Onboard Services and Cabin Information

First seating is the earliest evening dining time available, usually around 6:00 pm or 6:30 pm. Second seating is the later dining time, usually around 8:00 pm or 8:30 pm.

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Inside, or Interior, cabins are cabins without a window. Outside, or Oceanview, cabins have a porthole or picture window.

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Different passengers have different cabin preferences. Some passengers book an inside cabin in order to save money, especially if they're active types who spend little time in their cabins. However, if you plan to spend a lot of time in your cabin, we suggest booking one with an ocean view. If the idea of having breakfast on your private balcony every morning appeals to you, you may want to splurge a bit and upgrade to a balcony cabin. Many new ships now have a large quantity of balcony cabins, making them more affordable than ever before.

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A cabin guarantee means that you have reserved a specific cabin category, but you have not yet been assigned a specific cabin. For instance, if you reserved a guaranteed outside cabin on the upper deck, that cabin could be anywhere on the upper deck, and it's possible that you could receive an upgrade. You will be assigned a specific cabin during embarkation; occasionally you will be notified of your cabin number in advance.

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On Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships, X, Y, and Z cabins are guaranteed cabin designations for outside with balcony, outside, and inside cabins, respectively. On Holland America's ships, V designates a guaranteed verandah cabin, W and X designate guaranteed outside cabins, and Y and Z designate guaranteed inside cabins. On Carnival's ships, IS is an inside guaranteed (category 4A and up), and OV is an oceanview guarantee (category 6A and up).

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Most major cruise lines offer an in-cabin safe, which is very similar to the in-room safe you will find in most hotels. Or if you wish, you can usually store your valuables with the ship's Pursers Desk which has a limited number of safe-deposit boxes available free of charge.

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We suggest that you bring some cash. Some cruise lines require that you use cash for tipping and casino gambling. It's also handy to have in port. Most cruise ships do have ATMs onboard; however, the ATM service fee may be quite high.

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Cruise lines vary in how gratuities are handled. A few cruise lines include tipping in the total cruise price or have a "no tipping" policy, and will inform you. Some lines will automatically charge your tip daily to your onboard account (you can usually arrange to have the amount adjusted). While other cruise lines have you tip in cash at the end of the cruise via envelopes provided by your cabin steward. Here are some general guidelines as to who usually gets a tip, and how much:

• In addition to the amounts listed below a 15% gratuity will be added to any bar purchases.
• A good rule of thumb is that you will tip about $10 per person in your cabin per day of your cruise. For example, if you are on a three-day cruise and have two people in your cabin you would pay $20 per day, or $60 total in tips.
• Here is a general breakdown:
• Wait Staff/Restaurant: about $5.50 per day (Head waiter $3.00, Bus Boy $2.50).
• Cabin Staff (Cabin Steward): about $3.00 per day.
• Other: about $1.00 for the following - Alternative Dining Charge, Restaurant Manager, Maitre d', Chief Housekeeper.
• Plan for about $2.50 to $3.00 per person per day for your room steward and dining room waiter, and about half that amount for your busboy.
• Other ship personnel can be tipped for special services at your discretion.
• Some recommendations include $1.50 per person in your party to your assistant waiter, and a total of $2.50 per person for your headwaiter on three- and four-night cruises. For seven-night and longer cruises, headwaiter gratuities are at your discretion.

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Most ships have Internet cafés, and some even provide Internet access from cabins.

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Prior to boarding, passengers will set up charge accounts with their credit cards. All onboard purchases you make, from cocktails to gift shop items, will be charged to this account. Passengers who don't hold credit cards can also deposit cash into their accounts to cover onboard expenses.

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On most ships, food is available 24 hours a day, either in an all-night diner, or via free room service. Those ships that don't offer 24-hour dining generally serve food until the wee hours, and start serving again early in the morning (generally as early as 5 AM). In addition, many cabins now have mini refrigerators where you can keep snacks.

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Yes, room service is available on most ships, and is often served 24 hours a day.

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Alternative restaurants, or "specialty" restaurants, are in addition to main dining rooms and "lido" buffet restaurants. Many ships now house alternative restaurants, with cuisines ranging from Italian to sushi. Many alternative restaurants charge a small fee for dining, usually $10-20 per person, including tip.

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The level of accessibility for passengers with disabilities varies significantly from ship to ship. In general, the newer ships are more accessible while the older ones are less so. In response to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), however, the major cruise lines have been making efforts to bring all their ships up to code.

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Just about every full size ship has public rooms to offer as meeting space for groups. If you'd like to make such arrangements, ask our group department to arrange your meeting on board.

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Keep both your destination's climate and the cruise ship's dress code in mind when deciding what clothes to pack. If you're traveling to Alaska, be sure to bring protective rain coverings for Alaska's and Canada's rainy days. If you're traveling to the Caribbean, be sure to bring plenty of cool clothing and sunscreen for warm days. In addition, if your ship has formal nights, men should bring a dark suit or tuxedo, and women should bring a pantsuit or cocktail dress. If you don't own these items, no worries: Most ships have casual dining venues to cater to those who aren't interested in dressing up, and some ships also have formal wear rental shops.

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Almost all cruise ships have laundry facilities and a great many provide dry-cleaning services. There is, however, an additional charge for professional laundry and dry-cleaning services. Most ships also have self-service launderettes.

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Virtually every cruise ship has a fully-equipped medical facility and staff to handle almost any emergency.

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If you can't find the answer to your question here, try one of the other Booking FAQ categories below. Or call our friendly agents toll-free at 800-668-6414, Monday through Thursday 8am to 12am, Friday 8am to 8pm or Saturday 9am to 8pm EST.

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