We Book a Variety of Cruise Vacations
Frequently Asked Questions about Cruises
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Meals, basic beverages (coffee, tea, lemonade) and entertainment are generally included in the price of your cruise along with your accomodations, port charges, and taxes. Alcoholic beverages, spa treatments, specialty dining, and excursions/activities typically incur an additional charge.
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Typically there are formal nights, theme parties that will have a dress code on the ship. You will be informed of these in advance of traveling on your cruise.
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Typically a passport is RECOMMENDED by not REQUIRED depending on your citizenship status and where the cruise is going to. If you are a United States citizen traveling to/from United States ports (coming and going to/from the same ports ex. starting in Miami the first day and porting back in Miami the last day) then you will need to show your Official Birth Certificate along with State ID or Drivers License. If there are ports in between that are international you can still get off of the ship as anyone else would as long as you have these items with you. We highly recommend getting a passport as you would have difficulty FLYING from international ports if you had to for some reason.
For children, passports are recommended but not required for the same reasons listed above. The ID requirement is NOT requested for children.
Passports are required if you are leaving from international ports, leaving from one port and ending in another at the end of a cruise, AND if you are NOT a United States citizen in most all cases.
Our travel agents will guide you on which documents you need before travel.
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Most cruise ships will offer wi-fi. This wi-fi is usually not very reliable (though its vastly improved over the first days of wifi at sea). There is usually an additional charge for wifi on a ship.
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Gratuities on cruise ships are customary tips given to staff for service. They are often automatically added to your bill at the end of the cruise and range from $10/$20 per day per passenger. You can ask for these to be added in to the cost of your cruise.
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There are mandatory safety drills called “muster drills” for all passengers that educate on evacuation procedures, life vest and life boat procedures, and emergency situations. Trained security staff, emhanced health screenings, medical facilities on board, regular crew training and more keep cruise ships operating as safely as possible.
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Seasickness is a common concern for cruise ship passengers. Some ways that we help clients who are worried about this is we put them in midship cabins on higher decks. While this may cost a little more, cabins on the lower decks that are forward or in the back tend to feel the most motion vs. higher decked midship cabins.
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Shore excursions are paid activities in the ports that your ship docks at. Your travel agent (designer) can help you to find the perfect excursions and book them with our trusted partners. They allow you to experience activities while in destination to help further your enjoyment and experience.