am i starting too early?

[bubbles1209]

What is the earliest any of you guys have ever started packing for your cruise? We go for a 7 day on Elation in June, and I've started shopping and getting things together today.:D I hope I'm not obsessing 2 much. My dd and I went and bought a couple of capris, some nice tops, i got 2 swimsuits, luggage, and the usual may need kind of thing....pepto, zantac, immodium, goody's. We are going to look at formals and cocktail dresses tomorrow, just hope the prices aren't too formal:eek: . I have a list of things to buy, a list of where I'm packing what, checked vs. carry-on, excursions agreed on, money saved and still being saved, birth certificates and phot id's on hand..............Have I forgotten anything?:rolleyes: Just curious if I'm the only one to do all of this, and if I'm starting too early? Can ya tell we are ready to go?:D :p

[ldadar]

Prepping is so much fun! I haven't actually bought anything yet, but I've been looking (and I don't leave until Nov.):p

[billsgirl]

No...you are not the only one who does that. We booked a cruise in June 2005 for Jan 2006...and started thinking about shopping immediately...and had the best time with my daughter getting all the things we needed...planning and making lists and shopping beforehand is all part of the cruise experience. Enjoy! :)

[rgbs_2000]

too early no way look at me not set cruise dates yet Actually it has all been but on hold as there is no such thing as birth certificate for hubby but already got Tux and formal and other new clothes

[Lurkyloo]

What is the earliest any of you guys have ever started packing for your cruise?

 

Let's see, today I booked a cruise for March 31, 2007 (roughly 340 days from today!) and I started packing tonight! Seriously! :p

[no_wake]

Too early?!! I'm cruising in June and have been packed for a month!! lol

:) Can't wait to board that ship and get out to the open sea!

[CurlyQgrL]

HI,

 

LOL! So I didn't book my 5/28 cruise till last week and really feel behind it...but ya know us planners and organizers make great trip mates as we think of everything. Hubby just goes along with the flow, doesn't care what we do, when, where...he is just so happy not to have to work a 60 hour week!

 

Me, I've sent out numerious emails to hubby, daughter (19), and her friend about all the ports, the different shore excursions, dining choices....all sorts of great info to let them have some say in what we do, especially for anything we should pre-book excursion wise. I found out they deleted the emails, unread!

 

So I had to sit them down to give them the various choices, this beach, that beach, tour, not tour, to get an idea what they preferred....I got very amused and tolerant grins from teenagers that the trip is a month away! (such an eon in their lives). I think one of the pleasures is the planning of the trip as it adds weeks of enjoyment and anticipation to the actual event....so pack as long as ya want! What is the luggage bag limit and weight limit again? (oh that is right as much as my hubby can carry, lets see he can handle at least two suitcases, a couple of duffle bags slung over the shoulder, the garment bag, that should about work (very big cheeky grin)...he is lucky I did away with the make up case...too puny.

 

I too went shopping and bought new bathing suits, sundresses...now it seems real! But seriously, I need a completely separate bag for all of the great tips...hubby is already rolling his eyes when I point out all the great tips I've gotten:

snorkeling gear for four (will save us a ton of money)

rain ponchos (okay they giggled at this one, but we are going to a rain forest, itsn't it conceivable it might actually rain?)

water shoes - great idea

beach towels (staying in a condo first)

cheerios/dog biscuits - great fishfood? (you guessed it, more giggling)

Portable clock (makes sense as the I'm guessing the cell phones won't work in the southern carribean?)

 

So la familia is tolerantly amused by my preparations though they secretly love it as they know all they have to do is pack their own clothes and show up!

[IBEEMOM]

Half of the fun of a cruise is the preparation for it. I also gather the things I plan to take early on. I just don't pack the luggage until the last week, only to avoid wrinkles. I feel as if the bags are filled to early, something will come up and I may not get to cruise. Have a ball and a great curise.

[CoachTerry14]

What is the earliest any of you guys have ever started packing for your cruise? We go for a 7 day on Elation in June, and I've started shopping and getting things together today.:D I hope I'm not obsessing 2 much. My dd and I went and bought a couple of capris, some nice tops, i got 2 swimsuits, luggage, and the usual may need kind of thing....pepto, zantac, immodium, goody's. We are going to look at formals and cocktail dresses tomorrow, just hope the prices aren't too formal:eek: . I have a list of things to buy, a list of where I'm packing what, checked vs. carry-on, excursions agreed on, money saved and still being saved, birth certificates and phot id's on hand..............Have I forgotten anything?:rolleyes: Just curious if I'm the only one to do all of this, and if I'm starting too early? Can ya tell we are ready to go? :p

 

Started cruising in 1993 and have never unpacked! :D So, it is never too early!

[Gma&Gpa]

We leave in a little less than three weeks - and about 2/3 of our stuff is packed. Just leaving the more dressy things until the end to avoid the extra wrinkles and a few things that I might be wearing before that time. But overall, I could finish the packing in 20 minutes if I had too.

 

As for shopping early - sometimes you HAVE to since by June, the winter clothes are coming back into the stores !!

[Cochise]

Don't forget those passports which will be required in 2007!!

[Donnask8pro]

We dont cruise until Jan 07. I always start throwing things into a laundry basket in my closet as I go along. Don't want to forget anything... Ö

[anubian]

This is our second cruise as a family. There are 8 of us...2 A and 6 kids. We have a begun a tradition that approx 3-4 months prior we will assess all the summer clothing for what fits and what is suitable to cruise in. I then make a list of things each child needs as well as me and hubby. Then, we begin to plan what theme we want to go with for the formal nights. This year we are doing black and white for one and African outfits (specially made for the gilrs and myself, which were finished on April 1st) for the other. I also try to imagine and keep notes on what type of accessories we will use (shoes, jewelry, ties).

