Things You Should Know Before a Cruise

Booking your start prowl tin can exist perplexing, equally there'due south then much choice and so much information out there. Here'southward our Australia-friendly guide to getting it right, both before yous sail and on the high seas.

1 . Volume through a specialist

Information technology's easy to be seduced by inexpensive prowl offers online, just if this is your first voyage, it pays off to consult a specialist travel agent and make sure you end upwardly on the right ship for you. A list of agents affiliated to the Prowl Lines Industry Association (CLIA) is available online. Large, chain travel agencies may push button sure cruise lines with which they have commission agreements, and so ever ask for a range of recommendations. Agencies that sell null but cruising are, by nature, likely to have the greatest knowledge. A good amanuensis will question y'all extensively virtually your tastes, age range and the kind of holidays you accept taken in the past. Of course, you tin practise your inquiry online first; read the member reviews on Cruise Critic and don't exist shy about posting questions on the message boards; there are also tips for kickoff-time cruisers.

two . Know your beau passengers

To a kickoff-fourth dimension cruiser, all cruise lines tin look the same. They're non, of class, and different lines (and ships) concenter completely dissimilar people. For example, on international cruises such as Royal Caribbean area, many of the passengers volition be American. On cruises in Asia, most passengers will be from Singapore, and on cruises in Alaska; you're likely to be a tiny minority amidst a mainly American oversupply. River cruises with Breathtaking Tours, Emerald Waterways and APT attract a lot of fellow Australians, as the companies are Australian-owned.

Call back about the age grouping you want to travel with, besides. For example,, a voyage with The netherlands America is probable to attract much older passengers. A P&O or Funfair ship sailing out of Sydney in June will be crammed with immature families. If you want to avoid children, don't prowl in school holidays, or choose an adults-simply transport. For example, P&O Cruises' Uk-based Adonia, Arcadia and Oriana are child-free, whereas lines such equally Azamara and Seabourn discourage children nether the historic period of eleven or 12 . If you're in your 20s, 30s or 40s and like to party, there's usually a mixed-age oversupply on Carnival, Norwegian Prowl Line and Royal Caribbean.

iii . Try a mini-prowl

Dip a toe in the water with a short cruise. Funfair, Imperial Caribbean area, Glory Cruises and P&O offer these 'samplers' out of Australian ports with ane to three nights onboard. Some of these cruises are themed around topics such every bit food and wine, comedy and sports. P&O names its short cruises 'Sea Breaks', while other weekend cruises stop at places like Moreton Island for a quick getaway.

4 . Get organised

Accept a crude idea of what you lot want to do on your cruise. If information technology'south a port-intensive calendar week in the Southward Pacific, don't exhaust yourself by booking onto one bout after another. A lot of ports are easy to explore independently, at your own pace. Champagne Bay, for example, or Suva, or Noumea. Throw in the occasional beach day; cruise lines often provide shuttle buses (for a fee) to nearby beaches, or exercise your own enquiry and have a taxi or local transport.

A lot of cruise lines allow tours and spa treatments to be booked online before departure but keep your options open for part of the trip, at least. If y'all already know a port well and it's unbearably hot, don't experience guilty if yous choose to stay onboard while everybody goes off on bout. The pools and decks will be empty and you can pretend you lot're on a private yacht.

Programme your evenings, too. If there'south a item show y'all want to see, don't make that the evening yous opt for a long dinner in one of the speciality restaurants (which have to be booked in accelerate). If there's a restaurant that allows dining on deck, time your booking carefully, perhaps for a nighttime when in that location's a late sailaway from a cute port. Don't book a spa treatment that ends five minutes before the Captain'south cocktail party on formal night.

Some cruise lines offer special tours of the ship on the first 24-hour interval, aimed at 'cruise virgins' (newbies). It's a good thought to join one of these; yous'll get to know the transport and a bit about how it functions.

5 . Play the currency game

All cruise lines operate a cashless system on board; you annals a carte when you check in and then charge everything to your cruise account. On whatsoever cruise that isn't all-inclusive (and some that are), you're likely to spend a off-white bit of money during your vacation -- extras might include your bar bill, spa treatments, any excursions booked on lath, anything you lot buy in the shops, speciality restaurant fees and money changed for casino chips.

Although the onboard currency probably won't exist the deciding cistron for your cruise, cheque what information technology is. On P&O, Carnival and Princess it'southward Australian currency. But on Royal Caribbean area, Holland America, Norwegian and Glory it's the US dollar. When the Aussie dollar is strong, spending money on a holiday of a sudden becomes very attractive, simply if information technology'south weak, the currency conversion can be painful. If you lot load a pre-paid menu with U.s. dollars, you'll know exactly what exchange rate you're getting.  You may be asked when you cheque in whether yous'd like your onboard account converted to Australian currency but there'due south virtually always a charge or worse substitution charge per unit for doing this through a cruise line, so just say no.

