Am I the only one feeling like I've "planned" my vacation to death?

[sept10dsm]

My DH is able to "wing it" on trips, because he has me "the planner" along. I really enjoy the planning as much as the actual trip. We've seen the world by cruise ship so we usually plan additional days before and/or after each cruise.

 

A few years ago, we spent 6 pre-cruise days in Paris. I planned a schedule each day, hour by hour - giving ourselves wiggle room between sights. I researched which sites were closed on what day, how long each venue was open each day, the fees for entry, how far one site was to the next, interesting rest stops, recommended breakfasts, lunches and dinners, etc. Was I obsessed... you bet! But it was an amazing 6 days... we wouldn't have been able to do or see nearly as much without all my planning.

 

Our next cruise is the Panama Canal in September. I have all the private tours booked with recommendations from the cc boards, fodors, frommers and virtualtourist. And, I'm already planning our Mediterranean cruise next year that does an overnight in Egypt.

 

I think the key to avoiding the "let down" after a cruise, is having another cruise booked!

Exactly!! Always having something to plan is a lot of fun!! You sound like me with planning!! (an the husband not!!)

[cruiserjanet]

Planning is part of the cruise experience. I've been working on my checklists, clothing and information gathering for over a year now. It helps to look forward to the cruise and feel like I'm getting close even when we booked it a year ago. I'm so thankful for these boards because they have helped keep me calm and my sanity in check. ;)

[WeBeGone]

My life motto has always been "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." When I'm spending thousands of dollars to go somewhere amazing, I'll not be the one standing on the dock saying "OK what do you want to do?". I believe that you waste time by not planning, and time is money! If I want unstructered time, I'll do that on sea days or at home! So no, IMO it's not possible to overplan. Just also be open to life's serendipity - sometimes what was planned is trashed in favor of something more appealing.

[juliejoe]

Originally posted by WeBeGone: My life motto has always been "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." When I'm spending thousands of dollars to go somewhere amazing, I'll not be the one standing on the dock saying "OK what do you want to do?". I believe that you waste time by not planning, and time is money! If I want unstructered time, I'll do that on sea days or at home! So no, IMO it's not possible to overplan. Just also be open to life's serendipity - sometimes what was planned is trashed in favor of something more appealing.

 

You expressed my thoughts very well! I love the "be open to life's serendipity".

From one planaholic to another - thanks for your post!

 

Julie

[montana mama]

I over plan too, but to me that is part of the total trip. We went to Hawaii in 2005 on a 10 day cruise. We had decided to rent a car at each port and go it on our own. I researched each island and found different things to see and do, then typed up what sounded interesting on each island, how to get there, the cost, etc. When we got on board, we began to talk to people to see what they were doing or had done before. Then the night before each port we took out the information for that island and determined which things we wanted to see or do. This saved us a lot of time the day in port because we knew exactly where we were going. If someone suggested something I had not found, we learned all we could from them about directions to the spot. We had a wonderful time visiting the islands and now know where we would go if we do a land vacation. I enjoy the pre planning as much as the trip. We feel like we get to take advantage of each port and have the time to learn about the people and culture. I'm now the "family travel agent"!

[Sea Hag]

After all, isn't that half the fun? Months of obsessive planning? :p

[Guest Spo]

My family and friends call me Tour Guide Barbie.

 

p.s. My name is not even Barbie:eek:

[Cruisin'Lovebirds]

If it makes you happy to visualize your environment and think about what would make you happy, then do it. I like to know some options and book in advance those that are likely to fill up if I don't. Our cruise to Alaska has flightseeing with Michelle, whale-watching with Capt. Larry, the Ducktour, and the shorter train-ride with gold panning included, all booked. Other than that, we will walk, take a taxi, or jump in a van with our traveling friends and those we meet on board! I have port-area maps with the streets showing, so we can walk all around.

 

Not everyone has a packing list right down to Blouse #6. That's fine, but it helps me relax. I don't have to wear Blouse #6 on Day #6, I just know I need six blouses and a supply of quarters for mid-trip laundry!

 

Looking forward to the Coral Princess 9/17, following a free flight (frequent-flyer credits, all redeemed and confirmed) at the time that is best for us, hotel bookings that have now increased $10 or more, and a list of fun things to do in Seattle and Anchorage, pre-trip. Let the good times roll!

