Will I be disappointed?

[Crusing Candy]

I think I am addicted to this site! My DH says I am. We are sailing in two weeks. I read everything about cruisng that I can. My DH says I will be very disappointed because I know EVERYTHING about the ship, ports, food,etc. He says I will be let down. I say I will know the ship layout, what I want to do in each port and can already taste the wonderful food. So tell me am I insane? Or just excited. This is our second cruise. The other one was 17 YEARS ago.

Thanks, Candy

[Kami's pal]

Are you a glass half full or half empty type?

 

I think much of the fun is anticipation. I 'tease' myself by reading, map study, looking at the weather for my destinations, checking web cams ...

 

But nothing I do matches the actual cruise. The ship is different than I imagined, even after the virtual tours. The room more Heidi like, the crew more hospitible, the passengers more interesting, the food more flavorful, and the destinations are finally mine to enjoy.

 

I shudder when I read about the awful experiences of some (re POAL), laugh at the antics of others and tell myself how lucky I am to be able to do this.

 

What's your selftalk like?

[orcatek]

Yes you will be disappointed. But after you return home as your trip will be over. The only relief will be to begin planning another cruise.

 

The condition is know as PCS (Post Cruise Syndrome).

 

Symptoms including:

Going to the kitchen every hour looking for a buffet.

Waking early to peak out your window, looking for a change of view.

Thinking you missed something because you didn't hear morning annoucements.

Removing fragile items from the top of your dresser in case you hit rough water.

Wondering why there is no daily planner waiting for you when you awake.

Telling friends its not a balcony its a verandah.

When your dinner doesn't quiet hit the spot, trying to get a second entree - only to realise you cooked it.

Continuing to eat 3 desserts because you're on vacation.

Complaining to your spouse about the loud kids at the pool and wondering why they look so much like you.

Making a mental note of where the good seats are outside, so you can get them later.

Giving names to the floors in your house.

Putting numbers all the doors in your house.

Referring to your bedroom as a suite.

Being shocked when you don't find towel animals on your bed after dinner.

When people ask directions you tell them to go port at the next red light.

 

You will survive though.

 

Bon Voyage!

[Speechless]

I enjoy being the informed one of the bunch.

 

We usually find that the little tips and secrets are invaluable.

[daboo]

I love those! *laugh*

Thanks!

Tanya

[Nliedel]

Before my first cruise I read everything, I talked to everyone, I knew everything.. You know what? I'm just an information junkie who loves anything about what I am interested in and it never has diminished one bit of my experiences, ever!!. Knowing what I did saved us time and money and made me more interesting to talk to (I hope)... Read everything, then toss the books out and be prepared to try something you didn't plan on and you will have the time of your life.

 

Nancy

[JanetMarie]

I think you are experiencing what a lot of us do. We plan and plan and cruise and cruise and plan and plan upon our return. But it's those last couple of days leading up to the cruise, when everything that has been planned is complete and all there is to do is wait for that special day. Relax and enjoy your vaca! ;)

[newaddiction]

You think you've planned everything...but you have no idea. You haven't really been on the ship yet and explored it. You've heard about how great the food is, but you have really tasted it.

 

You may have done your research so you know what to expected but you haven't experienced it first hand - you won't be disappointed.

[CaribKat57]

First, Orcatek...your PCS symptoms were hilarious. :D Second, my DH hubby has been telling me the exact same thing. He loves to be spontaneous when traveliing. I, on the other hand, love to research my trip ad nauseum. First, I feel that with so few hours at our ports of call...I'd like to learn what's good/not good to do, how much, transportation issues, etc. Second, I find that reading reviews, searching for ship pics, etc. just tends to heighten my excitement. :p Here's how we've compromised. I don't share my obsessive researching with him, but rather save it for daily phone calls with my twin sis, who will be cruising with us as well. We go crazy jumping from site to site while on the phone. She's the one I share my insanity with...but he's the one who will benefit from all my researching...he just doesn't know it yet. ;)

[Charlene]

Crusing Candy,

Go for it, what ever makes you happy I say have fun with it..I'm sure your husband has things he likes to do, maybe he plays golf, watches football or what ever.

As long as you are not hurting anyone by reading or posting on the CC boards I Say Go For It!! and have fun!!

[Merrilymeggily]

Yes you will be disappointed. But after you return home as your trip will be over. The only relief will be to begin planning another cruise.

 

The condition is know as PCS (Post Cruise Syndrome).

 

Symptoms including:

Going to the kitchen every hour looking for a buffet.

Waking early to peak out your window, looking for a change of view.

Thinking you missed something because you didn't hear morning annoucements.

Removing fragile items from the top of your dresser in case you hit rough water.

Wondering why there is no daily planner waiting for you when you awake.

Telling friends its not a balcony its a verandah.

When your dinner doesn't quiet hit the spot, trying to get a second entree - only to realise you cooked it.

Continuing to eat 3 desserts because you're on vacation.

Complaining to your spouse about the loud kids at the pool and wondering why they look so much like you.

Making a mental note of where the good seats are outside, so you can get them later.

Giving names to the floors in your house.

Putting numbers all the doors in your house.

Referring to your bedroom as a suite.

Being shocked when you don't find towel animals on your bed after dinner.

When people ask directions you tell them to go port at the next red light.

 

You will survive though.

 

Bon Voyage!

 

To this I ad, standing in line at McDonald's, dumbfounded because no one has come by to carry your tray to the table for you!

