The time before leaving on a cruise vacation can be very stressful, but not everything you do to prepare yourself for a cruise has to be serious and rapid paced. There are always some fun things that I enjoy doing before each cruise that help me get excited and in the mood for cruising.
#1: Watch My Ship On Webcams
If my cruise ship's homeport or ports of call have a webcam, I usually watch that webcam on the days my future ship is docked there before my cruise. If my ship is docked in its homeport and the homeport has a webcam I will watch the ship depart on that webcam. Sometimes I will have a separate webpage open to You-Tube to play "Anchors Aweigh" as I watch my future cruise ship sail-a-way from its homeport. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare for a cruise vacation because watching the ship depart makes me more exciting and ready for my cruise vacation to come.
#2: Look Through Old Cruise Pictures (Mine Own & Other's Photos)
Reliving old cruise memories is a source of pre-cruise fun for me and looking back at many of my old cruise photos is a way to get excited for an upcoming cruise. Sometimes if I am going on a ship I have already cruised on I will look at previous pictures I took on that ship and if I am going on a ship I have never cruised on before I will search the internet for pictures of the ship I will soon be cruising on.
#3: Search For Sample Main Dining Room Menus
I love eating dinner in the main dining room during my cruise vacations. Before cruising I will search for sample dining room menus from past cruises. When I find the menus I am looking for I will pretend like I am currently onboard and decide what food dishes I would choose if I were cruising. Sometimes this makes my dinner selection easy when I am actually cruising because I have already studied and looked at the menus. Typically, menu selections will stay close to the same from cruise to cruise, unless the cruise line introduces new menus or onboard eatery programs.
#4: Read Past Cruise Reviews Written Over My Future Ship
Cruise reviews from others can be a source of information about a cruise line or ship. Although all cruise reviews, are biased to a degree, some reviews have the potential to teach future cruisers a lot of about their cruise ship. Don't believe everything you read in a review, but try to use what someone else says as a general guideline. I will usually read hundreds of reviews about my ship before I take a cruise on it. When I get back from my cruise I then enjoy writing a review (click here to see my reviews) of my vacation to help cruisers who are looking into taking a cruise on the ship I just got back from.
#1: Watch My Ship On Webcams
If my cruise ship's homeport or ports of call have a webcam, I usually watch that webcam on the days my future ship is docked there before my cruise. If my ship is docked in its homeport and the homeport has a webcam I will watch the ship depart on that webcam. Sometimes I will have a separate webpage open to You-Tube to play "Anchors Aweigh" as I watch my future cruise ship sail-a-way from its homeport. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare for a cruise vacation because watching the ship depart makes me more exciting and ready for my cruise vacation to come.
#2: Look Through Old Cruise Pictures (Mine Own & Other's Photos)
Reliving old cruise memories is a source of pre-cruise fun for me and looking back at many of my old cruise photos is a way to get excited for an upcoming cruise. Sometimes if I am going on a ship I have already cruised on I will look at previous pictures I took on that ship and if I am going on a ship I have never cruised on before I will search the internet for pictures of the ship I will soon be cruising on.
#3: Search For Sample Main Dining Room Menus
I love eating dinner in the main dining room during my cruise vacations. Before cruising I will search for sample dining room menus from past cruises. When I find the menus I am looking for I will pretend like I am currently onboard and decide what food dishes I would choose if I were cruising. Sometimes this makes my dinner selection easy when I am actually cruising because I have already studied and looked at the menus. Typically, menu selections will stay close to the same from cruise to cruise, unless the cruise line introduces new menus or onboard eatery programs.
#4: Read Past Cruise Reviews Written Over My Future Ship
Cruise reviews from others can be a source of information about a cruise line or ship. Although all cruise reviews, are biased to a degree, some reviews have the potential to teach future cruisers a lot of about their cruise ship. Don't believe everything you read in a review, but try to use what someone else says as a general guideline. I will usually read hundreds of reviews about my ship before I take a cruise on it. When I get back from my cruise I then enjoy writing a review (click here to see my reviews) of my vacation to help cruisers who are looking into taking a cruise on the ship I just got back from.