Cruising’s Ten Commandments

Okay, so maybe Moses didn’t come down from the mountain with these commandments.

But I bet he’d think they were worthy for you to carry around on your tablet—whether your upcoming cruise is your 1^st or 14^th:

1. Your passport to your trip. Yes, you need your passport for the Caribbean. And this is not intuitive, but it’s very important: make sure it does not expire within six months of when you get back from your trip.

2. Over-tag your luggage. On our last trip, our suitcase almost ended up in Maryland—but we live in Florida. Someone grabbed our bag by mistake and took it to the airport. You can’t have too many tags with your name and cell, or bright-colored things hanging from it.

3. Muster up! It’s tempting to tune out at the muster drill. But just bring up a YouTube on the Concordia to remember why it’s not a good idea.

4. Do unto others...you know the rest. In other words, be nice to your fellow cruisers—it’s their vacation too. Don’t leave your stuff on the pool lounger and then go to the buffet. And speaking of the buffet, if you see someone’s sweater on a chair, please don’t sit down and pretend it’s not there.

5. The early bird makes the boat. Flying in the same day is very risky. You might just miss the boat. Or you may make it—but you luggage may not.  

6. Insure a safe trip. Getting trip insurance protects the investment you made in your cruise. But not all insurance is the same—ask questions and read the fine print. Check out this posting for more.

7. Load up on motion medicine. If you get car sick, air sick or sea sick, bringing stuff with you is the surest way not to need it. And bring whatever else you think you could need—and hope you don’t.

8. Pack right (or is it pack left?) and carry on! Your carry-on should not be an afterthought. One of our cruises was a nail-bitter—our luggage did eventually show up—after dinner.

9. Know your time wisely. When you go ashore, know if there’s a difference between ship time and port time. Or you’ll be chasing the ship on your own dime.

10. Stay sanitized. Wash hands often to avoid getting sick or making the rest of us sick. Consider carrying hand wipes or little sanitizing sprays to use after reaching for the ladle or salt shaker. And that TV remote? Elevator button? Banister and railing? They, too, can be germy.

Have a Commandment #11? Drop us a line.