14 day left now what....

[pinkteamx3]

So I went online to print my cruise docs and saw the number of days left and had an "oh my gosh" moment. Been planning for almost a year and just when I thought I had all my ducks in a row now I am freaking out. 14 days is not a lot of time to pack get missing items like travel shampoo and new tooth brushes and all the other things that need to be done/gotten between now and then. I started packing and have a list going but it seems to have snuck up on me all of a sudden. Anyone else feel overwhelmed before their cruise. Any last minute thoughts you can pass on to a newby?

[rybreadsmomshubby]

So I went online to print my cruise docs and saw the number of days left and had an "oh my gosh" moment. Been planning for almost a year and just when I thought I had all my ducks in a row now I am freaking out. 14 days is not a lot of time to pack get missing items like travel shampoo and new tooth brushes and all the other things that need to be done/gotten between now and then. I started packing and have a list going but it seems to have snuck up on me all of a sudden. Anyone else feel overwhelmed before their cruise. Any last minute thoughts you can pass on to a newby?

PANIC!! :D

 

Lists are always a great idea. Prioritise things that need to be done, get bought etc. and cross them off as you go along. And list EVERYTHING that needs to be done (including things like turn off water, turn on house alarm, stop mail, tell bank/credit card people that I'm on vacation...and so on and so on). Simples! :)

[canuckwoman]

We sail in 13 days and I spent the afternoon going thru my list and have started to pack as I do not like rushing around the week before. Take a deep breath and relax, you will be sailing in no time - enjoy your cruise. :)

[Luv2GoGrl]

don't forget your PASSPORT!

[cosmo cruiser]

and don't stress out. Once you get everything in your suitcase....take 25% back out. When we first started cruising I sooo over packed. Don't stress too much over having a ton of outfits to wear, think comfortable. Make sure you have your passports, Carnival paperwork, medicines, camara, and swimsuits. After that take the bare minimum and go and relax. For most things if you forget it, you can find a replacement. Each cruise gets easier to prepare for. Keep your master list of what to do before you leave and once you get home you can tweek it for the next cruise. After just a few cruises it will be much less stressful to prepare. We leave on vacation in 12 days and sail in 14 days. I packed this morning (other than bathroom supplies) and it will take me 15 minutes to finish up the morning we leave. Easy to pack early this time of year, nothing I will need on a cruise is anything that I can wear in the winter anyway. Enjoy your cruise, it's the best vacation in the world in our opinion. ;)

[sandij]

Overwhelmed, no, excited, absolutely. Make list, get everything together and then eliminate about a third of your list. Make plans for your house and pets, such as the mail, the newspaper, the pool guy, and whomever else comes to your home on a regular basis.

[norcal2]

When the cruise is 14 days away I make it a point to:

 

1. As a control freak who needs to control, I unpack my bags and repack them until I am at the airport where security stops me.

 

2. I check my documents every hour for 14 days until I am on the plane. Then I check them again.

 

3. When I arrive at the pier I try to remember what my beloved husband looked like when I last saw him but all I can envision are documents, so I turn around and look at him.

 

4. On the ship I immediately drink my DOD as if I was just rescued from the Mojave.

 

5. And at the end of the 1st day aboard, I lose control overboard.

 

But ya didn't hear it from me...

:D

[pinkteamx3]

When the cruise is 14 days away I make it a point to:

 

1. As a control freak who needs to control, I unpack my bags and repack them until I am at the airport where security stops me.

 

2. I check my documents every hour for 14 days until I am on the plane. Then I check them again.

 

3. When I arrive at the pier I try to remember what my beloved husband looked like when I last saw him but all I can envision are documents, so I turn around and look at him.

 

4. On the ship I immediately drink my DOD as if I was just rescued from the Mojave.

 

5. And at the end of the 1st day aboard, I lose control overboard.

 

But ya didn't hear it from me...

 

:D

 

This is me all the way. Hubby is so calm and I am the one trying to pull it together. Its almost like I've never traveled before. I guess since we are going on our first cruise and not knowing exactly what to expect. That is what is making me freak out a little. But once I am on the boat and have my DOD in hand I will be just peachy

[Tbay-eh]

This is me all the way. Hubby is so calm and I am the one trying to pull it together. Its almost like I've never traveled before. I guess since we are going on our first cruise and not knowing exactly what to expect. That is what is making me freak out a little. But once I am on the boat and have my DOD in hand I will be just peachy

 

Welcome to the club - we have all been there. Now I book, I pay, I sail - I pack the night before - all my documents are where they should be and up to date. Don't forget to notify your credit card company that you are sailing - if they see activity where it shouldn't be they could put a hold on your card and until to straighten it up you will be screwed. You will have a blast and be hooked. Have an awesome cruise.

[norcal2]

This is me all the way. Hubby is so calm and I am the one trying to pull it together. Its almost like I've never traveled before. I guess since we are going on our first cruise and not knowing exactly what to expect. That is what is making me freak out a little. But once I am on the boat and have my DOD in hand I will be just peachy

 

At least you have an excuse since you are a first time cruiser. I am always that way except on land vacations. We went to China for far less stress than the anticipation of our cruises. You will be fine. It is good you started this thread as you will get some very good advice. My advice is write down the important points everyone is making here and do the check off thing. You are going to have so much fun. It is ok to be excited and try and remember everything as in an odd way it is part of the fun in the end. I suspect because you researched here, you will probably know more than many first time cruisers. I know CC really helped educate me on cruising.

