Cruise News & Cruise Tips
On Board Tips
Phone info
Land vs Sea costs
the Crew
Cruise Costs
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1.
Remember, the larger the ship, the more
likely that it will offer tender service ashore in some ports |
2.
Most ship swimming pools are filled with filtered salt water, don't forget
to rinse off the salt. |
3. To
avoid noise and vibration in your cabin don't book a cabin above or below
the ship's disco or main show lounge. |
| 4.
When gambling on the slots, try to get machines that are at the end of a
row. They typically get the most use and pay out more often |
5. If
you are traveling with family, have a portrait taken by the ship's
photographer for a wonderful memory! |
6.
Use a backpack as your carry-on, it will come in handy on shore excursions. |
|
Travel Tips |
Pre-Cruise Advice
(For
The Grand Princess
as well as most all cruise lines and their
ships)
- Pre-cruise:
Arrive two or three days early for your cruise. It
gives you a real chance to wind down. . Check with us about pre- (and post-) cruise hotel and tour
packages.
- Stock up:
A small bottle of Perrier costs $2 on
board.
If you'arrive for your cruise early, stop at a wine shop and buy a couple of
cases of Perrier for a little more than $1 per bottle, and these are the
large bottles. Be sure the bottles remain in the carton and check them with
a baggage porter at the ship. Staterooms include a refrigerator, by
the way. Oh, and if you do bring alcohol aboard, don't bother carrying it to
dinner. Princess charges a $10 corkage fee. Best to order drinks in the
dining room.
- Rent a car: Having a car gives you a little added flexibility, and
you'll find it easy to return the car upon checking in at
most ships. The Grand Princess docks at Terminal 2 at Port Everglades. Drive
to the terminal, drop your bags at the well-marked "Baggage Drop,"
then return your car. Alamo is just a few minutes from the terminal, and the
car rental company offers a free shuttle back to the ship.
This is true for most ships in most US ports
Travel Tips |
Once
On Board
(This again is for the Grand Princess, but applies to most ships on most lines)
-
| Business
Center: Hours of operation |
| Sea
days |
9 a.m
- 7 p.m. |
| Port
days |
8
a.m.- noon
4 p.m. - 9 p.m. |
| Princess
Cays |
8
a.m.- noon
3 p.m. - 8 p.m. |
E-mail:
Sending and receiving e-mail from the Grand Princess
is very
simple and fairly priced. Go to the business center on Deck 7, the Promenade
Deck. Check in with the attendant, who will situate you at a terminal and
get you started. Be sure you know your e-mail address and password. It also
can be helpful to have your POP Server name and your username, which may be
different from your password. Cost for access is $7.50 per 15 minutes of
usage.
-
Caffeine Fix:
Two bars that have espresso/cappuccino machines on
the Grand Princess: Calypso Bar and Promenade Bar. However, you can order a
specialty coffee in the dining rooms or from the stewards. Cost is $2.30
including gratuity. Gratuities are added to all bar orders.
-
| And
don't miss the chips and guacamole—or the Real Margaritas—at the
other alternative dining venue, the Painted Desert. As of January
21, there is no longer a $3.50 service charge in this excellent
restaurant. |
Sabatinis:
This alternative dining venue is excellent and well worth
the additional $15 per person service charge. Operated like an Italian
trattoria, Sabatinis brings multiple courses to your table. You order only
the entree. If you love lobster, you'll get it here (lobster is also served
at least one night in the main dining rooms—typically Friday night). Be
sure to reserve at Sabatinis at the beginning of your cruise. It is not
unusual for the week to be fully booked by the end of the first full day of
your cruise. Allow two and a half hours for dining at Sabatinis.
-
| Fun
Zone: Hours of operation |
| Sea
days |
9
a.m. - noon
2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
|
| Port
days |
7 p.m.
