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Fun question- how do you spend the week before preparing for your cruise?


Loudermont
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I have started the packing

Started printing my paperwork & putting them in with our identification documents.

Made reservations for the steak house

Got cash from the bank in different denominations.

 

And as a girl who wants to look good in pictures I have had my eyebrows done and a mani/pedi

 

How do you prepare as far as primping & preparing?

 

 

 

Have had the pleasure to enjoy:

Carnival Celebration 07

Carnival Victory 16

Carnival Valor 17

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We cruise in May and October so packing is mostly done months in advance as what better place to store summer clothes than in a suitcase.

 

When we get back from the October cruise we wash all the clothes, repack the summer ones in the suitcase, then it is just dinner clothes right before we leave in May.

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I check off things on my excel spreadsheet I use for packing.....then I count the sleeps.......and count the sleeps......and count the sleeps.............and tightly squeezly my eyes closed......then open them again quickly hoping that another sleep can be ticked off my countdown calendar............(sigh)

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I check off things on my excel spreadsheet I use for packing.....then I count the sleeps.......and count the sleeps......and count the sleeps.............and tightly squeezly my eyes closed......then open them again quickly hoping that another sleep can be ticked off my countdown calendar............(sigh)

Omg too funny. I am struggling waiting another 32 sleeps.

 

 

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I check off things on my excel spreadsheet I use for packing.....then I count the sleeps.......and count the sleeps......and count the sleeps.............and tightly squeezly my eyes closed......then open them again quickly hoping that another sleep can be ticked off my countdown calendar............(sigh)

 

 

Oh am I jealous of your organization. I never thought of a spreadsheet!

 

 

Have had the pleasure to enjoy:

Carnival Celebration 07

Carnival Victory 16

Carnival Valor 17

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Get a massage and pedicure so I'm not tempted by the over-priced on-board spa services

 

 

Smart.. I have never used the spa as I can think of so many other things that I would like to do.. I can do my mani/pedi's locally.

 

 

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Yeah, so the spreadsheet really helps me with my organisation; I list all the items with a 'tick box' column on the left that I can tick when the item has 'landed' in my suitcase; note the word 'landed'. It's not 'packed' but it is in my suitcase.

 

The reason for this, is that once everything is sitting in the open suitcase, I go over the list again and question myself 'do I REALLY need that?'. Often items are pulled out again before I actually pack my suitcase. Now, I need to say that I've only had one cruise yet, with next one coming up in January 2018 - but this is the packing technique that I use whenever I go away.

 

The cool thing about this, is that I can delete the items on the spreadsheet that I took out of my suitcase, save it again, and then it's ready for the next time I go away.

 

This habit stems from my former life as a 'caterer' - I had to make sure I packed all the gear I was going to need to produce the meal, as often the venues don't have what you need. I also made spreadsheets for the grocery shopping with three columns to the left of the item on the list. One for the 'tick' one for the estimated cost and one for the actual cost. I found that really helped me to assess costs more accurately when preparing a quote:)

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Day 7: Get a haircut

Day 6: Get cash from the bank. We never have any cash, ever.

Day 5: Make sure everything is in order, print luggage tags, boarding passes, make sure mail is stopped even though we don't even use the USPS

Day 4: Make a grocery list for post-cruise, laundry

Day 3: Clean the pool, mow the lawn

Day 2: Clean the house, empty fridge

Day 1: Pack

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Most folks start "preparing" more than a week in advance!!! I use the last couple of days getting my house in order (gotta be spic and span before I leave!)...

 

 

I love coming home to a clean house.. unfortunately I have the two older boys (21 & 23) staying to take care of the dogs so I have no hope.. lol

 

 

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Primping: I quit coloring my hair (the joys of aging gracefully!), so just try to have my hair trimmed a couple weeks out. This time I'm actually going to get a pedicure, too.

 

Preparing: I have a wheeled clothing rack in the spare room that I start loading clothes on the week before. I don't want to wear an item I'd planned on packing, then have to do a quick load of laundry the day before. I have a packing list that I edit in the weeks before the cruise, then make any last-minute changes depending on the weather forecast for our destination. I don't actually pack until the day before or the morning of the cruise. Everything I need for the cruise is on my packing list, so I check it off as it goes into the suitcase or carry-on. The last thing I want to do is forget my passport or whatever.

