Do you guys like to plan your cruise in detail or go with the flow?

We do research as to what there is to see/do where we're going, and maybe plan to go to "whatever" but we're on vacation and don't pre-plan every waking moment.

Overall, we are go with the flow types. I cannot stand to have every detail in place as it leaves no room for surprise. I also don't want to know or see everything about the ship before I get on it for the same reason.

We travel light, sometimes not even taking a camera and that travel style definitely works for us.

Be sure you get your tickets ahead of time for that museum so you don't spend hours in line

 

http://www.accademia.org/buy-tickets/

Hi, I am getting them through the cruiseline:)

In 2014, we took a trip to Las Vegas, and I used a spreadsheet to plan almost every detail of the trip. I even specified the restaurants we would be going to on certain days. It went something like this:

 

Monday: Morning> Breakfast at Monte Carlo and some slot machines. Afternoon: pool. Evening: 'Love' show at Mirage followed by dinner at Cheesecake Factory

Tuesday: exploring the north side of the strip, followed by pool and lunch at the Bellagio buffer. Evening: doing the High Roller wheel

 

And so on...

 

As you can see, it was very planned and structured. And we mostly stuck to it, rarely deviating from it. Some thought Vegas it too fun and wild to plan and be so detailed about it. Which I agree to a certain extent, but in the past, I would go to Vegas and miss on so many things because there is way too many things to see and do, and I would miss most of them.

 

 

Now to cruising, where there is just as many things to see and do. So I thought, why not apply the same idea to our upcoming cruise (Allure of the Seas: August 27, 2017) ? It is a 7 day cruise and unlike my 2 previous cruises (August 2012 and April 2013) I want to be able to do as many things as possible, including the ability to dine at different places, and not be stuck with the same thing (room service, Mytime dining and Windjammer)

 

 

So what do you guys think of this idea? Do you have a spreadsheet or a list where you include all the things you will do, by time and date etc.? Or do you just leave it all to the moment and just enjoy things as they come?

 

My only issue with creating such a detailed event and to-do list is that I have to wait until I board the ship to get the daily planner that they send on what events are happening each day. Other than that, I can at least plan things like "which place are we having breakfast at" (way too many options that I end up forgetting), which shows are we attending? what are we doing after the nightly show?" when are we going to the pool etc.

We would never consider it, but if it is your thing why bother to ask what anyone thinks. It certainly isn't going to hurt anyone.

Keep in mind that you can usually find the daily planners online for almost every ship.

We do research as to what there is to see/do where we're going, and maybe plan to go to "whatever" but we're on vacation and don't pre-plan every waking moment.

This is what we do also. We like to know what is available, but don't plan any regimented activities, as plans change. it could be raining, or we may just decide to do something else.

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We plan each day, pretty much exactly the way you do OP. For us, it is more relaxing on the vacation to have it figured out. We have fun looking at everything we want to do and planning it out; sort of a way to "mentally vacation" before the actual cruise. We did this on our 1st cruise, but not on our 2nd or 3rd, and feel we missed quite a bit by puttering around and figuring out what we wanted. But, we will scrap the schedule for something else that suits our mood. One afternoon we took a nap. It was great.

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In 2014, we took a trip to Las Vegas, and I used a spreadsheet to plan almost every detail of the trip. I even specified the restaurants we would be going to on certain days. It went something like this:

 

Monday: Morning> Breakfast at Monte Carlo and some slot machines. Afternoon: pool. Evening: 'Love' show at Mirage followed by dinner at Cheesecake Factory

Tuesday: exploring the north side of the strip, followed by pool and lunch at the Bellagio buffer. Evening: doing the High Roller wheel

 

And so on...

 

As you can see, it was very planned and structured. And we mostly stuck to it, rarely deviating from it. Some thought Vegas it too fun and wild to plan and be so detailed about it. Which I agree to a certain extent, but in the past, I would go to Vegas and miss on so many things because there is way too many things to see and do, and I would miss most of them.

 

 

Now to cruising, where there is just as many things to see and do. So I thought, why not apply the same idea to our upcoming cruise (Allure of the Seas: August 27, 2017) ? It is a 7 day cruise and unlike my 2 previous cruises (August 2012 and April 2013) I want to be able to do as many things as possible, including the ability to dine at different places, and not be stuck with the same thing (room service, Mytime dining and Windjammer)

 

 

So what do you guys think of this idea? Do you have a spreadsheet or a list where you include all the things you will do, by time and date etc.? Or do you just leave it all to the moment and just enjoy things as they come?

 

My only issue with creating such a detailed event and to-do list is that I have to wait until I board the ship to get the daily planner that they send on what events are happening each day. Other than that, I can at least plan things like "which place are we having breakfast at" (way too many options that I end up forgetting), which shows are we attending? what are we doing after the nightly show?" when are we going to the pool etc.

