Grumpy, How Do You Plan Your Trips?

[sirarthur]

Everyone on this board has loved your travelogs...they are so well written and entertaining. I was just wondering if you could share your thoughts regrarding planning and booking your various cruises.... I see that you are booked on a 66 day cruise to South America & Antartica and later New England.... We will continue to look forward to your posts!!!

[Grumpy1]

Everyone on this board has loved your travelogs...they are so well written and entertaining. I was just wondering if you could share your thoughts regrarding planning and booking your various cruises.... I see that you are booked on a 66 day cruise to South America & Antartica and later New England.... We will continue to look forward to your posts!!!

Plan? We're retired! Planning is for working people! We used to do that...:D Being retired gives us the flexibility to cruise when we want to and not have to squeeze in a cruise at a particular time because of vacation schedules, etc. Most of the cruises we've booked have been booked on "spur of the moment". Well, not the actual booking, but the decision to book. Something shows up that just seems like we should do and the die is cast. Then it's just a matter of deciding cabin category, T/A, etc.

 

I have to say that CruiseCritic is my most valuable source of information. The varied experiences of others and their reports on the good, the bad and the ugly will usually give you a balanced view. Never take one post or review as being the absolute gospel, though. Different people have different expectations and different experiences and their reports will be biased. If a report is negative, try to see why it is negative and decide if those factors are going to be important to you, or if they are likely to occur on your cruise. The boards for the cruiseline, the rollcalls and ports of call have lots of information. Just take a little time and ferret it out. A review of a similar cruise might contain a reference to a really good tour or tour operator (or a bad one). I originally found out about tripadviser.com through a post on the boards. It's a really good source for finding out about price and quality of hotels in places you've never been before. Google searches also provide links that might not be otherwise found.

 

Strangely, we've never used the same T/A twice. Not that we are in any way unhappy with the ones we've used, but some were group cruises that could only be booked through a particular agency, and others were shopped for best price or added amenities. If you've done your homework and know what things need followup, the choice of T/A is not a major factor. If you don't want to be bothered with the details, you need a T/A that you can trust.

 

By the time I contact a T/A, I already know what cabins are likely to be available and the price that I can get if I book directly with HAL. I know what the prices are for airfare and hotels and transfers if we are going to cruise from a port other than the FL ports. Sometimes the T/A has something better to offer, sometimes not, but I know very quickly if the T/A is working for me or for his/her own interests... i.e. maximum commission.

 

Once you have the cruise booked, start gathering information on things to do in the ports. Set up a special folder in your "favorites" and bookmark sites you will want to get back to. Set up a tabbed 3 ring binder for stuff you print out. It doesn't have to take a lot of time unless you start obsessing about filling every available minute in every port because you don't want to miss anything. I prefer to stay somewhat flexible most of the time and only lock up a few special tours ahead of time. Others want to have every port planned and booked in advance. Above all, be prepared to scrap some plans if needed. Things change. Be ready to make adjustments if they do.

 

Whatever else you do, remember your primary purpose for booking the cruise and do your planning around that goal. Some people book for total relaxation. Others book to learn firsthand about places in the world. Sometimes, things that are happening on board (special affinity groups) are the reason for being there. How you plan would be different for each of these.

 

When you get to the end of the cruise, if you wish that you could stay on and cruise forever, you have probably planned well. If you ever get the feeling that you are so ready for the cruise to be over with, you've probably overplanned and then something has not met your expectations. Fortunately, I've never experienced the latter feeling. We've always hated to see our cruise come to an end and we always look forward to the next one.

 

I'll be interested to see what others have to say about how they choose and plan also. Although the question was directed to Grumpy1, now that he's had his say, let's hear from others, too. Maybe Grumpy will pick up a few tips or someone can show him how he's been doing it all wrong.:D

[arzz]

We, too, are retired and we book what looks good to us as well as those things that allow us to do what we have always wanted to do. Before we retired, since we were teachers, we had to fit each trip into school vacations. Not the cheapest or the best way to travel.

 

My best advice is to 1) determine what you really want to do "before you die" and then 2) do your homework on your desires 3) be ready to book when something falls into your lap (of course, this is a lot easier for someone who is retired than for someone who is still working)and 4) even after you book continue to do that homework so that you can manipulate your trip into the best possible shape for you.

