Cruise Planners Unite

[matj2000]

I have never made any plans or reservations ahead of time for excursions, shows, activities, dinner, ect.

We just wing it all the way and somehow get by just fine.

Instead of trying to find out every bit of info or fill every hour of your trip, have some element of surprise.

Then you might end up having a good time....

[blonde1981]

I also have a couple of files I use for helping pick excursions and also knowing what to look for at certain ports but they are larger than the allowable upload size. If you want you can email me and I'll send them to you. lsu_batgirl at yahoo dot com

[TMO3CCO1]

We definitely won't be filling up every hour of our vacation. We will be hitting the shows and doing excursions. I realize plans can change, and lucky enough I can also be a go with the flow kind of gal.

 

I also don't want to miss out on some the great advice I've read here so would like to keep a little organization to the trip. Believe me I learned my lesson in Disney World! A little planning can go a long way! Besides like I said I enjoy this....to me this is the beginning of the fun...gathering as much information as I can. I'm also the girl that reads all the billboards as we drive down the road. I can't stop myself from trying to learn as much as I can.:eek:

[Mary loves to travel]

I'm also a vacation planner - I don't want to waste vacation time driving in circles or missing something fun to do. don't worry, you "go with the flow"-ers - I leave plenty of open space, too.

 

I hate these things happening:

 

• continuously wondering what time that thing i really wanted to do is
  
• finding out too late that I missed out on something I would have really enjoyed - worse on a cruise, because you only get one shot at each port, at least on that trip.
  

we're not obsessive about marching to the schedule, but it helps to lay things out in advance. On an Alaska cruise, when our helicopter tour got cancelled due to weather, we had a backup plan ready to go, so didn't waste time trying to figure it out, or just giving up and wandering through t-shirt shops (not that there is anything wrong with buying t-shirts, if that's how you wanted to spend your time).

 

 

I tend to enter things into a spreadsheet, and post it on the wall (magnets on a cruise ship!) - or on the inside of the hotel door (with scotch tape).

Easy to see.

 

 

I will also bring a pad of sticky notes, and if there are things like "remember to bring a change of clothes" or whatever, I'll note those down and stick it to the inside of the cabin/hotel door. Easy then to see what we need to bring, my mind is freed from worrying that I'll forget something.

 

 

As the week progresses, if plans change, that's fine. It's about making an informed decision, for me.

 

 

OTOH, there are weeks when what we are after is total lazing around. Not much planning needed for those weeks :)

 

 

If I could figure out how, I'd insert a sample spreadsheet here.....

 

Best,

Mary

[monn_a]

My daughter laughs at me I always have running excel sheets for land trips and cruises. I've been doing these for years, some are simple but they can get complex. This is the sheet I use...I run conditional duplicate formatting for packing...it's a bit odd...I have formulas for currency conversion (when needed) and estimates for what I may spend on ship and in ports...several tabs too some are hidden because they are redundant...

cruise_sample.xls

[Goes Cruising]

I'm also a vacation planner - I don't want to waste vacation time driving in circles or missing something fun to do. don't worry, you "go with the flow"-ers - I leave plenty of open space, too.

 

I hate these things happening:

 

• continuously wondering what time that thing i really wanted to do is
  
• finding out too late that I missed out on something I would have really enjoyed - worse on a cruise, because you only get one shot at each port, at least on that trip.
  

we're not obsessive about marching to the schedule, but it helps to lay things out in advance. On an Alaska cruise, when our helicopter tour got cancelled due to weather, we had a backup plan ready to go, so didn't waste time trying to figure it out, or just giving up and wandering through t-shirt shops (not that there is anything wrong with buying t-shirts, if that's how you wanted to spend your time).

 

 

I tend to enter things into a spreadsheet, and post it on the wall (magnets on a cruise ship!) - or on the inside of the hotel door (with scotch tape).

Easy to see.

 

 

I will also bring a pad of sticky notes, and if there are things like "remember to bring a change of clothes" or whatever, I'll note those down and stick it to the inside of the cabin/hotel door. Easy then to see what we need to bring, my mind is freed from worrying that I'll forget something.

 

 

As the week progresses, if plans change, that's fine. It's about making an informed decision, for me.

 

 

OTOH, there are weeks when what we are after is total lazing around. Not much planning needed for those weeks :)

 

 

If I could figure out how, I'd insert a sample spreadsheet here.....

 

Best,

Mary

 

Oh, we are sisters separated at birth :o:)

 

My family laughs at me for my spreadsheets taped to the wall, but you know what? It saves me from being the sole source of information. What are we doing tomorrow Mom? Check the schedule!

[Sunebeach]

So glad to discover that I am 'normal'...after all if there are so many here that are that OCD over planning and organizing the cruise information, than I don't need to make an appointment to see a shrink after all...:rolleyes: lol...

