Right now a few cruise ships from multiple cruise lines are making media headlines because of norovirus and illness outbreaks. Although there are multiple causes of illness, I would like to take this time to remind all viewers of some tips that can be used to try to prevent getting sick or getting hurt onboard.
     No matter what vacation destination you choose you run a high risk of being exposed to germs and bacteria. Just because you are on a cruise ship does not mean you are safe from the epidemics and diseases of the real world. Even though there is no way to completely protect yourself from getting sick there are some precautions that you can take to try to avoid sickness.

1.  Wash Your Hands -  Washing your hands with warm water and soap prior to eating, drinking,  and after touching any surface will help prevent the spread of germs.  If you are not able to wash your hands using hand sanitizer is a good alternative, but sanitizer does not kill all germs and should not replace constant hand washing.  Before I eat on the cruise ship I wash my hands and also use hand sanitizer as an extra precaution. If you have small children make sure you are washing their hands often, as they may stick their hands in their mouth, nose, or ears at any time and the germs will enter their body. 

2.   Avoid Touching Surfaces  -   When possible try to avoid touching commonly touched surfaces.  This may help reduce your chances of getting bacteria/germs on your hands or body.  Even if you don't touch anything you might want to consider washing your hands. 

3.   Avoid Sick People  -  If you see a guest on the ship that is showing symptoms of being sick stay away from them.  Don't touch any of the things that they have touched.  If there is vomit on the floor avoid it and try not to inhale it.   If someone in your cabin is sick make them stay in the cabin and then you can try to stay out of the cabin during the day.  Use a public bathroom if possible.  There will be times that you will have to go to your room, but the shorter amount of time you are in the room the less likely you are to catch the illness.   I understand there are some forms of sickness that are not contagious (food poisoning  sinus issues, etc.) but unless you know what that person has you might want to stay away from them as an extra precaution.

4.   Stay Physically Active  -   Try to work off some of your food or calories in the gym or on the jogging track.  Depending on the weather, I like to walk on the jogging track in the evening after dinner and watch the sun-set.  I carry a camera and snap pictures as I go around in a circle.   However, be careful onboard not to overwork yourself, pull a muscle, or get sick from trying to burn off your food/calories.

5.    Don't Overeat  -  At meal times don't eat an outrageous amount of food or drink. If you are over-stuffed you could get sick and vomit.  Be careful not to eat more greasy foods than you can handle or "rich" foods.  Overall, watch what you eat and how much you eat. 

These are just a few ways that you can stay healthy while on your cruise.  There are many other ways to prevent illness.  You have the power to try to prevent getting sick, but even if you try with maximum effort you could still get sick or hurt.   Always be careful! 

      Are you trying to decide whether or not you should do a shore excursion in your port of call on your Alaska cruise?  A shore excursion is a typically guided tour or activity in a port of call that you pay extra for.  You can book shore excursions through your cruise line or through private independent tour operators.  If you are deciding whether or not to go on a shore excursion during your Alaska cruise you should ask yourself a few questions and keep a few important factors in mind.  Your decision, whether you choose yes or no, will have an impact on your port of call day and how you spend your day. 

#1  What excursions are offered in this port of call?
You should research all of the excursions offered in your port of call.  If you are going to be booking your shore excursion through your cruise line find our what shore excursions that you can choose from.  If you are going to book through an independent company make sure the operator is reliable and trustworthy. Many cruise lines recommend you book through their shore excursions department because of conveince and help if your excursion is delayed or cancelled. When you are looking through the list of excursions in a port of call keep track of what you are interested in. If you are not interested in any of the excursions a shore excursion in this particular port of call than a shore excursion may not be for you in this particular port.  Use tourism websites to learn about other attractions in ports of call that are places and things you can do without being on a shore excursion.  Keep track of those attraction's prices and proximity to the ship.  If you see an activity or attraction that interests you and it is not a shore excursion you could do that activity/attraction instead.  If you don't see anything that you would like to do or see in a port of call you could either get off the ship and walk around the shops or stay onboard the ship of the entire day.

