• Take time to investigate the ports of call your ship will be visiting . Get some books on the destination and read together all about your upcoming trip. As you learn about your destinations, ask you children to give you a list of 2-3 things they would like to do on this cruise vacation. • Explore the shore excursions . Here is a link to shore excursions for up to 75% off cruise ship rates www. cruisecompete.com/shore_excursions/ . CruiseCompete offers shore excursion information by ship and by port of call. • Lay out some ground rules about how time will be spent. For example, “We all meet for breakfast, dinner, movies under the stars, the pool at 2pm, other than that we are good with everyone doing what they enjoy as long as we are in the loop for your plans. • Plan how to contact each other should anyone become separated on the journey to the ship or on the ship. Walkie talkies are a great investment, as they work even when cell service may me spotty or non- existent. Our family tends to wear the same color at the airport so we can spot each other easily, plus we put a brilliant-colored ribbon on all of our luggage so it’s easy to claim.
• Enact the buddy system for the trip – choose a partner. For safety’s sake, don’t go anywhere alone.
• Make celebrations extra special. Celebrating milestones like birthdays, school graduations, anniversaries and other accomplishments will be extra special on a cruise vacation. If you let the ship staff know, they’ll do something special to recognize the occasion. Here are a few tips for how to continue to enjoy the vacation memories after you get home: Give everyone time to reacclimate. Returning to the stress of everyday life can be disappointing after a week or 2 of travel. Relive the experience with a party. Talk about the experience, what was fun and what was not. (Sometimes those are the funniest stories!) Go through your souvenirs, photos and travel journals. Begin planning your next vacation. Just the act of picking a date and identifying potential destinations gives us something fun to look forward to.
C hapter XII I nside I nformation on S hore E xcursions , the M ost S ought -A fter C ruise E xperience
Shore excursions are perhaps the most highly anticipated event on a cruise. They offer the opportunity for entertainment, adventure, education, and even enlightenment. The cruise lines offer a great variety of activities in almost any given port on an itinerary, but there’s another option worth considering: shore excursions through CruiseCompete.
Policies subject to change without notice, always check with your travel agent regarding pregnancy policies and children age policies prior to booking your cruise.
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