With the holidays coming, one of the ways to do some bonding time with the family is to go on a cruise and travel to different parts of the globe. This is actually one of the easiest ways to travel because, the boat will be the one who will take you to your destination, port by port.
Often, cruise ships have tour packages that can will already make you an itinerary. Every stop will already be filled with enough sightseeing to last you a lifetime. You don’t really have to plan your hotel accommodations and your land transportation. Everything is already taken cared of, all you have to do is to just pay the tour package price and sail away.
Below are some of the things that you should think about when you go on a tour.
Seas sickness
Before buying that ticket to a cruise ship make sure that you or any of the members of your family are not seasick. Otherwise, a heavenly trip can turn quickly to nightmare when the retching comes into play.
Often, those who do not travel well in bus on long trips will also find it hard to cruise on a ship. There are medicines that can ease the dizziness and the retching but of course, it can still ruin the whole atmosphere.
If you do not know whether you will experience seasickness or not, better ask the cruise ship administration if they have special money-back arrangements for those who do have before you purchase the ticket.
Safety
Another consideration that you should think about is the weather condition when you go on a cruise. As much as possible avoid the months when there will be typhoons. This is especially true when you are traveling to the tropical Asian countries where the weather can be really unpredictable.
Another safety issue that you should consider is the cruise ship itself. Is the company reliable? Has the company been involved in any boating accidents in the previous years? Research first and then choose the best and the safest way to travel.
Clothes
Depending on where you are going, it is a good thing to ask the cruise ship administration advice on what to pack when you go on the cruise. For instance, when going to a cruise in the Bahamas or any of the Carribean islands, you will for sure have to pack a bikini and other summer outfits. A tour on the Alaskan regions will necessitate some form of winter wear, sweaters, jackets, the works!
It also important that you pack the right kind of shoes. Often, a good old pair of walking shoes and rubber shoes will not fail you. Still, everything really depends where you are going and when. if you are not familiar with the weather, ask around.
Activities
Although most of the sight seeing stuff will already be provided for you, it is still good to do some research and asking on the side on what little else you can do. There are some cruise ships that dock on one area for days and leave the passengers to organize their own tours.
If that is the case, better ask the cruise company or do some surfing on the net on the other activities and places that you can visit that are not part of your official itinerary.
Bob Janeway
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/cruise-ships-89722.html
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
cruise ships?
When you go on Carnival cruise ships, how does it work when you go on exscursions and leave the boat? Do you need passports? Also, when you get off the boat do you have to stay off it all day or can you come and go as you please? o one more thing is it a good or bad idea to bring a camera off the boat onto the island?
Yeah, you need your passport. I went to Cabo from San Diego. There are boat shuttles that take you back and forth, so no, you don’t have to stay there al day. Bring the camera, but just keep it on you at all times.
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-bring camera
- u get an id card
- carnival SUX- too crowded
try Royal Carribean
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you can come and go as you please by all means yes bring a camera and bring your passport
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well yes you need your passport when you leave the boat and you can go in or out the boat whenever you want, and is a good idea because i forgot the camara and now i only have memories
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self expirience
Ok, I have been on 17 cruise and i can give you the number one answer that you are look in for.
1- While you get off the boat and you and you find a taxe that is not that far away for the dock and pretty much they will take you to the excursion that you are looking for. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!
2- While it depends where you are going because if you go to say Bermuda yes you do need one but if you go to Alaska then no, to be on the safe side then bring one.
3- You can get on and off the boat as you please, but they do have a time period that you can get on and off the boat say 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. and if you are not on the boat before 10 then you are getting a hotel.
4- Good because you want to take a lot of pitchers because where ever you go there will be cool things to take a pitcher of, oh and when your on the beach bring a box of cereal and a underwater camera, and all you do is put some cereal in you hand and put it under water and let go and a lot of fish will come and the underwater camera is to take a pitcher of the fish. You have to do it where there are a lot of rock.
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Always bring your passport when you get off the ship onto a foreign destination or you wont be able to get back on the ship. Every time we boarded the ship from the different locations, the local custom officials checked our passports. I took my passport when I went to Mexico, Jamaica and the Grand cayman island. You can come and go as you please on or off the boat as long as you have your ID, however if a certain excursion is some sort of tour, they might take you at a certain time and bring you back a certain time. I took my own camera off the cruise ship onto the different destinations. I didn’t wanna be hassled by local shops going to shop for a disposable camera.
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My Last cruise— Carnival Triumph !
http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_triumph/default.aspx?shipCode=TI
I have never needed to show my passport to get back on the ship? They give you a set sail card and that is what they swipe when you leave and reboard the ship.
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Dizzledonkey is right, carnival is bad. try royal caribbean. They are the best. but yes you will need a pasport, you may come and go as you pleas, and effinately bring the camera
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