Prepping For A Cruise

I’m the type of mega-planner who obsesses over every detail. That being the case, getting ready for a 14-day cruise is quite an adventure! Our vacation aboard Regent's Mariner starts in about seven days, so last week I focused on documents, getting the house ready and giving instructions to our dog sitters. Here are a few of my tips…

Temporarily suspend mail service. You can do this online at www.usps.com, by calling 1-(800) 275-8777 or by filling out PS Form 8076 and returning it to your local post office. Mail can be held for three to 30 days.

Temporarily suspend newspaper delivery.

Pay bills in advance, if necessary. Check payment dates on upcoming bills and pay early, schedule an automated payment or call the company to make other arrangements.

Alert credit-card companies. If you’re traveling even a short distance from home, it’s a good idea to alert your credit-card companies. If unusual charge activity occurs, some companies will actually freeze your account until they can contact you regarding the validity of the charges. Call the (800) number on the back of your credit card and have the representative make a note in your file.

When I called American Express to let them know about our forthcoming trip, they offered to enroll us in the Payment Flexibility plan. Basically, this allows you to have a revolving line of credit for travel-related charges or larger purchases. It gives an extra bit of flexibility when you’re on the road for extended periods of time. The plan is free and AmEx credited our account 2,500 Membership Rewards points just for adding this new feature to our card.

Purchase foreign currency. Since we’ll be in Russia and Japan, I stopped by my local American Express Travel office and purchased a small amount of rubles and yen… not the best rates but it’s convenient and I wanted a small bit of local cash in my wallet.

Pet locator chips. If your dog or cat is not already micro-chipped, consider having this done prior to your voyage. Make sure your pet caretaker has the (800) number for the locator service and the chip identification number. Of course, let’s hope you never need to rely on the chip to find your dog or cat, but the peace of mind it gives me is well worth the price.

Documents. Make copies of your passports, credit cards (front and back), airline tickets, cruise documents, hotel confirmations and anything else of that nature. Put a set of copies in each piece of luggage and make sure someone at home (a family member or friend) also keeps a set as a back up. Make sure your pet sitter has the contact info for your vet and another backup pet sitter in case an emergency crops up. And, make sure your house sitter or pet sitter knows your security alarm code and how to arm and disarm the system.

Your itinerary and your luggage. Print your itinerary on a sheet of paper and add all your contact information (how to call the ship, your cell numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.). Place a copy of this itinerary in each piece of your luggage. In addition, fold a copy and insert it behind the contact information in your luggage tags. This way, even if your outer identification tag comes off your suitcase, the airline can still determine whom the bag belongs to and how to get it back to you quickly.

We're on track for our trip and this week I'm working on our shore excursion sight-seeing plan. While we're definitely taking part in one of Regent's excursions in Siberia, we will probably do our own thing in Alaska and Japan, for the most part. More to come soon...