45 more days...

(Because you can never be too prepared!)

Your Luggage - When you get off the bus or out of your taxi, gather your luggage into one place and a porter will take it to the ship. Don't leave your luggage until you're sure a porter has it under his care. About $1.00 per suitcase is a customary tip for them. BE SURE to count how many suitcases you're bringing so you can keep track. If you have some way to do it, mark your luggage so you can identify it quickly. Remember a lot of suitcases look alike, choose a way to mark your luggage so it "sticks out like a sore thumb" while it rides around and around on the conveyor belt or is stacked in the far corner of a large baggage claim area. If your bag were to burst open, you can patch it up real easily and quickly if you have a roll of wide duct tape in your carry-on. When the cruise is over and you gather up your luggage at the dock - be sure to stay with it. Don't lose sight of it until you see your luggage loaded.

To lock your luggage or not to lock it when you check it in at the pier for a cruise has been under discussion for some time now. If you're flying in to your embarkation port, it is recommended to lock your luggage with a TA approved lock. If you purchase that kind of lock, the airport security employees have a universal key they can use if they need to get inside. If you decide to use this kind of lock, try to find one that uses a combination so you don't have to carry the key. With all of that said, the question here is whether to lock your luggage at the pier or not: The short answer is no. Some people say if you place a lock on your luggage, a thief will think you've packed something valuable. If your luggage uses a zipper, a lock is not a deterrent anyway. The best advice I've read is to use plastic zip ties and cut them with nail clippers when they arrive in your stateroom. If you purchase bright colored zip ties it will help you find your luggage. If the security personnel need to open your luggage for some reason, they'll just clip the zip tie rather than calling you there to unlock your lock. Also, if you notice one of your bright colored zip ties missing, you'll know the workers have opened it.

This is very important: On the last night of the cruise when you place your luggage outside your door, ALWAYS use a zip tie, not only for the main lock but also for the side pockets. The reason is because while your luggage is outside your door, it's available to the general public to rifle through it or hide something it it. This rarely happens but it's best to be safe.

Don't pack too much - Remember you're not moving out; it's just a cruise! If you use large gallon size plastic bags that can be sealed for your shoes as well as everything else, you can better organize your suitcase and prevent damage if a liquid were to get broken. Use good luggage because your suitcase could end up on the bottom of a big stack of heavy luggage. While loading or unloading the ship, time is of the essence. Do you remember the television advertisement from years ago showing an elephant standing on luggage? That advertisement was not too far fetched! Also pack an extra fold up suitcase or at least a good cloth laundry bag for your dirty laundry that you can tie up and tag for the trip back. You're going to need extra room in your good luggage for all those souvenirs. If you don't want to be stuffing a laundry bag all week, you could pack a collapsible laundry hamper for the convenience of it.

Another Tip About Luggage - You're sometimes limited to just two items of luggage especially if you're flying to the port. Be sure to use large suitcases if you have them. This may seem like a simple decision but if your luggage is more than twelve inches thick when empty, it won't fit under your bed. If you choose luggage that's too small, everything simply will not fit. To make matters worse, if your luggage is too large you'll probably load it until it's so heavy you'll just be a pulled muscle waiting to happen! If taking a bus to the port, the rule about two items is only enforced when the bus luggage area gets full. Also be sure to have permanent luggage tags with your home address attached to your luggage just in case it gets lost. For security reasons, turn the address card over or cover the luggage tag so anyone standing nearby can't read it.

Lounge Chairs - Some ships have plenty of lounge chairs but of course some don't. You may have to get out early to get one if you’re planning on lying out but it's considered rude to put your towel on a lounge chair and not come back for hours. Naturally some people don't know the meaning of modesty but don't worry because there are always a lot of places on the upper decks where you can find a more private spot for your lounge chair. Speaking of towels, there will be a couple of pool towels in your room. Be sure to return them to your room or they may charge you. Your room steward will bring you clean ones. A great idea is to bring your own bright colorful beach towel. It actually solves several little problems: First of all, you don't have to be concerned about someone accidentally taking your cruise ship towels and leave you owing an unexpected charge for them. Secondly, from the other end of the pool all the identical lounge chairs with identical towels blend together making it more difficult to keep an eye on your personal belongings like camera, book, sunglasses, and mp3 player, etc. - but if anyone goes near your bright colored towels, they'll "stick out like a sore thumb"!

Friends Of Bill W. - If you see a notice for a meeting of the "Friends of Bill W." and you don't get an invitation don't be upset. The "Friends of Bill W." is just the way the cruise ships announce their meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. If you see a meeting for "Friends of Dorothy", that would be a get acquainted meeting for gay and lesbians.

Tight Clothes - Most people have clothes that fit snug and clothes that are loose fitting. Wear the snug clothes at the beginning of the cruise and save the loose ones for the last few days. By then they may be snug too!

The Toilet - Whatever you do, never flush the toilet while sitting on it! This may sound funny but the suction is so great you can really be injured seriously. Thankfully now most ships have the flush button behind the lid so you have to get up to reach it.

Medicine - This shouldn't need to be said but don't forget your medicine! Also throw in some over the counter medicine for those little emergencies. One very important note to remember: If you put your medicine in a reminder container, BE SURE to keep your prescription with it to avoid trouble with the authorities when they check your carry-on. The ship always has a doctor but he is very expensive. If you have the extra money, travel insurance is not a bad ides. In fact many experts feel it is a necessity. Your health insurance from home is USELESS on the ship.

To Insure Good Service- Good service from your room steward or waiter and others can make your cruise. Sometimes it's a good idea to get on their "good side" from the very first day. Some people give an extra tip on the first day rather than waiting until the last day - others hand out two-dollar bills or gold dollars that are available from your local bank. The idea that I like is to purchase some phone cards in advance and hand them out on the first day. Most of the servers are far away from their loved ones and they love to be able to call home.

Your Credit Card and Check Card - Before you leave for your cruise, be sure to contact your financial organization and let them know you're traveling out of the country. Many banks and credit card companies will not approve purchases out of the country as a security measure - unless of course you notify them in advance. Also, sometimes a credit card will be damaged with use. To be prepared and prevent this from becoming a problem, bring a back up card if you have one. Many families are issued more than one card for the same account.

...More tips and important info next week!

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Cruise along and enjoy...^_~

Karen