Some say the most important aspect of a cruise is your destination. Some say it's the itinerary. Others say it's the cruise line. They're all wrong.
The most important choice you'll make when choosing a cruise is the ship.
Here's why: Whatever ship you choose will be your home for seven days or more. The ship you choose will determine what kinds of sleeping quarters you'll have, what kind of food you'll eat, what kind of entertainment you'll see, and even what ports you'll visit. If you don't like your ship, you won't like your cruise.
With dozens of lines, hundreds of ships, and thousands of itineraries available, it's no wonder that many people become anxious when planning a cruise. But choosing and booking a cruise can be fun -- if you have a plan. The following pages contain advice about everything from where to gather information to how to evaluate cruise-ship features... Some are; cruise lines, carnival cruises, princess cruises...
Showing posts with label Before you go. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Before you go. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
U.K. Customs
Allowances. If your cruise was wholly within European Union (EU) countries, you no longer need to pass through customs when you return to the United Kingdom. If you plan to bring back large quantities of alcohol or tobacco, check in advance on EU limits. Current guidelines for goods bought for personal use within the EU are 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars, 1 kg smoking tobacco, 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine, 90 litres of wine, and 110 litres of beer.
When returning from cruises that called at countries outside the European Union, you may import duty-free 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco; 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of fortified or sparkling wine or liqueur; 2 liters of still table wine; 60 milliliters of perfume; 250 milliliters of toilet water; plus £145 worth of other goods, including gifts and souvenirs. If you bring in something worth more than £145, you will have to pay charges on the full amount, not just the amount over £145. Tobacco and alcohol allowances do not extend to passengers under 17 years of age.
For More Information. For further information or a copy of "A Customs Guide for Travellers," which details standard customs procedures as well as what you may bring into the United Kingdom from abroad, contact HM Customs and Excise (Dorset House, Stamford St., London SE1 9PY, tel. 020/7202-4700), or view the guide online at the Customs Web site.
When returning from cruises that called at countries outside the European Union, you may import duty-free 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco; 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of fortified or sparkling wine or liqueur; 2 liters of still table wine; 60 milliliters of perfume; 250 milliliters of toilet water; plus £145 worth of other goods, including gifts and souvenirs. If you bring in something worth more than £145, you will have to pay charges on the full amount, not just the amount over £145. Tobacco and alcohol allowances do not extend to passengers under 17 years of age.For More Information. For further information or a copy of "A Customs Guide for Travellers," which details standard customs procedures as well as what you may bring into the United Kingdom from abroad, contact HM Customs and Excise (Dorset House, Stamford St., London SE1 9PY, tel. 020/7202-4700), or view the guide online at the Customs Web site.
Canadian Customs
Allowances. If you've been out of Canada for at least seven days, you may bring in C$750 worth of goods duty-free. If you've been away less than seven days but more than 48 hours, the duty-free exemption drops to C$200. If you've been away more than 24 hours but less than 48 hours, the duty-free exemption is C$50. You cannot pool exemptions with family members. Goods claimed under the C$750 exemption may follow you by mail; those claimed under the lesser exemption must accompany you.
Alcohol and Tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco products may be included in the seven-day and 48-hour exemption, but not in the 24-hour exemption. For both alcohol and tobacco, you must meet the age requirements of the province or territory through which you reenter Canada. You may bring in, duty-free, 1.14 liters (40 imperial ounces) of liquor or 1.5 liters of wine or two dozen 12-ounce cans or bottles of beer or ale. You may bring in, duty-free, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, and 200 tobacco sticks, and 200 grams of manufactured tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco must accompany you on your return.
Gifts. An unlimited number of gifts valued up to C$60 each may be mailed to Canada duty-free. These do not count as part of your exemption. Label the package "Unsolicited Gift -- Value Under $60." Alcohol, tobacco, and advertising matter are excluded.
