How do cruises work

Cruising in Alaska was pioneered by Princess and Holland America and these lines still know it and do it best. In the past five years or so, they've been joined by so many ships from other lines that the streets of small Alaskan towns like Juneau are swarming with cruise passengers.

So, if you'd like to take a river raft ride through the bald eagle preserves, fly via helicopter to a huge, icy glacier or enjoy some of the northern state's other natural resources, go sooner, rather than later, since it's only going to get more crowded.

Many cruises to Norway depart from London and visit several charming Norwegian ports, such as Stavanger and Bergen. The "new Alaska" for cruising is Patagonia, which is considerably wilder and less developed than its U. The Patagonia cruise offers excursions out to the region's many beautiful national parks and glaciers and close encounters with in-your-face wildlife, including penguins, llamas, sea lions and brown foxes.

It's also a bird-watchers' heaven -- Audubon Club members on the Odysseus stayed up on deck all day, every day during their cruise of Patagonia! Cruise destinations have become ever more exotic as cruisers have expressed their interest in going farther off the beaten path. For example, cruises of Southeast Asia are in demand; most now include calls at Vietnam , which, plus years after the Vietnam War, seems to hold special interest for U.

Cruise traffic in the region also includes a stop at Hong Kong , which, almost three years after it reverted to Chinese rule, is undergoing interesting times that tourists seem eager to experience. Cruises along the coasts of Africa are immensely popular many include optional land safaris before or after the cruise. See How a Safari Works for more info. Europe is always popular, especially with people who like port-intensive cruises.

Depending upon current events, cruise lines are sometimes forced to alter schedules to keep passengers safe. For example, due to recent fighting in the Balkans , some lines removed lovely Dubrovnik from their European itineraries, and many changed their homeport from Venice to Genoa to take cruisers farther away from the fighting. By mid , several cruise lines had added Dubrovnik back to their schedules. The lesson here is to read about what's going on in countries you'd like to visit before you book your cruise.

Check with the U. State Department to see if any warnings are in place for your destination countries. Remember, too, that cruise lines are going to err on the side of caution and will change itineraries as needed.

This also holds true in case of inclement weather! If you're lucky enough to snag an invitation to the captain's table for dinner and each cruise line has different criteria for selecting the captain's tablemates , remember the following bits of shipboard etiquette:.

It's no accident that many cruise lines advertise their vessels as "floating hotels. However, unless you can afford a suite, get used to the idea that your stateroom, or cabin, is not going to be palatial in size think more in terms of about sq.

Some of the older ships, such as the Stella Solaris and the Enchanted Isle , have the largest staterooms but not generally the most luxurious. If you want a sitting area or a balcony the single most popular ship feature with cruisers today , you're going to pay more.

However, if you're going on a long trip, or if you get claustrophobic, it's probably worth the extra money. Windows are replacing portholes in a big way on new ships, so be sure to ask your travel agent about that.

Also, if the view is important to you, make sure yours isn't partially or completely obstructed by lifeboats! Again, unless you're traveling on a newer ship or have a suite, queen-size beds are a rare commodity. On some ships, singles can be pushed together; on others, they're bolted to the floor. Some rooms have two beds on the floor and two bunks above that fold into the wall.

Try to work out your sleeping arrangements in advance with your cruise consultant! Shipboard features that always draw comedians' best lines are the very loud, pressurized toilets and the doorway ledges that require passengers to step up and over or else suffer the consequences smashed toes! Other little things you'll quickly become acclimated to include weighted chairs -- they're a little tougher to move around in the lounge! One of the first things you'll need to learn in order to find your way around your ship is the proper use of the terms, starboard and port.

Starboard refers to the right side of the ship when you're facing forward ; the port side is the left side of the ship. You'll also hear forward and aft , which refers to the front and back of the ship. The public areas on ships -- show lounges, auditoriums, lecture halls -- are usually roomy and attractive.

