Anyone else getting their monies worth just w/ planning?

[cntrydncr1]

Yes we are all obsessed aren't we? :eek: I too have a 3 ring binder with tabs for each day/hotel/excursion/car rental. But I don't know any other way to keep track of all of the reservations, maps, and confirmations. I have enjoyed the planning too. I'm sorry my planning is done so early :(

 

Normally I would book everything myself and not use TAs because I find I am more knowledgeable and have done tons more research on the ship and itinerary.

 

I was a little sorry I totalled up the costs for our trip also but I know I saved well over $1000 doing the land portion independently. Also, I got my airfare for half of what Princess wanted for it! Not bad if I do say so myself! :D

 

I am booked with Island Wings. I think the floatplane trip will be fantastic. I originally wanted to cruise misty fjords so I'm happy I'm still going to get there.

[mjminjax]

Also, I got my airfare for half of what Princess wanted for it! Not bad if I do say so myself! :D

 

We did our own air. I didn't save that much, if any, over Princess Air, but I guareenteed us a 7am departure out of ANC, rather than a red-eye, and have just one stop (ORD) each way (JAX-ORD-YVR and ANC-ORD-JAX). Not having two or three stops along the way was worth the work.

 

MJM in JAX

[the cruise is on]

I would never have admitted to the 3 ring binder, but I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one. I have planned, researched, made reservations, and in some cases changed my mind and started over again! Our cruise tour will last 2 weeks total!!! I'm so obsessed I have the count down on my calendar. As of today, we have 47 days until we leave!!

 

Its great to be part of a large group of obsessed people!!

[irisheileen]

Irisheileen here...enjoying the responses to my post.

 

I'll add that I'm planning for two couples. Our alaskan trip started in thought last 4th of July when we mentioned to longtime friends that we were "going to alaska" in 2006. (yeah, right, we'd been saying that for years!) They had just watched a PBS program on alaska and said "we're going with ya"! Well, I guess WE were REALLY going, too! That got the adventure started! Now we had no excuses.

 

My 2 daughters sell discount cruises and I got some initial advise from them, who have both cruised alot, but I really sunk my teeth into the investigation.

 

The time spent was cathartic because my Mom had passed away 8 months prior and it was good to be planning something fun and spectacular!! She would have loved hearing all about it and would have encouraged me all the way!!! She had regretted not going to certain places around the country and I'm not going to be in that position!

 

Isn't it really and escape from everyday life when we're planning? It's similar to reading a novel and being "taken away" to another place.

 

 

What started your Alaskan vacation? What's your story?

 

Eileen

[chuckc54]

Irisheileen, I think the idea was conceived (and I don't remember when) when my wife's aunt and uncle took a cruise to Alaska and showed us the video (had to be when video cameras with VHS tape was in vogue). We've talked about it on and off thru the years. We took a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas on the Carnival Fantasy last April to see if we would like cruising and loved it. In the last few months we've started talking about doing it in summer of 2007 but as hopeful as I am about it, we may not be able to afford it til 2008. I'll have to see what a TA can do for me. We used AAA last year but we had a problem in that our cruise rep changed and we didn't know but it didn't cause a problem with a cruise. I'd really like to deal with a live person for this because it's just too important to have a screw up what with a round trip from the east coast. Speaking of reading a novel, well, I'm a history buff, like the historical fiction of Jeff Shaara, but I guess that's for another board, lol.

[vfb2girls]

For us this trip to Alaska has been something that my husband and myself have talked about and dreamed about for 25 years. We always said that if we were together for 25 years we would go to Alaska to celebrate our 25 wedding anniversary, well here it is almost 25 years later and we are making that dream come true for us. It is just the two of us that are going, our children are all grown up and are so excited for us. Everyday they will ask us so what new thing have you learned about Alaska and we rattle off the information that we have found, so not only is this trip planning exciting for us but has become very educational. I really believe that the planning is just as much fun as the trip itself.

[susiegpo]

Wow - I'm relieved to hear that I'm not the only one who's obsessively planning for their trip. I too am the "that's half the fun" type.

