Before booking a vacation package, you must be aware of your budget i.e. the amount of money you want or can afford to spend. Doing so is even more important if you are planning to go for a cruise vacation. Often the packages appear to be all-inclusive, but in reality you will have to pay additional amounts for things like shore excursions, casino trips and enjoying alcoholic drinks. So, if you spend too much for booking a cabin, you will have little or no money left with you for other entertainment options. If you know your budget, you will be able to decide how much money you can spend on cabin.

The cabins that come against minimum cost often do not have windows and are located below the deck level. A second tier cabin on the other hand, will come with a simple aperture. You can enjoy the view of the ocean through a real window only by booking one of the balcony rooms. However, these balcony rooms cost hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars. If you have anyone in your group who is claustrophobic, going for the cheapest room will not be a clever thing to do. The cheap cabins are also not suitable option for big families traveling together. Go through the information offered at the website of the cruise line to know how many individuals can accommodate comfortably in different cabin types.

Cruise ships also typically have bigger fuel capacities, victuals and other stores for consumption on long journeys than dedicated cruise liners. Albeit often prestigious, cruise ships had characteristics, which made them unsuitable for cruising like high fuel consumption, deep draught that prevented them for entering shallow ports, enclosed weatherproof decks that were not appropriate for tropical weather and interior designed for maximizing number of passengers instead of comfort. The largest ships of the world include MS Oasis of the Seas of Royal Caribbean International and sister ship called MS Allure of the Seas. Following are the top 10 reasons for upgrading to luxury:

Celebrity Cruise Lines

Celebrity Cruise Lines fulfils dreams with remarkable vacations, builds memorable relationships with employees and guests, offer better returns for shareholders and instils their core value of carrying in everything they do. It was established by Greek Chandris Group in the year 1988 and in 1997 it merged with Royal Caribbean International for becoming Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited that operates CDF Croisieres de France, Celebrity, Pullmantur Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises.

The headquarters of Celebrity Cruise Lines is situated in Miami, Florida and standard features include aft glass dining rooms, relaxation areas, formal foyer areas, stylish gyms and spas, alternate dining venues, signature lounges and bars, suite and balcony staterooms and large lounging areas and pools. Its current fleet consists of Celebrity Century, Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Xpedition, Celebrity Solistice, Celebrity Equinox and more.

Holland America Line

Holland America Line is a cruise shipping firm, which was established in the year 1873 as Netherlands America Steamship firm, a passenger and shipping line. Situated in Rotterdam and offering service to United States, it became famous as Holland America Line and is now located in Seattle, Washington. Its first cruise liners sailed between New York and Rotterdam in the year 1972 with New York remaining American terminal. In 1989, Holland America Line became a completely owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the biggest cruise line and at present operates 15 cruise liners to seven continents and will carry more than 750,000 ships by 2012. Its current fleet comprises of MS Statendam, MS Maasdam, MS Ryndam and MS Veendam.

Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International is an American and Norwegian cruise line situated in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited. With 42 cruise liners in service under five different marques and one more under construction, it controls 24 percent share of world cruise market. The company was originally founded in the year 1968 as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line by Gotaas Larsen, Anders Wilhelmsen & Company and I.M. Skaugen & Company, Norwegian shipping firms. Its Voyager Class Ships include Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.

Disney Cruise Lines

Disney Cruise Line is a United States cruise line firm operated and owned by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, division of The Walt Disney Company and is located in Celebration, Florida. President Karl Holz is the one who runs the business. It operates Disney Cruise Line Terminal, which homeports Disney Dream and Disney Magic. Disney Cruise Line was formed in the year 1995 when the firm commissioned its two cruise liners at Fincantieri, Italy. The executive management of Disney Cruise Line include Karl Holz, President, Tom Wolber, Senior Vice President of Operation, Ozer Balli, Vice President of Hotel Operations, Larry Stauffer, Manager of Island Recreation and Shore Excursions, Russel Daya, Director of Marine and Security Operations, Bert Swets, Vice President of Marine and Technical Operations and Tony Wills, Director of Purchasing and Logistics.

