What kind of cruise tour guide should I prepare for a cruise?

In fact, cruise travel is also very novel, and you can enjoy many wonderful experiences on a cruise ship. The editor below will tell you how to prepare for taking a cruise, which means that you need to put a lot of effort into choosing a cruise in the early stage.

The first step

Do your homework and choose a cruise ship that suits you.

Since the cruise ship has grown grass, I have been doing homework intermittently.

For domestic tourists, they must have a correct understanding of cruise tourism. Cruises = tourist destinations, cruises, planes, trains and other pure means of transportation. Why? Generally speaking, words like "all-inclusive" are mentioned in cruise promotions. In other words, if you spend money to buy cruise products, the food, accommodation, transportation, entertainment and entertainment on board are all included. PS. Does not include cruise service fees (equivalent to tips for waiters at various positions). This is addressed directly on board.

With this concept, you can look at the websites of major cruise companies and choose your favorite cruise. For cruises departing from Chinese ports, if you like high technology and tossing, Royal Caribbean International is your first choice; if you like quiet luxury and traditional cruise experience, choose Princess Cruises; if you like Italian style and Mediterranean flavor, choose Costa Cruises . So don’t worry about which port to call, the most important thing is to have fun on board.

Less than 10 minutes after boarding the ship, we immediately boarded the "Polaris"!

Special note: You can check out the preliminary introductions on the Chinese official websites of major cruise companies. If you want to know more about the details of the cruise, such as deck plan, meals, discounts, etc. Or go to the international official website or the cruise company official website, the above content is more abundant. For example, the official website of Royal Caribbean International Cruise Lines.

Step 2

Buy a ferry ticket

There are two types of tickets:

1. Single person ticket. This form is the most common and ideal form of ticket purchase in mature cruise markets such as Europe and the United States. However, due to various reasons, it is currently not possible in China. If you really want to experience it, you need to take a cruise abroad.

For example, most cruise websites sell "single ship ticket" products for boarding at foreign ports. You need to pay for transportation costs, visas, local accommodation, meals, etc. from home to the boarding port.

2. Take a boat trip. This is the current sales model of domestic cruise products. Travel agencies package all or part of the accommodation from the cruise line, and then package and sell it in combination with local one-day tour products at the ports where the cruise calls. All tourists also travel in tour groups.

All cruise lines departing from domestic ports, as well as some products packaged into tour groups, including overseas cruises and overseas attractions, belong to this type. However, due to the current sales model of domestic cruise products and the "price war" among travel agencies, the quality of shore tours is not high, and some have even become almost pure shopping shore tours.

Ticket purchase methods:

1. Cruise company website

Currently, major domestic travel websites have corresponding cruise products. In addition, there are Many cruise agency websites. After some research and comparison, I finally chose to place an order with the most popular cruise ship, and it turns out that I made the right choice. Brother Chao's customer service staff is very professional and patient. He is responsible for contacting the cruise company to arrange services for me to book the room I need on the ship. In two words - caring!

2. Local travel agencies

Local travel agencies in many cities now also sell cruise products. As for the price, you can shop around. One benefit of travel agencies: The travel agency organizes buses to take tourists directly from the local area to the cruise port, and then pick them up together when they return. (I'm not sure if every travel agency has this service, but our local travel agency does, but the price is slightly more expensive than the cruise travel agency website.)

3. Cruise company official website

This has no price advantage and is more suitable for "old cruisers" who often take cruises. Shipping companies give members points, which can be redeemed for onboard coupons or even gifted to sailings, etc. For details, please refer to the official website of each shipping company.

As for how to buy tickets, everyone still needs to consider many factors, such as budget, preferences, the situation at the time, etc. And there is no particular advantage to one way of purchasing tickets. For example, young couples like us can choose to buy from cruise agency websites when traveling, which is relatively more cost-effective. If you are traveling with your family, including the elderly and children, it is more appropriate to choose a local tour group with port pick-up and drop-off, so as to avoid too much trouble due to transportation problems.

Step 3

What cabin do you choose?

1. Inner cabin

As the name suggests, this cabin has no windows, so you can’t see the sea. But on "Quantum of the Sea", there is a large LED display in the inner cabin, which displays the scene outside the cabin in real time, that is, the cabin in the virtual balcony. The Voyager of the Seas was renovated once and this configuration was also added. After checking the official website of Royal Caribbean International, we found that the Mariner of the Seas will be renovated next year and this configuration will also be added. The advantage of the inner cabin is its low price, but its disadvantage is that it is small and can be a bit depressing.

