Cruising for Dummies: Ten Things You Should Know
1) PACK ESSENTIALS IN YOUR CARRY ON
One thing most people do not know about their luggage is that is typically does not arrive until three or four hours after you have boarded the ship. It usually comes RIGHT before or during the first dinner time. So it is important to pack things you will need or want with your carry on, such as: bathing suits, or important paperwork.
2) BRING LOTS OF MONEY
This is a major must. There are not only a ton of cool things to buy, but staff pays to pay, the cost of alcoholic drinks, and the extra charges to get in Johnny Rockets. You can put money on the room key they give you. They charge things you buy on the ship on this card. Everything you buy onboard is charged on this card and you pay what you owe at the end of the cruise. It is easier to just put money on it and try not to abuse it like a credit card.
3) GET TO SHOWS AND EVENTS EARLY
Being early to shows is a must. Seats fill up fast! Also events that are held on the deck, or on the promenade get packed with people and you may not get the best view if you do not get there early.
4) EXPECT TO WALK A LOT
There are many, many sets of stairs on the ship. It also may be quite a walk to your cabin, especially if you are on the complete opposite end of the boat from where your cabin is loacted.
5) EXPLORE TO GET A FEEL FOR WHERE THINGS ARE
Once you board the ship it is always good to walk around and find where specific places/things are located. Even after spending four days on the ship, I would still get lost or forget where places where. It is a lot to remember.
6) MAKE RESERVATIONS EARLY
If you want to eat at some of the nicer restaurants onboard, you need to make reservations early so you can reserve a spot because they fill up quick. The same goes for getting tickets to see the ice show. Get them as soon as you can.
7) DON'T BE SHY, GET INVOLVED
Do not be afraid to take part in activities offered onboard like ice skating, karaoke, guys sexy leg contest, water volleyball and countess other. Even if you aren't the best just try, it is fun and the people always cheer you on no matter how bad you are. (You can even ask my Dad about this, he can prove this point by telling you about his karaoke experience.)
8) TAKE YOUR OWN PICTURES AT DINNER
At dinner there are always photographers taking pictures of families and couples before they go in to eat. It is very professional and there are nice backgrounds. It is free to get your picture taken, but they are extremely expensive. So it is best to just take your own pictures.
9) WATCH FOR PEOPLE OFFERING/SELLING THINGS TO YOU ON THE ISLANDS
There are always locals hasseling you to buy a necklace, get your hair braided or go parasailing. If you want to buy something or get your hair in corn rows then go for it, but they are everywhere when you get off the ship, and at the different beaches.
10) AND FINALLY...RELAX AND HAVE FUN
Enjoy yourself, that is what vacation is all about. Oh and wear sunscreen, sunburns suck!!!
posted by JanelleTravels at
10:30 PM
6 Comments:
i like all of your tips that you shared with us. I think they are all so true. I have been on a cruise ship it it can be very confusing with all the different levels and the different ends of the ships. The one thing that i disliked doing which everyone has to do is the emercency trail that you have to do the first night when everyone is finally on the ship before the ship can leave. You have to have your life vets on and its no fun at all!
I like how you give ten tips on traveling. You lay out what the person should do, then you go into detail. So thats really good. I didn't understand what you meant by the professionals take your picture but their free. Then you say that it is expensive. Do you mean that having your picture professional done can be expensive? I don't know. You did a good job though.
Great idea for a post, Janelle. And good catch on the clarity of the pictures, NYP. I would suggest some links here, and maybe even a pic of your dad singing karaoke, if there is one.
5+/5
You know what else is good about traveling--bringing absolutely nothing with you: no money, not enough clothes, no plans, no maps. You could just be "on the road" like Sal Paradise. Want to go to California? Why not? Stick your thumb up and jump in the back of a truck! If they stop in Kansas, get out and do it again. If this time they stop in Vegas, stop and do some gambling (with the money that you made from robbing a store). Nobody knows it is you because you do not have your ID on you. Sounds wonderful, huh! After you lose that money, your thumb must go back up. But when you get to California, your first stopp should be San Francisco--unfortunately, it is not 1849 anymore. No gold for you! So the trip was a bust--so what? What did you lose besides family, work, responsibility, your hometown, life, reality, lots of time, morals, values, skin, hair, money (wait, you took no money). See, a positive to everything!
Okay--so maybe this isn't the way to do it. We are past the 1980s now, right?
And now, a poem by Jack Kerouac:
"I
am Jake Cake Rake Write like Blake"
..... think about it.
I like how your title plays off the books "... For Dummies." I think that anyone who has not been on a cruise can benefit from these little travel tips. You provided a great range of information for different things a traveler will encounter. Often times, traveling in an unknown area can be so confusing for the tourist. I think it is important for experienced travelers to give the others a little 'heads-up' on what to expect.
Can fill a blank...
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home