples as long as you stay out of the spring break period. There's plenty of activities too, like snorkeling, zip lining, inner tubing, the Mayan ruins, etc.
Friends of mine also returned from Argentina and they enjoyed it and said it was relatively low cost.
We're doing 10 days at a private island in Belize for about $5000. Alcohol is extra, but I don't really drink so it's just FI's booze. The cost covers all our food and some activities like snorkeling, kayaks, and a jetski (although I think there's a limit on the jetski). Any day trips to the mainland we'll have to pay for. We're going to cover our flights with our airmiles, but then we have to pay about $300 for a commuter plane to get us from the international airport to a smaller airport near the boat launch. I figure for 10 days of no one else around us, a private chef and staff catering to us, gorgeous scenery, we're getting a great deal! We were originally looking at Bora Bora but it would have cost us about $15 000 which is ridiculous. I'm REALLY looking forward to it!
JuneBride - what cruises were you looking at that were that expensive for only 3-4 days? My FI and I are going on a 7 day cruise in a balcony room on the back of the boat for just over 2K. If you look into it, there are some great deals right now!
dance247 - well the cruise itself wasn't the issue - it was including airfare and taxes that most ended up being close to $2000
We are spending two weeks in Maui. We budgeted about $9,000 for the honeymoon including flights, hotel, car, and all expenses.
When we went to Hawaii last year we didn't pay for airplane tickets because we flew standby on the FI's employee pass. We didn't pay for a hotel or car because we stayed with a friend and used their car. We did go out and buy food to cook at the house for breakfast and lunch. We went out to eat for dinner. Played golf one day and did a massage the next. The last night we stayed in a Hotel on the beach just to have our alone time.
We spent about $2000 for the 5 days we were there. Most of which was on food/drinks.
You're not alone in the world of budgeting for a HM. Hawaii is expensive and you have to leave a lot for spending money since the pricers are even higher for food, excursions etc. If you think Hawaii is exspensive then definitely don't even look into Tahiti or Fiji. I used to be a travel agent specializing in the Polynesian Islands and most trips cost about $10K.
We are going to Europe for our honeymoon: Oktoberfest in Munich and then Amsterdam (one week) and the hotels are just as expensive as staying in the heart of NYC! The Euro is kicking the US dollars butt!
I think all inclusive is a great way to go! We went to Couples Swept Away 2 years ago for vacation and had the best time. It will be hard to have our honeymoon measure up to be honest. We were able to stay there a week, all of our food, drinks, and activities were included, and the staff & beaches were amazing. Total including airface was almost 4K.
Since we are dealing with planning around his residency schedule, we won't know when he is off till June. Honeymoon plans will start then, but we are thinking a cruise in the Mediterranean.
@ miss spaghetti-
I went to Oktoberfest one year. The hostel was the best party I went to the whole week, there is one called wombats that kicks some butt! Iit is right in downtown Munich, they do have private rooms but I would recommend going one night to a hostel if you want to go to a crazy party! (note- 99% of European hostels have awesome random people to hang out with, especially aussies at that time of the year in Munich) I had a mega blast!
For those of you going on a tropical honeymoon in the summer- has anyone looked at Corsica? it rocks- there is sun and beaches and French food and cool old buildings! I went there and it was amazing. Just don’t go in the off season!!!
I'm not going to Tahiti, but am going to Fiji on my honeymoon. Just to give you an idea our honeymoon is $13,000 for twelve nights. The price includes all flights, 5 star all-inclusive accomodations split between two resorts. I'm definetly not rich and know I am the craziest person for paying that much money.
I just booked a trip for an employee to Tahiti. They are flying from CA. For two people for 8 nights in a over the water bungalow that doesn't include food, drinks, or excursions is $8,300. This price does include flights.
I've been finding phenomenal deals in Hawaii. I know staying in Waikiki isnt the greatest of places, but heck, I'm on a budget and can't afford the resorts. I found a condo for $64/night...in hawaii...and not in the ghetto (I checked w/ the hubby, he used to live there). Even on other places in Oahu I was finding places for about $145/night that included a rental car and waiving the hotel parking fee. The other day I googled "laid back beach vacations" or something like that and found a bed & breakfast on the Big Island for $84/night. There's definitely a lot out there in terms of bargains and deals. I've spent time in both the Caribbean (St. Thomas) and Hawaii (Oahu) and St. Thomas was definitely more expensive...and I didn't have to pay for lodging.
Try looking at bookit.com. Besides vrbo.com, that's my new favorite honeymoon planning website!
Man I wanna know where y'all are finding these <$2000 cruises! Are you booking the non-balcony rooms? Most of the cruises Mr. Mary Jane and i have been interested in have been over $4000 for just the cruise. But they're also anywhere from 6-12 days...hmm.
Well, again, it's all about timing. If you want to go during high travel season of course it's going to be $$$.
We went on a 7 day Carribean cruise on Carnival, balcony room for under 1K. I want to say the room was 800? We had a free upgrade because we were past guests (upgrade to balcony was not that much though) and we had military discount.
Again, making use of any discounts you can get and knowing the best time to travel.
I like the all inclusive hotels in the caribbean ..this was quite awhile ago when airlines were actually good and didn't cahrge so much but..airfare was cheap to the Dominicana Republic 300 mayb a bit more if you fly directly to resort I was staying with family on vacation...the hotel was 200ish for a spacious clean comfy double..and alcohol and activites like horse back riding were inclusive it was a blast..those were the good old days ha I'm sure everything is expensive now, but an all inclusive hotel is the way to go..no headaches.
Hey there. Me and FH just booked 7 days for Maui in September because we can go right after the wedding. We are staying at the Royal Lahaina which is a nice hotel but not the Four Seasons, Hyatt, etc. We got the hotel and flights for $3100. We have planned excursions yet but we want to snorkel, do the zipline, maybe a dinner cruise so I dont know how much that will be yet. We had looked into all inclusives in the Carribean (Antigua, St. Lucia) which were between 5 and 6K so I am thinking it will all balance out since Hawaii is where we really want to go. Have you worked with a travel agent? They may be able to get you some good deals, ours was amazing! Good luck!
@Vistagirl - Thanks for the suggestions! Sounds like you had a blast!!!
Is there anyone else who can't afford an expensive honeymoon, doing something a little more local like maybe visiting a neighboring state?
As Mrs. DG said, Hawaii is WAY more expensive coing from the East Coast vs. the West Coast. I've done HI for under $1K for 2 people and I've done it for about $5K for 2 people (all including airfare) but I live in CA.
Our honeymoon is not budget at all as we are spending about $10K to go to St. Lucia for a week.
You could also think about going to the Florida Keys. Airfare should be cheaper and you still get that tropical laid back vibe.
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