Killing Time Before Your Cruise

I hate waiting.  It’s not so much that I am impatient, it’s more like “Hey, I’m going on a cruise and I want to go right now!”  Ok well maybe a little impatient.  But there are some great ways to kill the time that that end up making the actual cruise itself a much richer experience.

One great time-killer is a party…and who doesn’t like a party?

If you are part of a group cruise, try setting up occasional parties with those you will be sailing with.  More than learning their drinking and social habits, you can be much better prepared for the cruise once it rolls around.

Much like studying the deck plans before you get on the ship to help avoid bumping into walls the first half-day (always a good idea), studying the ports you will visit is also a good idea.  Often groups will assign a specific port to a person, couple or family and they become the expert on it, reporting back to the group at one of the planning parties.  This can be a lot of fun.  I’ve seen it be as simple as that expert reporting briefly what they know of the port already to elaborate presentations that include visual aids, speakers who may have lived there, theme food nights, etc.

The more you get into it, the better.

If you’re a single person cruising by themselves or a couple, make each month a theme.  Scan the Internet for information, go to the library for books or videos, contact the embassy of the country/island you might visit (those people love to tell you all about it) and get some good information on what to expect.  Social networking venues of all kinds can be incorporated into your plan as well.  You don’t have to get a big group together to make this work for you.

A side benefit of it all is that you might learn who in your group to avoid on the ship!   If Johnny can’t hold his liquor on land, odds are he’s going to be in trouble on the ship as well.  If Suzie is a flirt at the planning party, she’ll probably be big big big trouble at sea..or lots of fun,  however you look at it.

The down side is that if you’re a couple it’s hard to avoid the other person you’re sailing with and if you’re a single trying to avoid yourself you need medical help pronto.

A Day In The Life Of A Cruise

Like an endless buffet, a typical cruise offers a huge array of appetizing choices from sun up to the wee hours of the night. It’s up to you whether you do it all or never leave the comfort of your deck chair.

Your options begin first thing in the morning. Have a three-course breakfast in the main dining room, opt for the a la carte selections at the buffet restaurant or stay in bed and order room service.

By mid-morning the presentation about the next port-of-call is just getting started. Maybe you’d rather check out a novel or a video from the library, join an aerobics class in the gym, practice your golf swing, or stake out a good sunny spot by the pool. For lunch visit the taco bar by the pool, have Chinese food at the buffet, hamburgers and hot-dogs from the grill, or the full lunch in the formal dining room. Afterwards, why not take a nap, or indulge in a cone of frozen yogurt from the ice-cream bar, check out the reflexology workshop in the spa, or have the fruity cocktail-of-the-day. Before dinner there’s time for a quick dip in the hot tub or maybe a trip to the hair salon.

Then, get all  up for drinks and dancing in one of the lounges before being treated to an exquisite five-course meal in the dazzling dining room. (or not and relax someplace else) Then head over to the Vegas-style Broadway show, try your luck in the casino or hustle over to the disco. Before you know it, it’s time for the midnight buffet-at least have a look! Night owls should check out the after-hours comedy act, go dancing, or take a stroll out on deck. And, don’t forget to have a quick slice at the 24-hour pizzeria before calling it a night. Tomorrow’s another full day!

This day is not on any particular cruise line. The activities described here may or may not be available on the cruise of your choice. And, at the same time, there are many other activities, too numerous to mention, that are offered on various days and on various cruise ships.

On a day in port, the options are completely different. However, even on these days, meals are always served on-board. Do some sightseeing and shopping, return to the ship for lunch and relaxation, and then begin all over again-wander, shop, hit the beach, a little tennis, or whatever you enjoy doing. Return to the ship, rest up, and get ready for a night full of activities. Tomorrow’s another full day-again!

Luggage; the right tool for the job

I learned over the years that pretty much any job was made easier when I used the right tool for the job.  If you cook, you know that the right pot or pan is often a key ingredient in the success of a recipe.  If you need to cut a piece of wood, there are a number of saws that can be used.  Dog owners know that all leashes are not alike.

