Cruise booked, now what???

You have taken the plunge and booked your cruise, exciting times! But what do you do after the excitment has worn down and the reality of your sailing date is upon you?

As a Specialist Cruise Consultant, it is my job to advise you on as much information as I can at the time of you making your booking, but lets face it, who is really listening and taking it all in? Especially if you are booking  months odd in advance. I know I wouldn't....

So, here I have tried to put together a list of things that you need to do to make sure you have everything you need and are all set to go.

1. Have you done your online check in? You need to log onto your cruise personaliser - click here to read about what this is - and fill in things like your passport details, insurance details and next of kin details. Nearly every cruise line out there requires this before you sail, and generally wont issue your tickets without it. If you are unsure whether the particular cruise line you are travelling with requires this then ask your agent.

2. Travel Insurance - you absolutely must have this in order to be able to cruise, this is a must with every cruise line. cruise.co.uk can offer a very high standard of insurance so always ask us for a quote. When choosing travel insurance you must make sure the cancellation cover is enough for what you have paid for your holiday as the cheaper options may not have enough cover! Cheaper is not always better when it comes to travel insurance.

3. Luggage Labels - most cruise lines now are reverting to just paper labels unfortunately. Some do still send them out about 6 weekes before but not many. If travelling with Royal Caribbean or Celebrity you must request them online (using your cruise personaliser) if you dont then they will not be sent. But dont panic, with every cruise line you can always get them at the port you are departing from, just ask the porters before you hand over your luggage.

4. Shore Excursions - These are all handled directly through the cruise line so your agent wont have much, if any, information on these really. Again, most cruise lines allow you to pre book them on your cruise personaliser if this is something you like to have organised before you go. Alternatively cruise.co.uk offers cheaper alternatives to the cruise lines click here to search them.

5. Parking/hotel- if you need to organise port/hotel parking then contact your agent as we generally get the best rates on these and can save you a bob or two!

Once you have made a booking with us we always send you a booking confirmation along with an email called "what happens next" this reiterates what I have said in this blog so if you are ever unsure just revert back to this as it can generally answer your questions, before you call your agent.

Once all this is sorted and you have printed off your boarding passes, E-tickets, luggage labels, hotel/parking/transfer vouchers if booked, then you are good to go :) Happy Cruising!