If you forget to bring an essential item on a cruise, you could be in real trouble.
Cruise ships usually have small shops where you can buy toiletries or other missing items. You'll pay high prices and the selection will range from limited to poor, but if you need a toothbrush, there will probably be one available. The same goes for basic over-the-counter medications, condoms, and feminine hygiene products.
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In addition, some ports have comfortable shops. If you stop in Key West, for example, there is a CVS near the port. Nassau and Cozumel have basic pharmacies in or near the ports, and while again the selection won't be great, you'll probably have more options than on the ship.
But you can't buy certain items on a cruise and you probably shouldn't buy them at the port, even if they're available.
That's the topic of recent advice offered by Carnival brand ambassador John Heald, who also shared a warning for passengers.
Image Source: Carnival Cruise Line
Keep essentials in your carry-on
Most cruise passengers check their main luggage and carry a carry-on bag. It could be a purse, backpack, or some other easy-to-carry bag.
Checked bags go to porters waiting on the sidewalk near the entrance to the cruise terminal. Porters make sure your bags have the correct luggage tags and then load them onto carts for transport to the ship.
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When handing over your checked luggage, the porter will ask if you have your travel documents. They probably won't mention anything about necessary medications.
If you do not have your travel documents (passport or other relevant identification) with you, you risk not being allowed to board the ship. People have been denied boarding for not having their travel documents because they were in checked bags.
In most cases, your checked luggage will arrive at your cabin between 1:00 pm and dinner. It may take a little longer as sometimes mistakes are made and in very rare cases bags get lost.
That was part of Heald's message to passengers.
“The reason I mention the tote bag is twofold,” Heald wrote. “First of all, because some people were wondering if they should put their medications in there, to which I said yes, and others seem to disagree.”
Heald's second point is a warning to passengers.
Please do not stay in the cabin that is not ready.
Only certain Carnival customers have access to their cabins before they are officially ready. That includes members of the premium VIFP loyalty program and people who purchase Faster to the Fun (FTTF).
Those passengers are allowed to visit their cabins briefly for one reason and one reason only, Heald explained.
“The second point is that I receive weekly reports from several ships. I am afraid that again these are Diamond and Platinum guests and those who have FTTF who go directly to their cabin to drop off their carry-on luggage. They are then refusing to leave despite that the cabin is not ready,” he said.
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That's not the policy. People who have early access to the cabin are supposed to drop their bags and leave quickly.
“They use the bathroom, and this week on the Dream we had a Diamond guest who said she wanted to take a shower. She then complained to me here on facebook that the cabin attendant hadn't left towels in the cabin. “After I investigated, Turns out he was trying to shower just after 11:20 a.m. when the cabin wasn't ready,” Heald added. “Oh, FFS.”
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In Heald's world, “FFS” means “for fun.”
“So, on behalf of our brilliant housekeeping team, can I once again ask those who have this privilege to remember to leave your carry-on bag in the closet and then leave immediately because most likely your cabin will not be ready and we should let the housekeeping department have the opportunity to do so,” he wrote.
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