Cruising is fun, convenient, a good value … and easy. Right? Well, cruising is meant to be relaxing, but there are certain things passengers can do to get the very most out of their cruise vacation experience. Here are seven proven tips to maximize your cruise experience (and they don’t cost a thing!)

First – Travel with a like-minded partner or friends. Most cruise ships are like Noah’s Ark: people get on in pairs or in groups. While cruise lines will gladly allow you to cruise solo, it is not the best way to enjoy a cruise. Not only will you sometimes feel awkward during dining or cruise ship activities, you also get slapped with a surcharge since all cruising is based on double (or more) occupancy rates.

Furthermore, travel with compatible people. If you like to party, don’t decide to go on a cruise with a tee-totaler or a recovering drinker. Whether you are a sun bather or a casino denizen, you are going to have your best time if you travel with people who share your interests and values.

Second – Board your ship as early as you can and take any tours of the vessel or facilities that are offered. Most ships allow you to board many hours before the ship sets sail and during that time you may be offered free tours of the ship, the spa, and so on. Although they aren’t going to be the highlight of your vacation, these tours help you get oriented and can give you a glimpse of facilities on-board that you may have not known about.

If you can’t get an official tour, try to walk through the ship systematically. This will help you get your bearings plus you may find out about lounges, snack bars, clubs, meeting rooms, or other areas that you might not have known about.

On a recent cruise, I found out on the tour that the cruise ship had a guarantee program for purchases made in port. If you bought merchandise from certain recognized stores, the cruise line would guarantee them providing you filled out certain paperwork and turned it in to the onboard shopper. It was a great tip, and I never would have known about it had I not taken the pre-sailing tour of the ship.

Third – Do everything. This may sound counterintuitive to most cruise fanatics, who seek unstructured time and the opportunity to just lounge around and do nothing. Actually, most cruise directors will tell you the best cruises are those in which you really attempt to try and do everything offered.

This means you should extend yourself a bit. Sample the dancing, casinos, the pools, on-board games, art auctions, spa services, bingo, shows, and fine dining. Even if you don’t normally do those things, the more you try to take advantage of all that is offered, the more fun you’ll have.

Fourth – Don’t overeat. While some people do take cruises to gorge themselves, this is usually a rookie mistake. It may sound counter-intuitive to avoid overindulging on a cruise ship, since most cruises really emphasize the wonderful food they offer. But here’s how to handle it.

Do enjoy yourself. Order what you love. Chances are that cruise ships will offer it, whether it’s steak or lobster, ice cream or pizza, eggs benedict at sunrise, or chocolate decadence at midnight. Do, by all means, eat the foods you love.

But don’t stuff yourself. You’ll wind up feeling miserable during the cruise and fat after you get off the boat.

When in doubt, pass on food. Why? Because on a cruise ship, you’re never more than a few minutes away from the next opportunity to eat. Do try to sample what strikes your fancy, but don’t overeat and don’t be afraid to say no to many of the things that are offered to you to eat or drink. You really won’t be able to eat and drink everything on board, so don’t even try.

You’ll wind up feeling fitter and stronger and you’ll really enjoy what you do eat.

Fifth – Drink water. That’s good advice anywhere, but most of us forget about it on vacation, particularly on a cruise. Furthermore, if you drink alcohol or spend a lot of time in a hot climate, your need for water increases so you need even more water to avoid dehydration.

Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, aches and pains, and digestive disturbances. Why ruin your vacation? Drink lots and lots of water. It’s available just about anywhere beverages are offered on a cruise ship and bottled water is typically brought every morning to your cabin.

Sixth – Protect your skin. Even if you cruise to Antarctica, you will still need sunscreen. The sun’s intensity is amplified by the water’s reflection, so ramp up your sunscreen protection for a cruise. Put on sunscreen when you go to the pool or beach or even if you’re just sitting on deck in the shade.

If you do get burned, use some of the after-burn products on the market. They should be available on board ship if you don’t bring your own. Whatever you do, protect any burned skin from further sun exposure. If you get a burn on top of an existing sunburn, you can do serious damage to your skin and may even require medical intervention.

Seventh – Don’t be cruise-stupid. That’s a term I made up for a behavior I frequently observe on cruise ships. For some reason, being on a cruise makes some people act foolishly or recklessly and do things they would never normally do. Maybe it’s the unreal experience of being on a cruise ship.

