The Do's and Don'ts on Embarkation Day

[Cruisin' Chick]

great thread.

Why do/would I need to wait and meet the room steward?

Thanks

 

For us, it's just to say hi and introduce our family to him or her. One time we had a steward from Thailand and my little daughter greeted her with a little bow (learned from her most recent teacher who was from Korea). As I said before, we're not taking that time to make any special requests (we actually rarely do anyway).

[elliair]

We are relatively new to cruising and I read an article today about the Do's and Don'ts on Embarkation Day. Some of the advice they cited:

 

Don't go directly to the buffet because most people will be headed that way

 

 

Nonsense, this is the first place we head after dropping off our carry ons.

 

Meet with your cabin steward

 

If your cabin steward is even around. We eventually meet with him later in the day. He/she is usually busy still cleaning cabins and putting the final touches on.

 

Make dinner reservations in the specialty restaurants

 

Nonsense. You can book the specialty restaurants most any time. There's no hurry to do reservations. Never had any trouble getting a reservation when calling them on the phone. There's a dedicated number on the phone for the restaurants.

Unpack your bags

 

Nonsense. No one has their bags when they go to their cabins. Luggage doesn't arrive until after muster.

 

Tour the ship looking for bars you may be interested in and good viewing points

 

You're going to be on the ship for probably a week or longer. There's plenty of time to scope out the ship. We walked around the ship after lunch waiting to go to muster. Did it more for the exercise.

 

I'd like to get more feedback from CC posters. Thanks!

 

.....

Edited February 3, 2016 by elliair

[floridalover5623]

Where do people find these ridiculous lists? There are a few points that might have a little vitality but for the most part are a complete waste of time even for a new cruiser.

[Cruisen Elf]

Your steward will make every effort to introduce himself. I always get a knock on the door in the middle of unpacking (before muster). My usual request is for bath robes.

 

It's our first time on Princess, so I'm wondering if anyone can request bath robes. Do you only qualify for them as a frequent Princess cruiser or does everyone automatically get a bath robe in their cabin?

[Dreamer333]

Thanks for letting us CC members to indulge you with this excellent topic. As an adult, embarkation day is much more exciting than Christmas ever was as a kid. My two cents & my apologies for repeating what others may have said before me.

 

1) Arrive the day before - avoids bad scheduling/mis connects by the airlines. You will be fully rested the night before, which will keep you in a better mind frame.

 

2) Eat a breakfast that contains protein and fruit, even if you're not hungry. This helps regulate blood sugar and makes you less likely to get a headache (surprisingly common on embarkation day.) When you get to the pier you won't be obsessed with getting on the ship and immediately having to eat like a feral animal.

 

3) Dress UP, in a classy comfortably casual way - not down. The best way to describe it is to pretend that you're boarding the ship in Italy, lol. Remember that boarding a cruise ship is a grand occasion, dressing up sets the tone of pomp & circumstance ! You will stand out to your fellow passengers and make a great first impression to your crew. These days so many people dress on embarkation day as if they're just going to the corner store for tomorrow's breakfast milk. Don't fall into that trap.

 

4) In the taxi from the hotel I say a little prayer to the powers that be - in gratitude for the ability to afford such a wonderful vacation and for the wellness of my fellow passengers and crew.

 

5) At the pier, make a point of smiling and saying hello to others when appropriate. This mornings stranger might just be tonights new best friend.

 

6) By all means, lunch in the MDR is a must ! It's much more relaxing than all the noise and crowds of the buffet.

 

7) Once the cabins are ready, go to yours and do a complete check for general cleanliness and working condition of hardware and plumbing. Little cleaning details can often be overlooked by room stewards on these busy "turnaround" days. As soon as you are able, introduce yourself to your room steward(s) and let them know of your needs. Communication is key in taking responsibility for the enjoyment of your experience with your crew.

 

8) As soon as you find that your luggage is at your cabin, unpack - then that chore is over and done with.

 

9) Muster Drill is required.

 

10) On sail away head up to one of the foreword most outer decks. It's much more enjoyable than being at the "sail away" party full of crowds, tacky band music, & pushy alcohol sales.

 

I hope this helps. Have a wonderful cruise & Bon Voyage !

 

I love this, especially #4.

But I disagree with #10... I love the sail away party, and the festive mood. :-)

[Dreamer333]

It's our first time on Princess, so I'm wondering if anyone can request bath robes. Do you only qualify for them as a frequent Princess cruiser or does everyone automatically get a bath robe in their cabin?

 

They are not automatically put in your cabin, unless you are in a suite. But anyone else can request one.

[elliair]

It's our first time on Princess, so I'm wondering if anyone can request bath robes. Do you only qualify for them as a frequent Princess cruiser or does everyone automatically get a bath robe in their cabin?

 

Go to your Princess Personalizer, there's a questionnaire that asks if you want robes. Just check the box. Your robe won't show up the first day, usually the second or third day of the cruise is when we get ours. DH uses the robe, I don't.

[RocketMan275]

It's our first time on Princess, so I'm wondering if anyone can request bath robes. Do you only qualify for them as a frequent Princess cruiser or does everyone automatically get a bath robe in their cabin?

 

Be aware the robes only come in three sizes: Small, X-Small, and XX-Small. I take my own.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

"Be aware the robes only come in three sizes: Small, X-Small, and XX-Small. I take my own."

 

Yes, one size fits few.

Edited February 3, 2016 by AZ Ocean Lover

[tawill]

Do you have to pay for the robes?

[ontheweb]

Do you have to pay for the robes?

 

No, not for use on the ship.

 

I do believe they have a price for the robe if you wish to purchase one.

