Overthinking???

[my3lilonkeyz]

I am now 32 days away from my first Disney cruise and I am sooooooo excited! I am however having a problem with stressing over every small detail :/ I don't know about everyone else but I keep thinking of all these little things I think I will need or worrying I am going to forget this or that. My hubby keeps telling me to relax and that it's a vacation but I can't stop my brain from racing...
Does anyone else do this or am I just insane???? I keep thinking I am going crazy but I just want everything to be perfect.

[Siliobear]

I'm obsessed with making lists so I can absorb all the great tips and make sure I don't forget them when I start packing. Just avoid the temptation to overpack. Remember to have fun and not sweat the small stuff.

[dpswift]

Cruises are laid back. You do not need to stress. I would pack my items for the characters to sign where they are easy to get to. That way you will remember to take them down the first couple of days. If you have door magnets put them in a front pocket so they can go out right away.

There is really nothing to stress over. I find that I do not go through as many clothes on cruises as on other vacations. If you were to need to do laundry the laundry room was only busy on the last day of our cruise.

One thing that you might want to think about bringing is an extra pair of shoes. On 2 occasions we have been stuck in the rain while waiting to get back on the ship.

[cruisecrasher]

I did that for my first cruise and again for the first cruise when bringing the kids. Basically, for our third cruise, we threw stuff in suitcases the evening before.

[Rudolph4]

I did that for our first cruise (just DH and I). I read the boards, made lists, and packed A LOT! I never touched most of the things that were "have to have". Lol. On our 5 day, each of us is bringing a carryon.

Now, the FE gifts are another story... They are stressing me out a bit! I'm not quite sure how they are going to get there!

[cris0809]

I'm always amused by those that say you use less clothes on a cruise than on other vacations. Do you spend most of your time by the pool? I find that in the air conditioned areas of the ship I'm freezing (movies, dinner) and depending on the time of year of course, by the pool I'm in bathing suit or shorts/tee and then for trivia or activities I'm in a whole other set of attire. We easily use three outfits per person, per day. Plus a bathing suit and coverup. Yes you can mix and match and repeat pieces but I find that I use way MORE clothes on a cruise. My partner and I rarely come home with unworn items.

Our upcoming 14 night is going to be a challenge.

OP: It's so hard to counsel someone who has never been on a cruise. I had no idea what to expect and I'm a major planner! Try not to sweat the small details. Take a few minutes every day to go over your navigator and decide what is a must do. Don't try to do it all, it's impossible. Enjoy the time you have and get ready to book another one!

[mmouse37]

I am now 32 days away from my first Disney cruise and I am sooooooo excited! I am however having a problem with stressing over every small detail :/ I don't know about everyone else but I keep thinking of all these little things I think I will need or worrying I am going to forget this or that. My hubby keeps telling me to relax and that it's a vacation but I can't stop my brain from racing...
Does anyone else do this or am I just insane???? I keep thinking I am going crazy but I just want everything to be perfect.

Herein lies your biggest problem. You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you think everything will be perfect. We all know no matter how much we plan, some things will not go as planned. If you can alter your thinking to "go with the flow" and enjoy the moment and not stress about everything being perfect you will have a much easier go of it. Instead, think about just enjoying your experiences onboard as they come. You will never be able to fit in everything you want to do so just take things as they come, check your navigator and understand that some of your best times may be with something you didn't even plan!!!

Between possible travel delays, forgetting something, rude interactions, bad weather, etc....try not to let them ruin your vacation....just think of of all the special memories you will make with your family.

Have a great cruise!!!

MJ

[my3lilonkeyz]

Thanks! Feeling a little better I know we are gonna have an amazing time and I know things will go wrong. I also think it's just first time jitters but once I get there I am hoping I will calm down and just let everything fall into place. I mean as long as the kids are having fun and I am relaxing then everything is great! So, I am gonna try to relax and not stress over every detail and keep telling myself not everything can be perfect but that don't make it any less special...in fact thinking back some of the most special moments have happened during "Unperfect" unplanned situations, and they are some great memories thanks again, sometimes I just need to hear others are just as loopy as me lol

[mmouse37]

Originally Posted by my3lilonkeyz

Thanks! Feeling a little better I know we are gonna have an amazing time and I know things will go wrong. I also think it's just first time jitters but once I get there I am hoping I will calm down and just let everything fall into place. I mean as long as the kids are having fun and I am relaxing then everything is great! So, I am gonna try to relax and not stress over every detail and keep telling myself not everything can be perfect but that don't make it any less special...in fact thinking back some of the most special moments have happened during "Unperfect" unplanned situations, and they are some great memories thanks again, sometimes I just need to hear others are just as loopy as me lol

We have all been there. And, I think these boards can be a big part of the problem. It definitely builds up the hype and then we get there and our experience may be different. We all read how so and so did that and brought this and planned that....it leads us to believe that everything is perfect onboard all the time and we will all love every single minute of the trip when in reality there will probably be things each member of the family will like and not like.

Just went our 29th DCL cruise last month....love DCL!!!

