How do you keep track of your pre-cruise plans?

We have booked our first-ever cruise for April 2018. My former event-planning career background creates an urge to do all the planning right now. And it's not like we don't have several non-cruise trips planned for THIS year; we haven't fleshed out all details for those!

I'm curious to see how experienced cruisers plan out their trip ---

1. Do you put all your to-dos in a spreadsheet? (it's second nature for me)

2. How early to you plan your excursions?

3. How early to make hotel reservations for the night prior to sailing?

4. Best ways of organizing your paperwork?

5. What other bits should I consider?

Any tips on the logistics of planning out the tasks are appreciated. I've seen plenty of info on packing tips, what excursions, hotels, etc. so I know there are plenty of resources for those type of questions.

Thanks for your tips and best-practice tips!

1. Excel with multiple tabs to record itinerary, time zone changes, excursions, weather, currency estimates per port, port options, sail times/dining options and more!

2. Depends - e.g., Russia ASAP, some Caribbean ports as soon as possible whereas others at final payment, Mexico at final payment.

3. ASAP with no prepayment cancellation fees then keep checking for price drops.

4. Electronic at first then printed & in binder a couple weeks prior. Major info copied to smartphone.

5. I keep a monthly planning calendar with travel dates & confirmations listed by date as I have multiple trips started at same time. I also keep a 2nd workbook (@ a glance) with columns 4 each trip & rows for destination;, trip dates;, date booked;, final decision (Y/N); air carrier/flight/PNR/To/fro aiports; insurance paid; hotel/dates/confirmation; car rental company /confirmation #; to dos. When there's outstanding items for any one trip, that item gets marked in yellow. As to do list is done, items get removed from it, as entire column is ready, top heading becomes green!

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I keep everything in a nice folder the travel agent sends. :)

I just write everything down...sort of a "spread sheet"...but not on the computer!

Because we have a number of things planned at any given time, we maintain a paper "Travel Folder", with each trip's material headed by a standard check list covering air/ground travel, hotels, confirmed reservations, documents, periodic payments, notifications, anticipated bills, special purchases, etc.

Of course, for simple trips like our upcoming drive to Maryland for a weekend to stay with family, there are a lot of "NA" notations - while for a week traveling in Italy followed by a T/A home - with flights to Rome and back from Florida plus airport drop-offs and pickups, there are lots of entries.

The same multi-entry checklist for each helps the anticipation as well as keeping organized.

ipad. Plus a back up hard copy sheet of paper with hotel, air, cruise,whatever reservation numbers and the like. If we take travel info we either copy it from the book or rip out pages. We then discard them as we move on from area to area.

Duck Toller Fans

You did not indicate your cruise information. Is this trip port intensive ? Your destination has a lot to do with planning. Caribbean destinations are fairly simple & straight forward with many excursions available shortly before your arrival or at the dock with local vendors. Alaska, Asia, Europe, Russia, etc may require more planning. Example would visas & local currency required for countries you will visit. Some excursions fill very quickly, so plan accordingly.

Our Alaska trip took a lot of planning, almost a year in advance. Because we did a DIY land-based trip for 8 days prior to catching a southbound vessel out of Seward for the last 7 days of our trip. Mostly lodging, driving times, & excursions. We are not interested in most ship excursions. Plan for private or small group excursions with local vendors. Also your roll call for the ship will help with excursion ideas & you may want to join a small group offered by a fellow member.

Finally we carry a small paper log. It contains all the information for a particular trip. We begin with flight information & necessary documents. Then our ship information, along with the daily planner for the remainder of our trip. We make a copy of our passports, ship phone number, & docking location to carry with us during each excursion.

Best tip for a first trip is to... enjoy your holiday, try not to do or see everything available on & off the ship, & do not over pack. ( we know this last one is difficult ) A first cruise is very exciting & will fulfill you with many wonderful memories. Planning is important, however be flexible.

Happy Travels, John

I keep a Google Doc & Spreadsheet for every trip we take (cruise or otherwise). Spreadsheet is my budgeting/finance planner. I list budgeted amounts/purchase price so I can see if I have extra room for other items. It starts vague and gets more precise as things are planned.

The document includes itinerary and all confirmation numbers. I print a copy of this before traveling for easy reference.

