The week leading up to your cruise

[wrp96]

By this time it's about 3a.m. before the day of departure and I am wired! I usually end up sleeping about 2 hrs because I'm so excited to go on vacation where I need to rest from all this packing!

 

 

Be careful with that. Last time I did that I ended up sleeping through my alarm and missing my flight.:eek:

[lady_cruiser]

We, not particularly in this order;

• Stop our mail
  
• Let other family and neighbors know how to reach us on the cruise ship should a emergency arrives.
  
• Ask the neighbors to watch our houses and remind them to water our outside plants
  
• Check with our friends who bird-sit for us (we both have cockatiels) and make sure they can still keep our birds while we are on our cruise.
  
• Make sure all our cruise documents are in order
  
• Go to the bank so we have enough small bills to use as tips
  
• Call the hotel to confirm our pre-stay reservations
  
• Check through our carry on luggage to make sure we didn't forget anything; toothpaste, OTC medicine, etc.
  
• Make sure our passports, cruise documents are in our purse and not our checked luggage.
  
• Clean our refrigerators
  

[grandmato4]

I'm a list person so I have a list of things that need to get done each day of the week before we leave and they get checked off as they get done.

 

The majority of our packing is already done before that last week so I have a list of those few things that can't be added to the luggage until the last minute so they don't get forgotten. House cleaning, doing laundry, emptying the refrigerator, stopping the mail, notifying the credit card companies, charging batteries, refilling prescriptions among other things are always on the last weeks list. I try real hard to have done as much a possible before that last week so we can spend as much time as possible just relaxing and counting down those last days.

 

On our last cruise because of an expected winter storm I changed our flights to the day before we'd originally planned to leave 36 hrs before our new flight time. That meant I lost the entire day before we had planned to leave that I didn't have to work that I had originally planned to finish up at my leisure so those list came in real handy to be sure we didn't miss anything since we had less time to get everything done than we had originally planned.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Thank you for this post. Even though we have cruised a few times, It is nice to have some of these reminders.

 

We have only traveled with carry on's for our cruises including 14 day to Hawaii twice. I grouch each time and we have finally decided to suck it up......stop being so frugal and pay the airline fee to check our bags.

 

So this cruise in a couple weeks through the Panama Canal is going to be a lovely hassle free travel time! One of us is taking a small day pack and the other is taking a small messenger bag.

 

Thanks again

Lin

[moknits]

Well, I'm in my last week before the cruise :D , I haven't started physically packing yet (small apartment, as one poster before said). I have started making lists. Some of the other things I need to do this week:

 

• Go to Target for a few odds & ends.
  
• Laundry (Ok, and shop for clothes:eek:!)
  
• Charge all my electronics (ipod, etc) and rechargeable batteries.
  
• Figure out & start a knitting project to bring with me.
  
• Call my credit card company
  
• Print all my reservation info for tours, etc.
  
• Clean up a little around the house, especially clean out the fridge
  
• Get a haircut & pedicure
  
• Pick up refills of any RXs from the pharmacy
  

This thread also reminded me of something from my childhood:When I was a kid, we would drive down to FL from NJ, leaving the house early in the morning. My mom would wake us up early (while it was still dark out, since it was winter) and make us each drink a big glass of milk so that we would use it up instead of throwing it out. To this day, forcing myself to drink a whole glass of milk, especially in the morning, gives me a little bit of that "We're going to see Mickey Mouse!:D" excitement!

[firstcruiser2010]

Thank goodness, another list maker! I have had my list for the past three months :) Cruising two weeks from today and can't wait! Have clothes hanging in the closet and trying to keep myself from packing now so I can get even more excited next week (even if that is humanly possible) Thanks goodness for the list though I just realized today I did not have knee highs on it!

 

Can't wait!

[yayvacation!]

I usually stalk the CC boards like crazy for the full month leading up to the cruise!

 

-Make packing lists

-Pack and repack until I have a "manageable" amount of luggage :D

-Confirm all private shore excursions

-Laundry, cleaning, frige clean out

-Buy books to read on vacation

-Buy snacks for the plane

-Nails and Toes done

-Wax appointment

-Buy travel sized goodies (I luv em!)

[griffy116]

I have a "To Do List" for work and one for home. I had to take a disability retirement this year so for the first time, I only have one set of Lists:

 

* Packing List - Checking off each day, each outfit.

* Confirm hotel and arrival time.

* Mail Stopped; Newspaper stopped

* Clean out Frig. Glad to hear we aren't the only ones eating some strange combinations the week before the cruise.

* Confirm "doggie spa" for mini-doxie. Pack our dog's bag.