I plan way ahead

I am a planner and I consider that part of the trip. I have tried traveling without planning because it sounds inviting, however we missed things we wanted to see or do and didn't have as much fun. So, I plan in detail per day, not hour, however we don't always follow the plan - and I'm good with that because I know it was an informed decision. And sometimes my planning is just listing the options we are interested in and making the final decision day of. I don't plan "at sea" days and I used to not plan embarkation day - however, after finding a really neat area within walking distance of the Boston port, I now check the area around the port.

My planning tools and methods have been honed over the last 11 years - once we retired we started traveling most of the year via cruise ship, RV, train, plane and car. This is what works for us.....but I am a firm believer that what works for one person probably will not work for someone else without tweaks.

I create a word document with each day listed (including day of the week - that is important because some places are closed part of the week) Then under the day I add details about what we will do that day such as hotel, driving distance/time, restaurant options, cruise port or at sea, rental cars, train info and what we will do that day or options. I tend to string trips together combining land trips and cruising so this helps me keep everything straight. I turn this document into my trip journal along the way - that way I have all the info if we visit the area again.

I also have an excel sheet with expected costs organized by currencies so we know how much to get at the ATM and a summary of what we do at each port so tours won't be repetitive - added this column after we did a volcano related tour at each Hawaiian island - the tour guides speeches were all the same.

On our next long cruise I am going to take a hard copy of a calendar (monthly) with ports and tours on the proper date and hang it on the wall - learned this from a friend on our Far East Asia cruise.

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The planning we do is how we're getting to the port. If we're leaving from a port other than San Pedro (which is an hour's drive for us), then it's about getting to that port city at least a day early or more, and whether it's by plane or train, and which hotel we're staying at.

We'll have a family meeting about whether we want to do excursions or sightsee on our own. No rental cars, per hubby (that's his rule for ports). We don't plan out second by second, just have a list of sites we want to see (and I'll check to see if each one is open on the day we're there).

On board, no planning. When we get on board, we go to our cabin (always available on Princess), do a little unpacking of our carry on, while giving a quick glance at the Patter. then we head to the Horizon for lunch. A little exploring if it's a ship that's new to us. The muster drill, then on deck for sail away. After that, no plans. every night we check the Patter for the next day to see what interests us. We usually go to the MDR, traditional, so no specialty restaurants, no spa. But if the shows interest us, we'll go to those. And for me, as many trivial contests as possible.

For us, a cruise is to relax, not go crazy squeezing something in every second.

I do think there is a danger in over-planning every last second of your holiday. Would you panic if there was an unexpected delay causing your carefully structured day to fall apart? What would happen if on your way to A, something caught your eye that you would like to see but wasn't on your list? Would you simply ignore it (it's not on the list so tough) or would you deviate and again throw your schedule out of the window?

One reason DH and I love cruising is that we can choose to do simply nothing other than find a quiet corner, get a drink and read a book. Similarly, if we want to go with the flow we can, and best of all, we can both do completely different things :D

However, it's slightly different for a land based holiday or a shore excursion. Then I will put together a simple itinerary of things to do. This is basically to stop us saying 'what shall we do today' and wasting half a morning making a decision.

I do enjoy planning, but I wouldn't let it take over my life - not yet anyway :D:D

I kind of plan, but I am not obsessive-compulsive to have spreadsheets, Word documents, folders, of second-by-second plans.

My "plan" is doing my pre-vacation research of where I am going. History, things to see, things to do. I will select one, maybe two things that I will focus on. But, they are not "must do's", but I will have that as my primary idea for that location. The rest is totally "go with the flow", as I love to just wander aimlessly and see what I see and be surprised and soak up the local culture outside of the typical tourist "got to go see to check off my list." Example: 3 days in Rome. I decide this time I will visit St. Peters Basilica. Yep, that's it. Spent the rest of the time walking around the various parts of the city, stopping in local markets that I come across, stopping in churches that I come across, sitting in a piazza and enjoying life, doing a little window shopping... Example: Tortola, 1 day. I decide to spend some beach time, so go to Cane Garden Bay. I leave enough time to make a visit to Sunny Caribbee to pick up some product.

Example: Barcelona, 2 days. Visit El Pegregal, La Sagrada Familia. Spent time playing with the dogs in the dog park across the street from La Sagrada. Got my church fix with the Cathedral. Wandered into some wonderful little areas and found a little outdoor tapas restaurant to sit and sip and eat. Walked down to the beach. Went to La Boqueria to take photos of food and to grab stuff for dinner.

All this I did DIY, no tours, no excursions. If tickets were needed, I knew that in advance (because of my research) and purchase myself. Sure, there may be many more things that I could do that I miss, but I don't feel the need to pack my trips with visiting every possible things. I never know if I'll be back again, but if I do get to go back, there is something else I can see/do.

I kind of plan, but I am not obsessive-compulsive to have spreadsheets, Word documents, folders, of second-by-second plans.

 

 

 

My "plan" is doing my pre-vacation research of where I am going. History, things to see, things to do. I will select one, maybe two things that I will focus on.