I may start with multiple ideas for each day, then I edit as I narrow down my choices and make reservations. All confirmations are listed in bold/yellow. I include address and contact information for each tour/hotel/place. Additionally, I will star each location on Maps - starring them ahead of time makes locating them on GPS easier (if it's a domestic port where I have cell service).

I share all of it back to my husband. Additionally I usually share with whoever is watching our house while we're away - that way they know how and where to reach us day by day.

I booked our Alaska cruise for July 2017 in September 2016. I booked our airfare in February - which was really waiting too long because it went up $200/person (times 5 people, ouch) between January and February, but I was trying to balance when all the bills became due. Once I had my airfare locked down I also booked my port hotel (which was free through credit card points). Shore excursions were booked this month (April). I also just made a few dining reservations this month.

I don't really keep a "to do" list because I usually just review my document and see which sections don't yet have a confirmation number.

Where I tend to stress, on any trip, is packing. Although I pack light, I get very wound up that I'll forget something important - like a passport. To alleviate the worry, I start a packing list in my travel document. I haven't yet started my list for our July trip, but may start it soon just so I can relax about trying to remember things like binoculars. My husband is STELLAR with lists and frequently when we travel he'll just pack up my list while I'm working on other things. If it's on the list, it doesn't get forgotten. Not on the list? Won't be in the bag.

I'm a very type A planner, but I'm old school too. I write everything down in a spiral notebook. Be it a cruise or any vacation. Cruise date, booking & payment dates, room info, things like that.

I also have an email file labeled whatever Vac. I keep hotel reservations, cruise booking info, excursion purchases, all that in the email file.

I make a general packing list months in advance, then closer to time, I change it if needed based on the weather forecast.

Hotels get booked at any time. I've saved booking 2 days to

4 months prior.

My family thinks I'm nuts for planning so far in advance & so detailed. For me, I like knowing our options. That way we can pick & choose what to do or just be lazy. After all the planning, once vacation starts, then I relax. It's fun to me, being meticulous about it. Like self challenge accepted, lol.

I love these suggestions. I'll start a Google Sheets doc soon. (I would LOVE to do it right now, but darn work gets in the way!)

Our trip is NYC to Bahamas and back, and we will probably do something very simple in both Port Canaveral (beach) and Nassau. We're more interested in history, the real feel of the town than in going to Atlantis.

Thanks!

For a complicated multi-country trip I make up an Excel spreadsheet, based upon a calendar. Columns for date, activity, reservation number, then comments and cost.

Set up an account with TripIt, a free app. I send emailed reservations etc to my account there and then it's backed up. I make two copies of everything, so DH and I each have a copy.

But if it's just a week long cruise, I just make copies of the flight info, the cruise info, the trip insurance and any other reservations. Not that complicated

I love these suggestions. I'll start a Google Sheets doc soon. (I would LOVE to do it right now, but darn work gets in the way!)

 

Our trip is NYC to Bahamas and back, and we will probably do something very simple in both Port Canaveral (beach) and Nassau. We're more interested in history, the real feel of the town than in going to Atlantis.

 

Thanks!

Here's an old example (not a cruise, but you'll get my point on how I set it up): https://docs.google.com/document/d/10Af-2nUPypJqt9XCEpX8TuZTOh8xsEGbiqKjamke_Hs/edit?usp=sharing

Also, here's the corresponding map. I color coded each location based on which day we planned to visit them. (yeah sometimes I'm crazy and create custom maps too): https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1467072,-79.2526999,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!6m1!1s1r4zjknvC-hKITOsIUU5BDsvO8KE

I love, love, love vacation planning. I do all the thinking and research ahead of time, reserve one thing per day and then just relax. Since I've taken the time to know what's around or available I can just do whatever feels right that day.

As soon as I book a cruise or land vacation, I start my spreadsheets for that trip. I have one for items to make sure I put in suitcase, one for clothes and one for reservations; such as airfare, hotels, etc., which I keep in my computer. I also have a general spreadsheet for vacations, which has all my vacations on it with info regard payments, hotel reservations, air reservations, dog reservations, etc. I also have a file folder that I put copies of all emails related to the trip.

We have booked our first-ever cruise for April 2018. My former event-planning career background creates an urge to do all the planning right now. And it's not like we don't have several non-cruise trips planned for THIS year; we haven't fleshed out all details for those!

