Cruise Basics ~Advice for First Time Cruisers~Save money on a cruise~find a cheap cruise

Apart from your clothes, which only you can decide what you need, we will look at the rest of your packing list. This section is for you if you are asking what should I bring on my first cruise. Most of what you should bring on a cruise should be self-explanatory. Of course, if you like to snorkel, you will need snorkeling gear, but we will be looking at the things you might not normally think of.

* I don't care who you are, you will need medication. Some people think that they don't get sick,but on a cruise, there is more than can go wrong. You do not want to pay the prices on the ship for anti-nauseants, pain-relievers, and anti-diarrhea medication. You might even need some decongestant for the flight.

* You will need formal-wear. And this is my pet peeve on a cruise: The entire night is formal not just dinner. That's right, you will go to your room and dress for dinner but then you will remain in your formal wear for the entire evening. I can't stand it when people walk around in the evening in shorts and sandals. There are usually two formal nights on a seven day cruise.

* Bring your own water bottle. Remember from last time, for some reason water is not included in the cruise. However, the water from your stateroom is drinkable. You can use that to fill your water bottle for your days in port. You can also use the juice that is available from the lido deck.

* If you prefer to travel light, you could use a roll of quarters for the self-service laundry that most ships have. I do this every time I cruise on a ship that has a self-service laundry room. I know, most people are gasping right now. I strongly prefer not to carry a lot of baggage with me.

* You might not want to be with your companion every minute of your journey Therefore, I recommend a two-way radio such as a Cobra. Again, you don't want to have to rent one on the the ship.

* Even though to cannot bring liquor on board the ship, you can bring a bottle of wine on board to consume in your stateroom. If you decide to bring your bottle with you to the dining room, they will charge you a $10 corkage fee.

* Your checked baggage from the plane, will be carried onto the ship for you and delivered to your stateroom sometime after the ship sets sail. You should bring a change of clothes in your carry-on luggage.

My first cruise was just as anyone would expect of a guy with no money.

We went in asking all the staff for a list of the things that were included and what we would have to pay extra for. Of course, no such list existed... This is where I give an important cruise tip.

....Almost everything is included and it varies from cruise line to cruise line. If they ask you for your sign-and-carry card or your room number then they will charge you for it. If they don't then they won't.

Your sign-and-carry card ( and different cruise lines will have a different name for it) is simply an on board credit card. You cannot pay cash for anything on the ship even if you want to. The only exception is the casino. In the casino, they will charge you an additional 3% if you use your card and no additional charge if you pay cash. In other words if you ask for $10 worth of chips, they will charge your card $10.30, if you pay cash, you will only have to give them $10 for the chips.

Please remember this: Anything that is in your stateroom when you arrive will appear on your bill when you open it. Whether that is water, beer, peanuts etc. Please do not be a victim like we were. If you cannot trust yourself, ask your steward to remove the stuff, or lock your fridge!

Typically, those items and services that are of a personal nature cost extra.

Alcoholic beverages & soft drinks*
Gratuities*
Meals in some upscael, "specialty" restaurants*
Shipboard purchases at gift shops, etc.
Spa & beauty salon services
Shore excursions*
Casino gaming, Internet and telephone usage
Transportation from/to your home city and your cruise ship

What's included?

Accommodations (your stateroom or suite)
Meals in main dining rooms and alternative restaurants
Most entertainment
Most onboard activiities
Transportation! Remember - your ship moves from port to port!

People who have never cruised often ask me, what do you do on board these ships? Isn't it boring?

When you cruise you can as much or as little as you like. Of course you can always do something when the ships dock, but there's normally plenty do on board the ship, even when at sea. Most ships nowadays have well-equipped gyms, so you can work off the food you've eaten. Of course you can eat till the cows come home. You can swim, suntan, watch movies, shop, read, play games, take part in a host of activities that are normally scheduled on board a ship, but there's more.