 

In June we are heading from Honolulu to Tahiti on the Tahitian Princess -- we are going with friends who are still working. This choice was made to fit their schedules as well as our desires. We originally were looking at Greece for this time period -- as it got more expensive than any of us wished to pay, and it became clear we would still not be meeting our travel objectives we switched gears, found this cruise that fulfills another long term desire, and we are all happy. Before we booked I had checked the fares with several on line and shore based travel agents as well as the cruise line. We choose an agent based upon price and service issues. We held cruise line air with the booking but then spent the next couple of weeks looking at how to get the best value for our air. Booking independent air on this open jaw was prohibitively expensive -- we finally settled on cruise line air from LAX (our home is the Chicago area) and we will purchase frequent flier tickets in and out of LAX. Saved us enough on the air to cover a four day stay in Tahiti at the end of the cruise, and the LAX layover will also help to break up what would otherwise be a very long trip in "sardine can" conditions. To book the ground packages we purchased two travel books on Tahiti as well as combed web sites for information and reveiws. Once we narrowed the properties down to a few we checked for rates and packages on line as well as over the phone with the hotels themselves. We ended up with a sweet little package at a great resort that includes breakfasts and massages for less than the price of the room alone.

 

Doing your homework as well as being a little flexible and creative does pay off! But then, being retired gives us the time to do the research carefully.

 

Homework, homework, homework. We are booked on the 24 day Peru-Buenos Aires segment on the Prinsendam (January-February) South America -- we would have loved to do all 66 days but we are a bit financially challenged and we had to work out what fit our budget but still met our travel objectives. This 24 day segment does it for us. Since this tour travels to places we have wanted to see for 20 years or more we are making sure that what we plan fulfills those desires. And, we are spending more on this trip than we usually do. Our planning for this one started over two years ago when our retirement plans first became clear -- the Prinsendam is our third booking (as better itineraries were offerred or found we just changed bookings) -- we have huge files on air, hotel, port arrangements, etc that we amassed, as well as a list of must see places along the way. We used both travel books and the internet to gather our information. What we have currently planned really does meet virtually all of our personal goals -- our trip starts with a 5 night package to Machu Pichu. We originally tried booking this on our own and found to get what we really wanted was either too expensive or too "iffy" in terms of where we were travelling and we did not want a 35 day trip to start off on a negative note. So we took HAL's pre-cruise package from Lima to Cuzco and Machu Pichu. Post cruise we have booked our own stay at Iguazu Falls in Argentina -- here we have a falls view room and air for the two of us for half of what HAL was charging to do the falls on a 12 hour shore excursion while docked in Buenos Aires. It pays to do your homework and check out each option. For our international air on this trip we used flier miles and after months of manipulation we finally have the flights we want on the days we want. What we did here was to book what was available and then call every few days until we found what we really wanted. It worked for us. We have only booked those shore excursions that do things that we will be very disappointed if we miss. We will stay flexible on the rest and see what comes our way as we travel.

 

However you plan your travel have a great time. The planning can be as much fun as the actual trip.

[Spot]

What a great topic thread, I too have been curious how those of you that cruise so extensively to such exotic places on the globe do your planning.

 

Thank you for sharing your honed skills and keep the advice coming.......

[watchdiva]

Like Grumpy, as soon as I book a cruise (usually 6-9 months out) I start a 3-ring binder. Into the binder goes every e-mail that has ANYTHING to do with the cruise (ie shore excursion confirmations, etc), copies of reviews from cc'ers that are relevant (ship and itinerary), a print out of the packing list that appeared on CC a few years ago........I could go on but the binder serves two purposes - keeps everything in ONE place and is easily portable to the ship. I refer to the binder onboard as a reminder of when/where we need to be for shore excursions (book mostly independent tours).

 

Another tip is that a few months (3-4) before departure date, I place a small box on the floor in my closet and start putting things in there that we will need on our cruise (travel amenities, lanyards, fanny pack, etc) - I've found that by using the "box method" that by the time the cruise rolls around the box is almost filled and I don't have to run around the last week or so, buying "stuff" that we would normally only buy when we travel.

[Grumpy1]

arzz and watchdiva, thanks for sharing your ideas. this old dog may have just learned a new trick or two... the box of goodies is a great idea!

[Brad98]

What a fantastic idea. Thank you. I will start mine today.

 

I usually run around like a headless chicken a couple of days before we go, but not in future.

 

I have already started getting stuff together like, prescription goggles, suntan lotion, insect repellant, but at the moment they are all over the place. Thanks for that. Regards Me

[cruznon]

I love the idea of the box to collect "stuff" you'll need on board. I've been thinking about starting to collect these items for our next cruises, but hadn't thought of the "box method" that's a neat idea.

 

Instead of a 3-ring binder, we use those multi-colored plastic envelope files (Staples) for our cruises. We collect confirmations of bookings, shore excursion info, hotel and air reservations, etc. Each planned cruise/trip has its own color, so it's easy to pull out folder to check or add info. (Since they're transparent colors, it's easy to locate info.)