* Have car checked one last time and fill it up (if driving).

* Suitcases out.

* Clothes washed and ironed. In addition to having some strange food combinations during the week, my casual wear will be ragged. Good things ready to choose from for packing.

* Wash bed linens; dust; get everything cleaned.

* Make sure my next door neighbor has an emergency key and knows where we will be and to alert the police if something weird is going on.

* Pick up last of the small toiletries and a few snacks for the road or plane.

* Print copies of itineraries and hotel information to go in every bag (in case it gets separated from me.

* Copies of passports and copy of all credit cards (front & back) we will be carrying on us in case of theft or loss. All travel docs and passports in carry-on, along with prescription meds.

[Senoj84]

Wash and pack clothes if I haven't already.

Buy toiletries, batteries for camera and odds n ends.

Buy a 6 pack of Pepsi to go in my checked luggage along w/ snacks.

Recheck my leave from my job, delegate work assignments to coworkers.

Go to the bank and get change for $1 and $5 bills.

Get all the important docs together: passport, cruise docs.

Clean up my house, take out trash.

Write out hotel, flight and cruise info for relatives in case of the unfortunate...

Get hair and/or nails done.

Go over budget for my onboard spending like spa, drinks, pics and etc

Charge up ipod.

Put emails/blogs on vacation reply.

 

That is all, lol.

[CanadaDeb]

So I'm a first time cruiser but I already have the schedule down on paper...but one thing I hadn't planned was eating out the night before we leave. what a great idea! Don't know if DH will go for it but I will try. We're only going in January but I'm already wanting to pack!!!! I've never had to wait for long for a holiday and it's KILING me! One thing has been removed from my list-cleaning the house. My parents are moving in to stay with our dogs and my mom said she'd clean the house! What a deal!

[griffy116]

This was just too funny. We always did the same thing. Getting rid of the milk and washing out the milk carton to avoid the nasty stink. I always get a couple of those air fresheners that have the twist up top and sit them around in the house. Nothing is worse than coming home to a stale smell. When we take a shower on the morning we leave, we always stretch the towel out on the tub wall or shower rod so that there isn't a smelly towel and washcloth that has mildewed in the bottom of the linen closet. My Mom forgot that she threw in a small load of towels and undies in the washer. She had to re-wash and re-wash to get the stink out when she returned. Those wet clothes had been sitting in the washer for 9 hot days during July. YUCK!

[EatPrayCruise]

Ditto what Greystoke said. I am self employed, so the last week means getting work organized, out the door, organized etc.

 

On top of which I go through my lists daily, adding and deleting things every night.

 

I "stage" my packing in the living room, which is our least used room in the house) starting a month before we travel so stuff is all piled up on the sofas and tables depending on whether it's being put in luggage, carry on, or in my purse.

 

Usually the weekend before I will go through the packing list again, make sure everything is out, clean, and ready to be packed; and shop for anything that's not checked off.

 

The weekdays before, I clean and remind my husband he can't take clothes from the living room to wear this week... and then I wash the clothes he takes from the living room and wears that last week.

 

The night before, we pack and go out for Sushi. Then I handle money - paying bills, checking credit card balances, getting cash etc. And then I lie in bed too excited to sleep.

 

My husband's job in all of this is to be exceedingly cheerful, help when asked and stay out of the way the rest of the time... and not wear the clothes I left out on the sofa to pack.:p

 

I've had a pretty good chuckle reading this. I was especially entertained by your husband taking the clothes left out on the sofa to pack - after you've asked him not to. Your writing skills are great - you had me hooked until the end! :p

[jocap]

This was just too funny. We always did the same thing. Getting rid of the milk and washing out the milk carton to avoid the nasty stink. I always get a couple of those air fresheners that have the twist up top and sit them around in the house. Nothing is worse than coming home to a stale smell. When we take a shower on the morning we leave, we always stretch the towel out on the tub wall or shower rod so that there isn't a smelly towel and washcloth that has mildewed in the bottom of the linen closet. My Mom forgot that she threw in a small load of towels and undies in the washer. She had to re-wash and re-wash to get the stink out when she returned. Those wet clothes had been sitting in the washer for 9 hot days during July. YUCK!

Oh, I'm with you about everything smelly....they say you don't smell your own house when you live in it....but you do when you walk into it after it's been shut down for a while. We make sure there's no rubbish left anywhere...we even use a small bag for last minute rubbish, and stuff it in the bin on the car park nearby, rather than have it fester in the outside bin! I have it down to a fine art, now....:cool:

Jo.

