What are the silliest things you do before or during a cruise?

[brookie848]

On 8/29/2021 at 3:48 PM, How much longer? said:

With all the food on board, one of the first things I do is go to the buffet and grab some bananas and cookies to keep in the room in case I go low at night.  I have never used/needed glucagon, thank goodness.  My worst was on a 3 week trip to Hawaii, I forgot to pack my pump syringes.  Called the mfg and the local rep sent them overnight to the place I was staying.  Good thing I was in the US.  

 

We stay in a suite and I always request orange juice and/or chocolate milk for the fridge and request cookies to be delivered every day. We also have fruit in the cabin. I've never needed glucagon on a cruise, but I did once on a trip to Las Vegas. That wasn't fun.

 

And I've forgotten my supplies or a supply a few times. I've always been able to get replacements, though.

[ClevelandCruisin]

Packing months ahead.

 

Watch YouTube videos.

 

Study menus, even though I get the same thing everytime. I try to talk myself into something different. 

 

Ship layouts.

 

Cruisecritic reviews.

 

Create an itinerary which my wife hates. But I'm a planner and have to know what is going on. 

 

Organize money into a daily budget with categories for each need.

[wacruiselover]

1 hour ago, ClevelandCruisin said:

Packing months ahead.

Watch YouTube videos.

Study menus, even though I get the same thing everytime. I try to talk myself into something different. 

Ship layouts.

Cruisecritic reviews.

Create an itinerary which my wife hates. But I'm a planner and have to know what is going on. 

Organize money into a daily budget with categories for each need.

Sounds like you might suffer from a condition known as CDO. It is like OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder) but has the letters in the proper order, as they should be.

[cementhands]

My wife used to pre tan. Living in the northeast getting a jump on the glow. I used to buy size 35, 36” waist pants!

Filled them out too from normal 34” waist, got home and back to work and gym!
Sadly size 36” waist year round now. You get older.
Wife no longer pre tans! 

[Elvis1209]

I can sympathize with people who like to lay their clothes out way in advance.  My cruise is in two months and I already know what I'm taking.  I always take some red balloons.  I tell the people in my thread that at sail-away I'll be on deck holding a red balloon!  Being a cigar smoker I start collecting cigars for my trip about a year in advance.  You can't just smoke any cigar!  I also have my special cigar smoking shirt that I wear every night in the cigar lounge.  My first drink onboard is always a martini!  But the first thing we do when we get to the room is to break out the antiseptic wipes and sanitize the whole room.  I've done this ever since I got the noro-virus.  Now with covid I think I'll do the room twice! (It's not easy being me!)  We also take along photos of our cat and dog.  They've both since crossed over the rainbow bridge, but it just wouldn't be right to travel without them.  (And you thought you were nuts!)

 

Elvis  

[Dcoy]

During sail away the first day, I play The Love Boat theme on my phone while standing on my balcony.  That show is what got us into cruising over 45 years ago.  

[NikiPinkston]

5 hours ago, Dcoy said:

During sail away the first day, I play The Love Boat theme on my phone while standing on my balcony.  That show is what got us into cruising over 45 years ago.  

We love that show and still watch it every week! (Even though it's one of the corniest shows ever.)🙂  It's one way to get our cruising fix while waiting for covid to blow over.

[NikiPinkston]

13 hours ago, Elvis1209 said:

I can sympathize with people who like to lay their clothes out way in advance.  My cruise is in two months and I already know what I'm taking. 

Yup, our next cruise isn't for 10 months & I'm having to restrain myself from taking over the guest room laying out my suitcase & starting to pack!  I am, however,  busy working on my spreadsheet that includes "General things to take," "Wardrobe," "Carry-on essentials," and, of course, "Itinerary" with all of our reservation numbers and POA's. 🙂

[Calvin]

8 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

Yup, our next cruise isn't for 10 months & I'm having to restrain myself from taking over the guest room laying out my suitcase & starting to pack!  I am, however,  busy working on my spreadsheet that includes "General things to take," "Wardrobe," "Carry-on essentials," and, of course, "Itinerary" with all of our reservation numbers and POA's. 🙂

I think THAT'S the way it should be done!  My brain can't fathom why some take a more casual approach/attitude towards a cruise. I'm like a 12 year old boy who wants to be the first one on the ship, poise and dignity be damned...

[Minoushka]

I always pack 3 days of clothes innmy carry on .Usually we stay in a hotel for 2 nights before a cruise .AlsoI pack extra underwear and socks …plus day wear to board ship …plus first night on ship outfit including shoes and purse 

i roll everything very tight …somehow it all fits ….

i still manageto pack all wrong ….sometimes for Florida clothes not warm enough However in UK in october once i arrived in massive heat wave …had to go purchase shorts and tees …sometimes you just cannot win 

[NikiPinkston]

29 minutes ago, Calvin said:

I think THAT'S the way it should be done!  My brain can't fathom why some take a more casual approach/attitude towards a cruise. I'm like a 12 year old boy who wants to be the first one on the ship, poise and dignity be damned...

