Any Advice please re cruise Navigator of the Seas to North Africa Oct

Hi, My sister and I are going on Navigator of the Seas from Southampton in UK to North Africa for 14 nights. Its our first cruise and we would appreciate any advice from someone who may have cruised this direction before and if there are packages we should buy in advance, we have bought the alcohol package. Thanks Mgt

Hi Sukimoo, it sounds like you are on the Navigator's October 1, 2016 sailing, what a great itinerary! I would recommend checking out your Roll Call here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2198116, as well as the Royal Caribbean forum for lots of information and discussion: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83. Have a fantastic first cruise! :)

A few things in no particular order, some apply to most cruise lines, some are specific to Royal Caribbean (RCI).......

Unless you're flying to Southampton there are no restrictions as such on how much luggage you take. But don't over-do it, storage space in your cabin is limited. You suitcases will fit under the bed.

Clothes irons aren't permitted, there's no self-service laundry on RCI ships, and the laundry service is fairly expensive. Get rid of travel wrinkles by hanging stuff on clothes hangers in the shower (there's a retractable clothes line in the shower), point the spray away from your clothes of course, pull the curtain & run the shower hottest & fastest for ten minutes & the creases will drop out.

Folk fret about what power sockets there are in cabins. I never remember which on RCI, other than that they're not UK sockets - I take a universal adaptor (Boots, Argos, etc, about £10) & never had a problem in any ship or foreign hotel. Also a short extension lead with 3 or 4 sockets, for charging up phone batteries etc.

Ship's currency is US dollars. You'll not need cash dollars because you register a card (credit card better than debit card for a number of reasons, I'll explain if you ask), you sign for all purchases on the ship, those purchases are added to your on-board account, & at the end of the cruise your card will be charged in one lump sum.

Importantly, you'll be asked on a form if you'd like RCI to convert your on-board spend from dollars to sterling "for your convenience" :rolleyes: before charging your card.

Decline that offer. Allow your card to be charged in dollars, & your card supplier will convert to sterling at a very much better exchange rate.

By the same token, get your euros for spending ashore (good for Morocco as well as euroland) from the usual suspects - Tesco, M&S, Post Office, Sainsbury, on-line etc) - before you go, or use your debit card in ATMs in the ports.

Currency exchange in the USA is much poorer value than in the UK, so ignore advice from our American cousins to only use ATMs in the ports. Euros in your pocket when you go ashore avoids the desperate initial hunt for an ATM.

Ship's currency exchange as a last resort only, because of a double-whammy of those poor exchange rates (they'll convert from sterling to dollars to euros). Get a mix of notes, and beware on-line exchange - they tend to use high-value notes, eg 50-euros, which can be a bind.

For spending ashore in shops, bars, cafes, etc use your credit card as much as you can, their exchange rates are better than cash euros from exchange bureaux.

Inform your card supplier/s of your travel plans - you don't want your card/s refused because of your card suppliers' anti-fraud measures.

If you don't already have a card with no foreign exchange commission & you plan to travel abroad more frequently, now is a good time to get one. Halifax Clarity, Capital One, Post Office credit card, Nationwide (account-holders only) & others. We use a couple of commission-free cards solely for foreign travel.

You'll register one card when you embark. but you'll both have on-board accounts. If you want to split the charges between you, you can add another card at reception during your cruise & ask them to divide the charges in whatever way you want.

Are you aware of the daily service charge (about $13 per person per day)? Lots of folk cruising US ships for the first time only find out about the charge after they've booked. Although you have the right to remove them, these charges are effectively the crew's wages. So if you remove them you'll be stiffing the hard-working crew.

Drinks are expensive, about the same as a 3 or 4 star UK hotel, so buying the package was a good move.

There's also a 15% service charge on drinks, but that's included in your package.

RCI allow you to take aboard at your embarkation port (Southampton) two bottles of wine per cabin (or is it one bottle per adult? Same difference for most folk). Whether that's worthwile is very debateable since you have the package. But mebbe a bottle or two of bubbly?

On sailings out of UK ports, RCI provide kettles & tea-makings in your cabin. But for some strange reason they don't supply in-cabin coffee. So take a jar of Nescafe or you'll be stuck with stealing little sachets of decaf from the drinks stations. ;)

Water from the basin in your cabin is fine to drink, no need for bottled. But because it's stored in tanks it's not as cold as the water at home. So use empty pop bottles to store some in your fridge.

In the main you won't need ship's over-priced excursions in the ports. Research you ports on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=5

(Spain, Africa & "other Mediterranean")

and elsewhere on the 'web.

Bear in mind that the Canaries (& Morocco of course) are outside the EU duty zone, you are seriously limited by UK customs on how much booze & smokes you can bring back from there or buy on the ship to bring home – and customs do tend to target ships which have been to the Canaries or Gib.

But much higher limits on purchases from Portugal (including Madeira) or mainland Spain. Chapter & verse on bringing back from the EU at https://www.gov.uk/duty-free-goods/arrivals-from-eu-countries & click on "arrivals from outside the EU at the bottom of the page for Canaries, Morocco, ship's D/F shop purchases.

If you take alcohol on board at a port-of-call, ship's security will store it for you & let you have it back on the last day.

There’s lots you’ll not learn before you go, and lots you’ll forget. But no worries, it’s a learning curve & you’ll find your shipmates happy to help.

Have a good one.

JB :)

Hi JB, I have only now found your response and some other responses all in my Spam folder so deepest apologies.

I am immensely grateful for all the information you sent to us, very comprehensive and informative, lots of things I had not thought of but will note now.

Once again we both appreciate you being so good to a couple of novices, we are looking forward immensely to our upcoming trip on Oct 1st.

Margaret

:)