Cruise Tips for a Better Voyage

All you need to know before deciding on your cruise tour. Here are some cruise tips for a peaceful voyage.

This blog post covers several topics about cruise tours such as how to choose your cruise destination, which cabins you should select, and the essential things to carry.

Travel addicts, holidaymakers, professional travelers, and sailors have started booking on their choice of an all-inclusive cruise package tour.

The best way to escape the harshness of winter blues is to sail to distant sunny islands or tropical countries in a luxury cruise liner.

There are a few points you must know before paying up in advance for your most-desired cruise tour. You must have been dreaming about packing your bags and getting onboard a cruise ship with your family members.

Cruise Tips for a Better Voyage

You might have selected a cabin with a window or an expensive suit with your private balcony! You would have listed your onshore activities on all the ports of calls that your ship is going to anchor.

Deciding a Winter Escape Destination.

There are literally hundreds of destinations out there that you can go to and remain warm throughout your vacation.

You can either pick a single destination to spend your holiday or the more popular cruising to several islands of a particular country.

For example, you can decide on a tour of the Greek Islands or go island hopping in the Caribbean Sea. There are more choices apart from the highly visited Bahamas.

For the South Europeans, and Asians, there are tropical islands in the Indian Ocean that include the Philippines, Seychelles, Indonesia, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, etc.

There are Virgin Islands on Africa’s west coast that will truly make you feel like the legendry Columbus or Vasco-da-Gama.

Whatever may be your choice, here is a list of points that you must read before you begin your voyage.

Points to consider before you choose your cruise destination.

1. If this is your first cruise holiday, you better choose a region that is close to you. It is mainly due to the food advantage you get by going to the islands that offer cuisines that you are comfortable with. For example, if you are a Parisian, going to either Bali or Madagascar is not a wise thing because the alien food may spoil your holiday.

1a. Another reason for cruising to the countries or cities near you is the shorter duration requirement. You don’t have to take a long leave. In addition, the low budget might suit your wallet’s thickness.

2. If you are a water sports enthusiast, choose an island that offers more than one or two water adventures that include jet-skiing, submarine rides, water scooters that you can ride both on the water’s surface or get underwater. Do you know that in one of the Andaman Islands, you can walk on the seabed? If that excites you, definite your choice should be the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
3. If you love to meet the original inhabitants of an island, then, the islands off Australia’s coast or East African islands should be your choice. These islands must have been inhabited for both B.C and A.D periods.
4. If ancient architecture is your interest, then, the Italian and Greek Islands should be your destination.
5. If you pride yourself as a wine taster, then, choose a cruise liner those docks on the French wine countries. There are beautiful small towns in France that are known for their vineyards and wine breweries.
6. And if wildlife watching is your cup of tea, then, go sailing to the East African islands or even India that is known for huge diverse animals and birds.
7. Besides, if you are a connoisseur, cruise to the Spanish and Italian Islands.
8. If visiting remote islands where exoticism is the order of the day, go to the Galapagos or the South Pacific Islands such as Fiji, Micronesia, and Macaronesia.
9. Some cruise destinations maybe be physically demanding while getting around, or sleeping comfortably. I mean, the facilities will be a bare minimum. Please avoid such places during your first cruise holiday.
10. Choosing on a single destination also means your expenditure is less because, you save on different taxes levied on different countries, saving in buying memorabilia, VISA fees, and sightseeing expenses, etc

How to choose your cruise liner?

Here comes the biggest dilemma. Deciding on the cruise liner is an important decision. If you want to do your own research, you may end up frustrated because of too many choices and equally too many numbers of cruise packages involving several cruise destinations and luxuries onboard.

Cruise liners lure us with enticing deals and discounts.

For the first-time cruisers, all advertisements of cruise liners would look attractive.

Besides, there are agents of cruise companies who, through their Facebook pages will advertise their cruise packages.

Below are some considerations for choosing a cruise liner.

1. I would select a small ship the cruises only on rivers such as Rhine, Elbe, Danube, and Seine Rivers.
2. Opt for lesser onboard entertainment because, when on a cruise, you should be spending more time out on the deck and not in casinos, bars, and theaters.
3. Look for entertainment for your children in the brochures of cruise tours. Engaging them is very crucial in a ship.
4. Try a barge cruise that lasts for just one night and two days to see how well you like the experience of moving on water.
5. Look for hidden charges such as room service fee, port entrance taxes, etc

What are some of the onboard entertainments that your children would like?

Your children can still get wet without actually getting on the sea. There are enough water games onboard that they will go wild with excitement.

1. Swimming pool
2. Mini water slides
3. An aquarium
4. Go-Karting
5. Small roller coasters
6. Roller skating and ice skating

Look for these onboard activities that involve children on our cruise ship.

Which Cruise Line you should choose?

There may be around 40 cruise companies out there but only about 10 are known brands among regular cruisers.

Cruise tours are purchased maximum by the Americans. They only enjoy a relaxing, long vacation I believe the Canadians are also comprised 40% of the ship’s passengers.

Therefore, the advertisements of cruise companies are designed to entice them.

Of course, cruise packages that announce only European countries are covered on the tour naturally pull European travelers.

Here are some of the major cruise companies in the world that roam the oceans and seas of several continents.

• Royal Caribbean
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Viking Cruises
• Disney Cruises
• Carnival Corporation.
• TUI Cruises
• Star Cruises
• MSC Cruises

These large shipping companies have a minimum of 15 ships. It is definitely wise to choose a cruise offered by one of these cruise companies.

Where should be your best cabin on a cruise ship?

• First-time voyagers are vulnerable to seasickness. The rooms and suites that are located in the middle of the ship should be your choice if you are prone to seasickness because the rocking movements of the ship are minimal in the middle.
• Though the upper open decks are always open for a 360-degree view, some cabins even without a balcony offer great views. You may tend to choose a cabin just below the navigation as you get excited when the ship approaches a port. The cities of such ports of call loom large showing you many activities of the harbor.
• Similarly, rooms at the back of the ship are good viewing places. The slowly fading city of departure, the wake of the ship following you always are worth watching through the window.
• If you have wisely saved substantial money by not opting to buy too many travel accessories, you can use that money to buy a premium cabin with a large balcony. There is no match to that kind of a cabin.
• Remember to ask if your room is next to the engine room when you are booking your ticket. The sound from the engine room can be bothersome to sleep.

In case, you are late in booking your package and those are only rooms left, then, bargain over the price.

Don’t forget to carry the following essentials while cruising.

1. 1. 1. Power adapter with pins that can fit any kind of sockets
      2. A three-way plug so that more than one mobile can be charged at a time.
      3. Lots of wet tissues are needed because, the open decks can be really warm throughout the day.
      4. Dry bag to take to swimming pool or beach lagoons.
   1. A wet bag to carry wet clothes that you end up with after a swim.

1. Medications for curing sea sickness.
2. Vomit Bags

What not to carry in your back when you go cruising in a ship?

There are quite a lot of things that are banned, similar to the flights. So, check the list of things that are prohibited to carry in a ship and leave them behind in your home.

If the ship still finds some banned items, they will confiscate and store them away safely in a special room in the ship. You can claim them back when you bid adieu finally.

I hope this blog post on the essential things to know about cruise tours is useful.