How to Plan for a Fabulous Cruise

I thought I would take a minute to document my planning of our next family cruise.  

I do want to say that it is a LOT of work. Now I know it doesn't have to be.  You can just purchase your cruise, sign up for the excursions the cruise company offers and away you go.  But I don't do anything easily.

We are now weeks away from launch and I have been at this for 2 months. So, what have I been doing all this time?

Well, let's see. 

AIR FARE

Our cruise leaves Le Havre which is in Normandy.  Our closest airport is Paris and we have opted to fly with Air France. 

We purchased our tickets in March.  Air France looked like a bargain.  No longer.  We forgot about the labour unrest in Europe and how much of Europe loves strikes.  Our last vacation happened during the airport security personnel strike in Barcelona.  Thankfully it was to come home so less stressful to leave instead of trying to make connections.  However, that did result in VERY long lines in the airport full of tired and cranky kids and adults.  But, thankfully we made it through and got bums in seats in time for take off.

This time, Air France pilots have been striking monthly,  We are holding our collective breathes that they strike on a week that is not our flight.  If not we will be scrambling like many other folks trying to book flights into the city.

HOTEL

Paris, the city of lights is also the city of very expensive hotels that book incredibly fast.  For the better part of a month, I trolled the Orbitz website for hotel deals in neighbourhoods that were close to sights and relatively safe.  Why Orbitz?  Well, I use the points I collect on my RBC Avion Card for hotels.  This card is a dream.  We stayed in Barcelona for FREE using points and both hotels were absolutely lovely.  We did it again for Paris. This time we are staying at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.  How romantic.  I will post about if it was truly romantic when we get back. 

EXCURSIONS

I am a stickler for a deal.  So, while one could book the excursions through the cruise line, I don't.  That is not to say I have never.  Indeed, for our first two cruises to the Caribbean, we did use the ship excursions and they were good.  For our major cruise to the Mediterranean last year, we did not.  I think we fared better than those on the organized excursions.  One major difference is that our excursions are for the most part private.  We hire a guide/driver and it is just my family and the guide.  This cuts down on waiting times, allows us to be flexible, and we see so much is so little time.  One advantage is that a car/van can get into spots that a bus cannot.  This means we are usually closer to the action by all accounts.  We have loved our guides too - so thoughtful with commentary, tips and tricks, and really no headaches.  But, this also means I have to troll the internet for good guides - ones that do all those things.  This takes time.  A lot of time.  On our next adventure to the British Isles, we have 10 ports.  That is a lot of excursions to plan.

We have decided to do three ports on our own (Dublin, Guernsay, and Edinburgh) and the remaining 7 with guides.  The DYI ports require advance intel on what to see and do.  Again, lots of investigations using guidebooks, tripadvisor.ca, and internet trolling.  A shout out here to a fellow named Tom who puts together cruise port information.  Please see his site at http://www.tomsportguides.com/ .  We will also want to buy entrance tickets in advance because well, a whole ship will dock and everyone will be seeing the same sites for the most part.  So - advance tickets for the Book of Kells, and Edinburgh Castle, it is.  Also, you need to know how you are getting from the dock to the city.  I have discovered that Princess will offer a shuttle into the city when we dock at Dublin, Guernsay is an easy bus loop to take to see the sights, and there is an express bus that leaves the dock in South Queensway to Edinburgh city centre.  This helps reduces scrambles at the port.

LISTS

I make a lot of lists.  I have a detailed chart for each day that sets out time in port, what our transportation will be, costs, cell phone numbers for guides or others, and draft itinerary or sites we want to see. 

This is the table I use to keep everything straight.  It sets out each day with relevant reservation numbers, cell phone contacts and other information like times of museum openings etc.

SKIP THE LINE

If there is one piece of advise I would give anyone traveling on a cruise is to buy in advance if at all possible.  Think about it, when a cruise ship docks, many of those 4000 people are going to want to see the same sites as you do!  Also, in many cases, you will only have 8 hours in a city - you want to make the most of that time - and that means NOT having to queue up in a line.  Lines through security are inevitable, but lining up for tickets can be eliminated.

These are the advance tickets I have purchased for our British Isles cruise:

PARIS

DUBLIN
SCOTLAND
  • CASTLES  When I think of Scotland, I think of Haggis, Kilts, Bagpipes, and Castles.  While very unlikely I will be tasting Haggis, I will be visiting castles, and at least 3 of them.  I initially explored the timed ticket for Edinburgh Castle.  But, upon further investigation realized I should by the Scotland Explorer Pass.  This acts as entry ticket for the major castles we are going to: Stirling, Edinburgh and Urquhart and for my family it is cheaper than visiting just two castles.  So we get a fast way in and a cheaper one at that!  I bought the 3 day pass which is good for 3 days in a period of 5 days.  This fits perfectly with the cruise schedule.  https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/visit/tickets-prices/explorer-pass