- 10 p.m. |
| Also,
during port days and from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. on each full day of
the cruise, group babysitting is available for $4 per hour per
child. |
Ditch the Kids: Princess Pelicans Club is offered for children ages
2-12 and the Princess Teen Club
for ages 13-17. Staff is highly qualified
and wonderfully adept. Your kids will not want to see you during the entire
cruise! No charge during program hours but a gratuity may be appropriate at
the end of the cruise. No guidelines are given for youth staff as with other
departments, but $25 per child may be sufficient. Tips are pooled and
distributed among staff.
|
|
7-NIGHT
CARIBBEAN RESORT
(per person, per day)
- $85
hotel (includes room, health club activities and sports),
-
$96
round trip airfare (prorated),
-
$5 room tax,
-
$2 hotel energy
surcharge,
-
$3 hotel service,
-
$17 drinks (four),
-
$20 snacks,
-
$14
breakfast,
-
$20 lunch,
-
$50 dinner,
-
$28 nightclub shows,
-
$21 tips,
-
$3 airport transfers
(all prorated)
|
- 7-NIGHT
CARIBBEAN CRUISE
(per person, per day)
-
Includes
-
outside cabin,
round-trip airfare and airport transfers,
-
port taxes,
-
breakfast,
-
lunch,
-
dinner,
-
snacks,
-
health club,
-
all activities,
-
sports,
-
entertainment
-
plus the opportunity to visit multiple
destinations in one vacation
-
(all prorated)
|
| $364
Total Per Day |
$184
Total Per Day |
|
|
Being out
of sight need not mean being out of touch for passengers on the high seas.
Several cruise lines already offer some degree of e-mail service, and
several more are working toward that goal.
Luxury line
Crystal Cruises was at the forefront of ocean-going internet technology,
launching e-mail service in January, 1997. Previously, all e-mails were
sent to the main ship address, directed to the radio room, printed out and
distributed to guests from there. Now, passengers can send or read e-mail
direct from shipboard internet stations when they choose.
The
greatest advantage for cruise passengers with e-mail is the potential
saving. While a ship-to-shore phone call from a cabin costs $12.50 a
minute aboard Crystal, one e-mail of up to 20,000 bytes, about nine typed
pages, costs just $3
|
Those People that Make Your Cruise Wonderful - The
Crew
Rest
assured that work on a ship is hard. Many shipboard personnel work up to
14 hours a day, seven days a week. Some scarcely have time to get off in
port so that they can phone home. And with many ships sailing under
so-called "flags of convenience" (most being registered in
Liberia, Panama and the Bahamas), cruise companies aren't obligated to pay
minimum U.S. wages. Don't be surprised to learn that your bartender takes
home only about $140 per month to cater to your every whim.
Nonetheless,
most shipboard workers are doing OK by their country's standards. For
example, annual per capita GDP in the Philippines, the island nation from
which many ship-board personnel hail, is about $2,310, compared to $27,607
in the U.S. Plus, workers get room and board. But then there's the big
kick that really makes the job worthwhile: tips, which can easily reach
$1,000 a month.
A case in
point is Rey, a 33-year-old bartender on Windstar Cruises' Wind Song.
Rey works 11 hours a day on average, seven days a week.
Over the
years, Rey has managed to save enough to pay for a three-bedroom house
near Manila. Not bad when you consider the cost of his 1,000-square-foot
home was $55,000. Rey's also started a side business, a water bottling
plant.
While these
sailors may be making a huge sacrifice, often staying away from home for
up to a year at a time, most seem to think it's worthwhile. As one told
us, "I couldn't do this well back home."
|
Cruising Costs
You have probably heard the term "all-inclusive" applied to
cruises every so often. But while a voyage is one of the best values around
since all major expenses (lodging, meals, snacks, activities and
entertainment) are indeed included in the fare, there are some items -
mostly of a personal nature - that are out-of-pocket expenses. So set aside
some cash to cover these expenditures to truly make your next sailing the
cruise of your dreams. And to make sure the incidentals don't break the bank
for you, here are some tips on saving on the Seven Seas:
1. Shore Excursions: Read the line's shore tour booklet and attend
the port lectures given aboard ship that give you more details about the
organized tours available for sale on the ship. Prices for these excursions
range from about $25-$45 for a half-day city tour, to more than $200 for
some all day tours, overland programs including meals and snacks and such
exciting offerings as helicopter flight-seeing and hot-air ballooning.
Savings Tip: While you may wish to sign up for some of the ship's
tours (particularly if you are not familiar with the port and do not speak
the language) you also have the option to tour independently at a fraction
of the cost - or even for free, if you go on a self-guided walking tour.
