In any holiday, planning and looking forward to it is part of the fun. Cruising holidays are certainly no exception.
The first question that comes to the mind to the first time cruise travellers is what to pack.
Even though the answer to this question varies dramatically according to the location and time of the year we can provide one simple guideline: Do not over-pack. On average first time cruisers pack twice the amount of items that they need. It is always recommendable to elaborate a list of items and then stick to it. Some travellers tend to fall in the temptation of packing loads of shoes; it is very important to avoid this temptation as they take out loads of luggage space. Bringing one pair of walking shoes, one pair of casual shoes and one pair of dressy shoes is more than enough.
Some items which are worth remembering are:
– Moisturized wipes: These are very useful while on shore excursions
– Night light to place in the bathroom. This item will come handy to the passengers in the inside cabins.
– Sun glasses and sun cream
– Pack wrinkle free clothes: Just in case the ship has not got any ironing room as the laundry costs tend to be quite expensive.
– Do not pack too many t shirts as you are quite likely to purchase more either onboard or in any of the places you visit.
Other important recommendation is to never pack cash, traveller’s checks or any valuable items in the check in luggage.
It is very important to bear in mind that the embarkation process is a very hectic time to all the cruise personnel therefore we can make the process easier and quicker for them by making sure that we keep all the cruised documents handy.
Most cruised provide a cruise card that makes the function of a charge card; it is recommendable to monitor the balance regularly specially if travelling on a budget.
It is important to remember that most cruises do not give the option to pay with personal checks and not all of them will include an ATM machine though most of them will. Before making any telephone call you should always check the cost as sometimes they can be quite expensive. It is always worth finding out in advance about the roaming feature with your mobile phone operator. Buying a calling card is an option that can save you a considerable amount of money.
Nowadays cruises offer a wide range of shore activities and excursions, it always pays off to reserve early as the most popular cruises tend to be sold within the first two days of the cruise. It is important to get to know the cruise staff early as they have a great knowledge of the activities on offer so they are able to provide sound advice.
Finally for those who tend to get seasick it is important to avoid looking out of the window and remember to pack anti-seasick tablets, by taking half a douse you will avoid feeling drowsy.
