30 days prior to a cruise, and work is going nuts

I'm wondering if this is something that happens to everyone prior to a cruise, or if it's Mr. Murphy having some fun at my expense.

I'm in the period between 30 days flying for my cruise and 30 days boarding my ship. This vacation was booked back in March when everything appeared to be sane at work. At this point, I had expected to start getting new clothes for my first ever Caribbean vacation as well as figure out what to do at each port.

Ha. Ha. Ha. Was I ever so naive.

Things at work have gone completely haywire at work for the past month-and-a-half, and will continue to do so for the next two months. I'm having to absorb the work of other people as they are... uhhhhhhh.... "no longer with the company". Hello overtime, good for the cruise wallet, bad for the cruise prep work. I am thankful that I have the travel insurance, because I'm afraid I will need it. At this point, I'm expecting to do work prior to boarding.

Please, tell me I'm not the only one whose life is going nuts prior to the cruise, but has nothing to do with the cruise.

I had something quite similar happen last year. A week before the cruise it was uncertain that we would be able to go.

I had travel insurance with a ‘cancel for any work reason’ (and a similar policy for next year). I got as far as getting the claim started when management relented.

My lesson is always get travel insurance - the same day as I make the initial deposit.

Until she retired my wife worked on every cruise we went on for over 20 years. Not much unusual about OP's situation.

I had something quite similar happen last year. A week before the cruise it was uncertain that we would be able to go.

I had travel insurance with a ‘cancel for any work reason’ (and a similar policy for next year). I got as far as getting the claim started when management relented.

 

My lesson is always get travel insurance - the same day as I make the initial deposit.

Not for a cruise but a vacation to Maui --- my boss was reluctant to approve my vacation request even though it was only 2 weeks away & I had put in my request months in advance....I threatened to quit my job, as one of the most senior RN's on the unit, & she finally relented & approved it....

Ok, perhaps I am a sadist because the OP's post made me smile and brought back some memories about the days when I worked and also took cruises :). Yeah, it always seemed like everything hit the fan about a month before a cruise vacation and it was sometimes even more often when I returned to work after the cruise :). The word "Kismet" comes to mind.

My message to the OP is fear not...because retirement should be in your future and then those work problems completely melt away :). I used to look at the seniors on our trips and feel a little sorry for them because of their advancing age. Now that I am a senior I look at the younger working stiffs and just smile :). Life is good!

Hank

Ok, perhaps I am a sadist because the OP's post made me smile and brought back some memories about the days when I worked and also took cruises :). Yeah, it always seemed like everything hit the fan about a month before a cruise vacation and it was sometimes even more often when I returned to work after the cruise :). The word "Kismet" comes to mind.

 

My message to the OP is fear not...because retirement should be in your future and then those work problems completely melt away :). I used to look at the seniors on our trips and feel a little sorry for them because of their advancing age. Now that I am a senior I look at the younger working stiffs and just smile :). Life is good!

 

Hank

Like he said.

Stan

My message to the OP is fear not...because retirement should be in your future and then those work problems completely melt away :).

I'm wondering if this is something that happens to everyone prior to a cruise' date=' or if it's Mr. Murphy having some fun at my expense.

 

I'm in the period between 30 days flying for my cruise and 30 days boarding my ship. This vacation was booked back in March when everything appeared to be sane at work. At this point, I had expected to start getting new clothes for my first ever Caribbean vacation as well as figure out what to do at each port.

 

Ha. Ha. Ha. Was I ever so naive.

 

Things at work have gone completely haywire at work for the past month-and-a-half, and will continue to do so for the next two months. I'm having to absorb the work of other people as they are... uhhhhhhh.... "no longer with the company". Hello overtime, good for the cruise wallet, bad for the cruise prep work. I am thankful that I have the travel insurance, because I'm afraid I will need it. At this point, I'm expecting to do work prior to boarding.

 

Please, tell me I'm not the only one whose life is going nuts prior to the cruise, but has nothing to do with the cruise.[/quote']

 

I'm sorry for you and really hope that your travel insurance cover your expensives if you can't go.

 

Personally I could never work for a company which first say ok and then when it's too late to cancel they change their mind and say no!

