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Caution: A Cruise Ship Can Be on the Crowded Side!

Have you been on a cruise -- with your family -- yet? I add the part about "with your family" because many couples think of cruising as a singular activity. However, I beg to differ. Cruising with your family can be a wonderful experience. In fact, in our case, going with extended family provides the best of all worlds. The kids all have cousins to "hang" with, and the adults never lack for a counterpart, whether it be in the traditional "lovebird" department or the many other activities available on cruise ships today.

Our extended family (19 of us to be exact -- nine adults and 10 grandchildren, some of whom are actually now adults in their own rite, one of whom is even now happily married off!) cruised together, and we are preparing again to set sail over the holiday break. My gracious father and his lovely wife are footing the bill for all of us to go on this fantasy vacation, and I can’t wait! Having journeyed asea together before, our family now knows what to expect. We also know that there is truly something for everyone on a cruise.

However, there a few things to keep in mind before you go. Over the next three posts, I will offer some tips to prepare yourself and your family before setting sail on your high seas adventure. Some of these tips will seem perfectly obvious, while others (I hope!) will be things that may not come to the inexperienced "cruiser's" mind.

• Seasickness/Nausea - If you fear getting seasick, you might try purchasing ginger pills from a health food store for the trip. Start taking the pills the day before the trip. Since I did take them last time, I really don't know whether they helped me or not. I just know that I didn't have a problem with nausea.
• Do remember to drink plenty of water. It's easy to get dehydrated while out on the water for an extended time.
• Plan extra time to load and unload. This process is a bit of a hassle. Loading the boat to prepare to leave can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours and is not for the faint of heart.
• Pack plenty of sunscreen, no matter how good of a tan you think you already have. The sun is far hotter in points south.
• Pack earplugs in case you are in the front or the back of the ship, where noise from the engines can be stronger. Or, in our case, you may have a couple next door who has domestic violence issues (Nope, I'm not kidding. We had to call security because we were so concerned about the couple next to us. Long story. Different post.). Of course, you may have a snoring spouse – or child. Whatever. The earplugs come in handy. Trust me!
• Pack lightly - You will not need nearly as much "knock-around-the-boatâ€� cruisewear type of clothing as you might think. I found that I wore my swimsuit and evening clothes almost exclusively. In fact, if you are a heavy packer like I am, you will quite possibly find that you need far less clothing than you ever thought possible.
• Pack right - On most cruise lines, evening attire is strictly optional, a fact which pleased my extremely casual older brother to no end. If he could wear his most broken-in khaki's and a t-shirt or polo 24/7/365, he would be in his perfect world. This is the brother who showed up for a four-day trip to surprise our dad for his 70th birthday with what looked to be a very small overnight case. I couldn’t have fit my shoes in that bag! (Of course, you may want to check with your particular cruise line in advance on this particular point.)
• Don't be fooled into thinking a cruise is incredibly relaxing. While you can relax, I think you'll find that a cruise tends to keep you pretty busy. At least, that's how it is for us. And if you go on a major cruise line, the ship can be pretty crowded.