first day ritual?

Hi! We are new to HAL - sailing on the Oosterdam in September. Just wondering what you do on embarkation day! :cool:

Put my things in my cabin, go to the Lido for lunch, walk around to acquaint myself to the ship, attend muster drill, watch the sail-away.

Put our carry-ons in the cabin and valuables in the safe.

Check to make certain all our pre-booked specualty reservations are in place.

Head to the dining room for lunch.

If luggage has arrived before lifeboat drill, start to unpack. Finish unpacking after lifeboat drill.

Make dining reservations, in MDR (we choose Open seating) and maybe specialty restaurants that we haven't pre-booked. Reserve a cooking class, and possibly an excursion or two if we have some OBC to blow.

After dropping our carry-ons and grabbing some lunch...

** Main dining room to check on our table request and location (we always want a two-top)

** Spa to make my appointments for the vacation...always at least hot stone massage and a facial; I'll book a third if the 10%/20%/30% promotion is in effect

** Hair Salon to make my formal night appointments (such a luxury to have my hair washed, blown out and styled on vacation!)

** Check out casino and available table games, meet the host if present

** Get our bearings by touring the whole ship (cocktail in hand, of course!)

** Muster

** Get drinks for sailaway

** Head to our balcony for sailaway and spend some time just relaxing and chatting about the adventures ahead!

Go to library, assuming the bean counters haven't deleted it, and grab a few good books to enjoy.

Go to the dining room to see if they're serving lunch, and after lunch check out our table. If we're in a NS, meet the concierges. Go to the front desk or concierge to check on cooking classes and ask about our balance to make sure OBC has posted. Buy spa passes. Talk to the excursion staff if I have questions about any tours. I try to do all of this fairly quickly, while most other passengers are at the buffet and/or exploring the ship--and these services don't have a long line.

Then, once "business" is accomplished, open our fizz (we always bring on champagne for the cabin) and enjoy our balcony. Unpacking gets worked in somewhere, but that's quick and easy. One of the great things about being a repeat passenger is that we know our way around the ship and the cabin. I know what the closet and drawer or shelf space is like and I don't have the think about what will go where.

put our carry-ons in the cabin and valuables in the safe.

check to make certain all our pre-booked specualty reservations are in place.

head to the dining room for lunch.

if luggage has arrived before lifeboat drill, start to unpack. Finish unpacking after lifeboat drill.

ditto -

See if the room is ready, grab some grub, take a dip and get a cocktail.

Make sure all confirmations (little pink envelopes) for excursions etc. are in our cabin.

Make any reservations such as MDR (we're open seating), Pinnacle lunches...

Meet our cabin stewards and let them know of any special requests

Lunch in the Lido

Unpacking usually starts before muster drill but has to finish up before dinner.

Meet up with friends for sail away!

First thing is to make any reservations we need to, before the crowds build up and lines form.

Then onto lunch in the MDR.

Then walk the ship.

Unpack.

The first thing I do is head to Lido Deck for a drink of the day, or 2. :D Then I usually head to the spa to purchase the week-long pass to the Thermal Suite. I will actually be doing this on Sunday on the Oosterdam. Can't wait!

🤔we have 2 rituals!!!

Out of our hometown San Diego will board later place our baggage and clothes away,

Do our muster drill and sip champagne on our balcony and watch sail away!! Depending on ship we always go to Silk Den for cocktails and we enjoy appitizers and relaxing up there first night!

Now when we do Europe The Mediterranean it has always been 3 times on The Nieuw and this last cruise on The Eurodam.

2) depending on Barcelona or Venice boarding we come on later and depending on if we have Expolre 4 or not we will already having champagne chilling in our room and watch our sail away from the balcony! We order from Pinnicale dinner to our room and will go to crows nest prior to our room service!

That's our ritual!

Denise:) so enjoy your cruise! We have a 28 day Inca Cruise out of our hometown on 2/25/18.

Get wheeled to my cabin and take a deep breath to get myself set, and get organized.

First, turn off the TV! Can't stand that looping muster drill video.

If my mobility device hasn't been delivered, call the Front Desk to check on that.

Put away the things in my carry-ons, take what I need out of my purse, put anything that goes in the safe away.

Read the daily program, review whatever paperwork is waiting, and check to see if my shore excursion tickets are there; check that they are correct if they are.

Then, as soon as I have my mobility device, I head out to check on the feasibility of me actually being able to do the excursions I have planned, cancel and change as necessary.

Double check that my Pinnacle reservations are in order, and make salon appointments.

Then I get to go to the Lido for lunch.

By the time I get back to the cabin my luggage has usually been delivered, so I unpack. I want that done before muster, and have always made that deadline---if only by a few minutes.

Relax, if there's time before muster.

Once muster is over, the cruise can start. Ahhhhh.

Routine similar to Easimom,, if on board on early side, much prefer MDR to the Lido. Try to walk the ship a little before muster drill. Enjoy balcony or open deck for sail away, hopefully, with a drink in hand. Unpack and freshen up before late set seating in MDR.

I am enjoying reading everyone's responses! Thx!

Among my favorite memories is the pleasure of enjoying the sailaway from a hot tub strategically located to have a great view as we begin our adventure.

PS, w my DH by my side, of course!

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Echoing other comments, I like to take care of business first and the cruise starts after muster. So go to cabin, stash valuables, make sure any pre-cruise arrangements are in order, hopefully meet one or both of the cabin stewards, quick glance through the On Location or When and Where whatever it's called now, hit the front desk for any issues/questions before the line gets long (and it WILL get long), MDR for lunch if it's open otherwise Lido, check on our table in MDR, go back to room and start unpacking until it's time for the muster drill. then change for dinner (we have early seating) and go secure a spot outdoors in the stern for sailaway. then dinner and wander around the ship for a bit before collapsing. exhausting day but so fun starting a new cruise!

I always go directly to the mariner lunch in the dining room. After that, if I am feeling so inclined, I go to spa to make any bookings I had in mind. Then, I go to my cabin to unpack. After this, it's usually time for the lifeboat drill, followed by the sail-away reception for Mariners in the crow's nest. My next cruise is a first time Neptune suite booking, so this may change.

We'll be on the Oosterdam in November in a NS (our 1st) in 5190. We've been on her before in 2008 but will reacquaint ourselves after unpacking. With the big veranda and wake view, sail-away with champagne in hand seems like a good idea.

Have lunch in the dinning room. Walk the ship make some pinnacle reservations.