[tml1230]

Be aware the robes only come in three sizes: Small, X-Small, and XX-Small. I take my own.[/quote

 

aint that the truth!

[JimmyDon]

We always bring a laptop so we can download pictures from our phones and cameras. I also keep a running total in excel of our purchases including drinks. It helps to track purchases independently from Princess so we can compare. I always miss one or two receipts, but by keeping a running total, we won't be surprised as the total creeps up daily. I know, you can request an accounting anytime, but by keeping my own record, I can spot a Princess mistake pretty easily. Note: I've only found 2 errors that Princess made and they corrected both in seconds of being told. We tend to take longer cruises 9 - 15 days. If we were on a shorter cruise 3 - 7 days, I wouldn't bother to take the laptop. You have a lot of down time on a 15 day cruise.

 

One of the things we wished we had done from the first cruise on is keep a diary/record of people, places, and things. We regret now not having that information for our first few cruises. We should have noted our steward's name and home port/country, names of our favorite on-board personnel, activities, etc. We have sailed a total of 8 times on Princess - 7 different ships. Of course a lot of info is on the daily Princess Patter - we have them all from each cruise. The laptop helps keeping a daily diary.

 

We've had some really great stewards (our first was a little lady from Thailand - "Napa" - cute as a bug, the most pleasant person we've ever met on Princess (and, we've met a lot). Twice, we've had the luck to run into a bartender - "Rocky" from the Philippines - great personality, smile, and a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of Napa or Rocky. If you think you might cruise again, start some type of record for future reference. You would be surprised how many times your mind will remember a person or an event from one of your cruises and you can't remember a name and you go "Why didn't we write that down".

 

We always (now) start our memory book for each cruise on that first day so we don't forget. Just a suggestion - treasure it or toss it! Happy sailing!

[RocketMan275]

Do you have to pay for the robes?

 

No, they are free to use. You can't take them with you.

[JEM4205]

No, they are free to use. You can't take them with you.

 

Free to use, but if you depart with them, your C.C. will be charged twice or three times what they are worth!:eek:

[kimlovesfl]

DO NOT miss the sail away! While it is slightly different on every ship, go on deck and enjoy it, perhaps with a lovely cocktail or drink of choice. The Sizzle Sailaway on Celebrity was one of my favorite things about our first cruise. Sometimes there is a live band, and if you sail out of Port Everglades, the people in the surrounding apartment buildings give a big send off.

 

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the ship as well, and eat where you please, either the MDR (which I admit we haven't done on embarkation day) or the buffet. But mostly, relax and enjoy your cruise!

[pablo222]

We always bring a laptop so we can download pictures from our phones and cameras. I also keep a running total in excel of our purchases including drinks. It helps to track purchases independently from Princess so we can compare. I always miss one or two receipts, but by keeping a running total, we won't be surprised as the total creeps up daily.

 

 

I think you will really enjoy princess@sea; you will be able to view

your account up-to-the minute on your laptop.

[gotta cruise again]

I agree with most all of the first day ideas.

 

Here is one my DH does: he takes his dress shirts to the laundry room and gets his ironing out of the way. The room is empty and since no one has been using it, it's nice and cool too. And he avoids the wait-in-line-for-the-iron on the subsequent evenings!

 

We did this on cruise we took where we wanted to do the Ultimate Ships Tour: as soon as we boarded (and we were some of the first Platinum's on), he took the carry-ons to the cabin and I went straight to the Guest Services desk to get on the list. I don't know if being first on the list helped or if there wasn't a lottery for the limited spaces this time, but we got on the tour!

 

Yes, specialty restaurants can be booked at most any point on the cruise, but if you have a specific day and time you want to eat at one, I would suggest the earlier you reserve, the better (it doesn't hurt to do it early and then you don't have to keep thinking about it!).

 

DH would also add to the embarkation day list: take a brief nap! He does this while I go walking, usually before muster.

[Cruisen Elf]

Good to know there are options to secure a bathrobe even for newbies. Thanks for all the info!

[lake_wannabees]

This is our first Princess cruise so just confirming that you need to bring your lifejacket to muster drill.

 

Joyce

[Pmorton3360]

Yes. They'll have you put it on at the end.

[Nanaoften]

Nanaoften - re dinner reservations. Please clarify - we've opted for Any Time Dining . do we have to make reservations for when & where we dine? or just go when we want to? what are our options? thanks

 

 

We like a table for two and the last cruise we went on it seemed like so did everyone else... They suggested making a res. for the next nite.. We tried.. It seems like we couldn't do it because they were all filled until 7:30... If you don't mind sharing then there is no waiting!

[paintchip8]

An item mentioned briefly in a previous post but I cannot stress it enough...take a journal and write anything and everything. I keep notes on excursions and their prices, dinner items I liked or wish I had tried and people we meet. I's wonderful to re-read events years later because I know I have the memory of a goldfish!:p

[cafelovercanada]

An item mentioned briefly in a previous post but I cannot stress it enough...take a journal and write anything and everything. I keep notes on excursions and their prices, dinner items I liked or wish I had tried and people we meet. I's wonderful to re-read events years later because I know I have the memory of a goldfish!:p

 

That's a great idea. I am a little worried how I am going to keep track of the pictures I take ... I would like to remember the names of the various mountains and glaciers we see ... I see myself being challenged balancing my camera, binoculars and a pen and paper!

[Love to Cook!]

That's a great idea. I am a little worried how I am going to keep track of the pictures I take ... I would like to remember the names of the various mountains and glaciers we see ... I see myself being challenged balancing my camera, binoculars and a pen and paper!

 

Take a picture of your daily patter first thing in the morning, then you will know which pictures are taken on a particular day :)