Turning your desire or dream of cruising Alaska can start to become a reality once you book your cruise. Booking a cruise can be a difficult process if you have not done research or if you do not know what you want to do. There are many different Alaska itineraries, ports, cruise lines, and ships. You may feel overwhelmed when researching Alaska's many options, but as you do more research you should begin to narrow your options down. This post is not about things to research before booking an Alaska cruise, but instead will give you information about common methods used to book an Alaska cruise.



#1  Booking Directly Through Your Cruise Line
             One of the options you have when booking your cruise is to book directly through your cruise line. Most cruise lines have websites with booking engines that allow cruisers to book online. Also, many cruise lines have call centers with vacation planners for cruisers that prefer to book their cruises on the phone. 

#2:  Booking With A Travel Agent
              Travel agents are not old fashioned. There are many people that use travel agents to help plan their vacations. There are many travel agents still in business today that book a wide range of vacations. If you are booking an Alaska cruise with a travel agent, I recommend trying to find an agent that is knowledgeable about Alaska cruises. Also, try to use a travel agent you can trust and feel comfortable speaking with. 

#3:   Booking Using Online Deal Websites Or Online Travel Agencies
               The internet has many websites looking to book you a cruise or vacation. You can find many Alaska cruises that are being sold online just like you can for many other types of vacations. Only use travel websites that are reliable and trustworthy to book your Alaska cruise. Research a website or online travel agency that you are thinking about using before you start the process of booking your cruise. 

              There are other methods for booking cruises that may fall into one of these three major categories. Always be cautious when booking online or by phone. If possible, no matter what method you use to book your cruise, try to get everything you can in writing to help prevent scamming or to protect yourself if there is an error later.

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        In May 2015, Carnival decided to make some changes to their VIFP program (loyalty rewards program). For those that are unaware of the changes, VIFP Gold, Platinum, and Diamond members used to be invited to a party on 5+ day cruises. Carnival has removed Gold members from this party, but instead the Gold level guests on 5+ day cruises will receive an appreciation drink coupon. This coupon is designated for use after 5pm on the last sea day and is valued for any drink up to a limit ($9.00)  in value. 

#1  Crew Members Can Make Their Own Coupon Rules
          There were some crew members on the Carnival Elation that did not follow the written fine print instructions on the coupon. A few people managed to use their coupons early in the cruise. Other bartenders told people that the coupon could be used at any time on the last sea day. However, there were some crew members that did follow the rules exactly as presented on the coupon. When a cruise ship is away at sea, the corporate office's guidelines are not always exactly followed as intended. The bartenders were making up their own rules with the drink coupons, but it appeared that most were following the written price limit. If you are cruising, don't count on getting to use your coupon early, but you never know!

#2:  Souvenir Drink Glasses Don't Count
               I tried to get a souvenir drink glass, but was told it was not something that I could use my appreciation drink coupon on. This may have been a bartender's own rules, but my guess is that the corporate office does not want the coupons being used on souvenir drink glasses. I was hoping for a funnel shaped souvenir glass for free, but at least I tried. If you want a souvenir glass you will pay extra for it! 

#3:  Coupon Can Be Used At Any Bar or Coffee Bar Onboard
                  Unlike the old brunch coupon offered to Gold members, this coupon is supposed to be able to be used at any bar after 5pm on the last sea day. This means you have multiple options when it is time to redeem your coupon. Some bars are less crowded in the evening. For example, most ships have a bar in or near the lido buffet. This bar is typically not as crowded in the evening. However, other bars, such as the atrium bar, are usually crowded in the evening. Try to find a bar that is less crowded to use your coupon so you don't have to wait in a long line.

#4:  Tipping Is Optional, But Consider Tipping
                  In the past, when I redeemed my brunch coupons I was never given a ticket to sign. However, on my Carnival Elation cruise I was given a ticket to sign with a place to give the bartender a tip. If the bartender is friendly and makes your free drink good consider giving him or her a dollar at a minimum. 

        While not getting to go to the old style party was a slight disappointment, the new coupon was still a nice gift from Carnival. I am sure as time continues the kinks in this coupon program will be worked out as some crew members probably did not know how the program was meant to work. 

        It is always fun getting to see older cruise ships that are now sailing for other cruise lines. Recently on a cruise, I got to see the Pullmantur Monarch docked in both Cozumel and Progreso. For those that are not familiar with this ship it sailed as Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas. The ship left Royal Caribbean's fleet in 2013 to sail for Pullmantur Cruises.
         This is not a regular blog post, but a collection of photos of the now Pullmantur Monarch. Although the ship has been painted on the exterior, it is easy to still see many of the Royal Caribbean style designs on the outside. 

The photos below are in photo gallery format.  Please click on any photo to make it larger! 

          When cruise ships dock in ports of call, many shop owners and clerks are hopeful to make as many sales as possible during the ship's time in port. However, there are some stores in ports of call that use dishonest techniques or sly ways to lure people into their stores. 

#1:  When You Hear "Looking Is Free" -  You Should Make A Mental Note That Nothing Is Ever Free
         On my past cruise to Cozumel and Progreso, I continually heard shop owners yell the phrase "Looking is free". This was to make tourists feel welcome into their shops and encourage them to buy something. However, in many smaller stores, looking is not free. If someone showed any interest in a shop, many of these store clerks or owners would hound them to buy something. Looking at stuff in some of these shops comes with opportunity to be continually hounded by store's owner to buy something.

#2:  Many Stores Sell Very Similar Things, But At Different Prices
          In many ports of call around the world the stores often sell very similar things. However, the price is usually not the same. Before buying something, look at some other shops to be sure you cannot get the same item for less. In Cozumel, my family learned this lesson the hard way. We negotiated an item down to $25.00, but later found it for $10.00 in another store. 

