Planning a cruise to Western Europe destinations such as France or Germany can be a great way to take a vacation. The Rhine River and the Elbe River are two of Europe's most popular river cruise choices. Oceanic cruises are also popular, and in particular, cruises to Alaska, Antarctica, South America and Mexico tend to be among the most appealing for travelers. No matter where you plan to cruise, there are some basic health and safety guidelines which can help any cruiser have a more pleasant cruise vacation.

Cruise ship sickness is one of the major concerns for first time cruisers or any travelers who might be prone to motion sickness. Cruise sickness is usually a feeling of nausea accompanied by headaches or other discomforts like stomach aches. Many travelers only experience cruise ship sickness for the first day or two of their cruise, after which time their bodies adjust and the cruise sickness subsides. If you find yourself experiencing cruise ship sickness, try to drink as much water as possible and keep snacks such as crackers, bananas or toast close at hand. This will help with the nausea and cruise sickness. Travelers can also take one of the many motion sickness pills meant to mitigate the effects of sea sickness. In particular, if you find yourself experience cruise sickness for more than a couple of days, this might be the only way to enjoy your vacation. As a side note, many studies have also shown that it is possible for travelers who think they are on board a ship to experience the symptoms of sea sickness while they are in fact on dry land. Be sure not to over think the prospect of sailing.

Other cruise ship safety tips revolve around being sure that you have proper health insurance while traveling abroad. It is a good idea to check directly with your domestic health care provider to find out whether or not your insurance will cover you while traveling. Many health companies will issue a special traveling pass or special prescriptions if you will be traveling for an extended period of time and know that you will need to take advantage of these services. Most cruise ships do have their own doctor on board which helps to greatly mitigate safety issues on a cruise.

Cruise ship safety can also relate to simply being smart while traveling. Some safety issues on a cruise for families traveling with children involve making sure that children are well tended, either by parents or by the cruise ship child care providers. If traveling with young children be sure to make them aware of the importance of not running on a cruise ship in order to increase cruise ship safety.

Other safety issues on a cruise relate directly to food and alcohol consumption onboard the cruise ship and when stopping at ports. Obviously, drinks onboard are part of the fun, but keeping hydration in mind in particularly important for your health and alcohol is a major factor for dehydration. Particularly if you are cruising somewhere warm that has you out in the sun all day, be sure to drink plenty of water along with the cocktails and keep some good food in your stomach, as well.