Is anyone as OCD about cruise planning/researching...

[beerman2]

I suppose checking for price drops every couple of days, checking roll call 3/4 times a day, checked for airfare daily until I found what I wanted, check CC boards multiple times a day Qualifies.

 

And our travel friends Trust Me to get from point A to point B and just enjoy the ride.

[vacation_junkie]

As I am? I am never happier then when I lay that lovely deposit on a cruise, that means I get to obsess...er...plan and research to my hearts content.

 

I've planned 3 friends cruises and airfare and when their TA couldn't get a good price, she gave them the prices I had sent them. (Apparently she was really embarrassed!)

 

I don't say this for bragging, I'm not that way. However, I want to know my fellow OCD cruise friends.

 

And you are....

 

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I am right there with you...

I constantly suffer from analysis paralysis :)

I feel off if I don't have a vacation in the planning process.

 

 

For our February 2015 cruise I've already started the deep dive into the planning process.

Broke out the planning binder out.

 

Recent daily Compass's & their daily corresponding menus all tabbed under their appropriate separate days. Started to go through activities..think about what my time dining reservation we want for that day or where we will eat.

 

Hotel , flight , rental car tabs all in there.

 

Started comparing hotel prices already. 1st room reserved I case I don't find anything better.

 

 

Come September when the cold weather moves in and the summer clothing goes away I'll start the great secret closet packing pile (dh thinks I'm nuts putting clothes aside so far ahead of time haha) this stock pile of clothing will change frequently until the clothing goes into the suitcase ;)

 

 

 

I am the resident office travel planner. Love doing it.

I can not deal with a travel agent. I have to do it myself.

I need to be able to get an answer, make a change..etc the moment I discover the need for it :)

 

The last trip we ever booked with a TA I found better prices myself and forwarded to her and it was like pulling teeth getting her to honour those changes.

 

So don't worry you are not alone. Its not called OCD ...I call it having a passion for planning!

 

 

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[jules815]

But it isn't stressful planning vacations. I love the excitement, the research, the anticipation, etc. Worth every minute.

 

Then we cruise and enjoy everything about it.

 

 

Exactly!

[mspink98]

I am going out of Port Canaveral this cruise, it is turning out to be more of a pita with the closest airport being 40 miles away. :(

 

This is actually surprisingly easy. When we had to fly into Orlando, we just did two one way rentals. Super easy to pick up at the airport and again in Cape Canaveral on disembarkation day. It's literally one straight road from the airport to the coast. If you don't want to drive, there are plenty of shuttle companies.

[jerrib]

This is actually surprisingly easy. When we had to fly into Orlando, we just did two one way rentals. Super easy to pick up at the airport and again in Cape Canaveral on disembarkation day. It's literally one straight road from the airport to the coast. If you don't want to drive, there are plenty of shuttle companies.

Adding to this......if you are flying in the day before, renting a car has two addt'l benefits:

 

1) you'll have a lot more flexibility in choosing a hotel (not having to worry so much about location and availability of shuttles).

 

2) having the car for the evening allows you do drive to the restaurant of your choice, shop for your allowable 2 bottles of wine or other sundries that you didn't have to pack. You can drop the car off the next morning and the rental agency will shuttle you to the ship. We've found that this one day rental was the same price as using a shuttle service (for 2 people) from the airport to the hotel.

[BamaGuy44]

OCD is not really healthy. Not something I would want to get involved with. I book a cruise. Book my excursions and extras, then enjoy the cruise. The point is to get away and relax, not to be stressed out and obsessive about the vacation.

 

Relax, OP isn't talking about the clinical version of OCD, it's a figure of speech. :rolleyes:

 

Great for you if you don't get into the planning, to each his own. But many people really enjoy the planning part and if you enjoy it it's not stressful.

 

For me my wife has always been the planner for our vacations, but since we started going on cruises, I got into it much more. I love researching the foreign ports and figuring out how to make the most of a short visit.

[gra2172]

As I am? I am never happier then when I lay that lovely deposit on a cruise, that means I get to obsess...er...plan and research to my hearts content.

 

I've planned 3 friends cruises and airfare and when their TA couldn't get a good price, she gave them the prices I had sent them. (Apparently she was really embarrassed!)

 

I don't say this for bragging, I'm not that way. However, I want to know my fellow OCD cruise friends.

 

And you are....

 

Sent from my QMV7A using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

You know it! We pick cruises we want years in advance, and once they are booked I research every little detail. Flights, deck plans, excursions...etc, etc! ;)

[awhfy]

Do you mean that there are people out there that don't do it? [emoji10]Say it isn't so! [emoji6]Anticipation (& planning) are half the fun

 

 

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[kenholt]

That is so like me, I do EVERYTHING for my family reunion cruise every other year.Its about 30 of use that go. I als o do my friends at work and any one that will let me handle there cruise plans.:eek:

[janeer]

The planning is half the fun!!!!

[want2seealaska]

Ohhhh...I AM the same! Doesn't the research, attention to detail, and quest for information add to the pleasure of the trip? Ahhh...such satisfaction!!

[lhanson38]

I love the planing its a big part of the trip for me. Finding deals is also a high for me. The planing makes the waiting so much easier. :)

[firstplacechef]

Yep, but no time to discuss. I'm researching tours. [emoji12]

[Cruzingal#9]

I thought I was reading my autobiography! Right down to the folders, the street view maps (the first time in Ft. Lauderdale I recognized houses that I had "passed by" on the map numerous times!), looking for good deals on hotels, rental cars, airfare, you name it!! I call it FOREPLAY:D. I absolutely thrive on it!