I like your style, @Calvin!

[NikiPinkston]

42 minutes ago, NikiPinkston said:

 "Itinerary" with all of our reservation numbers and POA's. 🙂

Oops, I meant POI's - points of interest.  The POA - Pride of America - is on my mind!

[Lionkingrichard]

Funny about the Cigar shirt! I do the same thing to keep SOME of the stink off my other shirts.

 

So I don't know if it silly, but I always tap the hull when going aboard the first day. On the Disney ships you came in through the hull.

[Cruiser_1977]

Like @saltsandknit and @ShelleyQT I clean my house. It's weird but it's something my mom used to do and now my sister and I both clean before going on vacation. I also typically don't cook the night before. I go out to eat or order in. I think that piggy backs on the clean house LOL 

Edited January 25, 2022 by JennyB1977

[NikiPinkston]

11 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

Like @saltsandknit and @ShelleyQT I clean my house. It's weird but it's something my mom used to do and now my sister and I both clean before going on vacation. I also typically don't cook the night before. I go out to eat or order in. I think that piggy backs on the clean house LOL 

Definitely, me too.  It's so nice to come home to a clean house.

[numberguy]

On 8/27/2021 at 11:49 PM, Shellbelle28 said:

I'm another Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle organizer. I like to design invitations to drop at my fellow cruiser's cabin doors. 

 

I've done this before, but as I've cruised more, fewer people are willing to give out their cabin numbers to allow me to do that.  And I completely understand, but it's a little disappointing that I can't drop reminders for the M&G at their doors...

 

--Michael

[Shellbelle28]

28 minutes ago, numberguy said:

 

I've done this before, but as I've cruised more, fewer people are willing to give out their cabin numbers to allow me to do that.  And I completely understand, but it's a little disappointing that I can't drop reminders for the M&G at their doors...

 

--Michael

The last two cruises I've been on, the Meet & Mingle location and time have been changed by the ship's team at the last minute, so anyone who I didn't have cabin numbers for missed out. In my most recent rollcall I promised not to share the info with anyone but Norwegian's events team which reassured most people. 

[derek005]

1 hour ago, JennyB1977 said:

Like @saltsandknit and @ShelleyQT I clean my house. It's weird but it's something my mom used to do and now my sister and I both clean before going on vacation. I also typically don't cook the night before. I go out to eat or order in. I think that piggy backs on the clean house LOL 

We do the same thing Jenny. Nothing like coming home to a spotless home after a great vacation.

[rnfulk]

To get extra excited for the cruise I will check the ship’s webcam daily to see what I have to look forward to. 
I also obsess about what books to bring and will start a small pile months in advance. On my last 7 day cruise I finished 5 books by the time I got back home. 

[rxlowry]

I try to be fully unpacked before muster drill.  Then I feel like vacation is starting as soon as muster is over I can enjoy sail away. 

[JGmf]

1 hour ago, rxlowry said:

I try to be fully unpacked before muster drill.  Then I feel like vacation is starting as soon as muster is over I can enjoy sail away. 

Hopefully the cattle call muster drill is a thing of the past.  I'm assuming it is. 

 

Last month (December), the protocol was to view a safety video prior to coming to the terminal, then when you board the ship, check in at your muster station (where they scan your card) and you watch them demonstrate how to put on the life vest.  It was over in about 5 minutes. 

 

WAAAAYYYYY better!

[rxlowry]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

Hopefully the cattle call muster drill is a thing of the past.  I'm assuming it is. 

 

Last month (December), the protocol was to view a safety video prior to coming to the terminal, then when you board the ship, check in at your muster station (where they scan your card) and you watch them demonstrate how to put on the life vest.  It was over in about 5 minutes. 

 

WAAAAYYYYY better!

Then I’ll change to unpack asap before sail away. My cruise in October still had the traditional one but it was on the almost defunct Crystal.  

[Gypsygirl100%]

My husband is retired Marine Corps, and every time he walks onto a ship on embarkation, he "requests permission to come aboard." It is totally cute, and absolutely traditional for the Corps, though I'm not sure all of those he requests permission from understand it;-)

[bigrednole]

We've only cruised once. It was the first time out of country for my wife and daughter. I obsessed over all of the documentation needed: Vax cards, passports, passport cards, copies of passports, etc. I had a set of all backups for each of us. After almost 3 years of no vacations, I was hell bent on not missing this one. We have another in 74 days and I am so much more relaxed on it. Partly because I already have everything and the other part is we don't have any flight details for another month. This is a lot more of "lets see what happens",

[bigrednole]

On 8/28/2021 at 12:25 AM, MoCruiseFan said:

 

 

So who NEEDS bottled water?  Next ting you know NCL will be selling bagged air and some people...

All this reminded me of is the lady that was making $50,000 a week selling farts in a jar and got hospitalized after a month from her changed diet to do it.