Taking the same view about luggage makes just as much sense.

First, consider the application. You are going on a cruise, not an jungle safari.  I never really understood that until we did a Transatlantic sailing on the Queen Mary 2.  We had always cruised round-trip from American ports before.  On this cruise we began in New York, ended in England and had to fly back home.   No way were we going to be able to bring 3 or 4 suitcases per person.

So we took a lesson from flight attendants we had seen in the airports.   Many of them had luggage that was slender enough to fit through an x-ray machine, but longer than normal to accomodate much more inside. So we searched online to find something like that which would work for us.

At www.ebags.com we found just what we needed in This Victorinox Tourbach™ cargo bag boasting a large u-shaped opening for the main compartment and dual side pockets

But what turned out to be the best benefit was not so much being able to carry everything in one bag, but being able to do the self-disembarkation offered on most cruise lines.   As opposed to waiting around for the normal disembarkation process when leaving the ship (can be hours and a real headache), if you can carry all your luggage off yourself, you walk off the ship pretty much as soon as it is possible to do so.   This is a real time-saver for those with an early flight or those driving to and from the ship.

So now we sail with one of these bags, a carryon and maybe a purse or briefcase.  It’s easy to do and forces us NOT to take everything including the kitchen sink.

Cabin Categories

A question we get a lot has to do with cabin categories and might go like this; “What is the difference between all these categories of cabins? Each cruise line has their own way of classifying cabins.  On Carnival it’s a number and a letter like 4A.  Princess uses two letters like BB or AC.  Royal Caribbean uses a combination of both with designations like E2 or PR.

The easy way to sort this out is to remember that there are really three kinds of cabins; inside cabins with beds, a bathroom, places to store clothes, a tv, a phone and maybe a refrigerator or desk but no view.  You can’t see out of them.  Oceanview cabins are for the most part the same as an inside cabin except that they have a porthole or window to look out of.  Entry level balcony cabins can be the same as the inside and Oceanview except they have a balcony attached that you can walk out on to.

Where the difference in designation like, say, 4A and 4D come is for the most part where the cabin is located on the ship.  The prime real estate is the dead center of the ship because there, the movement of the ship can be felt less and it’s closer to everything.

Odds are if you are reading this that you are booked on one of our cruises or have retunred from one and are still haning around. (That’s good, we like havingyou)  So why talk about cabin categories when we are already booked?

Because it might not be too late to change.

It is really quite common actually.  I have started out in a lower priced category and moved up as we came closer to sailing because our budget has done well.  I have gone the other way too, moving to a less expensive cabin for whatever reason.

The point is that there is a cabin category for everyone and while they are similar in design elements as noted previously, there are some noteworthy nuances exclusive to each category.  Let’s take a look:

INSIDE CABINS

• Great if you like to sleep in- very dark
• Even though dark you can still see outside and what the weather is- on the cabin tv via the bridge cam
• Starting prices can be misleading.  All the cruise lines do this; advertize a really “cheap” deal then we go find out that it is in a cabin with bunk beds and that taxes are not included.
• Tend to be mostly on the lower decks.  This could be good or bad depending on your outlook.  No, the higher class guests are not on the higher decks…well except on Cunard. or so they say.

OCEANVIEW CABINS

• May be “obstructed view” meaning they really don’t have much of a view of the ocean..if you look straight out.  If you look more down you can often see past the lifeboat that is in the way otherwise to the ocean below
• Some may have picture windows, other portholes
• Great choice if claustrophobia is an issue- stay away from inside cabins

BALCONY CABINS

• The cruise lines add more and more of them because they are very popular
• Offer a private outside refuge on a day when the pool area might be very crowded
• Awesome place to watch the ship sail away and leave your real life behind
• Basic balcony cabin could be about the same as the inside or oceanview. except that there is a sliding glass door that opens to a wonderful world.