Cruise Safety Tips: Protecting Yourself in Port

Being on vacation means letting go of worries and responsibilities and focusing on fun and relaxation — but doesn’t mean forgetting all your common sense. You still want to be smart when you’re in port and with everything you do during your vacation.

Our biggest tip: Use common sense. Besides that, here are some cruise safety tips to have a worry-free trip!

Copy Your Passport 

This one you’ll actually do before you leave on vacation. Make a copy of your passport and all your important travel docs. Leave the copies in a safe place in your cabin. This makes it much easier to replace lost or stolen documents while you’re traveling. Make sure you do this for your credit cards too. In case one goes missing, you’ll have the info you need to get in touch with your bank.

Another way to make sure you always have copies of this is to take pictures of important documents and save them on your smartphone. No matter where you are, you have your phone with you… and also copies of anything you might need. The last thing you want is to be ziplining through an Alaskan rainforest canopy and drop important papers!

Secure Loose Items

Keep valuable items close to you. Don’t have your camera or cell phone hanging out. Keep your cash and credit cards in a safe spot. You definitely don’t want to come back to the ship poorer because you were pick-pocketed. Use a money belt or a bag that keeps your valuables in front of you. Be aware of your belongings and who’s watching them.

Don’t Overdo It

While it’s so tempting to do it all, see it all and take it all in, remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you surely won’t see it all in one day either. Do your planning ahead of time and know what you’re doing in each port. Unless you’re already a very active person, you may not want to choose something active every single day. If you’re not used to walking miles and miles over often uneven terrain, you won’t suddenly have that skill because you’re on vacation. Choose based on your abilities and you’ll enjoy your shore excursions even more. And the rest of your cruise, too!

Don’t Burn

Nothing ruins a vacation faster than an awful sunburn. Be sure to put the sunscreen on before you leave the ship and bring it with you for re-application. Caribbean cruises all sail much closer to the equator than you’d experience at home or your local beach; in these ports, you’re more likely to burn more severely and more quickly.  Do yourself, and those traveling with you, a favor and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Stay Hydrated

Always bring water with you – no matter which shore excursions you pick. In many places your cruise ship goes, you won’t want to drink the local water. And in other places, bottled water can be very expensive. It’s important to stay hydrated all the time, in both hot and cold destinations. Bring an empty water bottle with you and fill it up each time you leave the ship.

Use Reputable Companies

When booking private shore excursions (anything not through your  cruise ship is considered a private excursion), always use a reputable company. When you’re doing your research, look at feedback from other cruisers and ask around. Check to see if the company’s licensed or insured. Reputable companies provide an experience to make you feel comfortable and enjoy your excursion.

Buy Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance does so much these days. One of the things travel insurance gives you is peace of mind in port. Most polices provide you medical coverage should you get hurt while on vacation (your health insurance doesn’t typically work outside of the United States) – including medical evacuation or hospital stays. If you accidentally miss your ship, travel insurance can sometimes cover you there, too. Check the details of your policy for specifics, but this is a must-have for any cruise.

Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. If you wouldn’t do it at home, don’t do it thousands of miles from home!