F. A. Q.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I afford a cruise?
If you can afford to take a hotel-based vacation, you can afford to take a cruise vacation. There are cruises available at all price ranges - from budget to luxury - and all represent perhaps the best value for your vacation dollar.

What do I get for my money?
Your cruise price includes your cabin, all meals (including the midnight buffet!), entertainment, parties and, of course, all transportation between all the ports on your itinerary. On most ships, alcoholic beverages and optional shore excursions are not included in the basic price.

Will I feel bored or confined on board?
Never! Think of a cruise ship as a floating resort on par with any Las Vegas mega-hotel. On-board activities begin at dawn and go into the wee hours of the night. The scenery is constantly changing, and every port is filled with new and exciting opportunities for exploration.

What can I do on a ship?
That depends on the ship, but generally the larger ships will have the most activities. You may wish to lounge on deck by the pool with a good book, sign up for exercise or cooking classes, swim, play bingo or bridge, gamble in the casino, take in a Broadway-style floor show or a magician's act, enter a talent show or a putting contest, take a dance class, get a massage or attend a lecture.

How long do cruises last?
Apex International Travel books cruises that range from 3-night weekend escapes to 110-night, around-the-world voyages.

PACKING FOR A CRUISE

Packing for a cruise is like packing for any resort-based vacation. You'll want to bring comfortable, casual clothing for daytime on board and in port, and swimsuits and workout clothes for pools, Jacuzzis, saunas and health clubs. To be prepared for dinner in the dining room, check out Dress Codes.
Think about the kind of shore excursions you may take and pack accessories, where appropriate, such as hiking boots, ponchos or rain gear, fleece jackets and snorkel gear.

Pack all of your medications, prescription or otherwise, in a bag you can carry onto your flights. Obtain extra prescriptions from your physician for any medications you are currently taking and carry them with you.

Most ships have 110-volt outlets in every cabin, which will accommodate U.S.-built hairdryers, travel irons and electric shavers. Most new ships provide hairdryers as well.

Bring a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses for bright, sunny days on deck. You'll have many opportunities to have your picture taken by the ship's photographers, but you'll naturally want to bring your own camera or video camera as well.

DRESS CODE

A delightful break from the ordinary, dining aboard is a true taste of luxury. Whether dining at an intimate table for two or an elaborate table for many, appropriate attire is part of the overall ambience.

Evening Dress Codes
Evening dress codes include three types: formal, casual and informal. The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the appropriate evening attire.

Formal Night Attire
Ladies: Evening gown or fancy dress
Gentlemen: Tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit

Informal Night Attire
Ladies: Informal dress or pants and blouse
Gentlemen: Jacket and tie with slacks

Casual Night Attire
Ladies: Pantsuit or sporty outfit
Gentlemen: Sport shirt and slacks

Dining in jeans detracts from the overall ambience and is therefore not allowed in the main dining room after 6:00pm.
Evening dress codes apply to main restaurant dining. Specialty restaurant dining*, requires a jacket for gentlemen and a dress or pants and a blouse for ladies every night.

Before Six
Dining options abound aboard Celebrity. For breakfast and lunch, jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6:00pm. After 6:00pm, this attire is allowed only in casual restaurants and cafés.

Renting formalwear
Formal evenings call for formal attire. Arrange for tailored, elegant formalwear to be delivered directly to your stateroom with Cruiseline Formalwear. With an elegant line of eveningwear for ladies and classic, stylish formalwear for men, you'll look as famous as you feel.

Formal Nights
Celebrity Cruises' elegant, formal evenings include the Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner, the Captain's Farewell Dinner, and a third or fourth "formal" night for those cruises sailing more than seven nights. Eveningwear should be planned for according to the length of your cruise. The following schedule outlines the number of formal nights you'll enjoy:

SPECIAL NEEDS

Passengers who are in a wheelchair can enjoy the best that cruising has to offer.
If you or someone in your party is a wheelchair user, you'll want to explore accessibility issues very carefully with your cruise counselor. Most cruise ships offer at least a handful of wheelchair-accessible cabins, but ease of access and use of the cabin and degree of access to other passenger areas vary widely from ship to ship. You may wish to include these questions with any others you may have:

FAQ

What is the number, size and location of the wheelchair-accessible cabins on this ship?
Must wheelchair passengers be accompanied?

Do elevators accept regular or narrow wheelchairs?

Do wheelchair cabins have wide doors, low or no sills, baths with rails and permanent or removable ramps?

Are all decks and public rooms accessible by wheelchair?

Your cruise counselor can provide answers to all of these questions, for any ship that interests you.

TIPPING ON A CRUISE

How much and who on your cruise should be tipped? When and how should tips be given? The whole custom can be the source of considerable anxiety.
Generally, you should plan to tip your room steward $3.00 to $3.50 per person, per day, and plan an equal amount for your dining room waiter, and half of that for the busboy.

On most ships, tip the maitre d' or dining room captain only if you ask for special favors or table-side service; $5 to $10 is normal. Bartenders and wine stewards are tipped 10 to 15 percent, but many cruise lines will automatically add this gratuity to your bar or beverage bill. Check the bill to see how it is handled. Also, tips for special services such as salon & spa treatments and room service are left to the discretion of the guest, depending on services rendered.

Individual ship profiles found under the "Ships & Ratings" heading above will provide precise guidelines for tipping on any ship. Guidelines will be repeated onboard, probably by your ship's cruise director. Gratuities are placed in envelopes from your cabin's stationery supply. Generally, passengers on cruises of 10 days or less will tip at the end of the cruise. On longer voyages, tipping weekly may be the norm.

As part of a new trend that seems likely to grow, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Cunard now charge gratuities to your account automatically. Norwegian, for example, charges $10 per day, per guest, to cover service in the various dining rooms and your room steward. If you feel this amount needs to be adjusted, whether increased or decreased, arrangements can be made onboard the ship, generally at the end of your cruise.

PAYMENTS & REFUNDS

To reserve your stateroom and lock in the final price, you will be required to place a deposit on your cruise. For this deposit, the cruise line will require that you pay either a flat rate, anywhere from $100 to $1,000, or a percentage of your final fare, anywhere from 10% to 25%. After you have placed a deposit to secure your reservation, you will be asked to pay the remaining balance of your fare at the final payment due date. Depending on the cruise line, this final payment date can be from 45 to 90 days before sailing. If you book your cruise within the final payment period, you will be required to pay in full in order to secure your booking.
Cancellation and refund policies vary by cruise line, with penalties generally increasing as the sailing date approaches. You may be eligible for a full refund after cancellation only if you cancel within the cruise line's designated time period. Please notify your cruise counselor immediately of any cancellations or changes.

Cruise lines do not make exceptions regarding cancellation charges, so we strongly recommend that passengers secure appropriate cancellation/ trip insurance. Ask about our low rates.

Deposit, payment and cancellation terms may differ for group bookings; please consult with our counselor for the terms that apply. Changes to names or departure dates are treated as cancellations and new bookings by the cruise lines, and may incur cancellation penalties.

Ask about individual cruise line payment and cancellation policies.