 

I'm curious to see how experienced cruisers plan out their trip ---

1. Do you put all your to-dos in a spreadsheet? (it's second nature for me)As an accountant I use Excel. I have one workbook for all of our vacations for the year with one tab for each vacation and one tab for a packing list that can be modified for each vacation. I usually send this to my kids (if they are not going with us) and my mother as it has our itinerary, booking/confirmation numbers, phone numbers and address for where we will be, and how to reach us (cell phone, facebook, etc.) in case of an emergency.

2. How early to you plan your excursions? Depends. I currently do not have any booked for our 2 cruises coming up but I do have one booked for our trip to Orlando in a couple of weeks. On our NCL cruise we are doing the sky ride in St. Thomas (no pre-booking needed), a tour in Tortola (that we plan on purchasing at the port) and staying on the ship in Nassau. On our CCL cruise we plan on taking a taxi to Paradise Beach in Cozumel and just doing a little shopping at the port in Progresso. We have been on some cruises where we pre-booked excursions at every port (ship and non-ship) and some where we don't do any excursions or a mix of both.

3. How early to make hotel reservations for the night prior to sailing? I normally book as soon as possible and book rooms that can be cancelled if I find a lower rate later on which I sometimes do.

4. Best ways of organizing your paperwork? I keep mine in a folder with clear page holders to slide the paperwork in an out as needed.

5. What other bits should I consider? I try to be organized and know what is available but also keep some flexibility in the schedule...things can happen to change plans. I also get travel insurance from insuremytrip.com as soon as I book (we have had to use it in the past for a death in the family).

 

Any tips on the logistics of planning out the tasks are appreciated. I've seen plenty of info on packing tips, what excursions, hotels, etc. so I know there are plenty of resources for those type of questions.

 

Thanks for your tips and best-practice tips!

Most of all relax, have fun, and be flexible. Don't let the little things bother you and enjoy your vacation.

I enter ally plans in the Tripit app. I have a cheap plastic notebook that has 3 tabs. I use the 3 -holed clear plastic sheets for everything - one for my trip insurance, one for each hotel reservation, one for my cruise boarding pass, one for each ticket or reservation confirmation for shore excursions, airplane reservations/boarding pass, etc. I put the pages in order of the days of the trip. I carry this notebook in my carry-on extra item ( large purse). It is

a very convenient way to have all of the documents for the trip in one place. I even put old coffee cards with unused punches and day passes to airline clubs in a pocket in the folder,

With your cruise being over a year away be sure to do weekly checks for price drops. We book 12 - 18 months in advance and have always found several price drops with some being as much as $600.00. happy cruising

We have booked our first-ever cruise for April 2018. My former event-planning career background creates an urge to do all the planning right now. And it's not like we don't have several non-cruise trips planned for THIS year; we haven't fleshed out all details for those!

 

I'm curious to see how experienced cruisers plan out their trip ---

 

1. Do you put all your to-dos in a spreadsheet? (it's second nature for me)

I have a pdf file of all of my email confirmations that I keep in my DropBox, but I use the TripIt app primarily to see everything. I just have the PDF files as a reference in case I need them.

 

 

2. How early to you plan your excursions?

As soon as we book our cruise, we plan the excursions. We typically don't book through the cruise lines, so it's easier to book through independent vendors.

 

 

3. How early to make hotel reservations for the night prior to sailing?

When we travel to the embarkation city, we like to make that part of our vacation so we usually stay a few nights in whichever city we're going to. Again, we book the hotel or house as soon as we book the cruise.

 

 

4. Best ways of organizing your paperwork?

Referencing #1, everything is in a .PDF file on my phone in the cloud so I can access it if I need it. I try not to carry any paperwork except for the boarding pass and the health questionnaire in which we don't need once we embark.

 

5. What other bits should I consider?

 

Any tips on the logistics of planning out the tasks are appreciated. I've seen plenty of info on packing tips, what excursions, hotels, etc. so I know there are plenty of resources for those type of questions.

 

Thanks for your tips and best-practice tips!

Here's my responses.