#2  What is the price of the excursions? 
       Keep in mind that shore excursions will cost you additional money.  Make sure the shore excursions you want to do will fit into your cruise budget.  If shore excursions do not fit into your budget or you do not want to pay extra for a shore excursion then you should consider not doing one.  If you really want to do a shore excursion but it does not fit into your budget you could consider not doing a shore excursion in another port of call to make up for  adding amount to your budget.  Also keep in mind that you may only get to experience Alaska once and this could be your only chance to do this particular activity. 

#3  How much time will the excursion take up?
       Shore excursions typically take up a chunk of your time in a port of call. Research how long the shore excursion will take and how much time you will have left after the excursion to shop or look around.  If you find yourself with little time left in the port or your excursion's end time is too close to the "get back onboard time" you should consider not doing the shore excursion because you do not want to jeopardize your chance of getting back on the ship.  Each shore excursion will last a different amount of time which means you can probably find one that will fit into your plans for the day. Cruise line offered shore excursions typically are set up to where you will have plenty of time to get back to the ship after your shore excursion ends.

#4  What does the excursion involve?
       Research what you will get to experience and see on the shore excursion. If you see that a shore excursion will take you to many attractions that you would like to see you may enjoy the shore excursion. If a shore excursion does not go to attractions that you would enjoy the particular shore excursion may not be for you. Since everybody has different interest shore excursions offered will often visit different places and do different things.  Some excursions also require more walking and physical movement than others. If you are a person who has difficulty moving around you might want to make sure that a particular shore excursion does not involve intense physical activity.

      Whether or not you choose to do a shore excursion on your Alaska cruise vacation keep in mind that you can always walk around and browse shops in the port of call. Always keep track of the time in your port of call, make sure you stay on the ship's time, and get back to the ship at the proper time!

Check out our Alaska cruise section of the website.  Click Here To View

    Cruise Etiquette has been a popular topic lately here on my blog. I would like to start by thanking all who have read my Cruise Etiquette series and let me know how much you enjoyed the articles.  I was asked by a few visitors to write about some of the scenarios that prompted me to write the cruise etiquette tips.  This is what this blog post is dedicated to. 
     In almost all cases cruise ships are filled with a diverse mix of passengers. Some passengers act just as good as they would on land, but there are always some passengers that are rude or do things onboard that are annoying or very selfish. Each story in this post is something that I have witnessed or have seen from observing.  I have seen some of these things on multiple cruises, while some other things I have included are isolated incidents that only happened on one cruise.

In The Elevators:  Someone Pushed All The Buttons

     Many people who have been on a cruise can probably relate to someone pushing an elevator button and walking away. This could be because they decided to use the stairs or another elevator came.  This is something that usually occurs outside of the elevator, but has anyone ever walked into an elevator that someone pushed the button for every floor?  This has happened to me before.  I needed to get from a low numbered deck (I think Deck 2) to a high deck (maybe 12 or 14).  I waited at the elevator bay area and the first elevator that came was completely filled with people. Once that elevator departed I pushed the call button again and a minute later another elevator came. The elevator is empty and I walk in.  When I walked into the elevator every single floor button was pushed.  The elevator went up and stopped at every single floor.  Less than midway to my planned floor destination  I decided to ditch this elevator and walk the stairs. I should have never gotten in that elevator.
      It is hard to know who to blame this one on.  It could have been kids or adults.  If you ever find yourself in this situation you could get out of the elevator and take the stairs or wait for another elevator.  

Cutting in Line For Food  - (My Favorite Story)

       Just like on land there are people who feel entitled to cut in line for food.  Buffet lines can be long, especially at peak times, and there are people who always cut.  I have seen people cut in line in front of younger children  thinking that the kid will not say anything.  I have also seen people cut in front of grown adults.  Most people don't say anything because they don't want to start an argument (end result could be getting kicked off the ship).  My favorite story of seeing a passenger cut in line was the Carnival Elation's deli line.  One of the people that I was travelling with got cut in front of while waiting in line.  She did not say anything, but was highly annoyed at this man and making faces behind his back.  When the man who cut in front of her got to the ordering area the crew member told the man to step aside and go to the back of the line.  The man said a few angry words to the worker and went to the back of the line.  At this time the back of the line was now much larger than it was when the man first came!

