How much time do you spend planning your cruise?

[cruisergal 1]

To decide where to cruise to is the easy part. Next is to pick a cruise line & ship, and that too is easy, as it is based on the type of itenerary that we want. Now once all that is in place, it is time to decide on the excursions or what to do in each island. I do hours of research on the islands threads. Infact right to a week before cruising, I am still gathering information. I know, I must be obsessed, and my binder is getter thicker and thicker. It's a good thing we're leaving on our cruise in 11 days, or I would not be able to carry my binder:D What about you, are you as bad?

[marshhawk]

Worse, I think. I'm either here or on the Carnival Website, with the Carnival book sitting next to me. Or I'm googling locations that are listed on both web sites to find outside information on them. Everyday when i'm at work i get a blank piece of paper, and jot down info about what I have read. Then I make a list of clothing, etc I would need for that particular day in which particular port. I've gone over the edge, and need help! Oh, and at the end of the day, I toss the paper in the trash. So I can do it all over again the next day. Should have it all ready by about the day I sail. LOL

[Pegs222]

The last cruise, one day, we went to Alaska. The cruise we will be on in January, booked it yesterday. I did know where we were going; I just needed the OK from the group we are going with when to book.

 

On our cruise to Europe, that took a lot more thought, about two weeks, when we got all the information we needed to make the choice of which cruise we wanted to go on.

[soazlaney]

I'm ALWAYS planning a cruise LOL. I have spent far more time planning the cruises we have been on so far than actually cruising. My goal is to turn that around as soon as possible. :D

[chachi]

Months. From the time I book a trip, I spend countless hours researching excursions or activities to do. I look through all of the possible excursions and reviews of them. If it is a land vacation, I am on tripadvisor reading reviews. I like to go on vacation with every detail planned.

[Cruisintink]

Oh it's so good to know I'm not the only obsessed cruiser out there! I'm a notebook and file folder kind of girl. This cruise we're going on in Nov. has been booked for over a year and I'm CONSTANTLY on the net and emailing the others in our group. It drives me INSANE when others in the group don't respond to my emails or questions and especially when they call or email a question about something I've recently addressed. DH says not everyone is as "prepared" as I am but he really means anal!:D I just love it and look forward to it so darn much!

[oakleys]

I can do it within an hr, find a ship & ports we like, next find a balcony cabin & good location, always go between two decks of cabins only. We will only go carnival untill the kids no longer come with us, as they are the best value. We check out what to do at the ports nearer the departure date.

[Jay B]

We spend several months reading about the ports and countries we will visit and planning what to do on shore. That's why it's so upsetting to have an itinerary change at the last minute because of weather.

[*Mach*]

To decide where to cruise to is the easy part. Next is to pick a cruise line & ship, and that too is easy, as it is based on the type of itenerary that we want. Now once all that is in place, it is time to decide on the excursions or what to do in each island. I do hours of research on the islands threads. Infact right to a week before cruising, I am still gathering information. I know, I must be obsessed, and my binder is getter thicker and thicker. It's a good thing we're leaving on our cruise in 11 days, or I would not be able to carry my binder:D What about you, are you as bad?

 

 

Well... not being a ports guy I suspect that my process is far easier than you.

With few exceptions, I've been to all the islands that I want to visit and the essence of the vacation is the voyage, not the destination.

Often, I figure out what I'm going to do in a specific port when I get there...

:)

[cruisekwazee]

Oh it's so good to know I'm not the only obsessed cruiser out there! I'm a notebook and file folder kind of girl. This cruise we're going on in Nov. has been booked for over a year and I'm CONSTANTLY on the net and emailing the others in our group. It drives me INSANE when others in the group don't respond to my emails or questions and especially when they call or email a question about something I've recently addressed. DH says not everyone is as "prepared" as I am but he really means anal!:D I just love it and look forward to it so darn much!

I am with you on this all the way. Drives me crazy not to have EVERYTHING planned and figured out. I spend many many hours reading and planning. I cruise in 29 days and don't have anything planned in Freeport and it is driving me crazy.:D

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Let's see. Deciding on a cruiseline is easy. Carnival. Ship doesn't matter as much as the itinerary. Basically, I look at what I think my wife will like. Run it by her and then look at prices to decide a date. Then I take forever looking for airfare. After airfare is booked, it is off to the excursions. So after I get the cruise booked, it is every waking hour of every day that I am not working.

[tinabinab]

I don't plan so much anymore as OBSESS and daydream about it. :) Our first couple of cruises I did a lot of research and planning. Now I just pick a date and go. We go out of the same port, so our destinations don't change much and I have a pretty good idea of whats available at each location.

 

We just got back from 9 days at Disney World. Now that was A LOT of planning in comparison. :) On the boat I know where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are and I don't have to think about where I am going to be on what day - it's already decided for me. After last week, I really can't wait to be back onboard!

