Over Planners Annonamous

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

How come I never saw this thread before!! I am definitely an over planner much to my family's dismay. On our last big family trip, I even went so far as to send small disney gift to my nieces and nephews each week for about two months prior to our cruise from Mickey Mouse....they figured it out that it was me though lol

 

[rubberbootbunny]

OMG! Although I do plan like crazy, once I am on board the ship I do relax and go with the flow. Weird, huh?

that goes for me too. that's what I love about the cruise, but I do still break out the highlighters to figure out who goes where, for what activities, so that I can create me time on the Ship

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

I think that planning is half the fun and adds to the excitement

 

[chemnerd09]

I think that planning is half the fun and adds to the excitement

That's why my mom and I do it, though I plan way more than my mom does.

 

[VowRenewal13]

Im guilty! I do both of these things. Glad to know I'm not alone.






We all suffer from OCVPD, obsessive compulsive vacation planning disorder. But if I have to suffer from something, let it be this!

My kids think I am crazy. We are 272 days from our next family cruise on the Dream. I have been planning and talking about it since I booked it on our Alaska cruise in June. I have already researched and booked our hotel rooms for before and after the cruise. As soon as airline dates are available, I will book all of our flights (we will be flying out of 3 different airports). All of our paperwork kept in one area, so I won't forget anything. I have shirts and ears for everyone packed in a bin in the guest room. Made door magnets for everyone's doors and will start working on FE for our staterooms. I love to make lists and research. Since we did the 4 day Dream last year, I have the Navigators and we will pay more attention to what to see and do this trip. The house will be clean and all the laundry done before we leave. Hate to come home to a dirty house. Have to make a reservation to board the dog. If I did not plan and make lists, I might forget something It's wonderful to know there are others like me out there!

 

[Dixielady908]

Ok, I may be an over planner...I just called it OCD....

last year as I was packing our suitcases, I was making a list of what I put in each suitcase...and crossed off the list of what to pack...wanted to make sure everything was put in there.

Our next cruise is not until 12-7-13. I already booked our hotel at Port Canaveral, I did that a few months ago. Even the girl at the hotel said, gee your booking this quit early....

I still have a little time for our flights, but as soon as the dates come out...I will be booking them

I also make list of what needs to be done before we leave, clean the house from top to bottom...check, recheck & check again with my son that he will be at the house to watch the dog...

so I guess I am an over planner...

 

[rubberbootbunny]

just a quick note for those of you who have commented on the spelling of the topic.

Yes I do know the spelling is wrong.

I entered wrong on purpose. It was suposed to have an "e" on the end as a bit of a joke, but for some reason it didn't take. I was going to go back and try to fix it (or ask to have it corrected) but I decided not to as it makes it easier when I search for it on the boards.

So the trip is booked, the budget is done, the hotel booked, the flights picked (just waiting on the seat sale), transportation fixed-up, the packing list done. I still have to figure out the shore stuff. but....
I feel like I am at a loose end. I feel like I need to be planning but I don't know what to plan!
HELP!

 

[cruisecrasher]

just a quick note for those of you who have commented on the spelling of the topic.

Yes I do know the spelling is wrong.

I entered wrong on purpose. It was suposed to have an "e" on the end as a bit of a joke, but for some reason it didn't take. I was going to go back and try to fix it (or ask to have it corrected) but I decided not to as it makes it easier when I search for it on the boards.

So the trip is booked, the budget is done, the hotel booked, the flights picked (just waiting on the seat sale), transportation fixed-up, the packing list done. I still have to figure out the shore stuff. but....
I feel like I am at a loose end. I feel like I need to be planning but I don't know what to plan!
HELP!

Clearly you need to book another cruise

 

[Princess_Kayla]

I am an Over Planner! We booked a dummy cruise for 2014 in June this year and I've already begun to make lists! I have a list of each outfit I'm going to wear and what accessories and shoes go with them. They're organized by what day I will wear them as well. I have my day outfits, then dinner outfits then my night outfits. I don't like to wear sweaty clothes again >,< Oh and each of my outfits are designed like a Disney character.


I have lists of what will go in what bags and lists for the FE Exchange and the Fish Extenders themselves for when we go. How much each item is and how many (to estimate) we will need and how many come in a package.

I have a list of the different ways we can get to Florida. Plane, Car and RV. I can write down Hotel prices, RV park prices Ticket prices.

Last time (and first time) we went on the Dream I was unorganized and we forgot a lot of stuff. Including Autograph books and door magnets! This time I'd rather be over planned than under planned!!