Wasted Food and Even More Wasted Food

     For almost every cruise there is going to be a lot of food wasted.  Whether the food is from the buffet, the dining room, or room service, there is almost always food wasted. However, there is a big difference between wasting food because you are full and wasting food just to waste food.  I have seen many passengers go through the buffet line and then not eat a single item on the plate.  It didn't even look like the passenger took a bite of their food!  Another example of wasting food would be ordering room service and not eating hardly any of the food ordered.  The moral of this story is that you should only take what you intend on eating.  If you don't like the food or get full quickly you shouldn't feel bad about not eating the food.  If you take food or the sake of taking food and don't intend on eating the food  is wasteful and you should consider not doing this.

Plain Malicious:  Stealing A Wheelchair

      I did not get to very see the start of this one, but I did get to see the ending. A group of children, probably in the 11-15 year age range, were about to enter the ship's onboard youth program lounge.  One of the children was in a wheelchair getting pushed by another.  When the group got to the entrance of the lounge the youth director came to the door and really loud exclaimed, "What happened to you?".  The kids laughed and replied that they stole the wheelchair from an elevator bay.  The youth director told them to return the wheelchair immediately or she would call ship's security. It looked like the kid's did return the wheelchair, but had a good laugh on the way back.  The moral of this story is to not touch what is yours.  There are always a few clumps of bad children, but most of the time there are always more well behaved children onboard.

Hogging Deck Chairs

       Cruise ships often have a limited number of deck chairs that are in demand from passengers during peak times on sea days.  Hogging deck chairs has happened on many of my cruises, but this example was on a much higher on the scale of hogging chairs.  I walked through the main pool area on the ship I was on around 1 or 2 in the afternoon.  There was a row of about 10 deck chairs that each had a personal item in the chair.  There was a person that was circling this row of deck chairs not allowing anyone to take a chair.  At least I didn't want a  deck chair because there were no other available chairs in that area.  Many cruise lines have policies that discourage hogging deck chairs, but some cruise lines are more effective in their methods of discouraging this than others. 

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy our Cruise Etiquette section of the website.  Click Here To View
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     Packing has always been a difficult topic to explain to people who are going to be cruising for the first time. Many people that are booked on their first cruise to do not completely understand how cruising works and therefore do not have as good of an idea of how to pack.  Cruising is different than a normal land vacation. On a land vacation it is easier to run to a supermarket or local store and pick up items that you forgot.  On the cruise ship, the cruise line will probably sell a few basic items at a high price, but it is harder for you to buy most toiletries or clothes that you might have forgotten. It is important for you to make sure that you pack everything you need for your cruise vacation, but is also equally as important to make sure you pack the right amount of clothing. 

A.  Packing Too Much (a.k.a. Overpacking):
     The length of your entire cruise vacation will determine the amount of clothing and things that you need to pack. If you are cruising for 7 days you would need to pack more items compared to a 4 day cruise. However, you run the risk of packing too much no matter how long your vacation is going to be.  If you want to pack reasonably you need to think about what you need and how much you need.  Do not pack more than you know you will wear. However, I always recommend packing a little extra in case your cruise or vacation is extended because of unexpected reasons.  If your suitcase is filled to the top you might want to consider evaluating your packing choices and decide if everything you have packed will be necessary for your cruise.  If you reconsider all of your items and decide (if you have a small suitcase) that you still need the items you had already packed you should consider getting a second suitcase.  There are some people who overpack before their cruise and then they decide to buy items onboard the ship.  Then these people have trouble carrying everything off the ship and they have to find a creative way to balance getting everything off.  Be careful to avoid being in this same situation!


