Watch Out For Hidden Charges                                                                                                              You can have a wonderful time without paying more than the cruise fare.  That being said, it is important to pay close attention to what you may be charged for.  Especially since it is very easy to whip out your card throughout the cruise, not thinking anything of it.  Not to mention that there may only be a slight difference between a free option and a surcharge item.  For instance, some “regular” (for lack of a better word) juices may be included in the base fare; however, fresh-squeezed juices may be extra.

For most major lines, the base fare includes:

• Your cabin
• Meals in the buffet and main dining room
• Regular and decaf hot coffee
• Regular and decaf hot tea
• Iced tea
• Lemonade
• Fruit punch
• Non-bottled water
• Some juices in the morning
• Milk
• Many ship activities
• General gym access

On the flip side, most do charge extra for:

• Specialty coffees
• Alcohol
• Specialty restaurants
• Some ship activities
• Gym classes
• Fresh squeezed juices
• Sodas
• Arcade games
• Spa services
• Pictures
• Internet
• Shore excursions
• Items in the mini-fridge
• Medical services
• Room service late at night

Drinks                                                                                                                                                                  Depending on your situation, you might want to look at getting a drink package.  Some are just for sodas, others include alcohol, bottled water, and/or fruit juices.  As opposed to paying for each drink, you will just show them your seapass card or wrist band.  The packages tend to be expensive so you may want to examine the options to see if they are worth it.

Dinner Seatings and Attire                                                                                                                       Today everything has become a lot more relaxed.  It is very common to see people in jeans at dinner.  As opposed to a formal night, there may only be a formal optional or suggested night.

In addition to the change in dress code, people now have a few options for dinner.

• Traditional dining with a set time, table, dinner mates, and waiter.
• Freestyle Dinning which allows you to eat at any time during dinner hours. You can choose to sit with others or just with your party and you might not have the same waiter every night. This style has become more popular with people, ourselves included. If we want to eat at 6pm one night and 8pm another we can.  If we want to have a 45 minute dinner one night and a two hour one the next, we can. We don’t have to wait for everyone else to finish their appetizer before our entrees are served.
• Specialty restaurants which will have a different menu than the main dining room and are typically an extra cost.

I believe these changes are the result of a few things:

1. Cruises are no longer just for empty nesters and honeymooners. Many families take cruises now. They may not want to stick to a regimented dinner schedule nor do they want to get all dolled up for only a few hours.
2. Airlines and luggage. Most people try and pack as light as possible to avoid extra baggage fees with airlines.  The more you pack, the more you will have to bring, and extra fees you will incur.
3. Society itself. At one time, men wore suits to work every day. If a woman wasn’t wearing a suit, she was wearing a nice dress or blouse and skirt.  You never saw jeans in the office.  Today, jeans are the norm in many work places.  Suits are only worn when there is an important meeting.  If a person is not going to wear a suit to work, he/she certainly is not going to wear it on vacation.

SeaPass Card                                                                                                                                                  The seapass card is your lifeline while you are on the cruise ship.  It is your cabin key, the only way you can pay for things, and your ticket to getting on and off the ship.  It shows your muster drill station, and your dining option for dinner (if you chose traditional it will also have your table number).

Many people buy a lanyard for the card and hang it around their neck. I am typically in pants or shorts so I just have mine in my back pocket.

Before they give you the card at check-in, you will have your picture taken.  Every time you get on and off the ship you will need to enter the card into a slot.  The crew member can then confirm it is you – that you didn’t give it to someone else who couldn’t find their own.

Since all you do is give a crew member your card if you want to purchase something, and because you may have other family members who will be using their own card, it is always a good idea to check your balance every so often on the TV.  You will get your final itemized bill the last night.  If you haven’t looked at your charges throughout the week, you may be one of the many people who are in line at the reception desk disputing charges.

The Mini-Fridge & Other Items Found in the Cabin                                                                        Do not be fooled!  You may see water bottles above a mini-fridge when you walk in the cabin, and there may be no price shown. This does not mean it is included in the base fare.

When housekeeping cleans your cabin they will take note of what has been “taken”.  This includes any item in or outside the mini-fridge.

Also, moving an item in the fridge or just taking it out and putting it on the desk could result in a charge for the item.  It is best to check with your cabin steward to see what will happen if you re-position things.

Children’s Activities                                                                                                                                 Mind you, while I do not have children of my own, I do know that all of the main lines have some form of a kids’ club. I know for Royal Caribbean they break it down to age brackets.  The older ones (I think it is 14-17) even have their own disco area.

Dailies or Compasses                                                                                                                              Every evening you will receive a list of information about the following day:

• Opening and closing times for areas around the ship
• The schedule of activities
• If it is a port day, earliest time you can debark and latest time you can embark
• Sales at the retail stores
• Specials at the spa

This information is called different things on different lines. For instance, NCL calls them dailies, while Royal Caribbean calls them Cruise Compasses.

Housekeeping                                                                                                                                              Your cabins can get cleaned twice a day.  It is important to have your door sign set the way you want it.

If you come back in the late afternoon and want to take a nap, make sure the door sign is set to “Do Not Disturb”.  If you do not, your steward may come in to clean the cabin.

If you put the “Do Not Disturb” sign before you go to sleep at night, and order room service for breakfast, you will want to take the “Do Not Disturb” sign off the door.  If you don’t, you may receive a call from the kitchen explaining the food is ready, but they cannot deliver it because of the sign.

You will also want to take the “Do Not Disturb” sign off the door if you want the steward to clean your room.  Otherwise the cabin may not get cleaned.

Instead of receiving clean towels folded, you may find a towel animal in your room.  If you don’t want the steward to use any of your items, you will want to make sure you have them in a drawer.  If you do not, you may come back to the room at night and find an elephant wearing your sunglasses.