2. Sea view room

Personally, I think the sea view room has the worst value for money. It has one more window than the inner cabin, but it cannot be opened and the floor is relatively low. Of course it comes down to personal preference and wallet weight.

3. Balcony Room

The most common room type on cruise ships, it is relatively medium in size and has its own independent balcony where you can watch the sea and the scenery. Personally, I think it's very good, but the price is relatively expensive, and some are even higher than the small suites at the bottom.

4. Suite

The picture shows the duplex suite at the stern.

Each cruise ship has many different types of suites. The higher the level, the larger the area. Of course, the price of high-end suites is also beyond the affordability of ordinary people.

This time we bought the lowest suite in "Quantum of the Sea", the SPA suite. Speaking of suites, I personally think it is more like the most upscale balcony room. The main facilities include: a bathtub, a large shower, a separate toilet, a king-size double bed (two beds joined together), a balcony larger than the balcony room, lounge chairs on the balcony, a corner sofa and a small round table. If there are no budget constraints, the various large duplex suites are certainly great.

A few more words, why should we choose this room type? Because I monitored the prices on several websites and found that the price of the SPA suite on the most cruise website on September 9 was very impressive, even lower than some premium balcony rooms. Secondly, after downloading the deck plan from the official website, I found that all SPA suites are located slightly behind the middle of the cruise ship. In theory, there is less shaking, and it is very convenient to use the atrium elevator to get out (the so-called noise problem can be ignored). The most important point: the key card for the SPA suite is silver. On cruises departing from China, Silver Card users can also go to the exclusive restaurant in the Coastal Kitchen Suite on the 14th floor, where lobster is served every night!

Because the chart is too large to be posted, please refer to the chart in the PDF for specific deck divisions. Just look for room 10636, you can see it at a glance!

Step 4

What to bring

1. Since Royal Caribbean cruises do not provide disposable toiletries, toothpaste, toothbrushes and combs are a must!

2. Shampoo and shower gel. Small packages of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and moisturizer are provided on board. After you use it, you can get it from the room attendant. If your skin is sensitive, it is recommended to bring your own.

3. Change the plug. Since Quantum of the Seas was built in Germany, there are German sockets (round) and two-legged (flat) sockets (US sockets) on board. It is recommended to bring an adapter plug in case of emergency. There are two independent USB ports on the board, so you don’t have to worry about charging your phone!

4. Slippers or Crocs. It is easy to use when swimming and can be carried even if you are not swimming. There are disposable thick-soled slippers in the room.

5. Laundry soap. The soap on board is mainly for hand washing. I personally recommend bringing a bar of underwear soap or regular laundry soap.

6. Keep medicines in stock. This time my wife developed eczema and was extremely itchy due to acclimatization. Because she didn't bring the relevant ointment, she was confused. It is recommended to prepare some band-aids, anti-allergy medicine, eczema cream, gastrointestinal medicine, anti-inflammatory medicine, sesame oil, etc.

7. Dress. A few words about the dress code on board the ship. According to the regulations on the ship, different restaurants have different dress requirements, such as formal wear, general formal wear, casual wear, etc. Domestic departure routes have relatively loose requirements in this regard. As long as it's not a tank top, shorts, and slippers, it's usually fine. Most foreign tourists wear formal attire to eat in the main restaurant. If you have formal attire, it is recommended to wear it as a sign of respect. It is highly recommended for ladies to wear Chinese cheongsam, it looks very nice!

No need to bring items! Items you don’t need to bring! Items you don’t need to bring!

1. The room is equipped with an electric kettle.

2. The hair dryer is provided indoors. Special reminder must be plugged into the socket on the dressing table. Do not put it on the shaver socket in the bathroom.

3. Clothes drying rack. There are many clothes drying racks in the closet in the room, so there is no need to bring them.

Look at the hangers in this closet. If you still don’t think it’s enough, you’re drunk!

Careful friends may have noticed objects such as ironing board brackets and hooks in the picture. Because the cabin design is based on hotel rooms, these facilities are available, but "fire" is the biggest enemy of the cruise ship. There were no objects that could create open flames in any cabin, and naturally there were no ironing boards or irons. If you need to iron your clothes, pay attention to the white bag in the picture, which indicates the laundry and ironing charges for various clothes. Normal service is the next day. If it’s urgent, you’ll have to spend more money!

Notice the mini safe below? Very convenient to use! Enter the 4-digit password according to your preference and press the # button in the lower right corner. During the entire process, hold the door of the safe with your hand until it closes, because under normal circumstances, its door will automatically maintain the pop-up position in the picture. Unlock: Enter the four-digit password and press the # key in the lower right corner again.