British Pounds (GBP). Your stateroom keycard acts as your payment method - link it to a credit card during check-in. Most Caribbean ports accept GBP and major credit cards.

If you're planning on embarking on a cruise adventure with children, there are a few age limitations you need to be aware of before booking – especially if you're thinking about going on one of the upcoming family cruises with a baby.

While details can vary from cruise line to cruise line – so it's always worth double-checking details with your cruise consultant and your chosen cruise line before booking – in most cases, infants under six months old are not permitted to travel via cruise. In addition to this, infants under 12 months old are often not permitted to travel via cruise on transatlantic voyages – or any itinerary with consecutive sea days – and cruises including remote destinations.

Having travel insurance may not strike you as the most important part of preparing for a cruise getaway – as it isn't like you're planning to injure yourself or lose your luggage – but ensuring you have the appropriate cover ahead of your holiday is vital.

Not only will cruise lines deny boarding, at your own expense, if you have not arranged the appropriate travel insurance ahead of embarkation, but – in an emergency – you'll find yourself met with huge bills and a lot of additional spending that likely could have been otherwise avoided.

Having the appropriate travel insurance for your cruise is important, but you're also going to need a variety of additional documents to travel; if you're missing any of them when it comes to embarkation, you could be denied boarding and refused travel at your own expense.

First and foremost, you're going to need a form of ID and your passport. With these often being one and the same, it's always best to use your passport as your form of ID; however, in cases where you're on a domestic cruise and you don't need a passport, another form of Government ID will be required. The selection of accepted forms of ID can vary, so it's best to check with the cruise line you're planning on travelling with ahead of time. In most cases, your passport will need to be valid for at least six months after the end of your cruise; so, if your passport's expiration date is coming up, you may want to think about renewing it with ample time before your cruise.

If you're a smoker and you're worried about going on the duration of a cruise without the chance to smoke, you'll be pleased to know that you will be allowed to smoke on a cruise ship – but, only in designated areas, of which vary from ship to ship.

On most cruise ships, smoking is completely prohibited in almost every indoor and outdoor venue, with the exception of designated areas in onboard casino venues, specific bars and lounges, and some outdoor seating areas. You're also prohibited from smoking on your cabin or suite's balcony or veranda – a decision that has been made to minimise ocean pollution and the disruption of other guests.

While it's always recommended that you leave ample time to return to your cruise ship before it's departure while ashore, delays happen – and it's not always because of something in your control. So, it's perfectly valid to be worried about being late and missing your cruise ship.

Thankfully, being late isn't always a complete disaster. If you're on a paid excursion organised by your cruise line, or on an excursion with a reputable third-party organizer that guarantees your return to your cruise ship with ample time, the cruise ship will wait for you if you're delayed. However, if you go off on your own to explore and you're running late, it's unlikely that the cruise ship will delay its departure.

If you're unfortunate enough to fall ill or suffer an injury while aboard a cruise ship, you'll be pleased to know that every cruise ship is home to a medical facility with medical professionals and equipment available to treat minor injuries and illnesses.

However, if you fall victim to something a little more serious than that, you may need to be transferred to a land-based medical facility as soon as possible. While at sea, if this is the case, a helicopter may be used for an emergency medical evacuation. Or, an unscheduled stop at a nearby port may also be organised, if this is deemed the best option by the medical professionals and cruise ship crew. If you're already in a port, an ambulance or taxi will be organised.