Fourteen cruise travel mistakes too costly to not avoid.

---

These fourteen cruise travel mistakes are too costly not to avoid. They include issues prior to your cruise and on it.

---

If you haven’t cruised, but are thoughtfully considering taking your first one, here are cruise travel mistakes to avoid. These are serious and sometimes extremely expensive. Each can be easily avoided.

Here are my top fourteen cruise travel mistakes that are too costly to make.

Precruise Mistakes to Avoid.

Scheduling a last-minute flight for your cruise embarkation:

If you’re late for your ship’s embarkation, it will sail without you.

Two years ago, a friend scheduled their flight to land in San Juan, Puerto Rico just four hours before their ship sailed for two weeks in the Caribbean. The flight was delayed, and he landed after his ship had sailed. He and his wife had to buy expensive, last-minute tickets to the cruise’s next port and pay for a hotel for the night. They missed fourteen percent of his cruise, incurred significant expenses, and received no refund of any kind.

I typically arrive at a domestic cruise embarkation port two days in advance and an international embarkation port three to five days in advance of sailing. Those rules have saved me from missing several cruises.

Not knowing and/or not following destination passport requirements can easily end your cruise before it starts.

Not knowing your passport rules, particularly for its expiration date requirements:
Many Americans think that their passports can be used until they expire. It can’t. Many countries require passports to be valid for at least three months beyond the traveler’s departure date, and many others require six months. When you arrive at your cruise ship’s embarkation, if your passport doesn’t meet the requirements of your cruise destinations, you’ll be denied boarding. Your fare and all other expenses will be lost. You could be out a small fortune. Be sure you know the passport requirements for each destination you intend to visit. If you need a new passport, apply immediately. If you don’t have a sufficient multi-month buffer, you might need to use an expensive renewal service or lose your cruise fare.

Not purchasing travel insurance from an independent company:

Always purchase trip insurance that’s cancel-for-any-reason and all-risk from a highly reputable insurance company. I recommend that because I’ve found most cruise line policies aren’t as good as the ones I want, particularly if I’m doing anything outside the cruise package. I always include medical coverage too, essential for U.S. seniors internationally, because Medicare doesn’t cover you outside the U.S.

Using cellphone, on board without a cruise line cellular or internet package:

Using your cellphone at sea can be costly, especially if you haven’t pre-purchased a data/call plan from your cellular provider. If you need Internet or want to make calls from your cellphone, you likely need a cruise plan. I purchase a data plan for my smartphone to use for international ports of call. If shipboard Internet isn’t free, buy a WiFi package, as it will likely be far less expensive than other options. If you want to make cellular calls while at sea, I look at a cellular cruise plan from my cellular provider. You can also use your cellphone to make phone calls over WiFi if you must call from the ship.

After Booking:

Waiting to book shore excursions, specialty dining and other amenities can cause you to miss them entirely.

Waiting to book shore excursions, specialty dining, spa treatments, course, etc.:
Many reservations you’ll need during your cruise can be made well before your ship sails. If you wait until you board, you’ll likely miss your first or possibly second choices for specialty dining, spa treatments and particularly shore excursions. If you wait too long to book, you may entirely miss the excursion you booked your entire cruise to take.

The moment reservations are open online for your cruise, make every reservation you want that they allow. You won’t be sorry you did.

Not knowing cruise ship electrical device use rules:
Many travelers have a host of electrical devices that need daily recharging. Among the list are, smartphones, tablets, cameras, laptop computers, hearing aids, headphones, etc. Moreover, on many ships, Americans’ staterooms have just one 120V outlet. To reduce fire hazards, Extension cords with multiple outlets and multi-plug outlets are banned. This ban is particularly serious for those who also have a medical device, such as a CPAP machine that must run nightly.

I

Don’t ignore the ship’s port sailing schedule.

I’ve booked many third-party excursions at cruise ship ports of call over the years. I’ve done it to take excursions not offered by the cruise line or to save money. When booking these excursions, include plenty of return-time leeway. Be certain you’ll arrive at the pier well before the ship is scheduled to sail. I’ve seen passengers arrive at the dock just minutes after we’ve sailed, only to take days to meet the ship at another port.

Apple AirTags have enabled me to locate and retrieve my checked bag numerous times. I highly recommend them.

Not using Apple AirTags:
I often discuss using Apple AirTags for travel. They can be extremely valuable for cruise travel. On my Australia cruise, a while back, with just an hour left before sailing, my luggage was missing. With the aid of the AirTag in my checked bag, the ship’s head concierge finally located my bag in a back room as the gangway was being pulled into the ship. Don’t leave home without it.

Bringing illegal drugs on board:
Most cruise lines enforce a zero tolerance policy against illegal drugs and even marijuana that might be legal in your U.S. state. If found, you won’t be allowed to board and will lose your cruise fare.

Smoking in your cabin or balcony:
If you’re a smoker, be aware that smoking is significantly limited on almost every cruise ship. Smoking, including vaping, is typically strictly forbidden in cruise ship cabins, verandas, and almost every public indoor area. Ships have only very limited areas outside at which you can smoke. If you violate your ship’s smoking rules, you’ll be fined/or pay a cleaning fee, and will likely be kicked off the ship at the next port.

The muster drill may seem like a pain in the neck, but if you miss it the cruise line may and likely will throw you off the ship.

The muster drill is a mandatory safety briefing that’s on the first day of cruises. If you skip it, the cruise line will know it and may kick you off the cruise as it starts.

Follow sanitation protocols 24/7

With reports of viruses aboard ships, the rules are upheld. Follow all rules.

Not packing a change of clothes in your carry-on plus a swimsuit:

Even if your checked luggage isn’t lost, it could be hours before your baggage is delivered to your room. Have a change of clothes in your carry-on if your bag(s) are lost or delayed and a swimsuit so you won’t miss a beat while you wait.

Not setting your watch to ship’s time, instead of port time:

Often, ships that pass through time zones don’t always adopt the time zone change during cruises to make it easier for passengers. To ensure you arrive for reservations, excursions, etc., don’t set your watch or allow it to automatically set to local time. That may not be the ship’s time.

So, that’s it, my fourteen cruise mistakes to avoid whether you’re new to cruising or a long time cruiser. If you can avoid them, you’ll have a better cruise.

(Image: Regent Seven Seas Voyager at Tallin, Estonia. Copyright © 2018 NSL Photography.)