What's your routine after boarding the ship?

Just booked my next cruise (third) on X for March on the Silhouette, and it made think about the experience of boarding the ship on the first day.

It got me wondering what everyone else does when they first come on board? Do you explore the ship? Make sure your bags got to your room? Book any dining or shore excursions? Get a little too-tipsy too-fast?

I know we all view the safety video, but what else do you get up to? Tell me about your routine! I'm new to cruising so I want to hear it from the experienced folks here! :) Thanks!

If first time on ship explore. Your bags will be there late afternoon. If in a major suite check out Michael's Club, better drinks and free, excellent light lunch. If not, consider Bistro on Five for lunch, less hassle, great Crêpes at a price, best deal in the fleet, all you can eat for $10. You can go to MDR and chech your table. ~ Rick

I love to check out the whole ship and get the lay of the land. Then go check out drinks and food.. Although I think this upcoming trip in a few days I'll start with a drink and then explore [emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]

I spend at least 2 hours reading, watching and practicing the safety protocols. Then I go to the muster drill(of course I bring my Mae West) and ask at least 20 questions. After all that I start to enjoy the cruise.

Grab a drink.

Head to the top deck and work my way down.

Then head up for sail away.

P

Just booked my next cruise (third) on X for March on the Silhouette, and it made think about the experience of boarding the ship on the first day.

 

It got me wondering what everyone else does when they first come on board? Do you explore the ship? Make sure your bags got to your room? Book any dining or shore excursions? Get a little too-tipsy too-fast?

 

I know we all view the safety video, but what else do you get up to? Tell me about your routine! I'm new to cruising so I want to hear it from the experienced folks here! :) Thanks!

Eat, explore the ship, go to room when they open up. Go to muster drill and then sail away party. Please note you will have your carry one with you until 1 or 1:30.

We try not to get to the port until about 1 so that when we board the ship we can drink our mimosa & head to our cabin which will be open by then. Unpack carry- on luggage and then go to bar & upgrade to the Premium beverage package. Next head to Mast Grill for burger- back to cabin -hopefully luggage is there if so we unpack and then it is muster drill. Post muster to Sail Away to meet our new friends from our Roll Call & use that beverage package.:D

Darn-I want to leave now, not 2 1/2 months from now:(

We do what we call ship walking to get the lay of the land and fit in a lunch , book restaurants and xtra shore excursions and then look for suitcases and unpack If we can and there's time we take a short nap before the drill because we usually have l jet lag

And then we watch sail away

As seasoned Celebrity cruisers we don't need to get out and explore the ship per se. We tend to board near the time the cabins are ready, so usually head there first and unpack our carry-ons. After that we grab a bite to eat, a cold one at the bar, and just chill out until sail-away (for afternoon sailings). Sometimes we get together with people from our Roll Call for the sail-away.

I spend at least 2 hours reading, watching and practicing the safety protocols. Then I go to the muster drill(of course I bring my Mae West) and ask at least 20 questions. After all that I start to enjoy the cruise.

Mae West! LOL!

The first thing I do is to see whether our luggage made it to the room and get those inside first, then go get some food! Then Sail Away party, order a drink, and sail away. Once it gets too cold, then I go inside... not sure if there's a routine after that. I do try to take some photos as well.

I thought about if I should write this post but there have been lots of questions recently on if travelling in a high end suite is worth the money...so I thought some of you may be interested in how being in a suite changes this aspect of cruising.

One of the best things about the suite perks is how pleasant boarding is. We get to the port as it is time to leave the hotel....on all three cruises since the Suite Life started and in three different ports we have then had the same greeting.

No queue for security or check in. As our documents are checked a staff member will approach us, present me with a red rose, my husband with a blue documents wallet and then escort us on board. As we board we are then handed to another staff member who will take us down to Michael's to meet the conceirge and that key member of staff the Michael's waiter.

We will relax, have our first drink and some really yummy little nibbles and begin to chat with fellow passengers. On our last cruise Luminae was open so we did have lunch there. Our rooms are always ready quickly and the suite cases usually arrive before we do. My unpacking takes minutes as although we tend to have a lot of luggage I am a really strategic packer with items for each draw being packed in separate bags, and hang up clothes already being on lightweight hangers! Whilst this is going on the butler and room attendant will have popped in to say hello, discussed bar and minibar requests, evening snacks.....

After muster it depends on sailaway time what we do. In recent years some of our older family members have loved to watch our saiaways on the live port cam. So we bring our English flag out onto the balcony, and our bottle of champagne and toast our loved ones at home, knowing they also have a drink in hand to wish us happy cruising! By bed time if we check emails we will usually have been posted a picture of ourselves leaving port.

