Favorite Thing About Pre Cruising

So you are booked for your cruise.  Now What!

Well the best part - planning everything.  It helps past the time and it gets you even more excited for the cruise.

I still am a fan of Cruise Critic - but differently than before.  I still join the roll calls and chat with fellow cruisers and am always excited when I know someone on the roll call.  This coming trip two couples we haven't sailed with in forever are going to be there.  

I also check out the Destination pages as well - however since the pandemic I find them to be less useful.

As with many social media sites the Princess forums are often full of comments that just are not nice or helpful.  So I try to stay away.  And when I do fall victim to commenting 8 times of 10 I regret it.  Is it the same for you?

Ok back to cruise planning.  

Depending on the itinerary I start researching.  For our upcoming trip to the Caribbean we have been to all these islands over a dozen times, if not more.  We (Bernie and I) sit and talk about each port and if there is something we really want to do.  

If there is something we really want to do we plan for it.  But usually are conversations go like this:

Me - what do you want to do in .... (name a port)?

B - I don't know, what do you want to do?

Me - (I usually mention 2 or 3 things as possibilities)

B - I don't care, whatever you want to do

Me - hmmm okay

Anyone else have similar conversations?

Of course if it is a different type of itinerary like Europe or South America we each usually do research then we sit and go over it and firm up the one thing we really want to do.

I am a list maker - and I prefer pen to paper lists.  Bernie loves them too as he often isn't sure what needs to get done (sorry no he knows but isn't always sure what my list of things to do is).  So I write out things like, get US money, pull out suitcases, buy toiletries (like sunscreen etc), pull up cruise tote (yes we have one for stuff we take on vacations only).  And many other items.  He sees the lists and works at accomplishing them.  He says it works well for him, and hey I am happy.

This trip because we are driving we have different things on the list.  Remove the snow tires, get an oil change, plan the route.  

Also with Covid now planning for tests is necessary.  If we were flying we would need a test to enter the United States within a day prior of flying. Thankfully for driving we don't require a test (seems odd to me, still crossing the border).  Also we needed Covid test 3 days prior to boarding the ship.  We scheduled monitored at home tests.

But really the whole planning bit is so much fun for me.  But since I am the planner in this house I tend to get a lot of questions.  Where are we staying, what cabin are we, what are we doing in such and such a port.

Stay tuned because I will share my trick to help Bernie know all the details.

What are your cruise planning tricks?