Cunard Line

Cunard Line is an American-British owned shipping firm situated at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. Its fleet includes Unicorn, Britannia, Acadia, Caledonia, Columbia, Hibernia, Cambria, America, Europa, Canada, Asia and more.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is a British-American owned shipping firm located in Santa Clarita, California in United States. Originally a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, a company is now one of ten cruise ship marques operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19 percent share of its revenue. Being situated in America, executive control of Princess Cruises was transferred to American division of Carnival Corporation following the merger between P&O Princess and Carnival in the year 2002. However, Carnival UK is responsible for marketing and sales of the company in United Kingdom.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines is an American-British owned cruise line, situated in Doral, Florida, suburb of Miami in United States. Previously an independent company established in 1972 by Ted Arison, it is now one of eleven cruise ship brands operated and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. It has the largest fleet in the group, with twenty three vessels at present in operation, which account for 21.1 percent of worldwide market share. Executive control the company is offered by Carnival Corporation’s North American division, headquartered in Doral, Florida

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian Cruise Line is a company operating cruise ships located in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It started operations in 1966 as Norwegian Caribbean Line and is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means there are seating arrangements or no set times for meals, nor is formal attire required. Norwegian Cruise Line has a sister company, NCL America, which itself is jointly owned by Star Cruises and Apollo Management with both companies owning 50 percent of NCL. NCL controls around eight percent of total worldwide share of the cruise market

Costa Cruises

Costa Cruises is an American-British owned Italian cruise line situated in Genoa, Italy. Established in the year 1924, it originally operated cargo ships till the launch of passenger cruise liners in 1947 with regular services between South America and Italy.

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company and was originally established by Achille Lauro as Lauro Lines in 1960s, operating two ships, MS Achille Lauro and Angelina Lauro. Its contemporary fleet consists of MSC Armonia, MSC Sinfonia, MSC Linica and MSC Opera.

Further, because cruise ships tend to concentrate their activities in exact coastal regions and visit same ports repeatedly in California, Florida, Galveston, New York, waters of Alaska and Seattle, their cumulative impact on local scale could be significant, as can impacts of individual large-volume releases either intentional or accidental.

If any of your luggages get lost during the cruise vacation, there are certain travel insurance policies that can offer you compensations for all the financial losses incurred. Generally, once you purchase tickets of a cruise ship, you are automatically purchasing insurance offering coverage of a certain amount against lost luggage. These coverage are offered absolutely free of cost; however, they are usually quite limited. The amounts offered by them often do not cover the entire cost of the items lost. Thus it would be wiser to purchase travel insurance policies offering costs of all the items lost during the cruise vacation.

There are certain insurance policies that offer amounts against accidental deaths, medical emergencies, trip cancellations, trip interruptions due to factors like illness, business needs etc and medical evacuation. Buying insurance policies offering coverage for the above mentioned situations come with financial and emotional assurance. You can compare rates offered by different companies online. Just enter the departure and date of returning from your trip, the destination you are planning to visit and number of people in the group in the given online form and you will get the estimated cost of buying the insurance. Some insurance providers offer discounted rates for big groups; the discount can be up to as much as 10%. Majority of the companies offer coverage for minors i.e. children below 18 years of age absolutely free of cost; however for enjoying this privilege the children will need to travel along with insured parents or guardians.

While comparing the policies you must read the fine prints carefully. Often these policies come along with certain terms and conditions set based on certain previous medical conditions, gender or age.

The sheer number of the variety that is available is simply astounding, these are inclusive of themes such as Elvis theme cruises(!), ball room dancing theme cruises, sixties themes, jazz themes, blue grass themes and a whole lot more variations in which the sky seems to be the only limit. Flying themes, imagine that. And these are just extremely specialized cruises that satisfy nostalgia or a love for music, there are a whole lot many broader cruising themes that have come out.

If you like action, and adventure, something cruises are not associated with generally, there are adventure themed cruises that take you to ultimate destinations such as Alaska, Arctic regions, Mexico, Columbia and Mexico. American Safari Cruises is one such cruise line that specializes in adventure cruise lines. The number of passengers that are allowed in a single cruise ship is limited to less than 2 dozens, which makes for an altogether more intimate and involved experience.

