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Cruising Journals


JanetMarie
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Hi there ~ I have a journal specifically for cruising. I purchased it a few years ago at Barnes n' Noble ~ it's leatherbound with ships on the jacket. I only write in the journal while we cruise. It's nice to take it along and sit on our balcony as we sail the high seas, jotting down whatever comes to mind. :o

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that's a really neat idea!

I've done journals for special trips or special short term jobs -I don't know why I never thought about it for my cruises

 

I always do up a cruise photo album/scrapbook with various info written down on scraps of paper (stuff like who our dinner companions were, the names of fun drinks I tried, fun things I heard), and I always include the daily ship activities and things like our door signs/decorations and if I have info on the places I visited (like maps, AAA travel guide, etc.)

 

I like the idea of maybe a slim journal I could add into the album...

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  • 4 weeks later...

I write a letter to myself on the ships stationary everyday describing my daily events...what I saw, ate, did, who I met etc. I have a stack of unopened letters from 12 cruises. I plan to open them in order when I'm too old to travel and re-live my past adventures.

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You are quite imaginative, sending yourself cruise letters, I love that. Sounds like something in an old move....;)

For past trips like Hawaii I did all my notes of trips, location names, restaurants, etc. in my PP (Palm Pilot), but I've decided that it would be good to go lo-tech on a cruise. When other's are reading, I can be noting the days events. I bought a journal at Super Target last week...it's a hard cover has purple parchment paper on it. I like the sounds of the one JanetMarie picked up at Barnes and Noble though, keeping with the ship theme. I might have to check out the local Borders, I know they also carry special ones there.

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  • 2 months later...

I made my own journal for our last cruise. It was just my best friend and I who went and I made one for each of us. I used really pretty binders and created pages on my computer with paper that had a beach background. I started with a page that had all of our traveling info and then had a page for each day. Each page included a section to write what we ate for each meal, the ports that we visited(or what we did on sea days), and any items we purchased. Then, there was a section that let us describe everything we did each day. At the end, I had pages to write what our favorite ports were, least favorite, favorite meal, least favorite, etc. I also included in the journal pages to insert pictures. Finally, I decorated the cover with all sorts of cruise stickers. We made ourselves write in the journal each night before we went to bed. Now that I have an upcoming cruise in January, it's great to look back on the other one and get ideas of what to do and what not to do. This time, my entire family is going, so, instead of making one for each person, I will make one for each cabin. The trick is going to be getting everyone to write in theirs! I plan on using these to make a scrapbook after the cruise.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

As we prepare to sail again, I saw another wonderful leather journal at the bookstore, with a ship motif on the cover, the paper was taupe colored, on the heavy side, and looked antiquated. What a wonderful travel journal! I'm going to buy it!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I too keep a journal of my cruising experiences. I love it. It brings back lovely memories when I take it out to read and relive my cruises. Along with the photos they are priceless souvenirs of my cruises. Precious and great keepsakes. :D :D

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

We just returned aboard the Princess Caribbean, and I took my journal with me! Yep, still have the same leather bound one with nautical decor on the cover. As I sat on our aft balcony sailing the high seas, it was interesting to flip back to previous cruises and read what I was thinking back then. . .

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I buy postcards in every port, and each evening, my DH and I sit out on our balcony and record on the postcards our interpretations of the events of the day. (It's fun to see how differently we each view same events!) Once we get home, I punch a hole in the corner of each postcard and then put a ring through all of them. We end up with a cruise journal with wonderful, professional "photographs" that we can look back on whenever we wish. We've done this on our last few cruises, and we even did it on our driving trip up north last summer (well, we didn't sit on a balcony to write!). It's become a tradition, and it's one we really enjoy.

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  • 1 month later...
I buy postcards in every port, and each evening, my DH and I sit out on our balcony and record on the postcards our interpretations of the events of the day. (It's fun to see how differently we each view same events!) Once we get home, I punch a hole in the corner of each postcard and then put a ring through all of them. We end up with a cruise journal with wonderful, professional "photographs" that we can look back on whenever we wish. We've done this on our last few cruises, and we even did it on our driving trip up north last summer (well, we didn't sit on a balcony to write!). It's become a tradition, and it's one we really enjoy.

 

 

What a neat idea to keep the kids busy during a road trip. I'm going to try this for this summer's vaccation. :cool:

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On my first cruise this past April I kept a journal. It was great fun and got a lot of attention from fellow cruisers. Being an antique dealer, I always look for old journals and over the past several years have found a number of them including one from a family from Beacon Hill, Boston that was sailing to Europe the day after the Titanic sank. There were numerous references in the journal plus two newspapers with Titanic headlines. Very valuable.

 

So keep a journal and when you pass it on to your children tell them not to put it in the yard sale as there is a very strong market for such Memorabilia.

 

Have fun!!

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  • 1 month later...
I write a letter to myself on the ships stationary everyday describing my daily events...what I saw, ate, did, who I met etc. I have a stack of unopened letters from 12 cruises. I plan to open them in order when I'm too old to travel and re-live my past adventures.

 

What a great idea and maybe even put some photos with them.

 

OceanDreams

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I use a travel journal bought from Amazon. [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0811824977/qid=1121697986/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1111358-7751105?v=glance&s=books&n=507846]

It's great and inside has a wonderful place for itinerary, sketches, food enjoyed and more. It has a ship motf inside and some fun little facts. For example, it has a drawing of all the nautical flags, as well as a time zone map, mariners compass (with explanation/write up about it) and more.

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Sillylizzie- that sounds great I will have to check out this journal. I agree with

bwaveriders that I always say that I am going to keep a daily journal and then never do it . I did start one once and only got to the second day. I will have to try to do better on our upcoming cruise. I purchased a journal from Royal Caribbean on there ship the Voyager. I want to look at the one that sillylizzie mentioned tho it sounds like it is alot nicer than the one that I have.

I do have folders with each day marked on them to put "stuff" collected on our cruises each day.Also put our film in baggies with the day marked on them but now we have digital so that will not work.I take a large flip top folder with us with a cardboard insert to put photos in so that they will not get bent.

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If you'd like I can take & email (or try and post) photos. Let me know if you're still interested.

Would you be able to post the ISBN number on the back of the book? It sounds like a really good journal, and I'd like to see if my local book store has it or can get it. Thanks for sharing your info!

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I bought a small notebook to make into a journal on our cruise, and then forgot it laying on the coffee table!!! So I used stationary from the 2 hotels we stayed in and some from the ship to keep some notes on. But I will be buying a real journal before my next cruise and writing in it faithfully daily, though I like the post card idea too!

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Thanks, sillylizzie! My DS works part-time at Barnes and Noble. I'll ask him if he can find a copy for me. I've done the postcard thing for quite a while, but I think having all our cruise experiences in one place might be really nice.

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Sillylizzie...... Thanks for the info, I ordered one last nite ! should be here by Monday at the latest. I took your recomendation and went ahead and ordered from Amizon.

 

Thanks, sillylizzie! My DS works part-time at Barnes and Noble. I'll ask him if he can find a copy for me. I've done the postcard thing for quite a while, but I think having all our cruise experiences in one place might be really nice.

 

No problem. That's why I got it originally - I liked that it had room for everything inside - esp. the place for the itinerary.

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