We book a year in advance and we make hotel reservations as soon as we book the cruise. We watch the airline rates and book as soon as we find a deal/good price since there are 6 of us. We don't stress about excursions if it's the Caribbean as we've done most of the excursions that are in demand. When we did a Med cruise, I had a folder with tabs for each port. I liked being able to have hard copies of correspondence with the vendors since we didn't book excursions through the cruise line. I have separate tabs for transportation. Before we leave, I e-mail all the copies to myself in case anything gets lost. I also e-mail a scanned copy of my passport, DL, credit cards (front and back) so i can access my information should it become lost or stolen. I did spreadsheets for years at work. It would drive me crazy to use one. I have a packing list lists each day and what I'll be doing that day (i.e. Day at Sea - Swimsuit #1, cover-up, flip-flops, black/white dress for dinner, black sandals). Day 4 (shopping) beige capris, peach top, flip flops. I check the items off as i pack and every time I come to a "repeat" pair of capri's or shoes i cross those off. I've done this for the last few years and for me, it works. I toss in a couple of light summer sweaters and a wrap in the bottom of the suitcase. I wear my heaviest shoes (tennis shoes) on the plane and wear one of the sweaters and a scarf to pull up to keep the air/light off my face. I always stick an old ratty pair of socks in my purse and slip them on before going through security and i throw them away when I've gone through security. I toss another pair of old ones in for the return trip through security. When i go on an excursion, I fold some Kleenex up and put them in a zip-lock baggie. I've gone to restrooms that don't have any toilet paper before and i never leave the ship without Kleenex. At a port in Italy, I could have sold them and made a nifty profit instead of handing them out to everyone. In one of the Caribbean ports, they were charging for you to go to the bathroom and someone was inside giving you two squares. LOL

We have booked our first-ever cruise for April 2018. My former event-planning career background creates an urge to do all the planning right now. And it's not like we don't have several non-cruise trips planned for THIS year; we haven't fleshed out all details for those!

 

I'm curious to see how experienced cruisers plan out their trip ---

1. Do you put all your to-dos in a spreadsheet? (it's second nature for me).

 

 

What would life be without spread sheets? I have my spread sheet divided into many sections. A sheet for each port, the master sheet, etc. THEN I go to word and create a document for each port plus a master. It would be madness not to do a spreadsheet. Go ahead, ask my DD. She does the same thing.

 

 

 

2. How early to you plan your excursions?

 

I start working on the excursions as soon as I book the cruise. I read on CC about each port, read the cruise site (in this case Princess) and see if anything sounds good and if there is a really recommended vendor. Then I call them and book ASAP so I get what I want from the guy I want.

 

3. How early to make hotel reservations for the night prior to sailing?

 

As soon as the hotel rooms become available I book a room that has a cancellation policy. I can always change it later if I come up with something better.

 

4. Best ways of organizing your paperwork?

 

Binders are helpful. With tabs. If we go in early I plan the events for that day, where we are going to eat and how we are getting from there to here. The binder also contains information about the flight.

 

5. What other bits should I consider?

 

A spread sheet with the money. Port expenses, Different currencies. Change for tips and small souvenirs.

 

 

Any tips on the logistics of planning out the tasks are appreciated. I've seen plenty of info on packing tips, what excursions, hotels, etc. so I know there are plenty of resources for those type of questions. Also, don't forget things like getting from home to airport/ship and back. Parking. Emergency numbers, pets etc.

 

Thanks for your tips and best-practice tips!

My DH came into the bedroom one day and started laughing at me playing with my bible - I mean binder. I said "what? you think you just show up at the airport and they know where you are going and have a ticket ready for you?"

His comment: that's what I do.

Duck Toller Fans

 

You did not indicate your cruise information. Is this trip port intensive ? Your destination has a lot to do with planning. Caribbean destinations are fairly simple & straight forward with many excursions available shortly before your arrival or at the dock with local vendors. Alaska, Asia, Europe, Russia, etc may require more planning. Example would visas & local currency required for countries you will visit. Some excursions fill very quickly, so plan accordingly.

 

Our Alaska trip took a lot of planning, almost a year in advance. Because we did a DIY land-based trip for 8 days prior to catching a southbound vessel out of Seward for the last 7 days of our trip. Mostly lodging, driving times, & excursions. We are not interested in most ship excursions. Plan for private or small group excursions with local vendors. Also your roll call for the ship will help with excursion ideas & you may want to join a small group offered by a fellow member.