If you are a history aficionado as well, there are theme cruises to fit your interest as well. A cruise company known as Ancient Adventure cruises have itineraries to well known historical sites. The historical locations have a taste of adventure in hem as well, reminiscent of Indiana Jones movies. There are shore trips to these locations accompanies by trained guides that will show you around the ruins and other historical attractions.

Actually, there are many cruises that have themes of their own, that are less obvious. There are cruises that have cruises that are targeted at a specific age group and provide entertainment, dining, activities and so on according to what will appeal to that age group. There are singles cruises and a lot more others.

In addition to this, there are several cruises that have themed attractions that let you indulge in your hobby, learn something new, enjoy new attractions, dabble in art, taste wine, and a whole lot of others. The following categories are the main specializations offered by cruises –

• Food
• Adventure travel
• Murder mystery
• Art
• Special guest speakers
• Dance

• Wine
• Culture
• Games (Poker is currently very popular)
• Golf
• Health and fitness

• Films
• History
• Spiritual
• Photography
• Wellness
• Music

• Religion
• Lectures
• Singles

Antarctica:

This is not the dream destination for many. But while there are many exotic cruise options around the world, the unexplored reaches out to much enthusiastic adventure thrill seekers. Cruising is one of the few ways of visiting Antarctica.

Accessible routes for the destination are Antarctic Peninsula and around the South Shetland Island. One can see seals calving and chicks hatching while you walk on the beaches of the icy Antarctic Peninsula in the summer time. Passing through historic places like the Drake Passage and the Beagle Channel can be different experience all together.

Whale watching can be thrilling as you encounter the majestic and gentle creatures. All in all Antarctic can make for an enchanting and relaxed cruise ship trip.

The Panama Canal:

Beaches are an integral part of most of the cruise ship endeavors. But nowadays any and every locations invite a cruise making for an enduring exhibit. The Panama Canal is as unique and different as it can get. It is an historic route which can be industrial and also includes the jungles of South America. Traveling across the entire canal can take a day or even two. Many activities can be matched as per ones interest. Before traversing the canal you can take a journey of the Mayan Riviera and its ancient sights. Many different ports can be visited if you decide to journey round the Caribbean.

The Black sea cruise:

This unique destination is still to be awarded its due. It can be a very popular and engaging cruise because of the golden beaches, inspiring beauty infused architecture, divine local cuisine, and the old but graceful cities along the coast. Such cruises usually begin at Istanbul, and then you can travel through Georgia, Odessa in Ukraine where you can encounter the wondrous architecture. Yalta with its military history, Sochi in Russia, Gorgeous beaches in Varna, and the medieval yet beautiful Nessebur in Bulgaria.

Galapagos:

Cruise to the Galapagos is much beyond the normal cruising and can be a magical experience to say the least. Snorkeling and diving can set you free in more ways that you knew. Kayaking in the sea with adorable and the mighty sea lions for company and bird watching the rare and exquisite species of the island make for amazing encounters.

There are more than a thousand different animals and plants in the volcanic black interiors of the island. The number of people allowed to visit the Galapagos is limited to minimize the impact on the fragile environmental conditions. Hence making a cruise tour of the island is a great decision in terms of comfort and eco-friendliness.

Even though you have to check out the facts related to your trip, you can try these ideas if you want to and have fun. Well, you need to sort out by yourself. So determine which type of trip you need and which will be more appropriate to you. The Celebrity Cruise Line offers a wide spectrum of destinations and also the points of call for its guests. They are:

• Bahamas

• Bermuda
• Alaska

• New England
• Canada
• Caribbean

• Galapagos

• Europe
• Mexico
• Hawaii

• Panama Canal
• Pacific Northwest
• Trans-Atlantic
• South America

Besides this, the Celebrity Cruise Line offers its guests with a huge series of various, interesting ports of call. The Celebrity Cruise Line also schedules cruises of various lengths. Right from long journeys to an assortment of ports of call to shorter jaunts, which offer ideal breaks from the hustle and bustle of everyday living, this cruise line has it all.

