How much planning is actually necessary?

[MClemans]

We're sailing on the Liberty of the Seas in August, which is just about 180 days away. I am a major planner and research every little thing I can but how much planning is actually necessary? With this being our first cruise ever I am leery about booking specialty reservations in advanced or excursions because I kind of just want to go with the experience and take it day by day. At the same time though i don't want to miss anything. I keep hearing about how quickly things book up. I just would like some input into how likely it is to book specialty dining on the ship as well as excursions.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Even when taking things day by day, it's good to have a plan B and even a plan C. If things don't work out with plan A, you'll have others to fall back on that you would also enjoy!

 

Have a great cruise! :)

[Cuizer2]

We're sailing on the Liberty of the Seas in August, which is just about 180 days away. I am a major planner and research every little thing I can but how much planning is actually necessary? With this being our first cruise ever I am leery about booking specialty reservations in advanced or excursions because I kind of just want to go with the experience and take it day by day. At the same time though i don't want to miss anything. I keep hearing about how quickly things book up. I just would like some input into how likely it is to book specialty dining on the ship as well as excursions.

 

 

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I'll soon be going on my 30th cruise and I only book my excursions in advance. Everything else is day to day. I don't feel I have missed out on anything yet.

[Clarea]

We're sailing on the Liberty of the Seas in August, which is just about 180 days away. I am a major planner and research every little thing I can but how much planning is actually necessary? With this being our first cruise ever I am leery about booking specialty reservations in advanced or excursions because I kind of just want to go with the experience and take it day by day. At the same time though i don't want to miss anything. I keep hearing about how quickly things book up. I just would like some input into how likely it is to book specialty dining on the ship as well as excursions.

We have found it fairly easy to book specialty restaurants on board the ship. They hold back a certain percentage of time slots for onboard booking. If you are somewhat flexible, and you don't have a large party, you should have no problem.

[Captain Canuck]

having a basic plan with alternates is the best plan

 

means you have facts at your fingertips if things change

 

excursions do fill up..especially the ones with limited spots such as helicopter tours in Alaska...I am too cheap for those so not an issue for me

 

amount of planning also is based on type of cruise..when we do Europe it is important to have an idea of what we want to see. normally like to do it on our own and public transport is normally good....but for example in Naples we had train route planned out for Pompeii plus local bus there...but the ship put on a reasonable excursion with just bus transport to and from Pompeii so we grabbed that

 

and for me planning is part of the fun

 

hope you have a great cruise

[Cuizer2]

excursions do fill up..especially the ones with limited spots such as helicopter tours in Alaska...I am too cheap for those so not an issue for me

 

You can probably go to your local airport and find someone who will give you a quick tour of their helicopter for free.

[GUT2407]

I enjoy the planning.

 

But if I don't have the time happy to just go with the flow.

[Keith1010]

Part of the fun of travel and of cruising is planning and we enjoy that.

 

Just don't try to plan each and every minute of your cruise.

 

Keith

[MClemans]

I enjoy the planning but am a high strung person so am hoping try a different approach and let loose a bit. My wife is a bit more spontaneous so flexibility won't be a problem for us. Thanks for all the information, puts my mind at ease to know specialty dining should be ok. :)

 

 

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[Captain Canuck]

funny you should say that...long time ago for work I got a helicopter ride from Inuvik to Herschel Island..over the Mackenzie Delta...when we got on they gave us the safety warning...if we went down in water we had 2 minutes to live with the hyporthermia...probably the last time I ever paid attention to the pre flight safety demonstration

[cb at sea]

Cruisers like to "plan"...don't know why! It's a vacation..that's all! If you "plan" on all your vacations...you're gold! If not...there's really no need...just go with the flow!

[4x4bob]

You do not want to over do your pre-cruise planning. I would recommend that you do not plan more then 20 hours a day. You do not want to over do it. :D

 

 

Bob

[MClemans]

You do not want to over do your pre-cruise planning. I would recommend that you do not plan more then 20 hours a day. You do not want to over do it. :D

 

 

 

 

 

Bob

 

 

Hahaha! I'll really try not to overdo it. [emoji12] might be hard, but I'll work on it.

 

 

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[preschool teacher]

I like to plan for ports but also leave time for whatever looks good....have fun

[calliopecruiser]

Plan as much as makes you comfortable. I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of traveler - I like to research about my options, but not make plans about how to spend my time. That way I just go with whatever suits my fancy at that time. Dinner reservations are an exception.....I make them ahead of time to ensure I don't get locked out, but I will often try to change them when on board, and I don't mind canceling if I don't feel like it that night.

