Answers to General Cruise Questions
 

However, for those that are easily upset by the slightest motion, please take a look at the following information excerpted from the August 2001 edition of Good Housekeeping:

If basic remedies fail to settle your stomach, one of these products may help.  But keep in mind:  Finding something that works is often a matter trial and error.

• Classic over-the-counter (OTC) tablets such as Dramamine and Bonine make the inner ear less sensitive to motion, though some can cause dry mouth and drowsiness.
• Prescription drugs such as Antivert, which is taken orally, and Scopolamine (the "patch"), which is placed behind the ear and delivers medication for up to three days, work like OTCs, and can have similar side effects.  Timing is everything for all these medication.  You must take the prescription pills at least two hours before you expect to get that queasy felling (take the OTCs one to two hours before hand).  Apply the patch four hours in advance or, ideally, the day before you travel.
• Elastic bracelets , available over the counter in drugstores and from the ship's store, feature a tiny button that rests on the underside of your wrist.  The button rubs against a point known in acupuncture as pericardium 6, easing nausea.
• Ginger capsules seem to do the trick for some people.  Wei Ming Sun, Ph.D., M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, found that people who took two 500-milligram generic capsules an hour before being spun in a disorienting drum were less likely to feel queasy than those who took a placebo.
• The ReliefBand , recently approved by the FDA, resembles a wristwatch.  The OTC device uses electrical pulses to stimulate the median nerve in your wrist, presumably interrupting any "be sick" signals your brain sends to your stomach.  (Included with the band is a gel that you dab on your wrist to conduct the pulses; you should activate the band at the first sign of queasiness.)  The Good Housekeeping Institute had five staffers who routinely suffer from motion sickness test the ReliefBand.  After five days of riding planes, trains, boats, and buses, everyone reported that the band stopped nausea in its tracks, often within minutes.  (The ReliefBand costs $99 to $130.  Call 888-718-6900 or go to www.reliefband.com.)

We recommend you speak with your doctor about medications such as scopolamine (the "patch").  Over the counter medications such as Dramamine or Bonine are always available from the  ship's store.  Sea bands (elastic bracelets) are becoming increasingly more available from the ship's store on most cruise lines.

Click here to learn more about the "patch."
Click here to learn more about SeaBand.
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6.  Rules for passports are changing.  A passport is the universally accepted document for "proof of citizenship."  If you have one, it will be good for all cruise destinations.  If you are a US citizen cruising the Caribbean, Alaska, Canada, or Mexico, all that is required until 12/31/2006 is a valid government issued photo ID like a driver's license for each adult plus an original or a certified, raised seal copy of his/her birth certificate in place of a passport.*  If you are cruising nearly anywhere else, a passport will be necessary.  In certain countries, a special tourist visa will be required in addition to a passport.  Regardless of destination, all non-US citizens will need passports and alien registration cards if they are residing in the USA.  Voter's registration cards and social security cards are not acceptable.

*CAUTION:  On June 1, 2009, the US Government will be requiring that its citizens show a valid US passport upon re-entry into the USA.  Therefore, obtaining a passport now would be a good idea.  See Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative for passport requirement timeline dates and to find out how to apply for or to renew a US passport.
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Casual:  sundress or slacks and blouses for women; sport shirts and trousers for men

Smart casual:  dresses or pantsuits for women; jackets for men

Formal:  cocktail dresses or evening gowns for women; suits and ties or tuxedos for men

All guests must insure that they are medically and physically fit for travel and that such traveling will not endanger themselves or others.  Any condition requiring medical treatment or attention must be reported to the cruise line in writing when booking is made or if such conditions arise after booking is made and prior to the boarding date of the cruise.

Guests dependent upon oxygen or requiring oxygen therapy must meet certain requirements prior to boarding the ship.

Most cruise lines will not accept guests who have entered into their third trimester of pregnancy by departure date.
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Please keep in mind that the tipping guidelines apply to your wait staff whether you use the formal dining area or not.

For more detailed information on tipping, click here.

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Hurricanes generally occur at predictable times within a given region, so planning around that season will improve the odds you won't experience a storm. For example, hurricane season in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico is from June to November. Eastern Pacific basin storms around places like
Acapulco occur between mid-May and the end of November.

Geography is also a key to avoiding hurricanes. The storms develop either north or south of the equator, so destinations within five degrees of the equator are generally safe. In the Caribbean, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles are low risk for hurricanes, but not guaranteed storm-free.

Finally, mode of transportation can help dodge tropical storms.  Cruise ships are the best means of avoiding contact with hurricanes since they can monitor weather conditions and adjust their itinerary accordingly.  Cruise ships travel at 18 knots or more where hurricanes travel a maximum of 12 knots.

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       Western         Central        Eastern 
Month  Wind    Waves   Wind    Waves  Wind    Waves 
Jan.   20-22kt 7-12ft  16-18kt 5-9ft  15-13kt 3-6ft 
Feb.   19-21kt 7-12ft  16-18kt 5-9ft  13-15kt 3-6ft 
March  20-22kt 7-12ft  16-19kt 5-9ft  12-14kt 3-6ft 
April  18-20kt 5-9ft   14-17kt 5-9ft  12-14kt 3-6ft 
May    15-17kt 5-9ft   14-16kt 5-9ft  12-14kt 3-6ft 
June   18-20kt 7-12ft  19-20kt 7-12ft 13-15kt 3-6ft 
July   20-22kt 7-12ft  19-20kt 7-12ft 13-15kt 3-6ft 
Aug.   17-19kt 5-9ft   15-17kt 5-9ft  12-14kt 3-6ft 
Sept.  13-15kt 5-9ft   14-16kt 5-9ft  11-13kt 1-4ft 
Oct.   12-14kt 5-9ft   12-14kt 5-9ft  10-12kt 1-4ft 
Nov.   14-16kt 5-9ft   12-14kt 5-9ft  10-12kt 1-4ft 
Dec.   19-21kt 7-12ft  15-17kt 5-9ft  12-14kt 3-6ft