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The Cruise vacation you have been planning for a year is now a reality. You’ve packed your bags with the appropriate clothes for cruise travel. You have filled out all of the cruise documentation, do this at home, don’t wait to get to your cruise ship, and now you are ready for this highly anticipated cruise. There are a few cruises tips about embarkation day that you should know before you head for your cruise vacation.

Keep all of your documents with you, that includes tickets for the cruise, any vouchers, passport and any immigration forms that the cruise line has sent you. That includes bus vouchers from the cruise line that will deliver you to the ship from the airport. In is wise to pack a change of clothes in your carry on in case your baggage gets delayed. If you have purchased the vouchers from the cruise line, a cruise line representative will meet you at baggage claim and take you to the bus or van that will transport you to your cruise ship.

If you decided to handle the transfer on your own, check ahead of time to find out how much a taxi will cost from the airport to the pier. It is good to know how long it will take to make the transfer so you have timed your flights accordingly. Make sure you have attached your cruise line tags with ship name, cruising date, and stateroom number. When you arrive at the pier a porter will relieve of your bags. He will expect to be tipped. The going fare is one dollar per bag.

Cruise tips are always helpful so pay attention to this one. Let the cruise line make your airline reservations. The reason for this is that if your flight is delayed the cruise line will handle it. If there are several other passengers on the same flight the cruise line will delay the departure of the ship. If it’s just you and your traveling companion they will probably put you up in a hotel in the town of your embarkation and get you on the ship at the next port of call. If you opted to do it on your own, you will have to make all those arrangements. So, for safety and peace of mind let the cruise lines do it.

If you have decided to go to the town of embarkation a few days before the cruise, that will not be a problem, so make your own reservations. Some travel insurance companies will pick up these expenses but make sure you read the fine print on the policy BEFORE your cruise vacation.

When you get to your cruise ship, embarkation could be a little chaotic. There will be lines, especially early in the check in process. There will be a lot of stressed out people so just relax and take it in stride. After you have gone through the check in process you will be aboard and your cruise vacations begins. Here is where it pays to have all of your documentation completely filled out. Many of the cruise lines have loyalty programs so if you are a repeat cruiser many times they have preferred check in areas. Many of the cruise lines will have preferred check in for cruisers who have booked suites or mini suites. Check this out with your cruise travel agent.

This is a little off topic but it’s one of the best cruise tips you will hear. Use a cruise travel agent for all of your cruise travel. It is important to deal with an agent that has sailed on many different cruise lines so they can give you an honest opinion on the difference between cruise lines. Check and see if they are CLIA certified cruise lines organization. Be careful they don’t push you onto cruise ships where they have preferred status which means they get a higher commission. Scour the internet for cruise reviews on cruise travel to back up what your travel agent is telling you.

Now back to the pier. While you are checking in you will have to give the cruise line a credit card for any on board charges. Most times your room card is also your credit card and identification for getting on and off at ports while on the cruise ship. If you can get on the ship early in the process you get two benefits. One you get to have lunch and two you get the first shot at spa and beauty appointments. It will also give you time to peruse your cruise ship and then head for the pool. Having been a savvy cruise traveler you knew to bag a bathing suit into your carry on luggage.

Just before you get to the gangway you will be stopped by the ships photographer and a picture will be taken to commemorate your cruise vacation. It will be on display in the ships photo gallery but you are under no obligation to purchase it. Check in procedures will be different from ship to ship even within the same cruise lines. It depends on the experience of the staff and the cooperation of the passengers. Remember that these folks that are checking you in have been working since seven o’clock in the morning off loading the people from last weeks cruise vacation. Then they turn around and start putting on a whole new set of passengers for the next cruise.

The most important advice is to try to keep a cool head. You are headed for the best thing you can imagine, a cruise vacation.