Hope you get it resolved, or the insurance covers the loss. However, in my experience it is rather common. I used to work every day for the month prior to holidays and took cell phone with me.

Retirement is grand.

I'm wondering if this is something that happens to everyone prior to a cruise' date=' or if it's Mr. Murphy having some fun at my expense.

 

I'm in the period between 30 days flying for my cruise and 30 days boarding my ship. This vacation was booked back in March when everything appeared to be sane at work. At this point, I had expected to start getting new clothes for my first ever Caribbean vacation as well as figure out what to do at each port.

 

Ha. Ha. Ha. Was I ever so naive.

 

Things at work have gone completely haywire at work for the past month-and-a-half, and will continue to do so for the next two months. I'm having to absorb the work of other people as they are... uhhhhhhh.... "no longer with the company". Hello overtime, good for the cruise wallet, bad for the cruise prep work. I am thankful that I have the travel insurance, because I'm afraid I will need it. At this point, I'm expecting to do work prior to boarding.

 

Please, tell me I'm not the only one whose life is going nuts prior to the cruise, but has nothing to do with the cruise.[/quote']

 

Two things ...

 

1) My first cruise I worked all day and then my cocktail waitressing job that night until 2a.m. THEN friends & co-workers took me out 'partying' to celebrate my cruise. I got home at 5:30 a.m., showered, packed and my friend's mom picked me up at 7:00 a.m. to head to the port. OK ... I was 19 and me & my cabin mates shared clothes and shoes and it was a BLAST.

 

 

2) A phrase I adopted and used often when I was working ....

"Lack of planning on YOUR part, does NOT make an emergency on my part". I refused to own other people's chicken little approach to work.

We used to face those problems before we retired. So I know how you feel. Yes -- buying insurance is important.

OP -- hope you make your cruise.

"Lack of planning on YOUR part, does NOT make an emergency on my part". I refused to own other people's chicken little approach to work.

I prefer the converse... "Plenty of planning on my part constitutes an emergency on your part." This vacation has been on the calendar since March, plus I have made enough noise about filling my hard-to-fill shift. So far, my manager has not even breathed a hint about cancelling my vacation, so that's good. While I will be connected to the office for the few days I'll be in Miami and may have to attend a online meeting on the same day I board the ship (hows the WiFi at Port of Miami), once I'm on board, I won't have Internet connectivity until I reach a port.

Like I said, we are going through "interesting times" at work that goes beyond the usual "It's August, everyone wants a vacation." I just take a deep breath, and focus on the things that I can control.

I have my first cruise in nov and work for a company that is constantly laying off or re-orging which leaves me doing 2 jobs at once way too many times in the last year. I am lucky as my boss is BIG on honoring vaca and support not working while on vaca. Many friends of mine at the company aren’t so lucky. I’ve also had other bosses who were evil like that. I feel for you OP and really hope the clouds part for your vaca and it happens to be a random dull time! Fingers crossed!

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I feel your pain Z'Loft. Being a Realtor and my own boss pretty much leans everything on me and how much business. First time in almost 2 years going way and NOW everyone wants to list their home or buy something. Life gives us lemons... I am using my lemons for my drinks on the ship. #lessthan30daysandcounting.

Not for a cruise but a vacation to Maui --- my boss was reluctant to approve my vacation request even though it was only 2 weeks away & I had put in my request months in advance....I threatened to quit my job, as one of the most senior RN's on the unit, & she finally relented & approved it....

And if you had quit you would have found a new position without blinking an eye.

It's a great profession. Well paid too

Of course it helps to live near several hospitals/Med practices etc.

If you live in the rural areas I guess jobs not that plentiful

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I generally worked over time, for a month, on my own time both before and after a trip.... did that for 20 years, that was 20 years ago, as I retired in l999. Every time I got anew boss, had to break them in to the idea that I would be gone, that there was no good time to take off, so you just have to plan for it. Once I got them through the first year - it got easier. But I still had to put in extra time before and after to make sure it all went smoothly. I generally left the country, so they could not get in touch with me. I also took for as long a month once a year. The rest of year I was there, many said how did you do it, I said I planned for it.

