Fares Fair Travel Management

1. It's magnetic, baby. A cruise ship is really just a big, beautified floating piece of metal, and that includes your cabin. So even if the walls don't look or feel metallic, they are -- and that means you can use magnets to help organize the abundance of papers the ship's crew will usually throw your way. For instance, have a cocktail invitation you don't want to lose? Use a magnet to stick it to the wall nearest the door so you can grab it on your way out.

2. What's the smell? With so much hearty food on a cruise, a stomach can't be blamed for a little rebellion. But that's when you realize few cruise ship bathrooms have ventilation fans, and it's not long before more than just the bathroom smells, well, funny. But a little forethought and a scented freshener hanging from your shower curtain can make all the difference. Whether you bring some aromatherapy oils or a hanging car freshener doesn't matter -- they'll all do the trick. Just don't bring anything you need to light with a flame, such as a scented candle or incense.

3. Look under the bed. On my first few cruises, I often found myself complaining that my dresses and skirts couldn't hang nicely in the closet because our big suitcase took up so much space. Then one day, on perhaps our third or fourth cruise, my husband looked under the bed and found lots of empty space there. We didn't have to shove all our bags into the closet. We have since learned that not all cabins are the same, however. On a recent Norwegian Cruise Line cruise, half the space under the bed was taken up by the bedspread during the day. But we were still able to put one suitcase and our case of water under there.

4. Presto-change-o beds. While it's always best to request the bed configuration you want before your cruise, just because you enter your cruise cabin to find two beds when you're traveling with your spouse, or one bed when you're traveling with a friend, doesn't mean you're in trouble. Beds on most ships can easily be pushed together or separated; just ask your cabin steward to do it while you're out of the cabin.

5. Any which way. One last note about cruise-ship beds: Not all beds face the same direction. In fact, on many ships, the positioning alternates between cabins or from side to side. Beds can be aft-facing, forward-facing and even port- or starboard-facing. If there's room (and you wouldn't be blocking furniture or a doorway), you could ask your steward to switch the beds or move them yourself. Just keep in mind that the chances you'll feel any movement akin to riding backwards in a train is pretty slim.

6. The furniture stays put. Unless you have a suite, don't plan on lots of dancing around your cabin. That's because beds are the only large items in a cabin that can be easily moved. That center table, for example, may be small, but it's usually pretty heavily weighted so that it doesn't fall over during rougher seas. The same is true for just about every other piece of furniture in the cabin. So get used to moving around the furniture, because you're not going to be able to move it out of your way.

7. Whoosh. Here's a science experiment to try on your next cruise (or not!). What happens when you open both your balcony and cabin doors at the same time? Ever seen the movie Twister? Okay, so a cow isn't going to come swirling into your cabin, but a wind tunnel will whip its way between the two doors, leaving a mess in its wake.

8. Water, water everywhere. No need to lug a case of water with you when you go cruising. The tap water on cruise ships is completely safe and drinkable, having been through rigorous filtration and testing, all of which are overseen by U.S. and European heath agencies. While some cruisers claim that the tap water in restaurants and bars tastes different from what comes out of the cabin bathroom, it is all, in fact, the same water.

9. Humps and afts. Not all cabins or cabin balconies are created equal, and we're not just talking about category differences. Just because two cabins are in the same category doesn't mean they're identical. In fact, some of the most desirable cabins aren't in the highest categories. They're the "special" standard balcony cabins that just happen to offer a little something extra, like the "hump" balcony, which is only found on ships that bulge out at the middle, therefore offering a larger balcony and interior space. Likewise, corner aft cabins, priced the same as regular aft cabins, often feature wraparound balconies.