On a cruise ship, people wait on you. Everything is nice and clean. You don’t have to do any work at all. Everybody seems happy. You never have to worry about pulling out your wallet, cooking a meal, or even picking up after yourself. It doesn’t take long before the cruise experience literally becomes “another world.”

Some folks take that as a cue to start behaving irresponsibly and sometimes they get hurt. While I do not want to trivialize bad experiences or say that all bad events are deserved, we should also recognize the fact. People who start acting recklessly sometimes get hurt.

If you decide to pretend you’re a gymnast and balance on the guard rail, you just might fall off. If you leave your purse or wallet unattended in a public area, you can get robbed. If you decide to get roaring drunk in some foreign port of call and act like an idiot, you can wind up in a mess of trouble.

Observe the same good, common sense tactics you use on land or in your everyday life.

Know What You Want

Before you can save money, you need to know what you want from a hotel room. Do you want to have a luxurious place to stretch out and relax, or a cheap, modest room to quickly change clothes before you head out to see the sights? It’s easy to narrow down what you’re looking for by thinking about what kinds of extra’s you need to have. Do you have to have a pool? Do you need internet or a restaurant at the hotel. Knowing what you want will help you narrow down the search so you can find cheap hotel rates.

Beware of Packages

Sometimes you can find cheap hotels by looking for packages that combine two services, such as hotel and your flight, or hotel and care hire. But sometimes, you’ll actually pay a lot more for the convenience of booking and paying for both the airfare and hotel in the same location.

At one package booking agent, you might be persuaded to book a flight from Sydney to the Big Apple (New York City, USA), and a seven night hotel stay at the Pennsylvania (near the Empire State Building), priced at $5,480. However, if you went to Qantas Airlines (Quantas.au.com) and the Hotel Pennsylvania (www.hotelpenn.com) and booked your flight and room separately, you’d pay $4,770. This isn’t always the case, of course, but sometimes packages aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

Make sure you check the rates, or you’ll think you’re getting a good deal while the booking site laughs all the way to the bank. The very same hotel stay can be the same price or even more expensive through a “discount” agency than if you booked through the hotel directly.

The moral of the story? Do your research! Make sure you know how much a night at a hotel is alone and then compare with your package rate to ensure you’re getting the savings you deserve.

Good Package Deals

Not all package deals are bad, as long as you know what you’re looking for. For example, your car rental agency may offer a free night at a participating hotel. The deal may be a third night free after a two-night stay, but if you’re planning on staying several days anyway, it’s a good deal.

Online Bookings to the Rescue

Some sites are just worth their weight in gold when trying to book cheap hotel rooms, and here are two that are priceless.

Wotif: (www.Wotif.com) This is a great online site to visit to get cheap hotel rates in Australia and abroad. You can book your cheap hotel room last minute or up to twenty-eight days in advance. Whether your holiday is in Australia, Scotland or Fiji, Wotif can help you book discount hotel rooms, bed and breakfasts, or apartments in thirty-five countries.

One great feature is that you can enter your travel information and compare hotels, apartments, and bed and breakfasts side by side. If you don’t have set travel plans, you can see which dates are cheaper and book accordingly. You can also advance your search by entering in different amenities you’d like, such as pool or a kitchenette.

A sampling of hotels around the world showed that indeed, Wotif provides cheap rates. Want to visit Walt Disney World? The Raddison Resort Orlando, FLA USA is a stone’s throw from this world-renowned family destination. For $100 a night ($185 a night full rate) you get a gorgeous room with two double beds, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, exercise facility and a restaurant on site. The best partkids stay and eat for free as long as they are accompanied by one paying parent.

Want to stay in a Scottish castle for your holiday? The four-star Dalhousie House Castle and Spa in Edinburgh, Scotland offers a luxurious holiday experience that will make you feel like royalty. Standard castle room: $302 ($500 full price) and includes a double occupancy room in this 13th century fortress. For a little more ($350) you could stay in a themed castle room. They both will have their own comforts and bath.

Or perhaps you’d rather experience a decadent South Pacific holiday on Fiji. For $300 ($350 full rate) a night you can stay in the four-star Sonaisali Island Resort. Enjoy a restful holiday on a small island across the lagoon from mainland Fiji, with a health spa, tennis courts and a child minding program that includes sandcastle building. Children stay free of charge.

Smarter Travel: (www.Smartertravel.com) This is an awesome site to review if you want hotel, flight and car hire information. They have a page with links to assorted deals, such as booking a night at the Hilton in NYC and receiving free breakfast or free parking. If you’ve ever tried to park in Manhattan, you’ll realize what a bargain this is!