[josassoc]

I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago... I'm normal.

[twirpy]

I don't think I overplan. We just booked the Sydney to SF Transpacific cruise boarding at 1:00PM and departing at 6:00PM April 18, 2009. I have already begun researching the ports of call. Is that over planning?? Nope, not for me!

 

Karen

[twirpy]

One should always remember the 7 P's:

 

"Proper prior planning prevents pi** poor performance!"

 

(Husband wanted me to add that as a former Navy man!)

[bjkTX]

Maybe it was my 30 years in the military, but I have to have things planned out - I don't like surprises - even on vacation :-) DW loves it - we pick a cruise and she waits until the last day or so to pack and says ok what are we doing? In the mean time I'm reading everything, checking everything, making arrangements, satisfying myself that I've got it all worked out. Some people would dread that, I would dread not doing it.

 

For the first time, we booked our next cruise way early - like 17 months out, and it's still 10 months away and I am fighting hard not to really start digging in :-) I do ok, then our wonderful Roll Call group starts planning pre-cruise, and post-cruise stays, and now we've slowly started in on tours - so I know I'll be deep into it soon :-) Unlike our other cruises I'm now retired - so I'll have a lot more free time to obsess about details. I love it! :-)

[EmmaWoodhouse]

Definitely a planner here! BUT my friends have learned to appreciate it-- I'm never the one who shows up to the Louvre the day it's closed, for instance. Though I try to be a bit more "open to life's serendipities" (what a lovely expression!) than my DM, who was nicknamed "the commandant" after a forced-march tour of Yellowstone years ago (there's a picture of us kids passed out at a park bench next to Old Faithful!) I tend to figure out the big stuff I absolutely must do in each port, book that, and then figure that whatever time is left is open for exploration. Plus, it's so much more relaxing for me if I know all of the logistics ahead of time (though thanks to these boards, I've learned that thre are logistics I didn't even realize I could know about!)

[boomerSexyK]

I'm the planner in our household. My DW is in charge of packing, I'm the guy who has to tell her what the weather will be, what the formal nights are, how long are the plane flights, etc etc. Thank heavens for the internet and of course Cruise Critic. Everything is virtually at your fingertips! I find I use Google Earth a lot for maps and itinerary layouts. I've got a binder that all that "hard-copy" stuff goes into, separated by segments and mini-segments. DW has a room in our house dubbed the "cruise room". Nothing in there but suitcases and cruise clothes all hung up in garment bags, along with those items that you should never leave home without. Even with that she still packs and unpacks for a couple of months before sailing. Although I think I'm buying a scale so she can better balance our luggage ( last trip cost me $40 in overage!!).

 

Of course it helps to keep me busy in that once our cruise is booked (usually 6-8 months out), I start figuring out where the next one will be going. :cool:

[EmmaWoodhouse]

Boomer, if you own a bathroom scale and can hold up your luggage, you don't need to buy a new luggage-specific one-- step on scale, note weight, step off, pick up suitcase, step on scale while holding suitcase, note weight, subtract 1st weight from second.... et voila! (Had to avoid excess baggage charges myself when trying to move everything I owned across the Pacific!)

[Sailfish]

I am an organizer and a planner by nature, but I have noticed people who frequent Cruise Critic often go a little [I]overboard[/I]. Some vacations call for research - and cruises are one of those where a little research will go a long way. But I notice some people spend tons of time here - searching for things like copies of menus, and wanting to know every detail of their voyage.

I think it's great there's a website like Cruise Critic, but please take what you read with a grain of salt. I once met an obnoxious couple who was seated at our table who had never been on a cruise, but professed to be experts when it came to the ship we were on. They went on and on about the tips they got from Cruise Critic; they brought copies of paperwork from past voyages, and seemed to know everything. I never let on that I also knew about Cruise Critic, but I found much the information they shared with us was NOT accurate. They mellowed out by weeks end, but the entire week all they could do is talk about Cruise Critic and how much research they had done!

We have met many very nice people from Cruise Critic, and because I lead groups for Cruise Critic, I know how excited people can be. Just remember to keep that element of surprise alive - enjoy researching, but just know to take what you read on the internet with a grain of salt!

Suzi