beware the locals. you'll be left with a bar tab and no more camera.

Take motion sickness pills with you.

Arrive at the port relaxed and in good shape. They will stream you through the check-in system, take a photo of you (or two) and then let you board the ship. They will take another picture of you as you board to associate your room card with your picture. Go to your room and put your hand baggage away. In your room you will see a daily schedule. I usually suggest taking a highlighter pen so you can mark which activities interest you. Then you should go and enjoy lunch. Be aware that while on deck they walk around with drinks and offer them to you. These aren't free drinks, they are selling them. They will also offer you the soda package, which is a per day charge for all the soda that you want. Be aware that there are activities on the ship that are not included in the cost, these include (but are not limited to): soft drinks, ice cream, bingo, the spa, the casino, alcohol and selected restaurants. There are a lot of free activities as well. Dinner in the buffet and main dining room are included, but there are speciality restaurants that sometimes (but not always) hae an extra charge. You can go by the main desk to see a copy of the menus or walk around the ship to see where things are, find the pool and start to relax. Be aware that some seminars on the ship are designed to sell you things. There are also some alcohol clinics, where you are offered to try a range of cocktails, like Martinis at a fixed price. For the Grand Cayman, I strongly suggest swimming with the stingrays. We got a third party on the Internet for the tour. He picked us up at the port and took us fo much cheaper than the ship's excursion. For Cozumel, we went to the government beach. It was quite nice. If you are looking to pick up something or some alcohol, you can ask the taxi to leave you at Chedraui (a Mexican supermarket) on the way there (or way back) in order to shop and pick up a few items. Here is a list of items that I always suggest that you pack, in case they are needed: Sea sickness pills, natural ginger pills if you prefer. Duct tape, great in an emergency or if something breaks. A hanging toiletry bag. The cabins are small and this allows you to hang up your toiletries instead of having to take everything out and repack it. Fels Naptha, in case you need to wash something in the sink. Highlighter pen, to highlight daily activities. Small sticky notes, so you can leave notes for the cabin attendant or for someone else if you get lost on the ship. You can bring small amounts of personal items on the ship, like bottled water. They are much pickier about bringing alcohol on the ship, for that you will need to smuggle. If you like table wine with your dinner and don't want the ships more expensive wine, you can buy wine and bring it on the ship. They will take it from you when you board and charge a corkage fee. If you go this direction, I strongly suggest that you purchase magnums, since the corkage fee is per bottle.

bring your togs. and watch out on the cruise. you will be scammed really easily if you are not careful. if your cost includes food, be aware of which restruants you can dine in. all others will charge to your cruise card, or credit card. also most drinks cost momey also. the other main point to remember... GET IN FIRST!!!! find out what you want to do as soon as you board the ship and when everyone else is relaxing you can be booking. most tours only hold a certain amount of spaces so these are important to pre-book. and also if there is a fancydress party, or a captains night.. be sure to book in that hair style asap. or all the spots will be gone when you want them. after this.. relax! you are on holiday!!

Remember the old maps. At the end of the world it read: here be dragons. LOL