Planning for an Enjoyable Day in Port – Part 1 – What to Bring with You

After years of avoiding cruises as a vacation option, I finally gave in and quickly fell in love. Cruising has since become one of my favorite ways to travel. One of the reasons I now love cruising is that it offers a relatively inexpensive, easy, relaxing way to visit foreign locales. While there are certainly plenty of advantages to being able to step foot off a cruise ship, walk down and a pier and into a foreign port, there is also much to be aware of to make the most of a port visit and ensure you stay safe.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is critical to making the most of a visit to any port as well as staying safe. Begin by making certain which terminal you will be sailing into. It is not uncommon for many stops on a sailing to have more than one terminal. For example; Cozumel has three terminals: Punta Langosta, Puerta Maya, and International Cruise Terminal. The terminal into which your ship will be sailing may vary based on a few factors. For instance, some cruise lines use almost exclusively the same terminal with each sailing, but there are some cruise lines that utilize all three terminals. Therefore, it’s important to double check and make sure you know which terminal your ship will be using for your itinerary. The terminal you sail into may affect the distance of places of interest which you plan to visit and whether you need to arrange for transportation if you are not withing walking distance of those places of interest.

Check the Weather Ahead of Time and Pack Accordingly

Never assume the weather will cooperate with your plans. Take a few minutes to check the weather for the day of your visit. Check again the day prior to your arrival. When visiting a port, I always bring a small backpack and pack a few essentials to ensure I’m prepared no matter what the weather may bring. A travel tube of sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, travel poncho, and a mini umbrella can go a long way toward ensuring you are still able to enjoy your day in port without being miserable if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Pack the Essentials

Along with essentials to keep you prepared in event of weather changes, you should also plan to pack a few other essentials when disembarking to visit a port. In case of an emergency, always have contact information for your ship. It’s also a good idea to take a screenshot of your schedule, and any excursion or tour information so it can be accessed offline, if necessary. Do not assume you will have WiFi or cell service. You will also need to bring your cruise card. When you step off the pier, there will usually be a port representative who will need to see your cruise card. Additionally, you will need your cruise in order to re-board the ship.

Should you bring your passport or a photo ID? I have known of people who do not, as all you need to enter the port area and re-board the ship is your cruise card. Personally, there is no way I am stepping into a foreign country without my passport and a photo ID, just in case there is an emergency. Both go in an interior pocket of the small backpack I always bring when visiting a port.

You should also plan to bring some cash and/or a credit card. Most port locations accept US currency with no problems. Generally, it’s a good idea to plan on bringing smaller bills versus larger bills. Be aware that some ports will accept US currency but will not accept bills that are torn, obviously old, or have writing on them. For example, vendors in Roatan are very particular because their banks will not accept old or torn bills. They also prefer not to accept larger bills due to the propensity for counterfeit bills.

Do not assume that you can use an ATM when in a port to obtain cash. I was recently waiting in line in Cozumel when a customer asked a sales clerk if there was an ATM nearby. He replied yes, but the ATM only issued Mexican currency.

Should you bring a credit card or debit card? Generally speaking, you should not ever plan to use your debit card when visiting a foreign port due to the risk for potential fraud and scams. It’s always better to bring a credit card, preferably one designed for travel. A credit card will provide better protection from fraud. Additionally, you may not be subject to foreign transaction fees when using a credit card, depending on the type of card you have.

With all of that said, if you insist on bringing and using your debit card, make sure you notify your bank before you leave that you will be traveling, where you will be traveling, and the dates when you will be traveling. I once had to wait in a very long line in Costa Maya because a large number of people were trying to use their debit card to pay and the payment would not process. This was probably because they had not notified their bank in advance that they would be traveling to a foreign location.

Finally, make sure you bring along a portable charger as well as bottled water or a reusable water bottle that you filled before you departed the ship. Bottled water is often readily available in many ports, but it’s always better to be prepared. It’s important to stay hydrated if you are doing a lot of walking, particularly in a tropical port. By all means, do not drink any local water that is not purified! Otherwise, you may find yourself miserable for the remainder of your trip.

Plan to Stay on Ship Time

When sailing into a foreign port, there’s a good chance you will also be moving into a different time zone. To keep things uncomplicated, the ship stays on the same time zone and that is the time zone to which you need to adhere when you disembark to visit a new port. The ship’s cruise director will usually do a good job of reminding you over the intercom the day before you arrive in port and also on your port day. Keep in mind that you will need to make sure you arrive back on the ship by the posted all-aboard time and that time is synced to the ship’s time, not the local port time. To avoid confusion, make sure you turn off the automatic time update on your cell phone before you disembark the ship.

Plan for Delays

Except for very rare circumstances, the ship is not going to wait an extended period of time for you if you are late returning. If you booked an excursion through the cruise line and there is an issue with the excursion returning on time, you are usually good and will not have to worry about the ship leaving without you. However, if you are exploring on your own or you booked a private excursion and you are late returning to the ship, you run the very real risk that you will be left behind. Always build in a time buffer and plan for potential delays. I always make a point of being back on the ship at least one hour before the stated all-aboard time. Also keep in mind that the all-aboard time is often about thirty minutes before the ship’s scheduled departure time, so that means I’m aboard the ship an hour and half before the ship is scheduled to depart. This gives me plenty of time to make sure I’m safely back aboard the ship, grab an iced coffee or some other refreshing beverage and stake out a spot on the deck and enjoy one of my favorite past times – watching the pier runners. There is always, and I do mean always, at least one group of people of who are running down the pier trying to make it back to the ship at the very last minute while the ship’s officers are standing down at the gangway checking their watches.

Stay Tuned for Part 2 – Tips for Staying Safe While in Port