I always fondly recall what a mom of 3 young kids who was also an executive once said to me after she told me she got a promotion and I was congratulating her about now having 5 weeks vacation

I was asking if she would actually be able to take it..

Her response was..." when they gave me the promotion and extra weeks off..I simply told them....don't give this extra vacation time to me unless you expect me to use it because I plan to"

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Good luck to you Z'loft!

Many years ago my hubby had an opportunity to work in Germany for several months. He arranged his schedule such that he could take a month off during his contract and I would fly over for a month long tour thru Europe. I requested time off, lined up a substitute, made arrangements with HR, every thing I could think of to make it simpler for my boss.

Boss kept giving me grief, not approving leave, etc.

I finally looked at her and said "Brenda, it's no longer a matter of 'can I go' it's a matter of 'can I come back'? "

The trip was fabulous!

 

 

I finally looked at her and said "Brenda, it's no longer a matter of 'can I go' it's a matter of 'can I come back'? "

(y)

I think that this is the best way to handle it.

Yes, things do pile up on you before vacation. Cruises are actually good because of the deposit and pre payment conditions, you can use that to be more firm negotiating with your company. The few times that they wanted to change our vacation, we listed the financial costs that the company would need to reimburse (we always kept it professional, that job and your reputation are pretty important). Usually that was enough to end the talk of changing vacation, for one trip the costs actually were approved to paid out but one day before the vacation, the situation cleared and we went on vacation.

Good Luck and have a great vacation.

Good luck to you Z'loft!

 

Many years ago my hubby had an opportunity to work in Germany for several months. He arranged his schedule such that he could take a month off during his contract and I would fly over for a month long tour thru Europe. I requested time off, lined up a substitute, made arrangements with HR, every thing I could think of to make it simpler for my boss.

Boss kept giving me grief, not approving leave, etc.

I finally looked at her and said "Brenda, it's no longer a matter of 'can I go' it's a matter of 'can I come back'? "

 

The trip was fabulous!

Sometime you have to take a stand. One time I had a boss who said, I don't know if my boss will be okay with it, she was simply delaying signing my leave slip.(I had heard from other employees that she would leave the vacation slips unsigned on her desk for months) I pick up the slip, walked across the hall to her bosses office, told the boss the story.... response from the boss was no problem... went back to my boss with the response, the slip was signed while I was standing there. Other employees said how did you get your slip signed, I walk it in --- I don't leave it there or send in the mail. LOL

Work to live. Not live to work. I’m one of 2 in a department that can’t not shut down. But I give ample notice. Last year they had to let the other guy go and wanted me to stay with 2 weeks to go before my cruise. I trained a back up and they scheduled around it. I’ve been here long enough and work too much.

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For those that are still working I feel all your pains. Self employed here and anything over a three-day weekend seems to involve some sort of crisis here.

Our last years trip to Asia was planned a year in advance, all major customers, vendors, competitors, friends and family knew. Checked in with everybody months, weeks, days before departure, "Have a good trip!", "We're good!" was said by all.

Day before departure, stuff happened. SWMBO & Kid left on schedule; I'd stayed behind for something that only took half a day to fix, but couldn't get a flight until a few days later.

I actually done the fix by email and phone, but it had to be done during the hours I would have been over the Pacific Ocean.

Go figure. We just got told this week that our center have two years left (at best), and we may have to relocate or find a new job. :o Unfortunately, this was expected for quite a while.

Of course, I get this news in the 28-to-15 day period where, if I cancel, I lose 75% of my cruise fare, plus all of my pre-paid hotel and cross-country airfare. I already passed the "Point-of-No Return" a few months ago.

Sorry, folks, but I have already paid the credit card bill for this vacation. Everything is paid for, including the excursions. I need the time off. It just affects future vacation plans.

And, I don't believe this is the first time it has happened to anyone. In fact, I think it is a too-regular occurrence.

I'd find a new job. Apparently your specialty is one where they can't even cover normal vacation time without it being a crisis

So..that means...

You are in demand

Management at your place is terrible

Budget is tight

This whole vacation time off is being overblown

you are worth more than they pay you

Take your pick

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