Your Cruise Vacation – Cruise Ship Embarkation Procedures for Cruise Travel
Posted on | January 3, 2010 | 9 Comments
The Cruise vacation you have been planning for a year is now a reality. You’ve packed your bags with the appropriate clothes for cruise travel. You have filled out all of the cruise documentation, do this at home, don’t wait to get to your cruise ship, and now you are ready for this highly anticipated cruise. There are a few cruises tips about embarkation day that you should know before you head for your cruise vacation.
Keep all of your documents with you, that includes tickets for the cruise, any vouchers, passport and any immigration forms that the cruise line has sent you. That includes bus vouchers from the cruise line that will deliver you to the ship from the airport. In is wise to pack a change of clothes in your carry on in case your baggage gets delayed. If you have purchased the vouchers from the cruise line, a cruise line representative will meet you at baggage claim and take you to the bus or van that will transport you to your cruise ship.
If you decided to handle the transfer on your own, check ahead of time to find out how much a taxi will cost from the airport to the pier. It is good to know how long it will take to make the transfer so you have timed your flights accordingly. Make sure you have attached your cruise line tags with ship name, cruising date, and stateroom number. When you arrive at the pier a porter will relieve of your bags. He will expect to be tipped. The going fare is one dollar per bag.
Cruise tips are always helpful so pay attention to this one. Let the cruise line make your airline reservations. The reason for this is that if your flight is delayed the cruise line will handle it. If there are several other passengers on the same flight the cruise line will delay the departure of the ship. If it’s just you and your traveling companion they will probably put you up in a hotel in the town of your embarkation and get you on the ship at the next port of call. If you opted to do it on your own, you will have to make all those arrangements. So, for safety and peace of mind let the cruise lines do it.
If you have decided to go to the town of embarkation a few days before the cruise, that will not be a problem, so make your own reservations. Some travel insurance companies will pick up these expenses but make sure you read the fine print on the policy BEFORE your cruise vacation.
When you get to your cruise ship, embarkation could be a little chaotic. There will be lines, especially early in the check in process. There will be a lot of stressed out people so just relax and take it in stride. After you have gone through the check in process you will be aboard and your cruise vacations begins. Here is where it pays to have all of your documentation completely filled out. Many of the cruise lines have loyalty programs so if you are a repeat cruiser many times they have preferred check in areas. Many of the cruise lines will have preferred check in for cruisers who have booked suites or mini suites. Check this out with your cruise travel agent.
This is a little off topic but it’s one of the best cruise tips you will hear. Use a cruise travel agent for all of your cruise travel. It is important to deal with an agent that has sailed on many different cruise lines so they can give you an honest opinion on the difference between cruise lines. Check and see if they are CLIA certified cruise lines organization. Be careful they don’t push you onto cruise ships where they have preferred status which means they get a higher commission. Scour the internet for cruise reviews on cruise travel to back up what your travel agent is telling you.
Now back to the pier. While you are checking in you will have to give the cruise line a credit card for any on board charges. Most times your room card is also your credit card and identification for getting on and off at ports while on the cruise ship. If you can get on the ship early in the process you get two benefits. One you get to have lunch and two you get the first shot at spa and beauty appointments. It will also give you time to peruse your cruise ship and then head for the pool. Having been a savvy cruise traveler you knew to bag a bathing suit into your carry on luggage.
Just before you get to the gangway you will be stopped by the ships photographer and a picture will be taken to commemorate your cruise vacation. It will be on display in the ships photo gallery but you are under no obligation to purchase it. Check in procedures will be different from ship to ship even within the same cruise lines. It depends on the experience of the staff and the cooperation of the passengers. Remember that these folks that are checking you in have been working since seven o’clock in the morning off loading the people from last weeks cruise vacation. Then they turn around and start putting on a whole new set of passengers for the next cruise.
The most important advice is to try to keep a cool head. You are headed for the best thing you can imagine, a cruise vacation.
Happy Cruising!
Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com
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Tags: cruise > Cruise Lines > Cruise Ship > Cruise Tips > Cruise Travel > Cruise Travel Agent > Cruise Vacation > Cruises > Embarkation
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9 Responses to “Your Cruise Vacation – Cruise Ship Embarkation Procedures for Cruise Travel”
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January 3rd, 2010 @ 9:39 am
I have been on many Royal Caribbean ships and it is my favorite line. The price of your cruise includes all of your meals, including free 24/7 room service. It includes the shows and other activities on ship. BUT, you will have to pay for all alcoholic beverages AND soft drinks. They will provide free coffee, tea (hot and iced), juices, lemonade and/or punch. The ship's photographers will betaking pictures at all times of day and when you get off the ship in ports. If you want those photos you will have to pay for them. They will add the price to your on-board tab.
