CRUISE TIPS AND INFORMATION

When boarding your cruise ship especially for the first time there are some things you may not know. We have now realized that it is good to have a carry on so that you can carry some of your most important items on the ship with you. Here are just some of the items we carry on.

Once you board your cruise ship you might want to head to the bar and start your vacation but we have a few items we think you should do first so you can get them behind you and then you can start enjoying your vacation.

This is a mandatory drill and is required the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and according to SOLAS, Chapter III, Regulations 19.2.2. and 19.2.3, whenever new passengers embark,

When you board your cruise ship you may want to head off to your cabin right away but that is not always the case. Some guests who have suites or have achieved a certain rewards program status maybe able to go to their cabin to at least drop off their luggage while the rest of us have to wait. But as soon as you can get to your cabin you will finally be able to see where you are going to be living on your cruise. Below is some of the first things you should so once you get there.

Port of Miami is known as "The Cruise Capital of the World" for a reason. It is one of the busiest in the world. If you are driving and need to park there are many options. 

Can I bring a minor child that is not my own on a cruise is a popular question that is asked. After all, from grandparents wanting to bring a grandchild on a cruise to bringing your sisters child or even just your child's friend, it happens all the time. But there are rules and steps you will need to follow on order to that. After all you will be taking them out of the country, even if it's a closed loop cruise.

One thing we hear from people who have never cruised is what do you do on a sea day? Isn't it boring? It's just the opposite and the great thing about sea days is that they can be spent different for everyone.

Why is someone hiding little ducks around the ship? Well is seems that it started some years ago by a little girl who wanted to make others happy on the cruise. Now these little ducks are hiding on practically every ship of every cruise line. 

yes! Cruises can be a very difficult place for a alcoholic and cruises provide these meetings to help those who struggle with addiction. 

We have read many posts from cruisers saying they cannot stand the plates left in the hall with half eaten food on them. We agreed! As it turns out WE WERE WRONG!

One thing that people ask quite a bit about is the rules for smoking on a cruise ship and one of the biggest is can I smoke on my balcony? There once was a time that cruise ships did allow you to smoke on your balcony. In fact it wasn't that long ago. But most cruise lines changed their policy after the evens of March 23, 2006

Royal Caribbean announced via social media that all five if it's Oasis class ships will have smoke free casinos.

Camouflage is illegal to wear in many popular cruise destinations because as many as a dozen or so counties that outlaw it for everyday wear reserve the colors for it's military.

 Vacations are a huge investment. People save all year just to take a vacation and sometimes things happen. If you cannot afford to loose all the money you have tied up into your vacation you may want to consider travel insurance. 

One very common question asked by cruisers is "I was wondering if we need to keep our prescription pills in the original bottles, or can we keep them in our daily pill counters?"  It's also complicated because you are traveling sometimes from state to state and to other counties. So what is the answer?  Read on...

I love music. I play it all day long and nothing is better than cranking up the radio on my way home from work to let off some steam. SO I want to bring my jams with on vacation. Can I bring my Bluetooth speaker on a Carnival Cruise ship? The answer is no.

So many people can't get their day started without that first cup of coffee in the morning. We get it. So a common question is, "Can I bring a coffee maker or something like a k-cup machine?" The quick answer is NO.

Pickleball players can cruise and still get their fill of their favorite game while cruising the Caribbean. 

Pickleball players can cruise and still get their fill of their favorite game on nearly half of the Carnival fleet.