These days, taking a cruise is truly the only way to travel in complete relaxation and luxury. However, even though you may end up with a great trip, it does take considerable planning to actually make it happen. Cruise lines will give out different tips for travelers to follow, and if you don’t follow these, you may not ever make it onboard.
Many cruise lines advertise using commercials showing vast blue oceans, luxurious ships, and people laughing having a good time. What makes cruises so wonderful is that you get to sail the deep blue sea while you visits several exciting ports of call. Think about it this way, as you sit in your office surrounded by cubical after cubical in the dead of winter, what better way to get away from it all than to book an exciting, exotic cruise!
When you travel on a cruise, you will experience substantial benefits. The real “key” advantage of crusing is that the ship does the traveling for you while you sit back, relax, and enjoy the many activities available to you. You will visit many different places without ever having to sit in a car, train, or airplane and count the hours until you arrive. Also beneficial is that your hotel room comes along with you, taking away the pressures and expense of having to find a hotel at the last minute sometimes. Lastly, most cruises include all of your meals in the price of the cruise. Of course, extra items are additional, but this is a real benefit. Below, you’ll find a compilation of various cruise travel tips, organized so that you will make sure to be prepared for the exciting adventure that awaits.
Timing is Everything
Just like it is important to get to the airport on time to catch your flight, it is crucial to arrive at the dock on time to make sure there is plenty of time to organize ans situate yourself. Cruise ships nowadays are sailing out of more cities than they did in the past, but in most cases, you will need to fly to and from your departure location. If this is the case, make sure you schedule in enough time when you book your flight to allow ample time to arrive at the dock with time to spare. Just like airlines will not wait for passengers, cruise ships will not either. How awful it would be to find out you were just a little bit late, but missed the vacation of a lifetime. The boats are on a strict schedule of departure and arrival because they do visit so many different ports, so the ship waits for no one. This is true even when you visit different ports.
As with all important literature, make sure to read all important documents provided by the cruise line or your travel agent. Unless the cruise you are boarding is confined to a single country, which is highly unlikely, you will need to prepare in advance to obtain a passport, just like you would if you were flying to another country. Many times airlines will not refund your full purchase price of your ticket, so before booking a flight or other travel plans, make sure you completely understand the documentation given pertaining to your cruise.
Embarking on a cruise in unlike any other type of vacation and is thrilling in its own regard. Because of this there are contracts, guidelines, procedures and requirements that must be followed before boarding and while your stay on the ship. The cruise line will take good care of you while you are on the ship, but they probably won’t be too caring if you didn’t read your documents and forgot your passport of Visa. Once you have your travel documents in order, they will go out of their way to make your trip memorable and exciting.
Safeguard Your Luggage
When taking any sort of vacation, nothing could possbily be worse than losing your luggage, and this is the case with a cruise as well. Make sure not to lose your luggage either before or after, and if this does happen, report the loss immediately to cruise personnel, and they will do all that they can to recover the luggage. At the cruise terminal, your baggage will be handed to the porters for loading on the ship, so it will be mixed along with several other bags, some that may look just like yours. Make sure to uniquely mark each of your bags to ensure that you accurately receive your bag. Just like in an airport, your baggage is tagged with identification tage, so even if it does end up lost or in the wrong hands, it should eventually make it back to you.
Remember these tips when you are preparing to leave the cruise ship as well. On large cruise lines, you will put a colored tag on your baggage, and leave it outside your door the night before arrival at the last port, then you will easily pick it up when on shore in the terminal. Getting off of the cruise ship can feel like you are in a crowded maze, so many ships are now offering the option that if you carry off all of your own luggage, you can be with the first people to leave the ship.
Motion Sickness
Like in all travel situations, some people experience queasiness while on board the cruise ship. Even if you’re not sure if you will become motion sick, always have handy motion sickness pills or a special wristband that stimulates certain pressure points that are believed to counteract nausea. Also, make sure to get your medicines in advance and pack them in your hand baggage so they are easily accessible. Hopefully you won’t need them, and many people don’t, but it is always best to have them available at the right moment when you need them.
It’s All in the Details
Before leaving for your cruise, it is critical to review the cruise summary and travel itinerary to make sure that no errors, on your part or theirs, exist. This tip is the one that will ensure that you actually get to spend your vacation time doing what you want to do, relaxing and having fun, rather than wasting valuable time trying to sort out a mistake.
Right as you board the ship, you will be given an outline that will explain all of the activities available to you so that you can review them as you wait in line. One last tip is tp extensively review this outline so that you fully understand the plan of the trip. It is much easier to correct any mistakes that you may see now, before you board the ship, so you are not wasting time doing so while on the ship.
Embarking on a cruise is fabulous and something that should be looked forward to with great anticipation, but it will take a considerable amount of planning. If you follow the advice of these cruise line travel tips and those of the cruise line itself, you will not only get onboard the ship, but you will have a wonderful trip of a lifetime!