 

 

Oooo.. I love the rolling rack! So many good ideas on this thread. I am always doing a load the night before also.. got to pack my favorites:)

 

 

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I have a friend that cat sits for me so I make sure all is set with that, pack, go to the bank for cash, purchase a few new clothes, mani-pedi, call my cruisemates to talk about how excited we are, make sure work things are in order, print luggage tags and boarding passes, read cruise critic and Trip Advisor. Oh so many things but not so much that I'm not having a great time preparing.

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Day 7: Get a haircut

Day 6: Get cash from the bank. We never have any cash, ever.

Day 5: Make sure everything is in order, print luggage tags, boarding passes, make sure mail is stopped even though we don't even use the USPS

Day 4: Make a grocery list for post-cruise, laundry

Day 3: Clean the pool, mow the lawn

Day 2: Clean the house, empty fridge

Day 1: Pack

 

 

Wife: four weeks out develop the lists of various areas of importance. Things like hair, house prep. Then sub lists of clothing by subsets.

 

Three weeks out: continue developing lists. Finesse clothing lists.

 

Two weeks out: finalize clothing lists. Get luggage out, clean and set up on a table in the bedroom. Using the semi-finalized lists begins laying things out.

 

One week out: start packing exercise. Undo and repack a minimum of three times. Get hair cut and colored.

 

Three days prior: mani-pedi, final packing. Start on house prep list.

 

Day two: check, double check air tickets, confirmations

 

Day One : unpack and repack for the last time. One last pass on the house checklist.

 

Husbands

 

Day two: get suitcase, grab a bunch of underware, shorts, tee shirts. Assume wife has a suit, dress shirts and maybe a tie.

 

Day one: leave

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Wife: four weeks out develop the lists of various areas of importance. Things like hair, house prep. Then sub lists of clothing by subsets.

 

 

 

Three weeks out: continue developing lists. Finesse clothing lists.

 

 

 

Two weeks out: finalize clothing lists. Get luggage out, clean and set up on a table in the bedroom. Using the semi-finalized lists begins laying things out.

 

 

 

One week out: start packing exercise. Undo and repack a minimum of three times. Get hair cut and colored.

 

 

 

Three days prior: mani-pedi, final packing. Start on house prep list.

 

 

 

Day two: check, double check air tickets, confirmations

 

 

 

Day One : unpack and repack for the last time. One last pass on the house checklist.

 

 

 

Husbands

 

 

 

Day two: get suitcase, grab a bunch of underware, shorts, tee shirts. Assume wife has a suit, dress shirts and maybe a tie.

 

 

 

Day one: leave

 

 

OMG!!!

 

I almost fell out of my chair laughing.. too funny & so familiar!!

 

Thanks for the laugh :)

 

 

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Make sure my husband gets a hair cut if needed, and get mine done too. Laundry and packing. Clean out fridge of perishables, and make sure I have a frozen pizza to heat for dinner when we get home after the trip...that's as fancy as dinner gets on the first night home! Fill up the water and food dispensers for the cats, so my in-laws don't have too much to do when they check on them daily for us. Clean everything so my mother-in-law won't see how we really live and despair that her precious son lives that way! On the morning we leave, I change the sheets on our bed so it's nice and fresh and smooth for our first night home....if I can't have turn-down service and a little chocolate on my pillow, at least I can have a nice smooth bed to get into!

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Make sure my husband gets a hair cut if needed, and get mine done too. Laundry and packing. Clean out fridge of perishables, and make sure I have a frozen pizza to heat for dinner when we get home after the trip...that's as fancy as dinner gets on the first night home! Fill up the water and food dispensers for the cats, so my in-laws don't have too much to do when they check on them daily for us. Clean everything so my mother-in-law won't see how we really live and despair that her precious son lives that way! On the morning we leave, I change the sheets on our bed so it's nice and fresh and smooth for our first night home....if I can't have turn-down service and a little chocolate on my pillow, at least I can have a nice smooth bed to get into!

 

 

Pizza and clean sheets! I love it!!

Sounds like a great way to transition back to regular life :)

 

 

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