What are your cruise anticipation milestones?

[Daghis]

We book our cruises well in advance, usually over a year out. I've found that there are several "milestones" that I mentally go through as the cruise slowly approaches. Now that we're under a month until our cruise, I see that I've got even more of these "milestones" to keep me busy thinking about the cruise getting closer.

 

Here are the various points in time I use to break down the time until the cruise...

 

• One year before the cruise
  Since we often book our cruises over a year in advance, this is the first milestone.
  
• Six months before the cruise
  We're now at the halfway point.
  
• Three months before the cruise
  Getting closer!
  
• End of the school year
  Since we book our cruises for the end of summer, this marks the beginning of summer for us.
  
• One month
  This is a relatively obvious milestone.
  
• Four weeks
  Perhaps this is double-dipping, but it starts to get exciting to think about "four week from now, I'll be on board!"
  
• Three weeks
  Our development cycle at work is based on 3-week sprints, so this marks the last cycle before I get my week-long vacation.
  
• One week
  How can one avoid thinking "This time next week...!"?
  
• Four days
  Since we're leaving for Florida on Friday, the day before the cruise, this marks the beginning of my last few work days before vacation.
  
• Two days
  I like to take the day before we fly down as a vacation day to take care of any last-minute preparation tasks.
  
• The day before
  We fly down and our vacation begins!
  
• Early morning of the cruise
  If we're lucky, we're up and can watch the ship come into the port. I was really fortunate that I couldn't sleep well one night and got up just in time to see the Liberty of the Seas pulling into port and that was amazing. The whole family woke up to watch this (and then went back to sleep).
  

What other milestones do others have for their upcoming cruises?

[traveling1969]

Book it.

 

Price drop.

 

Another price drop.

 

Complimentary upgrade.

 

Sailaway.

 

Bon Voyage to all!!!!!!:D:D:D:D

[fpcruiser]

When checking for price drops, I get excited when the month of my cruise is the first listed on the RCL website.

[papajak]

OMG, you sound exactly like me!!! I do 90 days, because I work in healthcare, and that is the certification period for a therapy admission. Any patient I evaluate that falls within that date range makes me think of where I am in relation to my trip. My hubby thinks I am crazy, as I am constantly reminding him, but I know he is as excited as I am...:D

[estoyer]

Booking over a year out..

 

Cruise Payment..

 

Price Drop..

 

Another Cruise Payment..

 

Another Price Drop..

 

Another Cruise Payment

 

Booking Shore Excursions..

 

Purchasing Gifts and Gear for the Cabin..

 

Upgrade from balcony to a JR..

 

Final Cruise Payment..

 

Purchase Gifts and Gear for Parents Cabin..

 

Wait 7 Months for Cruise..

 

Check RCCL Web site for Additional Price Drops..

 

Earl

[EmmaCel]

I get excited every time I reach a new level of "10"...hitting 89 days instead of 90, or 79 days instead of 80....we just hit 59 days so I am pretty stoked!

[whenthecatsaway]

Booking over a year out..

 

Cruise Payment..

 

Price Drop..

 

Another Cruise Payment..

 

Another Price Drop..

 

Another Cruise Payment

 

Booking Shore Excursions..

 

Purchasing Gifts and Gear for the Cabin..

 

Upgrade from balcony to a JR..

 

Final Cruise Payment..

 

Purchase Gifts and Gear for Parents Cabin..

 

Wait 7 Months for Cruise..

 

Check RCCL Web site for Additional Price Drops..

 

Earl

 

What are price drops and can we in the UK take advantage of them :confused:?

[Jimnbigd]

You all left out "Pay the Seapass bill after the cruise." :(

[Ashland]

You all left out "Pay the Seapass bill after the cruise." :(

The worse part for me is packing to leave the ship..and walking out of your cabin that last morning...:(

[borg1of2]

Disembarkation - I now begin the anticipation of my next cruise!!

[bionicman97]

Book it (max 4 months out because that is as far as I can project my work)

 

1 month (because I better be sure I can get away from work)

 

1 week (time to work late)

 

Day before (finally get to relax)

 

Departure morning

[Cuizer2]

I book more than one year in advance and have booked more than two years in advance. My milestones are 100 days, 30 days, two weeks and one week.