Happy Cruising!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Mary Hanna has traveled the world by Air and Ship while writing eBooks, Software Reviews and Practical Articles on Internet Marketing, Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at: http://www.CruiseGold.com http://www.CruiseTravelDirectory.com and http://www.CruisingTips.com

The best airports to get delayed in are those with the best duty-free shops. Shopping is an inherent part of travelling and duty free shops can offer you an unforgettable experience, provided you are delayed in the right airport.

Consumer organizations suggest that in European duty-free shops, consumers save 20 percent on the retail price of perfumes, 60 percent on the retail price of liquor and 5 percent on the retail price on CDs. Besides, if you ever find yourself in Dublin, Athens, Madrid or Paris airports, feel blessed. They are the best airports, in terms of prices and they have a great variety of offerings.

If you are an avid smoker, duty free shops in Madrid, Lisbon and Athens are the cheapest. Mediterranean people smoke a lot and tobacco companies are quite profitable in the Mediterranean region. On the contrary, if you are in London airport, you will pay a double price for the same brand of cigarettes. So, if you travel Athens – London – Chicago make sure you buy your cigarettes from Athens on the way back home.

For cheaper prices in liquor, Milan, Athens and Madrid airports are the best options. You may find great variety of Italian wines including Chianti Classico and Super Tuscan at affordable prices. On the hand, if you transit at Brussels, Frankfurt or London airports, do not even think about buying liquor there. Prices are marked up, while in terms of variety, you won’t find anything particularly special.

For good prices in perfumes, the cheapest duty free shops are in Dublin, Athens and Milan airports, while for CDs you should prefer Dublin and Milan. Also, for digital cameras and films, the most affordable duty free shops are those of Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Brussels and London.

For delicatessen, you have many options. If you look for lobsters packed in special packing, Boston airport is the place to be. In San Francisco, Dublin, and Lisbon you will find frozen crabs and smoked salmon. In Copenhagen, you may buy smoked fish and jam. Also, in Vienna duty free shops don’t miss sachertorte – the famous Austrian sweet.

If you are ever in Dubai or Abu Dhabi airports, look for exotic fruits, caviar, golf equipment and the latest PC models. Particularly, in Dubai, you may be lucky enough to win a BMW, Porsche or Mercedes in the lottery; although after the recent market downturn I’m not sure if they still do that.

If you love flowers, the best airports are Bangkok airport where you may find a variety of splendid orchids and Amsterdam airport where you can buy tulips.

If you love the art, in Chicago airport you may buy copies of American Indian art, while in London and Paris airports you may find copies of the most significant British and French museums.

Of course, if you have extreme demands, duty free shops cannot satisfy them. For instance, you are allowed to buy a carton of 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, one litre of alcohol drink (above 22 degrees) or 2lt of light alcohol drink such as aperitif. You are also allowed to 2lt of wine, 250ml of perfume, 500gr of coffee, and 200gr tea. Finally, passengers under 18 are not allowed to buy cigarettes or liquor.

In any case, an airport is not the best place to spend many hours. However, if your flight is delayed, it is great to have some wonderful time shopping.

Christina Pomoni has acquired her MBA Finance from the American College of Greece. Her advanced familiarity with financial statement analysis, capital budgeting and market research has been acquired through her professional career at high-esteemed organizations. As part of her long journey, Christina has served as an Equity Research Associate at Telesis Securities (EFG Eurobank) and a Financial & Investment Advisor at ING Group. Besides, having lived at Chicago, IL, Boca Raton, FL and Paris, France has helped her, not only to be a successful professional, but mostly to see life under a more creative and innovative perspective.

Since 2005, Christina provides high quality writing services to numerous websites and research companies contributing her knowledge and expertise. Her areas of specialization are Business, Finance & Investment, Society, Politics & Culture. She also has a very good knowledge of Entertainment, Health & Fitness and Computers & Technology.

Christina currently designs the website of her own writing company. Believing that knowledge is the road to opportunity and development, her mission is to promote her already established knowledge to a growing number of visitors and to provide high quality writing services to meet the most demanding customer requirements.

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