 

I have ship mate app, I also have tripit app...but being OCD means I also have a back up plan for my back up plans...I keep a small notebook a 'moleskin' book about the size of my cell phone or those old fashioned passbook savings account books you used to get from the bank [yeah, I'm mid 40's so I know someone on here will remember those books]. I print out contact info, reservation numbers, confirmations, plans, maps, photos and such about the ship, the excursions we would like to do, what we'd like to see, our dinner plans and anything else I can cram in there... I mean, cram...the full size pages I fold [creatively] so I can open them, to look at them. Kind of like a pop up book. I also leave a few blank pages for 'journaling' while we're on board. That helps with writing a review here, or scrapbooking and future cruise planning. As well as reminiscing.

I get my little moleskin books at Barnes and Noble or Target. Then I decorate the cover with ocean/cruise themed stickers etc, and metallic markers with ship name and dates. They make neat little scrapbooks in themselves.

[AeroBaldness]

My daughter laughs at me I always have running excel sheets for land trips and cruises. I've been doing these for years, some are simple but they can get complex. This is the sheet I use...I run conditional duplicate formatting for packing...it's a bit odd...I have formulas for currency conversion (when needed) and estimates for what I may spend on ship and in ports...several tabs too some are hidden because they are redundant...

 

If there was an OCD Art Museum, your spreadsheet would be hanging there. That thing is a work of art!! I am not mocking you at all, that is a fantastic set up and use of Excel functionality.

 

I do tons of spreadsheeting and analytic work in my real life, in my travel life, my over planning is a bit more simplified. When we travel, I prepare The Folder The left hand pocket has all the vital docs (set sail, boarding passes, color passport/birth certificate copies, etc) along with a Word doc checklist. The right hand pocket has info such as recent Compass and menu prints and a Word doc that contains pasted comment from this message board and other sites on common topics. If I pose a question here and get a great answer (as I always do), its nice to have it memorialized so I can refer to it. I've also got advice in there about what to bring, tipping advice and how to get your two bottles of wine on board so I don't have to paw through the multitude of threads on these topics to find the advice I am planning to heed.

[brillohead]

If I could figure out how, I'd insert a sample spreadsheet here.....

 

Reply to this thread, and scroll farther down after typing in the typing box. You'll see a section for "attach files" and a button called Manage Attachments to browse to the file in question.

[tgnorton]

So glad that there are other OCD planners. My family laughs at me, but still look to me for the "plan" for the day or to tell them their options. I enjoy the planning just about as much as the vacation. Enjoy thinking about it and "pre-living" the experience!:D

[Goes Cruising]

Ok, can't get my spreadsheet to upload. Back to the drawing board.

[carumba7]

I am so happy to find this thread! Planning and researching are as much apart of the vacation as the vacation itself! I too have a "trip binder". It is only about 1/2 thick (flexible plastic) with clear folders for each port, or city we will be at. Great for any printed documents we may need. Who wants to worry about what where you have all of this stuff?

 

I certainly don't over plan anything but when you do enough research you always have more choices and flexibility in what you do.

 

Who wants to spend this much money and miss out on something fun to do?

[monn_a]

Ok, can't get my spreadsheet to upload. Back to the drawing board.

It maybe that's it's the wrong version I had to save mine as a .xls instead of an .xlsx (2007 & 2010).

 

 

If there was an OCD Art Museum, your spreadsheet would be hanging there. That thing is a work of art!! I am not mocking you at all, that is a fantastic set up and use of Excel functionality.

 

I do tons of spreadsheeting and analytic work in my real life, in my travel life, my over planning is a bit more simplified. When we travel, I prepare The Folder The left hand pocket has all the vital docs (set sail, boarding passes, color passport/birth certificate copies, etc) along with a Word doc checklist. The right hand pocket has info such as recent Compass and menu prints and a Word doc that contains pasted comment from this message board and other sites on common topics. If I pose a question here and get a great answer (as I always do), its nice to have it memorialized so I can refer to it. I've also got advice in there about what to bring, tipping advice and how to get your two bottles of wine on board so I don't have to paw through the multitude of threads on these topics to find the advice I am planning to heed.

 

I know it gets crazy, believe me the columns and tabs I hid would make you cringe. The clothing thing is just to make sure I have enough, just randomly paired on the sheet. But I never forget anything once on the trip. The only time I didn't use it I left my passport at home and had to make a made dash back home to get it. Lesson learned. I too do the folder thing and CC tips once I'm on the road. My daughter laughs but when she's with me she'll add me to add things to the list....hmmmm:rolleyes:

 

I know most people on this thread will understand that's it's easier to do all of this than not. But people who don't just think I (we're) off our rockers. :):D

[jakesmom04]

So glad I am not alone in this type of OCD department. I have a 3 ring binder that has a tab for each day, then each day has a sheet protector with all reservations, confirmations and directions in it, each day has a speadsheet. We might not follow the times, but this way I can write in each day from the daily compass what I might be interested in doing. Yes, there should be a cruise for just us OCD planners. LOL

[TMO3CCO1]

WOW!!! Some really great ideas out there. I found myself reading so many tips and hints on CC and then forgetting where I was supposed to go, what I was supposed to try....etc.

