Packing for a Cruise
What to Pack
How to Pack your Bags
Preventing Seasickness
Cruise Tipping Guidelines
Hidden Costs of Cruising
Hassel-Free Cruising

Packing for a Cruise As with any trip, it's wise to pack as lightly as possible. In many instances, passengers can take advantage of laundry and dry-cleaning services in order to travel even lighter. (You can usually find price lists and laundry bags in your cabin.) And be sure to bring an extra fold-away bag to carry home any souvenirs you purchase during your trip. During daylight hours, you'll need casual, comfortable outfits. Bring shorts, short-sleeved shirts, lightweight pants, a sweater, swimsuit and cover-up, comfortable walking shoes, non-skid shoes for strolling on deck, and sandals. You might want to bring an umbrella and a light jacket, too. For seasonal cruises, plan accordingly: Be sure to include warm sweaters, jackets, long pants, and extra socks. If visiting a religious site in port, please consult with your cruise's Excursion Desk to find out what's appropriate to wear while touring. Most cruises host several different types of evenings on board: casual, semi-formal (dressy, but informal), and formal. For casual nights, sport shirts and slacks are suitable for men, while sundresses or pants work for women. On semi-formal nights, most women wear dresses or pantsuits, while men put on jackets and ties. For formal nights, women should wear cocktail dresses or evening gowns, while men should don suits and ties, or tuxedos (optional).

 

What to Pack As most seasoned travelers are all too aware, the Golden Rule of traveling is to pack lightly. It may be tempting to pack for every contingency by stuffing the entire contents of your closet into your suitcase, but it's hardly smart. You're sure to end up with wrinkled clothes, a strained back, and possibly a burst bag. Instead, lay everything out that you want to bring along on your trip and pack only half of it. Choose basic outfits that can be transformed with just a few accessories. Drip-dry, wrinkle-free fabrics are ideal. Also try to choose clothes in coordinating colors, so that you can get several looks out of just a few pieces. Purchase all your toiletries in travel or trial sizes. Or, if possible, simply buy your toiletries when you arrive at your destination, then discard the empty containers before you return home. Try to leave any valuable items at home. These include jewelry, cellular phones, unnecessary credit cards, etc. It's a good idea to carry a list of the contents of your suitcases in case your luggage is lost or stolen during your trip. Photos of your luggage also help when submitting a claim to an airline.

 

How to Pack Your Bags Once you've chosen the essentials, you're ready to start packing. Start by placing the heavy or bulky items on the bottom of the suitcase, including shoes, alarm clock, hair dryer, and travel iron. Protect fragile items by putting them inside socks or other thick clothing and placing them in the center of the case. To keep clothing wrinkle-free, place all articles inside plastic bags or wrap them in tissue paper. Rolling your clothes into cylinders, instead of folding them, can also help. T-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans can also be rolled into cylinders and wedged into corners to keep other contents from sliding around. Extra plastic bags come in handy when transporting wet bathing suits and soiled clothes. A needle and thread, a compact umbrella, and extra hangers can also prove to be useful. Pack only things you wouldn't mind losing into luggage that will be checked. Carry-on bags are the place for valuables, travel documents, medications, keys, cameras, cellular phones, cash, travelers checks, credit cards, and photos and inventories of your luggage.

 

