Luxury Cruise Tips

(1. Read Your Cruise Documents.
You're going on a luxury cruise, who wants to read all the friggin cruise documents anyways? It's not that bad, and it has lots of genuinely useful information. It tells about the ship, the specific route, the on board activities and the on shore destinations. You'll also find your luggage tags, a checklist of necessary travel documents, and information on how to contact the cruise line in the event of a problem.

(2. Make Copies of Important Documents.
Make copies of all your important documents (passport, drivers license, medical, insurance, etc.). Keep the copies in a safe place other than where you keep the originals. You might even consider making more than one set of copies. That way if anything unfortunate happens you can be sure that you will have access to all the necessary information and the purser's office will be better able to help you.

(3. Check With Your Insurance Companies.
In the event that something unfortunate happens it is likely that you will have to pay expenses out of your own pocket and get reimbursed later. You should check with your health and auto insurance (if you think you might rent a motor bike or car on shore) to see what things are covered and how much they will reimburse you for. Make certain what kind of documentation your insurance company requires for reimbursement, because once you leave the place where you recieved treatment it can be difficult to get records sent to you. This is especially important if you have a medical condition that could elevate your risk.

(4. Determine if You Need Trip Insurance.
The purpose of a vacation is to relax and rejuvenate. Peace of mind is key to letting go and enjoying yourself. There are a lot of things that can happen during a trip to cost you money and aggravation. While a mishap during your trip is never a good thing, having sufficient trip insurance can make what would ordinarily be a huge headache into a negligible disruption. Travel insurance policies can be used for just about any kind of trip and most offer trip cancellation, baggage, medical, dental, emergency evacuation, 24 hour traveler assistance, baggage delay, travel delay, accidental death, and some policies cover damages on car rentals. If you decide to purchase trip insurance it is best to use a 3rd party company that is not affiliated with a cruise line.

(5. If You Decide to Book Your Own Excursions.
If you are knowledgeable about a particular location you might want to see things that are not on the cruise's on-shore itinerary. While this is a common practice there are a couple of important things to keep in mind. The cruise company is not responsible for anything that happens to you once you have struck out on your own. Also, if you are on an excursion booked through the cruise line and anything happens to delay getting back to the ship they are responsible for getting you back aboard, whereas if you are on your own they are under no obligation to wait for you or to provide assistance in re-boarding the ship.

(6. Bring a Power Strip for the Cabin.
Many rooms have only one outlet with two plugs. There are many things that most travelers bring that require electricity; cameras, computers, phones, hairdryers, etc. A power strip will prove to be a very useful item on your cruise.