The live shows are second to none. The quality of the singing and dancing is very impressive. There is lots of bingo opportunities if that's your thing, the casinos that we have discussed elsewhere, dance lessons, tours of the ship, trivia competitions and thats just on the inside of the ship.

The new Princess vessels have outdoor movie screens now!

The list is far too much to list here.

Now many ships are offering theme cruises. That means they'll have cruises with speakers. Some will talk about how to deal with your personal financial situation, how to take digital pictures etc. Some companies such as Forbes magazine actually host many clients on board a ship. Steve Forbes is actually hosting such a cruise this week aboard the Crystal Serenity. Steve addressed the 300-plus passengers to talk about his hopes for the U.S. and world economies.

So to answer my friends... What do you do on a cruise ship? The answer is: whatever you want!

The dining room has a dress code.
its still relatively casual, they just don't want shorts and a dirty old t-shirt. Wear nice pants or dress and a nice shirt.
With the exception of the first night because most people don't have their baggage yet, they don't want people looking like they are at the beach.
This won't be a problem for you though because you are reading my lens. Therefore, you are required to look spiffy all the time. Not just in the dining room. As a reader of my lens, you should respect the source and always at least wear a shirt at the buffet.

Of course you understand that by the dining room, I'm not referring to the buffet that usually resides on the Lido deck, I'm referring the a la carte, table service which usually resides on the Promenade deck.

On the Lido deck there is no dress code, but for the love of all that is holl, at least wear a shirt.

What all the decks are called?

Thats an excellent question and deserves an excellent answer. Lets start at the top and work our way down.

1. the sun deck. this is usually just a small platform-type deck.

2. the Lido deck. This is like the party and sun deck. The buffet is usually located on this deck, as well as the pools. and sun-tanning areas.

3. a bunch of stateroom decks... might be named things like Caribe, main, riviera, dolphin...whatever.

4. The promenade. This is where the more civilized activities take place. This is where the theater is where the live shows happen. Most of the shops are located here. The jewelery, liquor, souvenirs, can all be purchased on this this deck. Also, very many of the show lounges, casual lounges and bars are here too.

5. The Atlantic Deck. Usually near the bottom either above or below the Promenade. Whatever doesn't fit on the promenade goes here.

6. The Main deck. If you are fortunate enough to sail on a huge cruise ship, then there might be 3 decks of fun stuff. The third one is usually called the Main Deck.

"how to pack".

Did you know that a cruise ship allows carry-on baggage and checked luggage just like an airplane?
I recommend carrying a change of clothes in your carry-on.

Your checked baggage may not arrive in your room until late in the first day. Probably after you sail. As a result, you should try to bring on with you, anything that you might need for the first day...with the exception of your pajamas...it shouldn't take that long for your bags to arrive.
With a few exceptions, everyone usually has their bags the after dinner the first night.
For example, if you are coming from a cold climate, like I do, you will want to have shorts and sandals in your carry-on so that you don't have to walk around in long pants until your luggage arrives in your stateroom.

Thats right, the cruise ship will not wait for you. When you disembark at your port of call they tell you when the ship will be leaving. I recommend being back well before that, at least an hour.

The only exception is if you are on an excursion. If you go on an excursion that you pay for through the cruise line, then they know that you are on the excursion and even if they are delayed, the ship will wait for you.

The only person on the entire ship that they will wait for is the Doctor. Even the Captain is expendable. When I was on a cruise, the Cruise Director Mark Hawkins told us that they won't even wait for him.

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Article Profit Mastery

When I went on my first cruise, it was important to me to do things that I could not do on any other vacation. To that end, I came up with my 3 favorites things.

1. Get up before the sun and watch the sunrise while at sea.

2. Walk around the deck on the walking track. If your ship doesn't have a walking track, then walk around the running track.

3. Have breakfast in the dining room. Most people only have breakfast in the buffet, but try the dining room, excellent service and a much better meal.