i know im insane but how do you keep your cruise notes?

[imgoingtodisney]

My folder is getting about 2 inches thick. All notes for our Disney Magic cruise in Nov. Do any of you keep notes? How do you do it? If you have many folders how do you divide them up? I know call me superduper insane! If only my life was this organized. I live for vacations!!!

 

[Mickey4Me]

Unfortunately I'm not the most organized person so I really have to make an effort to keep info in some kind of useable form. I have found using a spreadsheet program (Excel in my case) to keep info and tips for our cruise to be the best system for me. When reading the boards, I keep my Excel DCL spreadsheet open so that I can copy and paste any info I see that I want to keep in it. Column "A'" on the spread is where I code the info by type (ie D=dining, STM=St. Martin, E=Excursions, A=Activities, etc). I paste the info that I want to save in Column "B" and then format it so that is the text wraps. This makes it easy to sort and reference. Now if I could only organize the rest of my life as well....

 

[bkline]

I tend to be super organized. I printed off the old navigators and used highlighters and notes at the side to help in deciding what I wanted to do and not miss.

 

[abitjaded]

Love the spreadsheet! My notes for our October cruise are on tattered sticky notes, files all over my computer desktop, a piece of paper that needs to morph to three separate schedules depending on APLPLAP and the other dining rotations, and lots of bookmarks on Explorer! When we do the parks I make one nice sheet with each day marked with AP dates, EE dates (can blow that off now) and which park we will go and end at. Just cannot seem to get organized about this. We need a Passporter with three scheduling areas and schedules for everything! Or a Sehlinger to power the lines for Palo!!!

Carla

 

[twinscandc]

I'm not the Queen of organization, but I do tend to get a little "anal" about things. Here is what I have done for our upcoming 2 week vacation in May - (1 week WDW, 1 week DCL):

I found a old 3 ring binder at work - I bought some tabs and plastic dividers with pockets and sectioned everything off. My tabs include such things as Vacation!, Packing, Travel Agency, Airline, Resort, Theme Parks, Cruise, Ports of Call, Journal, etc.

I take binder with me wherever I go!! So, when I'm speaking with someone who gives me a good tip, or read something on these boards, I write it all down. The plastic dividers help with small stuff like business cards and maps, etc. I plan on condensing most of it to 3 x 5 cards, but I will still take it with me on the trip!!

Hope this helps!! I love having all the information in one place, it makes me feel that I won't forget something.

We are going on our "Vacation of a Lifetime" and I don't want to forget one single thing!!

 

[pmouse13]

I also use a 3 ring binder for all my trip planning. I have a hole puncher handy so that as soon as I print useful info I punch the holes and immediately put it into the binder. You can get a hole puncher at Walmart for about $2.00...or you can just buy the paper with the holes in it already. They also sell this at Walmart. Plus, by keeping it all neat and organized it allows my husband to look through and see what I am planning. He is usually the type that just says "whatever makes you happy is fine with me" (sorry ladies, this took ten years to achieve but because the info is organized he actually will occasionally have an opinion on something.
good luck with your planning.
Paula

 

[Mtdewbuzz]

Call me crazy, but I just printed out the 40 page cruise guide & printed the excursion list. Everything else I just take mental notes of. This place has given me a lot of great ideas & tips, but none that I feel I need to write down & keep organized for any reason.

I'll probably keep a journal once I'm on my cruise though so I can be of help to someone else in the future though.

 

[Diamond_Girls]

I also use an excel spreadsheet! The columns are the days of the week, and the rows are the different things I want to keep track of, What type of day (island or Sea), Show, dinner rotations (I have each of the 3 listed, and have marked which day for Palos based on which dining rotation), children's activities, familiy activities, adult activities and misc.

I only include the "must-do's" and the information is all colorized based on how many navigators I found the same info on. For example, if I see that the Art of Entertaining is in 3 different navigators, it is pink, in 2 different ones, it is green, and 1 is yellow. So it is beautiful to look at! Even my 10 year old daughter started her own spreadsheet based on the kid's navigators!

I include this spreadsheet in the front of my notebook. The notebook also includes lists of "what I need to purchase before the trip", what I need to remember to take". It also includes 3 different sets of navigators and of course... the Magical Disney Guide!

It is so much fun to look through! I also keep notes from everything I've learned on these boards. These boards are the only thing that has kept me sane!

Only 143 days to go!

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

I have a bookbag full of information that I printed. I have both excel spreadsheets and word documents. After I print the information, I highlight the stuff I think is important and then I retype the information into a "TIPS" document.

My family is doing the 7 day land / sea in November and I have information that is geared toward everyone in our group. I have a spreadsheet brokendown by each day we are on our vacation, what park we are going to, where we are going to eat for breakfast and dinner, what port of call we are going to, any special things we are going to be doing like shore excursions. This is the only way I can keep things together and remember all these important tips.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice!!