 

Our trip is a celebration trip for my DH's retirement, and I too am planning for us and another couple who are dear friends. They just want to be told what to sign up for and how much to pay. I'm doing our own land tour the week prior to our cruise. I knew how much they were depending on me when my friend said she couldn't sign up for a ship's excursion because she didn't know the name of the ship or the date we sail! :eek:

 

I have a bag - will have to downsize to a binder!! But till then, I haul out my bag of books and stuff and enjoy my planning.

[chuckc54]

Right now I'm just researching solo. My wife's best friend decided to move to the San Francisco area to live with her father and they are on a road trip for two weeks, she'll be flying back the week after Easter, so hopefully she won't be too worried about money to talk about it. She said a couple of weeks ago, what if something happens and we have to use our money for something else, and I said, that could happen any year we plan for something.

[CleoPat]

OK, now I KNOW nobody else does this: My friend and I actually typed out our itinerary to plan what we are doing each day AND what we are wearing each day!:o :eek: That's part of the planning for us. It helps us know what we need to buy for the trip and make sure we don't wear the same color on the same day;)

[emarismom]

CleoPat,

I do believe you have taken overplanning to a new level;) !!

I would never be able to plan what I'm going to wear each day because

firstly, we can't plan for the weather in Alaska. Secondly, I sometimes plan what I'm going to wear, and then when it comes time to put it on, I just plain don't feel like wearing that.

[Cruisechick82]

OK, now I KNOW nobody else does this: My friend and I actually typed out our itinerary to plan what we are doing each day AND what we are wearing each day!:o :eek: That's part of the planning for us. It helps us know what we need to buy for the trip and make sure we don't wear the same color on the same day;)

 

That's so funny!

[CleoPat]

Planning ahead what you are going to wear saves over packing AND you get ready much faster in the morning (don't have to figure out what to wear!) Every outfit is layers, so the weather is taken care of. This is well thought out. It's part of our fun preparing for the trip and get our money's worth:D

[RetireeWannabee]

YES, I am already living the dream. No binder yet, but a zillion Word docs and bookmarks.

 

I had "always" wanted to see Alaska, and for whatever reason, in my head it would be via cruise. Hubby has no interest in seeing Alaska ("too cold!") so years ago I asked Mom if she wanted to go, and she said yes.

 

Flash forward to not quite a year ago, when I saw fares drop below 4 digits for the first time (note, first time that I saw them drop, as opposed to whatever the reality has been). Mom, wanna go? YES!

 

So, researched and booked - Mom's up for whatever, whenever, so it's up to me, which makes it easy. Still have to book the private excursions, but we don't sail until Sept and I did reserve some thru the ship, so we have a fallback position! The MAJOR BIG HIGHLIGHT will be dog sledding on a glacier with Mom. We're going to have so much fun!!

 

Paying for it is a whole nuther matter, but, someone was saying how much their mother regretted not seeing the world, and I booked this year because neither of us are getting any younger and I keep losing people. I just can't leave things on the "someday" list. It's only money, I'll make more ; )

[Fergus]

but I'm gonna have to soon! I just realized how big my stack of hotel/tour/rental car confirmations is!! I have done something else that I hope will be helpful......I made a little booklet out of 3x5 index card dividers and plain index cards, held together with loose rings, and decorated very nicely. I've labeled it for each port, plus pre-cruise and post-cruise days. I'm writing in the times/locations/confirmation numbers for our flights, hotels, etc. for each place and also have left several cards for journaling about each place - this is so helpful when I am scrapbooking later and need a reminder of the names of different things. It's small enough I can keep it in my purse for quick reference (so I don't have to whip out the binder:D ). After the trip, I may even put some photos and stuff in it and keep it is a small scrapbook - I can take out or add more cards if needed. To me, scrapbooking the trip is the third phase of enjoying the whole thing, after all the planning then the actual trip! It is fun to relive it several months later!

 

We had planned to go to Italy this month - our 25th anniversary is in May - and I had done TONS of researching and planning for that - but when it came down to booking airfare, I was seeing flights that cost $325 in March go up to over $900 in April.....and I also realized that Italy wasn't the dream trip for my DH and kids that it was for me (BA in Art History!) so we did an about-face and went with something I think our whole family will enjoy. The last time we took our kids on a cruise a few years ago, they said Alaska was what they wanted to do next, so here we go! My son will celebrate a birthday when we stop in Juneau, so we're planning a really special day for that.