 

Finally we carry a small paper log. It contains all the information for a particular trip. We begin with flight information & necessary documents. Then our ship information, along with the daily planner for the remainder of our trip. We make a copy of our passports, ship phone number, & docking location to carry with us during each excursion.

 

Best tip for a first trip is to... enjoy your holiday, try not to do or see everything available on & off the ship, & do not over pack. ( we know this last one is difficult ) A first cruise is very exciting & will fulfill you with many wonderful memories. Planning is important, however be flexible.

 

Happy Travels, John

This is ALL very good information and exactly our approach.

As mentioned it somewhat depends on where you are going, how itinerary intense the cruise is, and how detailed you tend to be.

On our upcoming cruise of the Society Islands out of Tahiti, with Windstar, in late August, everything has been completed: flights, hotels in LAX, private tours at all the ports of call and it is all written down in exact order which will go with us.

On our December cruise to the Caribbean, too early to book flights, hotel in FLL prior to cruise booked, private tours booked, all written down and ready to go. However, we've been on many Caribbean cruises so I don't feel the need to be so detailed.

Have great time on your cruise and just have a grand time enjoying the ship and all it will offer and many great fellow passengers too. :)

We have booked our first-ever cruise for April 2018. My former event-planning career background creates an urge to do all the planning right now. And it's not like we don't have several non-cruise trips planned for THIS year; we haven't fleshed out all details for those!

 

I'm curious to see how experienced cruisers plan out their trip ---

...

Any tips on the logistics of planning out the tasks are appreciated. I've seen plenty of info on packing tips, what excursions, hotels, etc. so I know there are plenty of resources for those type of questions.

...

We use Apple gear - desktop, laptop, iPads, and iPhones. So some of my comments assume you have the ability to share things like calendars, lists, spreadsheets and documents seamlessly across various platforms...

1. Do you put all your to-dos in a spreadsheet? (it's second nature for me)

We use different approaches for different things. My wife's packing list is in a word processing document, mine is in a spreadsheet. I have a separate spreadsheet with an inventory of all of my camera gear, and for each trip I create a secondary sheet for the equipment (including serial numbers etc) I am taking on that trip. I have another spreadsheet with a timeline of all anticipated expenses. When do I need to pay much for final payment? When do I need to pay (or did I already pay) for airline tickets? Hotels? Excursions? Beverage package upgrades once onboard? And then I have yet another sheet with anticipated cash flow, mostly referring to the cash I'll take along anticipating extra tips for cabin attendant, bartenders, waiters, and maybe other service personnel. All of this is in the cloud so I can build them on my desktop, access to view/modify on any of the other devices.

2. How early to you plan your excursions?

That depends. For Antarctica we only had 6 weeks between booking and embarkation. Everything I read here said we needed to book the 2-3 must-do excursions at least a year ahead. I planned 5-6 weeks out, actually booked 4 weeks out, no problem. For Alaska we had about 14 days onshore before and after (mostly after) our cruise. The bear flight that people said OMG you need to book way in advance? I booked it 10 months out, but could have walked up to their kiosk the afternoon before. Our stay at Camp Denali? Booked a year out, probably could have waited until 10-11 months out. In the Caribbean? Three-four weeks is probably adequate. Take your time to read and research, have a Plan A, Plan B, and maybe a Plan C. And remember, you'll be back in a couple of years and can see then what you missed this time. And check the Destination boards here on CC to get a sense of the supply/demand situation in a given port for a given type of excursion. But take what you read with a grain of salt.

3. How early to make hotel reservations for the night prior to sailing?

Again, that depends. The most convenient accommodation at the most reasonable price? Everybody is in the same boat (pun intended); we are all looking for that room on that a date. Book early. There is seldom a cancellation penalty as long as you notify them of a change in plans 24-48 hours ahead.

4. Best ways of organizing your paperwork?

I keep a folder for each trip with a printed copy of every key document. I.e., airline & hotel reservations, cruise line confirmations and receipts, emails from excursion operators acknowledging payment and detailing meeting place, etc. Most of that I leave home. Because I also "print" a pdf file of every such document, and those go into a specific trip folder within the Travel folder in my iCloud. So before, during, or after a trip, on any of my devices, I can open the pdf with hotel reservation details, etc. Note that there really is not that much paperwork (actual or virtual) that needs to be maintained. If you are even more compulsive than I am, then keep a total paper trail on your desktop. But only travel with the final version of e.g. your cruise docs.

