Daily Plan Worksheet

[Kzeeguy]

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

[SpainAlien]

4 hours ago, Kzeeguy said:

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

When you get to your cabin there will be a printed schedule showing you all the activities available during that day (you will receive one for the following day that evening). That sheet will give you info that you don't currently have and throw your careful planning out of the window. For example different bars are open at different times, live acts are in different venues at different times, the show times may vary, there are quizzes at certain times of day, the rock climbing wall isn't open all day, etc, etc.

[Justwannacruis3]

I pack a highlighter (or two/three in different colors) to highlight my daily plan….subject to change, of course. You might be able to do something similar on your phone with the NCL app.

[brovol]

10 hours ago, Kzeeguy said:

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

No offense, but the high structure sounds like the opposite of vacation. Lol.  To each his own though, so plan away.

[TrumpyNor]

I always bring a highlighter that I use both on the Freestyle Daily that will be delivered to your cabin every evening and also to highlight other relevant information regarding dates and times. I also always bring 3-4 "fridge magnets", as the walls in the cabin on board has lots of metal in them  and therefore can be used to hang up all relevant papers on the wall... 

Edited March 19, 2022 by TrumpyNor

[complawyer]

why dont you play it by ear? who needs a daily planner unless  you already know everything thats going on on board thruout your cruise, and i doubt that's possible

[Bowmanvilletravel]

I handwrite mine, but do 4 columns:

1. first for the date and day,

2. Where we are/day at sea

3. Excursions

4. Dinner plans.

 

 

[Kzeeguy]

Thanks all...Ya, maybe Im over thinking it!

I like the simple 4 column approach and go from there 

 

[drumming cruisers]

I don't understand why anyone would do this on  a vacation (from work and spreadsheets!) but Gary does!

The Guide to a Perfect Cruise Vacation go to his board. Sthrngary

[drumming cruisers]

 

[CozGurl]

I love a good spreadsheet! I have a spreadsheet for packing that I customize to each vacation we take. I've recently  discovered the Schedule in Google Sheets. I intend to use it for vacations now especially to track what nights are specialty restaurants, excursions and if there is a show or activity we really want to see/do. The problem I find with the daily handout the cruise lines give you, is that there is just too much crap that I don't want to look at - even when I've gone the highlight route.

 

Lets face, people that like spreadsheets find them enjoyable and relaxing - not too much work. It keeps me excited about my vacation. 

[julig22]

I usually get a generic calendar page and put in the relevant info that I know ahead of time - port & times, booked excursions, flight info, etc.  Print it off and use magnets to put it on the wall, write in activities as they are announced.

pdfcalendar.com lets you choose as many weeks as you want as a pdf.

I have an excel one that I've customized so I can put in the port data but it's just a calendar page, not hourly or daily - got it off the web years ago so don't know the source.

[DuckTollerFans]

I do a spreadsheet that shows each day across top row, and hours along the vertical. A basic calendar.  I write where we are to be each day (sea day or port's name), what hours in port and which block of time is set for an excursion, and also any dinner reservations.

Once we're underway it's easier to check what's coming up.   I'll stick it to wall. 

 

[lgdesign]

I create what we call a "cheat sheet" that has important and relevant info for each day including flight times/flight numbers/reservation numbers/tour times/dining reservations/etc.  Putting all the critical info in one place and handing it out to the other members of my party allows ME to relax on vacations so that whenever the others want to know what's going on, they can refer to the sheet without me having to look things up or maintain all the details in my head.  Having the basic tentpole items in one place (with the understanding that some things can and will change) helps us to make sure that we don't miss the things we critically want to do and also helps us to maximize our flexibility on the days when we have nothing specific planned.

 

Happy planning! 

[Sea saw 56]

6 hours ago, Bowmanvilletravel said:

I handwrite mine, but do 4 columns:

1. first for the date and day,

2. Where we are/day at sea

3. Excursions

4. Dinner plans.

 

 

I include the average Hi and Low temperatures for the ports we will visit, per AccuWeather or some other source.  