Preventing Seasickness While no treatment is 100 percent effective, there are a number of helpful remedies you might want to consider before venturing out to sea. But before you seek relief, it's important to understand why people succumb to seasickness in the first place. Basically, seasickness, or motion sickness of any kind, is a battle between the senses. When you're on a ship, your vestibular system (the inner ear's balancing mechanism) tells your brain that your body is moving along with the swell of the sea. Your eyes, however, look about the cabin of the ship and tell your brain that you are not moving. This conflict causes an imbalance in the body, resulting in fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and possible vomiting.
When you book your cruise, you can reduce your chances of becoming seasick by requesting a cabin as close to the middle and bottom of the ship as possible. Though the eighth-floor suites offer fantastic views, they also pitch and rock more than their inside counterparts. Before setting sail, check out a few over-the-counter medications and natural preventatives. Nonprescription antihistamines such as Dramamine, Marezine, and Bonine can be found at most drug stores and offer relief to many seasickness sufferers. Unfortunately, they can also cause severe drowsiness and should not be mixed with alcohol. Remember to check with your doctor before taking any medications. If you're susceptible to more severe bouts of seasickness, your doctor might prescribe a transdermal scopolamine patch. This circular, flat disk is placed behind the ear, adhering to the skin and delivering medication into the bloodstream for three days. But be aware that drowsiness, disorientation, dry mouth, and blurry vision are a few of its possible side effects. Another natural remedy is ginger, said to have a calming affect on queasy tummies. Chewable ginger tablets, ginger tea, and crystalized ginger can be found at most health food stores. Once you and your physician have decided on a treatment option, it's time to cross the gangplank and set sail. Remember to use caution when approaching the sprawling buffet tables--while the bacon, eggs, and mimosas at brunch would be perfectly tasty on land, they're not exactly what you want to consume when you're feeling ill. Caffeine, alcohol, and greasy or acidic foods are tough to digest and may add to your nausea. Crackers, dry toast, and flat soda are better bets. And don't forget to drink plenty of water, as dehydration lowers your body's resistance to stress. If you begin to feel woozy, call your cabin steward or the purser's desk--oftentimes, they will provide you with free nonprescription drugs to help quell the nausea, vomiting, and dizziness associated with motion sickness. For more severe cases, visit the ship's medical facility. The office will have daily hours of operation, but a doctor is always on-call for emergencies. (Be aware, though, that you may be charged for your visit.) And keep in mind that a cramped, stuffy cabin is the worst place you can be when seasickness strikes. Head up to a quiet spot on the deck for some fresh air and sunshine. When you get outside, face forward and fix your eyes on the horizon--a cloud, passing ship, or your port of call are all good things on which to concentrate.

 

Cruise Tipping Guidelines A general rule of thumb is to plan for about $2.50 to $3.00 per person per day for your room steward and dining room waiter, and about half that amount for your busboy. (A few cruise lines include tipping in the price and will so inform you.) Other ship personnel can be tipped for special services at your discretion. Some recommendations include $1.50 per day per person for your assistant waiter, and a total of $2.50 per person for your head waiter on three- and four-night cruises (for seven-night and longer cruises, head-waiter gratuities are at your discretion). All gratuities must be paid in cash. (Note that a 15 percent gratuity is often added automatically to your bar bill or wine tab when you are served.) Extending a gratuity to your guide or driver on shore excursions is strictly optional. But keep in mind that in some countries, these personnel may expect that if you are pleased with their services, you will reward them. A commonly accepted guideline is $1 per person for a half-day tour and $2 per person for a full-day tour.

 

Hidden Costs of Cruising You have probably heard the term "all-inclusive" applied to cruises every so often. But while a voyage is one of the best values around since all major expenses (lodging, meals, snacks, activities and entertainment) are indeed included in the fare, there are some items - mostly of a personal nature - that are out-of-pocket expenses. So set aside some cash to cover these expenditures to truly make your next sailing the cruise of your dreams. And to make sure the incidentals don't break the bank for you, here are some tips on saving on the Seven Seas:

1. Shore Excursions: Read the line's shore tour booklet and attend the port lectures given aboard ship that give you more details about the organized tours available for sale on the ship. Prices for these excursions range from about $25-$45 for a half-day city tour, to more than $200 for some all day tours, overland programs including meals and snacks and such exciting offerings as helicopter flight-seeing and hot-air ballooning.
Savings Tip: While you may wish to sign up for some of the ship's tours (particularly if you are not familiar with the port and do not speak the language) you also have the option to tour independently at a fraction of the cost - or even for free, if you go on a self-guided walking tour. Before setting sail, request free planners with maps, calendars of events and attraction brochures for the ports of call on your itinerary from tourist boards. Check out books on your destination from the public library, and visit Web sites such as this one, particularly our Virtual Cruises to give you ideas for touring in the ports. Look over the calendars from the tourist offices for festivals or crafts displays (sources of good, free entertainment) during your visit. Art galleries showcasing local work, parks and beaches are some free, or nominal charge, attractions to check out. Museum and native crafts exhibits are other inexpensive options. If you decide to hire a car and driver to give you a private tour (generally less expensive than the shipboard excursions) or just to take you to the center of town, always agree on the price (and in the case of a tour, what specific points of interest will be covered) before you board the car.

2. Alcohol and other Beverages: Alcoholic beverages and wine are not included in the cruise fare on most lines (with the exception of some ultra-deluxe lines). And your tab can add up: Hard liquor, cocktails and wine are around $3.50-$4 each; soft drinks, $1.50.
Savings Tip: Most vessels advertise "daily drink specials" you may want to try. At meals, iced tea, milk, coffee and juices are complimentary. If you are traveling with children, find out if your ship offers "soda packages" that feature unlimited sodas during the cruise for about $15-$20.

3. Casino Gaming: Shipboard casinos keep getting bigger and bigger, so it is safe to say, the lines are doing well at their tables and slots.
Savings Tip: Set a limit as to how much you wish to risk and leave if you lose it. Or better yet, avoid the casino altogether - there are plenty of other diversions on board, like music for dancing, production shows, variety entertainment and TV-style game shows that will not set you back a penny!

4. Spa: A massage is typically around $60-$70. And there is an array of exotic, pampering treatments available. Most shipboard spas are operated by Steiner's of London, and the staff, who works on commission, often gives you a sales pitch (they sometimes even call it a "prescription") that calls for you to buy several of their products. Savings Tip: If you get a sales pitch, just smile and say you will think about it and get back to them, if you do not want the products. Check your ship's daily program of activities for ads for spa treatment specials that may be available one-day-only or during certain hours of a given day.

5. Souvenir Shopping: You probably want to purchase something to remember your cruise, and it may take a lot of will power to pass up on the beautiful - and expensive - figurines, perfumes, designer fashions and leather goods if your budget does not allow for them.
Savings Tip: Avoid temptation by not browsing in the boutiques onboard and ashore if you cannot afford to buy. If you do plan to purchase some souvenirs, check the prices of merchandise at stores back home and bring pages of their sales catalogs for the particular items you are interested in to compare prices (they may be cheaper at home). Good, inexpensive souvenirs include handicrafts from outdoor markets and street vendors, and local products such as coffee, jellies, etc. purchased at grocery stores in the ports.

6. Laundry: As at land-based resorts, laundry and dry cleaning charges on a cruise can be steep (approximately $2.50 to $3.50 to wash a T-shirt, for instance). Check to see if there is a self-service launderette and use it (typically, washing and drying one load of clothes comes to about $2-$3).
Savings Tip: If there is no launderette, pack enough changes of clothes for the cruise and do the wash back home.

7. Film And Other Camera Needs: Getting additional film, batteries and other camera supplies will not only cost you more money (generally $1 to $2 more per item than the same articles bought at a discount store back home) but precious vacation time as well. Ships' photographers typically charge $7-$9 per photo, $15-$20 per formal portrait.
Savings Tip: Buy plenty of film and other camera supplies on sale at home - and bring more than you think you will need, just in case. Take your own pictures and rely sparingly, if at all, on the ship's photographers.

 

Hassel-Free Cruising I'd venture a guess that experienced travelers make the dumbest mistakes and have more slip-ups than novices. When one gets blase and careless, less attention is paid to the myriad details which can louse up a trip.