Before setting sail, request free planners with maps, calendars of events
and attraction brochures for the ports of call on your itinerary from
tourist boards. Check out books on your destination from the public library
to give you ideas for touring in the ports. Look over the calendars
from the tourist offices for festivals or crafts displays (sources of good,
free entertainment) during your visit. Parks and
beaches are free, or nominal charge; attractions
to check out. Museum and native crafts exhibits are other inexpensive
options. If you decide to hire a car and driver to give you a private tour
(generally less expensive than the shipboard excursions) or just to take you
to the center of town, always agree on the price (and in the case of a tour,
what specific points of interest will be covered) before you board the car.
2. Alcohol and other Beverages: Alcoholic beverages and wine are
not included in the cruise fare on most lines (with the exception of
some ultra-deluxe lines). And your tab can add up: Hard liquor, cocktails
and wine are around $3.50-$4 each; soft drinks, $1.50.
Savings Tip: Most vessels advertise "daily drink specials" you may
want to try. At meals, iced tea, milk, coffee and juices are complimentary.
If you are traveling with children, find out if your ship offers "soda
packages" that feature unlimited sodas during the cruise for about $15-$25.
3. Casino Gaming: Shipboard casinos keep getting bigger and bigger,
so it is safe to say, the lines are doing well at their tables and slots.
Savings Tip: Set a limit as to how much you wish to risk and leave if
you lose it. Or better yet, avoid the casino altogether - there are plenty
of other diversions on board, like music for dancing, production shows,
variety entertainment and TV-style game shows that will not set you back a
penny!
4. Spa: A massage is typically around $60-$70. And there is an array
of exotic, pampering treatments available. Most shipboard spas are operated
by Steiner's of London, and the staff, who works on commission, often gives
you a sales pitch (they sometimes even call it a "prescription") that calls
for you to buy several of their products.
Savings Tip: If you get a sales pitch, just smile and say you will
think about it and get back to them, if you do not want the products. Check
your ship's daily program of activities for ads for spa treatment specials
that may be available one-day-only or during certain hours of a given day.
5. Souvenir Shopping: You probably want to purchase something to
remember your cruise, and it may take a lot of will power to pass up on the
beautiful - and expensive - figurines, perfumes, designer fashions and
leather goods if your budget does not allow for them.
Note: Both aboard ship and ashore there are duty free shops for
perfumes, cosmetics, and alcoholic beverages.
Savings Tip: Avoid temptation by not browsing in the boutiques
onboard and ashore if you cannot afford to buy. If you do plan to purchase
some souvenirs, check the prices of merchandise at stores back home and
bring pages of their sales catalogs for the particular items you are
interested in to compare prices (they may be cheaper at home). Good,
inexpensive souvenirs include handicrafts from outdoor markets and street
vendors, and local products such as coffee, jellies, etc. purchased at
grocery stores in the ports.
6. Laundry: As at land-based resorts, laundry and dry cleaning
charges on a cruise can be steep (approximately $2.50 to $3.50 to wash a
T-shirt, for instance). Check to see if there is a self-service launderette
and use it (typically, washing and drying one load of clothes comes to about
$1-$3).
Savings Tip: If there is no launderette, pack enough changes of
clothes for the cruise and do the wash back home.
7. Film And Other Camera Needs: Getting additional film, batteries
and other camera supplies will not only cost you more money (generally $1 to
$2 more per item than the same articles bought at a discount store back
home) but precious vacation time as well. Ships' photographers typically
charge $7-$9 per photo, $15-$20 per formal portrait.
Savings Tip: Buy plenty of film and other camera supplies on sale at
home - and bring more than you think you will need, just in case. Take your
own pictures and rely sparingly, if at all, on the ship's photographers.
8. Tipping: Many lines recommend about $9 per person per day to be
given to the staff ($3.50 per person, per day),
assistant waiter ($2 per person, per day) and cabin steward ($3.50 per
person, per day). Bar tabs are charged a 15 percent gratuity automatically.
When the maitre d' performs a special service, such as arranging for a
birthday cake to be brought to the table, he should be tipped as well.
Savings Tip: These folks, particularly the waiters, assistant waiters
and cabin stewards work very hard. Unless the service has been poor, tip the
recommended amount. And add a little more, if you can, for outstanding
attention.
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