MJ

[TinkBell10]

When we did our first DCL cruise, we did ZERO planning or research ahead of time! I hadn't discovered DIS yet, and the only cruise we had been on before was with Royal Caribbean. So, we weren't completely newbies to cruising. Long story short....even without planning or knowing what the heck to expect, we had a FABULOUS time and learned as we went along. Like others have said, I think the biggest mistake new cruisers make is packing too much.

I know it's easier said than done, but try not to sweat it. Everything will work out, and if you go with an open mind and know you'll have fun no matter what...well, you will!

[bahacca]

I've made lists of things I can and want to control. I have priority lists of things to do so I can cross them off as we do them. If we don't get to something, well then, I'll have to book another cruise

[Justacruiser]

Originally Posted by my3lilonkeyz

Thanks! Feeling a little better I know we are gonna have an amazing time and I know things will go wrong. I also think it's just first time jitters but once I get there I am hoping I will calm down and just let everything fall into place. I mean as long as the kids are having fun and I am relaxing then everything is great! So, I am gonna try to relax and not stress over every detail and keep telling myself not everything can be perfect but that don't make it any less special...in fact thinking back some of the most special moments have happened during "Unperfect" unplanned situations, and they are some great memories thanks again, sometimes I just need to hear others are just as loopy as me lol

I love that, as long as the kids are having fun! Now that would be pixie-dust if they don't cry, get their fellings hurt, get mad because they don't get their way, don't like their dinner....... Yes, I could go on and on.....

I hope that the second you walk on board the ship that you LET GO! Let Disney Cruise Line guide you. They even give you a schedule as to what they are going to provide for you as far as meals and entertainment.

I completely understand your stress, been married 27 years now! DW is up extremely late the night before stressing about what to wear and so forth. I love the cruises because DW let's go on board and just goes....... I expect you will do the same.

As far as clothes, I take my bathing suite stuff, 1 short outfit and 1 evening dress outfit for each day. And yes, I take 1 pair of shorts for 2 days, 1 pair of slacks for 2 days, 1 oxford shirt for 2 days, and the under stuff and flip flops for the beach. Camera and that stuff and I am done. Takes me 30 minutes to pack for 8 days. Set your outfits together, think of swop outs for the oposite day and you are done.

It will be crazy when they announce your family on board...... Priceless!! Enjoy your cruise.

[caribbeandreaming]

Here are a few take-aways I had from our first cruise...

- I was worried I wouldn't have enough clothes and way overpacked. Swimsuits, coverups, casual clothes, dress clothes and then a million pairs of shoes to match all scenarios. There are laundry machines, so I would pack less and know you can do a few loads of clothes if needed. We mostly wore swimsuits during the day and then dress clothes the rest of the night. I packed way too many in-between things.

- They sell toothbrushes, toothpaste and all types of toiletries on the ship. If you forget something, you can just buy it on board.

- You won't be able to see and do everything so just don't try. We ran ourselves into the ground and it wasn't worth it.

- Bring tons of sunscreen. I got burned and was miserable for the latter half of the cruise.

- I would recommend bringing a watch or something else to know what time it is. THere are very few clocks on the ship - in fact the only one I know about besides the alarm clocks in the room is on Deck 12 by the pool. Everything in the navigators are on a schedule, and I had to constantly stop and ask random people what time it was.

I was so nervous and uptight at first with not knowing what to expect, but we had a fabulous time and I'm confident you'll do the same

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

The only thing that I stress over are the things that will keep us from getting on the ship. Weather (even though we fly in the day before), illness. But I worry most about forgetting our passports. I am constantly checking to make sure they didn't grow feet and walk out of the travel bag that I use for every vacation.

[tictoc]

I am a planner. I would find it very stressful if I was not able to plan a few of the things--or at least have some knowledge. I did not plan all of the details but instead planned some of the generalities. I planned my FE gifts and the days I was going to deliver, but not the time. I planned to get up early one day and watch the sunrise and to make time on one day for the sunset. I planned to dine in the MDRs and brunch at PALO. I was able to accomplish the things I wanted that way.

I overpack and like a PP said I found we used a lot of clothes. it was important to me to be comfortable during the day but to be dressed for dinner. I also took comfort in knowing that I had OTC meds and sunscreen in case they were needed. What I did not worry about was having too much luggage. You drop your cases at the porter at the terminal and do not see them again until you are in your room. On the way off you grab another porter. I had 6 suitcases (4 just for FE gifts) and never carried one of them! There was plenty of storage and closet space in the standard inside cabin I had booked. I was never stepping over anything because all of the suitcases fit under the bed. Do what makes you comfortable and if overpacking is stress relief for you do that!

What I was most grateful for was the info I had gotten here. Of course, I weighed the info and used what was important to me. I loved knowing to turn my phone to airplane mode. Especially since our table mate did not know this. The poor thing used her phone to call and text the entire trip and ended up with a phone bill in excess of 1500 dollars! I wished I had known she was using it so I could have warned her. I also loved having the closet cubes to organize our clothes by the day and the shoe holder to keep the toiletries and shoes at easy access.

I find knowledge and back up supplies less stressful! Do what is comfortable for you and have fun. It is amazing!