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Mar 13 2014

5 More Cruise Tips

By CruiseRadio

Here are five more cruise tips:1. Pre-pay gratuities. When you book a cruise, you have the option to pre-pay your gratuities. This is a must for me because I want to track my cruise spending down to the penny. Consider pre-paying your cruise tips before you sail so you’ll be financially worry-free. $11 per-person per-day gratuity adds up, so take care of it before you sail. <img class="size-medium wp-image-19693 aligncenter" alt="IMG_0293" data-cke-saved-src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_0293-300x200.jpg" src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_0293-300x200.jpg" width="300" height="200" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;">2. First Aid. As much time as I spend away from home, the odds of me getting norovirus are stacked against me. I recently had a nice three-day bout of norovirus and it was no joke. From the time I first got diagnosed to three days later, it was total hell and I don’t wish it on anyone.Pack a first aid kit, it could even be a zip lock baggie, with Imodium, Tylenol, cough drops, Benadryl and bandaids. Always expect the unexpected. <a data-cke-saved-href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/imgres.jpg" href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/imgres.jpg" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19700" alt="imgres" data-cke-saved-src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/imgres.jpg" src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/imgres.jpg" width="250" height="202" style="border: none; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px;"></a>3. Pre-book shore excursions. This is a lesson I learned on both my first trips to Alaska and Europe, but it’s applicable to Caribbean ports too. Always pre-book your shore excursion. If you want to save a few dollars, look for third-party shore excursion companies like <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?click=130579&data=cruiseradio" href="http://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?click=130579&data=cruiseradio" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;">Shore Excursions Group</a>. By going third party, you’ll avoid the cruise line mark-up and get personalized service with a guarantee.<div id="attachment_19696" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px 0px 1px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; width: 310px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9969.jpg" href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9969.jpg" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-19696" alt="Pre-book and pay for your shore excursions before you cruise. " data-cke-saved-src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9969-300x200.jpg" src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9969-300x200.jpg" width="300" height="200" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a>Pre-book and pay <span id="IL_AD3" class="IL_AD" style="position: static; border-bottom-width: 1px !important; border-bottom-style: dotted !important; border-bottom-color: rgb(27, 142, 222) !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: scroll !important; background-color: transparent !important; cursor: pointer !important; display: inline !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; float: none !important; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat repeat !important;">for your shore excursions before you cruise.</div>4. Arrive early. If you’re flying or driving to your cruise port, always plan on arriving early. As I write this I am sitting in the Fort Lauderdale airport waiting on a transfer to Port Miami. My cruise leaves today and I thought “Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale is only a forty-five minute flight, I’ll be fine cutting it close.”  Flight delays led to me arrive Fort Lauderdale late and scrambling to get to the cruise pier.Consider arriving a day early and booking a pre-cruise hotel. In Fort Lauderdale there are a couple good pre-cruise hotels that provide airport and cruise port transfers like<a data-cke-saved-href="http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html" href="http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;"> Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale</a>and <a data-cke-saved-href="http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/hilton-garden-inn-ft-lauderdale-airport-cruise-port-FLLFHGI/index.html" href="http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/hilton-garden-inn-ft-lauderdale-airport-cruise-port-FLLFHGI/index.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;">Hilton Garden Inn</a>.<div id="attachment_19697" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); text-align: center; padding: 5px 0px 0px 1px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; width: 310px;"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9598.jpg" href="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9598.jpg" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;"><img class="size-medium wp-image-19697" alt="Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale" data-cke-saved-src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9598-300x200.jpg" src="http://cruiseradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/IMG_9598-300x200.jpg" width="300" height="200" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></a>Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale</div>5. Look for parking alternative. Every cruise port has parking alternatives with shuttle services to the cruise port. In Miami, there’s a park and cruise lot a couple blocks from the cruise pier for $6.99 per day (port parking is $20) or in Jacksonville, there’s <a data-cke-saved-href="http://jetwayparking.com/" href="http://jetwayparking.com/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 85, 170); text-decoration: none;">Jetway Parking</a> for as low as $5 per day (with an online coupon).These are just a few cruise lessons I’ve learned in my travels over the past few months. I realize some of them are common sense but sometimes it takes someone reiterating common sense for it to click!?

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