You've spent the night before running around your home (or hotel room) checking and double checking that you've brought everything from hair curlers to seasick medications. Sandals (or "man-dals" as my cruising companions LC and KC affectionately refer to them as) to sunscreen. You've filled out all your pre-cruise documentation and health screening attesting that you haven't travelled to a foreign land and contracted the rare West Mountain Llama Intestinal Viruses. Next you've sat patiently in the cruise terminal as a drug-sniffing dog sniffs the crotch of the guy next to you, and the woman on the right ignores her screaming child. You've walked through the metal detector six times because each time you forgot to remove a coin, or keys, or other jewelry. AT LAST you are finally walking up the gangway and enter through the main atrium hatch!! What do you do FIRST?
Well for a vast majority it's a mad dash to get up to the Lido deck and begin scarfing down a bite to eat, or to the poolside bar to get your first "Drink of the Day". On embarkation day you almost need a strategy because this is the one day of your cruise where not only is almost EVERYONE up there, but most of them are also sporting some baggage in the form of any bags they carried on with them. Finding a spot to sit and have some lunch with your group can be rough.
Here are a few items to do instead of following the grazing masses up to Lido:
1) Take the opportunity to discover the ship layout, find your cabin (even if it's not prepared yet at least knowing where it is can be helpful). There are so many venues and lounges around a cruise ship (not to mention bars off the beaten-path!) Find a quiet little nook of the ship and slip a bartender an extra tip and he/she will be amazed how much better the drinks are for the rest of the week! For instance on the Spirit-class cruise ships there is the little known interior promenade walks. On Pride (YES I know I talk about her a lot!) it's called the Sunset Garden decorated to make you feel you are walking among a Tuscan estate, with couches and Bistro Tables sprinkled along the way. I've not often encountered fellow cruisers here, so it you like peace and quiet this is a great spot!
2) Plant yourself right in the Main Atrium with a drink and do some good old fashioned relaxing while people-watching. It's always fun to point out the newer cruisers because they always have the most open-mouthed stares or grins!
3) Venture over to the Main Dining Room, on some lines they offer embarkation day lunch. Some of the newer mega-ships with a myriad of new dining options offer lunches and tastes from around the world. Japanese Sushi restaurants, Mexican Burrito Bars, and Italian Kitchens, etc. Not all the food is up on Lido!
4) If you have ventured to the Main Dining Room, now is a great opportunity to check your seating assignment (assuming you're not on an Any Time Dining program), ask for seat moves (They assigned you to a six top, but you and the wife want a romantic table for two), or advise the of any dietary restrictions you may have (Vegetarian, Peanut Allergy, Lactose Intolerant, Gluten-Free). I remember when LC was first diagnosed with the need for a Gluten-Free diet, she dragged us to the MDR on the Carnival Dream and we stood in a line ten miles long for her to tell them her dietary needs. Mostly the line was full of folks wanting window seats or tables for two, or had been assigned seating, GASP! with strangers! Cruise lines and crew members are only too happy to accommodate you if you tell them your needs (politely)! So often I read reviews where a person was angry that the ship didn't offer enough options for their vegan diet, or the chocolate melting cake was baked in the vicinity of nuts. It's amazing how much more a cruise ship can accommodate you…When you communicate with them ahead of time!
5) This was a new fun idea I recently came across and I intend to try. Hold a Scavenger Hunt with your group! If you have a large group, have them pair off and find or take pictures of items around the ship. For example- A fellow passenger frantically in search of their passport rummaging through a bag or If you see a woman in a bikini before guests have access to their cabins, or if you see that one Party Cruiser who is already visibly intoxicated trying in uselessly to hide their drink. Make it fun, assign point values, and offer some sort of reward after dinner!
6) Locate the Ship's coin! It's an old nautical tradition that calls for every ship to carry a coin to signify good luck and safe voyages. Often times the coin is welded to the hull before the ship can ever touch water. Can you find the commemorative coin on your cruise ship?
7) If you've had enough of people watching, head up to your cabin. Typically your cabin will be ready for you after 1:30. This offers a good time to drop your carry-ons (sometimes your checked luggage has arrived already) and begin to unpack and make your cabin home for the week. If you have a balcony you can sit out and see the sights of the home port you are in. Or if you've had a long flight maybe it's time to sneak in a nap before the Muster Drill.
As you will discover all week long on your cruise- there is something for everyone to do! That's true even during the craziness of Embarkation Day. So while you're sitting in line in the cruise terminal imagining what comes next, it doesn't have to be run to Lido and fight for a table or space! The party is just getting started- pace yourself!
Thanks again as always for reading!
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