It's alway fun to say, "OK, new cruise. New colored envelope!" :D

[tim agg]

There are some great ideas on this thread - thank you all! ... We have become so interested in exploring the Internet and bookstores in preparation for our first Baltic cruise nest summer that we have forgotten - almost - that we have a Sea of Cortez cruise coming up in February...On our eastern Mediterranean cruise a few years ago, we did lots of reading ahead of time, and chose (from among many choices) what we most wanted to do and see. We enjoyed the research, and were afterwards gratified by an immense sense of satisfaction - from seeing the places that were most important to us, and having checked out places for a return visit....Now: how do you organize your binders full of photos and other memorabilia?

[kryos]

Instead of a 3-ring binder, we use those multi-colored plastic envelope files (Staples) for our cruises. We collect confirmations of bookings, shore excursion info, hotel and air reservations, etc. Each planned cruise/trip has its own color, so it's easy to pull out folder to check or add info. (Since they're transparent colors, it's easy to locate info.)

It's alway fun to say, "OK, new cruise. New colored envelope!" :D

LOL ... same here. I'm too lazy to punch the holes and if I used binders, lots of stuff would never make it into them.

 

Of course, this laziness is pitiful ... and there is no excuse for it. I have a three-hole punch right on my desk at work ... as well as dozens of reams of pre-punched printer paper in the print room. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sirarthur]

Grumpy and everyone thanks for your wonderful insight.

 

I was wondering about some specific concerns:

 

How far in advance must you book to insure your favorite cabin...? I notice some popular cuises book up early.

 

What is the best way to book the cruise to insure that you have a chance for being upgraded?

 

How do you go about selecting a good TA and what should a good TA be able to do for you?

 

What investigation do you do to insure your personal safety if you seek to explore on your own at various ports?

 

What do you usually do about travel insurance?

[Moonlight Beach]

Instead of a 3-ring binder, we use those multi-colored plastic envelope files (Staples) for our cruises. We collect confirmations of bookings, shore excursion info, hotel and air reservations, etc. Each planned cruise/trip has its own color, so it's easy to pull out folder to check or add info. (Since they're transparent colors, it's easy to locate info.)

It's alway fun to say, "OK, new cruise. New colored envelope!" :D

 

That's what I also use. I take it on the cruise to hold the confirmations, etc. and to collect the stuff I want to keep from the cruise. It keeps everything in one place and I can easily pull out what I need. I love the different colors...blue for Alaska, red for Mexico, yellow for Caribbean. I even made a purple one for travel to Australia for my daughter's on the beach wedding.

[bdcbbq]

Grumpy and everyone thanks for your wonderful insight.

 

I was wondering about some specific concerns:

 

How far in advance must you book to insure your favorite cabin...? I notice some popular cuises book up early.

 

The sooner you book the better your odds are. If I knew which cruise and which cabin I would book as soon as I can.

 

 

What is the best way to book the cruise to insure that you have a chance for being upgraded?

 

Its a crapshoot, don't waste your time playing the odds.

 

What do you usually do about travel insurance?

 

Buy it.

[cruznon]

jlynnek,

I like the idea a of color for destination! As an art teacher, color coding is big thing for me!:D

[mechcc]

I just have to report a funny one - Several of us got to Ft Lauderdale on Friday before the infamous HAL-O-Ween Dam Cruise and of course we got together that evening. A question was asked about something and I pulled out a folder with all our cruise info in it. A husband, who shall remain nameless, made a comment to the effect of "She has a folder too? Does every wife have a folder?" Certainly folders, binders, or whatever are excellent tools to having all info readily available. Keep it handy during your planning stage (ours are on our coffee table). Just remember to put it in your carry-on before leaving home.

[arzz]

About travel insurance -- we always buy it -- we do not get the plan through the cruise line (we were almost burned once when a cruise line declared bankruptcy after we were on deposit - cruise line insurance would not have covered that)

 

The policy we like at the present is offerred by CSA and it allows you to wait to pay for it until final payment on the cruise is made yet it will still cover pre-existing conditions

 

A lot of folks on this board recommend insureyourtrip.com to find a policy appropriate for you.

 

Lord knows how to find a good TA -- only personal experience will do that -- references from friends help but it is only your experience, when things get tough, that is really relevant. I do believe that the rules of this forum do not allow us to make specific recommendations for TA's on this board.

 

As for when to book to get the best cabin -- I could not tell you as we are not all that fussy and have never had difficulty getting a cabin that we could enjoy whenever it was that we booked -- whether we booked a year out or a few weeks in advance.