For More Information. For additional information, including details of duties on items that exceed your duty-free limit, contact Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (2265 St. Laurent Blvd. S, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4K3, tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 613/993-0534 after 4:30pm and on weekends) for a copy of the free brochure "I Declare/Je Déclare," or view it online at the agency's Web site. For recorded information (within Canada only), call 800/461-9999.
Alcohol and Tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco products may be included in the seven-day and 48-hour exemption, but not in the 24-hour exemption. For both alcohol and tobacco, you must meet the age requirements of the province or territory through which you reenter Canada. You may bring in, duty-free, 1.14 liters (40 imperial ounces) of liquor or 1.5 liters of wine or two dozen 12-ounce cans or bottles of beer or ale. You may bring in, duty-free, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, and 200 tobacco sticks, and 200 grams of manufactured tobacco. Alcohol and tobacco must accompany you on your return.Gifts. An unlimited number of gifts valued up to C$60 each may be mailed to Canada duty-free. These do not count as part of your exemption. Label the package "Unsolicited Gift -- Value Under $60." Alcohol, tobacco, and advertising matter are excluded.
For More Information. For additional information, including details of duties on items that exceed your duty-free limit, contact Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (2265 St. Laurent Blvd. S, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4K3, tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 613/993-0534 after 4:30pm and on weekends) for a copy of the free brochure "I Declare/Je Déclare," or view it online at the agency's Web site. For recorded information (within Canada only), call 800/461-9999.
U.S. Customs
Before your ship lands, each individual or family must fill out a customs declaration, regardless of whether anything was purchased abroad. You will need to itemize your purchases in writing on the back of the declaration form if they exceed the allowable duty-free exemption plus $1,000. (The first $1,000 beyond the duty-free exemption is taxed at a flat rate of 2%). Be prepared to pay whatever duties are owed directly to the customs inspector, with cash or check.
U.S. Customs now preclears a number of ships sailing into and out of Miami and other ports -- it's done on the ship before you disembark. In other ports you must collect your luggage from the dock, then stand in line to pass through the inspection point. This can take up to an hour.
Allowances. You may bring home $400 worth of foreign goods duty-free if you've been out of the country for at least 48 hours and haven't already used the $400 exemption, or any part of it, in the past 30 days. Note that these are the general rules, applicable to most countries; passengers on certain Caribbean or Panama Canal itineraries may be entitled to bring back $600 worth of goods duty-free, and if you're returning from a cruise that called in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the duty-free allowance is higher -- $1,200. If you haven't been out of the country for at least 48 hours, or if you've been out of the country more than once in a 30-day period, you are still entitled to a duty-free allowance of $200.
Alcohol and Tobacco. Travelers 21 or older may bring back 1 liter of alcohol duty-free, provided the beverage laws of the state through which they reenter the United States allow it. In some Caribbean countries, 2 liters are allowed, and in the case of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 5 liters are allowed. In both cases, one of the liters must be a product of that country. In addition, 100 non-Cuban cigars and 200 cigarettes are allowed, regardless of your age. From the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1,000 cigarettes are allowed, but only 200 of them may have been acquired elsewhere. Antiques and works of art more than 100 years old are duty-free.
Gifts. You may also send packages home duty-free: up to $200 worth of goods for personal use, with a limit of one parcel per addressee per day (and no alcohol or tobacco products or perfume containing alcohol and worth more than $5); label the package "Personal Use" and attach a list of its contents and their retail value. Do not label the package "Unsolicited Gift," or your duty-free exemption will drop to $100. Mailed items do not affect your duty-free allowance on your return.
For More Information. For a copy of "Know Before You Go," a free brochure detailing what you may and may not bring back to the United States, rates of duty, and other pointers, contact the U.S. Customs Service (Box 7407, Washington, DC 20044, tel. 202/927-6724). The brochure is also available to view in full at the U.S. Customs Web site.
U.S. Customs for Foreigners
If you hold a foreign passport and will be returning home within hours of docking, you may be exempt from all U.S. Customs duties. Everything you bring into the United States must leave with you when you return home. When you reach your own country, you will have to pay appropriate duties there.
