12 Things Pro Cruisers Do BEFORE Every Cruise!

Your cruise planning has just started once you book your trip. Before stepping on board, there are 12 things you can never forget to do. So, to help ensure your vacation is smooth sailing, we put together the complete guide to everything you need to do before your cruise up next! The 12 Things You Can’t Forget to Do Before Your Cruise 0:00 Introduction 0:42 Download the Cruise Line’s App 1:12 Book Transportation to and from the Cruise Ship 2:53 Book a Pre-Cruise Hotel Stay 3:37 Do Your Cruise Check-in Early 4:46 Print copies of travel documents and reservations 6:10 Make Dining Reservations 7:20 Make Entertainment Reservations 8:13 Prepay Your Cruise Gratuities 9:17 Pack Essentials 10:09 Book Your Tours and Shore Excursions 11:12 Purchase a Drink Package 13:25 Purchase an Internet Package 14:48 Wait Until You’re Onboard to Purchase Spa Treatments THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOUR CRUISE There are 12 cruise essentials you need to do before cruise boarding day. The most important thing is downloading the cruise line's app. This allows you to book several items pre-cruise and is vital once onboard the ship. Odds are you will need transportation to and from the cruise ship. So, before your cruise, you should book any flights, share rides, or parking spots you might need. Depending on where you live, you can always remember to have arranged travel to your cruise departure point. Since we often have to fly to our cruise embarkation point, we always fly a day early. Thus, we always remember to secure a pre-cruise hotel stay. This will reduce stress on the first day of your cruise. When cruise planning, you can't forget to do the online check-in. The earlier you do the check-in, the sooner you can board the ship and get your vacation started. While the cruise lines have gone digitally, we still recommend that you print hard copies of your boarding passes. Plus, we suggest having copies of your receipts, booked tours, or any other pre-cruise purchases. Also, it is essential to never forget to pack your passport or forms of ID. You need those documents to be allowed on the cruise ship. We also suggest you prepay your gratuities pre-cruise; that way, it is one less charge you need to worry about. Also, it is usually cheaper if you purchase add-ons like drink packages or internet on your cruise line's website or app. Check your email, as there are often sales and promotional offers run on these items that can save you money. Before your cruise, you should also make plans and secure several reservations. Depending on your ship, these can include dining reservations in the main dining room or specialty restaurants. We always secure these reservations when we have my time dining or any time dining, especially for the first night of the cruise and formal evenings. Before your cruise, you can't forget to book tours and excursions. If you don't want to secure them through the cruise line, you should look at options for private tours or third-party retailers. We always have a game plan for each port of call, even if that means some self-exploration. Some cruise ships also require cruisers to make entertainment reservations. If you need this on your ship, our cruise planning advice is to do it as soon as possible. Popular show times do fill up quickly. While you can never forget to do these items before your cruise, you can wait to do one thing until stepping on your cruise ship-book spa services. You can likely get a better deal by booking spa treatments, thermal suite passes, or other salon services once onboard. There are often embarkation day specials, port day specials, or bundle discounts for purchasing multiple treatments. GET MORE CRUISE TIPS BACK ON THE BLOG https://eatsleepcruise.com/what-should-i-book-before-my-cruise/ ------TRENDING VIDEOS FROM EAT SLEEP CRUISE------ This Cruise Hack Works on Any Cruise Ship: https://youtu.be/INPkxKSRBxQ We Tested the 9 Newest Cruise Ships: https://youtu.be/XdoagV5JtMw 31 Cruise Embarkation Day Mistakes: https://youtu.be/6MHk9_3YbmM Expert Princess Cruises Tips: https://youtu.be/L74OfxUlX-w SUBSCRIBE to our channel for the latest cruise tips, cruise reviews, packing guides, port guides, travel tips, and more. Join us on Social Media as we “Sea the World, One Port at a Time.” Instagram: https://instagram.com/EatSleepCruise Facebook: https://facebook.com/EatSleepCruise Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSleepCruise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsleepcruise Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/EatSleepCruise Some promotional videos courtesy of the respective cruise lines Royalty-Free Music Courtesy: https://www.epidemicsound.com/