Lisa

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

I have a bookbag full of information that I printed. I have both excel spreadsheets and word documents. After I print the information, I highlight the stuff I think is important and then I retype the information into a "TIPS" document.

My family is doing the 7 day land / sea in November and I have information that is geared toward everyone in our group. I have a spreadsheet brokendown by each day we are on our vacation, what park we are going to, where we are going to eat for breakfast and dinner, what port of call we are going to, any special things we are going to be doing like shore excursions. This is the only way I can keep things together and remember all these important tips.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice!!

Lisa

 

[abitjaded]

Originally posted by Diamond_Girls
dinner rotations (I have each of the 3 listed, and have marked which day for Palos based on which dining rotation),

O.K., so I wanna crib your crib sheet. Which day for Palo based on which rotation?

Now the biggie, all of those going during hurricane season, have you plotted out all your shore excursions for every possible alternate port?

Carla

 

[Ashkins]

*rolls on floor laughing*

Ok... I thought I was crazy for what I was doing but now I don't.

I have a 3 ring binder I have printed out stuff I wanted to know, the cuise guide, confirmation from disney, the e-mails I have sent and received as far as excursions.. Printed out the excursions we are doing and some places we want to go from the web.

I ordered a few things online from various places for the cruise. I printed those e-mails out as well and put those in the book.

As well as directions to Cape Canaveral and hotel reservations confirmation.


Yes I am ready!!! (and I do this evertime we have a vacation... makes a great scrap book starter... I use the same 3 ring binder and page protectors)

 

[goofysgal]

LOL

As I sit here with my notebook and hi-liter ready to change my system to any that seems better while I read this. . . .

We leave in 12 days and I'm in the review and finalize mode using my notebook/dividers/pocket pages/hi-liter. I also do this for every trip.

The great think about the things I have printed out and hi-lited are that my DH really does look at them and will occassionally ask a question--of course I have the answer, usually learned from these boards.

 

[Mickey4Me]

Now the biggie, all of those going during hurricane season, have you plotted out all your shore excursions for every possible alternate port?

Nope, but what a great idea! ...On my way to add another column to the spreadsheet now

 

[atigeg]

Since we cruise almost monthly, I have a manila envelope for each cruise. Inside I file all the paperwork (DCL/DU confirmations, plane tickets, Hotwire or Priceline hotel ressies, Happy Limo ressies, birth certificates, cruise docs., etc.), and I also write the pertinent information on the front of the envelope. Then, right before the cruise, I type all the information on a sheet and print out two copies. I keep one and hubby keeps the other, plus we bring the envelope. That way, we have several copies of all our times, reservation numbers, etc. in case I forget anything.
Yes, I know I am compulsive!!!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by abitjaded

Now the biggie, all of those going during hurricane season, have you plotted out all your shore excursions for every possible alternate port?

Funny you should ask. I've thought about that... but decided that if I was on a cruise that was being diverted, we'd have enough heads-up about where we were going that I could spend some fruitful time in the Internet Cafe.

 

[plutojudy]

I put everything on color-coded index cards. They are small enough to fit in pocket or waist pack. Just take what we need for each day, no risk of losing all my notes. We do this for all our trips not just the cruises.

 

[GoofyDisney]

1. Barb - A folder for each cruise???? I can't imagine how PACKED your file folder drawer must be! hehehehehe (You're the best!)

2. Most handy for me was a folder, sheet protectors and a highlighter. I made the first couple of pages on my computer. A schedule of what days were what. The next pages were packing lists for each member of the family. Then followed the Magical Guide (pages that were N/a were removed). Then followed pertinent threads. Then a bunch of empty sheet protectors.

The empty sheet protectors were a great place to put navigators, luggage tags, Flounders sheets and other ressie sheets, trading cards.....all the stuff that I wanted to bring home, but didn't want to get wrinkled or messed up in the luggage.

The protectors also helpful in keeping separate things that I wanted kept separate like confirmation sheets and B.C.s and Navigators and such.

Several of us "boardies" that went on the 9/29 had folders, so I didn't feel so anal.

My folder traveled in my carry-on bag on the plane and again to get on the boat.

3. the spreadsheet thing sounds great! So, i would have my spreadsheet in my sheet protectors and have more empty ones for navigators, hidden mickey sheets, etc.!

No matter what you use, I recommend not leaving home without your Magical Guide and you highlighter for Navigators!

 

[taswira]

I put any pertinent notes into MS Word or Excel and transfer it to my Pocket PC (Compaq IPaq 3835 PDA). It's small, light, and I even sync certain web pages to it before I travel. That and a highlighter for the Navigators, and I'm all set!

 

[mrkrpan]

I have a VISOR (like a PALM electronic organizer) and so I made several lists on my organizer and kept that in my bag the whole time - never missed the paper lists....
There is also a task list, which is great for stuff you want to do, because it (the VISOR) beeps at you with an alarm...

Happy Trip!