Are you obsessed with planning - what about your spouse or travel partner?

[ldubs]

I really enjoyed reading this thread and feel a little left out. Other than a little time on cruise critic and other sites to research the ports, neither my wife or I spend much time planning. We typically pack the night before the flight. We don't worry too much about over or under packing. We just take what we want. I do check the weather before I pack. We have been on enough cruises that packing is fairly standard now. Only variable seems to be warm vs cool clothing.

 

We have two cruises this year -- Alaska in May and British Isles in August. As I write this I asked my wife the name of the ship for Alaska. She doesn't remember! I guess we are the opposite of obsessed planners!

[bean24]

I have always been the planner & this year with a new baby and my entire family (mom, dad, siblings, spouses, & kids) going on their first cruise, I have been even more obssessed. For me this is half the fun. Here's hoping they all love cruising as much as I do, especially the one who is really picky:D.

[boricua2007]

My name is boricua2007 and I'm an obsessive planner when going on vacation.

 

Proof of it is: it's 11:10pm and I should be sleeping instead of surfing the cc boards! 9 days and counting to our cruise and every day I go to bed a little later. Then the day after, is so difficult to get out of bed and go to work!

[jz6982]

I research and plan EVERYTHING. The best way to get to the pier, the best excursions at each port, the ship itself... and everything in between. DH usually isn't interested in any of it. I'll ask his opinion but usually get a "whatever you want" answer. The only thing he's given input on for our next cruise is that he wants to skip formal nights and that we should bring less, if any, alcohol this time around because we never end up drinking half what we bring.

 

I take out books from the library, make folders for tickets, schedules, etc., pre-pack minor things... I think I totally missed my calling and I should have been a travel agent.

 

While it would be nice if DH showed a little more enthusiasm I suppose if he was half the planner I was we'd potentially butt heads on whose idea is best...

[Duckie26]

Just wanted to share a story with those of you who can understand my horror:

 

A friend called yesterday asking about our cruise last January because she is leaving on the Pride a week from Sunday. It becomes very apparent that this girl basically walked into a travel agent a few months ago, bought a cruise like she would buy a gallon of milk and walked out.

 

She knows nothing about this cruise. All she knows is the date of her trip, where it's leaving from and where it's going. No Fun Pass filled out... no luggage tags... no profile with Carnival.com and oh yeah....her passport hasn't arrived yet.

 

Also, it seems she is taking her BF because her sister, who was originally going, backed out of the trip. I don't know if she's even officially changed a name or if it can even be done but I'll find out everything tomorrow.

 

I told her to come by this weekend so I can help her out.

 

She knows absolutely nothing about this cruise. :eek:

Can you even imagine?? I swear....the thought makes me break out in hives.

[McDebbie]

Can you even imagine?? I swear....the thought makes me break out in hives.

Me too! :D

 

I'm the planner for all trips; I'll tell DH things as I go along like rates for a hotel or car rental deals, etc. And I print the excursions and let him read over them to get ideas. (I do mark out the one's I'm not willing to do) So he feels like he is involved. I used to think he had NO IDEA of what all it takes to put some trips together but after our Alaska cruise he told me I did a really great job of planning it all so that was cool. :)

 

One year we got rerouted the night before the cruise due to a hurricane and I almost hyperventilated because I did not have plans for the new ports. And one of the ports did turn out pretty sucky because we did not know what to do.

[jdvmd]

I almost posted this as a response on a thread in the First Time Cruiser section but I didn't want to hi-jack her thread. ;)

 

I am obsessed with the planning and learning all the details. I am curious what your experience is...if you are a "couple" or have a travel partner - is one of you crazily obsessed and the other one the total opposite end and waaaaay laid back about it???

 

With us, I am the obsessed, must plan, must make lists, must spend endless hours on internet research, my thoughts are nearly always on our upcoming cruise (or whatever vacation it may be). I have shopped, printed off every document (itinerary, confirmation etc.) and placed them in my tabbed binder, diligently put dollars and change into our cruise fund jar, made cabin door decorations, pre-packed what I can, made arrangements for the dog...sigh...I fear I will run out of things to do before it gets here!

 

My husband, on the other hand, seems to almost forget that we are even going on a cruise! I'll mention something about it and he'll say, oh yeah, when is that again? :eek::mad: With packing, the night before we leave for any vacation, he says "how many nights will we be gone?" and that determines how many shirts and underclothes he grabs and throws into his duffel bag. I told him this past weekend that he is going to feel pretty uncomfortable on CoCoCay in his heavy blue jeans and tennis shoes in 90+ degree weather, so he'd better think about what else he might want to take along. :rolleyes:

 

So do you find this typical - 1 is obsessed and the other is just the opposite? :cool:

 

Exact same situation in our household! We could be kindred spirits.

