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what are the absolute best tips on
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packing for a cruise I'm Gary beverage
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and this is another of my tips for
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travelers at the time of recording this
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I've done over 66 cruises and I try and
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pack everything I've learned from that
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into every single video I'll make in
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this video I'm going to talk about three
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critical things what to take what not to
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take and importantly how to take it if
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you're heading off on a cruise one of
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the most important tips is understanding
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what you should put in your hand luggage
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and you should put in your check-in bags
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very important in your hand I'm going to
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keep anything that's valuable
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anything that's breakable make sure
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George your passport or your ID whatever
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you gonna need to get on the ship very
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important you also need your e-ticket
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very importantly nowadays when you go on
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a cruise you normally need to have
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checked in online and have a document
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proving that you've done all of that
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your credit cards your money your
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currency your cameras your laptop
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jewelry your prescription medication
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anything that's valuable anything that
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you do not want to lose make sure that
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you keep that with you at all times also
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think about things that you might need
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before you get your luggage that you've
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checked in so if it's a great beautiful
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sunny day and yes you know you're going
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to want to go out and get in the hot
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tubs or swim pack your swim trunks in
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your hand luggage because you don't know
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how long it's going to take to get your
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checked on baggage the second thing that
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I would say is really important these
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days to pack is either your mobile phone
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or your tablet the reason for that is
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many cruise lines have moved to where
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they have an app which is where they
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will do things like enable you to book
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excursions shows dining each other daily
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program you're able to check your
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account see what you're spending as
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Cruise Lines move more and more
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paperless to be more environmentally
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safe and sound and responsible your
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smartphone is going to become a really
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important and valuable tool what tips do
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I have on the actual clothes to pack a
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couple of really critical and simple
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things to think about first of all what
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is the dress code make sure you really
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understand what you have to wear for
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dinners every Cruise Line has a slightly
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different role in when it comes to dress
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code and you don't want to find that you
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excluded from doing certain things you
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want to do because you've got the dress
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code right secondly also check if
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there's any themed parties or special
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parties there might be a white knight or
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different themed parties think about
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what you want to bring for those parties
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between if you're a big party goer
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you'll find that many people will
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embrace the themed nights if there's a
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themed party so make sure you've packed
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those thirdly think a little bit about
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the excursions you want to go on if
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you're going hiking think about the sort
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of shoes you're gonna wear if you go
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cycling think again about the sort of
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kit you want to wear the shoes you want
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to wear I think I always recommend when
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you go on a cruise is to minimize the
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amount of clothes to bring just think
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about layers to just think about sort of
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a base layer it could be as simple as a
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t-shirt the next layer which could just
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be a sweatshirt and then perhaps a
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jacket which is also waterproof
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the next thing decide if you're going to
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exercise or not so if you decide I am
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gonna be really good on this cruise that
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I'm gonna go to the gym I've only got
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walking make sure that you bring the
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right gear so many people go on cruises
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and they pack their gym shoes and their
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gym kit but they'd never end up going so
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make a conscious decision and bring
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those clothes as well the next thing to
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think about is what I call kind of your
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bathroom essentials only one of the most
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important is to think about your little
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personalized first-aid kit the reason I
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say that is you'll find that things to
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treat ailments that you might have at
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home whether it's headaches upset
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stomachs those things can be quite
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expensive and difficult to get hold of
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on a cruise you're gonna find that
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you're either going to have to go to the
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medical center and pay to go to the
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medical center to get some of things or
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you're going to try and figure out a
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local pharmacy where you may have some
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language issues the shops on board will
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be very limited in the sort of things
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that they can sell because they can't
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sell the sort of things you can buy in a
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pharmacy or a drugstore
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what I recommend you do is have a look
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at your bottom cabinet or your bathroom
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the most common ones tend to be things
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like headaches stomach related things
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it's a good idea to pack motion sickness
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if you're heading on a cruise sunscreen
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I also really really strongly recommend
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that you pack in there a tooth repair
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kit these little kids you can buy from
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the drugstore sewed a crown falls off or
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a filling comes out you can actually do
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a patch up job either to the next port
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or even for the whole cruise and that's
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really important because cruise lines do
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not have dentists on boy the second
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thing to think about is your toiletries
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now most cruise lines will provide some
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of the basic toiletries so that's so
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shower gels body lotion and of course
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depending on the type of cruise you're
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fancy branded stuff to make a decision
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about whether you want to bring those or
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don't worry about overpacking us because
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many of those basic ones you will be
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able to buy on board or within the ports
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my next tip is around electronics
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nowadays we have so many electronics
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that we bring with its mobile phones
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cameras laptops and they all have
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different types of charges now the great
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news is that many of those are USB
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charged and all the modern cruise ships
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and when they go through refits are
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starting to put in USB charges in all of
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the cabins so the great news is you
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don't need to have to take lots of
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adaptors so make sure though that you've
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brought for each of your items that
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you've brought a charger and it could be
