How You Plan Your Cruise?

Let's play a game and quickly list your strategy on how you plan your cruise. I'll start with my cruise planning lifecycle:

1. I like to not fly so I first start looking at CC's find a cruise page to look at cruises out of NYC for my vacation dates.
   
2. Narrow down my NYC ships and read some member reviews on those ships.
   
3. I'll then check out prices from the find a cruise page for those NYC ships to see if they work for me.
   
4. Book My Cruise! Lately I've booked online.
   
5. Will then try to book shows/dining I'm interested in if I can prior to my cruise.
   
6. Will research some shore excursions for the ports I'm visiting. Will read a few shore excursion reviews if I can find them. I usually will book the ship's excursions since it's just easier when I've never been there.
   
7. Cruise Time! Eat like a cow and take a crap load of pictures!!!
   
8. I then try and submit a review figuring people could find my opinion useful. Haven't uploaded pictures yet but will on my next cruise. Makes my friends jealous! :-)
   

I'm sure many out there have better ways of going about it. What's your list? Go!!! :)

I can only speak as a beginner to cruising.

I picked the itinerary first. I decided that I wanted to go to Bermuda before I decided that I would do a cruise. I then did some research about the island. I considered flying and doing a VRBO or a resort but I was curious to try cruising and it turned out to be the lowest price. I decided that I didn't want to deal with the logistical challenges of getting around the island and the high costs of food that is almost never included. As I was interested in trying a cruise anyway, I decided that it was the way to go. It was also the best price.

I really only looked at going out of Baltimore because it's convenient and the prices were good. I then debated the cruiseline for a while but I got a price that I was happy with and this itinerary will be easy. It also worked for my friend who is going. I read a lot of reviews and decided to try Royal. I went with a 5 day on Royal instead of a 7 day on Carnival but I considered both, it was $300+pp less. I guess ultimately interest in trying the ship/cruiseline was the final decider.

If I look at another cruise, I'll probably be a bit similar. I'll look for an itinerary I want at a price that I'm comfortable with. I might be more flexible on port for a good price. I will probably be willing to consider the different cruiselines, so whoever offers a deal that I want would get my business. I'd probably be a little flexible about the actual ship.

I do one of two things:

1) I look for an area I want to visit, then look to see who is going there. Then I book the one I like the best.

2) I look for something special (a long cruise, a repo cruise ...) and if it is interesting I book it.

I have a list of Princess Itineraries and pick the one with the best deal and/or lowest airfares. We use the same TA for added OBC, the only reason I use them. We prefer to sail Europe/Asia over the sunny islands in the Caribbean prob because we live where it's always sunny and can lay out by the pool everyday. As far as port visits, I much prefer to self tour esp if there is 12 hrs or more in port.

I would love to do a 10-15 day repositioning but I would have to sail solo and get permission from my better half!

Itinerary first. Then we look for the best deal ... unless we see a great deal and then snag it because we happen to like the itinerary. LOL

After that it is a matter of going into research mode and finding as many private tours as I can, assuming we don't just do the self-guided thing.

Hubby and I also enjoy watching youtubes of the areas we are going to visit. It gives us a more realistic expectation of what we'll find there.

1. See what week I can go

2. Check for price deals at a port I can get to, no certain cruiseline

3. Doesn't matter where it sails in the caribbean, since I have been to them all

4. Book it

5. Wait, wait, wait!

I start with the time of year - it has to be September due to work. Then I search for cruises over 2 weeks long and then I look at itineraries, then I compare prices and airfares.

1. Decide on when I want to cruise (week/month).
   
2. Do a search using Cruise Finder app from iCruise.com.
   
3. Decide on a specific cruise based on itinerary and price. In other words, best itinerary that I can afford. So far, it has been Carnival every time and it's usually itinerary that is the deciding factor, as technically there are other lines that I can afford.
   
4. Start researching the best cabins based on what cabin type I want to book (interior, balcony, etc). I can only afford one balcony per year; the other has to be an interior if I am going to do two cruises per year.
   
5. Book cruise via cruise line's website.
   
6. Start researching excursions, flights, pre-cruise hotel.
   
7. Book excursions, flights, pre-cruise hotel. There is really no set order for these. I book something when I am sure I have researched all of my options and and that I am getting the best deal.
   
8. Once everything is booked, it is then time for me to start obsessing over my countdown clock!!! Planning is definitely the best part aside from the actual cruise. The wait, however, is pure torture.
   

Usually we start choosing the next destination whilst still on board the latest cruise.

Next is the travel- do we want to sail from the UK, or fly?