 

Now I'm making notes and trying to decide how to organize everything. Maybe the 2nd largest ship wasn't such a great idea for my first cruise. There is soooooo much to keep straight. :) All of your spreadsheets and organization tips have been fabulous. My DH and I are extremely excited for this trip!!! I'm like a 2-year old left alone in a candy store. LOL

[brklyn78]

I just use the calendar on my iPhone, enter in the things I want to do where I know the times pre-cruise (as well as all the "get back to the boat" times), then I can share the calendar with my husband right before the trip. Even though the phone is in airplane mode on the ship, you can still access the calendar and reminders. You can also add stuff while you are on the ship, when you get the compass. Of course, it won't sync with hubby's phone at that point since it's offline, but he usually expects me to remember where we are supposed to be, anyway.

 

The reminders are great because if you forget that you really wanted to check out that "shopping discussion" or whatever, your phone will remind you 5 minutes beforehand (or whatever time you designate) that you need to go over to the Schooner bar at 2.

 

I also put notes like "3 mid" or "4 aft" in the location field so that I remember were I'm supposed to go.

[blonde1981]

It maybe that's it's the wrong version I had to save mine as a .xls instead of an .xlsx (2007 & 2010).

 

ooh I bet that is the issue I was having yesterday. good to know

[JimAOk1945]

Wow! I thought I was the only one! I'm relieved to know I'm not alone! :D:p

 

Do any of you plan for cruises you haven't booked yet and the shore excursions you would go on? Am I the only one who does this? :rolleyes:

[Mary loves to travel]

My family laughs at me, but still look to me for the "plan" for the day or to tell them their options.

 

Oh, I so love this quote!! True with family, and now that we're empty nesters and doing travel with friends, I sometimes get that from friends, too -- but some see the value in advance and really appreciate it.

 

I will also do the binder if we have a lot going on, tickets for independent excursions, etc. On our Alaska cruise, my husband and I did Skagway like this:

 

• self hike to Lower Dewey lake, directions courtesy of these boards
  
• nice lunch in town (again, chosen based on research here) :)
  
• afternoon train ride on the White Pass & Yukon RR. sat in the back car, stood outside for much of the trip up (saw the great view of the front of the train going into the tunnel on the curving part)..yes, you know where I got that tip
  
• arrived back at the ship happy and relaxed.
  

 

 

the "non planners" did some shopping in town and then were chilled from the river raft trip - it was too early in the season (May) for that particular activity, really...

 

 

 

so, in my view, the planning more than paid off -- and that was just one port.

[blonde1981]

Wow! I thought I was the only one! I'm relieved to know I'm not alone! :D:p

 

Do any of you plan for cruises you haven't booked yet and the shore excursions you would go on? Am I the only one who does this? :rolleyes:

That is how my Baltic cruise this summer started - 3 years ago....

 

My spreadsheet has old tour descriptions and prices and then the "revised" current offering. My name is blonde1981 and yes I have a problem.

[Beth C]

I use my iCal which in turn sync's with my iPhone and my iPad... here's my week on the Oasis game plan from last year of just the things on the ship..

 

 

You don't even want to see the mess of the one I have for our next cruise... 10 people, 8 ports, 10000 different ideas of things to do :eek:

 

We are planners... we have a problem... we know it...

[Russ Lomas]

I know you are out there...the OCD people like me that spend hours reading and compiling information to plan your cruise vacation. This is my first cruise and I am in hopes you can help me.

 

Does anyone have a spreadsheet of their plans for their cruise vacations they would care to share with me. I'm thinking it would be easiest if I could print a spreadsheet with a general agenda for each day as a quick reference guide.

 

Thanks for your help! I will be traveling on the Oasis in May with my DH....WOOHOO! Can't wait!

 

 

We just got off the Oasis last weekend. I did all of the pre-planning as well. MANY shows were either cancelled or rescheduled due to rough seas, so my entire planning sessions were a waste of time. All the diving shows were either cancelled outright or rescheduled and the skating shows also were rescheduled. 3D movies were cancelled outright as well (not sure why).

 

The moral of the story...you can plan, but be prepared to be flexible since plans may need to be changed. Have an amazing time on the Oasis in May. It was our first cruise on her and it definitely will not be our last cruise on an Oasis class ship.

[brillohead]

3D movies were cancelled outright as well (not sure why).

 

I am just guessing, but I imagine that:

 

rough seas + 3D films =

 

 

Ain't nobody got time to clean up that much barf!!!

[I-Cruiser]

Interesting thread this:) I do plan...and plan...and plan, but as we do more and more cruises I have started to plan less. Not every little detail has to be planned.

The most important thing about travelling is to go with the flow when things does not go as planned.........

Now, back to planning our 2014 cruises...:D

[Eriksgarden]

This is the "Compass" we made for our upcoming cruise.