Do you have an upcoming cruise? Here are some important things you need to do to prepare yourself for your upcoming cruise. To make things easier for you, I’ve put together a checklist of things to do before your cruise, which you can download for free below. This checklist will help ensure that you have everything you need and are fully prepared for your cruise.
1. Check Your Passport Expiration
It’s important to make sure that your passport is valid before you travel since many cruise lines have strict rules about expired passports. They won’t let you board the ship if your passport has expired or is due to expire within the next 6 months.
This is also true if you’re traveling with a green card or alien resident card—you need to check that it has not expired or is about to expire soon.
If you discover that your passport or card is expired, you should renew it as soon as possible.
You can pay extra for an expedited passport renewal, but it may still take some time to process. If you can’t renew your passport in time, you may need to reschedule your cruise for a later date.
2. Online Check-In
Complete your online check-in before your cruise to make the check-in process on embarkation day faster and smoother. You can usually do your online check-in around 3 months before sailing date.
For example, Carnival Cruise Line allows you to check in online 14 days before sailing. Another advantage of checking in as soon as possible is that you can reserve your embarkation time slot. Check out my cruise embarkation tips on how to board the ship faster.
3. Sign Up for Cruise Notification
You should sign up for cruise notificationfor timely text alerts regarding changes affecting your cruise embarkation time. It is especially helpful during hurricane season when delays are more likely. With this service, cruise lines will keep you informed with up-to-date information.
4. Download the Cruise App
Don’t forget to download the cruise app before you board the ship. Nowadays, almost all cruise lines have an app that lets you book restaurants and activities, and check the daily schedule of events. The cruise app will also allow you to text for free when you’re onboard the cruise ship!
Some cruise lines won’t let you make reservations until you’re on the ship. While others, will let you make reservations before your sail date. By downloading the app early, you’ll be able to make your reservations ASAP. It’s typical for popular activities to sell out quickly, so it’s advantageous to download the app beforehand. That way, you can secure your spot and make sure you don’t miss out on your first-choice activities.
The last thing you want to be doing is to waste your time downloading the cruise app on the first day. You should have your cruise app downloaded before you board the ship!
5. Buy Cruise Extras
One important way to prepare for your upcoming cruise is to buy cruise extras ahead of time. This includes things like Cruise Beverage Packages, VIP passes, Specialty Dining, WiFi, laundry service, etc. You can usually get discounts if you book your cruise extras prior to boarding the cruise ship.
On Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises, you can get discounts of as much as 35% on drink packages during their flash sales. So, keep an eye out for these sales. The best part is that if you buy it and see a sale with a better price, you can always cancel your first order and rebuy it again at the lower price!
By buying your cruise extras ahead of time, you can enjoy the discount and start enjoying your cruise extras once you’re onboard the cruise ship! No need to worry or stress about it on the first day of your cruise!
If you want to pay to skip the lines during embarkation day, you need to buy the cruise VIP package. Nowadays, many cruise lines offer VIP packages such as Carnival Cruise Line’s Faster to the Fun, Royal Caribbean International’s The Key, Celebrity Cruise VIP Pass or Norwegian Cruise Line’s Priority Access.
By doing so, you can pay to skip lines and enjoy priority boarding, direct access to guest services, priority tender boat boarding, and more.
6. Book Shore Excursions
One thing I recommend doing before boarding the ship is booking your shore excursions in advance. The most popular shore excursions tend to sell out quickly.
Make sure you book your tours early so you get your first choice. It’s also a good idea to do your research and compare the prices offered by the cruise shore excursion with those of independent tour operators like Viator.
You’ll often find that independent tour operators are cheaper, and they may even use the same tour operator as the cruise. The main difference is that the cruise offers a guarantee that you won’t miss the ship if you book your shore excursion with them. By researching and booking your shore excursions in advance, you will be able to get your top choices.
Also, by booking shore excursions early, you can usually get a better price on the cruise shore excursions because the cruise lines usually offer discounts when booked ahead of time.
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7. Check Travel Advisory
Many people forget to check the travel advisory before going on a cruise. They assume that all cruise ports are safe, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
In fact, just recently, the US Department of State upgraded the travel advisory level for Bahamas and Jamaica.
That’s why it’s important to check the travel advisory beforehand so you can be well-prepared and take necessary precautions (check out my anti-theft cruise port tips).
8. Print Luggage Tags
Printing your luggage tags is a must before embarking on your cruise. These tags are important for checking in at the port.
At the cruise ports, there will be porters waiting to take your check-in luggage to the ship. But without these tags, you’ll be in for a hassle and a delay at check-in.
That’s why it’s important to print your tags beforehand and attach them to your luggage. This way, your luggage will be ready to go as soon as you arrive at the cruise port. I also always print extra luggage tags just in case.
Remember to always carry important medication and travel documents in your carry-on bag, and not in your checked luggage.
9. Book Your Hotel and Transfer
One of the most common mistakes cruisers make is arriving on the day of their trip and missing the ship. Don’t let this happen to you!
To guarantee a smooth start to your cruise vacation, arrive at least a day early and stay overnight near the port.
Make sure you book your hotel in advance and ask your hotel about booking a car service to the port.
If not, you can also book private transportation from your hotel to the port on Viator.
Don’t rely on taking a cab or Uber to the cruise port. Chances are you’re not the only cruise passenger staying at that hotel. There will be delays in getting taxis and Ubers to the port because of the surge in demand.
10. Download E-Books and Movies
One thing that you should do in advance before your cruise is to download ebooks and movies at home.
First, you don’t want to be downloading when you’re on the ship since the cruise Wi-Fi may be limited and you are wasting your data limit by downloading on the ship.
Also by downloading movies, ebooks and games in advance, you may not need the cruise Wi-Fi since you can access them offline. It’s a smart move, so you have plenty of entertainment options at your fingertips throughout your voyage.
11. Shareholder Benefits
If you are a shareholder of the cruise line you’re planning to sail on, you could qualify for free onboard credit. You need to own a minimum number of shares and request the credit in advance.
Depending on the cruise line and the duration of your voyage, shareholders can receive up to $250 of free onboard credit. However, some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, offer even more, up to $1000 per sailing on world cruises.
For example, Norwegian Cruise offers shareholders $50 to $250 onboard credit per stateroom for cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, or Regent Seven Seas Cruises. To be eligible for the onboard credit, you must own a minimum of 100 shares and submit your request 15 days before the voyage.
Carnival Cruise also offers $50 to $250 onboard credit to its shareholders. To qualify, you need to own at least 100 shares and request the credit no later than 14 days before the cruise departure date. Carnival cruise shareholder benefits also apply to Princess Cruise, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, and Costa Cruise sailings.
For more information on how to get free onboard credit on a cruise as a shareholder, check out my article.
12. Minor Consent Forms
If you’re traveling with a minor without their parents, then you need to fill out a minor travel consent form. For example, if you are cruising with your grandchild without the parents, you will be required to complete a Minor Travel Consent Form. Typically, this form must be notarized, and you can easily find it on the cruise line’s website.
13. Start Planning What to Pack
One of the things you need to do early is start planning what to pack. Packing for a cruise is not as simple as packing for a land vacation because you might be going to places with different weather and temperatures.
There may be things you need to buy in advance that you don’t have so you want to make sure you have time to do that.
To help you with your cruise packing, I have packing advice and free packing lists for Caribbean Cruises, Alaska Cruises, Mexico Cruises, Mediterranean Cruises and even British Isle Cruises. Also check out my cruise toiletry bag and first aid kit packing list.
Free Things to Do Before Your Cruise Checklist
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