[Sledgey]

The ritual is the start of my holiday, packed 48 hours before, clean house (and someone arranged to take out the bins), pedicure and eyebrows waxed, hair done and out for a meal as a family the night before we leave.

On the day we always go out for breakfast and leave loads of time so we can enjoy the trip to the port.

It goes without saying that as soon as we get the tickets we count down daily how many sleeps are left until we embark!

I sometimes think that half of the enjoyment is the countdown, I cant imagine us booking last minute unless it was in addition to the ones we book in advance!

[Tweedy]

I inform everyone at work that even though I'm at work on Friday that in no way means or is any indication that I plan on doing any work that day. Since at 5:00 pm I'm out of there - I see no reason to even pretend that I care what happens that day. As far as I'm concerned Thursday was my last sleep before vacation and I approach the day as such. They can TRY to get me to work but my attitude really really sucks because they can tell just from looking at me that I'm sipping a drink on my balcony staring out at the sea - even when I'm typing their stupid reports.

 

I've long before got my suitcases ready to go, important documents ready and the only thing I need to do is leave home.

 

This is hilarious and oh so true!!! For me that attitude starts on the Wednesday.

[Gunther1]

I always put a leftover chocolate from a prior cruise on my bed pillow just before closing the door to leave :).

[colomom]

I have the suitcases out with items I'm not worried about wrinkling packed in giant zip-locs. All the other clothes are hanging in dry cleaner bags all over my front room, waiting for packing on Monday morning (we leave Tuesday).

 

I have the carry ons mostly packed by now. I have a couple of quart size bags with liquids for the carry ons sitting out for the last minute things.

 

I have completed a written inventory of everything we are bringing and in which bag they will be packed. I have copied all my credit cards, insurance cards, passports, etc. and created a file for my mom who is staying with my kids.

 

I have completed the banking, notified the credit card companies, did the grocery shopping and finished the clothes shopping.

 

Tomorrow I will do some serious house cleaning because mom arrives on Sunday.

 

By Friday I will be DONE. Labor day weekend will be relaxing and stress-free.

 

I probably forgot something....

[audrey248]

My case has been packed since about june for my november cruise, i just keep buying clothes and shoes and stuff and throwing it in,i prob wont sort it properly untill the night before but saying that it is halloween so will have to do it night before that so i can spend time with 2 grandsons before we go on holiday and husband doesnt even look at his untill the day before, i like to be organised.:)

[Cygneagile]

I plan at least 2 months ahead. Shopping and buying new clothes or shoes or jewelry.

3 weeks before my suit cases come up into my spare bedroom.

All important items and clothes and extras are place on the bed. This includes sewing kit and over the counter pills for headaches and such.

I match shoes with as many outfits as possible so as to limit what shoes I take.

Match my clothes with different tops or bottom to limit the packing.

1 week before, a dry run comes next and the suitcase is weighed. The scale said 44 lbs. So I am safe. That 50 lb limit does sometimes dictate what has to come out of the suitcase. Alitalia only allows me one checked luggage 50 lbs.

Because of this I am working diligently to complement my outfits. Toes, hair, nails are scheduled closer to the departure date. Cleaning house is a must. All the cancellations are done by my husband so that is his domain. He does pack for himself. That is a bonus. His suitcase never comes close to 50 lbs. I wash and iron some items the day before I leave. I call our credit card companies to advise them when we travel and which countries we will be in.

My carry on is smaller that the usual ones. I can place in under the seat in front of me. I do not like having to pull or push too many items when moving around the airports. I like to travel light in that area. My check in luggage is a spinner very easy to pull or push. In my carry on I have my medication, all pertinent documents, good jewelry, sun screen and a good book and other little things that can pass the Security Screening. There is room for the overnight packing is necessary.

I am so ready as we speak. I am truly looking forward to this wonderful cruise.

[cruiselover**]

In addition to the usual packing, my husband and I have a couple things we like to make sure are taken care of just before leaving on vacation:

 

We turn the telephone ringer 'off'.

We take out the trash.

We check/adjust the timers on our lamps.

We shut off the air conditioner or turn down the heat depending on the time of year.

We shut off the water main. (Friends of ours had a water pipe burst in their basement - not a pleasant thing to come home to)

 

We walk out the door with big smiles knowing we have a wonderful week to look forward to!

[UtterCaro]

I'm pretty well organized and have most of these tasks written on my packing/to-do list (which gets customized for each cruise). What I'm surprised no one has mentioned so far is spending extra time with pets. Spending a half-hour or so per day petting my cat helps keep both of us calm.

 

Also, when I'm picking up milk on my way home post-cruise, I buy flowers. A clean house with fresh flowers makes coming home so much nicer.

 

Caro