I’ll show you mine if you show me yours! Here are my cruise tips for saving wear and tear on body and soul. I’d love to get a few tips from you as well. And, because air travel is so unpredictable, several tips are especially important and noted as a “NEW RULE”.
1. To arrive with wrinkle-free clothing for dressy nights, put each outfit in a plastic dry cleaner’s bag and lay in suitcase. I put items on hangars so they go directly from bag to closet.
2. If you like to lie in the sun, use a very high sun block and reapply frequently, even if the label claims its waterproof. Since I love a tan as much as anyone, I apply it the morning right after my shower with a self-tanner.
3. When flying to meet a ship sailing from a port that is more than a ten minute ride from the airport, buy an airport transfer from the cruise line through your travel agent. Saves time, money and aggravation.
4. NEW RULE! Never cruise without buying insurance from your travel agent. I’ve been told by knowledgeable insiders that Travel Access and Travel Guard are more likely to reimburse justified expenses than the cruise lines’ own insurance company.
5. I never board an airplane without ear plugs or an iPod. Crying babies drive me nuts!
6. If you’re sailing from New York’s Manhattan or Brooklyn pier, take Amtrak to avoid driving. Not only is gas prohibitively expensive but it costs $30 per day to park a car in the Manhattan port parking lot.
7. Take a bunch of singles for tipping all the people who have earned a gratuity along the way.
8. NEW RULE! When flying to meet the ship, don’t pack any items in your suitcase you can’t stand to loose forever. These include documents, medication, jewelry, eye glasses, electronics gear.
9. I consider a carry-on bag with wheels necessary because of all the stuff I have to haul because my suitcase may not arrive outside my cabin door for three or four hours. In addition to the items cited in the above tip, add a change of clothes and shoes plus toiletries.
10. If your heart is set on a cozy table for two at dinner aboard a ship with assigned seating, ask your travel agent to pull whatever strings necessary to reserve one the moment you book. If that’s not possible, run to the dining room the moment you board to reserve your table.
11. When planning your own shore excursions, take the name and phone number of the cruise line’s local port agent, which is listed in the daily program delivered to your stateroom. If a problem or delay occurs, it’s an important contact number to have.
12. The moment you board the ship plan to run to the spa to book treatments, the VCR library (the best go first) and make reservations in an alternative restaurant.
13. Is it me or have cruise lines reduced staff on the pier, resulting in extra long waiting time to process documents and board the ship? Take the torture out of waiting by having an Ipod, trashy book or magazine to read while standing in line.
14. If you plan on buying a cruise line T-shirt in the ship’s boutique, wait until the last day when stacks of them are on sale.
15. Don’t even think of buying grass during your Caribbean or Mexico cruise then packing it in a suitcase to disembark the ship. Before you reach your bag on the pier dogs with remarkable olfactory talents will have scanned all the luggage. Getting busted by DEA agents is a lousy ending to a perfect cruise.
16. No, you can’t bring bottles of any alcohol aboard ship. But you may be interested in reading what other cruisers do to bypass this rule. See the comments in “Taking Alcohol Aboard A Ship”.
17. You can determine the age of passengers likely to sail on a ship by checking the duration of the voyage. Two-to-five-day cruises carry the youngest passengers, on one-week voyages there will be a predominance of passengers aged 25 to 60 and on cruises over a week, most passengers are retired.
18. To save money aboard ship, decide your cruise will be alcohol free. If you have a problem doing that, check out ”Friends of Bill W” meetings scheduled daily aboard the ship.
19. NEW RULE! Do not cruise without travel insurance, especially if you must fly to meet the ship. Delays and cancellations are rampant and without insurance, it’s your nickel to fly to the next port. I recommend Travel Access and Travel Guard insurance, which is available through your travel agent or online.
20. A night light comes in handy because black-out drapes mean the cabin will be pitch dark. It helps to avoid crashing into furniture when trying to reach the bathroom during the night.
21. NEW RULE! Sometimes cruise lines offer lower-priced airfare to entice you to cruise (a good deal). However, be sure to double check the air rate yourself. If you’re booking far out, it may be better to purchase your own air — especially with cruise lines who won’t guarantee the air rate until the final payment is made.
22. Before booking a cruise that will require you to purchase an airline ticket, make sure seats are available to and from the ship’s home port. Airlines are cutting capacity to many vacation destinations (Orlando & Hawaii: -25%, Ft. Lauderdale down 10%).
23. Never, never, never select one ship over another based on price alone, especially when food and service, children’s facilities or the itinerary is important.
24. If you contact a travel agent to book a specific cruise line and the agent tries to steer you to another cruise company instead, I suggest finding a new agent.
25. Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line carry the most families with children. While there are few kid-free cruises today, especially during school vacation period, you’ll find fewer children on Princess, Holland America and Celebrity if that’s what you’re seeking.
