So you have researched, compared, and analyzed cruises. You have found the perfect one. Congratulations! But now what do you do? More than likely your cruise is many months away. Here are five tips to help you be as prepared as possible.
1. Check your Passports and Identification
Our family prefers to travel using passports over birth certificates. If you need to apply for a passport you will want to do that early. This will ensure that it has time to be delivered to you before you leave.
Already have a passport? Check the expiration date. Your passport must not expire for at least six months after your final day of travel when traveling to some countries.
You will also want to double-check the expiration date of your license or state-issued ID. Beginning October 1, 2020, all passengers will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license to fly within the United States without a passport.
These REAL ID-compliant cards will be marked with a star. You can read more about the REAL ID Act here.
2. Decide how you will travel to the port
Do you plan to fly to your destination or drive? If flying you will need to begin looking at airfare. We suggest you fly into the departure city the day before embarkation. This will help you have peace of mind that you will not be late and left by the ship.
Some cruisers do choose to fly into their destination on the morning of their cruise. This can be risky. What if your flight is delayed or canceled? What if you miss a connection? It’s better to be safe than sorry. You do not want to have to pay for another flight to the first port of call and miss time on the ship that you’ve already paid for.
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If you drive you will need a place to park your car while you are gone. There will be parking at the port, but this is normally very pricey. There are other parking companies that will allow you to park in their lots and provide transportation to the port. These companies will also pick you up from your cruise and take you back to your car. (Click HERE to see our review of Park Port Canaveral, an off port parking company.)
Another option is to choose a park and cruise hotel the night before your stay. You will need to book this as a package. Most hotels will also offer some sort of transportation to the port. However, the package usually only includes transportation for two passengers. Everyone else in your party will be an extra charge. Some hotels will not provide transportation. Therefore you will have to UBER or call a taxi to get to and from the port.
3. Book a hotel
Will you be extending your vacation either before the cruise or after? We like to stay near the port at least the night before our cruise.
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
It allows us to relax and know that all we have left to do is board the ship. At most ports, it also gives us an extra day to enjoy the beach.
On our last cruise, it took longer to disembark than we had anticipated. There was also a delay in our port pick up. We had a ten-hour drive home. So at that point, we wished we had planned to stay the rest of the day and start our driving journey early the next morning.
It is important to research hotels that you will enjoy and book it while it has availability. Take into consideration what type of hotel you are looking for. Do you prefer budget-friendly, oceanfront, to be in the heart of the city, a certain hotel chain, etc? Reading reviews on sites like Tripadvisor is one way to find a hotel that meets your expectations.
4. Research your ports of call
Exploring the ports of call is part of what makes cruising such a great deal. You do not want to arrive at these ports blind.
A well-planned trip will be a more enjoyable trip.
This does not mean that every minute of your vacation needs to be planned. However, you will want to have an idea of what your family will do each day.
Image by lhern03880 from Pixabay
Will you stay on the ship, venture out on your own, or book an excursion? When you log into your cruise account you should be able to see the excursion options for each port of call.
Again we like to research the different excursions on TripAdvisor. You will quickly see what is the most popular, the best bang for your buck, or not entertaining at all.
If you are traveling with young cruisers, you will want to make sure that they fit the age range for the excursion. Ages should be listed in the excursion details.
5. Check-in online
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Log into your cruise account and fill in the personal information for all guests. This will allow you to print your boarding passes and luggage tags. You can also fill out the information for kids’ clubs or sign any waivers.
The more you do ahead of time, the less time you will take away from your vacation. You will still have a few things to do in person, but spelling out your name and address won’t be one of them!
Just remember the in-person check-in process for each cruise line will vary.
** Bonus Tip **
– Keep ALL important documents in a safe (known) place
It is a good practice for you to put your passport, birth certificates, etc. in a safe place where you can always find them. If you put these away in the same place every time, you won’t have to remember where you put them.
You do not want to be without a birth certificate the night before you board the ship. On that thought, don’t wait until the night before you leave to look for your documentation. Give yourself some time to acquire the lost documents.
More than likely you will not be able to get your birth certificate on a weekend or federal holiday. If your cruise falls around either of those, don’t wait until the last minute to make sure you have these things.
It’s important to take care of these housekeeping things before your cruise date arrives. These 5 tips will help you prepare, with as little stress as possible. What are some things you do to prepare for your cruise? Leave a comment below.
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