[dustyroad]

planning my cruise----24/7. oh i sleep a few hours :D

[Guest JJWW]

As soon as I see the price drop !:D

[cruisergal 1]

It's so great to see that there are so many other obsessive people like me when it comes to cruising. I'm showing this to DH, as he won't believe that there are others out there that are worse than me:D who enjoy the planning stage so much, and make it a part of their everyday living!

[Scott_F]

We usually plan it out 6-12 months in advance. Last cruise was in June. Wife and I had a tough time working but finished up our yearly three weeks of work hell we face in late July/early August. When it was all done, I said, let's go on a cruise. She said yes, less than three weeks later, we're getting on a boat in the morning. No planning at all.

[stampinrobin]

I am just SO glad to read that there are many others who are as "prepared" as I am.

 

Truly - researching and choosing is half the fun! We just did a short jaunt to St. Louis and thanks to ALL my planning on Trip Advisor we had an awesome hotel and a great trip! I kept reminding my guys about that too!

 

I'm in the process now of deciding between

Miracle: St Maarten, St Lucia and St Kitts and

Freedom: St. THomas, Antigua, Tortola, Nassau

 

I can tell that it's going to take allot of research to make this decision! They both seem very similar! Oh well it keeps me off the streets!

 

My friends think I am nuts, but they sure enjoy themselves when they go with me anywhere!

 

Thanks for sharing, I feel better now!

[velotaco]

Not too much planning for the cruise, but we do spend time planning the ports.

[jayscore]

The last cruise, I booked 13 months ahead, just to snag the cabin I wanted. This next one was booked one year in advance, ES, for the same reason.

By the way, I'm a "research junkie", and it drives my DW nuts!:rolleyes:

[loco1969]

I'm am so glad to know that there are other people out there like me. I booked our cruise months ago and I'm constantly online looking up information on where we will be, what other ships will be there, what there is to do, etc... I have a binder as well, lol. My family thinks it's annoying when I tell them that they need to sit down and figure out what they want to wear on different days so that we aren't taking more or less than what we need. I can't stand being unorganized.

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

IF i got a part time job to occupy the time I spent on this website alone, then I would be able to cruise more!!

[Cruise Cat]

I am typically a planner; but have done both extremes.

 

Last year we went on a 12 day Greek Islands tour in the Med with a stop in Paris on the way back. This was a major annniversary trip and considered a trip of a lifetime. We booked over 500 days out. Us and our friends going with it spent countless hours researching the ports and the tour guides. We each had large folder boxes of planning materials to go with all the books and videos we bought. It all paid off.:) Also required us to have many "planning sessions" on the weekends.:D

 

On the other extreme, we had a vacation cancelled that was supposed to start on 9/14/2001. That got cancelled of course and we booked a last minute cruise out of New Orleans and drove there two days later with absolutely no planning. Also did a 3 day on Ecstasy this year with no planning involved.

[gaylebd]

I am typically a planner; but have done both extremes.

 

Last year we went on a 12 day Greek Islands tour in the Med with a stop in Paris on the way back. This was a major annniversary trip and considered a trip of a lifetime. We booked over 500 days out. Us and our friends going with it spent countless hours researching the ports and the tour guides. We each had large folder boxes of planning materials to go with all the books and videos we bought. It all paid off.:) Also required us to have many "planning sessions" on the weekends.:D

 

 

I am always planning my "trip of a lifetime" ... along with researching my very next Cruise

[gatour]

I am kind of like Cruise Cat.

 

Our last cruise was an Eastern Med out of Barcelona to see Egypt and Athens primary. I spent an inordinate amount of time planning that one. I decided we should spend 3 days in Barcelona pre cruise to help us get over jet lag, and then we ended up having to spend a night in Barcelona after the cruise due to our return flight would be leaving uncomfotably early on the day of the ship returning to Barcelona. I did all kinds of planning on hotels, restaurants to try, what sights to see and what museums to visit and that as just for Barcelona. I then did research on which excursions we should book, etc.

 

But for our upcoming 4 day Bahamas cruise I have not done much planning as we have been there and done that so I already have a pretty good idea on what we will be doing. The same for the Eastern/Western Caribbean runs. I do some planning but not anywhere what I do for the "special" cruises.

 

Back to the Med cruise, the funniest thing was that for the day we got back to Barcelona I hadn't made any real plans except for staying at the hotel at the airport. We checked in and just decided to take the shuttle to las Ramblas and just rabled about doing a little shopping and stopping for tapas every so often and any place that looked interesting. It was actually quite relaxing.

[cruisergal 1]

IF i got a part time job to occupy the time I spent on this website alone, then I would be able to cruise more!!

 

I know exactly what you mean. I would be on a world cruise now!:D