Article - Cruises - CaptainJacksCruise.info

THE PERFECT CRUISE VACATION STARTS RIGHT HERE
Preparation is half the fun!

It’s a dream for many people. A luxurious cruise on one of those almost intimidating cruise liners, surrounded by marble, zipping cocktails on deck, sailing from port tot port. And they are right. A cruise IS a dream. A dream that can come true. What many people do not understand, that a cruise does not start when the captain sets sail. A cruise starts in your own living room, making the best possible preparations to ensure your dream cruise will come true in its fullest.

When it comes time to plan vacation, many people dream about a long voyage on a luxury cruise chip, leaving all of the hassle to the captain (thank you! :))and the crew. If your life is filled with stress, a cruise can be a time when you let go of all of that stress and just let other people worry about everything. However, planning a perfect cruise vacation can be strange and intimidating to some. That’s understandable. Planning a cruise is different than planning other types of vacations. Here are some tips on making your cruise vacation a perfect one.

* FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT: Make Sure You Know What To Expect
You need to know what you should expect when you purchase a typical cruise package. Generally, this will include your lodging onboard, meals, entertainment, activities, and other standard facilities. While your package may include airfare, most cruise tickets do not. You may also need to arrange your transportation from the airport to your ship. Massages, Internet access, alcoholic beverages, and gratuities will usually cost extra. Guided tours in your daily ports may not be included either.

Bear these facts in mind when you decide how much money to bring along on your cruise. You may be disappointed if you show up for your cruise, expecting that you will not have to spend any more money than what you paid for the package. This is especially true if you purchased a discount package. Make sure you communicate with your cruise line so that you know what is and what is not included in your package price. Please, make sure you know what to expect. If spoken to some very disappointed passengers and a 100% violated this rule: make sure you know what to expect!

* Second: Travel Documentation – Get It Right!
If your cruise goes to areas outside your own country, you will need to have the proper travel documentation. You may need visas, passports or other papers. You may even need to get inoculations, depending on health requirements for travel to certain countries. Make sure you take care of these responsibilities well in advance. You may not know this, but almost any cruise ships sets sail with leaving some people behind, just because they didn’t bring the right papers. Do not become one of them. And please remember: in this case even the captain can’t help you!

* ”Do I Need A Tux?”
The weather on your cruise will more than likely be consistent. But you need to bring clothing that would be suitable for sudden changes. Your activities may also require a variety of clothing. Recreational activities during the day will likely be casual, but some luxury cruises have fairly strict dress codes for the evening that could range from business casual to formal, so make sure you know about these requirements in advance, so you will have the right clothes for any activity. If your captain will dress up for dinner, so should you!

* "Will I Get Seasick?”
No, you will probably not. But bring some Dramamine anyway :). While many people suffer from seasickness, this is not generally a problem on a cruise ship. These crafts are so large and stable that the motion of sailing is usually not distinguishable from walking onboard. If you are highly susceptible to seasickness, though, if you bring some Dramamine, that should handle the problem.

* Plan Your Activities
It does not take a lot of planning to create the perfect cruise vacation. But the fact is, that people who step aboard without that planning end up spending a lot more money, or doing a lot fewer activities, than they had thought when they were planning their cruise initially. Make sure you take care of the logistics, and your cruise will be a vacation that you always remember; but for good reasons.

* Prepare, but don’t overdo It!
A cruise, whatever it will bring you, is a vacation. It is not work. Do your planning to make sure you life your dream the fullest, but do not get frustrated when your game plan does not work out exactly the way you want. There is a good reason for that; live on a cruise liner is less structured then life on shore – for our passengers, that is:). I have never met a passenger that did not make new friends onboard. New friends mean new plans. New plans mean unexpected surprises. Do not be afraid. It ruins part of your planning, but makes your stay at the cruise liner even more exciting.

Did you know you can submit your own articles? Tell the rest of the world about your cruise. Isn’t that fun? Go to ‘Submit articles’ on the left and you’ll see how easy it is. I love to hear your cruise stories! 

Cruise and have Fun!
Capt. Jack S.