When the matter comes to onboard entertainment over the high seas, this cruise line works hard to offer something to all. One of the most well-know entertainment features that are offered on most of the cruises are a lavish Vegas style spectacular. You will get a thrilling experience while seeing the dazzling performances. Those who will feel very tired can enjoy a Michael’s Club, which is offered by this cruise line. On all the ships, you will get a Michael’s Club where you can hang out and enjoy your special time. These are the richly decorated piano bars that offer ideal relaxing venue to the travellers. Within recent years, the Celebrity Cruise Line has worked hard to improve an exceptional set on onboard amenities.

You will get fabulous opportunities to make your trip energetic and captivating. To strengthen your immune system, try the acupuncture, which is a natural and comprehensive health care practice. While going ashore, you will get plenty of various options. If you want to spend some time onshore by your own, then do not wait for it. Just go and grab the moment. The Celebrity Cruise Line has knowledgeable and professional guides, who will make your time onshore memorable. This cruise line will definitely arrange a broad array of various types of onshore excursions. Excursions will include everything right from the historical sites, cultural tours, to the wildlife adventures.

So what happens to the guests whose cruise trip is ruined by storm?

First of all, cruise is cancelled in very rare circumstances. If a cruise is cancelled, the passengers can demand for full refund. Though, many ships keep sailing irrespective of weather. Traveling through cruise is a lifetime experience, even in hurricane season as the cruise ships are so mobile that it can sail through bad weather or storm and avoid ports affected by storm. Even if your destined island is affected by storm; don’t get disappointed, the cruise line will make a halt at alternative port.  Still there will be disappointed guest by the change in route as they didn’t get what they actually paid for.

Such guests won’t get any kind of refund. Why? Every cruise line makes their passenger sign a contract form in which it is stated that cruise lines have all rights to change or skip ports while cruising – especially in hurricane season. Though there are some cruise lines which offers discounts and shipboard credits on future cruise. Carnival cruise line only notifies its passenger about change in cruise route changes. It also gives a chance to their guests to cancel the trip within 24 hrs with no penalty.

Even the basic policies of travel insurance don’t cover cruise travelers who delay or cancel a tour simply because the schedule has altered. There are few insurance company as well as cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean that provide a policy of ‘cancel for any reason’ attached to a standard travel insurance. Relying on the insurer, cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy give cash disburse among fraction of a canceled trip’s rate, otherwise a cruise line voucher for a future cruise tour.

To recover the lost money on tour, one must buy Travel Insurance Policy prior to hurricane season. If warning is announced, there are few chances to recover from hurricane loss.

Most of the travel insurance companies do not provide security for weather associated disruptions, so it is essential to read and scrutinize the very well print cautiously. Realizing the elements in travel insurance policy is necessary for preparing yourself, so you are not trapped off guard, believing you are protected when you aren’t actually. All the time understand the fine print of every insurance policy. If you can’t understand anything, don’t hesitate to ask its interpretation. The more you know about your travel insurance policy, you will face few problems while claiming recovery.

Sailing in hurricane season needs a degree of flexibleness. Also bear this in mind that whatever you plan won’t go accordingly as you expect.  If you want to visit somewhere, you always wanted to then book accordingly its climate condition, not during hurricane season.

Packing is difficult because it is tedious task, needs quite lot of attention and most important confusion regarding what to take and what to leave behind and in this all chaos we at times even forget the necessary things which you may have to buy at double rate on the board or on ports of call. So best is to make a check list first and then tick against when that is packed.

One most important Packing For Cruise tip – Well traveling with spouse, then divide the checked items in two and if with kids then into more as per the suitcases. Also, be sure that you carry all things that you can’t live without even for couple of days in your hand luggage in case your luggage is delayed by porter or may get lost!

Listed is guide list of things you must pack as starter but do modify as per your personal requirements.  But first always remember please make a check list while Packing For Cruise.

CRUISE TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Travel Documents, various Wallet Items, and important Paperwork

• airline tickets and e-ticket confirmation
• cruise documents
• passports and visas
• proof of citizenship (check what is needed with cruise line you traveling with pf paper requirements)
• vaccination certificate
• driver’s license
• Auto insurance card
• medical insurance cards
• Medical history
• copy of any prescript medicines you might need and list of your medicines you in taking
• Picture ID
• credit cards
• ATM card
• pre-paid phone card
• cash or traveler’s checks
• 3 Photostatted copies of:

Airline tickets/ passports/cruise tickets/ visas/ itinerary – pack 1 copy you carry on, another copy in your checked luggage and last one leave it with someone back at home. Contact numbers to report lost/stolen credit cards or traveler’s checks

• emergency numbers at home
• currency conversion chart
• wallet and fanny pack
• Watch – watch with dual time zone is perfect!