 

CleoPat and friend - all I can say is...you go, girls!!!!!

[Chat Noir]

Totally Obsessed... this year isn't quite so bad, but last year, I lived, ate, and breathed this board and Alaskan websites.

 

One difference this year as opposed to last, I booked with a TA after taking her recommendation while looking at the glossy brochures in November '04 for a June '05 cruise, THEN found this website in April '05. I had 100 changes I wanted to make, but didn't, 'cause I didn't want to 'trouble' her. I'm makin' the rules this year... and will have no one to blame but myself:).

 

No binder here, just a big plastic tub FULL of stuff. Last year, I went to the 24-hour post office at the Anchorage airport and spent $30+ just to mail home a boxful of free Alaska literature (brochures, maps, etc.) and a few souvenirs that I'd picked up and didn't have room for in my luggage.

 

We chose Alaska because we LOVE the mountains, but my long-legged teen sons were tired of scrunching up land-traveling, so we decided a ship would give plenty of leg-room. My 17 yo was heading off to college, and we figured it'd be the last family vacation we took, just the 4 of us. We figured WRONG; we're all heading back this year, 1 week ship, 1 week RV. It's even more fun planning since I know a bit about what I'm looking at while planning. And we're taking 2 more families with us this time.

 

I definitely get BANG for my buck planning Alaska. Next year, I'm sure it's back to Colorado/Wyoming which doesn't require near so much planning. Beautiful nontheless, but I know the southern Rockies like the back of my hand so the planning just isn't near as much fun.

[chuckc54]

Haven't got a binder yet, heck, haven't even booked anything yet, but hope to do RCI in 2007, so far all I've got is bookmarks, an RCI brochure and a dream. I'm keeping it simple, letting TA take care of cruise, flight, post cruise stay in Vancouver.

[NancyIL]

I never had a 3-ring binder until my husband and I went on a Baltic cruise in 2005. I have to admit - as bulky as it was - it was very helpful to have. I used one again last month for a 1-week trip to CA with my daughter, followed by a 1-week trip to FL with my son.

 

I have been all over the place with my ideas for next summer. I've considered a 1-week cruise/1 week land tour; a northbound cruise, followed by a southbound cruise on a different cruiseline to see even more ports and glaciers; and my latest idea is a 12-day RT cruise from San Francisco on Celebrity. The two-cruise idea is the least likely to happen at this point in time! My DH is pretty interested in the 12-day cruise, followed by a day or 2 in San Francisco. That interests me, too - but I'd really like to see at least some parts of interior Alaska. My main problem is narrowing down what I want to see! In that case, maybe a land-only trip is what we need to consider. So...stay tuned, folks!

[CleoPat]

but I'm gonna have to soon! I just realized how big my stack of hotel/tour/rental car confirmations is!! I have done something else that I hope will be helpful......I made a little booklet out of 3x5 index card dividers and plain index cards, held together with loose rings, and decorated very nicely. I've labeled it for each port, plus pre-cruise and post-cruise days. I'm writing in the times/locations/confirmation numbers for our flights, hotels, etc. for each place and also have left several cards for journaling about each place - this is so helpful when I am scrapbooking later and need a reminder of the names of different things. It's small enough I can keep it in my purse for quick reference (so I don't have to whip out the binder:D ). After the trip, I may even put some photos and stuff in it and keep it is a small scrapbook - I can take out or add more cards if needed. To me, scrapbooking the trip is the third phase of enjoying the whole thing, after all the planning then the actual trip! It is fun to relive it several months later!

 

We had planned to go to Italy this month - our 25th anniversary is in May - and I had done TONS of researching and planning for that - but when it came down to booking airfare, I was seeing flights that cost $325 in March go up to over $900 in April.....and I also realized that Italy wasn't the dream trip for my DH and kids that it was for me (BA in Art History!) so we did an about-face and went with something I think our whole family will enjoy. The last time we took our kids on a cruise a few years ago, they said Alaska was what they wanted to do next, so here we go! My son will celebrate a birthday when we stop in Juneau, so we're planning a really special day for that.