Your memory is much better than mine! No way could I remember details about each port without my word document. If it was only a week, with a few stops, probably could, but almost all of our trips stretch into months and include various types of transportation and many different stops.

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I do some research on ports and choose what I'd most like to see or do, then do an excursion to that choice. I don't plan every minute. We like to have some flexibility so if something interesting comes along we have time explore it.

Your memory is much better than mine! No way could I remember details about each port without my word document. If it was only a week, with a few stops, probably could, but almost all of our trips stretch into months and include various types of transportation and many different stops.

 

 

 

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As I am still a person who works, my vacations have never been more than 3 weeks long. With my current position, they can not be more than a week. The last 3 week vacation was taken in Europe, across 3 countries and various modes of transportation. And, neither I nor my two travel partners, had any lists. Sure, we knew our flights. We had two hiccups with accommodations due to circumstances beyond anyone's control, but we worked out great alternatives with each apartment owner. If we had planned things too much, we would not have been able to drive from Pisa (well, the outskirts where our agroturismo was) back to Vernazza to pick up the sport coat left, and we would have missed lunch at Vulnetia and driving to Carrera on the way back. In Paris, we probably would not have gone to dinner at a wonderful little bistro recommended by someone in the apartments's guest book (turns out it was catered to the gay community, but they welcomed us and we had a great meal). In Trier, would not have had the time to enjoy the weekend winefest and all the great Rieslings and local foods offered if we had taken an excursion out to some castles.

I am totally comfortable in my travel style. It's the way I was brought up.

I'm departing on my first Alaska cruise in less than three weeks. This is the extent of my planning:

* Shuttle to the airport

* Airline reservations to the port city

* Hotel reservations at the port city (I'm arriving on a Friday evening, and boarding Sunday morning)

* Shore excursions for two of the three ports

* Airline reservations back home

* Shuttle back to home

* Travel insurance

* Cruise reservation

What I'll be doing on board.... beats me. I'm on vacation.... or an adventure. Go figure.

 

I am totally comfortable in my travel style. It's the way I was brought up.

That is the most important thing IMO.

Well, and flexibility. Even though I plan, many times the plan gets thrown out the window and we decide to do something completely different. Sounds like you have great flexibility.

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That is the most important thing IMO.

 

Well, and flexibility. Even though I plan, many times the plan gets thrown out the window and we decide to do something completely different. Sounds like you have great flexibility.

 

 

 

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It was always "we're going to California", "we're going to Atlantic City"... Outside of that, it was always free-flow. When my mom and my brother and I moved across the country (back in the 60s), it was the ultimate in free-flow. The 3 of us in our Ford Galaxy, from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles via Route 66 (well, route 66 once we got to St. Louis). We had out AAA Triptik so we knew the route to drive. We had our AAA guide books for finding motels. We'd set out in the morning and, if we saw something along the way that we wanted to see, we stopped. We tried to hit certain towns by the end of the day and my brother and I got to alternate choosing the motel. I think that trip shaped my vacation planning for the rest of my life.

As a grown daughter of non-planners, whose lack of planning led us to always be too late for whatever we drove days to get to, I plan.

However, I only plan the things that need to be reserved ahead of time, and we have lots of flexible time as well.

Things that are booked or planned in advance:

dining reservations for MDR and specialty restaurants

port excursions

Things that we might book on the ship:

organized ship tours (galley, bridge)

specialty dining for sea day lunches

Other than that, no stress, no worries, just planned and armed with the information we need for a relaxing day. I am the planner in the family, and don't rush others to be on any specific schedule unless we have an early excursion or a short time in port.

It depends on the ship and itinerary (We usually cruise in the Caribbean since it's so easy to get to the port from our FL home.)

I research the ship's activities, restaurants, etc. beforehand as well as the ports, keeping files on my phone to refer to. Back these up to Dropbox and mark "read off-line" so I can use them on the ship as well without internet access.

We occasionally book non-ship excursions ahead of time if the tour is highly recommended and we want to be sure not to miss them. For example, Bernard's Tour in St. Martin or The America's Cup sailing adventure, Costa Rica, Panama Canal.

On the Oasis, which was all about the ship and not the ports, we did book the various shows, comedy club, etc beforehand since I had read that they sometimes book up. I know one can usually get in the shows the last minute, but prefer not to wait on the lines to do so. That being said, once we are onboard, we do change things often depending on what we feel like doing.

On Celebrity other than the initial CC group meeting at a bar on embarkation day and the Meet N Greet party, we don't commit to doing anything on a schedule. It's more about enjoying the ship and the Caribbean beaches which we get to on our own.

We usually travel by ourselves which gives us alot of flexibility including dining. Sometimes friends travel with us with the understanding that there is no commitment to dine together nightly in the MDR at a given time. Sometimes we'll eat together, other times not. This works for all of us.

Some regions, like the Caribbean, are like groundhogs' day and are light on the planning. A trip to Europe requires much more planning.