[Irene7]

Me, too! I actually believe the planning for the cruise is ALMOST as exciting as the cruise itself! We always book a year in advance, and I use the entire time to find THE best hotels, flights, etc.! It's almost depressing for me once it's all been settled! Strange, huh???

 

I feel exactly the same way. I do so much research on a ship that I booked, that by the time the cruise date get's here, I feel like I've already been on her before! Planning is definitely fun for me.

Edited May 30, 2014 by Irene7

[Ams1201]

I am the worst!! We just booked the oasis for October 2015! It's so far away and yet I am on cc every day searching for every detail. This is our first cruise so I am slightly, okay extremely obsessed. I am now a walking wiki for the cruise ship. I am worried I'll run out of stuff to read and research. I think planning is half of the trip.

 

 

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[pcur]

My whole family used to tease me about my obsessive travel planning. Then, my husband quieted down with I got us airfare to Sydney, with first class from Honolulu to Sydney, and home from Seattle after the cruise for $738 each.

 

My sons would tease me until I convinced them to get Chase Sapphire Visas, and youngest and his wife flew roundtrip from Detroit to Bali last year for about $650 each. Now, they don't say a word, except "thank you". :D:D

 

Two days ago I booked air one-way to (or from) San Juan, PR for all 5 of us for $97.

 

I am obsessive for two reasons: saving money, and exploring new places.

 

Part of it is keeping an eye on our booked criuse prices. I found over $1,000 in price drops for our current bookings in the last week.

 

But, the fun part is finding interesting things to see wherever I go.

[Luv06012012]

OCD Family!!! I belong to you!!! You know what's funny? You know we are all addicts when all of our little buttons next to our screen names show we are online! lol

 

I see myself in so many of you. I'm depressed when I don't have a trip to plan and things to obsess about.

 

My husband says I have problems, but then he appreciates it when I have all of our plans made and know little things here and there that make our trip better.

 

I got us free dessert in Florida this year thanks to my investigating...little things like that.

[TMLAalum]

If I don't have a major trip in the works, I definitely experience withdrawal! As you can see from my signature, there are two cruises booked for us and each is to parts of the world we've not been. So lots of planning is involved especially since we extend our cruises with land-based travel and use ff miles for our overseas flights.

 

My latest idea (as of yesterday) is to book Icelandair for our Fjords cruise so that we can take advantage of one of their "stopover" offers and visit Iceland for several days. It'd mean paying for flights, but I'm hoarding miles so that we have enough for 1st class for voyage #2.

 

Prior to next May's fjords cruise, we have trips planned to the upper Midwest, Oregon, Cape Cod, Yellowstone in winter and Florida for spring break which take some planning but not nearly as much as our overseas journeys.

 

pcur- I am totally in awe of your flight booking savvy!

[cruiselife4me]

Hi all! We should start a new group! OCD Planner Cruisers!!! (Or something like that!)

 

I loved hearing your stories and now I know I'm not alone.

 

Yay! Mary

 

 

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[runner2013]

Another ocd'er here.. for me it's not stressful to look for hotels, transfers, airfair, etc at all. I consider it part of the cruise experience, and nothing feels better then scoring a good price on a hotel or flight thanks to my diligence:)

[budisal]

We're not cruising until March 2015. I've already ordered my Cruise Critic luggage tags and put an extension cord into my luggage. Does that tell you everything you need to know?

 

 

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[sirenitas]

I am so glad I am obsessed with planning!

 

About an hour ago I went to my Carnival account and started to enter our flight info. It could not find my 7:45AM flight, instead it as showing a 1:30AM departure for my flight #. I go to AA and see that they changed my flight back in April (booked in March for Oct trip) and they did not even bother contacting me :eek:

 

We chose to fly directly to Miami so we could spend the day there and have dinner with family that lives in the area. Now our direct flight options are depart at 1:30AM (arrive at 7:30AM) or depart after 2PM and get there after 8PM :mad:

 

Of course now I am looking for a direct flight with any other airline and there is nothing available (other than the flights that do not work for us) and even checked flying into FLL but that one is worse (4:30AM arrival). So now I have a connecting flight that will have to do - not that it'll be easy with a special needs child and a DH who walks with a cane due to knee replacements.

 

I just checked again and the agent assigned our seats in different aisles - DD is apparently in a middle seat with who knows who next to her and DH is all the way in the back of the plane. Gotta make a third call now :(

Edited May 30, 2014 by sirenitas

[notentirelynormal]

I love my binder with it's dividers. My spreadsheet is lovely as well :D. I don't think it OCD - it's just good practice and the ones that don't do it are nuts.

 

My husband made fun of me for doing it and I said "what, you think you just show up at the airport and they know you are going?"..... He said "well, ya, that's what I do". :rolleyes:

[OzKiwiJJ]

My whole family used to tease me about my obsessive travel planning. Then, my husband quieted down with I got us airfare to Sydney, with first class from Honolulu to Sydney, and home from Seattle after the cruise for $738 each.

 

 

:eek::eek::eek: May I ask how you managed that?

 

I was checking out business class fares recently Sydney - San Francisco returning New York - Sydney (we're hoping to cross the US by train) and most fares were around AUD 7000-7500 per person.