It’s the final week of the Countdown to Cruise blog series. We are in Final Cruise Preparation mode. In this post, I will share with you all of the details you’ll need to make sure you are prepared to board your ship!
In previous weeks of this series we have covered: Royal Caribbean Cruise Planner, Online Check-in Process, Packing for a Warm Weather Cruise, My Essential Tech Gear for Traveling and now Final Cruise Preparation. Let’s get ready to cruise!
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Final Cruise Preparation – Paperwork
If you have read my post 10 easy steps to planning a cruise you may remember that I keep all of our travel information and research in a poly envelope. This ensures that everything is in one spot. I keep research on the islands, the ship’s layout, post-it-note ideas of things to do…it’s a full folder. During the final week of preparation, I go through this folder and eliminate anything that’s no longer relevant or needed.
Passports –
You won’t want to forget your passport. I’m a little cautious so I make two copies of our passports. I keep a copy with us (separate from the actuals) and leave one set with a family member. Just in case of an emergency. I’m a “just in case” kind of girl.
Cruise Boarding Passes and luggage tags-
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to board the ship!
I keep the most recent copy of our onboard credit summary, receipts for advance purchases, our BOARDING PASSES and our cruise luggage tags in a smaller travel pouch. In this travel pouch, I also the carry copies of our passports, some small bills $$. (Yes, I have started using the cruise line app for our boarding passes.)
Do NOT attach your cruise luggage tags at home. You’ll want to attach those the morning of your cruise. Hotel front desks are usually happy to let you borrow their stapler or you can pick up these luggage tags that allow you to slip the cruise tag right inside.
Our flight and hotel confirmations are accessible on my phone apps.
Final Cruise Preparation – Travel Funds
How much money you will spend on a cruise is a little different for everyone. If you are a spender by nature then you are likely to be a spender during your cruise. If you love experiences… but not souvenirs…you get the idea. Here’s how I break it down for our personal experience for a 7-night cruise.
TIP Money
I like to be prepared. I have more fun and am a lot less anxious when I know what to expect and I feel prepared. So, for money, I starting saving $1’s and $5’s a couple of weeks out. I keep them in a jar on our kitchen island and my husband knows to add to the collection. 🙂 We use these small bills for the bellman at our pre-cruise hotel, the porters at the terminal, room service or a special bartender. There is also a lot of onboard entertainment in the bars at night that you might like to tip a few dollars in their tip jar. We always pay the daily gratuity, we just like to give an extra dollar or two to specific individuals throughout the week. Small bills are also important on the islands. Taxis will require cash and most excursions or activities will have a TIP jar present.
Purchases
Cash – I usually pull out $200-300 from the ATM before our trip. I keep half in my purse/bag/travel pouch and my husband has the other half. The ATM spits out $20’s and we will use this cash to give an extra tip to our stateroom attendant or to buy from vendors on the island..but island transportation is probably the largest expense. Many taxis in the Caribbean are priced per person (which is why they always want a full vehicle) and not metered.
Our souvenir, if we are on a new island, is a beach towel. There are also times while at the beach that you will need cash for a bucket of beer or some jerk chicken. We typically do not spend all of our cash but I want to have it…just in case. If an establishment accepts credit cards we usually choose to do that and save our cash in case we need it at the next port.
Credit Cards – I bring two, and here’s why. I use my Royal Caribbean Visa for almost everything. We earn extra points for RC purchases so I always use this card for onboard expenses (set up during the online check-in process). Just a heads up, they also may want to scan this card at the cruise terminal so it’s good to have it handy with your other important documents.
Check with your provider to see if you need to set a travel notice.
Final Cruise Preparation – Prepare Your Home
For us, our biggest “home” preparation is always the care of our little fur-babies, Max and Bella (assuming our human children are going with us). They are very loved and very spoiled and must have “Grandma’s” constant attention while we are gone.
You may be leaving your home unattended and you will want to take the standard precautions. It’s always a good idea to let a trusted neighbor know you’ll be gone, setting lights on timers and having someone pick up your mail or paper delivery. If you are traveling in the winter, think about pipes freezing. I have heard horror stories of people returning from trips to a disaster. (Yes, I do worry about everything)
Travel Day Essentials
Travel bag for the plane
So…99% of the time I pack the SAME things in my backpack. I don’t want my backpack to be stuffed and heavy but I want to have everything I need to have an enjoyable flight. For me, this includes my headphones, my electronic entertainment (laptop or iPad mini), and a wrap which I will use as a pillow or blanket and all of our travel documents noted above.
Travel weather –
This is one thing that I used to always forget to check. That is until we went to Florida and there was a random cold front and it was in the 40’s nearly the entire length of our trip. When taking a cruise to a warm-weather destination like the Caribbean, keep in mind that your starting port (Embarkation) may be in a cooler climate during the month you sail. Also, check your ports of call and see if there is a high chance of rain, etc. expected. Most showers in the Caribbean are short but you want to be prepared.
Embarkation day essentials
If I’m checking luggage, which is the norm, I try and place my outfit and other essentials for embarkation day right on top. Placing these items in at the last minute allows for easy access at your hotel and you won’t have to dig through your entire packed suitcase to find your outfit. I also make sure that my Cabin Prep Kit is in my cruise carry on bag so that as soon as our stateroom is ready, I can get it all set up even if our luggage hasn’t arrived yet.
That’s it! Rest up and get ready for a fabulous week!
If you’re in final cruise preparation or just planning a cruise, let me know! Questions are always welcome. We can all learn from each other. Have a great week everyone! I hope you are all excited about some upcoming Allure of the Seas blog posts.
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Happy Travels!
Jillian