Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Our Groups
- You can use frequent flier miles.
- We recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance.
- You must
have a passport.
- No matter where you live you can travel with us - we have
clients from all over the U.S.
- Use the on-line Reservation form to order a
trip, or call our toll-free number. Feel free to contact us with any
questions!
Answers to Other Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get seasick?
It is unlikely that you will notice any motion on a large cruise ship, even if
you are sensitive to motion in automobiles or airplanes. All ships today have
stabilizers to smooth the ride. Some cruises sail calmer waters than others.
Caribbean and Alaska cruises enjoy smoother sailings than say Bermuda. If seas
do get rough, there are many preventative medications available on board.
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Do I have to participate in scheduled activities or
can I just relax?
There are dozens of activities going on all over the ship every day. One the
best ones can be "doing nothing at all". Relaxation is what attracts
many people to cruise travel. Every ship has one or more pools that you can lay
around with a good book, most have a library and several lounges where you can
sit and relax by yourself or with friends.
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Do I have to tip? If so, how much?
Tipping is up to you. Generally speaking, $7.00 to $12.00 per day/per person
should take care of your waiter, bus boy and cabin steward. Other ship personnel
can be tipped at your discretion. There are a few cruise lines that have a
"no tipping" policy.
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Will I need a passport?
All U.S. and Canadian citizens must travel with proof of citizenship, which is a
valid passport.
Non-U.S. citizens who are residing in the United States are required to
travel with their Alien Registration Card (Green Card) and valid passports. All
others must have valid passports and necessary visas at embarkation. You should
consult with your travel agent for more information if necessary.
Can I call home from the ship?
Many of the newer or recently refurbished ships provide Ship to Shore telephone
service and cell-phone service, typically at $2.50/minute. On some ships you can call from your stateroom. Ship to Shore rates
apply so you may want to limit your conversations.
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Are medical services
available?
Virtually every major cruise ship will have a staffed medical facility to handle
emergencies. If you suffer from a medical condition, check with your travel
agent before booking to make sure the ship on which you are cruising can handle
your needs.
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Will I get bored?
That is very unlikely! However, if you are concerned about having enough to do,
choose one of the larger ships (40,000 tons and above), they will typically have
more activities due to the sheer numbers of people on board.
Most ships have dozens of planned and spontaneous activities going from
sunrise to way past midnight. Pool activities, sports, bingo, casino, wine
tasting, dance lessons, dancing, karaoke, live entertainment, movies,
television, fitness centers, shore excursions, talent contests, masquerade
parties, Captain's party, country western night, just to name a few!
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What should I pack?
Generally speaking, cruise travel is very casual during the day and casual to
formal in the evenings. This can vary depending on the itinerary. Caribbean,
Hawaiian, Alaskan cruises are more informal while Transatlantic, Mediterranean
and European cruises tend to be a little more formal. This can also vary from
cruise line to cruise line and ship to ship.
Princess Cruise Line would probably lean toward formal whereas Carnival will
tend to be more informal and casual. There is no real hard and fast rule,
however, here's a try.
Men should always pack one dark suit which will usually suffice even on
"formal night." You can take a tuxedo, but we recommend that you rent
one on board the ship (most ships offer this service) unless you own one and
just want the extra baggage. Tuxedos are generally not "required".
Ladies can take cocktail dresses or a full length formal.
There are usually 1 to 2 formal nights on a 7 night cruise, only 1 on 3 &
4 night cruises. The rest of the time is typically very casual. Even on
"non-formal" nights, men should wear a collared shirt to dinner and
slacks or skirts for the ladies.
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How much will it cost?
One of the most attractive features of a cruise vacation is the price.
Even more expensive cruises are a good value for the money. You can spend
anywhere from $400 for a 3-night Bahamas cruise to $30,000 for a suite on a
30-day cruise to Africa!
No matter how much you spend, you pay one price that covers virtually
everything: meals, accommodations, taxes, on-board entertainment and in some
cases, airfare! The only extras are shore excursions, liquor, tips and
incidentals (photos, etc.). Note that this is just the cruise fare, not
the all-inclusive Dream Dates fare.
Undoubtedly, a cruise is the most affordable way to travel. Compare a 7-night
cruise to the Caribbean at around $1300 pp (including airfare) with a 7-night
trip to Hawaii. In Hawaii, a hotel comparable to your cabin on the ship will be
at least $150 per night (that's $1,000 right there!), your airfare from most
cities will be at least $600, and meals in Hawaii to rival that of the cruise
ship will easily be $100 per day per person (another $700!). That is $2,300 per
person compared to $1,300 and we haven't even talked about entertainment!
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What is included in the price of the
cruise?
Just about everything! All your meals are included (and there are usually about
7 or 8 per day from which to choose), all accommodations, all shipboard
entertainment, all taxes and in some cases your airfare and ground
transportation to and from the port is included.
You must pay for extras such as liquor, shore excursions, gratuities, photos,
incidentals, gambling, etc.
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What about sightseeing when in
port?
Your ship will typically arrive in port early in the morning at which time you
are free to go ashore. In most cases, you will be back on board the ship by
5:00pm to 7:00pm. This gives you more than enough time to enjoy one of the
cruise lines' shore excursions, or, go off on your own to do some shopping,
sightseeing, swimming, scuba diving, etc.
We highly recommend the cruise ship sponsored tours and excursions. In some
ports, when you debark from the ship, local sightseeing companies (in some cases
a local with a van) will be waiting to tempt you with their own tour. Take our
word for it, while these tours may be safe and in some cases quite good, it is
always a safe bet to stick with your cruise ship's recommendation.
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Can I get/send e-mail while onboard the ship?
Many of the newer ships do have a business center complete with computers
connected to the Internet. Some charge as little at $16 an hour for computer
time and you can get your e-mail using any popular email program such as
Google's Gmail or Yahoo Mail. Check
with your cruise line for availability of these services.
If you have a laptop onboard, you may be able to use a wi-fi connection,
depending upon the ship. You can also make a ship-to-shore call to dial into
your Internet provider, but at $8 to $10 per minute it can get very expensive.
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