U.S. Customs now preclears a number of ships sailing into and out of Miami and other ports -- it's done on the ship before you disembark. In other ports you must collect your luggage from the dock, then stand in line to pass through the inspection point. This can take up to an hour.
Allowances. You may bring home $400 worth of foreign goods duty-free if you've been out of the country for at least 48 hours and haven't already used the $400 exemption, or any part of it, in the past 30 days. Note that these are the general rules, applicable to most countries; passengers on certain Caribbean or Panama Canal itineraries may be entitled to bring back $600 worth of goods duty-free, and if you're returning from a cruise that called in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the duty-free allowance is higher -- $1,200. If you haven't been out of the country for at least 48 hours, or if you've been out of the country more than once in a 30-day period, you are still entitled to a duty-free allowance of $200.
Alcohol and Tobacco. Travelers 21 or older may bring back 1 liter of alcohol duty-free, provided the beverage laws of the state through which they reenter the United States allow it. In some Caribbean countries, 2 liters are allowed, and in the case of the U.S. Virgin Islands, 5 liters are allowed. In both cases, one of the liters must be a product of that country. In addition, 100 non-Cuban cigars and 200 cigarettes are allowed, regardless of your age. From the U.S. Virgin Islands, 1,000 cigarettes are allowed, but only 200 of them may have been acquired elsewhere. Antiques and works of art more than 100 years old are duty-free.
Gifts. You may also send packages home duty-free: up to $200 worth of goods for personal use, with a limit of one parcel per addressee per day (and no alcohol or tobacco products or perfume containing alcohol and worth more than $5); label the package "Personal Use" and attach a list of its contents and their retail value. Do not label the package "Unsolicited Gift," or your duty-free exemption will drop to $100. Mailed items do not affect your duty-free allowance on your return.
For More Information. For a copy of "Know Before You Go," a free brochure detailing what you may and may not bring back to the United States, rates of duty, and other pointers, contact the U.S. Customs Service (Box 7407, Washington, DC 20044, tel. 202/927-6724). The brochure is also available to view in full at the U.S. Customs Web site.
U.S. Customs for Foreigners
If you hold a foreign passport and will be returning home within hours of docking, you may be exempt from all U.S. Customs duties. Everything you bring into the United States must leave with you when you return home. When you reach your own country, you will have to pay appropriate duties there.
Disembarkaiton
The last night of your cruise is full of business. On most ships you must place everything except your hand luggage outside your cabin door, ready to be picked up by midnight. Color-coded tags, distributed to your cabin in a debarkation packet, should be placed on your luggage before the crew collects it. Your designated color will later determine when you leave the ship and help you retrieve your luggage on the pier.
Your shipboard bill is left in your room during the last day; to pay the bill (if you haven't already put it on your credit card) or to settle any questions, you must stand in line at the purser's office. Tips to the cabin steward and dining staff are distributed on the last night.
The next morning, in-room breakfast service is usually not available because stewards are too busy. Most passengers clear out of their cabins as soon as possible, gather their hand luggage, and stake out a chair in one of the public lounges to await the ship's clearance through customs. Be patient -- it takes a long time to unload and sort thousands of pieces of luggage. Passengers disembark by groups according to the color-coded tags placed on luggage the night before; those with the earliest flights get off first. If you have a tight connection, notify the purser before the last day, and he or she may be able to arrange faster preclearing and debarkation for you.
Your shipboard bill is left in your room during the last day; to pay the bill (if you haven't already put it on your credit card) or to settle any questions, you must stand in line at the purser's office. Tips to the cabin steward and dining staff are distributed on the last night.
The next morning, in-room breakfast service is usually not available because stewards are too busy. Most passengers clear out of their cabins as soon as possible, gather their hand luggage, and stake out a chair in one of the public lounges to await the ship's clearance through customs. Be patient -- it takes a long time to unload and sort thousands of pieces of luggage. Passengers disembark by groups according to the color-coded tags placed on luggage the night before; those with the earliest flights get off first. If you have a tight connection, notify the purser before the last day, and he or she may be able to arrange faster preclearing and debarkation for you.
