Random observations for those planning a Caribbean cruise

There is no order to these observations; I wrote them down as they occurred. Also, they were written as reminders for me since I know that I will be cruising the Caribbean again one day. I keep a journal when I cruise (or travel anywhere), and throughout my journals I make random observations as well that are specifically designed to alert me the next time I read the notes.

1) Take plenty of sunscreen. Every place you go is hot, the sun is intense, and most places are humid as well. If you are wearing sandals make sure you protect your feet from the sun as well as the back of your neck. I remember being on the deck of a car/passenger ship between the northern and southern islands in New Zealand. Although we were warned of the dangers of the sun, the cool breeze and clouds seemed to ameliorate its effects — temporarily. Not true! We (meaning my family members and myself) received severe, very uncomfortable burns.

2) Most ports — meaning countries — are desperate for tourist dollars and, thus, watch out for tourist safety and happiness. You find little trouble in most ports, but travelers must always be careful. This means you carry your wallet in your front pocket where you can keep your hand on it, carry your driver’s license with its picture and leave your passport in the safe in your room, and refrain from going into places that look unsafe. Use your head. (Everywhere pickpockets have been active, we have been warned to be extra careful.)

3) If you carry drinking water and snacks in a fanny pack or back pack, you don’t have to be dependent on local places for drinks or food. We carry our own empty plastic 10-12 ounce plastic bottles that we fill with ship water before going ashore. When rooms have their own refrigerators, you can even carry cold water by wrapping it in a towel. Also, there are places like McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC in most ports that can be trusted for their food, water, and “clean” restrooms. (“Clean” is a relative term.)

4) If you purchase items from local vendors, bargaining is expected and, inevitably, you can reduce the cost of various items. Another theory is that the local people in these countries are much poorer than we are and need the tourist dollar far more than we would. For that reason (and to avoid having to bargain), you can pay the asking price (knowing that it is a bit high). The important thing is that you are happy with your purchase. (It seems, after our fourth Caribbean cruise, that all shops will bargain.)

5) Pack light. On sea days, for men, bermudas, sandals, and a tee shirt is all that is needed. The “smart” casual style requested by cruise lines for evening dining, means slacks and a knit shirt with a collar. You’ll need comfortable shoes for walking, plus “dress” shoes for the restaurant and for the evening.

6) You really don’t need a great deal of background study and preparation for understanding most islands/countries. The cruise line offers brochures on each port that includes general information (e.g., capitol, location, size, population, language, currency, time zone, and tourist information). The brochure offers a map of the location of the island as well as a history, information on how to get to town, store hours, bank and post office hours, and emergency numbers. The brochures we receive include a close-up map of the main town/city of each island as well as recommended stores and restaurants — more information than most people need, want, or even will read.

Now, it must be said here that by not taking any excursion away from the port area, you get a very skewed impression of an island/country. A port city doth not a country make! On most cruises we schedule an excursion of each of the new places we visit (e.g., on our Mediterranean cruise we took an excursion at every port of call except for the small Greek island of Mykonos. That meant nine excursions (two on our two-day stay in Rome) for ten ports — with none in Barcelona nor in Venice, our beginning and ending points.

7) Some useful items to take with you that we have discovered during our travels include books, writing materials, magazines, a hat, back pack, fanny pack, plenty of single dollar bills (you can get more onboard ship), some U.S. change, walking shoes, band aids (for blisters or for protecting blisters), flip flops (especially if you plan to swim), and plastic bags for protecting lotions from spilling, for taking food from the cafeteria for room snacks or excursions (e.g., we took muffins, cookies, and fresh fruit for our walks into town), and for keeping food from the souvenirs we put in the back pack as we travel.

8) Do not bring a knife, letter opener, or any sharp metal object (e.g., a nail file). Sitting near a woman in the Princess Theater, we overheard her say she bought a rather fancy letter opener for a friend, and they confiscated it at the runway and told her she could retrieve it in Fort Lauderdale (at the end of our cruise). I showed her the pocket knife I had been taking through security (you and everything you carry with you are scanned every time you board the ship). I have a steel-cased glasses case which goes through the scanner on top of my backpack. The small knife conveniently fits into the case along with my dark glasses.

As a short aside, you may wonder why I even need a small pocket knife? I must cut apples or corn-on-the-cob before eating them because I cannot bite into them with my expensive, front-teeth implants. I have found having the small pocket knife has been an invaluable tool.

9) Plan to use the room safe for any valuables. While on board, we keep our wallets and money there. It is where we store our passports at all times. It is easy to use; you need a four-number sequence to open or close it; we use our house number because it is easy to remember.

10) If your goal is not to gain weight on a cruise, one way to avoid some of the calories is to avoid all bread and potatoes (and most desserts!). Your ship cook will make it very tempting! By avoiding bread and potatoes, you can concentrate on the main foods. It is also easy to avoid all deep-fried foods and pasta. If you are thinking as you read this that it is precisely these items that make up the cruise-food you expect for the cost of your cruise, then you will check onto your ship as a cruiser, but you will surely leave it as cargo!

There are, of course, many potential “random observations,” and just as each set of my own might be different if written at different times, each person will have a different set as well. For example, take naps, avoid ship charge-card expenses (they add up fast — especially drinks), and book your own excursions off the ship, might be some additional “observations.” These are just some thoughts to help make your Caribbean cruise more enjoyable and more successful. You just have to be prepared for pleasure!

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At Cruise Travel Vacations, just before you get to the direct sales-pitch information, the site includes some useful suggestions especially designed for first-time cruisers.

At Cruise Critic, there are links to many useful websites. For example, there are quick links to: Cruise Deals, Cruise Ship Reviews, Community, Cruising Regions, Cruise Styles, and US Homeports.

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Copyright April 2010 by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.