Cruise Tips From A Seasoned Traveler
Travel Advice – Cruise Tips From A Seasoned Traveler
If you are cruising for the first time congratulations! You are about to experience a unique, worthwhile vacation experience.
As a newbie, though, you probably have questions about some of the dos and don’ts of traveling aboard a cruise ship. Luckily, there are many die-hard cruisers like James Gray who are happy to share some tips to make your first time cruise more rewarding.
Things You Should Do Before You Leave Home When Planning a Cruise Vacation
Home Security Issues:
It is wise to notify the local Police Department and Fire Department of you absence and give them the contact information of the person who is monitoring your home while you are away.
Arrange to have a friend or neighbor monitor your home to take in your mail and newspapers daily or better yet, put both on delayed delivery until you return. Accumulating mail at your home is a big red sign to thieves and other troublemakers that no one is home. Simply contact the Post Office and your newspaper company to hold your services until you return. You will also receive a small reward by not having to pay for the newspaper while you are gone. Another money saver is to have your garbage service discontinued while you are away.
Set out several lights in you home in rooms that are normally lit at nights when you are home. Set them on timers so that they go on and off at the normal times that you would have lights on when you are home. This will make it appear that someone is home and will help to deter break-in problems. Alert your neighborhood communities patrol coordinator so that they might keep an eye on your property while you are away.
Turn your hot water heater(s) off at the circuit breaker to save electricity. You might even want to shut off your water to your house at the meter to prevent unnecessary damage in case of broken water lines while you are gone. And if you leave in the winter, don’t forget to freeze protect your outside water lines and crawl spaces.
Arrange to have a neighbor or Landscape Company mow your yard if you plan to be away for long periods. This will also help to keep the property in “lived in” condition.
Money Matters:
Carry traveler’s checks in lieu of a lot of cash because if lost or stolen, they are replaceable. To expedite the replacements should your traveler’s checks be lost or stolen, write down the serial numbers and put them in a safe and separate place. A good example is to split the travelers checks in half and give your spouse half and you the other half and then give the opposite spouse the travel check numbers for the opposite spouses checks. That will provide you another layer of security in case one or the other spouse looses their checks for what-ever reason. This will make it easier for both you and your bank to speed up the recovery/replacement process.
It is also wise to keep a supply of small denominational bills, usually one’s and five’s with you for tipping purposes. Tipping is appreciated for porters and stewards at both the airport and docking pier of the ship. This is especially important in foreign countries. Horror stories abound about stolen or lost bags that never make it to the ship. And it is not uncommon for the bags to be misplaced purposely by someone who was refused a tip. It’s a small price to pay for having your clothing and toiletries aboard for your cruise.
To avoid having to stand in long lines at the end of your cruise trying to get any billing errors corrected, check out your ending balance on you invoice as soon as you get it which is generally on the night before you dock at the end of your cruise. Check for any errors and resolve them as soon as possible. There is no sense adding the stress of standing in line to pay your final tab after you just had a relaxing vacation.
You may want to consider using a few rubber bands wrapped around your wallet. The rubber will make it more difficult to get your wallet out of your pocket and will also make it very difficult for a pickpocket to part with your wallet without you feeling it.
BAGGAGE:
Check with the travel venders to make sure you know how much luggage each person in your party is allowed. It should be well packed and before closing it, place a 3” x 5” bright colored card or something similar with you home contact information on it in case the luggage gets lost. Also, make sure to strap your luggage closed in addition to the normal latching devices. In some cases, you will not be allowed to lock the luggage, so check first. If an inspector has to get into it and you are not there with a key, in most cases they will break the lock.
It is also a great idea to place some type of bright colored identification materials on the outside of your luggage. For example, bright orange, green or red plastic tags to make them visible from 50 – 60 feet away. Your luggage will often be off loaded into a large holding area with hundreds of other luggage pieces. Without your baggage being highly identifiable, you could be in for a frustrating experience trying to find yours in a sea of luggage and amongst other frustrated travelers.
Obviously, it should go without saying, but as a reminder, you should always expect the unexpected in regards to the weather, no matter where you are cruising to. It is wise to pack a few extra warmer clothes just in case. If packing is limited, you may wind up having to purchase extra clothing when you arrive. This also brings up another important consideration. People always bring home more than they left with, so you might want to pack a collapsible suitcase inside your other luggage to use to bring home your loot.
Tips For Traveling With Kids
If you are traveling with babies or toddlers, paper throwaway bibs are perfect for protecting your child from stains and messes at meal times, thus prolonging the wear of their clothing.
You might want to consider bringing a collapsible stroller for your young child. The cruise ship is a highly active place and before long you will wind up having to carry them. This is exhausting to parents due to all the different levels on the ship that you will want to visit and you will soon tire. A stroller can be a life saver in many cases such as this.
Pack a few portable, self contained snacks for your child like peanut butter or cheese crackers for use prior to boarding your cruise ship. You won’t need to worry after boarding because on most cruises, all your meals will be furnished. Even if you need between meal smacks, they are readily available onboard.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Preprint labels and stamps if you plan to mail postcards out while you are on your cruise. This saves some time and you won’t have to lug around an awkward address book.
Take a flashlight with you in case you get an inside cabin. Darkness is not fun when you are in a strange room. With no light, it can be frustrating and dangerous in an unfamiliar setting.
When you board the ship, make sure you know the fire or emergency escape routes. Emergencies in crowded spaces especially when stressed can be fatal. Learn to protect yourself. It is also wise to carry a whistle or other loud alerting device with you, especially for women and children in case they become targets of other passengers or even some untrustworthy cruise ship crew members.
Bring a small first aid kit for those minor emergencies. Wet wipes are handy too for those instance were a sink isn’t handy. Normally you can get these items from the ships crew, but in case of an emergency, you may not be able to get someone in a timely manner.
There are literally hundreds of other cruise tips that can save help to increase your safety and improve your sanity as a newbie traveler. A good exercise at home is to try to think of all of the different scenarios that you can run up against at home or when traveling on land and then apply that knowledge to traveling on a crowded cruise ship. Some may not be adaptable on a cruise ship; however, most will be and will make it more relaxing and enjoyable while you cruise, you may even enjoy traveling so much that you decide to become an online travel AGENT and get paid while you travel. Hundreds of individuals just like you do it already. If you are interested check out this video.
Tags: Become An Online Travel Agent, Cruising, Online Travel, Online Travel Guides, Traveling
October 24th, 2010 at 8:53 am
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