If you take tours off of the ship you will have to pay for them. When you arrive at the port to check in you (each passenger) will receive a key card which will serve as your room key, charge card for anything you buy on ship (i.e.,drinks, souvenir) and its also your pass to get on and off ship in each port. When you first board the ship the security personnel will have you insert your key card into a scanner and then will take a photo of you that is included in the magnetic strip on the card. Each time you get off ship you will need this key card and many times also a photo ID (passport or driver's license). This card allows them to keep an accurate track of all passengers entering and/or leaving the ship.
After the cruise you will have to pay for gratuities for the ship's staff, usually about $60 for a 7-day cruise. You can pay this in cash or they will add it to your cruise tab.
Each day of your cruise you will receive in your cabin a "newsletter" listing the time, place and particulars of everything happening for you on ship. There are generally activities like demonstrations of ice carvings, napkin folding and towel folding, and cooking demonstrations. Some ships may offer a galley (kitchen) tour or a tour of the bridge. There may be organized games and other activities around the pools. In the evenings there are generally shows, one show for those with an early dinner seating and another (same show) for those who eat late. There is always food available. Usually there is a place in ship where you can go get something. Or, you can always just pick up the phone in your cabin and order from the room service menu (food is free). If you want, you can order breakfast room service.
All RC ships have a casino with slots and table games. Many ships have movie theaters, generally small but nice, and you can also see movies in your room. They have ATM’s and a purser’s desk where you can cash a check or exchange currency if you need to. There is a tour and activities desk so you can schedule land tours and activities.
Ships have free morning exercise programs, stretching and walking, etc, and on some you can pay for other things like Spinning. All cruise ships have gyms so you can go workout, usually any time from 6:00 AM to late at night. There is usually a walking/running track on one of the decks also. Some ships leave the gym open all night. They call the gyms Spa because they do promote getting pampered with things like wraps and massages with aroma therapy. They will also generally have a beauty salon to do hair and nails.
There are always pools. Most ships have more than one and the newer ships generally have an indoor pool as well as outdoor ones and all of these have hot tubs. SOme have adults only pools and hot tubs. There is generally a basketball court on the top deck, a place for scuffle board, and a mini-golf course. The newer Royal Caribbean ships have a rock climbing wall and the newest one has a pool for water surfing, called the Flow Rider.
There are places on ships to play cards and board games, and the cards and games are provided. If you want to just sit and read, there’s a library where you can bring your books or select one from the shelf. Ships have internet cafes and some offer WIFI if you bring your prefer to use your computer in your cabin (some ships offer notebooks for rent). There are cocktail lounges that feature a variety of music. Some have a piano bar with jazz. There is usually a disco that starts after 10:00 PM each night and last until everyone leave. On certain days ships will have special activities like a chocolate lovers buffet, or a midnight deck party .
I suggest that you go to the Royal Caribbean web site and look at the features for the ships you will be on. It will not tell you about daily activities, but it will give you information about the location of things on ship.
January 3rd, 2010 @ 10:17 am
Your boyfriend has never cruised before, maybe you should think about a shorter cruise for him to "try out". What if he doesn't like it and you are on the ship for 7-10 days. That is what we are doing. We are going on our first cruise in Oct. and did not want to jump right in to a 7 day cruise in case we didn't like it. So we are trying a 4 day and then if we like it we will go on a longer one. Hope that helps a little.
January 3rd, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
I don't think that the kind of room matters much cuz I've only been on one cruise and that was the Disney Cruise for our honeymoon. If was for 3 day and it was fantastic. There is just so much to do and I mean 24/7. We would stay up late and get up early to see the sunrise. That was beautiful!! There were so many shows to see and the food was out of this world! Then there were the on shore excursions, their private island "Castaway Cay" (pronounced key) with a barbecue and snorkeling. So much to do and see that there wasn't enough time for all of it. There was even a cast off party!! Whatever you choose have fun you will always remember it.
January 4th, 2010 @ 3:26 am
I would go on Carnival, Holland, Princess or Norwegian cruise lines. They all offer different options for a romantic cruise.
With the ship be so big they have areas just for kids and areas just for adults.