Helps me decide which port SHOULD be warmest or coolest, for the clothing I pack.

[ChiefMateJRK]

A decade or two ago, if you looked up OCD in the dictionary, you would see my picture.  Somewhere between then and now, I determined that while I would still feed the beast forever, there are times to let him go hungry.  Vacation is a great time to do that.  That is all.

[c-cruise]

I make a daily itinerary ahead of time to keep track of important info like flights, hotels, rental car, excursions, etc, but find that I rarely reference it once onboard. It's more just to give me something to do while leading up to a trip and also acts as a record to look back on after the trip is over.

[AKR2011]

I made a speeadsheet only once, and that was 14 days on The Escape in late 2018. I did it because so many things were pre-booked, then I ran to the box office as soon as we boarded to book everything else. It really helped a lot to be able to fill in the blanks. I'm used to more a Freestyle cruise, and this was my only big NCL ship. It was amazing and had a lot of positives, but definitely a lot of work. This was my spreadsheet if it helps: 

[BirdTravels]

On 3/18/2022 at 10:43 PM, Kzeeguy said:

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

We cruse a few times a year and have a spreadsheet timeline to jot notes on. It's a bit OTT, but since the memory isn't as good any more, it helps with the important things. (Usually pencil in some afternoon nap time 🙂 ). 

Edited March 20, 2022 by BirdTravels

[lyannea]

12 hours ago, drumming cruisers said:

It Gary does!

The Guide to a Perfect Cruise Vacation go to his board. Sthrngary

Agreed, I watched one of Gary's You-Tube videos where he showed his weekly planner, and I was hoping that he has it posted somewhere here on Cruise Critic.  It's the best I've seen.

He just boarded the Joy today and doing a live report on his trip. 

[RocketMan275]

On 3/18/2022 at 9:43 PM, Kzeeguy said:

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

Two of the easiest mistakes to make on your first cruise are these:

- overplanning.

- overscheduling.

 

Don't try to do everything to the point where you're running from one venue to another.

[lgdesign]

17 hours ago, Sea saw 56 said:

I include the average Hi and Low temperatures for the ports we will visit, per AccuWeather or some other source.  

Helps me decide which port SHOULD be warmest or coolest, for the clothing I pack.

Me too!

[lgdesign]

21 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Two of the easiest mistakes to make on your first cruise are these:

- overplanning.

- overscheduling.

 

Don't try to do everything to the point where you're running from one venue to another.

 

Absolutely... creating my cheat sheet helps make sure we aren't oveplanning and overfilling our days... those random unplanned moments are often the ones that make the trip extra great!  The purpose of the sheet is just to have one convenient place for basic and critical info.  Leaving time for the spontaneous is very important.

 

 

[MoCruiseFan]

On 3/18/2022 at 10:43 PM, Kzeeguy said:

Being our first cruise and not wanting to go about it aimlessly  , I started creating an hourly excel of our upcoming 7 day cruise but then thought why rework the wheel? ...Does anyone have ones they like and can share. ?

If you have an hour-by-hour spreadsheet of your vacation you are not doing it right.  Go have fun and relax.

[weltek]

I usually make a 8 day (for 7 day cruise) table with three simple rows:

• Day (day of the week plus date-it's super helpful to have both!)
• Location (Embarkation port-we fly in one day before; At Sea; or name of port of call)
• Reservations or Key Activity (e.g., Cruise Critic Meet & Greet, Dinner Reservation). If I can't or don't want to make a reservation pre-boarding, I do pencil in some ideas (e.g., "spa treatment?")

I keep that out on our desk during the cruise.

Beyond that, I just bring a highlighter and mark things of interest. It's part of the fun each day as I lay in bed the night before, or have my morning coffee. But if you love the process of pre-planning and obsessing, I get it! It might be fun for you to mock up your entire days just to indulge in fantasy pre-cruise!

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by weltek