[RetireeWannabee]

I make all the plans and he never even remembers the dates. Planning so far in advance, yeah, ok, I can understand that. But when we're within 6 months, I quit answering the question. May seem mean but after a year and a half of not remembering, not writing it down, I am not very sympathetic.

[disneygoof]

I'm the planner, my husband also packs the night b/f(or as we're walking out the door :confused:) Where I've packed and re-packed 2 or 3 times:o I don't know how I fed my addition b/f the internet and finding different boards to pick everyones brain. I've had to tamp down my enthusiasm and "Planning" The first time we went to Disney World I had every day planned out and he hit the brakes :eek: so I had to kinda slowly work in my plans gradually.

[Izzybeff]

My DH would be able to tell you that were taking a cruise to Alaska, beyond that, he knows nothing about the trip!

 

I do all the planning, booking, researching, making of reservations, buying clothes, packing, making arrangements for the dogs, etc. etc. He takes the suitcases to the car and drives.

 

I LOVE planning trips. DH often tells me that I start planning the next trip before the current one is even done with. I can't help it. I need information. I can't go in blindly, but I love it!

[JustUs275]

Can you even imagine?? I swear....the thought makes me break out in hives.

 

Wow...for starters, I can't imagine plunking down that much money without having a clue about what you're doing! How nice of you to help her this weekend - good luck...maybe your enthusiasm and excitement will rub off on her and she'll be able to pull it together! :cool:

[JustUs275]

Exact same situation in our household! We could be kindred spirits.

 

We could be neighbors too!!! :D What part of KY are you from? I just live 10 minutes from the KY/IN border.

[jdvmd]

We could be neighbors too!!! :D What part of KY are you from? I just live 10 minutes from the KY/IN border.

 

Ha! We live in Paducah, in the western part of the state. Originally, I am from Elizabethtown (Central) and my husband is from Paintsville (Eastern Kentucky). We went to the University of Kentucky in Lexington and lived there for many years. Where are you exactly?

[Janet Foster]

Hello.. can I join this club... I mean just look at my packing list... Is this a 12 step program??? LOL

 

I am the one in our group that picks the cruise and the cabins and sends out the packing list and sets up our cocktail parties that we have.

 

Then everyone in the group is reponsible for reseaching excursions..... and we go from there. Last cruise I even had t-shirts made for our group...

 

I go way beyond... but I like it...

[colomom]

The OP sounds just like me and my DH. I LOVE the planning of vacations and also print out everything and organize it in a binder. I already have many "must bring" items packed in a backpack in the closet. I started that at 6 months out. I also have a website set-up for family and friends to track all my pre-plannng :rolleyes:.

 

DH just sits back, totally relaxed, it was an effort to get him to help me pick the excursions! But, he knows I will take care of everything and he always has a good time once the vacation is underway.

 

We complete each other.... :D

[BalconyGal]

Karinad, so sorry for your loss. I am glad you have found a positive outlet for your grief.

 

I am the planner, obsessed really. DP refuses to even discuss a trip unless it is right around the corner.

[UtahSky]

I am jumping in on this conversation!

Hi, my name is Utahsky and I am an obessive planner. :D

 

I plan everything when it comes to our travels. DH just knows when we are going and where. This is our first cruise but we have traveled extensively on land. We frequent Yellowstone National Park 2 -3 times a year (We live close and have been going there for years and years) and even though I know every part of the park and the towns, I still plan the trips to the hilt.

DH is not a planner at all but at least with the cruise he is getting a little more involved. He will even sit with me and read the boards here at CC. Which have given me the fix I need for my obessive planning habit.

I like going on vacations prepared for what is to come and then I can relax. I know what to expect on the ship, in ports, etc so there will be few nasty surprises for us.

 

I have my itineraries printed out, excursions planned or thought out in detail with maps, luggage tags are here and waiting for the glorious moment when they can adorn our luggage and all paperwork in order. I think the planning is part of the vacation excitement.

 

 

Happy Traveling All!

[JustUs275]

Ha! We live in Paducah, in the western part of the state. Originally, I am from Elizabethtown (Central) and my husband is from Paintsville (Eastern Kentucky). We went to the University of Kentucky in Lexington and lived there for many years. Where are you exactly?

