Cruise Travel Tips - Do Not Travel Without Them

 Darlene Berkel

Travel Articles | December 23, 2006

Cruise ships are a means of travel with some substantial benefits. The key advantage of a cruise ship is that it does the "getting around" for you. They make it easy to visit several places in a single trip without the need to pack your belongings each time.

You've seen the commercials, vast blue oceans, beautiful white ship, and people laughing. What a wonderful vacation, sailing the deep blue sea and visiting exciting ports of call. This is certainly a dream vacation, especially as you sit in your office cubical in the dead of winter and shiver while you answer complaint calls from clients.

Cruise ships are a means of travel with some substantial benefits. The key advantage of a cruise ship is that it does the "getting around" for you. They make it easy to visit several places in a single trip without the need to pack your belongings and sit in a car/train/bus/plane to travel to each one; your hotel room comes along with you, and even provides the transportation. Additionally, most meals are usually included in the price of the cruise.

Timing is EverythingThe most important cruise line tip is to ensure that you get to the dock on time. Although cruise ships sail from an increasing number of cities, most people still have to fly to get to and from their port of departure. If you are flying from another city into the location of your cruise line, make absolutely sure that your flight lands with enough time for you to disembark, travel to baggage claim, find your luggage and then locate a shuttle or taxi to the dock of departure. The cruise line will not wait for passengers. They are on a strict schedule of departure and arrival; the boat waits for no one. If you miss the boat, you miss your vacation.

Another important and valuable cruise line travel tip is to read all documents provided by the cruise line and your travel agent. Unless your ship's itinerary is confined to a single country, you need to prepare for a cruise like you would any other international trip, including passports. Prior to booking flights or making any other travel plans, thoroughly read all documentation provided in regards to your cruise.

There are important contracts, guidelines, requirements and procedures that must be followed prior to boarding, and during the cruise. Again, the cruise line does not care if you didn't read your documents and forgot your passport or Visa. They only care that your travel documents are in order, you've taken the time to comply with their travel requirements and that you enjoy your stay once on board.

Safeguard your LuggageNothing could be worse than going on a cruise and losing your luggage, before or after the cruise. What a nightmare! It is essential to do everything possible to ensure that your luggage does not get lost. At the cruise terminal, baggage is given to the porters for loading to the ship Make sure that your suitcase is uniquely marked so that someone does not take your luggage by mistake. Identification tags are a must, so even if your luggage ends up in the "wrong"' hands, it can easily find its way back to you.

Similar preparations are essential when leaving the cruise ship. On large ships you put a colored tag on your luggage and place it outside the cabin the night before you reach your final port, and pick it up ashore in the terminal. Some cruise lines are now offering an option where passengers can be first off the ship if they carry all their luggage off with them.

What about motion Sickness?Some people experience queasiness on cruise ships. Many people find relief from special wristbands that stimulate pressure points that are believed to counteract the nausea of motion sickness. You can also get pills that will alleviate any discomforts caused by motion sickness. Make sure to get your supply in advance and don't forget to pack them in your hand baggage. You may never need them, but it is best to have them available just in case.

Don't Overlook the DetailsIt is especially important to review the cruise summary and travel itinerary to ensure that no errors exist. This cruise line travel tip is the one that will insure you get to spend your actual vacation time doing what you planned rather than sorting out a mistake and wasting valuable time. Most of the excursion arrangements are made through your travel or booking agent prior to your arrival at the boarding gate. As you prepare to board the ship, you will be given an outline of your activities to review as you wait in line. An essential cruise line travel tip is to take the time to scrutinize these items now, as they are the outline for your entire vacation. It is easier to correct any mistakes that might have been made now, while standing in line rather than once you are one board the boat. If you wait, you will lose precious hours of you vacation.

Cruise vacations are fabulous, but this type of vacation takes a considerable amount of preparation. If you heed the advice of these cruise line tips, you will not only get onboard, but you will also have the vacation of a lifetime!

Article Tags: Cruise Line Travel, Cruise Ships, Cruise Line, Line Travel

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For more cruise travel tips and cruise information visithttp://www.cruise.every1loves2travel.com . We also recommend http://www.on-a-cruise.com for exciting cruise adventures and helpful cruise reviews.

The Cruise Ship Jobs You Can Get Even Without Experience!

 Neil Maxwell Keys

Other Articles | November 6, 2008

Many people fail to land jobs on cruise ships not because of their lack of experience but because of their lack of know-how. This article reveals why you need to ensure you are applying for the position best suited to your abilities and skills and how this can land you the job you desire! This article also reveals an insiders list of cruise ship jobs that require little or no experience.

If it's your dream to work on cruise ships, find out first what jobs are available and which ones you are qualified to apply for. Certain jobs will require a high level of qualifications or specialized training such as disc jockeys, fitness instructors, dancers or youth counsellors.

Other jobs, however, require little or no qualifications or even experience, so don't be put off applying for cruise line employment if you're certain this is the career for you. Although many people believe it's impossible to break into the industry without prior experience, this just isn't true.

There are thousands of crewmembers who landed jobs with any particular skills or experience. There are many jobs that can easily be carried out using non-vocational skills and full training will be provided onboard.

Most people fail to land work on cruise ships not because of their lack of experience but because of their lack of know-how. Make sure you are applying for the position best suited to your abilities and skills and most importantly of all, is learning the knack of selling yourself. Understanding how to do this properly can quickly get you the job you want!

If you don't have qualifications or experience, here are some positions you may consider applying for right away:

* Cruise Staff - general people skills

* Casino Cashier - some customer service & cash handling experience

* Social Host - public speaking & people skills

* Gift Shop Associate - some retail or customer service experience

* Shore Excursion Staff - organizational & communication skills

* Bar Waiting Staff - full training provided

* Receptionist - organizational & admin skills

* Internet Manager - some internet experience

* Photographer - full training provided but you must show a genuine interest in photography.

* Cocktail Server - full training provided

* Tour Guide - communication & people skills

* Videographer - full training provided

* Guest Speaker - speaking skills with the ability to talk on a specific subject for an hour.

The list above isn't exhaustive but it gives you a good overview of the types of cruise ship jobs you can get with any particular qualifications.

All jobs onboard require a high level of customer service skills, so if you have this use any experience you have in other areas to get started in the industry. No matter how limited this experience is, if it is marketed in the right way you can get your foot on the cruise line employment ladder.

Many crew members have started their careers in this way and have gone on to enjoy great success. It's important to get your foot in the door and take the job you're offered first in order to get that valuable experience. You can then use this to move into another area that you're particularly interested in working in.

If you possibly can, you might consider gaining a few simple certificates that will greatly enhance your chances of success. Water safety instruction, CPR, or anything related to this area will give you the edge over other applicants when applying for cruise ship vacancies and ensure your resume looks even more impressive!

Classes are easy to find in most locations and there should be ones near you. Usually all that is required is one or two day's attendance at each course.

For more information, contact the Red Cross for details of water safety courses or CPR training. Alternatively have a look at these websites: americanheart.org or redcross.org.

After reading this article, you'll realize you already have some of the skills necessary to obtain work on cruise ships, even if you didn't think so before!

Article Tags: Cruise Ship Jobs, Full Training Provided, Cruise Ship, Ship Jobs, Cruise Ships, Full Training, People Skills,Customer Service, Training Provided

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Neil Maxwell-Keys is a former crewmember, hiring expert and founder of WorkOnCruiseShips.com: a website dedicated to showing you how to realize your dream of getting cruise ship jobs. Get Neils *free* insider report by visiting =>http://www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com