Need Organization tips!

[Liztoybiz]

These boards are full of wonderful ideas but I now have too many to keep track of! How do you go about organizing all the great info you gather from Cruise Critic? Especially when you want to keep it for future reference and send it to others.

I am not leaving until June on Oasis but as the coordinator for four cabins with ages 12-71, I would love to know what you do with the information you read.

My system so far has been to save it in my 'drafts' section of my computer in different emails titled

"Oasis: ports, ship, food, things to do, grand suite", etc. and then when cutting/pasting info, I put it into the correct email. As we get closer I will email the group bits at a time. Does this make sense?

Please share your tricks!!

Many thanks,

Liz in Kingwood

[bigeagle12]

I am always cutting and pasting information from the posts into a Word document. And I file them in folders under a Vacation folder. Have folders for cruiselines, ports, etc.

[golfer1966]

We use MS Outlook at home for all our emails and such. We have created a few different files and store our cruise / vaca / air info in there so we have it for later.

 

Good luck ...

[Maybaybie10]

I cut and paste into a Word doc as well. When I get closer to cruising time, I plan on taking the bits out that don't pertain to our group. Then I will highlight certain parts that are only for the people with kids (so the others don't need to wade thru that stuff) and email it along to the rest in our group.

 

I didn't know about CC when I was on my last cruise (10 yrs ago) and I now wonder how we even made it thru the week without all the good tips I have found here since I joined. We even flew down the same day as our cruise with no insurance :eek: (ignorance is bliss I guess!).

[Cruisinbeaner]

I am always cutting and pasting information from the posts into a Word document. And I file them in folders under a Vacation folder. Have folders for cruiselines, ports, etc.

 

I pretty much did this exact same thing as I gathered information for our first cruise. I copied and pasted info into a word doc and then printed it out (like 14 pages!!). DH, DD, and I read through it on a long road trip and crossed off stuff we didn't need to know, circled stuff we wanted to remember, etc.

[LindaAndBillTravel]

I use Excel. I create worksheets (tabs) for: Costs; To Do List; Packing List; What to do in Port with hours, costs, addresses, website links etc; Roll Call List; and Notes. I use the hyperlink function (right click in the cell to add) to link to websites or to documents on my hard drive. It has worked out really well for me for planning.

 

Then, for taking with me, I get a plastic report cover with pockets (the kind with the metal tabs you bend over to hold your pages in). These stay pretty flat, but are more durable that the paper kind. I print everything out and clip it in or stick it in the pockets. When I need something like my boarding pass, I just give it a yank to pull it out.

[Karinak23]

If you want to be able to easily share with your travel partners, you might like Google docs (if you're not familiar with this, go to Google, click the "more" tab and then you'll see Google docs). You can create (or upload existing) word docs or spreadsheets, then send the links to your travel partners. You can change settings to grant editing permissions if you want to allow them to add to the list.

 

If you decide to use the internet while on the ship, you'll be able to access the lists if you need to (for example, if you lose the print outs).

 

I love all of Google's free stuff. Their calendar is pretty cool, too - you can create events and reminders and set it to email you reminders. You can share that with anyone, too! :-)

[Cruise Cat]

If you want to be able to easily share with your travel partners, you might like Google docs (if you're not familiar with this, go to Google, click the "more" tab and then you'll see Google docs). You can create (or upload existing) word docs or spreadsheets, then send the links to your travel partners. You can change settings to grant editing permissions if you want to allow them to add to the list.

 

If you decide to use the internet while on the ship, you'll be able to access the lists if you need to (for example, if you lose the print outs).

 

I love all of Google's free stuff. Their calendar is pretty cool, too - you can create events and reminders and set it to email you reminders. You can share that with anyone, too! :-)

 

All though I haven't used the Google Docs, I am glad someone else did. While planning for our upcoming cruise on Oasis, I found a Google Doc link where someone else stuck a lot of PDFs. See Link Below. The ones dated early last year were from websites, and info may be outdated. The ones from later in the year were scans of documents they brought back from the cruise.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/oasiscruisers/Home?pli=1

[Karinak23]

All though I haven't used the Google Docs, I am glad someone else did. While planning for our upcoming cruise on Oasis, I found a Google Doc link where someone else stuck a lot of PDFs. See Link Below. The ones dated early last year were from websites, and info may be outdated. The ones from later in the year were scans of documents they brought back from the cruise.

 

https://sites.google.com/site/oasiscruisers/Home?pli=1

 

Wow, those are great! I'm sailing on the Allure later this year - although those scans are from the Oasis, it'll give me some useful info. Thanks! :)

[G&TQ]

I use a site for some groups it is called qlubb. It is free and will allow you to set up calandar items with email reminders, send emails, store files, post pictures, and even blog. It would be great for a group cruise.

[Cruise Cat]

Wow, those are great! I'm sailing on the Allure later this year - although those scans are from the Oasis, it'll give me some useful info. Thanks! :)

 

I think the people on our roll call with kids will find that one document especially useful as it explains all the kids programs, rules, hours, etc.

[Liztoybiz]

Great tips!

I hesitated to even ask this because it seems like it should be easy. And before I spent so much time on here, it was easy. Print a few pages, highlight the important stuff, and off we go. Now I have TONS in information. It is absolutely amazing to me that not everyone wants to spend several hours a day on cruise critic gathering information and enjoying people's stories! THEY must be the crazy ones...

 

Thanks for sharing your tips!

Liz in Kingwood

[BroncosFan2010]

I have one of those "accordion" folders and I make a section for each port of call, as well as hotel, flight, and other important informaion. I put in all and any information about what I am doing or what I may want to do in each slot. That way I have a plan, and a back up plan.

[janetz]

I make a folder. As I see the info I want to keep I print it and put it into my folder. Getting down to the final days before we leave, I organized the folder as to what events come first to last. Example, our hotel confirmations at the airport on top, slipped to the back when used. Air confirmations, then my set sail confirmation is on top next, followed by my priint out of dining reservations and shows we have booked and excursions. Any insurance documents are under that. I used both sides. One side for hotel and flights, insurance documents, the other side for the cruise stuff. Worked great. As I need something, it was right there.

 

Enjoy the Oasis..Awesome ship! :D

 

 

Oh, and always have a spare closet with your cruise clothes, etc in it.

[ollienbertsmum]

We even flew down the same day as our cruise with no insurance .

 

 

Ahhhh how innocent :)

 

Organisation helped by a file of see through wallets. Everything goes in in the order in which I need it, starting with e tickets for flights, hotel reservations car hire and then ports in order. Rather anal, family laugh at me, but before I did this I always seemed to find the paper I needed at the back of the file.

[dzcruisers]

Did you know that you can click on the post # at the top right and it will give you a single page to print. You don't have to copy and paste.

I save the pages in a notebook.

[Maybaybie10]

Did you know that you can click on the post # at the top right and it will give you a single page to print. You don't have to copy and paste.

I save the pages in a notebook.

 

Did not know that! Thank you- great tip!! :)