Cruising Tips and Tricks

Here are a few cruising tips that may be helpful. If you have any to suggest, send them and I’ll include them in future blogs. Keep in mind that cruise lines vary.
--Pack a lighted alarm clock. Cabins don’t usually have them and with an inside cabin you won't have daylight streaming in a window to help wake you up. If you oversleep on the last day and get rushed to pack and get off the ship, you are more likely to leave items.
--Before leaving home, pack and label packets for each port which could include maps, sunscreen, insect repellent, camera batteries and memory cards, pen and paper, toilet paper (well...you never know) shampoo for after swimming, etc. It’s a time-saving tip so that each morning you just grab that day’s bag and slip into your backpack or daybag.
--Once you are onboard, have the gift shop make a hole in your plastic room key card (where it won’t interfere with the magnetic strip), and wear it on a lanyard around your neck. No wasted time waiting in line for a new card if you lose yours.
--Four tips for seasickness: 1) eat a green apple, 2) eat candied ginger, 3) inhale the rind of a peeled orange, and 4) wear Sea-Bands (bracelets that apply pressure to the inside of the wrist).
--The night before an early excursion, order room service for breakfast the next morning. You won’t get stuck in a long buffet line and risk missing your departure.
--Leave thank you notes for staff members who are particularly helpful. Being positive encourages good service in the days to come. Of course, everyone still tips…but a little extra something never hurts.
--To avoid the checkout bottleneck, ask for a printout of your bill the day before disembarking. The cruise itself is included in our tour, but you may opt for some additional charges for services, drinks, etc. during our trip. If there are any discrepancies, you can resolve them early and totally relax on your last day at sea.
--More seasickness tricks: 1) stay midship and as close to the waterline as possible as that area does not rock as much, 2) lie down where you can see the horizon as this places your head in a fixed position, and 3) eat pineapple…it tastes the same going up as it does going down!