Planning Process - Half the Fun!!!

[Creole Girl]

I love to plan too!! It is the fun of it. Then to see if it lived up to your expectations as you were planning is the best. I think that when you plan is when things turn out the best. Non planning can be fine to, but sometimes I find myself saying, "I wish I would have..."

 

I am the trip planner for my family, so I know how you feel.

[JanetMarie]

I am starting to save 1$ and 5$ bills in an envelope to tip the room service folks, to tip the porters, to tip the cabbies. That way, when our cruise arrives, I'll have all of the "tip" money in an envelope and it's less I have to worry about.

[dustyroad]

janetmarie

 

 

that is a great idea. there are so many good tips here i will have to save and print them out. wow, i love this board for my cruises :) .

[Kami's pal]

To add to your knowledge in a painless way, try Sue Henry's novels. she has a series about female detective, Jessie Arnold. Murder on the Ididerod Trail was the first but there are 10 to enjoy. Her last is a spin off with a new heroine, a 65 year old RVer!

 

I have fun planning just for myself. Not certain I would love doing all that for a group. You all are very generous. I can tell that your pleasure is multipled by the people you plan for.

 

 

Bon voyage, all.

[Tarheelbelle]

I use Excel too, but to make a schedule spreadsheet to print out and write on when I get on the ship for things scheduled---spa appts., shore excursions, reservations, etc.

I make a separate spreadsheet for my packing list [clothing, shoes, accessories, miscellaneous.]

[Periwinkle Babe]

You talk about planning. We have been booked fsince July or the Med on Grand Princess sailing in Oct. '05. Besides already getting information on the ports and starting the usual lists, I still have a question. This is our first trip on Grand Princess. Has anybody else been in the Med on her? If so, what was your experience. Thanks for all the info on CC.

[Periwinkle Babe]

"If I lived upon the sea ..."

[CrazyforCruisin]

Hi all,

Just a quick note to anyone going to Alaska. I took one of those small foldable umbrella and sure was glad. When we got off the ship in Juneau and waiting for the excursion bus, it was raining that awful misty rain that soaks you thru. There I was with my umbrella, nice and dry. I had lots of people say, why didn't they think of one. HHHMMMMM must be because I live in rainy Oregon?! LOL! :D Anyway, just one more thing on the "to take list".

Jodie

[Buddy L]

Anyone heard of Peter Kay...

"Its that fine rain that soaks you through" LOL!!!

 

If you're not from England you wont get that at all!!!

[JanetMarie]

That's another good one! I have envelopes set aside...one for the tips, one for the airport, one for room service tips, etc.

[GreatPotatoes]

Packing List???

 

I have been reading some of this board. Where is a good place to find a packing list? I will be leaving for Southern Carribean in 12 days.:D

 

Julie

[Charlene]

I agree with you, the planning of the cruise, shore excursions, what clothes to pack, even gowns, shoes, hotels, and what to do before and after the cruise. Is such a high for me, I really get excited over all of it!!

[JanetMarie]

This may have been posted - the post is getting long - however, we put our one dollar bills in an envelope weeks before the cruise and save for the bellhops, the airline baggage personnel, the cruise dockside folks that take our baggage, the cabin steward's tips for a.m. breakfast delivery to the cabin! When the cruise arrives, all those minimally needed dollar bills are saved!

[over the edge]

JanetMarie, I had to laugh when you said that while talking or planning things for the cruise, your husband just rolls his eyes and walks away! Are we married to the same man??? Thank God we can vent our excitement here! lol :p

[WKM]

Julie,

 

Go to boards, Roll Calls, Grand Princess 1/8/05, on page 4, lists and tips.

 

Carol

[Disnyfan83]

I think we ALL must be married to the same man!! In fact my whole family thinks I'm crazy the way I plan sooo far in advance for our trips!! This upcomming cruise is even a bigger deal for me because it's the first time I have planned for people other than my immediate family. My Mother-in-law is treating the whole family (eleven of us) to a Spring Break cruise on the Westerdam, and I'm in charge of it!!! No one but my family has cruised before, so I am REALLY feeling the pressure to have this all go smoothly and be fantastic. Thank goodness I have found all of you to get all of my questions answered!!:p

[over the edge]

What an awesome present from your mother-in-law!! Let me think, would my mother-in-law ever do that.............NOT!! Kidding, love her just the same! Everyone will have a great time, not to worry. Just remember that planning the trip is half the fun, so don't be too stressed, enjoy it! Before you know it, we'll all be back home! :cool:

[wellmomof2]

I am looking forward to my first cruise and part of the excitement is coming to places like this looking for information and advice. It's fun having something to look forward to.

:) I noticed the Canadian flag. Where are you from? We're from north of Toronto, (approx. 40 minutes) and we're sailing on the Caribbean Princess on Jan 8.

[House_Atreides]

Oh I'm awful.

 

Lists everywhere on my computer in a folder called "Cruise (whatever cruise we're taking next)".

 

Now that I've joined Cruise Critic, I think I'm gonna blow my hard drive with all the ideas I'm picking up and putting in the cruise folder!!!

