If you have never been on a cruise vacation before, it is very, very easy to forget things veteran cruisers would pack in their sleep.

It is important to remember that during a cruise vacation you are often living on a boat for days at a time, and if you forget something, chances are you will have to buy it on the ship or at a port of call for a much higher price for the convenience.

So, to help you remember the essentials, here is a list of things that you absolutely should have packed in advance, as not to cost yourself a fortune on the trip.

Check with your cruise vacation company in advance for exact paperwork necessities, but generally, in your carry on, you should have:

• airline tickets or e-ticket confirmation

• cruise documents

• passports and visas

• driver’s license and back up photo ID if a passport is not necessary

• medical insurance cards and medical history

• copy of prescriptions and list of all medicines you are taking

• credit cards and traveler’s checks. Make sure that you keep your receipts for your traveler’s checks separate from the checks, and call your credit card companies to let them know that you will be spending outside of your normal area. Make sure you have contact information in case anything gets lost or stolen

• pre-paid phone card

• emergency numbers at home

• currency conversion chart

• wallet and money belt to keep important documents secure.

• a watch, you do not want to get left behind when the ship takes off to the next stop!

• glasses, contacts, and any necessities to care for them.

• sunglasses

• guidebooks and other port of call information

• foreign language phrase book or dictionary

• maps

• reading material, books that you have wanted to read but have not had time for.

• business cards with email address to give out to new cruise friends

• home and email addresses of friends/relatives back home – for sending postcards, emails, or souvenirs

• photo album

• prescription drugs and any other essential medications in carry on bag

• ear plugs or “ear planes”

• small first aid kit (band aids, Q-tips, vaseline, dramamine, antibiotic cream, bandages, anti-diarrheal medication, cortisone

• cream, aspirin/tylenol/advil), sunscreen

• germicidal hand cleaner

In your luggage:

• cell phone and charger

• laptop computer, as long as it is not for work! Do not forget that you are on vacation!

• binoculars, for deck sightseeing

• camera, if it is not digital, make sure you have lots and lots of film. If it is, make sure you have lots of batteries, and extra memory cards.

• ipod, or other portable listening system for walks or lounging

• small travel alarm clock – battery operated

• night light

Your packing needs will vary depending on how long your cruise vacation is, age, medical conditions, whether you have kids with you or not.

Just make sure you keep the essentials in mind and are not caught off guard on your cruise vacation -  and of course to have fun!?

When it comes to planning a vacation, many families are concerned with the cost. Whether you consider yourself to be middle class, lower class, or upper class, the cost of your vacation is often of great importance. If you are spending your next vacation aboard a cruises ship, there are a number of different ways that you can estimate the total cost of your vacation.

The first step in estimating the cost of travel is to select a particular cruise line and cruise ship. The cruise ship you select is vital to estimating your vacation costs. This is because a number of cruise ships offer all-inclusive vacation packages. All-inclusive cruise ship packages may seem high priced, but you often do not have to worry about carrying along excessive amounts of money.

In addition to the type of cruise ship package you select, you will also need to consider where your cruise ship will depart from and what its destination is. If you are unable to book a vacation aboard a cruise ship with a departure port located near your home, you will have to include the cost of reaching your the port into your cruise.

If you are planning a cruise ship vacation, on a budget, the method of travel you select could have a significant impact on the overall cost of your vacation. For long distance travel you may want to compare the cost of airline tickets, bus tickets, or train tickets. Air travel is often considered the most preferred method of travel, but it is the most expensive. In addition to purchasing a bus ticket, airplane ticket, or train ticket, you may want to examine the cost of driving your own vehicle.

As previously mentioned, all-inclusive cruise ship packages help to eliminate the cost of food, drinks, and entertainment. While all-inclusive packages are nice, they are often hard to come by. If you are unable to book an all-inclusive cruise, will have to estimate the amount of money you will spend onboard. This estimate is not only important to estimating the cost of your vacation, but it should also be used to make sure you bring along enough spending money.

Estimating the cost of onboard entertainment is often easier than estimating the cost of your food and drinks. Most cruise lines have websites that offer detailed information on all of their ships. This information is also likely to include the cost of using a particular entertainment facility. You will find that many cruise ships charge their passengers to watch a movie, view a performance, or participate in many onboard activities. These onboard activities may include, but are not limited to, rock climbing, onboard surfing, gambling lessons, dance lessons, and swimming lessons.

Speaking of gambling, if you are interested in gambling on a cruise ship casino, you will need to keep this in mind when estimating the cost of your vacation. As with most land-based casinos, you can gamble with different amounts of money. If you are planning to estimate the cost of your vacation, you are encouraged to estimate the amount of money you will spend gambling. Since estimating money spent on gambling is difficult, you will want to aim your estimate high.

As previously mentioned, estimating the cost of your food and drinks can also be a difficult task. You can estimate the number of meals and drink you will have in a day, but it is important to remember that it is only an estimate. It is also difficult to estimate the cost of your onboard food and drinks because cruise ship menus are often difficult or impossible to obtain online. As with cruise ship gambling, it is advised that you overestimate the cost of food and drinks.

In addition to the cost of food, child care, travel, entertainment, and gambling it is advised that you consider the cost of obtaining items or souvenirs at the ports your ship plans on docking at. Whether you need to know if you can afford a cruise ship vacation or you’d just like to know where your money is going, there are an unlimited number of ways to estimate the total cost of your vacation.