We have a lovely guest blog, from Lily about how to make the start of your cruise adventure hassle-free! With the growth in cruise holidays it is always nice to have advice from someone in the know to ensure a smooth start to your lovely getaway. So read on for her top tips and enjoy your trip!
6 Tips to Make Your Embarkation Hassle-Free….
The days leading up to a cruise holiday are usually busy ones. There’s so much to do to make sure you’re ready for the trip, and for many people there isn’t much time left to think about preparing for embarkation. But it’s definitely a good idea to be well prepared for that part of the journey when you climb on board the ship for the first
time, and luckily there are a few quick and easy things you can do to ensure your embarkation goes as smoothly as possible.
1) Make a Cruise Day Checklist
Nobody wants to spend their holiday worrying about whether they left the air conditioning on or anything else that’s going on back home. To make sure you have everything covered, make a checklist of things you need to take to your embarkation, and things you need to do at home before you leave. Ask your cruise agent or travel planner if they can provide you with a checklist or suggest a good place to find one.
2) Get to Your Embarkation Point in Advance
If you have to travel to the city where you’re boarding the cruise ship, try and get there a day in advance if possible. You definitely don’t want to have an unexpected delay cause you to miss embarkation, and if you can arrive a day before you’ll be less likely to experience any major delays.
3) Avoid the Embarkation Crowds
On boarding day the ship and the embarkation point will be busy and crowded, and even on smaller ships you may end up waiting for quite some time before you actually get started on the boarding process. You can cut down on the amount of time you have to wait if you get to the embarkation point very early, or show up towards the end of the boarding period after most people have already gone on board.
4) Have Your Essentials Close at Hand
Your important travel documents, including your tickets, passport, visas and luggage tags, and anything else pinpointed by your travel planner or travel agent should be ready to go and easy to access. Put them in a separate folder or bag and stow those documents safely in your hand luggage to make sure you can grab them quickly when you need them.
5) Bring a Small Amount of Cash
It is always a good idea to have a little bit of cash on hand in case you want to shop or get something to eat. Even if you arrive early or late to avoid the crowds, it’s hard to predict how long you’ll end up waiting before you embark and it’s always good to be prepared.
6) Pack Your Hand Luggage Carefully
As well as travel documents and cash, it’s also important to have on hand a few essentials, since you may not be able to immediately head to your cabin. A change of clothes, your swimsuit, and a book to ensure you’re already prepared to relax and have a great time.
Hope that these tips help you out as you prepare for you cruise. Talk to you again soon!
Chief Diva Andrea xx
About the Guest-blogger: Lily used to work in the travel industry, beginning her career on cruise ships. After a short sabbatical to raise her family she began a new venture in freelance writing. She still travels when time and money permit and is hoping her children get bitten with wanderlust too!