B.   Not Packing Enough
      The opposite of packing too much is not packing enough.  If you are going on a shorter cruise vacation you will need less items than a longer cruise vacation, but please keep in mind that you can under pack too little no matter how long or short your cruise is.  If your suitcase is barely filled or if all of your items can fit in a carry on bag you should evaluate the amount you packed by asking yourself "Do I have enough clothing items for each day of the cruise?".
     If you pack too little and realize this once you are onboard your cruise vacation you may still have a few options.  Typically, cruise lines will sell basic toiletries (toothbrush, deodorant, etc.) onboard at an additional charge to you.  You cannot rely on this because some cruise lines sell no toiletries and others sell random toiletries.  There are a few cruise lines that offer a limited selection of free toiletries, but the majority of brands to not do this.  If you did not pack enough shirts you can probably buy a few t-shirts in a gift shop or in a local shop in a port of call.  If you did not pack formal clothes many cruise lines will rent or sell you clothes, if the ship has a formalities shop. 


C.   Not Packing For The Correct Destination Temperatures
       Not packing for the temperature's of your destination is a big mistake that can result in your discomfort. If you cruise to the Caribbean and the temperature is in the 90's, but you pack only sweatshirts and hoodies you may be very uncomfortable in the temperatures.  If you cruise to a cold place and only bring t-shirts you will probably be uncomfortable also.  I recommend monitoring the temperatures and weather before you cruise in order to help yourself make informed decisions about the type of clothes to pack.  If you  are on your cruise vacation and you realize you did not pack for the current temperatures you should browse shops in your port of call and buy something that can help you stay comfortable for the rest of your cruise.

D.   For Cruisers With Flights:  Not Meeting Airline Luggage Restrictions
        If you are having to take a flight to get to or from your cruise departure port you also need to keep your airline's luggage restrictions in mind. Many airlines will charge money for each suitcase and/or the weight of the suitcase. If you want to pay as little as possible you will need to make sure you pack only what you need for your vacation and bring home as little extra as possible.  In some cases one bag you carry on the airplane is still free, so you could put some items in your airplane carry on bag in order to have less in your suitcase.

For more cruise packing tips and information please visit our Cruise Packing page:  Click Here To View

     Imagine yourself standing on ship's deck gazing out at a vast blue ocean.  You feel a light ocean breeze brush against your body and hair blows a little because of this wind.  Your stomach growls at meal time and you have an endless buffet of food to choice from. You are out of your everyday  land routine and can enjoy yourself with activities and entertainment.
      The scenario I described above is why I love to cruise. A cruise experience will not always look like that and is based on the weather conditions and the cruise line & ship that you choose. If you have never cruised before or if you are trying to convince another person to try a cruise this article is for you. I will give some reasons why you should consider taking a cruise vacation.  Please keep in mind that each cruise line & ship is different.  Some cruise lines have activities and onboard entertainment that is oriented towards families while other cruise lines are more oriented towards adults.  Here are some reasons why you should take a cruise vacation:

The Dining & Food: Lot's of Different Options
       Many cruise ships offer a buffet that has a variety of different options. You can almost always find something you will like to eat. In addition to having buffets many cruise ships have a main dining room that you can choose food items from a menu and get served.  Keep in mind that the food and dining options available on your cruise will vary based on the cruise line & ship that you choose.  Many modern cruise ships offer pay extra dining spots that you can pay an additional fee to eat a particular food item or a particular meal in a restaurant.  You are usually not required to eat at these pay extra dining places because you should have other food & dining options available. 

Activities & Entertainment
        This aspect of your cruise vacation will vary by the cruise line and ship that you choose, but many cruise lines try to offer entertainment that is marketed towards their target audience. The majority of activities and entertainment are included with the price of your cruise vacation. There are always a few things that aren't included that you will have to pay extra for, but most of the time cruise lines offer more free activities & entertainment versus activities that you have to pay extra for.  Please note that some cruise lines & ships have no activities and entertainment and are only for sightseeing purposes.  There are some scenic cruises and river cruises that would fall under this category.

A Lot Is Included With Your Cruise Fare; But Not All Is 
        Many cruise lines boast "everything's included", but this is not true in most cases.  Look for fine print under this type of claim and you will find that a lot of dining options and entertainment are included, but things such as the casino, gift shop, and some other things are not included with the price of your cruise.

