- I wish I had a secret to share, but…here’s what has (mostly) worked for us:
- Arrive healthy and rested. This may mean curbing some activities in advance of the cruise, especially if you have traveled some distance to reach the beginning of your cruise.
- If flying domestically, arrive at least 24 hours in advance of departure.
- If flying internationally, plan to arrive at least 48 hours in advance - remember the airline issues in July 2024? Many travelers lost a day before flight schedules were restored.
- Yes - hotel costs add to your trip expenses, but we consider this expenditure a necessity, to help ensure that a weeklong (or monthlong) trip gets off to a good start.
- Know your limits. (Fight off FOMO!)
- Pack a few common illness treatments - be they stomach related, headaches, and/or throat lozenges.
- Sleep in. While room service breakfast sounds nice, don’t schedule delivery too early and wreck a good recovery.
- Vitamin IV therapy - after taking a train to a European spa we found online - to speed up a recovery (it worked), we now sometimes schedule an “immunization builder” IV a few days before departing on lengthy trips. You can find similar treatment onboard, at a premium. (As I write this, I know it sounds like an extravagance, but we consider it an investment. We choose healthy preventive care vs. other expenses. As the price of onboard massage treatments has risen, substituting the pre-cruise preparation makes sense for us.)
- Wash your hands regularly. You will tire of hearing “washy-washy” but it’s a pretty good idea when traveling with a few thousand cruisers, including children of all ages. You may want to carry hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes into the casino if you plan to push some slot machine buttons shared by many. Same goes for the gym, which has wipes available for use.
