For some, they regard a cruise as just another vacation. Show up at the docks, head up the gangway, head to your reserved cabin, unpack. Prowl the ship and enjoy. There are, however, some things you may need to know that more often than not, surprise first-time cruisers:
- Camouflage a no-no. A law was enacted prohibiting camo-style clothing on many Caribbean islands (including Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, and St. Kitts). This is part of the islands’ security measures, as people have tried to impersonate local military or police officers to harass and extort people. If a cruiser is seen wearing camouflage, port security is sure to ask him/her to change clothes – or worse, impose a fine and even threaten arrest.
- Organize with magnets. Almost all parts of a cruise ship is made of metal, including the cabins. Even if your cabin seems to have wood paneling, you can use magnets in organizing. Bring your button magnets with you and stick that cocktail invitation near the door so you won’t forget.
- Walkie-talkies are not just for kids. Unless you have a sat phone with you, checking where your family is aboard a cruise ship is pretty much stressful; you can either have the husband paged every time he goes missing, or wait a long time for daughter and son to go online and check their messages. Some cruisers bring walkie-talkies on board and use them to locate each other on the ship.
- Bring multi-sockets. There might be shortage of available sockets on board especially if try to charge all your electronics at the same time. Try to bring multi-sockets to remedy the problem. Sort extension leads with extra sockets can do as well.
- Find extra space. You might find your cabin closet cramped because aside from your clothes, you’ve used it to store your suitcases. Look under the bed; that extra space is pretty useful. You can even use it as extra drawers by storing them under while opened and slide them out when you need something. Also, you can ask the cabin steward to take out the food items in the ref if you don’t plan on purchasing anything from there. You can then store your own food and booze, if you have some.
- Check the time. Cruise ships journey long distances, and sail through different time zones. Usually, they automatically adjust their official onboard clocks to match the port of call’s time; but since this is on the discretion of the cruise line, adjustments are not always done. Make sure you know what the observed time is before venturing onshore so you won’t be accidentally left behind.