Experience New Places and Destinations
         Some people look forward to exploring ports of call that are a part of their itinerary. Some people tour their ports of call and other people shop in local shops.  Some people take a shore excursion (costs extra) while other people just walk around.  Unless you are on a cruise to nowhere your cruise will have an itinerary that has at least one port of call scheduled. If you are a person that likes exploring new places, especially foreign ones, you might enjoy the port of call aspect of a cruise.

This is a few of many reasons that I think you should consider taking a cruise vacation.  The way your cruise turns out will depend on a variety of different factors such as the weather and the cruise line & ship you choose. 

      The goal of RyG's Cruise Guide to is to help you plan and prepare for your cruise vacation.  We have a variety of online articles about booking a cruise, planning a cruise, and what to expect onboard the cruise ship.  Check out our various online articles about cruising and if you have any generic questions visit our Cruise Frequently Asked Questions page. If the question you have is not already present you can write to us and we may post your question with an answer!

     On my recent Carnival Triumph cruise I had the chance to try a burger from the Guy's Burger Joint onboard the ship. Guy's Burger Joint is an onboard eatery that Carnival Cruise Lines introduced as part of their Fun Ship 2.0 program. Some Carnival ships have Guy's Burger Joint while others do not.  This blog post is dedicated to sharing my experience of trying Guy's Burger Joint and of the burger itself.
     Let me start by mentioning that this was the first time on a cruise that I have ever tried a hamburger.  I have had a variety of different foods from the previous grill, but never a hamburger. On this cruise I decided to try a Guy's Burger because of all of the online marketing from Carnival and various people giving the various burgers positive ratings on cruise forums such as Cruise Critic.  
      I had the Guy's Burger Joint "Plain Jane" burger.  That is basically a fancy name for a regular hamburger.  The burger came standard with a bun, meat, and cheese. On the  platter with the burger was some fries.  The crew members working the Guy's Burger Joint were very friendly and the line moved very fast.  There were about 10 people ahead of me and within 2 minutes I was served my burger.  The crew members were cooking many burgers at once which helped make service faster. Compared to the way the old style grill was run the service was better and the line moved faster.  Please note that Guy's Burger Joint is not like the old style grill and does not have chicken tenders  or many of the food choices that were previously available.
      After receiving my burger I went to the Toppings Bar.  The Toppings Bar is an island that is located in front of the Guy's Burger Joint.  The Toppings Bar included a variety of different things and sauces to put in a burger.  I added onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles, chopped bacon, and mayonnaise to my burger.  The toppings bar was pretty well watched by a crew member during my cruise and was attended to when it got sloppy or needed refilling. 
      Now it is time to review the burger!   Let's review the burger by parts:
The Bun/Bread:
This was very good.  If I remember correctly the buns were both crisp and lightly buttered. The bread was comparible to a place like Fuddruckers.  
The Meat:
The meat was a little more bland than I thought it would be, but it was still good.  The cheese on the meat was melted and tasted very good.
The Toppings:
The toppings were pretty good and nothing special. The bacon bits that I got from the toppings bar were not as good as I expected because the bacon was too greasy and seemed a little stale.  Otherwise the toppings were just as good as what I have eaten on land.
The Fries:
The fries were extremely good!  The fries had a very good taste and turned out to be my favorite part of the meal. 
Overall:
Overall, the burger was very good and I would recommend it to anyone who is cruising on a ship with Guy's Burger Joint.  Not all Carnival ships have Guy's Burger Joint even if the ship has some FunShip 2.0 elements.  The overall taste was great and the temperature that the burger was served at was hot.

