At midwinter in Central Maine, many of us think of vacations to warmer climates to the South and West. Some are planning a cruise in the Caribbean or other exotic location as part of their escape from the cold, the wind, the snow, the ice and the “five degrees below the doughnut.”

These winter conditions will surely be with us for the next month or so until mud season begins.

The purpose of this column is not to wind up on the travel page but to help consumers, particularly cruise vacation rookies, make wiser and more cost-effective choices and to maximize their overall cruise vacation experience.

First, a competent travel agent can be helpful in the planning process. Yes, you will be paying a few dollars more than if you book a cruise yourself online, but travel agents have often taken cruises many times themselves and can offer important options to consider that hours of online research will not provide. Making seamless air to ship transfer connections are important both for embarkation and debarkation of your selected ship.

They say timing is everything; for example, if you arrive shipside too early, you won’t be able to get into your stateroom. After your cruise concludes, if your flight home is later in the day, you will most likely be slated to leave the ship late because debarkations are arranged by groups. If you’re willing to schlep your own luggage off the boat, however, you may be allowed to leave with the earliest departing group.

Decisions about stateroom, deck level, seating in the dining areas can be answered by a travel agent trained to meet your individual needs.

Onboard currency is controlled and no cash exchange is permitted. A little plastic card is issued which serves many purposes. First, it is your stateroom key, second, it is your ID card when going ashore so the cruise company knows whether you are onboard or not. Most important, this card is preloaded to a set dollar amount, so you can make onboard purchases, buy photographs (ship photographers are everywhere), buy beverages and so on.

Usually your credit card is set for a minimum $200 advance per passenger, but you can go to customer relations any time to increase the credit available on your cruise card. Please note that using your credit card may provide some negotiating leverage should there be accounting disputes that cash will not cure.

Many Caribbean cruises offer a variety of sightseeing tours when ashore, almost always at additional expense. These tours can be purchased when booking your cruise. Some excursions are more strenuous than others, often with steep steps, rough terrain and rickety gangplanks to smaller vessels that are serious barriers to tourists with handicapping conditions. Your travel agent can help you with these decisions.

There is much opportunity for shopping onboard.

Beverages, including alcohol, are available for a fee. Bringing alcohol and soda in your luggage is not permitted. Drinks onboard are quite expensive – a 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to each drink, even those available in your stateroom.

On the last night of your voyage, an itemized list of your purchases is provided. Usually someone slides it under your stateroom door. If there are any discrepancies, real human beings are available at the customer relations desk to assist you.

A winter cruise is not for everyone. However, there are plenty of Mainers who enjoy these cruises regularly. For some folks, 20 to 50 cruises are not that uncommon. A cruise can be economical when compared with an onshore vacation of a similar number of days. Some advantages are no driving, no traffic jams, no seeking out lodging and dining. There is also the opportunity to meet fellow travelers, see some great sights and enjoy lots of good food.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT-Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit organization. For help, write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.