All Aboard for the Best About Cruising!

Cruise ships are a fun and engaging way to see numerous ports of call, enjoy a variety of activities and travel through beautiful regions. Cruise ship travel is, by nature, markedly different from any other form of vacation. So, you need to plan accordingly.

From packing to medical considerations, preparing for a cruise vacation goes beyond the basics of swim trunks and guide books. To learn about how best to prepare for a cruise vacation, keep reading for great tips on everything from packing your suitcase to warding off seasickness.

What to Pack on a Cruise Vacation

Ultimately, what you pack is going to depend on your cruise destination. An Alaskan cruise will require different clothing than a Caribbean cruise at the height of summer. That said, don’t let land temperatures fool you.

Particularly during the winter months, some cruises (like those leaving from L.A.) can be quite cold. Regardless of the forecasts on land, always pack a wind-resistant jacket and at least one set of clothes that will allow you comfort up on deck when things get chilly out at sea.

You’ll also need proper identification and proof of purchase to board a cruise ship. These will be required at every port-of-call, so pack your papers (including your health insurance) in a water-resistant envelope that’s small enough to carry with you if you plan to leave the ship.

Medical Considerations

You will most likely need travel health insurance for your next cruise vacation. When purchasing travel insurance, try to find one that’s geared specifically toward cruises and the legal intricacies of international waters.

Secondly, pack any needed medications. You may even want to pack extras or a spare if you intend to go to shore. For example, an asthmatic may want to pack one inhaler to carry in a pocket and another backup inhaler just in case.

Most cruise ships have a medical clinic and doctor or health professional on-board the ship, but this is typically a stopgap measure, not a full-proof backup.

Finally, if you’re prone to motion sickness, you can prepare for your voyage with basic ginger root. An herbal remedy, ginger root has been proven to help with seasickness while avoiding the side effects common with many pharmaceutical motion sickness remedies. Herbalists recommend taking the ginger root starting a few weeks before you actually leave on your cruise.

What You Should Leave Behind

Always leave behind a full travel itinerary and emergency contact information with family and friends. Most cruise lines offer an emergency number that can be used by family and friends in case they need to get in touch with you urgently.

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When it is time to plan the arrangements for a Caribbean cruise deal, there are many decisions that need to be carefully considered, as they will certainly have an impact on how the trip goes and how much you enjoy the experience. One of the first decisions will be selecting from the various types and sizes of cruise ships available. After that, you will need to determine what kind of amenities you would like in your cabin and where you prefer the cabin to be located.

When you are browsing through the websites or the brochures for Caribbean cruise ship travel, you will see that there is always an area that features the layout of the vessel, which outlines the various decks where the passenger cabins are located. Along with the diagrams of the interiors floor plans of the ship, there are usually listings of the different categories of cabins. On very large ships there can be as many as 20 cabin categories, which often makes it very confusing, especially for first-time cruise travelers.

Often there are discount cruise travel deals that are available only for a certain class of cabins on cruise ships. The problem is that if you have never been on a cruise before, it is hard to know exactly what these various classifications mean. If you choose the wrong classification and discover the head of your bed is against the elevator shaft, then you might end up having a less than wonderful time.

On most ships, the cheapest cabins, and the ones that are sometimes offered as “hot deals” by some of the discount travel websites, are tiny and barely larger than some people’s walk-in closets. These cabins are also generally on the lower levels of the ship and may even be below the waterline, so obviously without portholes. While many people who are more interested in the activities outside their cabin may not be dissuaded by a tiny, windowless cabin, they do need to know about the noise. The lower levels of a ship are very close to the engines and often the roar of the engines can make it very difficult to get any sleep.

However, on the newer ships that are being built today, that is less of a problem, as they are being designed better to avoid this problem. In fact, the new trend that many of the cruise lines are following with the newer ships is laying out the cabins in such a way that all the passengers at least have a port hole. There are even some ships in service now that boast balconies for all cabins, no matter what classification.

This is a great trend for cruise passengers because it helps to assure that any cabin, in any classification, will be comfortable and enjoyable. Having the ability to be in the privacy of your cabin, while relaxing with a cup of coffee or glass of wine on your own verandah, will help to make the cruising experience personal, comfortable and luxurious.

With the right deal on the price of the ticket, even a tiny cabin can make sense if you are taking a short cruise that will only last two or three days. In most cases, these cruise ships and these Caribbean cruise lines are more geared for those who are partying and the cabins are just a place to sack out for a few hours between festivities. But if you are going to be on board for more than a few days, or if partying is not your main reason for cruising, then you will want to be sure you have a comfortable cabin where you can relax and unwind and have some time to yourself.

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