How to Book a Cruise

Now you are set! You’ve decided where you want to go, you’ve read a lot of reviews on cruise chips, destinations and packages and now you’ve made up your mind. Just one thing is left: booking the cruise. Feeling a little confused? With so many factors to take in account when choosing a cruise, things can get a little messy. This guide will help you become a master on “book cruising” (by the way you can go ahead and call it a skill)

Step One: If you fit the description above, you’ve already completed the first step on how to book a cruise. If not, go ahead and pick a cruise ship you’d like to be on. The internet is a great resource for doing this. Besides this site you can go visit plenty of other sites featuring cruise reviews pictures and more. If you are more traditional, you can visit a travel agency and grab as many brochures you can.

Step Two: Now that you know where you want to go, define how long will you be staying. There are many plans depending on this factor. Most cruises offer the standard weekend to 2 weeks packages. But you can find cruises that lasts almost a month!

Step Three: Decide how much will be spent. Money runs out eventually and sometimes you’ll need to sacrifice some of the features you like in order to be able to pay it. Of course, if you are a millionaire just skip this step please.

Step Four: Now is the time to visit the travel agency. Your travel agent will be delighted now that you’ve made up your mind, keeping the most important factors in mind. Just let them do their work…you know… stuff like contacting the service, making arrangements and so on. They will let you know things like availability, inconvenients and the point of departure.

Step Five: Select your room and other important things such as cancellation fees and restrictions. Ask everything you need, for example most cruises won’t let you bring your own alcoholic drinks.

Step Six: Ask your agent to book the cruise or if you prefer do it online.

That’s it. Taking it step by step is not that hard. Oops, I forgot the very last step: Have fun!

TIPS FOR HEALTHY CRUISING

Having a healthy cruise is in the fore front of most cruise passengers’ thoughts these days. And there is plenty out there to be wary of, from the swine flu and norovirus to bad food hygiene and food poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer some sage advice on the topic.

1: If you fall sick before the voyage, rather than taking your cruise and possibly infecting everyone else, contact the cruise line and ask about your options such as as alternate cruise dates, credits etc.

We have all learned not to go to work when we’re ill - the same applies to going on vacation.

2: While on the cruise, wash your hands frequently and especially after using the toilet and before eating or smoking.

3: Visiting ports, be aware of general food service cleanliness and avoid eating or drinking anything that looks risky.

This is particularly true for street vendors in tropical climates. Their offerings may look tempting and exotic, but there’s nothing exotic about being ill.

4: If you fall sick during the voyage, visit the ship’s medical facility and follow the recommendations.

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