Posts Tagged ‘Cruise Tips and Advice’
People often get confused over the meaning of a guarantee, or GTY, stateroom.
I thought I would take a moment to clarify exactly what that cabin category means.
- No matter what cruise line you decide on, if you book a guarantee stateroom it means the same thing to each. You are guaranteed to have that type of cabin or better at no extra cost to you. For example, you book an ocean view guarantee, you are guaranteed an ocean view or better (‘better’ typically means a better location on the ship, not higher cabin type, like a balcony).
- It is similar to reserving a hotel room as you will not have a specific cabin assignment upon booking. The cruise-line will assign your stateroom based on random assignment. Both you and the agent you book with will not have any control over what cabin you are assigned, unfortunately.
- Typically the cruise line will assign the cabin and then resale this lower guaranteed rate, as it allows them to fill the ship and put passengers where they have the most availability. That being said, there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the way they assign these guaranteed staterooms. Some say that they take past guests into consideration, and maybe they do, but the bottom line is only book this lower rate if you don’t have a preference for where your cabin is located.
There are pros and cons for choosing to book a guaranteed stateroom–
Pros: The cost of a guarantee is almost always less than if you choose a cabin assignment. If cost is very important to you than this may be the way to go. The chance for a free upgrade is also a nice bonus.
Cons: Your cabin can be assigned anywhere on the ship, we nor the cruise line can promise or request that you are mid-ship, or that you will be next door or even on the same deck as friends and family. If you know that you only want or need to be mid-ship or if you need cabins that are side by side, than this is not an option for you.
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Who really wants to think about laundry on your cruise vacation? I know I don’t, but realistically you may need your clothing cleaned during your trip.
While some cruise ships do have self-service laundry facilities onboard, others do not. Make sure you check with your travel agent before sailing.
Self-Service
- Bring a laundry bag with you so when it is time to do the wash you have a way to get it to the service area (also helps to keep your cabin clean!).
- Leave the coins at home. The ship can give you change onboard so you don’t have to travel with a roll of quarters! While cost can vary between cruise line and cruise ship, usually it is $1.00 for the wash machine and $1.50 for the dryer.
- If the laundry service is being used
on your floor, just try one deck higher. This way you can get it over with and continue to enjoy your cruise.
- The washing machines and driers are timed, so go do something fun instead of just waiting on your clothes. Just make sure to keep an eye on the time.
- Don’t bring bulky laundry detergent from home. It is too large to pack and can cause quite a mess if it leaks. Either purchase little individual travel packs of detergent, or the cruise line will have detergent you can purchase onboard.
- If you decide to do laundry onboard, you can take advantage of packing lighter!
- There are times where there is no way to get around having to use laundry facilities. So plan to do the laundry in the early morning or later in the afternoon so you don’t have to wait and you can continue to have that awesome vacation.
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The idea of stopping at many different islands and countries can seem a bit overwhelming, especially on your first cruise vacation.
I wanted to give you a couple of tips and tricks to try and help you plan ahead, so everything is smooth sailing once you actually head out to sea.
A big worry can be which shore excursions to take. The best source if you have questions, you got it, your cruise guide! They have the information and advice you need.
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So you have finally talked your traveling companion into going on a cruise with you, providing you can find one for a reasonable bottom line price. You’re very excited and start surfing the net to find the perfect cruise at the right price, but with so many websites listing different rates it is hard to know what is included in the advertised rate!
Here is what should be included and what to ask about so you aren’t blindsided when you get the bill!
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Mar 27th, 2012
by Michelle.
So, it is already time to pack for your cruise?! How exciting…but what do you bring on a cruise?
Packing for a cruise is like packing for most land/resort-based vacations:
*Most cruise lines do not have luggage restrictions, although you will want to be careful how much you pack as there is limited storage space in the cabin. Also, you will need to consider airline restrictions if flying to your departure port. We suggest 1 personal item, 1 carry on bag and 1 checked item.
CARRY ON ITEMS
- Pack all of your medications, prescriptions or other important personal items in a bag you can carry onto your flights. I would also suggest to get some extra prescriptions from your physician for any medications you are currently taking and carry them with you.
DON’T FORGET : Travel documentation (passports, visas, photo ID-if required), cruise documents, medical/cancellation insurance info
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