 

100 days - this is when I book my air (when needed), my hotel (when needed), make final payment, purchase my shore excursions and purchase insurance.

 

30 days - this is when I start my countdown.

 

2 weeks - request the hold on my mail.

 

1 week - "Next week at this time I'll be ..."

[sns101098]

Today I did my "Single Digit Dance".

 

Only 9 more days until I board The Freedom of the Seas!

[estoyer]

What are price drops and can we in the UK take advantage of them :confused:?

 

Sorry, but in the UK I do not have the answer. You will have to call RCCL to find this out.

 

Happy Sailing

Earl

[whenthecatsaway]

With 14 weeks to go from yesterday, we have paid the balance on our cruise! Have my wife's birthday on Wednesday, my best friends wedding in a couple of weeks, my birthday, and a ball in the Autumn but this trip is the event of the year for us so we will be writing lists and setting clothes aside on a collapsible clothes rail in the spare room [then going through a cycle of declining them, putting them back in the wardrobe, substituting them with options B,C,D,E and F, before going back to Option A ] for the next 13 weeks!!

 

Don't like packing last minute if I can avoid it, plus for us, packing [no doubt accompanied by a bottle of wine ] is all part of the anticipation and excitement [tragic I know, but who cares ].

 

Voyager of the Seas Western Med Nov 2009

[mjyanne]

Around the 40 day mark switch to hours instead of days. Makes it seem even closer when you start talking about cruising in a matter of days instead of weeks or days.

 

Also count how many Saturday/Sunday (or whatever day you depart) left. For example, 16 Saturdays until I sail on Oasis.

[cruisinck]

My motto is to always be on a cruise or counting down to the next cruise.

 

Since my DH and I live in S FLA we take advantage of being able to cruise with out having to fly. Although I do book a year in advance I usually have 2 or three in the books so everytime I get off a ship I am counting down to another one. We have been empty nesters for 2 years now but this is the first year we have taken advantage of the FLA resident prices on 3 day cruises. Booked the cruise on Thursday and hopped on the ship on Friday. This week I plan on calling on Thursday to see what they have open for the weekend. Total of 18 cruise credits, we made D the "hard" :D way 17-7 day cruises and only one 3 day.

 

Oh and my biggest milestone is 100 days

 

Then "next week at this time"

 

Mimosa's on embarkation day.

[sparky-elpaso]

At this point I'm just waiting for the "less than a year" date. :)

[TPKeller]

Surprisingly, this is one area about which I appear to be much less anal than some others. :)

 

For me, the first really significant milestone is the expiration date on the orange juice carton. When I start buying OJ that expires around my sail date, that means it's only about 4 to 6 weeks out.

 

After that, it's the milk... usually about 7 to 10 days out. Just around the corner! :)

 

Theron

[wgraves]

Everyone mentioned the "# of days" milestones already, so I'm going to mention the other milestones that get me excited. :)

 

• Booking the pre-cruise hotel
  
• Looking over and planning shore excursions
  
• Printing out the set sail pass
  
• Receiving luggage tags
  
• Loading the car with luggage
  
• Seeing the ship as we drive up on the port
  
• Hearing the "BONG" as my sail & sign card is swiped for the first time
  

[didiaust]

I have always made a fuss prior to any holiday and this comming cruise is no different.

 

We booked it last September 09 for this Oct10. I gave the kids things for the cruise for Christmas ( snorkel & goggles, bucket & spade, hats & sunnies and a loud floral shirt each) I gave my neice ( the kids mum) a calendar with dolphins and I marked the sleeps I counted back from the sail date. I too have a calendar and every time the kids visit they tell me how many sleeps and check my calendar to make sure its the same as theirs. They have both just had birthdays and I gave the both 200 ( about $2US) vatu each and said they could spend it in Vila. Well that small present was most treasured even though i gave much more impressive toys. They often set with me at the computer and we look at my past photos and also the RCCL website and we discuss what we are going to do on our holiday. I have been busy buying lots of games colour books etc to use at night and we can give them to the kids on our last island when we give the school our donations.

 

I am still a big kid at heart and I love the planning. I start packing from the day I book. I take 4 or 5 large bags of donations of stationery & sporting goods. I also take hospital supplies for Vila hospital; and the kids often like looking through what we have gathered already.

 

Di