Part of planning a Cruise Vacation …. Is the time BEFORE you go ! Congrats to the Early Bird planners.

So many folks, like myself, plan their vacation early.  Part of vacation is the preparing.

Whether its preparing your mind !  The excitement and the anticipation.

Planning of activities !  Such as Shore excursions !  Whether you’ll choose to eat at one of the specialty dining rooms.  Or if on Norwegian or Royal Caribbean’s Allure or Oasis, the entertainment !

And if you’ve never cruised before, you’ll want to read up on “Cruising Tips”, hopefully provided by your agent (or the cruise line).

Then there’s the … What will I take to wear !  Gives you time to slowly fine things as you get closer to your cruise !

All this planning “heps up” the excitement for your vacation.  Actually makes it more productive !  Besides, you can often gain a little education during your planning.

I actually feel sorry for folks who wait till last minute to plan, unless they’ve cruised so much, that they already have it all together !  They often miss out on available tours and/or entertainment, don’t get the best cabin, haven’t had time to educate themselves a little more, to make the vacation more relaxing.

As a “Coach”, I’ve unfortunately learned that folks who book last minute vacations, also do a lot in their life last minute.  Sadly these folks don’t realize how calmer their lives could be.  If you don't agree with me, you certainly have that choice !  Do you make a list of everything you have to do the  next day, before you go to bed each night ?  If not, this subject belongs to another time ... I'm here for your "coaching" needs too !

But for the rest of us, who enjoy and appreciate the value of planning early, IT’S FUN GETTING READY !

Though I booked my August Alaska cruise, last May, beginning in January, is when I began putting some more pieces together.  I may have started earlier, however, my roommate was given this cruise as a surprise, and the surprise was not announced till this past January.

With us going to our cruise 3 days early and staying 2 days later, we have done lots of planning since January.  We’re first flying into Seattle for one night, then to Anchorage for two.  We’ll go downtown to stay, when in Seattle.  The Anchorage nights were already planned for my roommate, to include a tour to the Wildlife Center and a Portage Glacier cruise; then we will take the train from Anchorage to Seward, early on the day of the cruise, and spend our day in Seward before we sail.  About all we had to plan in Anchorage is, which night we will go to the Sourdough restaurant and which night we will eat downtown at the Glacier Brewery Restaurant.

Our bigger planning has been for after the cruise.  We’re taking Greyhound to go see Whistler for the one day.  Don’t know what we will do there other than walk around !   Then we’ll go back to Vancouver and plan to tour there !

Again, planning is part of the fun !

I have another cruise in October from Port Canaveral.  I just mentioned to this roommate, it is time to start looking at Shore Excursions.  We decided months back, coming in 2 days early and staying at my mom’s, renting a car, and going to the Chart House one night for dinner !

I have another cruise in November.  About all my roommate and I need to do for this is buy our transfers from Daytona to Ft Lauderdale.  The rest of the cruise is mostly planned by my staff because it is our annual Cruises Inc convention.  They let us know, as time gets closer, pieces of the puzzle.  That’s fun too !

Some folks say they told like planning; go with the flow.  Though it sounds fine, I can promised you, you miss out on some that is offered by not planning.  By not giving yourself the time to plan.  I have folks who tell me they didn’t read my “cruising tips” and didn’t know they menu order was unlimited.  I hear that some folks, never planned a tour or what to do in Alaska, and only walked in the town.

I guess you can say, what you don’t know you missed, then you don’t know you missed it !  True. But what if you had known !

Early planners  book their cruises 15 months to 1 year in advance.  It is considered “late” when you don’t book your upcoming vacation till the new year comes ! 

The bigger deals from the cruise lines come out BEFORE the first of the year ! I have personally booked ¾ of my customers before the 1^st of the year comes.  Another 20% between January and March !  5% the rest of the year. 

Actually there is little point in being available March to May !  But once May comes, the Early Birds are ready again, in planning the next year !

 

Congrats to the Early Birds !  I personally know you have more fun, no matter what the late bookers …  “think” !