What is Your 1 Non Standard Item You Need to Bring?

 We just booked our 14th Carnival Cruise.  This time on the Firenze.  It has been a while.  But when we were on the Disney Wish, it was a last minute thing that we did while traveling already to add it to our month long road trip, so we did not have our "cruise essentials".   

The one thing I try not to forget to pack is 1 or 2 large binder clips.  We use these on the balcony curtains.  This is something I need to start brining to some hotels too but for the ship it has been a must have item.

Why, some may ask.  Well, one cruise long ago, we had a lot of sea movement.  That beam of light when taking a nap or sleeping in is bad enough but when its moving and becoming a lighthouse beacon of light flashing in your eyes every 10 seconds, its nap over.

So what is your must have that people may not think about?  Not the standard things, or anything that you have to sneak on, just some random item people may not think to have, but helps with the vacation.  Let us know in the comments.  It may become a staple of our future trips!

When is the Best Time to book and Go on an Alaskan Cruise

 As the 2024 Hurricane season is going out with a bang, many people are not thinking about their next cruise right now, or wondering what other cruising options are available next year that are not in hurricane alley.   This is a great time to start planning an Alaska Cruise.  These cruises only operate from May until September due to weather.  By no means is an Alaskan Cruise going to be a fun in the sun wear your bathing suit everywhere cruise, but it is something every avid cruise fan should have on their bucket list.

May and September will be the coldest, but can come with bigger discounts along with better availability being these are still during school season..   The more popular dates are around the Summer Solstice.  The week leading into and from the longest day of the year gives the best opportunity to enjoy the "midnight sun".

There are plenty of tours to do, however, the closer you are to the start or end of the season can limit some of these as things like the Denali National Park may not be open yet right at the start of the cruise season.  So if there are specific places/tours you are interested in, you should plan accordingly.

Cold is not the only weather related issue to think about.  Late August into September tends to have more rain on average.

So, if you are interested in doing an Alaskan Cruise, we here at Time to Cruise say now is the time to start planning!  Get that list going of wants and needs so you can find the perfect time to go!

Happy Cruising!

Cruise Line Carbon Initiative and Guest Impact

 There are a lot of pros to decreasing the carbon footprint of even just 1 cruise ship, but when you think about the fact that there are now over 320+(and growing) ships currently in service, the impact is exponential.  But as cruise lines work to meet standards, either set by governments, or even themselves, they have to be careful to not step on expectations of the guests on board.  This is where some cons come in.

The  (current) lifespan of an ocean Cruise Ship is between 17 and 30 years.  Once they are no longer in service, they usually go to a cruise ship graveyard to be dismantled.  The process is dirty and not environmentally friendly, but getting better.  There is a really cool article here that you can read about it.  Before that happens, a ship will go through a few dry dock refurbishments to improve guest experience and updates to remove the dated feel along with working on decreasing the carbon footprint of the ship.  

However, cruise lines look to more ways to meet their goals, usually trying to not have a financial impact on them, or even save them money in the process.   The biggest culprit here is waste! The average cruise goer is not thinking about the fact they loaded up their plate and asked for 3 entrees at dinner, then failed to eat half of it.  Or the little kid making a mess at the dinner who got sauce all over the white table cloth!  These are just a few examples of simple little things that add up both for the bottom line and even carbon footprint.

To mitigate things like this, cruise lines do things like decrease portion size, or as recently with Carnival, remove the table cloths from the main dining rooms.  Personally I found it funny how many people complained about that one.  Carnival has over 27 ships. The amount of water usage, time, and detergent alone decreases their waste dramatically.  The impact on your cruise experience should not be affected much by this, but apparently for some it does.

Other little things, like getting rid of single use items like plastic straws and single use cups.  I for one am not a fan of paper straws but I totally understand.  While on the Disney Wish, they had paper straws but still had single use cups.  I bought a cup while on board and reused my cup that had a lid all week which worked for me.  Not everyone wants to walk around carrying their cup with them, but I can see something like this coming sooner than later as well.

What do you think?  Are there changes that the Cruise lines say are for the better good impacting your cruise experience?  Do you have suggestions?  Let me know in the comments.

Themed Cruises - What, Where, when, and Should You Want to Avoid?

Whether you're a fan of themed cruises or not, they are definitely growing in popularity. I’ve personally experienced both sides of the coin. First, I sailed on Shiprocked, a music-themed cruise where my wife and I got to enjoy some of our favorite bands. Then, I unexpectedly found myself on a Carnival cruise where over half the ship was dedicated to a Country Music theme week, which we hadn’t planned for.

There are generally two types of themed cruises. I’m focusing on those where passengers pay extra to join a theme—whether it’s Comicon, music genres, LGBTQ+, TV shows (yes, those exist!), and more. These differ from onboard seasonal events, like Halloween themes organized by the cruise line, where everyone can join the fun. I’ve done those too, and they’re a blast!

Themed cruises offer a lot of benefits if you're into the theme. You can meet celebrities, connect with like-minded people, and fully immerse yourself in your passion. However, participating in these events usually comes at an extra cost. You’ll typically receive a wristband or lanyard granting access to special events. For example, on the Country Music cruise, lounges with doors were restricted to paying participants, and the main theater had two nights of shows canceled for regular guests to make room for exclusive concerts. If you didn’t pay, you weren’t invited.

These days, whenever we start planning a cruise, one of the first places we check is themcruisefinder.com. It helps us avoid booking during a themed cruise that might take over the ship, although it’s not foolproof as some cruises don’t make it onto the site. Still, it’s been useful in steering us away from certain dates, and I highly recommend adding it to your search process. If you’re booking through a travel agency, be sure to mention your preferences so they can help you avoid situations where half the ship’s amenities are off-limits during your vacation.

Interesting Items You Shouldn't Bring on a Cruise.

 You may have seen that Royal Caribbean has recently added "outlet extenders" to their list of prohibited items.  This is any device that splits an outlet, including surge protectors.  But what other things should you leave at home beyond the obvious, like fireworks, irons, and electric kettles?

• To much cash:  When you re enter the U.S. you have to declare cash in excess of $10,000 regardless of where you started with it.  
• Drones: While this should be easily understandable, they don't want you getting any ideas about flying your toy off the deck of the ship, and many ports of call prohibit bringing them ashore, so it makes sense to just prohibit them in the first place.
• Straws and Plastic Bags:  This one was not something I thought about before but with cruise lines focusing on the environment, banning single use bags and straws makes sense.  We did notice that on our most recent cruise it was paper straws and only on request.
• Mini Star Link Satellite dish:  Just read an article where someone had this confiscated and lead to Carnival adding them to their banned list.  It makes sense in a few ways.  First it goes against them selling their internet plans so its a financial decision there.  Second, you are on a moving ship and unless you are setting up poolside, I am going to assume the veranda is not going to work well depending on direction the ship is moving.

Do you have anything that should be left at home outside the norm?  What is it and why?  Let me know in the comments!