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 1st 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” !
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