Cruising to the Caribbean shouldn’t be stressful but if you aren’t careful and you don’t plan correctly you could end up needing a vacation from your vacation. Considering the cost of a cruise and the limited amount of vacation time most people have, this is no time to be stressed out. Here are three things to do for your next cruise vacation to make sure your stress and worries stay at home while you soak up the sun in the Caribbean.
First, don’t worry what other people think. If you read cruise message boards you no doubt have come across those who want to tell you what to wear on a cruise, how much you should drink and where you should take your kids on the ship. While there may be some very good advice on these message boards, don’t listen to the negative folks. This is your vacation and you paid just as much as they did. Dress how you like and enjoy your family vacation with the kids. Don’t ever let a stranger ruin your vacation.
Second, book your excursions ahead of time. Don’t wait till you step off the ship to figure out what you want to do. Spontaneity can be fun sometimes but it can also backfire on a cruise. There isn’t always a beach within walking distance of the ship and not all ports are located in the safest part of town. Save yourself the stress and book a cruise excursion ahead of time. All the top cruise lines offer excursions and many good non cruise sponsored excursions can be found as well. An excursion is the perfect way to get the most out of an island in the short amount of time you are there. In many cases you will even have time to shop or relax at a beach before or after your excursion.
Lastly, pack lite. This may be stressing some of you out just to think about. I mean how are you going to survive without all of your worldly belongings stuffed into the largest three suitcases you can find. Trust me, you will survive and in fact be a lot more relaxed than you think. Ideally, you want to pack just one bag a person. For those flying that means no bag fees and less tips to the taxi drivers. For all cruisers it means you have the option of just carrying your luggage to your stateroom when you board. No more stress of will I get all my bags delivered to my stateroom or not. Many cruise lines also allow you to leave the ship early if you carry your own luggage. This is where you will be so happy you only have one bag to carry.
