There are
many things one must do in preparing for a cruise, that are common to most
forms of travel. Some of these things
are:
- Determining
whether one needs to arrive in the cruise terminal’s city the day of the
cruise, or a day or two before the cruise.
- Arranging
transportation to/from cruise terminal, airport, or train station.
- Making
sure all of one’s documentation is in order. (e.g.: Passports & Visas)
- Setting
up Hold Mail service with the Post Office.
- Vaccinations
needed for destination(s).
- Itinerary
information to be packed in each bag, in case it is not delivered to the
correct destination on time. (This will
aid in the recovery of lost bags and in the delivery of those bags to the
cruiser.)
- Backup
copies of all identification and credit cards being carried on the cruise. (One never knows when one may need to call a
credit card company about a lost or misplaced card.)
- Cruise
Documents, such as Boarding Passes and Luggage Tags.
- Luggage
Locator Tags (Apple Tags, Tile Tags, etc.)
- Confirming
cruise terminal check-in time with the cruise line.- - - - - - - -
Passports,
Visas, Entry Permits, and Proofs of Vaccination.
One should take care of these items as early as possible before the cruise, as
many people forget one or more of them, and have been unable to go on their
cruises.
Passports are a requirement for most cruises.
However, many round-trip cruises from US ports do not require passports,
as they only require a birth certificate for proof of US citizenship. This is
not recommended, as a person’s cruise may end suddenly due to ship malfunction
or individual illness. Affected cruisers
would then need to get a emergency passport from the nearest US consulate or
embassy, something which can be a major hassle in an already stressful
time.
Assuming one is using a passport for international travel, one should make sure that it will not expire before 6 months after travel has ended. Many nations require this for entry, and one can be kept off a cruise for this reason. However, this might not be all that a traveler
needs to cruise to/from many ports, as individual countries/regions may require
visas or entry permits to enter. For
example, the US and EU already require entry permits for all non-citizens,
separate from any visa requirements that may exist. The UK is implementing its own entry permit
system. This may create a logistical
nightmare for US citizens flying from New York to London for a round-trip
cruise from Southhampton to the Norwegian Fjords. It is not just the US, UK,
and EU that has visitor rules like this.
An acquaintance of mine had to apply for 3 separate permits for her trip
to visit Antarctica. So, one must be
careful to secure all required permits and visas well ahead of the cruise.
Some countries (or regions) require vaccination proofs before entry. For example, even though Australia lifted most Covid era vaccination requirements, one of its states still required proofs of vaccination. As a result, several people were denied boarding their cruises, even though Australia (as a nation) allowed them to be on Australian soil.
Dining
Reservations:
As soon as you are able, make your dining reservations for any specialty
restaurants in which you plan to dine.
Often, many preferred dining times get closed out before the cruise, and
one must settle for second and third best choices. For example, I had 4
specialty meals included with my Hawaii cruise (2 from NCL’s “free at sea”
package, and 2 from my loyalty status).
I was only able to book 2 of these meals before my cruise, and had to
settle for 2 meals in restaurants which I would not have chosen had my desired
choices had still been available.
Shore Excursions:
Like dining reservations, shore excursions should be purchased as early as possible. On several cruises, I was locked out of shore excursions because they were sold out before the cruise started. Cancelling an excursion is not much of a problem, as most excursions can be canceled with 48 hours’ prior notice.
Packing for
the cruise.
I have found
that a checklist is very useful when I prepare for a cruise. One of the ones I have found useful can be
found at:
https://www.smartertravel.com/the-ultimate-packing-list/
In addition,
I always pack a printed sheet of paper containing my contact information and my
travel itinerary, so that if my bag is misplaced and opened, it can be
forwarded to me by the airline, cruise line, or other personnel that may
mishandle my luggage. This helped me on
one return to New York, as I left some luggage in the trunk of the cab, and was
able to retrieve the luggage with minimal difficulty.
Assuming
that the weather is warm and the ship has a pool, one might want to consider
packing a swimsuit in one’s carry-on bag.
This way, on Embarkation Day, one has the option of changing into the
swimsuit and going for a soak before checked luggage is delivered to one’s
cabin.
However,
there are items that must be packed, as they will not be permitted on the
ship. Many are prohibited because cruise
ships use a different electrical system than found on land. Some of these items
are:
- Hair
Dryers
- Power
strips with surge protection.
(There are special power strips available on Amazon that can be used.) - Electric
Blankets
- Bottles
of Alcoholic Beverages. (Applies to many
ships, but not all.)
I would read
the cruise line’s list of prohibited items before packing. Please be aware that all cruise lines
currently prohibit bringing cannabis on board, as they follow both US Federal
Government law, the laws of the country whose flag the ship flies, as well as
those laws of each port on the cruise’s route.
In a case reported by a Vlogger, a cruiser was banned for life because
ship personnel found cannabis in the cabin.
Cruisers will
usually not have problems with most prescription drugs. One should keep them in
a carry-on or personal bag, as it may take some time for your larger suitcase
to make it from the porter to your cabin door.
Although I have never needed to do so, one may need to keep their drugs
in their original containers to avoid problems in some countries. When in
doubt, check with appropriate authorities in each country the ship will visit
to make sure that each medication is allowed.
In some cases, your physician may need to substitute medications to
comply with the laws of foreign nations.
Not all
medications are in pill form. Some are
liquids that may need refrigeration. You may need to keep your medication cold
on the way to a cruise ship. However,
once in your cabin, you can request that your attendant remove all purchasable
items from the cabin refrigerator, so that you can access your medications at
any time.
Regarding
medical equipment, most major “American” cruise lines have at least one North
American Standard 110v/60hz power outlet. This may not be enough for many
cruisers, as couples may have equipment such as “his and hers” CPAP units.
Because of this, I always travel with a cruise ready power strip and an
extension cord to allow me to set up my CPAP unit next to my bed. In the case of CPAP units, I have never had a
major problem requesting distilled water from my room attendant. In the one case where I had a problem, he had
to ask for help in translating “distilled water” so that he could fetch it from
the ship’s stores.
One trick
many people have found to access additional power outlets is to bring a travel
adapter, so that they can use the European Standard 220v/50hz power outlet with
North American equipment. Although I
have not needed to do this, it is something to consider when one just needs
that one extra power outlet.
If you have
not done so, load the cruise line’s app onto your cell phone before going on
the cruise. This is the ideal time to
set it up and become familiar with it, because you may need it to do many
things on the ship. On two of the cruise
lines that I have sailed on, their app allows the cruiser to reserve meal times
at the onboard restaurants, reserve seats for the ship’s onboard entertainment,
order drinks and much, much more. Knowledge of how to use the app can make a
cruise more pleasant than if one cannot use a cell phone as an information
utility.
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