[KKB]

I would not book any specialty restaurants beforehand. If this is your first cruise, try the MDR first--I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

We are cruising next in a couple weeks & are just considering putting our teens on the reservation, too--this is a first! VERY last minute.

 

So all the planning/researching over the last year might go out the window!!

[runawaysoul]

I'm a planner by nature, like a lot of folks on here. I like to arrange excursions and dining arrangements prior to boarding, since those tend to go quickly. I'll try to find out what the menus are, and book specialty dining on those nights in which I'll have less regret in missing. For excursions, I'll take the top 2 or 3 recommendations that others mention about each port, and that dictates whether or not I book with the cruise line or with 3rd party. If you're not careful, you can spend a significant portion of your time just waiting, or deciding what to do after boarding. An hour or 2 each day adds up to pretty much a whole day by the end of the cruise! I've learned from past cruises that it is much better to have a system that breathes than it is to come up with a plan B, C, etc

Edited February 24, 2016 by runawaysoul

[griffy116]

I'm a planner too. I think I became one BECAUSE of cruising. We were the condo on the beach vacation type before cruising. We don't normally book any specialty dining. We find the Main Dining Room has a great menu selection and everyone enjoys it. We travel as a family and will be on the Liberty in July. We booked travel insurance at the time we booked the cruise and purchased it independently through our travel agent. We booked hotel reservations because we always arrive at least one night before the cruise. We usually try to book a hotel with shuttle service but this time, we are booking in a parking lot across from the port terminal. We've never left from Galveston before so some things are different. We normally have at least some excursions booked. We now do private excursions most of the time and we are trying to decide which company to use at each port. We wait until we board to purchase any drink/soda package. On the cruises that we fly by the seat of our pants at a port, we find we waste too much of our time trying to decide what to do, which direction to go, what we want to see and how to get there. The excursion planning is an important part, even if you book through the cruise line as some of the popular excursions get completely booked before you board. I would worry more about excursions than specialty dining.

[clackey]

We used to plan nearly everything when we were newbies. Now after 15 cruises we just wing it. We can always find a beach or a snorkel tour when we get to port. If we ever take an eastern other than Bahamas/Grand Turk I will probably do a little homework, when it comes to western, been there, done that. We know what we want to do and where.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm the family planner, but usually the planning is getting to the port and back home. If from our home port (an hour's drive), if we decide to use land transportation, due to a small car trunk, I research land transportation to get us there. If we're traveling to another city's port, I research flights/trains, hotels (always get there a day early), transportation to the port.

 

For ports, I get a guide book or two and research the ports for places my family might want to see. I also google each port. Most of the time we don't do excursions, but if we do, we go with the ship's. Might be the ones we select, but I haven't found a major price difference between the ones you can book independently..and haven't had the major size crowds that some people claim is what happens with the ship's tours. But maybe we've picked the right ones, I don't know.

 

For going to the beach, you can do this on your own. Research beaches that you can reach easily. Keep the taxi driver's business card so you can call for a return (also program local cab companies into your phone).

 

Also, make sure no matter you intend to do, always bring the ship's newsletter, which will have the time to be back on board. Also check your watches against the ship's time before you get off the ship.

[acky]

It's a vacation! Enjoy it. Cruises are supposed to be relaxing and you don't need to plan every minute. he beauty of a cruise is that everything is there for you all the time.

 

Little to no planning is required.- get on board and let the good times roll.

[Veng]

I would suggest the following:

 

1) If you want to eat at a specialty restaurant, especially on a sea day, which you should they are worth the price, and you will want to do it on a sea day because it's a sea day, you need to book it before you ever get on board. I've just booked a reservation for a sea day on a sail day that's about a month out, and there were no slots open between 7 and 8:30pm. Do not expect to be able to make reservations "the day of" for specialty restaurants, it can and does happen, but is not something you should bank on.

 

2) ONLY book shore excursions through the ship if they are something you couldn't easily find at the dock. For example, Caribbean island tours are easily found on every island at 1/4 to 1/2 the price of what you'll pay if you book on the ship. Other things, such as snorkeling in Alaska that require more logistics and forethought, are perfectly reasonable to do. BTW, you really should go snorkeling in alaska some time, it's a blast!

 

3) I don't really plan anything.