An inveterate planner

[Oulton Jim]

-I wonder how far ahead future cruisers begin to lay plans? Speaking personally I am already planning for the [possible] Aurora trip in April where we visit about a dozen places. 

 I get quite a buzz in having a fair idea of what we would do so that as we disembark we have a few 'goals' in mind. As an example our intended first port of call is Vigo. The plan would be to head for the rail station and make our way to Santiago De Compostela for the morning. Later in the day to return in time to get a feel for Vigo where I print a map marking the 'must-see' parts. 

[rkacruiser]

On 8/1/2020 at 3:33 AM, Oulton Jim said:

I wonder how far ahead future cruisers begin to lay plans? 

 

I normally book a cruise many months in advance of the sailing date.  For my 2008 world cruise which sailed in January, 2008, it was booked prior to April, 2007.  For me, the former Cunard slogan of "Getting there is half the fun" is true.  The other half is the planning to "get there".

 

One recent exception to that was last Fall.  I had two cruises booked--several months in advance--for December and January on Volendam and MSC Meraviglia.  I learned that very dear Canadian friends with whom I have sailed on other cruises had suddenly booked a January partial Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam.  It's sailing date closely matched the ending date of my Meraviglia cruise.  I really wanted to cruise with them again.  Called my TA, was able to get a desirable veranda stateroom at a decent price, and booked it.  I was at the booking stage where full payment was required; too late for any deposits.  That date--in October, I think--was the closest I have come to making a reservation prior to my sailing date.  

 

End of story:  that cruise was a great one and it was so enjoyable to again be able to sail with dear friends whom I cherish.  

[Oulton Jim]

A nice surprise to read that someone had picked up on this thread. I cannot match it but we were on a cruise years ago -one where the guests met the Captain in the atrium. When it was our turn we strode across to be greeted and a voice from above us bellowed out my name. Looking up I could see a couple waving madly and so after a few words with the skipper we went up a couple of flights and there waiting were old friends we had met on a land-based holiday over a decade earlier. Needless to say we had a great time re-visiting old memories. 

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, Oulton Jim said:

there waiting were old friends we had met on a land-based holiday over a decade earlier. Needless to say we had a great time re-visiting old memories. 

 

Precious times indeed.  I had that experience on the Maasdam at the start of a repositioning cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale in 2010.  Our reunion took place in an elevator on the ship.  It was crowded and the other guests in that elevator must have thought we had "lost our minds" when we unexpectedly recognized each other!

[jeremyosborne81]

On 8/1/2020 at 1:33 AM, Oulton Jim said:

-I wonder how far ahead future cruisers begin to lay plans?

I have a deposit on an October 2022 cruise.

That's as far ahead as I ever booked.

[ChangeOrder]

I love the planning part of travel, almost as much as the actual travelling! I don't need to have a daily schedule, but I also don't want to potentially miss out on anything that was only available by preparing ahead.

 

I had some cancelled 2020 FCC to use up, so I booked a late 2021 and a 2022 cruise at the end of last year. That's about as far ahead as I have ever been able to book before.

[mlibbydp]

I booked a Panama Canal cruise for this fall as soon as it was available for booking - about 19 months out - but then it got canceled. However. I'd been planning on it for over a year before that point. It was meant to be a celebration of a milestone birthday and gaining my bachelor's degree in the same year. Instead I've used the refund to book a cruise for September of 2022 for that celebration. 🙂

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, mlibbydp said:

It was meant to be a celebration of a milestone birthday and gaining my bachelor's degree in the same year. Instead I've used the refund to book a cruise for September of 2022 for that celebration. 🙂

 

I hope that you will be able to experience that!  My first cruise was a celebration of my 5 year quest of earning my Master's degree.  That led to 60 more cruises.  With more, God willing, to come.  

[Travel R]

Our next cruise is June 2022, I began researching and planning when we booked two month ago - June 2021.

 

However, we were planning on a romantic land vacation in Italy followed by a cruise to Greece (out of Venice) to celebrate our 25th anniversary this year (2021).  I had begun doing research and planning (no reservations) in 2019.

 

I enjoy the researching and planning part of vacationing (land & sea).  As a history buff I learn a lot of great information that I am able to pass onto my fellow travelers. Even if we take a guided tour, there is a lot of data that the guide does not tell you, which is sometimes more interesting than the high-level information they recite.

 

I learn all of the little hints, tips, and secrets about the ships and ports that either leads to a more enjoyable vacation - or provides quickly decided options in case Plan A was cancelled. I find that knowing all the options in advance saves time by choosing the best course of action first, and being able to suggest an alternate course instead of spending time deciding what to do and then deciding upon upon something that is less-than-optimal.

 

I am also of the belief that if I put in all the work before the vacation I can just enjoy everything while I am on vacation.  As I say to people, "while on vacation I do not want to think or stress, I only want to enjoy." In this case "think" is a relative word - for me it means that I do not need to make any decisions since I had already made them after much consideration and thought. To be honest, the only decisions I need to make on a cruise is what to eat.