#3:   When Negotiating Don't Fall For "My Boss Says I Can't Give The Item For Less Than.."
            A sly trick I have heard many sales clerks use during negotiating with cruise passengers is their boss won't allow any item to go below a certain price. While this may be true in some cases, often the sales clerks are trying to make the most possible off of the cruiser. If you want to test the clerk's claim tell them you do not want the item and start to walk away. If the clerk then goes lower in price, the chances they lied to you are great.

#4:  Count All Cash Out To The Cashier
            When you are paying, do not hand your money to the clerk in a wad. You may have a clerk that purposefully miscounts your money to make you think you owe more. Instead, count out the money in front of the clerk as you hand it to him or her. For example, if you owe $5.00 and want to pay in all one dollar bills, you could hand each dollar bill to the clerk individually.

#5:   Some Stores Will Try To Disguise Themselves As Cruise Line Affiliated, But They Are Really Not
              Occasionally, you will see stores that try to make cruise ship passengers believe they are one of the cruise line's recommended stores. Always check with your cruise line for recommended port of call shops and try to stick to those shops. If a shop is trying to make cruisers believe they are cruise line recommended, but they are really not, try to avoid this shop altogether because you never know what else they may try to scam you with.

           For cruising, luggage is typically divided into the two main categories of carry on and check in. Carry on luggage is brought on by the cruiser and not turned into the cruise line to be delivered to the cruiser's stateroom. Check in luggage is turned in to the cruise terminal for delivery to the cruiser's stateroom. 

General Information About Carry On Bags  
           Consider taking a carry on bag with you for embarkation day.  It would be helpful if the carry-on bag is light, compact, and easy to carry so you are not stressed with the bag while waiting to go to your cabin.  A carry on bag is helpful if your luggage gets lost or separated  so you would still have something to wear. While carry on bags have benefits, you will still have to keep up with the bag. Make sure you don't leave your carry-on bag in the cruise terminal or somewhere onboard the ship.  Before deciding whether or not to take a carry on bag evaluate if you are in physical condition to do so and if you are willing to keep up with it.  I recommend putting a luggage tag and contact information on your carry-on bag even though you are not checking this bag in. 

Ideas Of Things You Should Put In A Carry On Bag:
-   Anything You May Need For Day #1 of The Cruise
-   Essential Medication
-   Travel Documentation (Putting In Carry On Bag Makes It Easy To Show It At Check-In)
-   1 Pair of Extra Clothing 

Luggage That Will Be Delivered Onboard For You 
  Make sure you close your suitcase completely and have luggage tags secured tightly before giving the cruise line your luggage.  Make sure you don't pack your travel documentation in the checked in luggage, as the cruise line may not be able to find the luggage before departure and you may not get to board.  Keep in mind when turning in your luggage at the terminal that you may not see it for a few hours and it could be searched by security for any reason.

DO NOT:  Do not leave your boarding pass, travel documentation, or identification in luggage that you will be checking in to have delivered to your stateroom. This is because you will need these things in order to check in for your cruise. Your cruise line may not be able to search for your luggage that contains your important documentation and this could result in not being able to board your cruise. Again, do not put these items in your check in baggage.

           There are many different approaches to packing that can depend on your destination, means of traveling to that destination, and your individual needs. For a cruise vacation, everyone will have his or her own packing style, but we can offer some basic packing tips that primarily pertain to cruising. The goal of this post is to communicate the basics of cruise packing, how to be an efficient cruise packer, and how to effectively plan out your cruise packing. 

I.  Pack For Your Cruise Destination
           The basic fundamental for cruise packing is to pack for your cruise destination's expected temperature and weather. Pack what you are going to need for the destination that you will be going to.  For a warm weathered cruise wear lighter clothing and for a cold weathered cruise wear warm clothing. For example on a Caribbean/Bahamas cruise you will probably want to consider bringing clothing like short sleeved shirts, shorts, bathing suits, and light clothing.  For an Alaskan cruise you might want to consider long sleeved shirts, jackets, mittens, ear-muffs, and warmer clothing.  Make sure you pack clothing that will keep you as comfortable as possible in the destination you are going to.

II.  Don't Leave Home With A 100% Filled Suitcase
                 Leave some room in your suitcase before your cruise. This will allow you some extra room to bring home anything you buy on your cruise ship and in ports of call. If you buy too much and do not have room to pack it back into your suitcase for your return trip, you will have to hand carry your items off the cruise ship. Also, if you do not leave with a fully packed suitcase your baggage will be slightly lighter when you are trying to check your luggage in to be brought onboard the cruise ship. This is always a benefit for you and those that will have to carry your luggage!

III. Renting Formal Wear Onboard (If Possible) Vs. Bring Your Own
               Most cruise lines and ships have 1-2 formal nights on each cruise vacation. Many ships have a "Formalities" shop where guests can rent a formal outfit for the cruise, based on availability. However, you can also bring your own formal wear onboard the ship. Bringing your own formal wear onboard the ship means that you could save some money and would not have to worry about messing up ship's property.  A benefit of using the formalities shop onboard would be that you would not be obligated to buy formal wear before you leave and you would avoid taking up space in your suitcase. If you are bringing your own formal clothes make sure you keep your clothing nice and know what is acceptable for formal dress onboard your cruise ship.

IV.  Create A Packing List
                I recommend a week prior to leaving on your cruise vacation, you form a packing list of things you are going to want to pack for your cruise. A packing list can help keep you organized. If you choose to create a packing list, you can cross items off your list as you pack them for the cruise. This will help you avoid forgetting essential things that you meant to pack.