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New to cruising? Here's some basic info. This information applies to mainstream cruises only, and does not apply to junior luxury and luxury cruise lines. Examples of mainstream lines include Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, and Virgin Voyages.

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 CRUISE FARE INCLUSIONS: 

- Your stateroom

- Port fees and taxes

- Three meals/day with snacks throughout the day

- Coffee, tea, iced tea, juice and milk

- Onboard entertainment, including pools, hot tubs, evening shows

- Onboard enrichment, such as lectures

- State-of-the art fitness center

EXTRA COST: (Including, but not limited to...)

- Staff gratuities -- unless prepaid or offered during a promotion 

- Dining at the specialty restaurants -- unless offered through a promotion

- Soda and alcoholic beverages -- unless a beverage package is purchased, or is part of a promotion

- Photos taken by the ship's photographers

- Spa treatments

- Gambling

- Wi-Fi -- unless offered as part of a promotion

- Excursions off the ship

- Private solarium for adults only (might incur an extra fee, depending on cruise line)

CRUISE DEPOSITS:

Deposits on cruise lines will vary, depending on any promotions in play at the time of the booking. Generally speaking, the deposit will be between $125 and $300 per person for a cruise on a mainstream cruise line.  The deposit may or may not be refundable; check with Jo-Ann.  Terms will be shared before your credit card is charged.

TRIP INSURANCE: 

Cruise Planners is partnered with Allianz, an excellent trip insurance company. Those of us in the business can write a book about situations our clients have encountered where Allianz saved the day. And it doesn't just apply to you. If something serious happens to relatives not traveling with you, you are protected for cancellation -- for qualifying reasons. A few of our policies even include cancellation due to a pet emergency!  As John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

AIR / HOTELS / TRANSFERS: 

Sandra and Kim provide air guidance or air coordination when air is offered or included by the cruise line. Sandra and Kim will be happy to provide hotel recommendations, and will provide cruise line transfer information, as needed.

FINAL PAYMENT:

On mainstream cruise lines final payment will be between 75 and 120 days in advance, depending on cruise line and length of trip. Information will appear on your confirmation. Sandra or Kim will send a final payment notice several weeks before final payment is due. Final payment is always processed five days prior to the hard and fast cruise line deadlines for individual bookings, or two weeks prior to deadline for groups. This is to protect YOU, so that your booking does not cancel out.  Sometimes your credit card's bank suspects fraudulent activity when seeing a charge from an unknown source, and this can take several days to work out. 

CANCELLATIONS:

Check your cruise confirmation or the cruise line website for their tiered cancellation penalties, which usually start immediately after final payment (or when a nonrefundable deposit is made).

CRUISE LINE APPS:

Almost every major cruise line now offers an app, where you can check in, purchase shore excursions, and more. Make sure to download the cruise line's app after your deposit has been placed.

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS: 

Cruise Planners recommends a passport for all travel, valid a minimum of six months post-travels. Many cruise lines and airlines have adopted the 6-month policy, regardless of the information provided at travel.state.gov.  Some excursions on an Alaska cruise require passports or passport cards, as they enter Canada and return to the U.S. by land.

On some closed-loop cruises, where you leave from and return to the same American port, you can get by with an original, state-issued, certified birth certificate and matching government ID with photo, such as a driver's license. Please note that if you need to fly home to the U.S. from any foreign location, including Canada and Mexico, you will not be able to do so without a passport, regardless of age. Please note that hospital-issued birth certificates will be rejected, and if the two forms of ID do not match, a bridge document will be required, such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree.

New: Those holding a Mexican passport now require an eVisa to enter Canada, including cruises that stop in Canada briefly. There may be other requirements for non-Americans. Check with Sandra Brooks or Kimberly Rosengart.

Children 15 and under require either a passport, or an original, state-issued birth certificate.

For more information about how to secure or renew a passport, including a list of in-person passport centers, go here:

Where to Apply for a U.S. Passport (state.gov)

LUGGAGE: 

For a one-week cruise, I recommend one medium or large suitcase per person, along with a carry-on for personal effects. Once unpacked you will put the carry-on inside the larger suitcase, and you'll then slide both under the bed. You will be handing your medium or large suitcase to the pier attendant and will see it in your room sometime around mid-afternoon. 

CPAP MACHINES:

Please notify us at final payment if you will be bringing a CPAP machine onboard with you. Some cruise lines will supply distilled water and extension cords free of charge; others will ask that you bring an extension cord, or purchase distilled water through their online store.

HAIR DRYERS:

A hair dryer will be provided in your stateroom, sometimes attached to the inside of one of the drawers in the main room. Irons are not allowed.

EMBARKATION:

I recommend arriving at your city of embarkation a minimum of one night prior to cruise departure for Western Hemisphere cruises, and one to two days for all cruises abroad. Traffic accidents, plane delays, and flight cancellations are prevalent these days, and can prevent you from boarding on time.

Boarding can begin as early as 11:30 a.m. Plan to board as early as possible to enjoy a nice first-day lunch.

BRINGING ALCOHOL ONBOARD:

Most mainstream cruise lines will allow you to bring one bottle of wine or champagne onboard at embarkation -- per person. If you don't consume it in your room, there is usually a corkage fee at the restaurant. No hard alcohol can be brought onboard. All spirits purchased during your trip will be held for you until disembarkation. On some cruise lines you can purchase alcohol in advance through their online gift shops for delivery to your stateroom. A limited amount of water can be brought onboard on embarkation day.

LAUNDRY SERVICE: 

Princess -- as well as some junior luxury and luxury cruise lines -- offer self-serve laundry at an extra charge. On other cruise lines you can send your luggage in, using a bag that's in your closet. Pricing is by the piece, and is usually returned the next day. Every now and then the cruise lines will run a bag special, where they will charge one price for everything you can stuff into a bag. When this happens, it's usually mid-trip. Also, a free bag or two of laundry might be included as part of your loyalty status.

SMOKING ONBOARD:

Banned in the staterooms of every cruise line, as well as most public venues. However, there will always be designated smoking areas somewhere on the ship, indicated in your daily bulletin.

CLAUSTROPHOBIA ONBOARD: 

Between the activities, open spaces, nooks and crannies, and port stops, you won't be stationary for long -- unless you want to be!

SEASICKNESS: 

Most ships have multiple stabilizers that minimize motion. When in doubt, bring dramamine, bonine, a wrist bracelet, patch, or any type of ginger product. Some even say a green apple helps.

FORWARD STATEROOMS AND MOTION SICKNESS: 

I have been everywhere on a ship, and have experienced very few issues. In a serious storm you WILL feel more motion if you are forward. You might also hear the anchor mechanism (briefly) in and out of ports. Note that some of the oceanview staterooms in the front of the ship have extra room -- and are less expensive. 

FLYING HOME AFTER DISEMBARKATION: 

Cruise line transfers are usually available for guests taking flights 4 1/2 to 5 hours after the published arrival time back at port. Flight rules vary per cruise line; check with us. Give yourselves plenty of time. The Florida ports and airports are extremely congested on cruise line embarkation and disembarkation days, as is LAX.