Check out this site for really good information on cruises and great deals
http://www.travelaroundsite.com
January 4th, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
At least one of the persons in the cabin must be at least 21.
Assuming you are going with parents or someone at least 21, I suggest Carnival. You are not going to be able to buy alcoholic drinks on board, though. They are very strict about that. In the Caribbean countries, you can drink at 18, but do not miss the ship by drinking too much. The ship does not wait beyond the scheduled departure time for anyone – except maybe the Captain.
Personally, I would suggest you and your friend go to an all-inclusive resort in Dominican Republic. They have good beaches, good fun at the resorts, and no problem doing all the drinking you want. Everything is included at one price.
January 4th, 2010 @ 10:59 pm
A Caribbean cruise is great, depending on where you would like to go. Eastern Caribbean are usually 7 nights and they usually include St. Thomas, St. Marteen, and Nassau, or the cruiselines private island. A Western Caribbean cruise usually includes Jamaica, Cozumel Mexico, Key West, Progresso Mexico, Belize etc.. this also depends on which line you choose to go with. A Southern Caribbean includes San Juan, Aruba, Barbados, and most of the deep southern islands, but this one usually goes out of San Juan, so you would have to plan on flying to the cruiseport.
If you are looking for a cruiseline that is "Youth" friendly then most of them will have families and children on them, unless you book during off season when school is in session, but there will always be children on the ships, just not as many.
The most active cruiselines for your age group would be Royal Caribbean, Carnival and NCL. You will find more older adults on Celebrity and Holland America, but there are pretty much all ages on most of the mainstream lines.
I would suggest that you look at the three mainstream lines websites: http://www.ncl.com , http://www.carnival.com, and http://www.royalcarbbean.com to get an idea of what itineraries are offered and what length of cruise is offered. Either that or contact a cruise specialist agent to ask these questions. They are trained in all the different lines and will be best able to qualify you to the best line based on your answers to questions they will ask.
My recommendation:
Royal Caribbean offers many things on the ship for all age groups. They have the rock climbing walls, the newest ships have the flow rider, there is also mini golf, pools, games etc.
Carnival offers quite a bit of activities for your age group, and if you are planning on a 3 or 4 night cruise, you will find more people your age on the ship…remember they were once known as the "party" ship. But they are catering more to families now..but again, book in off season (not summer, spring break or Christmas time) and you will find less children on the ship.
NCL offers a bowling ally on their newer ships, along with a variety of other activites to participate in, there are plenty of activities for your age group.
Also, the cruiseline you decide on would be dependant on how much money you want to invest in your cruise.
Good luck in your choices.
January 5th, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
Only Disney lets kids with diapers in a pool.
On the Disney Magic, the Mickey pool has a separate filtration system. Non-potty trained children are allowed in this area since it can be easily emptied, cleaned and filled if there is a diaper accident.
On the Disney Wonder, toddlers can enjoy Mickey's Splash Zone, a 385-square-foot play area with interactive fountains.
January 6th, 2010 @ 3:48 pm
If they will only sail to Mexico, have you considered the other side of Mexico? Cozumel, Cancun.
Royal is similar to Carnival in terms of price. Other than that everyone is going to be more expensive. Princess and Celebrity would provide different itineraries but I wouldn't consider them like Carnival at all.
You did not mention the 7 day Carnival Spirit # Ports of call:Cabo San Lucas, MexicoMazatlan, MexicoLa Paz, Mexico.
But really LA and San Diego have limited itineraries and the oldest ships. If they would consider another port you'd have more choices but there just aren't that many Baja Mexico cities, especially if you are ruling out anything longer. Royal offers several great 9, 10, and 11 night cruises that go to Acapulco and Ixtapa. They also offer a great Panama Canal that mostly stops in Mexico though does add Guatamala and Costa Rico on that though those are 13 and 15 nights.
Norwegian does the same ports too but at least it would be a different ship. Princess has LA to Santa Barbara to Ensenada. Celebrity only does 13-17 night ones out of there.
But if they can't do anything other than Under 7 days or anything other than Mexico, you'll be doing the same Itinerary over and over until you are old enough to book your own. At least when you book your own you'll be smart enough to not get so set in your ways you miss out on EVERYTHING other than the same couple ports.
January 6th, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
This is a small outdated ship and YES.. you will need to participate in timeshare activities.
Check sites like Cruisecritics.com for more information about the cruise itself.
And do a check online for Cruise Scams
You didn't win anything.. there are expenses as well as timeshares attached.