www.dotcomhunter.com Cruise Ships: Preparing For Your Voyage When it comes to vacationing aboard a cruise ship, many individuals co nsider preparation to be the luggage that they plan to bring with them . Packing for your cruise ship vacation is important; however, it is not the only preparation that should occur. Preparation shouldn’t wai t until the week before your trip. Rather, it should begin as soon as you book your cruise ship reservation. The type of cruise that you will be taking is vital to preparation. A large number of cruise ships travel on international waters. In additi on to being on international waters, many dock at international ports. Before begin able to board your ship, you may have to show proper iden tification. With international cruises, this identification often inclu des a drivers licenses and a passport. Unfortunately, when it comes to obtaining a passport, there are many individuals who wait until the last minute. Last minute passports ca n be obtained in the event of an emergency, but most require at least a week or more to process. You will not be automatically granted a passport; instead you are required to apply for one. Almost all indi viduals that apply for a passport are granted one, but planning ahead is the best option. If error is made on the information you supplied , you will have enough time to fix it before your cruise ship departs. The proper identification is needed to board a cruise ship. Your pas sport and your driver’s license are not the only forms of documentati on that you should bring onboard. If you are covered under a health insurance plan, you are encouraged to bring your health insurance car ds. In the event you fall ill while on vacation, your insurance card s will allow you to obtain the needed medical attention. In addition to your medical insurance cards, it is advised that you b ring along all of your needed medications. You may even want to consi der brining along extra medication. Many physicians will write extra prescriptions for their patients that are traveling on a cruise ship. Should your medication become lost or misplaced, the extra prescrip tions can be used until you return home. While requesting extra medi cation from your healthcare provider, you may want to question them o n safety precautions aboard a cruise ship. To pay for onboard and port activities, you will need to bring along extra money. Vacationing aboard a cruise ship is similar to vacation ing anywhere else in the world. You are encouraged not to carry larg e sums of cash with you. If you must bring cash along, you are encou raged to divide your money up and place it in safe locations. Almost all cruise ships and popular cruise ship ports accept credit cards, cashiers checks, money orders, or traveler’s checks. These forms of A gift from www.dotcomhunter.comwww.dotcomhunter.com payments are great alternatives to carrying cash. When traveling aboard a cruise ship, you are urged to give a copy of the cruise ship’s itinerary to multiple friends and family members. This will make it possible for you to be contacted in the event of an emergency. When registering for a cruise ship, you may also be requ ired to give the contact information of someone that should be contac ted in an emergency. Your first thought may be to give the contact i nformation of your spouse, children, or a close friend. When doing s o, it is important to make sure that they will be on land and accessi ble. Once you have made the above mentioned preparations, you can begin focusing on other preparations, such as packing your luggage. When packing, you are urged to keep the climate of your cruise in mind. At the same time, you should be prepared for unexpected weather. Making the proper cruise ship preparations will ensure that your va cation will be a success. PPPPP Word Count 623 A gift from www.dotcomhunter.com