Cruising through life is the best way to go. Pampered with all the necessities taken care of for you. Why would you want it any other way. Four and five star meals, daily maid service and best of all, a room which travels to your favorite destinations. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. How can life get any easier than that. Enjoy the ride but know what you are getting before you get there.
Getting on Board:
Getting on board and getting off are the two most unenjoyable parts about cruising. Long waits in line with no where to sit can be stressful and taxing. The key to both is to treat it for what it is. Getting on board, you want to get this cruise underway so get there early. Do not have a lot of carry luggage, check it all in. Use a porter. What? It will cost you a five or a ten? You are on vacation! Anyway, they know where to go, you don’t. If you have mobility issues most cruises will move you to the front of the line.
If the stateroom is not ready you can enjoy exploring the ship and get to know where things are. Better yet, go get signed up for excursions, dining reservations, and, shows in that order. Off boarding is the exact opposite. Wait to the last minute to exit your room. Take a moment to enjoy the peaceful bliss of being unencumbered with luggage and not waiting in line. Again, if you have mobility issues most cruises will move you to the front of the line.
First Things First:
As stated before do this as soon as you get on board. Do not wait, or, what you want may get filled up and you will be out of luck. If your cruise line offers and online option for selecting these before the cruise date absolutely do it. The earlier the better. Get the excursions done first. Most ships have so many specialty dining areas there is no huge hurry to signup, so get your excursions done. Handle the dining options second. The general evening dining area will have a selection from the specialty restaurants or will be very close in the level of dining. The shows can come last. There are plenty of activities on board to keep you occupied in the evening. Of course, you can flip this order to accommodate special situations, like a Valentines Day cruise and you want the top of the line restaurant. Remember, if traveling as a couple one can take care of excursions as the other takes care of dining or shows.
Know what you want before arriving to the port. Make sure to have a plan B in case something is filled up. Move through signing up as smoothly as you can, there will be a line and people asking questions delaying the process. Remember, you still have other sign-ups to do. A fun plan C can be a day on board without having to get off and the spa or pool all to your self. Or maybe just exploring the port area instead, without any hurry to be somewhere.
Shopping Onboard:
Shopping on a cruise is like walking into the local mall, everything is on sale all the time but there are no taxes. You will be constantly advertised to for watches, jewelry, clothing, hand bags, liquor and art work. There are some very good buys if you know your pricing. Liquor is generally held until you offboard. With some of the drinking packages available you don’t need to buy any to drink on board.
You will see the same items at your ports of call for probably the same rate or less. So wait. As the trip goes on the prices will fall. Be careful. The sales people get very aggressive the last two nights of the cruise. If you do know your pricing there can be some very lucrative buys available. Be very careful with the jewelry, especially the precious stones whether on board ship or at a port city. Most people can not tell glass or lab create gems from the real thing. Do some double checking on the authenticity of the cruise line before you get to your cruise.
Selecting Your Stateroom:
For those of us who live on a budget only two things should be used to determine your stateroom, size of party and budget. When you really think about it, your stateroom only has a couple of purposes while you are cruising:
- Holding your things
- Changing room
- Bathing area
- Sleeping quarters
Otherwise you will not be in your room. Preferably, if the cruise is good, you will only come back to your room to shower and change for the next event until the end of the day when you are ready to call it a night. Does it matter whether you have a balcony off your room or a big portal window to see the ocean from your room? The size of your party will make that determination. Two double beds may not be available in the inside stateroom configuration. However there can be nearly a thousand dollars saved between an inside stateroom verses portal window verses outdoor balcony. Do keep in mind that the lower your stateroom is in the ship the least expensive it is, and, the more machinery noise it may have.
Cruising Is Fun:
The main advantage of cruising is the price. The dollar value for what you receive is very hard to beat. It is like walking into a five star restaurant and getting a taste or two of each menu item in a short period of time. Afterward you will know if you want to go back and experience a full meal. In the mean time you are catered to like royalty and chauffeured to every destination in style. Enjoy the adventure.