Short Cruises 101 Part 2

Now for the fun part, you have decided to go on a short cruise, you picked the time and the duration and you want to set up for a magical time on the ocean. Some of the simple things you can do to ensure a smooth trip are choosing your excursions in advance, buying some souvenirs and goodies prior to boarding and reviewing ship policies and procedures. Granted policy review was not the most fun task to do, but, I was glad Kevin and I were ready and knew exactly what was going on prior to boarding.

The great things I learned during this stage were:
1) As a US citizen, You only need a passport card if traveling by ship to a foreign country. For non-US citizens, cruise travel really does not require any extra effort
2) Prior to boarding you need to complete a sign and sail card which will be for any incidentals you buy on board. I funded my sign and sail card with cash and Kevin with his credit card. Not only did handling my incendentals account in cash make for a nicer trip, I knew exactly how much I had spent throughout. When we bought our onboard excursions, Kevin easily was able to cover his excursions by adding cash to my account. You can actually cross fund each others accounts or even have one account for both of you. One of the most relaxing things about our trip was that fact that I budgeted cash for incidental expenses and know I do not have a pile of bills coming my way to cover those expenses.
3) Pack intelligently. For ladies that means pack clothes you will be comfy wearing. Take a couple of cocktail dresses and a formal gown if you really want to dress up for formal night. You really won't need more than two pairs for shoes (one pair of heals and one pair of walking shoes).
4) Handle all your paperwork and information early and do pre-boarding registration, it will save you lots of time on embarkation day.
5) Carry a decent monetary tip if you are checking in your bags (recommend between $2 and $5 each) and make sure you label everything clearly in advance. Keep in mind, the guys loading you up will absolutely love you if they are tipped well and have no problem acknowledging the generosity.
6) Remember to keep a stash of cash for parking at the port either in your car or on you when you leave the ship. If it is too costly to park, check into shuttles and see if that is a viable alternative for drop off and pick up.
7) Ships start boarding passengers as early as 4 hours prior to departure. Get there early, embark the ship and explore it. Not only will you have time to unpack, but you can start socializing right away and get to know the awesome staff on board.
8) Bring a video camera and digital camera for photos, there are lots of awesome photos you can take on board and everyone is so accommodating you will easily find a friendly face to take your picture or say hello on video.
9) Did you know you can actually buy souvenirs prior to boarding? You can also order special desserts to be served any night at dinner to honor any special event while you are on board. Some of these expenses are really reasonable and add just that little special touch and memory you might not have otherwise. One of the best items I found online was the Carnival basket that included: 4 drink coupons, 1 photo coupon, one bottle of sparkling wine, two lovely engraved champagne flutes, two pocketed t-shirts, two sun visors and a large beach towel. I might have looked like an absolute nerd/geek in my carnival gear but I felt I was posh and styling.

More to come on this, watch for part 3 of this post.