Welcome to  Cruise Trends Radio the Vanguard of Cruise News!

Your Daily Ship-Newspaper

• What time is breakfast?
• What dress (casual, semi-formal, formal) do I wear to dinner tonight?
• What time does the casino open today? 
• When do we dock at and sail from the next port of call?

The answers to these questions, and probably to many more you did not even know you needed answers to, are in your daily newspaper. Your first "cruise-paper" will be awaiting you in your cabin when you embark, thereafter it will be delivered each evening (the next day's edition) by your cabin steward when he makes your room up while you are at dinner. If you misplace your copy, extras are available at the Purser's desk. Most cruise lines also have an abbreviated ship's version of The New York Times or other national paper which highlights world events. You can pick-up a copy at the Pursers desk each morning.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

Ships creak (plural noun plus verb). This means they make noises when they are underway. On my first cruise I spent a couple of restless nights lying in bed, wondering about all the creaking and shuddering that I was hearing. Most ships, depending on their speed, the weather, make these noises to a greater or lesser extent. Don't worry. The bumps and noises that keeping you awake on the first night of the cruise will be putting you to sleep by the last night. One last thing, when you put your personal bathroom things away, be aware that things can roll.  A can of shaving cream on its side tends to sound like like a barrel rolling in the wee hours of the morning.

Bring a pair of earplugs and you won't hear a thing - the honeymoon couple next door. Earplugs, if you want a good night's sleep!

Embarkation Munchies

During the machinations of getting to the ship and embarkation  you will have little opportunity to eat. Talk a light snack along. Once you have arrived at your cabin take a moment to relax and look at the ships map to familiarize yourself with the ship's layout. While you are waiting for your luggage to arrive , you're killing time and you're awfully hungry. You see in your "cruise-paper" that dinner tonight is not until 8.30 pm and that is still several stomach-gnawing hours away. Well, don't wait for food to come looking for you, go along and look for it.

 Its time for a visit to the buffet, which is sure to be open. Just have a look at your map of the ship  or ask your cabin steward where the buffet is. There's no need to suffer hunger pangs waiting for dinner. This is the first day of your vacation and you are entitled to start enjoying yourself now, not at "dinner" time. If enjoying yourself means food, then go and get it! If your concerned about seasickness, try this little trick: on the first night and first day at sea eat a lot of carbohydrates, no greasy foods, small amounts of liquids, and no alcohol. And, get plenty of fresh air out on deck.

Cabin Munchies

When you unpack put out those favorite nuts, crackers, chips, etc. that you brought from home. (Ships charge an arm and a leg for them)

You can request fresh fruit to be delivered to your cabin each day. There should be an order form to request this, along with the other myriad of material that your cabin steward places in your cabin. All you have to do complete the form and hang it on the outside of your cabin door. If you cannot find a form, ask your steward to get you a form or he can arrange the fruit delivery for you.

There will also be a form in your cabin for morning in-cabin food service. Again, fill out the form, if you want continental breakfast delivered to your cabin within a specified time range (specified by you) in the mornings. You complete the form and hang it on the outside of your cabin door before you retire at night.

If You Have a Problem On Board

Use common sense, a little simple courtesy goes a long way!  Pick up your cabin phone and call the Purser's desk. Tell them your name and cabin number. then ask them if they can help you solve your problem. They are there  assist you.  They are not plumbers, electricians, cabin stewards, etc.  Their responsibility is to get the message to the correct department. With hundreds of passengers on board it may take a little time to get your problem solved. Be patient.

Yelling at the Purser's deks won't solve your problem.  I have found that asking someone to help you solve a problem gets you farther the demanding they do so - don't be a jerk!

Band Aids/Plasters

Always pack a small first-aid kit when you travel. Also pach a package of band-aids. Carry some in your wallet, purse, and Port carry-bag. Lesson Number One: they are not given out free, you must purchase them from the Purser's desk or the ship's shop. Lesson Number Two: they sell out fast. And, unfortunately the ones I have purchased in the past at ports of call have been of poor quality - fell off as soon as I put them on.

Bring a Flashlight

Or better yet, bring a waterproof flashlight. It’s also advisable to bring a flashlight if you are in an inside cabin, for practical reasons - when you switch the light off in an inside cabin, you'll find yourself in pitch darkness and a flashlight can be very useful in getting around the cabin. In an inside cabin a night light can save those flash light batteries! And an adaptor to extend the number of sockets is also handy, when you want to re-charge all those cameras etc.

Muster Drill

On the first night of your cruise, you will be called to a brief emergency drill at your passenger muster station (the location of your muster station and how to get there will be posted on the inside of your cabin door). The emergency drill will probably be held before sailing and your attendance is mandatory. You will be told about safety at sea and what to expect should an emergency occur and you will learn how to put your lifejacket on. It is in your interest to pay attention to, digest and remember what is said at this drill. They do so demonstrably and it is to their credit that they take safety at sea so seriously.

When the drill is over and you are heading back to your cabin to put your lifejacket away, take a look at the carpeting in the hallway outside your cabin. If you look carefully you will see a strip of lighting (which may not be lit just at that moment), embedded in the carpeting. This is the emergency lighting system. If the main electrical/lighting system on a ship fails, the emergency lighting system is meant to come on automatically.

However, what if something so traumatic were to happen that it caused the main system AND the emergency system to fail? And what if I were in an inside cabin or it was nighttime? I would reach over to my bedside table, pick up my flashlight, turn it on, and wait for instructions or decide what I action I should take next. At least I would be able to see. That is why I suggest you always pack your flashlight.

Smokers take light

Book matches on ships are hopeless because they can become salt-impregnated and refuse to strike. Many ships are not allowed to sell gas lighters, nor lighter fluid. If you need a source of fire, take a full gas lighter with you.