What to Know Before You Cruise

Do cruise lines welcome families with kids?
More and more cruise vacations are booked by families with children. Most cruise lines provide plenty of supervised activities for kids, especially during school holidays. If your children enjoy swimming, sports, games, movies and the adventure of new places, they’ll love a family cruise. You’ll find that children adapt to shipboard life with ease, and you won’t have to wonder what they’re up to every minute. The youth counselors will help keep them busy and entertained. Ships even offer different types of age-appropriate activities, suitable for toddlers to teens.

Is motion discomfort a problem?
Rarely! Popular cruise itineraries ply some of the calmest waters in the world. In addition, stabilizers on modern ships, availability of advance weather information, and development of effective preventative medications have, for the most part, eliminated the incidence of motion discomfort.

Can we stay in touch with the outside world?
Many staterooms are equipped with televisions and have satellite or cellular telephones. You can also call someone on shore through the ship’s radio officer while at sea. In addition, most ships have fax capabilities, and a growing number have computer cafes with Internet access for e-mail communication. Carnival Cruise Lines recently launched its cellular service onboard most of its ships.

Are all ships fairly similar?
Far from it. Cruise ships range from intimate and yacht-like to vessels stretching longer than three football fields. You can sail with fewer than 100 fellow guests or with more than 2,600. Enjoy atmospheres ranging from casual to formal, contemporary to classic. Check with your local AAA Travel counselor to get a good understanding of what cruise line experience will be best for you.

Will I get bored? Feel confined?
Hardly! Being at sea gives you a feeling of total freedom. There’s plenty of room. Plus, you get the added adventure of exploring many exciting ports of call. Cruise ships are floating resorts with all the choices fine resorts have to offer. You can lie back in a lounge chair, breathe in the sea air, soak up the sun, read good books, or watch the ever-changing seascape.

What should I pack?
Pack like you would for any resort. Cruise vacations are casual by day, whether you’re on the ship or ashore. In the evening, ships vary as to dress. Check with your local AAA Travel counselor for more details.

Do I need a passport?
In an effort to enhance security and efficiency at U.S. borders, the U.S. government is now enforcing new passport requirements for all travelers entering or re-entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Travel between the United States and U.S. territories (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) will not be affected.

All travelers are now required to have passports, including U.S. citizens returning to the United States by air from throughout the Western Hemisphere, as of Jan. 23. No exact date is set, but passports will be required for sea or cruise passengers entering or re-entering the U.S. sometime before June 1, 2009. Avoid confusion and make travel worry free by applying for your passport today. Check with your local AAA offices for discounted passport photos.