First Time on a Cruise Ship?

I won't say that I'm an old hand at cruising, but I have been on four cruises. I am planning my fifth. On the advice of local travel agents, I have located and purchased my last three cruises online. Websites like "hotdeals.com", "expedia.com", and "vacationstogo.com" all have a wide range of cruises and cruise lines available at competitive prices. Almost all online booking sites have toll-free numbers if you need help once the cruise is selected. If you're a first time cruiser, you need to be aware of a few things.

First, all cruise ships are fabulous when it comes to what they provide. All food is free unless you choose to reserve a table in the upscale eateries that some ships have. They will feed you at a buffet as soon as you board the ship. All liquor and carbonated drinks will cost you extra. Some cruise lines offer you discounts by purchasing special cards or coupons for these drinks. You will need to inquire at any of the bars on the ship for details and to purchase these. Your room will be serviced at least two times per day. You will be given a card on most ships as soon as you board or as you are boarding that will be your room key and will be tied either to a credit card or an account that you deposit cash into for all of your onboard spending. You can settle this account the day before you leave the ship, or they will simply post it to your credit card when they dock back at your home port.

Secondly, plan on temperatures once you are heading into the tropics of 80 to 90 degrees in winter and 90 to 100 degrees in summer. Regardless of the season, plan on intense sun. Take plenty of effective sunscreen. Unless you are going into the jungle or wading in swamps, you probably won't encounter too many bugs to worry about. Third, if you hope to shop, most, maybe all, ports visited will accept US currency at the current exchange rate, ie. Belize-one US=two Belize, Mexico-one US=10 Pesos, etc. It's not hard to find out and many places post their price in US dollars.