 

CleoPat and friend - all I can say is...you go, girls!!!!!

 

The index cards on a ring small enough for the bag! I also collect ALL free brochures, etc. to use for a scrapbook/photo album and YES that is the THIRD fun part of the trip. Planning, the vacation and the Album! Stretch that fun out for a year! My money's worth.:D Now the question is how many rolls of film???? :confused: I'm still using an APS camera.

[sjcivilady]

to the scrapbookers who went to Alaska last year - did they have some scrapbook stores up there like we have down here? And, I want to say how fun the Alaska section is compared to the Princess section of CC - don't see as many mean put-downs here - THANKS for that! I may have to organize my info too - although I don't have too much printed out yet - just where to find some quilt shops, ha ha. Have lots of info copied into word documents and a packing list in excel. :) on my lunch break in sunny (yeah) French Camp

[wdworbust]

Found this for a fellow cruiser www.scrapbook-shop.com

Happy Cruinsing!

LAURA

[Fergus]

CleoPat, you gotta go digital!!! You can take so many more photos and then just dump the ones you don't want. Plus it's so much fun to edit your photos before you print. :)

[Weagle]

While I don't have a three ringed binder, I do have lots of things bookmarked. I like to keep things all digital. I have to admit I do have a couple of Excel Spreadsheets: itinerary (including all excursions, flight info, etc), pricing (reminds me of how much I've spent already), and packing lists (still working on those). I also have a digital camera to take all my pictures with. Instead of messing with multiple rolls of film or multiple memory sticks, I have a 40 Gig mp3 player I can connect directly to my camera and offload images. My goal is to leave the laptop home. My only problem is I also have a GPS I want to use to track where I've been. I don't know if it'll have enough memory to hold all my tracks before my trip ends. But then again that isn't as important as pictures to me.

 

Happy planning to all,

[Fergus]

Weagle, I am going to investigate mass storage devices and purchase one before we go so we don't have to take a laptop (may be too tempting for dh to do work:D ) and won't have to buy another memory card. Tell me more about the one you have......I have seen other threads about different devices on here.

[Weagle]

Personally I'm a Sony person. I have a Sony CiberShot (spelling?) camera and a Sony VGF-AP1L mp3 player. Since they are the same manufacturer it's pretty simple to connect them together and download pics. However, with this solution I also need to bring along my dock and power cables for my mp3 player. Sony tends to rely on proprietary software more so than other mp3 players so if you actually want to use it for mp3's you have to use Sony's software to load them on the player.

 

Apple's Ipod is probably the best bet for those less computer/electronic savy. Most of the larger (20GB +) Ipods mp3 players you can buy a simple adapter to pulls files from just about any digital camera. Since more people use Ipods that Sony's, there's more accessories to do things, like saving off pictures and such. Goto your nearest electronics store with your digital camera and tell them that you want a way to offload the pics directly to the Ipod and they should be able to set you up.

 

If you want to look at any pics from the mp3 player, I'd definately recommend a color screen (or else you'll have to wait until you get home to download the pictures to a computer to loook at them).

[irisheileen]

Irisheileen here..I'm glad to have so many interesting responses to my post!

 

I've stolen the idea above to better organize (and thin out) my notes. I have COLOR CODED files with matching 3x5 cards! Each port has it's own color file jacket and I've prepared mini versions of all the pertinet information for that port on the color 3x5.

Such as...

arrival/departure

sunrise/sunset

ships in port

excursions and p/u times, contact phone #

"not to miss" sights

lunch/dinner time "planned" on board

NAP time built in!!!(if needed between excursions!!!)

 

 

I have a DOCUMENT file with all of my confirmations from airline/hotels/excursions/cruise line

copies of our passports etc

I'll take THIS FILE with my carryon and leave the rest at home! (since I'll have the 3x5...thanks to whoever had the original idea of the cards)

 

I have a PRINCESS Line file with ideas I've gathered from this board for onboard i.e. what to do as soon as I get on board...Maitre d etc.

 

ANY OTHER GOOD IDEAS?

Eileen