5. What other bits should I consider?

a. Apple has a Notes app on each platform. Within Notes I have a folder for Travel, a subfolder for every trip. Within the 2017 Caribbean folder, for example, I will keep notes on the itinerary, any highlights of the places we will visit, an image of the deck plan for the deck where we'll be berthing, etc. Miscellaneous background info that doesn't neatly fit else where. Oh, and I also keep a record of passport and credit card information so that can be reported in case of loss or theft.

b. Think about how often you are likely to travel/cruise, and then i) get a passport; ii) enroll in Global Entry. Neither is needed for local travel (Caribbean) but you will travel again, and you might as well be prepared.

c. Remember that your first cruise is not a cruise, it is a trial run. Sure, you may have some expectation that you might enjoy yourselves, but mostly think of this as an opportunity for a learning experience. Because, you will be back... Relax, enjoy, and lay plans for the next trip!

Oh, and by the way, don't sweat the packing lists. Nobody cares. If you take too much, learn from it, adjust your list, and take less next time. If you are embarrassed because you have too little bling and a table mate outshines you, forget it. Nobody else cares. Enjoy the fact that you are with someone who likes bling, enjoy the feeling of freedom because you are unencumbered, and what is the big deal?

Stan

I start the planning process as soon as my wife and I tentatively agree on a trip.

We booked an Oct/Nov 2016 Asian B2B in Dec 2014. Right after the holidays, I started researching shore excursions and made my first contact with a vendor (local guide in Kyoto) by the end of Jan 2015.

I am currently planning a rail trip through both the Canadian and US Rocky Mountains for Jun/Jul 2018. I know that both the rail trips and hotels in the National Parks will book up rather early and was concerned about coordinating rail bookings and the booking of several lodges/hotels. Although many lodges/hotels cannot be booked any earlier than 11 to 12 months in advance, I was pleased to find that yesterday, through Expedia, I was in fact able to make fully-refundable "insurance" hotel bookings from very short lists of hotels in each location of interest. Only one of the bookings was one of my preferred choices; but now I have no concern about booking the rail portions of the vacation since I am certain of having a hotel to stay in at each planned stop. Of course, I will hope to replace these "insurance" bookings with my preferred choices when they become available for booking - but the peace and comfort of knowing that I have everything covered is worth the extra effort.

My DH came into the bedroom one day and started laughing at me playing with my bible - I mean binder. I said "what? you think you just show up at the airport and they know where you are going and have a ticket ready for you?"

 

His comment: that's what I do.

I got a chuckle out of this......exactly what my husband says!

I also use an Excel spreadsheet starting with our arrival date and through our departure date. I list hotels, transfers, shows, dinner, excursions, ship arrival and departure times, etc I have a corresponding folder with clear dividers that I put all information in according to the date.

I know there are electronic maps of the decks right by the elevators, but I also print off deck plans with the public spaces on the ship. I put them on the inside of the door with magnets.. I quick glance before I leave the cabin and I know where I am going.....I know.....a little anal!

I have a folder on Box for travel stuff. That includes a "general plan" Word file that has penciled-in travel plans for the future, with something marked as far as 2025. Of course, that doesn't mean I've planned all my trips for those years, not even 2018. It's a rough guide/savings plan. Then I have other folders and files for specific trips--mostly just Word files.

My upcoming cruise was booked a year ahead--I wasn't aiming to book it exactly a year out or anything, though.

I book other things when I think of them and feel like it. I usually get a "second wind" or whatever that makes me want to take care of all the other things--there's no sense of "I need to do this exactly 10 months out" or anything, unless I know I'm booking something that needs to be arranged way in advance. On the other hand, I do try to book ahead so I know I can get what I want. So I booked my August cruise in September and booked other things in January--flight, hotel, excursions, whatever. As for "keeping track" of it, it's just in the Word file--I have a "to pack" list and a "to do" list, which includes any reservations I've not made yet and things I want to buy.

I print out all my e-mail confirmations before I go. I don't keep confirmation numbers in Excel or anything. I've virtually never needed those printouts, of course.