Cruise critic boards are great but...

[hospsafe]

I haven't seen any threads that deal with biggest problem we all have when it comes to cruising... How do you deal with or what do you do to make the time easier (go by faster) on your psychy until your next cruise?

 

The wife and I booked our first cruise in 2 years the other day on the Freedom in July. Sorry but, IMHO, putting a timer on here would be adding insult to injury. Let's just pour more sugar into my cruising wound. Yeah that sounds like fun! ;)

 

There is no way I could book a cruise a year or so out from today. I dont know how you people do that.

 

Of course this is comming from a person who has been spending way too much time on these boards since the wife suggested we do a cruise this summer.

 

Anyone know a good shrink?

[jackAxe]

I haven't seen any threads that deal with biggest problem we all have when it comes to cruising... How do you deal with or what do you do to make the time easier (go by faster) on your psychy until your next cruise?

 

I click refresh every 3 seconds and try to keep my productivity from going into negative territory with under 10 days remaining.

[EricJen]

I agree, we booked 3 1/2 months out and I cannot wait that long. Cannot imagine booking over a year in advance.:eek:

[sept10dsm]

We plan our activities to do on shore. Check the web, contact tourist info for the ports - anything to pump yourself up about the cruise. We also look at the deck plans to help make us more familiar with the ship, if never on it before. We also try not to book so far in advance.

[perkypat23]

I haven't seen any threads that deal with biggest problem we all have when it comes to cruising... How do you deal with or what do you do to make the time easier (go by faster) on your psychy until your next cruise?

I use Cruise Critic as therapy!!! Keeps me sane as I read the reviews & the advice from other members...I'm under 60 days, but it's REALLY CRAWLING (and half of me hates wishing time away...life's short enough!), but I check in at least once or twice a day here!!!

[Pomperaugrr]

374 Days to go until Serenade of the Seas for me. This will be the first cruise since Navigator in April 2005! :eek: I'm going through cruise withdrawl!

 

Eric

[BillOh]

I agree, we booked 3 1/2 months out and I cannot wait that long. Cannot imagine booking over a year in advance.:eek:

 

Gives me time to pay for it and somethink to look forward to in a depressing world.

[PSTIXS]

Half the fun of any vacation is the anticipation looking forward to the cruise or whatever the vacation maybe. By booking in advance you can do some really fine anticipating. I'm on a single digit count down to my first cruise and I'm already looking forward to my next trip.

[Inshape]

Time will pass either with a cruise booked or no cruise booked. I love booking early to catch the lowest rates and then I spend the year looking for any price drops or seeing how far it goes higher and then I think of ways to spend the saved money.,....hmmm, usually on my next cruise!

[kirbmeister]

We booked our next cruise at about 10 months out. It was hard to see the counter at over 300 days:eek:. But now that it is nearing 100 days it sure looks nicer:rolleyes:. Now if we could get someone to join our roll call, so we could have someone with whom we could count down.

[crusinpsychRN]

As you see from my screen name, I am a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. I'd be glad to help. My fee...7 day cruise!

[terri23]

I love having vacations planned way in advance (plus, usually (not always) the prices are lower the farther out you book). Don't wish your life away by thinking of it as "killing time" - think of it as savoring the anticipation (remember the old ketchup commercial??). Oh yeah, and get that post count up!! ;) post on your roll call threads, ask questions on the ports of call boards, inquire as to the appropriateness of saving deck chairs on sea days and wearing jeans on formal nights, and lurk on the other cruise line message boards for entertainment! :D

[emilygrace]

We like to book early to take advantage of the prices (I'm talking 12-14 months out). Like the previous poster said...savor the anticipation! We usually fill in gap with one or two short cruises.

[tkportersat]

Yep, agreed with previous posters....it is nice to save the money when booking so far in advance. Like others I have sometimes booked a shorter cruise to fill in the gap. The rest of the time I spend on here, look at reviews, check the RC website for excursions or price changes and daydream about my trip :) I think I need therapy too!!

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

The problem we usually have with booking early is that it give us way too much time to move things around and change things. When November seems too far away then we move to October then see a better deal in September then find out that the week earlier is even less. Yes, we are a travel agents worst nightmare. Though I do all the leg work all they have to do is enter a few key strokes. That is why I have vowed to stay with Royal this time around. They don't give me a hard time if I want to switch.

 

This year for the first time, we are pretty well set on our dates because it is for our 15th wedding anniversary. Can't change that too much.

[Harley-Davidson_Family]

As you see from my screen name, I am a Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. I'd be glad to help. My fee...7 day cruise!

 

ROFL!!:D

[Aquahound]

Try planning other cruises while you are waiting. I've got 2 booked for 2007. Meanwhile, I am planning my 2008 Medit. cruise. ;)

[derrick22]

We only have 3 months to go and I have been banned by my family from discussing the cruise!

I am constantly reading these boards and searching for information.

My DS16 feels that I will know it all by the time the cruise comes and that I will take all the fun out of it. No way!

I did the same thing last year with our Disney cruise. I was informed and had not surprises.

It it wasn't for this board I would go crazy and know nothing.

Thanks

 

Denise

[jrpipe]

You guys are cracking me up!!! I've been enjoying the posts!

We booked our first cruise 5 months in advance and it's been killing me! We are 30 days out now and it's so hard waiting.

This board has been a great place to learn about cruising and it seems that I pick up something new every day!

We sail on Feb.10th

Joyce

[EricJen]

Gives me time to pay for it and somethink to look forward to in a depressing world.

 

BillOH, Understandable, Looks like you had fun on the Voyager from your pics. We are going on her for our 6 month anniversary on March 3rd. My first 7 day cruise since the early 90's on the NCL Norway. Any suggestions?

[ORANGEinINDY]

Actually part of the fun is watching the count down and remembering when it was 300 days and finally gets to double digits...and then on.. adds to the excitement..

I have a countdown on my windows desktop even! it's free at http://www.timeleft.info/

[JJ2sail]

I think the key for me is to have other things to look forward to, besides the "BIG CRUISE". Like weekend getaways, or camping with the kids. I think the tickers are alot of fun, and also reading all the posts on the threads!

[BillOh]

BillOH, Understandable, Looks like you had fun on the Voyager from your pics. We are going on her for our 6 month anniversary on March 3rd. My first 7 day cruise since the early 90's on the NCL Norway. Any suggestions?

 

Both of my reservations are older than your anniversary :D As a one time cruiser, I can only add that it was everything I hoped for, I look forward to some of th things I didn't do the first time, like Chops. I may pick one port day and stay on the ship to experience the solitude and short lines at the buffet :)

[EricJen]

I may pick one port day and stay on the ship to experience the solitude and short lines at the buffet :)

 

We were thinking of doing that on Nassau because we were there last year on the sovereign and it is the first day so we may want to sleep in. We also leave at 1 pm so not much time to do anything anyway. Thanks for the suggestion!!

[MonaCK]

This is my first time booking a cruise this far out (so far out,that I don't even want to put it on a timer yet ;) ). We're most likely going to be on the Explorer on January 4, 2008. In the meantime, I am also getting ready to go to an international competition in Calgary in October - as well as planning a short trip to LA... so there's other things in there to fill in the gaps. :)

 

But meanwhile, we intend on having fun planning this cruise for 08. We're looking to have a whole group of our friends come with us :)