 

~~~MEG~~~

"I wanna leave NOW"

Three-time Century cruiser

Western Caribbean: 2000/2004

Eastern Caribbean: 2001

ZENITH TO BERMUDA: 5/14/05

[mr green]

:) It never hurts to plan in my opinion. Cruises always seem too short, so, why waste time looking things up? Study the ship lay out'til you know it blindfold, the same goes for shore excursions, check the times, these may be very important should you wish to shop. Study the fine print, e.g. photostat passports, check the date, it should expire more than 6 months, after you cruise has ended. Check everything, flight times even the ship,s dock may change, e.g. 9/11, storm at sea, both have happened to me, only then can you have a worry free cruise. Have fun,:) john taylor.

[House_Atreides]

I take delight in planning everything out, reading up on ports, etc before I cruise. Guess what! There are ALWAYS pleasant surprises :) . Even thought I plan a lot of things out...I can be impromptu (example...Cancun....waverunners on the beach---I could not resist, because the seas were a bit rough ;) ) so off I went!

In Belize I skipped all shore tours and headed out on my own...everyone else turned right....I turned left! I had a wonderful time, found a nice local eatery, hired a cab...went sightseeing...it was great!

Planning is important, but being spontaneous and open-minded is also ;); as in everything we do in life!!

Enjoy yourself, and smooth sailing!!!

[waterbound]

Half of the fun to me is the actual planning.. I personally like knowing what I will be up against rather than just getting there and playing it by ear.. But thats just me.. I love cruise critic.. but I find myself only visiting the site every now and then up until about 3-4 months before a cruise and then I find myself coming here first everytime I get on the web.. I enjoy reading other peoples out take on things and reading their reviews on past ships Ive been on because it lets me reminisce (sp?).. I like to answer other peoples questions when I can and mostly I love knowing what else is out there.. I have learned SO much from this website.. I feel like a pro.. :0) I personally dont like surprises so it helps me feel better about the trip because it is SO overwhelming even for an experienced cruiser..

[gatorclaw]

Here's a personal anecdote supporting "doing the research"

 

On our Destiny cruise, the snorkel excursion at St. John we booked thru Carnival was cancelled. Bummer, but because of our excellent research, we knew to grab a taxi to Red Hook Ferry. Take it over to St John. Grab another taxi to Trunk Bay. Boom. We're at St. John's magical Trunk Bay.

No wondering what to do. No taking precious time to figure out what would be fun. No wasting money doing something that may or may not have been fun. We already knew thanks to our heafty research.

 

I subscribe to the idea: if you don't know the location of your cabin, general layout of the ship, population make up of the ports, things to do in port, etc then you're setting youself up for dissapointment. Never did I think I knew 'too much' when I was there. And never did I feel 'let down.'

[quitecontrary1]

For me, cruising all the web sites, reading about ports, looking and looking at the ship layout is not really "planning." All the time spent doing these activities is like reading a really great book. Then, in the final chapter, I get to live in the book! Don't know how the ending will really be, but am 99.9% sure it will have a happy ending!

[pengu1n]

A friend of mine at work was surprised by her husband on a Friday afternoon. He had tickets in hand for a cruise they were leaving for on Sunday. Nice surprise - but how sad! She missed out on all the fun, planning on CC, chatting with those who have gone before, getting to know your ship so you're not lost for the first 3 days, meeting new friends on the roll calls. I've got about 6 months to plan and enjoy my upcoming cruise - hers was done and over with in 7 days. I'm sure she had a great time, what a romantic anniversary surprise (he had even cleared everything with her boss and had her daughters invent an occasion so she had a new dress) but for myself I would have had greatly missed the planning time!

[atlmagic]

I agree. Anything that can prolong a cruise is worth it. You can't add any more days on the ship but you can let your mind start cruising before your body gets there.

 

I'm the same way. The reseach is half the fun. I have already started my cruise screen saver. Every time someone post pictures of where we're going, I copy them and use them as a screen saver untill it's time to go.

 

Like I always ask my wife,"Does it make you happy?' If the answer is YES, then it is enough and it's OK.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Orcatek: Your post is so cute and so true. :) I totally agree too. Researching and planning is all part of the experience. I also love to shop for those special cruisewear items. Tomorrow I just have to go buy a new bathing suit. I pour over the magazines that have articles on the islands we are going to be visiting; take note of some of the places which sound interesting that we might want to visit. We have found hidden gems on some islands that we only knew about because we read up on the islands ahead of time. Don't you love Frommer's? And like others have said, you don't waste time trying to decide what to do when time is of the essence.

[orcatek]

fuzzywuzzy - glad you liked my post.

 

Right now I'm trying to plan my next trip. Having trouble picking where, but research is half the fun.

[ROCruiser]

My husband told me many times that it's worth every penny to pay for my cruises because I spend at least 6 months reading, planning, and researching for our cruises!:p

[Sublimepi]

I am totally the same way. I love knowing everything I can. It makes me feel like I won't have to spend the first day or so just trying to figure out what is going on. I feel it allows me to make the most of my time on the boat and in port.

 

Btw, I'm new here. My family and I will be traveling on the Sensation, April 9th.

Nice meeting everyone!

kathy

[Bocoperlan]

Hallo Kathy . Iam planning to go there for a probation or work . Do YOu think is a good idea ?

[Bocoperlan]

I have a question - Does anyone think that going for this cruise as an employee is a good idea?

[pengu1n]

My sense of direction is very poor & my family is used to me getting lost. My kids by age 3 or so knew to ask "are we lost?" whenever I made a u turn. During a 5 month stay in the Netherlands, with lots of one way streets & signs I couldn't read very well, they would keep track of how many times I got lost during the day (and 12 years later still razz me about it). BUT . . .

they never question me when on board the ship because they know I have the plan down pat. If the carpet gives you clues as to port/starboard I've got it covered. I know which deck has the dining room & where to disembark (& they for once don't question me!) :D