Is this your first cruise? You might have stayed at resorts or city hotels before. Let us include countryside B&B’s and that villa in Tuscany. Your cruise ship is a self-enclosed resort that moves to a different location every day. Here is a list of ten things you need to do before you vacate your cabin and a totally different person arrives for the next voyage.
- Review and settle up your account. Technology might allow you to check your bill in real time every day, but who pays that much attention? Do you check over your grocery bill before you leave the parking lot? Probably not. Here, your shipboard account might be $1,000+. Confirm all these charges are yours. Join the line at the Purser’s Office if you have questions.
- What time are you disembarking? If your ship allows passengers carrying their own luggage to walk off at will, that is a great thing. Because many people travel with many bags, you will likely be in a group disembarkation category. A plane might have 300 passengers. A ship might have ten times that number. The good news is the ship wants everybody off as quickly as possible. If you aren’t happy with your disembarkation time, visit the counter handling the schedule and politely ask to be in an earlier group.
- How are you getting to the airport? 3,000 people might be disembarking. There won’t be 1,500 taxis waiting. You don’t want real life reality to intrude on your ideal vacation just yet. The cruise line should have a ship to airport transfer you can book. It’s likely not the cheapest option, but it gets you off the ship in an early group.
- Do you have any onboard spending credit left? This is money that disappears when you do. If you haven’t spent it all yet, consider purchases onboard like duty free or perfume. You don’t want to leave money on the table.
- Arrange extra tipping. Gratuities are usually an automatic charge to your shipboard account. Someone might have gone out of their way to provide great service. It might be your cabin steward or a dining room server. The Purser’s Office can change big bills into smaller bills and provide small envelopes for tipping.
- Get everything out of the safe in your cabin. This includes things you haven’t needed for the past week like house keys and your car key. Your wallet and passport need to come out. This is where you kept jewelry. You do not want to have left your wallet onboard when you set foot on the pier.
- Thoroughly check every cabinet and drawer in your stateroom. This seems obvious, but cabins are creatively designed regarding storage space. You might have only opened the desk drawer once, but did you put anything in there? Did anything slide behind the life vest in the closet? How about looking under the bed? Do a though sweep as you pack.
- Exchange contact information with your new friends. You met interesting people. You might not see them in the morning when 3,000 people disembark. Arrange to connect over dinner or drinks. Swap contact details. This is best done one on one instead of at a large dinner table. Put another way, if you exchange contact information in a group setting, it is polite to ask everyone in the group. This will probably be email and mobile phone numbers.
- Plan to wear your departure clothing tonight. You will not see your luggage until you collect it on the pier. The ship staff start collecting early evening and continue into the night. Keep your medications and toiletries in the cabin. Wearing the same clothes two days in a row is no big deal. Toiletries and small items can go into your carry on.
- Get your luggage into the corridor before the deadline. The ship works on a schedule. The luggage tags are color coded. They go into large bins, then unloaded in groups. This makes collecting luggage both easy (you find your color tag section) and chaotic (3,000 people are doing the same thing. The exception is if you plan to walk off with your luggage without assistance.
The last day of your voyage is a transition day, as you get ready to return to reality. It can go smoothly and you can still enjoy your last evening onboard.
Editor’s Notes:
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Cover photo: Queen Victoria Grand Lobby credit Bryce Sanders