Plus you can’t beat the advice. In the Hotel section, the editor posts his/her favorite deal links which takes you to a detailed page that outlines the fine print (like having to stay for three nights, one being a weekend night). There are also sponsor deals to choose from.

The great thing about this site is that they aren’t doing the bookingthey link you to the hotel or sponsor in charge of the deal they advertise.

Check with Your Credit Card

This may sound silly, but checking with your credit card could result in cheap hotel rates. Sometimes the major credit card companies will link up with a hotel chain to promote travel and business in a specific area, giving discounts if the consumer uses their credit card.

For example, the Hilton Latin America and Visa have teamed up to give travelers a discounted rate on a stay at the Hilton hotels across Latin America if using a Visa card to pay. You’ll also get a continental breakfast and a generous credit toward food and beverage. Of course, there are conditions and limitations, such as a three-night stay, but if you’re traveling to somewhere as gorgeous as Buenos Aries, you’re going to want to stay for a long holiday.

Check Directly with the Hotel or Hotel Chain

Sometimes you can get a great deal by calling the hotel directly and asking about cheap hotel rooms. If you’re calling a chain, such as the Hilton, call the hotel in the town you’re staying in, as calling the main line will often get you an operator that’s located somewhere else. He/she may not know of the deals that particular hotel branch has to offer.

You can also check online for deals. You’ll find that a lot of different hotel chains will actually be able to beat the discount travel websites on a nightly price if you book direct with them.

In Conclusion

A holiday doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg in hotel fares alone. By doing some research, comparing rates and contacting companies you wouldn’t typically think of, you can definitely find a cheap hotel room. Then you can sit back and relax on that well-deserved holiday trip, knowing you didn’t have to pay top dollar.

For everyone who has ever stared at a package of chicken at four o’clock in the afternoon trying to figure out what to do with it for dinner, there is another option besides dousing it in bottled bbq sauce or lugging out the same old cookbooks. The option that is becoming increasingly popular with cooks everywhere is to turn to online recipes. By spending just a few minutes on sites like www.online-recipes.org, a cook can quickly find a way to make that chicken appealing.

As a matter of fact Nielsen’s NetRatings, determined that the most popular food related activity online is searching for recipes. Of all the people who shop online, at least 60% of them also use recipe sites to find online recipes. The trend is moving from cookbooks to online recipes. Many people have a computer nearby or in their kitchen and using it to find recipes is smart and convenient.

There are several benefits of using websites dedicated to online recipes for day to day cooking:

• There are thousands of recipes to choose from instead of just the few in a cookbook
• The recipes are often submitted to the sites by everyday cooks who use the recipes often, therefore its easy to find family friendly recipes – very important for the family cook staring at the chicken at four o’clock in the afternoon
• The recipes are free
• Many sites allow ratings and comments on the recipes that are submitted. Those who have tried the recipes can make comments and suggestions that are helpful when choosing a recipe
• Some sites for online recipes allow the user to search by ingredients – so if along with that chicken there are fresh mushrooms and scallions in the refrigerator also, a recipe can be found using all ingredients
• Some sites allow the number of servings a recipe produces to be adjusted and then the ingredients are automatically changed accordingly, something no cookbook could ever do
• In addition to recipes, sites for online recipes usually have cooking tips, food definitions (need to know what paella is?) cooking method explanations (how do you blanch a green bean?) and helpful information for amateur cooks
• Searching by categories such as Mexican, Kid Friendly, Diabetic, etc. is a feature many online sites have – searching in a category can save a lot of time
• Some sites have a shopping list feature – the ingredients for a recipe or several recipes can be listed and printed out to take to the store

In addition to getting day to day recipes from online recipe sites, these sites are very helpful when planning a special occasion meal. With the holidays quickly approaching, choosing to plan a meal using recipes found online can save a lot of time. www.online-recipes.org can help with this task. By searching for recipes for turkey, sweet potatoes, kugel, latkes, lasagna, fish, side dishes and more, an entire holiday meal of recipes can be found in a short period of time. A word of caution – new recipes should be tried once before serving them to guests. Nobody likes a dry kugel.

In addition to helping cooks find new recipes, these sites also allow home cooks to share their recipes with the world. There is a growing trend for cooks to put their recipes online, sharing generations old or new recipes with others. Many people who have been looking for a recipe just like their great-grandmother’s lost applesauce cake recipe now have a resource to find it or one that is at least very similar.