Couple reviewing travel plans on a laptop

Before You Leave Home

Money, phone, health, home and travel logistics — sorted before you sail.

Home › Before You Leave Home

A cruise takes you out of mobile range and away from home for days at a time. Working through this list in the week before you sail means you can switch off once the ship leaves port.

Money & Accounts

Tell your bank and card issuers your travel dates and countries, if they ask for notice
Pay or schedule bills that fall due while you’re away
Check which card you’ll link to your onboard account and that it has room for the charges
Bring a small amount of cash in small bills for porters and port purchases
Look up whether your card charges foreign transaction fees

Phone & Communication

Ask your mobile carrier about cruise and international roaming; maritime networks at sea are often billed separately and at high rates
Plan to use airplane mode with Wi-Fi on, and decide whether to buy the ship’s Wi-Fi package
Download the cruise line’s app and log in before you leave home
Share your itinerary and ship name with a family member
Save emergency numbers, including your travel insurer’s

Health

Refill prescriptions with enough to cover the trip plus a few extra days
Ask your doctor about motion sickness options if needed
Check whether your health insurance covers you outside the U.S. and at sea; if not, consider travel medical insurance
Pack a list of medications, doses and allergies

Home & Family

Arrange care for pets and plants
Hold mail and packages, or ask a neighbor to collect them
Set lights on timers if you use them
Empty the fridge of anything that will spoil
Adjust the thermostat and turn off the water heater if appropriate
Unplug small appliances
Leave a spare key and your itinerary with someone you trust
Take out the trash and recycling

Travel Logistics

Book flights that arrive the day before embarkation, if you fly
Reserve a hotel near the port for the night before
Plan transport to the terminal and check port parking options on the port’s own website
Print or download your boarding pass and luggage tags
Re-read your arrival window and the cruise line’s latest emails

The Final Check, the Morning You Leave

Before you lock the door, run through these in one minute:

Documents, boarding pass and wallet are in your carry-on, not in the suitcase
Medication is in your carry-on
Phone, charger and power bank are packed
Luggage tags are attached to every checked bag
Windows locked, stove off, taps off
Keys left with your neighbor or house-sitter
You know your arrival window and the terminal address

Then stop checking. Anything else you forget can almost always be bought on the ship or in port.

Let Us Handle the Cruise Part

Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can quote your cruise, pre-cruise hotel and more, so there’s less to juggle. Free and no obligation.

Get Free Quotes