6 . Drinks packages

Some cruise lines offer drinks packages. These may seem bonny but think earlier y'all buy; they're a minefield and there are endless variations; Celebrity Cruises, for example, offers packages for bottled h2o, soft drinks, a classic non-alcoholic package and a premium not-alcoholic package

Some are quite restrictive, only including sure drinks, or drinks up to a sure value. Others mean you accept to prop upwards the bar for a significant chunk of the day to potable your money's worth. Take your itinerary into consideration earlier investing. You lot may, for example, be spending a lot of fourth dimension in port, enjoying long, boozy lunches ashore, in which instance, a drinks package tin exist wasted.

Exist aware that many lines which charge a 15 or xviii percentage tip for every drink also add this gratuity to the toll of the drinks bundle.

You tin't accept one person in the political party sign upward for a package and provide drinks for the rest -- the cruise lines take got wise to that. Nearly lines won't permit you accept your own alcohol on board, either, and some as well ban soft drinks. Bottled water is always cheaper ashore than onboard, but all cruise ships' tap water is filtered and so feel free to beverage it. You may prefer to drink the iced water or flavoured water offered in the buffet and restaurants, although you can't refill your own bottles in these public venues due to hygiene policies.

7 . Stormy weather condition

If yous've never sailed before, you lot may have concerns most seasickness (for which in that location is excellent over-the-counter medication, by the way). Nervous sailors might want to minimise the 'sea days' (when the send sails all day and doesn't stop in port) by flying straight to the location, so for a New Zealand cruise, choose one that starts in Auckland rather than spending 2 days at bounding main from Australia.

The Southward Pacific from Sydney also takes at least 2 days at sea -- on the way there and again on the way dorsum. Outside the summer months, the Tasman Sea can be inclement, likewise.

If y'all're sick and don't have whatever medication head direct for the ship's medical centre, where an injection of Phenergan (for a fee) tin put you out of your misery instantly.

8 . Don't be afraid to complain

If you go onboard and you're non happy with something, for example, your cabin's location, or your table system at dinner (if you are on fixed seating dining), don't suffer in silence. Nearly things can be fixed. For dining room problems, have a quiet word with the head waiter. It happens all the time and they're used to dealing with tricky situations, including people who don't get on with their dining companions. For anything else, the crew backside the reception desk are there to assistance. If there's something missing in your motel, enquire your motel steward.

nine . Take your own tea numberless

Cruise lines have a tendency to stock Lipton's Xanthous Label tea numberless, brands you've never heard of. At that place is no shame in taking your own, especially if you have a favourite type. Either way, don't expect a decent cuppa on a cruise ship; the hot water dispensed at the buffet is never boiling. Worth knowing about is the afternoon tea served on some ships (Cunard, for example); oft the all-time quality tea is brought out for this occasion and served in proper teapots, although the h2o is withal unlikely to be hot enough. We've had crew bring us a cup of lukewarm h2o and a sad-looking tea pocketbook on the side. Australian and British cruise lines are little meliorate at agreement tea-making just in that location's no guarantee of greatness.

10 . The tipping minefield

The thorny subject of tips on cruise ships seems to exist less of an issue for Australian cruisers since P&O, Princess and Funfair stopped charging gratuities.

P&O Commonwealth of australia eliminated all gratuities, leaving the choice to tip completely to each private cruiser. Funfair Spirit and Carnival Legend also abolished compulsory gratuities in Australia, and there is no tipping when Princess ships are locally based. Holland America and Norwegian add a daily service accuse per person per solar day. This is a fixed amount and will either announced daily on your onboard account or will be added towards the end of the cruise. If you don't want to pay it, or want to pay less (or more), run across the purser. Royal Caribbean offers three means of paying gratuities: pre-pay when you book, or pay with your onboard account, or request to have all charges removed from your onboard account and pay waiters and cabin attendants in cash.

Most luxury lines include all gratuities in fares; others apply the old-fashioned system of placing cash in envelopes, which you can paw to an individual. Some lines add automatic tips to spa treatments, drinks or specialty restaurant bills. Room service may likewise have a delivery accuse. As these rules change so often and vary widely betwixt companies and regions, it is best to check directly with the cruise line or your travel agent for the latest information.

Beware of the double-dipping trick used by lines such as Majestic Caribbean area, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity and Cunard. Despite already imposing a 15 or xviii pct gratuity on each drink, when you sign the receipt in that location is an empty space for you to add another tip. If yous scribble in an additional dollar or two, you're effectively tipping twice. Leave it blank if yous're happy with tipping just in one case.

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Source: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1090

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