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as simple as thinking around do you have
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electric toothbrush make sure that least
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one of you have bought the charge of
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that as we know within the family you
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may have different charger needs because
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you've got different editions and
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versions of the different smartphones
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and tablets also make sure that you
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understand what the plug sockets are in
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your cabin many cruise lines will have
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us-style plugs a lot of them will also
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have the option of euro style plugs but
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make sure you find out what type of
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socket plug socket you're going to need
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and make sure you bring those adapters
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because when the best things to do is
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probably bring one of those
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multi-purpose ones which you can then
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adapt based on the type of socket that
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you have a lot of cabins don't have very
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many plugs so one of the things that you
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used to be able to do is take an
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extension cord with you which would have
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a number of different plugs the cruise
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lines are getting strict and strict
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about what type you can bring so check
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with your purpose Pacific cruise line if
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you are able to bring onboard one of
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those extension cables because if the
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cruise line doesn't allow you they
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actually screams that in your luggage
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and they will hold your luggage aside
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and remove it P guideline is you're not
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allowed one with a surge protector but
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really importantly make sure that you
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check before you start packing if you're
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able to take one of those onto your
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cruise line and make sure of course that
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you've packed batteries of any of your
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devices operate on batteries my next
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step is around what you can bring
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onboard in terms of alcohol most cruise
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liners have a policy around what drinks
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alcohol only related so wine or spirits
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or beer that you can bring on board so
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before you start packing those check
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what you're allowed to bring on board
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any excess alcohol that's discovered in
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your luggage is not taken and held until
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the end of the cruise seems true when
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you come back from an excursion or
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you've been on a port they will also
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screen and normally withhold alcohol
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online there are lots of discussions and
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forums around ways you can sneak it in
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now an often forgotten tip and one that
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I really like is around packing your
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specific quirks and loves and likes so
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for example when I'm gonna cruise
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there's a couple of things that I
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absolutely always want to take with me I
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always take earplugs I always take a
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shades because you never know how the
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curtains will be you know how life is
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going to be I like sleep when it's nice
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and dark I think be really quiet so I
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always take earplugs or take high shades
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I also like to listen to my own music so
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I always bring along a Bluetooth speaker
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so I can listen to my music I know a lot
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of people who do things like they bring
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their own pillow because they're really
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fussy about the style of pillow or they
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like to have a white noise device
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because that helps them sleep really
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well think about the things that you
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really like to have around you and even
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when you're traveling you want to have
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for some people it's very specific tea
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bags or very specific type of coffee
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take those with you and think about
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those when you pack my next tip is
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around cabin essentials these are things
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that people like to have in the cabin to
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either make their cruise go smoother or
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easier so for me for example it's very
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simple my key cabin essential is a
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highlighter pen because I like to get
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the day program every evening and go
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through and highlight the things that I
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want to do other people that I know it's
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much more elaborate so for example I
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know a lot of people that take those
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over the door shoe organizers and they
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use the pockets to put things like their
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sunglasses flip flops Sun lotion all
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different things that they like to
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organize and use particularly they stay
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in a small cabin for other people it's
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room and door decorations so think of
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other things that you would want to have
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around in your cabin to just make your
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cruise go smoother easier or just more
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enjoyable the next tip is really
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important and this is around things to
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leave behind now there's really
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obvious things that you shouldn't take
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with you like illegal drugs guns those
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kind of things that you know are just
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not going to be an hour on a cruise
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there are a number of restrictions and
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things that you can't take on a cruise
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that the cruise lines are really strict
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about so for example you can't take
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things with open flames you can't take
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candles almost pieces you can't take
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products like curling irons most cruise
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lines will not allow you to take a drone
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so drones of course are becoming really
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popular and more affordable there's very
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few cruise lines that will even let you
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bring a drone onboard there's one or two
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that will allow you to bring them on
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board but you can't use them on the ship
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from the ship or in the port so you have
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to take them out when you're on an
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excursion but many many cruise lines
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were actually forbid you bring your own
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onboard and actually if they spot that
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in the screening with your hand luggage
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or your checking luggage they will
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remove that from you to get into the
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cruise also there's a few things that a
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lot of people think they need to bring
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like beach towels the cruise lines will
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have towels that you can use to go out
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on excursions things that you're ready
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to think about not to bring are things
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that are specifically restricted by at
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the Cruise Line and they normally quite
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clear about those in the cruise contract
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and the terms bunch of things that they
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don't like you to use on board because
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they provide likely a fire risk so
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things like curling irons candles and
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then those things that are just going to
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be illegal and can't be used on board
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drugs guns knives if you have any other
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great ideas in terms of packing I'd love
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to hear about that hope that was helpful
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and I'd love it if you watch many more
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of my tips which others videos they're
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designed to help you make the most of
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your precious travel time and money on
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land on sea and the rivers of the world