* When purchasing an air/sea package, the routing of your flight from home to the city of embarkation is determined by the airlines. Avoid the torture of having to change planes in a city when a non-stop is possible by asking your agent to contact the cruise line's airline deviation desk. For $35 or so extra, they'll put you on the most direct flights -- it's well worth it.

* Whenever possible, plan to arrive in the city of embarkation a day before the cruise departs. It is wonderfully de-stressing to leisurely arrive at the pier from a local hotel and will add a day of relaxation to the cruise. Pre-cruise hotel nights are offered by all cruise lines, but your agent can frequently get a better deal on a hotel stay on his/her own.

* Never pack anything in your luggage you couldn't stand loosing forever. Theft by baggage handlers is all too common today, and I know people who have lost jewelry and other valuables.

* Tape your name, address and phone number inside all pieces of luggage. Tags can come off easily, and tracking a piece of lost luggage with no I.D. is a nightmare. Have you ever stood among the masses at a luggage carousel straining to determine which dark suitcase is yours? Tie a piece of brightly-colored yarn or wrap electrician's tape around the handle for easy I.D.

* Sometimes it's appalling to see how rude and disrespectful passengers can be of staff and crew. And, if you need a favor (change in cabin or dining table, for instance), just see how far you get if you're demanding -- a pleasant and courteous approach can work wonders.

* If you don't have children and the idea of spending a week or so with hundreds of noisy kids is less than appealing, be very careful which vessel you choose during holiday and vacation travel periods. For example, a cruise aboard a Carnival vessel during spring break may be a memorable experience -- but probably not the kind you want unless you're a high school or college kid ready to let loose yourself.

* If you have a legitimate gripe (the room steward or waiter from hell, a cabin with a noisy family next door), go directly to the purser or hotel manager, explain the situation and ask if the problem can be resolved. If at all possible, they'll try to iron out difficulties, so why let anyone hamper your cruise?

* Always carry your cruise and airline documents on your person. It's easy to misplace a carry-on bag en route, and if traveling on an air/sea package, your luggage will straight from the airport to your cabin. You'll add lots of aggravation to the journey if you show up at dock-side check-in and your tickets are somewhere in the bowels of the ship with baggage.

* If your ship stops at a private island for the day, you can avoid an endless wait as several thousand people attempt to disembark at the same time by being at the head of the line -- when disembarkation is at 9:00 a.m., for example, get in line a few minutes earlier.

* If the cruise ship has complimentary videos, make the video library one of the first places you visit. Grab several the second you board, since the best go first and passengers are slow to return them.

* If you like to change immediately out of traveling clothes upon boarding, take a set of clothing & casual shoes in your carry-on bag. Your suitcase frequently shows up in the cabin hours after you've arrived aboard ship.

* When booking several months in advance, it's always best to purchase cruise insurance. A life situation (loss of job, illness or crisis in the family) can arise, but without insurance your cruise fare is non-refundable (check the company's policies in the back of the brochure) after a certain point. And, if worried about the financial stability of a cruise line, ask your agent about third-party insurance which protects against default and pay by credit card.

* Crime is a fact of life in some ports of call so take precautions. For example, it's advisable to take a money belt for sightseeing in many European cities -- be especially careful in Rome, Barcelona and St. Petersburg. I wouldn't even carry a purse in these cities: a fanny pack works great!

* It's better to compromise on the length of your cruise that the quality of ship. For example, if you can't find a ship you know is good for a one-week cruise in your price range, look for great vessels that with voyages of 3- or 4-days in duration and spend a few days ashore in a good hotel.

* It's likely you'll want a table for two on a honeymoon cruise so be sure the ship of your choice has tables this table configuration in the dining room. Aboard some ships you'll only find tables for four, six and eight. And, confirm that your cabin has beds that can be re-configured to queen or king size (in some categories of cabins on older vessels, twin beds are bolted to the floor).