Planning Your Cruise Vacation - How You Can Avoid Common Mistakes
Advance planning alone does not guarantee a stress-free vacation.
However, with no plan, you simply increase the odds that something will go wrong and you could potentially place the entire vacation in jeopardy.
Here are some basic tips to avoid common rookie mistakes so you can enjoy your hard earned vacation.
Book Your Flight the Day Before Your Cruise Departure Date Cruise travelers flying to take a cruise vacation and arriving the same day as the cruise departure date may be rolling the dice unnecessarily.
Flight delays and outright cancellations have became commonplace as the airlines reduce their flight schedules in an attempt to maximize passenger loads.
Weather is another factor which may alter travel plans.
The vast majority of cruise passengers purchase their air travel separately from the cruise lines, not realizing that the lines are not responsible for late arrivals.
When you "miss the boat", the only solution is to overnight and purchase a ticket to the next port of call (when permitted).
For a family of four, this delay can result in $1500 or more in unplanned expenses, plus one or more days being deducted from their vacation.
Even in the instance where the cruise line is responsible because an air/sea package was purchased directly from the line, the passengers are inconvenienced and lose vacation time.
The plan ahead solution is to arrive the day prior to departure and awake the next morning knowing that you have a relaxing day ahead of you.
It may cost a bit more but per my example, is well worth the additional expense.
Give Your Family Plenty of Time at the Airport.
Arrive Early.
For land-based vacationers using air travel, the time of airport arrival prior to flight departure is critical.
Late arrival in the current airport environment is a sure formula for spoiling the start of your vacation.
The inconvenience of security procedures multiplies dramatically when time is a critical factor in making the gate prior to its closing.
You also stand the real risk of having your baggage routed to a later flight which may adversely affect your travel plans in a multitude of ways.
Arriving at least 90 minutes prior for domestic and 120 minutes prior for international is a minimum guideline that should be observed by all travelers.
If You Are Driving, Plan to Arrive the Day Before The Cruise Departure For air or cruise passengers driving significant distances to reach their destination, caution is an appropriate response.
The list of causes for arrival delays is long and should elicit concern.
Mechanical breakdowns, traffic tie-ups, and weather related closures are a small part of the overall realm of snafus which are an everyday experience for millions of drivers.
Arriving the day prior resolves the issue.
Some hotels close to airports and cruise ports offer reduced rate parking expenses compared to municipal parking which is an added benefit.
The savings over a one week vacation may well equal or be more than the cost of the hotel overnight.
As we have seen, precaution and anticipation of what might go wrong is a key to smoothing out the unpredictability of travel in our era.
Lower costs related to same day arrival at cruise ports and airports may in fact result in much higher costs in the long run, as well as considerable disruption in vacation plans.
However, with no plan, you simply increase the odds that something will go wrong and you could potentially place the entire vacation in jeopardy.
Here are some basic tips to avoid common rookie mistakes so you can enjoy your hard earned vacation.
Book Your Flight the Day Before Your Cruise Departure Date Cruise travelers flying to take a cruise vacation and arriving the same day as the cruise departure date may be rolling the dice unnecessarily.
Flight delays and outright cancellations have became commonplace as the airlines reduce their flight schedules in an attempt to maximize passenger loads.
Weather is another factor which may alter travel plans.
The vast majority of cruise passengers purchase their air travel separately from the cruise lines, not realizing that the lines are not responsible for late arrivals.
When you "miss the boat", the only solution is to overnight and purchase a ticket to the next port of call (when permitted).
For a family of four, this delay can result in $1500 or more in unplanned expenses, plus one or more days being deducted from their vacation.
Even in the instance where the cruise line is responsible because an air/sea package was purchased directly from the line, the passengers are inconvenienced and lose vacation time.
The plan ahead solution is to arrive the day prior to departure and awake the next morning knowing that you have a relaxing day ahead of you.
It may cost a bit more but per my example, is well worth the additional expense.
Give Your Family Plenty of Time at the Airport.
Arrive Early.
For land-based vacationers using air travel, the time of airport arrival prior to flight departure is critical.
Late arrival in the current airport environment is a sure formula for spoiling the start of your vacation.
The inconvenience of security procedures multiplies dramatically when time is a critical factor in making the gate prior to its closing.
You also stand the real risk of having your baggage routed to a later flight which may adversely affect your travel plans in a multitude of ways.
Arriving at least 90 minutes prior for domestic and 120 minutes prior for international is a minimum guideline that should be observed by all travelers.
If You Are Driving, Plan to Arrive the Day Before The Cruise Departure For air or cruise passengers driving significant distances to reach their destination, caution is an appropriate response.
The list of causes for arrival delays is long and should elicit concern.
Mechanical breakdowns, traffic tie-ups, and weather related closures are a small part of the overall realm of snafus which are an everyday experience for millions of drivers.
Arriving the day prior resolves the issue.
Some hotels close to airports and cruise ports offer reduced rate parking expenses compared to municipal parking which is an added benefit.
The savings over a one week vacation may well equal or be more than the cost of the hotel overnight.
As we have seen, precaution and anticipation of what might go wrong is a key to smoothing out the unpredictability of travel in our era.
Lower costs related to same day arrival at cruise ports and airports may in fact result in much higher costs in the long run, as well as considerable disruption in vacation plans.
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