Reading Material and Necessities

• Glasses
• Or if  contact lenses and its cleaner
• extra reading glasses
• sunglasses
• guidebooks
• port of call information
• foreign language phrase book or the dictionary
• maps
• reading material –that is for leisure reading, books for reading while on plane or when lounging nearby the pool
• journal/ notebook along with pen or pencil – for making travel notes/ write down diary/ so that you can share your experience back at home.
• business cards with your email address for giving to your new cruise’s friends
• home/ email addresses of close friends and relatives back at home – for sending them postcards or emails, or any gifts
• photo album

Electronics and Camera Equipment

• plug adaptor
• converter
• cell phone and its charger
• PDA and its charger
• laptop computer
• binoculars
• underwater camera – for snorkeling or beach days
• digital camera
• extra memory cards
• batteries for the digital camera
• battery charger
• extension cord and power strip with multiple plug-ins
• Ipod
• small alarm clock
• small flashlight

Medicine Kit

• prescription drugs and other essential medicines in carry on bag
• ear plugs
• small first aid kit with band aids/ Vaselin/ Q-tips/ Dramamine/ bandages/ antibiotic cream/ anti-diarrheal medication/ aspirin/ cortisone cream/ /Tylenol or advil
• germicidal hand cleaner
• handi-wipes
• hand lotion
• rubbing alcohol
• foot lotion
• bug spray for ashore trips or camping if any
• sun screen/sun block
• lip sunblock

Other “Necessities”

• duct tape/ strapping tape
• extra locks for securing your luggage
• extra luggage name tags
• zip loc bags of various sizes and also garbage or laundry bags
• corkscrew
• Swiss Army knife but keep it in checked luggage
• small umbrella
• Inflating travel pillows
• Crazy glue
• playing cards
• sports gear for snorkeling etc
• sewing kit with scissors
• travel-sized Woolite
• clothes pins
• empty folding tote bag
• hats or caps or visors
• insulated large coffee mugs

Cruise is idealistic for conducting wedding and gaining in popularity for such events like honeymoon or anniversary celebrations as well. Most of the cruise lines are offering their vessels for this memorable occasion of life.

Cruise wedding will conjure such a vision where:

• You are being surrounded by those close family and friends or may be even secluded all by yourself,
• Beautiful setting
• Panoramic views
• Under the open blue sky over the hues of blue
• Stars blessing down the couple
• Or kissing in deck in the ocean breeze
• Savoring of finest cuisine food
• Exploring port of calls together
• Being entertained by various shows
• Sundowners and sunbathing
• Lounging and talking as if day is never going to end
• Swimming in pool and may be trying and learning new water sports
• Get your self spa treatment for special day
• Keep yourself fit in the fitness center
• Dancing till wee hours
• Shopping in the boutiques

Cruise wedding leaves you all hassle free as all the details and headaches are actually taken care of and you just have to enjoy these special moments of life. You will have a customized wedding just as you like without even going crazy. Every details such as:

• Services of officiate
• Keepsake certificate which is acknowledging the wedding
• Wedding cake
• Recorded music or live music
• Bouquet for the bride and bridesmaid
• Boutonnière for groom
• Photo packages
• Videography
• A real time wedding webcam
• Reception
• Sparkling wine
• Sit down luncheon
• Multi course feast etc

Cruise wedding could be

Onboard

Destination wedding which can be at beach, resort, chapel or gazebo etc

Cruise wedding makes it all easy as well as affordable yet something chic, classy, elegant and makes a great mark. The Prospective groom and bride are well taken care of and rather pampered with the packages and extra good services.

Cruise wedding is like dream come true of couples who want beach wedding with a honeymoon at sea.

Correct Identity Proofs:

This is most important, if you are carrying your Cruise reservation tickets along! Carrying the right and proper identity documents is must. To make sure of this, make a list beforehand and before leaving your home check list it. Examples of documents in your list are: Passports, Cruise Documents, Travel Insurance policy, Proof of Picture ID in addition to passport and issued ship’s ID card which will be required on re-board in each port of call. Driver’s License is one best thing to bring along. Keep these documents in handy place.

