cruise Archives - Cruise Recs https://cruiserecs.com/tag/cruise/ My WordPress Blog Wed, 05 Jun 2024 20:51:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 Budgeting for Ports & Tips https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/04/budgeting-for-ports-tips/ https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/04/budgeting-for-ports-tips/#respond Tue, 04 Jun 2024 01:45:51 +0000 https://cruiserecs.com/?p=232 It’s up to you to determine your personal budget for spending at ports and additional tipping for excursions and cruise staff. You can spend as little or as much as you want at each destination, but it’s a good idea to plan ahead so you don’t spend more than you planned. We typically use cash […]

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It’s up to you to determine your personal budget for spending at ports and additional tipping for excursions and cruise staff. You can spend as little or as much as you want at each destination, but it’s a good idea to plan ahead so you don’t spend more than you planned. We typically use cash in ports to help us stay within budget. When the cash is gone, it’s gone.

To figure out how much cash to bring, we select a dollar amount and multiple it by the number of ports we’ll be visiting, then we add additional for various tips and travel incidentals. The amount you choose is a personal choice and fully dependent on your financial situation at the time of your cruise. We’ve been on cruises where funds were tight and we spent very little in port (sometimes nothing) and other times we’ve had a little more wiggle room and purchased souvenirs or local art for ourselves and friends/family back home. Either way, your budget might include line items for the following:

Embarkation/Debarkation Porters – average is $2 per bag – Sometimes we use porters when we arrive in port and/or when we get off the ship – and sometimes we don’t. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it other than being dependent on how tired we are or how convenient they are in the moment. It’s always nice to plan for it either way, just in case. If we do use a porter, we always tip. The embarkation porters are making sure your luggage actually makes it on the ship, after all. And depending on your home port, sometimes a debarkation porter can get you through Customs lines faster. If we don’t use a porter, then it’s just extra cash we have on hand in case we need it.

Port Days – Plan to spend cash in port for food, drink, entertainment, souvenirs, etc. This amount varies wildly depending on the destination and your financial situation at the time. It could be anywhere from $20-$200 per port or more. If we’re feeling really fancy or find something really unique that we really love, we have been known to splurge a little. We love to bring home original local art – and we know others who love to shop for jewelry or gemstones on shore. We also use this cash for any local transportation, refreshments or maybe a couple of loungers & an umbrella for kicking back on a beach with protection from the sun. Any cash we have leftover from one port, we roll over to the next.

Excursion Tips – average is $10 per guide for a half day outing and $15-20 per guide for a full day outing. These locals work hard to make sure you enjoy your time in their country/on their island and their wages are usually far less than our minimum wage in the U.S. – and in some cases, they only work for tips. So if you have a great local guide, be sure to tip them for their efforts. Everyone appreciates a tip, but some of them depend on tips to make a living.

Tender Tips – average is $2 per trip – What’s a “tender”, you ask? Some destinations have ecological protections for their reefs, which are an important part of the underwater eco-system and play a huge role in the health of the beach and marine life in the area. Reefs offer protection from storms & beach erosion, recreational opportunities (like snorkeling & diving), and can be a source of food and medicine. So, in cases where a port has a protected reef, the ship won’t dock, but instead anchor just off shore, behind the reef. In these cases, a smaller boat (called a “tender”) will bring you to and from the ship. Tenders are not owned & managed by the cruise lines, but by locals from the destination country, which is why you may opt to tip.

Ship Tips – You’ll likely want to tip anyone who delivers room service to your cabin, as well as your stateroom steward, your dining crew if you have set time dining (as opposed to your time dining), and potentially your favorite bartender of barista – if you found one. These amounts vary significantly depending on who you ask. And yes, the cruise staff does share in the tips you pay when you book your cruise, but we like to directly reward good service and “above and beyond” services. This, of course, is a personal preference and entirely optional. For room service, we usually tip $2-3 per delivery. For stewards, we usually tip $10 per day at the end of the cruise. For dining crew, we usually tip $7-10 per day on the last day. For bartenders & baristas, it depends on how great they were, how often they remembered our regular orders, and how pleasant they were to interact with, but $7-10 per day is fairly typical for us.

JUST FOR FUN

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

We bring thank you cards and write notes inside for our stateroom steward/team, dining crew, favorite bartender/barista, etc. and include their tip inside. If you have a set dining time, take it with you to dinner the last night for your dining crew, give it to your favorite bartender the last night, and leave it behind in your stateroom for your room steward team on debarkation day or the night before. It’s a more pleasant and discreet way to distribute tips and adds a personal touch.


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Common Fears https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/02/common-fears/ https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/02/common-fears/#respond Sun, 02 Jun 2024 21:27:02 +0000 https://cruiserecs.com/?p=142 What are some of the common fears of cruising and how can you overcome them?

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Common worries & fears for setting out on the high seas and how to overcome them.

1

I’m going to get seasick.  

