Tips on Going on a Cruise

Planning ahead is essential for an enjoyable cruise vacation.cruise ship deck image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com

If you have booked a cruise and are getting ready to set sail, you may have a few questions about your upcoming cruise experience. Just like any other vacation, there are a few simple tips to follow, including packing properly and purchasing insurance. Taking a few straightforward planning procedures will ensure a successful and utterly enjoyable cruise.

Pack Properly

Pack plenty of clothing, accessories, proper footwear and a large enough bag to bring souvenirs home. For recommendations on proper attire, check with the cruise line or your travel agent as there are often dress codes and requirements for formal nights while aboard the ship. Some nights require suit coats and formal dresses, while other nights cal for casual slacks with a collared shirt and nice dress.

A few different types of shoes may be needed for your cruise, including gym shoes and non-slip sandals. When sightseeing at the different ports it is important that the shoes you wear are comfortable to wear on long walks and for extended periods of time.

Keep luggage to a minimum when going on a cruise, especially when flying to the departure port. Make sure bags are large enough to hold all of your personal items you are taking with you as well as any additional items you purchase on the trip.

Mark all of your luggage with something that will make it easily identifiable when placed in a pile with all of the other suitcases. This can be done with something as simple as a brightly colored ribbon, tape or luggage tag.

The chances are you will not need vacation insurance, but emergencies happen and vacations are sometimes cancelled. The loss of the amount from purchasing the insurance is far less than the amount lost from cancelled flights, cruise delays, emergency medical situations and lost luggage.

Shore excursions are the perfect time to explore the ship with minimal guests on board with you. Keep in mind, however, that there is a limited time at the port, so make sure you can see and do everything you intended.

If you take the second option and head to land for the day, do not get left behind. When the ship announces it is leaving the port at a specific time, it will and does leave, with or without you on board. Plan your day around making it back to the ship at least one hour before it is scheduled to leave.

When planning shore excursions, pick what you want to do at each port before even boarding the ship. This way, once you are on board while everyone else is scrambling to figure out what they want to do, you can go to the concierge and schedule your excursions before they are sold out or the line gets too long.