For a shorter cruise of only a week or so, the ship itself isn't our main concern- we are happy enough with an old ship if it's going to our destination.

For a longer cruise, especially several weeks, then the ship choice is vital.

And then a special offer will arrive, costing a tiny amount if we can travel in a few days, but to places we've visited many times (usually Casablanca.. :rolleyes: )and all other planning goes out of the window... :cool:

1. I start looking 2 years in advance trying to decide where I want to go. As soon as RCI opens their bookings for that area I make a reservation (we usually cruise in April/May). Usually Voyager class, although I am trying my first Freedom class in two weeks. Occasionally I may do Princess due to the itinerary which Royal might not have. I book so early in order to get the exact cabin I want (corner aft). I usually get what I want. ;):D

2. Once the booking has been made, start the Roll Call and see if anyone else will be sailing with me. Spend the next 2 years chit chatting and getting to know some other folks who will be on the cruise.

3. Start researching what kind of shore excursions are available and make a list of possibilities.

4. Research hotels and possible places in the port area that I might want to check out (i.e. Vizcaya in Miami; Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral; El Morro in Old San Juan).

5. Decide how much extra time I want to spend on vacation pre- and post-cruise and start planning that aspect of the trip.

6. Make all travel arrangements and reservations.

7. Make spreadsheet to track all of the above (especially once reservation numbers start pouring in).

8. Work on the packing list; purchase necessary items.

9. Pack, confirm reservations.

10. Call credit card company to let them know I will be away on vacation and to allow purchases in the countries I will be visiting.

11. PUT POST IT ON GARAGE DOOR REMINDING ME HOW MANY BAGS I AM TAKING WITH ME FOR THE VACATION SO I DON'T LEAVE ANY BEHIND LIKE I DID FOR OUR SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE IN 2011. Ugh. What a nightmare THAT was.

12. Enjoy cruise and other events.

13. Come home and go through cruise withdrawals; download pix and start dreaming of my next cruise.

I look for Princess cruises that I could afford comfortably as sometimes I travel solo (hubby doesn't like cruising as much as I do. He does golfing vacays).

Then I look for ports I haven't been to before as it adds to the excitement of sailing out from a new port.

Then look for prices of flights or if I should use my airline points to keep costs down. Once all that is in place (normally done on a weekend, thanks to the Internet),

I book vacation time off...hasn't been a problem ever as I don't take vacations the same time that my co-workers would (i.e. no summer, no Christmas, no March break vacations).

Then check out the tours available at various ports and decide if I should book through the cruise line or do a hop-on-hop-off.

Read cruise critic, sign up for the cruise RollCall.

Make lists and notes and keep a diary of my plan and the excitement that builds up, while my suitcase lies open in a spare bedroom, ready to be packed. I keep a separate bin of typical cruise stuff e.g. Lanyards, motion sickness bands, etc.

Wait and wait and re-check list, print off luggage tags, boarding passes for flights and cruise and wait some more.

1. Look for my perfect itinerary, I get free reign to choose

2. Must be from Florida, no flights involved!

3. Find a price/deal I like/can live with

4. Find dates we can go, normally book within 3 months of the cruise (not retired but pretty flexible for last minute plans)

5. Research perfect stateroom (if a new line)

6. Book it

7. Start planning, update spreadsheets and researching, pack way too much, way too early

8. Buy everything we need (and more) and add it to the cruise room collection

9. Drive to whichever port (5 to choose from), embark, eat like crazy, drink more than we do all year for next 2 weeks, and relax

10. Come home, lots of laundry and start thinking where we shall go next time

Living near a departure port (Galveston), we haven't even considered leaving from anyplace else...driving a little over an hour vs. having to fly in someplace else with two kids, it's just the logical option. I think if we cruised more frequently, we would look at itinerary first...we actually picked our second cruise based on the fact that two of the ports would be new.

I work a month on and a month off. My wife now retired. We have destinations in mind both land and cruise so:

1. I constantly check the discount web sites and wait for a price that calls to me. Travelling low season or on less than 90 days saves us a lot of money.

2. Research making sure that time of year is still good for that itinerary.

3. Look for cheap or free (my many air miles) flights or like next cruise is out of New Orleans and no flights needed.

4. Check with friends who may come along

5. BOOK IT!

The next cruise is out of New Orleans in December and can say it was the cheapest balcony available for an entire year on the days I have off, maybe all year. Heck the deal was so good we have 8 other cabins of friends coming along. Although in truth I know it is not the price but the chance to spend time with me that is the attraction for those other 16 or so people.