Gathering the Necessary Documents

Booking and making reservations for cruises can be more complicated than making flight reservations. The difficulties that come with the planning of a cruise trip can be managed if vacationers are able to follow the right procedures.

The first thing that vacationers have to do is to prepare the documents that are needed to make a reservation for the type of cruise that they have in mind. The type of cruises that require very few or no documents at all are short-trip cruises. An example of these type of cruises is the day cruise that begins in Long Beach, California, travels to Catalina Island, and goes back to Long Beach later on the same day.

Most cruises, such as the 4-day round trip from Florida to Jamaica, require their passengers to have a passport. The passengers are asked to present their passports in order to conform with the rule that anybody who enters a foreign country must own a passport.

The preparation should be made 2-6 months in advance. Getting a passport takes normally couple of weeks, but if you want to avoid stress, have it done as early as possible.

Going on a cruise with the entire family is more complicated than traveling alone. In reconstituted families there are children from previous marriages and different family members may all have different family names. Make sure that you have the required documentation to prove to the authorities that also children are legal residents of the United States and that they are entitled to have their own passports.

Many of the countries visited via cruise ships require vacationers to have their own visas. Like in getting the passports, documentation is also needed for acquiring visas.

The process of getting a visa needs sometimes be completed by presenting evidence about vaccinations. While the decreasing of certain diseases over the last few decades caused some people to forgo some of the traditional vaccinations, they might still be needed in other countries. The documents and requirements asked for by the authorities may differ depending on the protocol of the country.

Some people hire travel agents to assist them in the process of vacation planning. Travel agents do their best to accomplish the list of required documentation and medical certificates. Travel agents also provide their clients with a lot of cost options, different destinations, ship recommendations, and specific travel tips. Hiring travel agents may not come cheap but at least it lessens the hassle and the headaches that the vacationers may experience while planning their dream vacation.