Essential Cruise Tips
With cruise lines now pretty much able to sell their ships out completely at a hundred percent or higher capacity, I want to tell you how you can hunt down and find cruises and cruise ships that are not going to be completely packed to the rafters and will have the best cruise experience. This is the techniques that I use. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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Cruise lines are packing their ships full these days. They're admitting that they're selling at 100% or higher capacity. So, ships are really, really full, and I've seen this firsthand on a recent cruise, like MSC Cruises, Norwegian, or Caribbean, even Princess in Alaska. So, I want to share with you proven techniques to deal with managing crowds and avoiding crowds. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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On my last cruise, a Windstar Fjords cruise, I posted clips on Instagram of the best attended event of my entire cruise. It immediately ignited a fiery, lively, and divided debate about if the event was a good idea or not. It got me thinking about other things that I talk about on social media or in my videos, that spark heated debates and where cruisers fall into “for” or “against” camps, with few on the fence. So, let's find out where you stand on these right now as I suspect that, like me, your stand is shifting as we face a new world of cruising. Become a Tips For Travellers...
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After loving recent cruises on 600 and 700 passenger ships, like Oceania Insignia, Azamara Quest and Seabourn Encore, I wanted to see if going ever smaller was even better, so I booked myself on an 11-night Windstar Star Pride “Lands of the Midnight Suns”. Now this ship only holds 312 passengers, and they claim to be the market leading small ship line and have both these yacht style engine-driven ships that I went on, but they also have sailing vessels as well. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For...
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It took me 26 hours, three flights, and a time change of 12 hours to get to my French Polynesian cruise in one of the remotest parts of the world. It was brutal, and so how did it go once there – and do I recommend putting yourself though all that? I explore all of this in this video Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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I am often asked about river cruising and find many people do not fully understand what it is and is not, and this are the 6 things that I have come to appreciate about river cruising around the world that people need to know before they consider one Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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I test out cruising in Yacht Club, a limited access “ship-within-a-ship” on MSC Cruises, to see if it really is better than cruising as a “regular” passenger and if it is worth paying the premium for the experience and the perks. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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There are so many rumours, beliefs, stories, and misconceptions about MSC Cruises with many drawn by their great fares but worried about the reports about the ships, food, service and entertainment. I cruised with them to uncover the latest Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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I expose and looks at common scams that I have seen cruisers, including my friends and even myself, fall for when in a port on their cruise so you can avoid falling for these... Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
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Seven out of ten travellers told me they really want to do a Nile River cruise. But almost all said they were unlikely to do it, because they had too many questions and concerns. Having done one, I have discovered the answers to those questions, and a few they should be asking but aren’t. Become a Tips For Travellers Patron: and get exclusive Patron-only content, downloads and livestreams Visit my Tips For Travellers YouTube:
info_outlineIn another episode of 60-Second Cruise Tips, Gary Bembridge, author of "The Cruise Traveler's Handbook", "Essential Cruise Tips" and "River Cruising Essential Tips and Tricks" shares another cruise tip. This time it is:
How to avoid missing the ship in Port
Watching your ship head off into the distance standing on the quay in a foreign port is a vacation experience you should avoid. Though it does happen.
Here is how to ensure you do not get into that situation, and what to do if you do:
- Make 100% sure you know the all aboard time. This is the latest time you have to be back on the ship. Double check as it is often different by port.
- Go on cruise line excursions, as the ship will always wait for these to return - even if delayed.
- If you self-tour then before you do so check with the excursion team the best travel arrangements to get back to the ship, and build in extra time for traffic delays or incidents.
- If you go on a tour with an independent provider, make sure they include a guarantee to get you back to the ship on time and will make all the arrangements and cover the cost to meet up with the ship at the next port off they do not.
- Take the daily program with you, or take a photo of the contact details of the local agent details on your SmartPhone. This is who you contact if you are running late or have any issues.
- Take identification and a credit card with you when off the ship. This enables you to make and pay for arrangements if you need to.
The safest way to avoid missing the ship is to stick with cruise line excursions, but do not let the fear of missing the ship get in the way of seeing a destination how you would like to.
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