On most ships, there are plenty of little nooks and crannies where you can sit quietly and enjoy the view or read a book -- you just have to find them! This is one of those questions that you, as an individual, have to consider.

A clue that you might be prone to seasickness is that you become nauseated in a car or airplane or sailboat. If you're concerned that seasickness might be a problem for you, check out your itinerary, looking closely at geographic factors that could influence the motion of the ocean. Some spots are known to be a little rougher, like the cruise through the Strait of Magellan and that stretch of ocean between Manila in the Philippines and Hong Kong.

However, that doesn't account for those unforeseen occasions when the ship passes through a storm and becomes a little rocky for walking and dancing. Here are a few anti-nausea aids and old sailor's cures:. Of course, there are millionaires who cruise, but you don't have to be one to enjoy a wonderful vacation at sea!

Many people don't realize how economical a cruise can be. When you consider that all your meals breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, afternoon tea, midnight buffet and entertainment shows, movies, dances and lectures are also included, it becomes a terrific deal!

Pay attention -- some of those higher prices may include soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, airfare, port charges and excursions -- all the things that cost extra on most ships! Once upon a time, cruise line rates were structured so that last-minute-Joe could scoop up a still-vacant cabin for a fraction of what passengers who planned ahead paid.

That became a public relations problem for cruise lines. So the new rate structure, now in place for a few years, rewards those who plan ahead six months or a year with discounts or shipboard credits. This is also a winning strategy for cruise lines -- ships are filling up more quickly! Also remember that, since repeat cruisers are the lifeblood of most lines, the more you cruise with a line you like, the better your incentives will be.

Make sure you know what your cruise includes. Ask about tipping policies. In keeping with the cash-less system, tipping is done in person on the last day of the cruise -- not all along. Do what you will with the ship's guidelines; however, be fair and forgiving of little imperfections. Don't ever stiff them -- they work hard! All cruise lines offer excursions in the port cities visited by the ship.

You can go to a cruise talk or lecture and learn about the various places you'll be visiting and then decide what you'd like to do at each stop. The cost of excursions is rising; cruise lines say they don't have any control over that since they must work with local vendors, who set their own rates. You may not need to pay for a tour -- you might be able to do it on your own.

Investigate and ask the shore excursions staff about ground transportation for passengers not going on group tours. However, you'll find in some more exotic locales that it's best to avail yourself of the excursion transportation. For example, you'd have difficulty getting from the port of Kusadasi, Turkey , to the ruins of Ephesus 40 minutes away on your own. If you were able to arrange transportation, it'd cost a fortune!

So go with the tour -- sometimes local guides are wonderful! Hint: if part of your excursion includes travel by airplane or helicopter, you'll pay more! If you want to take your family on a cruise, inquire about lines that offer special deals for children. American Hawaii just announced free passage for children traveling with full-fare-paying parents. And many lines offer special add-on rates for parents who are brave enough to cruise four-to-a-cabin with their kids.

And remember, that includes food and entertainment for four for a week! Most cruise lines offer add-on airfare from major gateway cities. Of course, the production of electricity is vital to all aspects of a ship's operation. Large equipment such as the bow thrusters, or, in the case of diesel electric ships, the actual propulsion motor requires high-voltage electricity.

For smaller machinery, such as lights in your cabin or the equipment in the galley, the electricity goes through a transformer and is stepped down into a more useable, lower voltage -- such as V.

To distribute the electrical power, large cables snake through the ship. Hundreds of miles of cables carry power from the generators to switchboards and eventually through passageways, cabins and public rooms.

Cabling can be a weak point in a ship's distribution system. Even ships with two engine rooms can suffer power failure if the electrical cables are not truly redundant. For instance, if two main engines in different engine rooms produce power that goes into a single cable that brings power to the propulsion motors, a problem to that electrical cable would cut off all propulsion power.

Consider it like a highway: If an accident closes the road, traffic i. When ships are docked and not moving, main engines and generators produce far more power than needed. In port, they are turned off, and smaller generators are used to supply the "hotel" load i. Moving the ship through the water takes up the vast majority of a ship's need for power -- somewhere in the vicinity of 85 percent of the power a diesel electric plant produces goes to the propeller.