 

I also start shopping the minute I've paid for the cruise; I bring a list...SURPRISE! And usually end up finding something I GOTTA have while shopping so that gets dumped in the shopping cart too.

 

I tend to be the "planner" amongst family/friends I am traveling with and make lists for them too lol.

 

I think I need a Listmaker support group....:rolleyes:

[Deb in Cali]

While I am not the travel agent for my whole family, I am definitely the TA for my immediate family. We went on a 30 day cross country trip with a travel trailer back in 2001. I spend hours and hours on the web and map software researching where to go and what to do.

 

We covered 18 states and one Canadian province. It was an awesome trip. In my son's senior year his history teacher showed a slide presentation of some of her travels. My son sat there checking off most of the locations as a been there done that. Since this was a private school most of the other student's families were financially better off than we were, but their children had not traveled as much. Their children had been to Disneyland every few months, but not outside of the state or the country.

 

I have a philosophy of "plan it and it will happen". It make take a while, but it will happen. My other philiosphy is " Life is a banquet and most SOBs are starving to death". Most of you will remember that from the movie Auntie Mame or the book Travels with my Aunt.

[waterbound]

Im getting back into the planning process now.. We are finally down to 89 days!! woo hoo.... I stopped planning because I found myself obsessing and I still had so much time to go so I just put it aside, but now Im back full force and sooooooooo excited as I realize its getting closer.. I keep thinking of little timelines to get me by.. I keep thinking right now I have 89 days but once I get thru Christmas and New years on the 6th it will be down to 60 days and then once Valentines gets here it will down to about 3 weeks..

 

I am really looking forward to this cruise because we booked our first balcony!! We usually get inside cabins and our kids and my boyfriends mom is coming along.. We wont get to do any cruises for awhile as 2006 and 2007 we are doing Disneyworld.. so no cruises in that 2 year period :0(

[Blizzard54]

It is so much easier to do this now that when I first started cruising. I had file cabinets full of all the brochures and deck plans. My DW thought I was nuts. Now with computers and the web the info is so much easier to keep track of.

 

I like to always have at least 1 cruise to look forward to. I have been able to have up to 4. Although this changes from time to time I have found that lately some of the best prices are a year or more out. I am already looking at 2006.

With the onboard credits offered for booking onboard it pays to plan ahead.

[CruisinG DivA 08]

I totally agree with you!

 

I'm the "travel agent" for my family. In 2001 I planned a trip for 17 to Sedona, AZ for 10 days. (Couldn't convince them then to take a cruise). But this time around, I finally got what *I* truly wanted......a cruise!

 

I do all the planning for the entire family. They just gave me credit card numbers and I take care of the whole thing. I LOVE the planning process. I even did everyone's online documentation (it's only 13 this trip......little sis and family think a cruise would be "boring" - fools!!)

 

I've got more lists than I know what to do with. Cabin numbers for everyone, so they know where everyone else is staying, what to bring, what NOT to bring (NO walkie talkies!!). The family has come to depend on me to take care of every detail (I had to laugh, because we leave in 3 weeks and my sister said to me last week.....what cruise line are we taking?). I surf every night looking for more info to share with them. And the best part of it? THEY think I'm "working so hard" that they usually buy me a gift to thank me! In AZ they got me a spa day........sure hope I get some spa time on the Zenith!!

:-D

Happy Cruising everyone!

 

Luckyroot, why not walky talkies?? haha im trying to convince my parents not to make me take them...

[Gail Johnson]

I would also agree that the planning is very fun. I am currently planning the cruise for me, dh, bil, and sil. Next year however, it is going to be a cruise for at least 17 adults, and possibly 5 kiddos. I hope it goes well! I am not even really going to think about it until after the current cruise!!

 

I agree with all of you. Planning is half the fun. The anticipation give us all something to look forward to the months prior to sailing. We are going to Alaksa in May and this will be our 5th cruise. I have never left my house without packing my FAN and extension cord and my down pillow in my luggage. I have to pack with this in mind. They are the most important things I bring besides my clothes.

[sassystyxfan]

I accidentally stumbled across this message board about a month ago. Although I'm glad I found it, I wish I had known about it years and three cruises ago!

I do all the booking stuff with a TA, my DH and I pick out excursions together, and now we can't wait to get home and read these threads together. Yes, he makes me read until I just can't talk anymore! But he leaves all the lists, packing and planning to me. He'd rather I be responsible for all that which is happyland for me!

I am a major planner, list maker and preparer. To me it's a big part of the whole fun of a trip. I have always made a packing list, a "to buy" list and a "to do" list. I turn our guest room into a "staging area" with our outfits organized by formal, informal and casual. Shoes, belts, jewelry are placed by each outfit, and other items like CD's, laptop, journal, etc. are all together in another area.

Well, now, because of this thread, I'm copying all of your ideas on binders before I start making lists to put in it! Planning before the planning! Sheesh - I'm in heaven. Glad I'm not alone!

Thanks you guys!