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Want To Know More About Cruises and Cruise Ships?
By Norm Goldman

Agive advanced notice so that chefs can order and prepare any food items not normally carried. It's too late once the ship has sailed, so make your needs and requirements known at the time you book (this is when it's better to book through an accredited cruise travel specialist rather than picking something off the Internet which doesn't answer questions well).

Norm: How do you make payments on board?

Douglas: An onboard credit account will typically be established when you check in prior to embarkation. When you purchase things aboard ship (drinks or wine, for example), these items are added to your account, and charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

Norm: Should you tip while on aboard the ship?

Douglas: Some ships include tips, while others automatically add a tip to your daily onboard account (particularly the major cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International). However, on average you should plan on about $10 per day per person. Aboard the ships of some of the more upscale cruise lines, such as Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club, Seabourn Cruise Lines, and Silversea Cruises, tips are included in the fare.

Norm: How safe are cruise ships and how can I find out more about a particular company's record pertaining to its safety and cleanliness?

Douglas: Today's cruise ships are extremely safe (nobody wants to work aboard an unsafe ship), and most are clean. However, of late, I have noticed that standards of cleanliness in cabins and public areas aboard some of the very large ships leave much to be desired (this is the effect of discounting, when lines cut personnel to keep prices artificially low). In general, if the same standards of food storage, handling, and hygiene that are practiced aboard today's ships were to be applied to hotels and restaurants in the United States, most would fail consistently! In other words, ships are clean very clean.

Norm: If you had any important advice to offer our readers that has not been covered, what would it be?

Douglas: Do read the book Berlitz Publishing's Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2005, and you'll be more educated than most travel agents. Bon Voyage, I wish you all a wonderful cruise vacation.

Thanks Douglas for your time.

For over thirty- five years, Norm Goldman practiced as a Title Attorney and Civil Law Notary in Montreal, Canada. After his retirement from the legal profession, Norm pursued two of his passions - book reviewing and travel writing, implementing many of his research skills he had been practicing for 35 years.

Norm and his wife Lily are a unique husband and wife team, writer and water colorist, who write and paint about romantic destinations and wedding destinations.

Basically, they meld art and words in order to create an unusual travel story, which generates interest, particularly because of the fact that each painting appears to have been 'custom-made' for the story-original story and original art. Combining the watercolors with travel writing provides a softer, more romantic look at the places they visit.

As they specialize in web-based content, their articles and water- colors are featured on their own site, Sketchandtravel.Com, as well as several other sites.

To learn more about Norm and Lily you can visit their site: http://www.sketchandtravel.com

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