 

My DW and family know that when they go on a vacation with me everything is handled. Although I do confer with my family on the overall plans (itinerary, ship, travel routes, hotels, excursions, etc.), they know that all of the arrangements are made and that I have done my homework to provide the best experience possible (for my family). 

 

They also expect me to make it interesting - when on long driving/land vacations I do my research on side-attractions, so side-trips to the grave of a foot, a paranormal & bigfoot research center, or the Pez museum is always a welcome surprise; but it takes research to know that these things are out there. On a past cruise vacation, I was able to create and guide them on a DIY walking tour of Copenhagen based on Hans Christian Andersen - which included recitation of some of his works at related sites.

 

As I mentioned above, I enjoy the research and planning. To me, it is part of the vacation itself.

 

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, Travel R said:

As I mentioned above, I enjoy the research and planning. To me, it is part of the vacation itself.

 

Are you my Mother reincarnated?  Reading your post and the planning detail is precisely what my Mother did.

 

A trip to New York City with my Brother and me, she had a notebook filled with the day by day "action plans" and the details as to how to achieve them.  One of the most memorable days was the day that the plan was to take the Subway from our mid-town hotel to the end of the line at the southern end of Manhattan.  Then, a walking itinerary North, back to the hotel, with sites to visit en route along with a lunch at Fraunces Tavern (where my Brother and I had to wear a jacket that the restaurant supplied)

 

As the old Cunard slogan said:  "Getting There Is Half The Fun".  For both of us, the other "half" is the researching and the planning.  

   

[Travel R]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Are you my Mother reincarnated?  Reading your post and the planning detail is precisely what my Mother did.

 

A trip to New York City with my Brother and me, she had a notebook filled with the day by day "action plans" and the details as to how to achieve them.  One of the most memorable days was the day that the plan was to take the Subway from our mid-town hotel to the end of the line at the southern end of Manhattan.  Then, a walking itinerary North, back to the hotel, with sites to visit en route along with a lunch at Fraunces Tavern (where my Brother and I had to wear a jacket that the restaurant supplied)

 

As the old Cunard slogan said:  "Getting There Is Half The Fun".  For both of us, the other "half" is the researching and the planning.  

   

I am not sure if I am her reincarnation, but seems like we would have been great friends. 

 

FYI - Fraunces Tavern no longer requires jackets. I used to work two blocks from the restaurant and frequented it many times for lunch and a few times for dinner (very good food) and have tried to eat there when I need to be in downtown Manhattan (which is not very often since the pandemic).  For those that do not know, the restaurant was the site of a lot of history and there is a (small) museum upstairs about early NYC and American history.  If that is not enough to visit the Tavern, it must be noted that they also have an extensive selection of spirits.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Travel R said:

FYI - Fraunces Tavern no longer requires jackets.

 

😀       Times change, but the memory that my Brother and I had to wear loaner jackets makes that visit to this venue additionally memorable. 

[BklynBoy8]

First, we were frequent diners at Fraunces Tavern before it changed before 9-11.

 

It was a thrill to sit in the Dining Room which is redecorated from the past. High Green Leather Chair with Hard Wood tables. And the menu since then has been changed but had many Colonial Dishes that were great. Something like the one in Williamsburg Va.

 

We personally start to plan little by little after the booking takes place. Month by Month we look over items and see what we may wish to do. Awaiting the posting in the VP, we remember past visits and what we liked and restaurants we may have tried and returned too.

 

Closer we plan for the theme nights when the VP announced them. Also we will scan and talk about the tours too! 

 

We even look over the old program and also our past photos and videos to build the excitement.

 

We also scan the VP for any new info.

 

One thing we do is also figure out the weather around that time and even getting closer for proper dress.

[rkacruiser]

On 10/4/2021 at 11:20 AM, BklynBoy8 said:

We personally start to plan little by little after the booking takes place.

 

As do I.

 

On 10/4/2021 at 11:20 AM, BklynBoy8 said:

It was a thrill to sit in the Dining Room which is redecorated from the past. High Green Leather Chair with Hard Wood tables. And the menu since then has been changed but had many Colonial Dishes that were great. Something like the one in Williamsburg Va.

 

No memory of the decor of Fraunces Tavern; as a teenager who scored very well on Ohio's 8th Grade State Test in American History, I was overwhelmed in just being there!  

 

My Nephew and I celebrated Christmas one year in Williamsburg and had Christmas dinner at one of the Taverns.  While it was an underwhelming dining experience, we were both glad that we had chosen that site and that restaurant to celebrate Christmas.  It was a "once is enough" experience for us.  

[BklynBoy8]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

My Nephew and I celebrated Christmas one year in Williamsburg and had Christmas dinner at one of the Taverns.  While it was an underwhelming dining experience, we were both glad that we had chosen that site and that restaurant to celebrate Christmas.  It was a "once is enough" experience for us.  

I have a friend that his family comes from the Mayflower and celebrates Christmas in either Plymouth Mass or Williamsburg.

They one the private residences on the property that is available and have the King's Arm Tavern catering a full Christmas Meal to the house.

Sound really great.