 

I take a break from that for a while, then set to these boards to get good ideas for excursions. I think I booked Godfrey tours back in Jan. 06 and we are leaving May 7 06. I make sure I print the confirmation email. I get our personal itinerary planned out...potential budget included. I use a medium sized spiral notebook to keep all the costs in order, clothing needed list and any reservation information for hotels prior and after the cruise.

 

As the cruise nears, I begin to look online for clothing bargains and underwater camera deals. This time I purchased 10 underwater cameras for 30.00 (Kodak). I put them in our suitcase so I would not forget them. I found 3 BRAND NEW formal gowns for my daughters (3, 7, 9) on ebay for a total of 70.00. I did the same for my hubby and 2 son's formal white suit...BRAND NEW on Ebay for 200.00 total.

 

Approx two weeks before the cruise, hubby, me and the kids go on a shopping spree. I use the clothing needed list and we go looking for everything. We just did ours this Saturday. We started shopping at 10 am...went to lunch...then to another mall...then to a shoestore...then to a arcade/restaurant where the kids played all kinds of games, which was a great way to end the day. They felt like princes and princesses. Now this weekend we will have a ironing party. We will iron all the clothing and then pack them...while eating fun finger foods and watching movies. The kids like to see what the outfits will look like. together. The day before we leave I am taking off from work and going to the bank and AAA for money, traveler's checks and Triptiks. I will do some grocery shopping for the drive and other odds and ends.

 

 

The entire buildup is the best part. We have 8 days left and I am enjoying the slow pace of the week because then the trip will be slow as well. We will be away for 20 days, so I am very excited. I can definitely sympathize with everyone's anxiety.

 

 

Have much fun planning your vacation.

[halos]

Started cruising in 1993 and have never unpacked! :D So, it is never too early!

 

I like that answer!!:D

[seashell36]

Now is a great time to formal shop, since Prom season is over (at least it is around here). I got a great cocktail dress for 60% off yesterday.

[maurick]

I have always over packed. Each cruise is less and less. We pack day before we leave. Otherwise, everything is wrinkled! As long as clothing is in good order and clean. There is no need for us to pack before.

[LornaT]

Let's see...........too early? ................ nah!

Took my first of the now twice a year cruises in 2003, bought new undies, swimsuits, etc. just for that special trip, got home, did the laundry, booked more cruises and just put eveything back in the suitcases along with special slacks, tops, capri outfits, etc. that I would rather not get ruined, torn or stained ............... all that is in the suit cases is referred to in our house as the "Boat Clothes". I basically only have to throw in the last minute stuff like shoes and toiletries and I'm ready to go. Actually makes it quite easy to get ready, no wondering if I've forgotten anything. Freinds thought I was nuts until the went insane figuring out what to pack, having to do last minute shopping, etc.

[Jdleong]

Lorna, I too have a tote marked "Cruise Clothes" where I put all the formal clothes and good casual clothes, purses,sandals,etc. I just put stuff in that tote as I think I might need it , and as the cruise gets closer I pull stuff from it and pack the suitcase. This next cruise, I plan to go a lot lighter on the shorts and tops, and SHOES!!!

Jan

[cruizinwoman]

You go girl! I don't know how far out I begin the actual packing process, but yes, I start pretty early. 3-4 months ahead, I think. Like others have said, it's part of the whole cruise process for some of us, and adds more or prolonged enjoyment of the entire event.

 

Like others have said, I don't want my clothes to get too wrinkled, so instead of packing them, I hang them on a rolling clothes rod. That way, I know what I'm wearing for what day and/or event. I also keep a few of our regular cruise things in the suitcase because we are never too far away from taking another cruise. :D

 

Have a great trip!

[gfsmith]

What is the earliest any of you guys have ever started packing for your cruise? We go for a 7 day on Elation in June, and I've started shopping and getting things together today.:D I hope I'm not obsessing 2 much. My dd and I went and bought a couple of capris, some nice tops, i got 2 swimsuits, luggage, and the usual may need kind of thing....pepto, zantac, immodium, goody's. We are going to look at formals and cocktail dresses tomorrow, just hope the prices aren't too formal:eek: . I have a list of things to buy, a list of where I'm packing what, checked vs. carry-on, excursions agreed on, money saved and still being saved, birth certificates and phot id's on hand..............Have I forgotten anything?:rolleyes: Just curious if I'm the only one to do all of this, and if I'm starting too early? Can ya tell we are ready to go?:p

 

 

LMAO Too Early???

 

surly your joking ;)

[beaming90]

We booked our 12-06 cruise in July of 05 and before we even booked, we had already done some of our shopping. It is great to get summer stuff on sale! :rolleyes:

[HockeyMom44]

For my first few it was MONTHS in advance.:rolleyes:

For my last 2, its been a day or 2 before.:cool:

I sail on Saturday, I haven't even started.:eek:

 

As for shopping for a cruise; I'm always looking for something on sale! No matter if I have a cruise booked or not.

[Kudos2Fly]

We pack a day before. We just pack our normal clothes. If we have to get some new things then we will do that a few days before the cruise.

 

We do that with all our trips. We are flexible people so we have gotten really good at only planning trips a day an advance. Well for small trips anyways...

 

Kim

[dan40]

Insread of early packing, how about late packing?

My wife starts after midnite the morning we are to leave. She may do a load of laundry and iron that before packing. It used to make me crazy as I do all my own packing the day before. Now I just go to sleep and don't worry about her. When I wake up, she's asleep but awakens easily and is all packed AND NEVER HAS FORGOTTEN A THING.

Its just her way. 46 cruises and counting.

 

Dan

[K.T.B.]

Hey, I'm running late!!!!! We're 2 weeks away and I've just pulled out the suitcases to start!

 

:D