What You Should Do Before a Cruise Ship Vacation

By Lindelwa Laz

It is never a good idea to put off travel preparations until the week before your trip, instead, you should start as soon as you book your trip and the type you've booked is vital to preparation. A large number of cruise ships sail international waters and in addition, there are many that stop at international ports. Before you can board, you may need to present identification and on international cruises this identification often includes a passport, as well as a driver's license.

A huge problem, when it comes to getting a passport that some people will wait till the last minute and although last minute passports can be obtained in the event of an emergency, most require at least a week or more to process. You aren't immediately supplied with a passport but must instead apply for one and while almost all individuals that fill out the application are granted one, planning ahead is the best option. So then. if an error is made on the information you supplied, you will have enough time then you can repair any mistakes before it's time to set sail.

A passport and license aren't the only documentation that you'll need. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to take your cards. In the event you fall ill while on vacation, your insurance cards will allow you to get treatment.

With the cards you should take along all of your needed medications, in fact you may even want to consider packing extra meds. A number of physicians will actually write extra physicians for their patients that are traveling on a cruise ship so should your medication become lost or misplaced, the extra prescriptions can be used until you make it home. When you ask for extra meds from your health care provider, you should also ask questions regarding safety onboard ship.

To pay for onboard and activities on port you'll need extra money. Vacationing at sea is exactly like taking a vacation to any other location in the world so you are encouraged to carry huge amounts of money. If you have to take cash with you you are encouraged to split your money and put it all in safe locations though the majority of ships and ports take credit cards, cashiers checks, money orders, or traveler's checks which are good alternatives to packing cash.

When taking a cruise you are advised to make a copy of the vessels itinerary to your friends and family members which will make it possible for you to be found in case of emergency. When registering for a cruise ship, you might also need to give the contact information for a person that can be contacted in the event of an emergency. Your initial thought might be to provide the information on your spouse, children, or a close friend but if you do so you should ensure that they will be on land and easily accessible.

When you've made the above mentioned preparations, you can then focus on other preparations, such as packing your luggage but remember when you pack you should keep the climate of your selected cruise in mind. At the same time, always be ready for unexpected weather and make good preparations will ensure that you have a trouble free vacation.

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