Cruise Checklist

Cruise Check List
By Mike Miller

So you are just a couple months away from your cruise vacation. Excitement is brewing and you just can't wait. But the worry comes in of forgetting and worrying about things going wrong. Well, here are just a few things for your checklist to take away some of the stress. 

Online Check In

Every cruise line now offers online check in saving you time on embarkation day.  For the most part, these are the items you will need. As an agent, I can complete this process for you or at least assist.

• Proof of Citizenship (passport info)
• Credit Card for On Board Account
• Emergency Contact Information
• Arrival and Departure information
• Picture (Royal Caribbean)

Online check is usually available about 90 days prior to sailing but check with your cruise line to make sure. 

Once this is complete, you will print your boarding pass and luggage tags.  By the way, for your luggage tags, Amazon has luggage tags that fit Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess tags. 

Shore Excursions

Prior to your cruise, you can see all the excursions available for when you dock in port. These can range from snorkel adventures to city tours. Take a look at the excursion and decide if there are any you just have to do. If so, book it and pay for it ahead of time. Most of the time, the popular excursions will sell out prior to sailing or very soon after. 

Dining Reservations

Most cruise ships now have specialty dining and those will require a reservation. For special occasions or maybe you really want to eat in a certain restaurant on a particular night, making reservations ahead of time is a great idea. 

The cruise lines vary on how they handle reservations. Carnival, allows you to make the reservation through an email and you pay at the time of dining through your on board account. But Royal Caribbean and Princess both require you to pay for the dining experience upon reservation. 
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Royal and Princess also offer dining packages where you get 2 or 3 maybe even all the specialty dining for one price. Carnival has been testing but its not fleet wide as of now. 

Onboard Expenses

There are a few on board expenses you can pre pay and some packages will be cheaper if you do so. 

• Drink packages
• Internet Plans
• Prepaid Gratuities
• Order bottled water for the cabin
• Dining Packages

Pre-paying these expenses ahead of time will help with budgeting and planning for your cruise. 

Never been on a cruise, be sure to check out my first time cruiser page. And for any questions, me at mike@freedomtoroamtravel.com