[balcony bound]

I'm always overwhelmed when it gets to be "only" two weeks!

 

For some reason, work always gets crazy busy when I have a vacation near, and I try to do too much before we leave - in addition to packing.

 

This time, I emailed my petsitter last week just to reconfirm that our dates were on her schedule, only for some reason she didn't have the exact dates:eek: Fixed it, but that would have been a disaster.

 

I need to learn, with the exception of the petsitter, that whatever I forget (oh and not the passport either), whatever I don't get done -- it's all okay. Just get me on that ship:D I don't relax until at least three DODs...then I'm only relaxed for the rest of the way.

[bjd2]

We actually went shopping today for a couple new pair of dress pants for DH and one more swimsuit for me. Now I have piles of clothes staged and will choose the favorites to put into suitcases over the next days with formal dresses/jackets last.

 

I have my documents in a folder and unless the airline changes our flights (again), they should be all set to go.

 

 

This next almost 2 weeks is going crawl and fly by all at the same time I think. I'm so excited to go, yet need to make sure I have everything prepared and am not taking any time off of work prior to leaving. We will have to be at the airport (20 minutes away) by 5am Saturday morning 2/26. The evenings that week will be spent checking and triple checking!

[PAPERBKWRITER]

I cruise a lot (2-3 time a year) and always pack the morning I leave for the airport. Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it is or you'll drive yourself nuts. the only thing I ever forgot was my bathing suit and I stopped at Wal Mart on the way to the airport and bought one.

[gargoyle999]

We sail 2 weeks from today on the Splendor and are doing a B2B! :D

 

I just made my "book" where I use a binder and plastic sheets and put all my confirmation into its own sheet then put them all in the order I will need them from the car pickup to go to the airport, flight, transportation once we arrive, hotel, fun pass, excursions, another fun pass :p, more excursions, then the flight and transportation home :(. Keeps it all in order and nice and organized throughout the whole trip.

 

In the back I put travel insurance info, chef table confirmation, copies of all our ID and cards we bring, etc. Things I hopefully won't need but just in case.

 

Then I show it to DW since I do all the planning and she says she never knows what we are doing. :D

 

Tomorrow I'm going to load up on OBC for both cruises so we won't have a bill at the end.

 

This Saturday we will start to pack. Since we just went on a couple cruises in Nov and it's winter in MN DW just set aside all the warm weather cruise gear so it should be pretty fast to pack it all back up again.

[bjd2]

We sail 2 weeks from today on the Splendor and are doing a B2B! :D

 

I just made my "book" where I use a binder and plastic sheets and put all my confirmation into its own sheet then put them all in the order I will need them from the car pickup to go to the airport, flight, transportation once we arrive, hotel, fun pass, excursions, another fun pass :p, more excursions, then the flight and transportation home :(. Keeps it all in order and nice and organized throughout the whole trip.

 

In the back I put travel insurance info, chef table confirmation, copies of all our ID and cards we bring, etc. Things I hopefully won't need but just in case.

 

Then I show it to DW since I do all the planning and she says she never knows what we are doing. :D

 

Tomorrow I'm going to load up on OBC for both cruises so we won't have a bill at the end.

 

This Saturday we will start to pack. Since we just went on a couple cruises in Nov and it's winter in MN DW just set aside all the warm weather cruise gear so it should be pretty fast to pack it all back up again.

 

Great idea with the binder for your documents. My husband thinks I'm OCD just putting them all in a folder. He is also clueless as to what goes into planning the cruise but he has thanked after our previous ones as I think he could tell that I must have put some effort in it, lol!

 

 

:D

[moonandsun]

We cruise in 2 days. Usually I pack two weeks out, but with work and "unexpected stuff" I have not even started. I guess this round I will pack the day before. Good thing I have a list to check my list. ;) Just sit back take a deep breath, everything will be fine. Remember your travel docs. That seems to be the most important. You can purchase anything else you may need, but travel docs......well, just make sure you have them. Happy Crusin'

[RWolver672]

Great idea with the binder for your documents. My husband thinks I'm OCD just putting them all in a folder. He is also clueless as to what goes into planning the cruise but he has thanked after our previous ones as I think he could tell that I must have put some effort in it, lol!:D

 

I find it ironic that our families call us OCD about cruising, yet we're the first ones they come to when they want to know something i.e. "What time are our flights?" "What time does the ship leave?" "What's the name of the hotel we're staying at?" "Where do we pick up the rental car?" etc, etc, etc. We just smile and go to our folders to get the info. ;)

[OhioDogLover]

Relax. It isn't that big of a deal. Don't overpack. We pack the afternoon before we leave, or if the flight is in the afternoon, the morning we leave. My goal is always to have only 1 set of clothes per person clean at the end of the cruise. If I can do that, we have packed the correct amount. Otherwise, it is too much.

Don't forget your medication, credit card and passport. You can get anything else on board or in port if you have to.

Ohiodoglover