First night for us is usually Tuscan although last cruise we dined in Luminae as it was its official opening night. We will return to Tuscan again next cruise as seeing the wake of the ship tailing away into the distance really makes me feel I am on holiday!

Great idea for a post. Eight months until next cruise, is there a name for when you feel homesick for a cruise?

On our first (and only so far) cruise, which was on Equinox, we were so excited that we arrived for check-in at the earliest time and then we went exploring all over the ship as soon as we got on it. This was still quite early, but even so, when we got to the pool deck we came across a family who were already enjoying the hot tub!

We're on the Equinox again next February and I'm planning what to do when we board so this thread is great!

We usually have lunch at Bistro on Five. Then we find a comfortable place to relax and read until cabins are ready. We then move to our cabin. We meet our room steward and get to know him.

Luggage usually arrives before the safety drill and we focus on unpacking. Then safety drill. After that, we meet some cc friends (preplanned on roll call) for a sail away at the sunset bar ship's aft next to the buffet.

For me, it's grab some food normally at the buffet. Then explore ship, hopefully check out cabin and take a dip in a pool or relax in a hot tub.

Ah well what I do, First of all RELAX find the Bars find the Food find the Cinema, find the best deck to relax on near a bar and food.

Then my Wife wakes me up and give me the orders we shall unpack first then sort everything out thennnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Confirm my specialty restaurant reservations that I made beforehand. If we have arranged a group dinner in one on the first night from our roll call (my latest fun thing to do) we confirm that at the exact restaurant, just to make sure.

Then we head to Bistro on Five, set our luggage aside, and enjoy a quiet, calm, relaxed meal as we wait for our cabin to open. We don't walk around and around, we don't get in the masses of people in the crazy crowded buffet. I mean, it's already crazy enough up there on the first day, but add in luggage and people wanting to sit and wait for their cabin ---- uh, no.

I walk around the ship to find the gym to make sure don't accidentally get too near during the cruise.

I run to the pool area and throw down towels and books to hog the chairs, then I head to the buffet line and plop down at a table and hog it for hours until my cabin is ready. At the muster station (usually in the dining room) I sit with others at a table and brag about how many previous cruises I've been on completely ignoring the video being shown on the wall.

Happy Sailing

I run to the pool area and throw down towels and books to hog the chairs, then I head to the buffet line and plop down at a table and hog it for hours until my cabin is ready. At the muster station (usually in the dining room) I sit with others at a table and brag about how many previous cruises I've been on completely ignoring the video being shown on the wall.

I consider the chairs additional luggage storage. I go one better and reserve 2 poolside and two in the shade, and if the solarium looks like it might get crowded, I'll grab a couple there before I start foraging and drinking.

Upgrade my drink package

Drop off my carryon in the cabin (as soon as it's available)

See the maitre d' in the MDR if I need any changes

Head to Bistro on 5 for lunch for crepes and a glass of wine

Explore the ship if it's one I haven't cruised on

Check out the library

Find a good place to read and people watch until the luggage is delivered

Safety drill

Sail away party

Get ready for fun!

We're on the Equinox again next February and I'm planning what to do when we board so this thread is great!

Oh good! I'm on the Silhouette in March, and I'm already planning too. Enjoy the Equinox!

Not mentioned yet, when you check-in, X gives you "mini daily" that lists open houses, hours of bars and restaurants ( Aqua Cafe is open for lunch too ..or was) but often only the Oceanview Buffet is listed for lunch. If you do want a popular fitness class with fee, like spinning, you might want to sign up at the gym open house. Internet Cafe may have bonus minutes for signing up the first day. Best selection of books at the library first afternoon. Open houses at the spa and speciality restaurants, I usually go to Blu to introduce ourselves, meet some staff. Though we are so looking forward to a quiet lunch at Luminae this upcoming cruise. Never miss SailAway, and take photos then, because no matter how many cruises taken, it is always exciting casting off the lines and heading out to sea.

Here are the tips I got from a sailing on Constellation. First you head to the pool and place items on one chair in the sun and other items on a chair in the shade. Then you head to the Buffet and pile your plate real high and eat like it is your last meal. Then you head to your room to unpack and have a cigarette on your balcony. :roll eyes:

Actually, we have a light lunch in the buffet and then go on one of the free tours of the ship provided by staff. It is a nice way to meet other passengers and crew. Then we get ready for the sailaway after introducing ourselves to our cabin attendants.

Since we have driven to Cape Liberty for our last 8 cruises, we get there around 10:30 AM, board around 11:00 AM, my husband goes to the fitness center and I lay out by the indoor pool.

By the time he's done the rooms are usually ready so we drop of our carry on bags and then go eat. After we are done eating we wait for either 1) our luggage to arrive so we can unpack or 2) Muster Drill, which ever comes first.

After Muster it's up on deck for sail away.