You might
be thinking about going on a cruise. If
you are leaving on a cruise from the United States you might be thinking of
taking a cruise with Royal Caribbean or Carnival or another cruise line. Cruises are fun, but you may not know what
to expect or what documentation you need.
Here are some guidelines:
Passport Or Other
Identification
If you are
leaving on a cruise from the United States, your destination could be Alaska,
the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico or another country. As of January 31, 2008 laws are starting to
change as to identification requirements.
So just in case you may want
to apply for a passport.
Destination: The
Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico: As of January 31, 2008 a
passport is recommended but not required. You can also show your proof of identification through two
documents such as a valid drivers license and a birth certificate. For more information see Royal
Caribbean Passport Guidelines and see http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/crossingborders/index.shtm
under Cruise Passengers. For a list of
other document options for identification and proof of citizenship see U.S.
Customs and Border Patrol.
Destination: Europe,
Asia, Central and South America, and other areas: For these countries you
must have a valid passport.For more information about getting a
passport see U.S. Department of State or Passport Express.
Internet Access
Many ships
have Internet access available now but the service is not cheap. They may have public access computers or an
Internet Cafe in a certain location of the ship. Certain locations may also have wi-fi hotspots. But even if you bring your wireless (wifi)
laptop they will charge you to use the Internet. Wifi is usually not available in your room, but you must leave
your room and go to a certain area that is designated.
At the time
of this writing Royal
Caribbean charges .50 cents a minute for either wifi hot spots using
your laptop or using a computer at an Internet Cafe. This comes to $30 an hour.
Or you can purchase package deals such as $25.00 for 60 minutes, $35.00
for 90 minutes or $50.00 for 150 minutes.
At the time of this writing Carnival
charges a $3.95 setup fee whether you are using your personal laptop or an
Internet Cafe computer and then they charge .75 cents per minute or a package
deal of 100 minutes for $55.00 or 250 minutes for $100.
At the time of this writing Norwegian
charges .75 cents per minute whether you use your personal laptop with wifi or
an Internet Café computer or they offer a package deal of 100 minutes for
$55.00 or 250 minutes for $100.
At the time of this writing Celebrity
charges .65 cents per minute to use either your personal laptop or an Internet
Cafe computer for Internet access or you can purchase a package deal of $40 for
75 minutes, $60 for 125 minutes, $80 for 185 minutes or $100 for 260 minutes.
(NOTE: Click on the cruise names above
to go to the Internet Access information for that cruise line)
Food and Drink
You don’t
have to worry about bringing food on a cruise because on the ship most of the
food is free. You are assigned a dinner
time for the dining room and they serve you great meals for free. At the end of the cruise you usually just
give a small tip to your waiters. Also,
for breakfast, lunch and dinner you can go to many different food places on the
ship and order food for free almost all day long. Some ships have a 24-hour buffet. You can also get drinks such as water, milk, coffee and juice for
free. Carbonated sodas usually have to
be paid for however. On many ships you
can order food through room service 24 hours a day and this is usually
complimentary.
Alcohol
You are not allowed to
bring alcoholic beverages from home onboard the ship. You can purchase individual alcoholic drinks to be consumed onboard
the ship from restaurants and bars.
These can cost from about $5 to $11 usually. Some beverages include a souvenir glass.
If you
purchase an alcoholic drink from an onboard shop then they will store the
beverage on the ship for you and return it to you on the night before the end
of the cruise so you can pack it. If
you purchase an alcoholic drink at a port then upon returning to the ship they
will take the beverage and store it on the ship for you. Then they will return it to you on the night
before the end of the cruise so you can pack it.
Also see Carnival's
Liquor Policy and Celebrity
Cruises Liquor Policy for more information about bringing a bottle of wine
from home. (Corkage fees apply)
Gratuity (Tipping)
Carnival recommends that you spend $10
a day for tips which is broken down to $5.50 to the headwaiter/waiter, $1 to
the assistant waiter/kitchen staff and $3.50 to the cabin steward. This $10 charge is now automatically charged
to your onboard account daily. 15%
gratuity is added to bar bills.
Celebrity suggests that you spend $9.50 a day for tips. You pay the tips individually in envelopes
on the last night of the cruise. It
breaks down to $3.50 per day for your cabin steward, $3.50 per day for your
dining room waiter, $2 per day for assistant waiters and .50 for the head
housekeeper. 15% gratuity is added to
bar bills.
Royal Caribbean recommends that you spend a total of $9.75 a day
for tips. This is paid in envelopes on
the last night of the cruise. It breaks
down to $3.50 per day for the cabin steward, $3.50 per day for the dining room
waiter, $2.00 a day to the assistant waiter and .75 a day to the head waiter.
Princess automatically charges $10.50 per day to your ship account
to cover tipping for waiters, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley
staff, laundry staff and others. 15% gratuity is added to bar bills.
Norwegian says that guests should not feel obligated to tip but
they may tip any of the staff at any time according to their discretion. $10 per day is automatically charged to a
guests ship account to cover tipping for all services including dining. It is recommended that guests purchasing bar
drinks tip the bar tender 15%.
More information can be found at: http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruiseplanning/articles.cfm?ID=266
Activities
On board
the cruise ship there are usually many activities going on during day and
evening hours. At night there is
usually a show that can include comedy, singing and dancing. During the day you can usually participate
in activities such as swimming, rock climbing, basketball, ping-pong, etc. These activities are all usually free. There also might be other shows and
activities such as dancing, karaoke, sexy legs contest, belly flop contest,
name that tune and more. Each room
usually has a TV with movie channels.
There is also usually a room for teenagers and young ones to play video
games, watch movies, play ping-pong or air hockey.
Shore Excursions
A day or
two before you land at a port you might want to sign up for a shore excursion
or tour for the port you are arriving at.
The tour prices can range from cheap to expensive depending on what you
do. They can range from $15 to over
$150 per person. But many of the activities
are a lot of fun. They can include
snorkeling, horseback riding, zip lining, wine tasting, kayaking, hiking,
sailing and more.