The rest goes toward keeping the lights on and the passengers and crew comfortable. This helps explain why hotel functions can sometimes be restored even if the ship's propulsion is not working -- separate generators provide power that does not go toward moving the ship. However, if a fire knocks out the wiring that supplies the electricity, having a separate generator won't make any difference.

Today, more and more ports and ships are being fitted with systems that allow a ship to literally "plug in" to a local shoreside electric grid when docked. The ship's engines can be turned off, which helps reduce emission and pollution. So what happens when things go wrong and the ship is dead in the water?

All ships have an emergency generator to maintain vital electrical power. These backup generators are always located higher up and outside the engine room spaces to insulate them from fire or damage to the engine room.

Big ships require so much power that they might have two or more emergency generators. Even so, they will not have anywhere near the capacity of the main engines and generators.

They don't produce enough electricity to move the ship, and they can't even supply all the limited power needed in port, mostly because of space constraints. Thus, the emergency generator is instead used only for very essential navigation systems -- crucial bridge and communication equipment, a few critical pumps in the engine room such as the pumps that supply fuel to the engines and emergency lighting.

Cruise ship emergency lighting is generally pretty good. You can recognize which lights are operational on the emergency switchboard because there will be a little red dot next to the light. On your next cruise, take a look as you walk down the passageways and look for the red dots -- you might be surprised how many lights are powered in an emergency.

Should the emergency generator also fail, ships are required to have -- and we're not making this up -- a battery backup. Battery rooms provide at least 24 hours of power to an even smaller list of emergency equipment.

However, the essential systems they supply are so limited, they cannot power many hotel services and are certainly not enough to move the ship. So, what is being done to ensure incidents like the Carnival Triumph stranding don't happen again? Plenty, actually. Until recently, emergency power supplies were not powerful enough to cover "nonessential" items, like air conditioning, which is one of the biggest power draws of the hotel load.

That isn't likely to change in the foreseeable future. This can be a significant, unforeseen cost, especially on longer cruises. The good news is that this end-of-cruise shock can all be avoided with a little pre-planning. Beverage packages are available to purchase in advance of your cruise and generally come in a variety of options depending on what and how much you plan to consume.

Pre-paid gratuities, beverage packages and onboard credits are also often offered by cruise lines as booking incentives during certain times of year especially January-March , which can lead to serious savings on the overall cost of your cruise. With so much variety onboard, modern cruising truly does offer something for every type of traveler.

You can choose to dine on a set schedule each day, or feast at any number of onboard eateries at your leisure. You can choose to dress up in your finest linens or sport your beachwear all day long. You can choose to keep up your usual fitness routine from home, or take a break and relax. For more helpful tips on what to expect on your first cruise, see my other articles below in this series:.

Book your first cruise. Follow Us. You are responsible for knowing and bringing your own paperwork. If you don't have the right documents, you might not be able to get off at a port or, even worse, be allowed back on the ship.

I saw this happen when traveling to India with many American guests, a handful of whom didn't realize they needed a visa. Even though walking through the promenade in shorts is your choice, many guests aren't aware that there's usually a formal evening on cruises.

Most passengers don evening gowns and suits on formal night, and I've met cruisers who wished they would've packed at least one nice item — besides their Margaritaville shirt, of course. Passengers not formally dressed on this evening aren't allowed to eat in the main dining rooms, though the buffet is open to everyone.

Different announcements will direct passengers to either the port side or starboard side of the ship, so it's best to brush up on the jargon before your vacation. Port is the left side of the boat and starboard is the right, always configured facing the front of the ship.

Click to read more of my advice on cruising and stories from onboard the ship. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options.

Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. I've worked on a cruise ship for six years, so I've seen a fair share of passengers make mistakes.

Missing the ship at port or booking excursions with outside operators could be costly and risky.