Planning My Carnival Cruise In My Franklin Covey Paper Planner

I did a you tube video explaining how I am planning my upcoming cruise. Watch it here.

My favorite planner tips...

*Use the system you already have for planning a vacation.

For example, if you read my blog often, you know that I use a Projects section for active projects. Vacation planning is a project.

Dates of travel go on my monthly calendar.

Week or day-specific tasks go on my weekly calendar.

*Keep tasks lists on sticky notes. 

Pre-vacation tasks and things to do while on vacation should be separate. I put them on sticky notes, and whatever is not done by the week before the cruise will simply be moved and stuck to the week before the cruise in my weekly pages.

*Time-specific tasks go in your regular system for tracking tasks.

For me, that means getting birth certificates goes on my weekly calendar, but making a sign for our door on the cruise ship goes in the task list in the projects area of my planner.

And my favorite cruise planning tips...

*Call your bank, credit card, and cell provider a week or so in advance to let them know you will be out of the country, so they don't stop service when you buy souvenirs in the Bahamas (or so they do pause cell service).

*Empty memory card and recharge all camera and electronic batteries in advance of your trip.

*Order proper travel documents in advance (as in months in advance).

*Teach your kids their middle names (for customs).

*Make a folder for travel, including driving directions, boarding passes, luggage tags, shore excursion documents, and travel documents. For a cruise, throw in a pen and post-its and some highlighters for the daily itinerary.

*Arrange for someone to check your mail and contact you in case of emergency. For a cruise, they can call the cruise line if they have your ship and room number.

*Prepay bills that will come due while you are out of town.

*Make an on-cruise task list, with things like setting your watch to ship time and making sure checked bags are all brought to your room.

*Separate your packing lists by bag - carry-ons versus checked luggage.

*Keep a list of questions for cruise forum (Carnival uses Funville Forums) in your planner as you think of them.

*Have a day before the cruise checklist and a day of the cruise checklist. For example, the day before, I give myself a pedicure and clean out the fridge.

I hope to post more about cruising in the next few weeks.

Bonus Knowledge: My washi tape (put in my planner to protect my privacy in the video) came right off the page without ruining my writing in Frixion pen.

Etcetera.