Embarkation:

When embarking make sure that cruise tags for your luggage are put securely. This is very important so that you are able to get your luggage only in your cabin and so that you don’t have to hassle at Lost and found.  Your heavy baggage will be checked curbside at the pier for transfer directly to your cabin.

Payment once on board:

You are issued with Personal ship’s ID, when embarking. After that when on board you keep signing for all purchases and then at end of cruise settle it with credit card, traveler’s checks or even cash. While on board you can’t use your credit cards or travelers checks in for individual purchases.

Sea Sick:

Normally the sail is smooth and there are rare chances for getting sea sick yet you can take medicine along.

Medicine Box:

There is a physician available on board generally though you must take those medicines that are very essential to you as once on sail you can’t go looking out for chemist shop above or underneath the water!

Ship’s Daily Schedule:

Note the important information, give attention to announcements and take on schedule for daily activities, dinning time and dress codes. Make sure you are ready for the port calls and back in time to board your cruise. Though the schedule of the day will be delivered to your cabin during day and evening.

Activities and relaxing:

Cruising is not only wonderful as it take you to exotic destinations but the on board activities make it more fun and exciting. There is so much to do on board, that don’t try to do it all. Don’t get yourself exhausted, remember relaxing is best on cruise.

Take a risk:

Go for those activities that you arte not able to do in your life back in city. Go for one or at the most two things in a day like opt for shipboard activities like trivia games, take dance class, craft making or galley bridge tour. Have fun when cruise director ask for volunteer, don’t shun from it but take sheer pleasure of wine tasting and more such things like games being played, which in turn will get you a memento of cruise.

Food:

Try out all sought of unusual food, as all these foods are of good quality and made by Special chefs. And moreover on cruise you will get all international cuisine. Go for it.

Snorkeling:

Snorkeling gears are provided, and people who don’t know snorkeling this could be good chance to get basic training and see the marvels underneath the sea.

Travel handy things:

Keep with you your camera and Video cam recorder along with an extra tote bag, and some large or small zip lock bags, these all will be handy and helpful.

Tipping:

Every cruise has different tipping policy, it will be better to know about it before hand. Though tipping is recommended, as you had a memorable trip, that was all because of their hard work and so hand out the tips.

Formal nights:

Formal nights vary according to ship and itinerary. Though if you are invited for dinner with the Captain then it’s recommended that you wear formal wears. Also there may be a night or two which is declared to be formal night where you need to wear formal clothes. Which can be nice and elegant like tailcoats, dinner jackets, evening gowns will look elegant and chic. It’s better to do Sunday dress pantsuit for women and a dark suit or conservative sport jacket for men which are appropriate. Also in evenings in dinning room shorts are not allowed. If you don’t wish to dress up then there is always an alternative dinning available on the Lido deck on most ships and also room service is complimentary. The best thing will be to check out the information section of the cruise brochure for information about the dress code.

Age restriction:

There are certain venues and activities on the ship that are restricted to age. Take that those norms are followed and also boozing on the ship is set with a limit of age, so be sure that your kids are following those rules set.

Pets policy:

Check out before taking your Chihuahua on board, as do they allow pets or not. As most of the cruise have No Pets Policy.

Debarkation:

On last night, the staff will request you to pack your luggage and out it outside your cabin so that they can be offloaded the next morning. So remember not to give your carry ob bags, essentials that you will require in morning and most important don’t pack your clothes that you need to wear off the ship in morning! Keep handy again all your passports and ID with you for immigration processing and be ready with your declaration form for customs. Even make sure the collected receipts are handy if large purchases put you over duty free limit. You will be able to claim your bags in customs area ashore.

Declare your purchases:

Don’t go to save tax of Duty, as Duties are so minimal these days, simply worth not taking the risk of under declaration as the fine imposed is much more then what you shall save by not declaring and also this will lend your passport and your name in the “Stop-and-search” database of United States Customs or any other country as a matter of fact.

Checking out the website of the cruise and talking with other people who have also been to cruise will be very helpful.