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Tips For Getting the Most Value
and Enjoyment From Your Cruise

By Denise Svajlenko

My friend and I proposed to our husbands the idea of a "girls'" getaway in repayment for the times that we kept the kids and house in order, while they were off on their annual "boys'" ski excursion. With their support behind us, my friend suggested that we indulge in a Caribbean cruise. Although I was immediately excited at the possibility of a week of sailing amidst cool sea breezes, I wasn't optimistic that we would find a luxury cruise line within our price range. Luckily, I was wrong. After phoning the travel agency, I was successful in discovering that there were a couple of deals, both of which offered package prices within our budget. The hard decision was deciding on which cruise we felt would offer us the best value for our money. We finally both decided that we would try the "fun ship". Carnival Cruise Lines was well known to both of us because of their advertisements and pitch as being "the most popular cruise line in the world" and guaranteeing passengers a good time. We were, after all, two women looking for excitement on the high seas (well, a little bit, anyway).

We paid our modest price ($1300 Canadian including taxes and port charges) for an upper inside cabin, and anxiously awaited our beginning of December departure aboard the magnificent "Inspiration" ship. After reading the colorful brochures and five island itinerary, and knowing that we were spending rather modestly for all the food and activities we could take in one week, we didn't need much else to get us inspired.

Before leaving, I promised my husband that I would learn and experience as much as I could, so that I would become  a "cruise expert" for planning our own future romantic sailing excursion. While one cruise doesn't qualify me as an "expert", I would like to share with you the many valuable tips that I learned: 

Planning your cruise before you go

Cruise Itinerary - I would highly recommend choosing an itinerary with many ports to visit.  You can choose which ports, if any,  you will tour, but I especially enjoyed having the choice of a variety of places to explore. On a 7 night Caribbean Cruise, the maximum number of island stops is five. Many itineraries only offer three stops. Our itinerary offered five, of which we either toured the town, hit the beach, or sometimes did both.  While docked at port, you are free to come and go from the ship as often as you like.  Some days we'd go the beach in the morning, come back to the ship for lunch, and then shop in the afternoon.

Meal Settings - You have a choice of meal times and table size. I would recommend selecting the later meal sitting, if you want to spend more time exploring. That way you won't have to rush back. There's snacks available 24 hours a day to tide you over until your late dinner. If you enjoy meeting new people and socializing, you can book a table for up to 10 people. We shared some very interesting conversations, highlights of our day, and lots of laughs with the eight new acquaintances that we dined with every night.

Cabin - The price you pay for your cruise package is dependent upon the quality of cabin that you book. Outside cabins and suites on upper levels will cost you more than inside cabins on lower levels. The only difference between an inside cabin and outside cabin is that the outside cabins have a small window. For the very little time we spent in our cabin, we certainly didn't  miss not having a window. You will have to decide if it's worth spending the extra money (sometimes as much as several hundred dollars per person) for the view. I would recommend booking an inside cabin on a higher level, if possible, because you will then be closer to all the action and further away from the ship movement. Neither my friend nor myself experienced any motion sickness. There is not much cost difference for this upgrade. Sometimes if you book early enough or if the ship is not full (which was our case), you automatically get upgraded to a higher floor level.

While On Board

Line-ups - Throughout your cruise, you will be advised of the times you are required to show identification, or when disembarkment at Port commences. I would recommend waiting at least 30-45 minutes from the time you are advised, in order to avoid the rush.  After spending the first few days wasting time in long lines, we tried this new strategy and were successful most times in waiting no longer than a few minutes. However, if you're part of a tour that is leaving at a certain time, you must insure that you are there at that time. 

Ship Agenda of Activities - Every evening, you will have delivered to your cabin a very detailed agenda of the following day's activities, hair salon and spa specials, etc. Take the time to read the agenda ahead of time and decide what you'd like to participate in or see.  Note the times indicated for the activities and then plan your day accordingly. Planning ahead will prevent you from missing out on anything you really wanted to do.

Ship Activities & Entertainment - There are a wide array of activity and entertainment choices to appeal to every age group and interest. From spa packages (extra cost involved) to contests, nightly shows, games, movies, lounge singers, children's clubs, gambling, happy hour, wine tasting, etc. Alcoholic Beverage and soda pop are not included in your package deal. There are various times throughout the day  when two for one drinks are offered or special cocktails of the day (these are listed in your daily agenda). Wine tasting is lots of fun and only costs $1 a sample. Also, if you order a bottle of wine at dinner and don't drink it all that night, your meal steward will save it for you for the next night. Don't forget that sun rise and sun set provides the most breathtaking views while in the middle of the ocean. Most ships have fully equipped gyms with state of the art equipment. You will want to do some form of exercise because of all those extra calories you'll consume.

Shore Excursions - Arranging your own shore excursions will cost you less and provide you with more flexibility than booking through the cruise line. Taxis are readily available at all ports to transport you to the beach, town, or any other points of interest that you'd like to see. We quite often were able to walk to town, and never paid more than a few dollars for a taxi to take us to the beach.

Special Tips - The best shopping deals are found on shore. Our first port was San Juan, Puerto Rico. I later discovered that the best deals on watches, gold jewelry, and liquor were in San Juan. Because it was the beginning of my cruise, I didn't want to buy everything that day. If you see a deal, I would recommend buying it. You sometimes have to shop around town to get the best deals. Most shop owners expect that you will barter.  The most expensive lesson that I learned from the entire cruise was to make all your phone calls while on shore. I made the mistake of making three brief phone calls from our cabin, and my bill for just telephone charges was $260 US!

Large ship luxury cruises provide you with endless choices of activities. It is up to you to choose how much or how little you'd like to do. Remember, it's your vacation, and the choice is entirely yours to decide how you would like to get the most out of your cruise.  With careful planning ahead of time, and by following my recommended tips, you'll be equipped to get the most value, while having the time of your life. Cheers, to your enjoyment out on the high seas!

For more information:

Prices range from $1,000 (US) to $2,500 (US) per person (including airfare and port taxes) depending on the cabin choice and time of sailing.  To find out more about Carnival Cruise ships, cruise itineraries, etc., visit their web site at http://www.carnival.com    

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