        There are a variety of other types of different burgers you can choose from at Guy's Burger Joint that I did not choose to eat.  Next time I cruise on a Carnival ship with  a Guy's Burger Joint I plan to try the other types of burgers. Before you cruise on a Carnival ship check to see if your ship has Guy's Burger Joint.  Not all ships do at this time, but if your ship does have Guy's Burger Joint you should try a burger.  If you don't like your burger...don't eat it!  If your ship does not a Guy's Burger Joint it will probably have a regular grill that is also good!
For a few more photos please keep reading!
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     Many cruise ship itineraries include going to foreign countries or territories. The documentation requirements that you must abide by  will depend on your country, the countries you will be cruising to, and the place you start & end the cruise. You need to look up the documentation that you will be needing for your cruise a long time in advance from your cruise departure date. Many countries require that cruise ship passengers have certain types of documentation in order to visit a certain place or leave a certain country.
     It is your responsibility to research the types of documentation that you will need for your vacation. Do your research a long time before you cruise because you need to give yourself plenty of time to apply for the required types of documentation.  Waiting until the "last minute" could result in you not getting your required documentation in time for your cruise.  If you do not have proper documentation you could be denied boarding your cruise ship. 
       If you find yourself close to your departure date and without documentation you are in a very risky situation. You can try to apply for your documentation and try to pay for a "rush processing and delivery", but even by doing this method you run the risk of not getting your documentation in your hands before your cruise.  
      The most important detail you need to gather here is that you must and should research documentation requirements in well in advance of your cruise.  Paying attention to all of the little details can make a big difference in how your cruise vacation goes!

     There are many different homeports, cruise lines, and ships to choose from. Each cruise line will price their ships and itineraries differently. When you are pricing your cruise vacation make sure you compare prices of the cruise to other ships and cruise lines.  Unless you are completely sure you want to cruise a certain cruise line you should compare prices.  Some people are loyal to one of a few cruise lines and do not wish to cruise on any other line and to them they will pay the price asked to go on a certain ship. Other people that do not care about the cruise line will spend a lot of time comparing prices to get the cheapest deal possible. If you are trying to get the best price for a certain ship keep track of the prices for all departure dates that fall into your timeframe of being able to travel. 
      Typically cruise rates are cheaper when school for kids in session. People who wish not to have very many children onboard may want to consider cruising during this off-season time. Keep in mind that very few cruises are 100% kid-free because of homeschool and parents pulling their children out of school.
     The type of stateroom that you choose will have an impact on the price you pay for your cruise. If you get an interior stateroom with no view you will most likely have a cheaper rate than a person who books a suite with a balcony. Research stateroom categories and their prices and then compare the price & value before making a decision on the type of stateroom that you will stay in. Often interior staterooms are a great way to try cruising at a lower price, but getting a room with a view will allow you to get a chance to see outside.
     Finally, before you book your cruise make sure you know what is included with your stateroom category and the price of your cruise vacation. You can often find what amenities are included on your cruise line's website.  It is your responsibility to find out what you get for what you pay for. Make sure you know this information before getting onboard the cruise ship because expecting more than you actually get could lead to disappointment. 

     There are a variety of different departure ports across the United States and around the world that service various cruise lines. The departure port that you choose could be influenced by two main factors, the location of the departure port and what cruise lines/ships sail from the particular departure port.
      If you are trying to decide between a departure port because of location you need to keep a few things in mind. How will you get to the homeport? Will you fly on an airplane, take a train, get dropped off by family or friends, or drive yourself and park? If you are arriving by plane or train you will need to make sure you have transportation arranged that will get you to and from the cruise terminal. If you are planning on driving yourself you need to keep in mind that you will probably have to pay to park. Or if you are getting dropped off by family or friends you need to make sure you set up clear arrangements with them. The biggest part of deciding on a homeport based on location is deciding on how you will get to the particular homeport and how far you will have to travel in order to get to your cruise ship's port of embarkation.
      If you are trying to decide between a particular departure port because of cruise lines or ships you need to spend time researching what cruise ships sail from a particular departure port, where they sail, and what itinerary they travel. Some cruise lines and ships will sail seasonally from departure ports and other cruise lines and ships will sail year round from a departure port.
      I suggest narrowing down your departure port choices based off of the price of the cruise, cost to get to the port, and value of the ship & itinerary. Make sure decision carefully and after doing plenty of research.