Planning a Holiday Cruise--Miscellaneous Tips

Let's Talk Insurance

Re-think your decision never to buy travel insurance. Sure, you’ve never needed it before, but who’s to say how long your winning streak will last? One benefit of having insurance is that you'll be entitled to a reimbursement if you miss all or some of your cruise due to bad weather or a canceled plane flight or other occurrences that are clearly not your fault.

Travel insurance can also be your best friend in a foreign country. Your standard American insurance policy may be worthless on the other side of the globe. You don’t want to awaken in a third world country’s open-door hospital ward, regretting your frugalness. If you won’t purchase travel insurance for yourself, at least purchase it for your loved ones traveling with you.

The Early Bird

Arrive at least one day early in the city where you will board your ship. It gives you a day to unwind from all that last-minute packing you did plus it gives you time to purchase all the items you forgot to pack. Arriving early also eliminates the possibility of missing the boat because of travel delays.

Count Your Pennies

Stick to your budget. Decide beforehand how much you will spend onboard for extras such as some alcoholic drinks and optional entertainment. It makes sense to have a budget governing souvenir purchases when you go ashore as well.

Go Undercover

Travel incognito. You've always wanted the life of an espionage agent--now's your chance. Leave at home your t-shirts, baseball caps and anything else that indicates that you're an American. Americans are often special targets of flim-flam artists and pickpockets. Don’t be an easy target.

Where Angels Fear To Tread

If you decide to explore an area without a reliable tour guide, organize a group of fellow passengers and explore together. You’ll probably have a better time and you will definitely feel safer.

Don’t allow yourself to become foolhardy because of the exhilaration of being on vacation and venture into parts of town that even locals avoid. You may be on a beautiful tropical island, but people are people. And that means that there are bad guys everywhere in the world.

Make your valuables difficult to steal by carrying your wallet in your front pants pocket or carrying your purse in front of you with one arm resting upon it.