 

I am near Evansville, IN...my boss is a UK graduate, his dad was a professor there...small world, isn't it? ;)

[JustUs275]

Hello.. can I join this club... I mean just look at my packing list... Is this a 12 step program??? LOL

 

I am the one in our group that picks the cruise and the cabins and sends out the packing list and sets up our cocktail parties that we have.

 

Then everyone in the group is reponsible for reseaching excursions..... and we go from there. Last cruise I even had t-shirts made for our group...

 

I go way beyond... but I like it...

 

Another kindred spirit! LOL Janet - I found your packing list very useful...how fun to have a group that cruises together! And t-shirts too??? *green with envy*

[JustUs275]

We frequent Yellowstone National Park 2 -3 times a year (We live close and have been going there for years and years)

 

That is a destination we often talk about visiting...now I know where to go for some pointers if we ever plan a trip there! :D

[NMLady]

I almost posted this as a response on a thread in the First Time Cruiser section but I didn't want to hi-jack her thread. ;)

 

I am obsessed with the planning and learning all the details. I am curious what your experience is...if you are a "couple" or have a travel partner - is one of you crazily obsessed and the other one the total opposite end and waaaaay laid back about it???

 

With us, I am the obsessed, must plan, must make lists, must spend endless hours on internet research, my thoughts are nearly always on our upcoming cruise (or whatever vacation it may be). I have shopped, printed off every document (itinerary, confirmation etc.) and placed them in my tabbed binder, diligently put dollars and change into our cruise fund jar, made cabin door decorations, pre-packed what I can, made arrangements for the dog...sigh...I fear I will run out of things to do before it gets here!

 

My husband, on the other hand, seems to almost forget that we are even going on a cruise! I'll mention something about it and he'll say, oh yeah, when is that again? :eek::mad: With packing, the night before we leave for any vacation, he says "how many nights will we be gone?" and that determines how many shirts and underclothes he grabs and throws into his duffel bag. I told him this past weekend that he is going to feel pretty uncomfortable on CoCoCay in his heavy blue jeans and tennis shoes in 90+ degree weather, so he'd better think about what else he might want to take along. :rolleyes:

 

So do you find this typical - 1 is obsessed and the other is just the opposite? :cool:

 

I'm like you: reading CC, be active in Roll Call, reading the ports board, googling the destinations, buying guidebooks, making packing lists, etc.

 

My DH is like yours, with the exception that mine doesn't choose his own clothes nor pack his own. I do all that for him. He's more than happy to just show up on cruise day and go on whatever tours I've booked. He often isn't sure what ports we're going to visit.

But he's always willing to cruise and loves them as much as I do.

[Alexis]

My husband and I pick the next cruise together. Usually more than 14 months in advance on most of them. Ship, Itinerary and so on.

After that he literally forgets about them until he gets the luggage out for me.

And then I do everything. Planning, airline flights, hotels reservations, buying of whatever we need, all the packing, his and mine, all transportation arranged that is needed and etc.

I was active in 11 Roll Calls and that really passes the time. Very active in 9 of them.

The day we leave, my husband takes the luggage to the curb for the cab to the airport. That is his job. :eek: :D

Paperwork, passports, airline tickets, SetSail paperwork are all my responsibility to keep track of.

I have done that for all 29 cruises. I actually enjoy it as it makes the wait go faster for me.

[veve09]

I'm also the obsessed planner while my husband is more laid back. It's not that he doesn't enjoy talking about it, but he just can't keep any info that isn't related to sports in his brain. So I'm the planner and keeper of all information.

 

It's strange because my family was always SUPER laid back on vacations. I mean, besides booking hotels, rental cars, etc, they never had a plan, ever. Just flew by the seat of their pants.

 

My husband's family, on the other hand, plans every detail, down to the hour. They also plan YEARS in advance. His parents already know exactly what they are doing on their trip to London in 2014.

 

UtahSky - I used to live in Salt Lake. I miss it!

[cruznjan]

We choose the cruise together, but after that I'm the obsessive planner going online and researching ports, checking out the ship and CC reviews, looking at excursions, etc. We each do our own packing.

[JustUs275]

OP here...with wonderful news! We were at dinner on Saturday evening and I (of course) was talking about the cruise...and my husband says "I think I can start getting excited about the cruise now...it's only two weeks away." :p (He doesn't like to get excited about any vacation too far ahead, he says, because there are too many things that could come up and prevent us from going.) :rolleyes:

 

Then we headed out to the mall to buy some shorts and a belt for him...now he considers his shopping done, and the official countdown has begun! ;)