 

[VowRenewal13]

I love this thread! I'm a chronic over-planner for all of our trips, including our annual WDW vacations. Now we're leaving in 9 days (!) on our first ever cruise (DCL or otherwise), and I've been prepping for months! One thing that I have been a little lax on is officially putting together my trip binder (like I'm sure many of you do, I always have a binder/folder with all essential trip documents, itineraries, reservation times, packing lists, etc.).

As I'm gathering everything together now, any tips on what else to include in a DCL cruise binder? I want to preserve all of the Navigators and other documents as well - will they fit in standard-sized binder sleeves?

TIA!

They will fit in a 12x12 scrapbook sleeve, but not an 8x10 one.

 

[Princess_Kayla]

I've already taken on the FE Exchange and we haven't even booked it yet! xD

 

[cruisecrasher]

I have a friend who sells FEs through her etsy shop
We're already in talks for my 2014 cruise.

 

[Princess_Kayla]

I have a friend who sells FEs through her etsy shop
We're already in talks for my 2014 cruise.

We're going to make ours all 5 or 6 rooms lol. My grandmother has an embroidery machine so she's putting a character next to everyone's name and putting their name in Waltograph ^^ I'm making the actual pockets and such!

 

[shandrananette]

Nice to see I'm not alone - I always have one vacation planned (and a countdown on my calendar) and usually know when the next ones that are too far away to book will happen (I have a small sticky note on my desk at work that has been there since November 2010 that says: 2011/12 Cruise; 2012-13 - new baby; 2013 cruise; 2014 - Disneyland. So far I'm on track - we cruised for the first time in Feb 2012, will have a new baby in Feb 2013 and are booked for Nov 2013 on the next cruise. Now I just have to plan Disneyland).

I plan obsessively, but have to keep it all a secret because (1) it drives DH nuts when I have multiple years planned in advance; (2) if my dad thinks I've planned things down to the minute he'll try to do things to screw it up (refusing to eat in a particular restaurant - I don't know why, he's just contrary that way). So, while *I* know where we'll eat when we get to Port Canaveral in year and 3 weeks, I have to present it when I get there as "hey, I think this place sounds good." It's exhausting. But like others said, I'm happy to plan things down to the minute but scrap it all once we get there if something else appeals. But I do like to have a plan, even if I'm the only one who knows about it.

I saw a super cute countdown idea I'm going to do for the next cruise though - you make little construction paper rings that look like Mickey and link together however many you want to countdown the days. I'm looking forward to doing that for my son for our next cruise (for his fourth birthday!)

 

[Princess_Kayla]

I saw a super cute countdown idea I'm going to do for the next cruise though - you make little construction paper rings that look like Mickey and link together however many you want to countdown the days. I'm looking forward to doing that for my son for our next cruise (for his fourth birthday!)

We're not telling my brothers that we're going on the "Mickey Boat" (That's what they call it ^^) So I'm doing a countdown in my room. I'd deciding between the rings or mickey heads all over my wall haha! We have a cricut so I can cut out as many as I need lol and tape them alllll over my wall hahaha xD

 

[rubberbootbunny]

well I have started packing for the cruise in 299 days. I went and sorted out the Stuff I wont need till the next cruise (Seabands, DCL laundrybag, FE) and packed it last night. It felt great.

my new planning thing is we are hunting out activites we want to find out more about from the navigators for the dream.

 

[Princess_Kayla]

Just got some of our FE gifts in the mail! ^^ packing them away!

 

[Ccann]

I overplan as well, big time.

That's why I fell in love with cruising.
I spend so much time planning out vacations and trying to make them perfect that I get stressed out.

With cruising, I plan like crazy, then, as soon as I'm on the ship, my time's all mine. I don't look at navigators beforehand to try to see what's going on, I just look at them when I get them. If we want to do something, we do it. If we don't, we don't. It's so nice to have a completely relaxing vacation!

Too funny this is me! Well with WDW planned like crazy for a 8 day trip but once there we didn't look at my charts only to see where we will e eating that day! I have 389 days til our cruise and I am preparing my plan mode!!!!

 

[rubberbootbunny]

Still over planning. My daughter is becoming addicted to it as well. For our next cruise we are going to WDW as well so I get the joy of double planning. I am considering packing different suitcases for the ship and for WDW. Has any one else done this and how well did it work

 

[TweedleDee/Dum]

Ok... All you over planners!! Do you have any lists that you would like to share??