Feeling seasick on a cruise is certainly a common fear, but is not as common in real life as you might think.  Every cruise can experience rough seas from time to time. Cruise ships have state-of-the-art stabilizers that drastically minimize motion while out at sea.  If you’re prone to motion sickness, pack medication like Dramamine (over the counter) or Scopolamine (prescription patch that goes behind the ear) and you can also try natural remedies like green apples and ginger (We hear ginger chews work wonders). We’ve also heard some have great success with Sea Bands, so that may be an option to try. Also note that cabins mid-ship and mid-to-low-decks usually feel less motion than the far forward or aft and higher decks of the ship. Consider these locations when booking.


2

I’m going to get bored. 

A cruise ship is like a travelling city and there is so much to do at any given time, you’d have to work hard to get bored.  Trust us, there is ALWAYS something to do if you want to do something.  From organized participation games like trivia, board games brought to life, life-size checkers, bingo, stage shows, music venues, karaoke, belly flop (and other such) contests, mixology classes, watching a movie (yes, some ships have movie theatres and almost all show movies on the big screen by the pool in the evenings), and more – to more individual activities like reading a book, playing cards, eating a snack, taking a dip in a pool, soaking in a hot tub, people watching, having a chat with someone new, taking a nap, or gazing out at the sea…you can always find something to occupy your time.


3

I’m going to catch a virus and come home sick. 

Just like in any other public space, there’s always the possibility of catching a virus. Take the same precautions you would when going to any other public space and you’ll be fine.  The crew is CONSTANTLY cleaning, so I would argue that there is less surface contagion on a cruise ship than any other place (except maybe your home).  As for airborne contagion, a cruise ship is no more crowded than a busy airport, theme park, or even your neighborhood grocery store on a Saturday.  Don’t let this fear stop you from having a grand vacation aboard a ship.


4

I’m not going to have enough time in each port. 

Most cruise ships stay in port between 8-12 hours, which is not a lot of time, but enough to experience a destination’s highlights. Does it provide the same amount of time as traveling to that destination independently? Of course
not! But the joy of a cruise is to experience multiple destinations in one vacation – and the cruise ship is a destination in itself when traveling between ports.


5

I‘m afraid we’re going to get stuck in a storm while at sea. 

Running into a minor rainstorm does happen on occasion, but it’s in the cruise line’s best interest to avoid inclement weather as much as possible. They want guests to be happy and in the safest conditions possible. Every cruise line has advanced tracking systems, state of the art facilities, and employs a full team of people who work hard to make sure that, whenever possible, the ship steers clear of any bad weather conditions (they’re a ship, they can do that) – and they aim to completely avoid severe weather altogether.  This may mean that your itinerary is modified so they can avoid a really bad storm, or you may miss a port because there are rough waters or severe weather at that particular destination, but you can rest assured that will always be safe. Does that mean there will never be rain or windy conditions? No – it sometimes rains and it’s often windy (you’re on a moving ship, after all), but it’s nothing that rises to the level of a safety concern.


6

I’m afraid of falling overboard. 

Trust me when I say that if you’re not the height of an NBA all-star or traveling with your murderous arch nemesis, you’d have to work really hard to fall overboard.  You’re not going to be walking along a deck, trip, and suddenly find yourself in the ocean.  All railings are over belly button high on the average person (approximately 4 feet) and many are a combo of solid steel and thick tempered glass (no slipping through any open cross bars). So, if you don’t plan on climbing any railings or venturing into restricted parts of the ship, you’ll never find yourself accidentally taking a dip in the sea. If you ARE an NBA all-star, welcome to our site – we love the NBA – but you’re going to be fine, too. Seriously, those railings are solid.


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Why Cruise? https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/02/why-cruise/ https://cruiserecs.com/2024/06/02/why-cruise/#respond Sun, 02 Jun 2024 20:07:16 +0000 https://cruiserecs.com/?p=111 We get asked this question often. So here are our top 5 reasons to pick a cruise as your next vacation.

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We get asked this question often. So here are our top 5 reasons to pick a cruise as your next vacation.

1

Cruising is the most affordable way to visit multiple destinations in one trip without worrying about navigating transportation, reservations, or lodging at each destination. Once you’re on the ship, you’re set!

2

You can do as little or as much as you want. Do everything or nothing at all. It’s up to you!

3

Traveling with friends and/or family who have different tastes in activities and cuisine?  Got a mix of early risers and night owls? Traveling with those who like to stay busy all the time and others who like a lot of down time? No problem! Everyone in your party can vacation their own way, but together.

4

Cruises offer the best people watching (and meeting, if you’re into that sort of thing) this side of anywhere.

5

Outside of the fabulous crew, everyone on the ship is on vacation…so 95% of them are happy and having a grand time. The other 5% are just curmudgeons who find their joy in complaining so they’ll be at Guest Services all day anyway and you’ll rarely see them.


Have some anxiety and don’t know how to overcome your fears about cruising? Check out our Common Fears article to learn more about how to set sail on the high seas with more peace of mind.

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