Visitors' Pass
Some cruise ships permit passengers to invite guests on board prior to sailing, although most cruise lines prohibit all but paying passengers for reasons of security and insurance liability. Cruise companies that allow visitors usually require that you obtain passes several weeks in advance; call the lines for policies and procedures.
Most ships do not allow visitors while the ship is docked in a port of call. If you meet a friend on shore, you likely won't be able to invite him or her back to your stateroom.
Most ships do not allow visitors while the ship is docked in a port of call. If you meet a friend on shore, you likely won't be able to invite him or her back to your stateroom.
Boarding The Ship
On many cruises, before you walk up the gangway, the ship's photographer will take your picture; there's no charge unless you buy the picture ($7-$10 for 5x7 prints, $20-$25 for 8x10 prints). On board, stewards may serve welcome drinks in souvenir glasses -- for which you're usually charged around $6.
You will be escorted to your cabin by a steward, who will carry your hand luggage. The rest of your bags will either be inside your cabin when you arrive or will come shortly thereafter. If your bags don't arrive within a half hour before sailing, contact the purser. If you are among the unlucky few whose luggage doesn't make it to the ship in time, the purser will trace it and arrange to have it flown to the next port.
You will be escorted to your cabin by a steward, who will carry your hand luggage. The rest of your bags will either be inside your cabin when you arrive or will come shortly thereafter. If your bags don't arrive within a half hour before sailing, contact the purser. If you are among the unlucky few whose luggage doesn't make it to the ship in time, the purser will trace it and arrange to have it flown to the next port.
Check In
On arrival at the dock, you must check in before boarding your ship. (A handful of smaller cruise ships handle check-in at the airport.) A cruise-line official will collect or stamp your ticket, inspect or even retain your passport, and give you keys to your cabin. Seating assignments for the dining room are often handed out at this time, too.
After this you may be required to go through a security check and to pass your hand baggage through an X-ray inspection. These are the same machines in use at airports, so ask to have your photographic film inspected visually.
Although it takes only five or 10 minutes per family to check in, lines are often long, so aim for off-peak hours. The worst time tends to be immediately after the ship begins boarding; the later it is, the less crowded. For example, if boarding begins at 2 PM and continues until 4:30, try to arrive after 3:30.
After this you may be required to go through a security check and to pass your hand baggage through an X-ray inspection. These are the same machines in use at airports, so ask to have your photographic film inspected visually.
Although it takes only five or 10 minutes per family to check in, lines are often long, so aim for off-peak hours. The worst time tends to be immediately after the ship begins boarding; the later it is, the less crowded. For example, if boarding begins at 2 PM and continues until 4:30, try to arrive after 3:30.
Emberkation
If you have purchased an air-sea package, you will be met by a cruise-company representative when your plane lands at the port city and then shuttled directly to the ship in buses or minivans. Some cruise lines arrange to transport your luggage between airport and ship -- you don't have to hassle with baggage claim at the start of your cruise or with baggage check-in at the end. If you decide not to buy the air-sea package but still plan to fly, ask your travel agent if you can use the ship's transfer bus anyway; if you do, you may be required to purchase a round-trip transfer voucher. These vary greatly in price, depending on the distance between the airport and the ship, and can range from $10 to over $100 per person. In popular cruise ports such as Miami, voucher prices are generally $20-$30. You can also take a taxi from the airport to the ship.
If you live close to the port of embarkation, bus transportation may be available. If you are part of a group that has booked a cruise together, this transportation may be part of your package. Another option for those who live close to their point of departure is to drive to the ship. The major U.S. cruise ports all have parking facilities.
If you live close to the port of embarkation, bus transportation may be available. If you are part of a group that has booked a cruise together, this transportation may be part of your package. Another option for those who live close to their point of departure is to drive to the ship. The major U.S. cruise ports all have parking facilities.
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