What do you do when you first board?

[lynncarol]

Used to be, we headed straight for the ship library and chose our books before they got all picked over. Sadly, now you are lucky if they even have a shelf devoted to books and those are primarily in foreign languages.

[popoki1]

Our tradition is this: once we get on board (room is usually not ready) we head up to the pool deck and order a drink. We might grab something from the pool side grille and just people watch till our room is ready.

 

 

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[KroozNut]

Lunch is always the first thing we do.

 

Why? :confused:

[NoobCruise]

If our cabin is ready, we go there first to drop our stuff off and check out our cabin and balcony, then go for a drink. If the cabin's not ready yet, then head to the Lido for a drink and check out the views.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On HAL, the majority of the time the cabins are ready by 11:30 when we board. So we go to the cabin and drop off our carry-ons. I pick up all the cards for the pre-booked specialty restaurants and we head to them to re-confirm our reservations.

Then we head to the dining room for lunch.

[idraconis]

Lobby bar.:beer-toast::D

[sleepless]

We eat a late breakfast, so we don't have to take part in the "feeding frenzy"....I wear my bathing suit under my shorts, and head to the pool, get a drink and relax! I'll grab a snack later, if I'm hungry.

 

I love the "feeding frenzy" in the buffet. Everyone is so excited and happy to be on the cruise. On our first Oasis cruise, we did not do the Windjammer, choosing instead to do Park Cafe for the roast beef sandwich. We really missed the Windjammer, it seemed like we were missing something special. All subsequent cruises start off at the buffet.

[samshltn]

Like most pax I head straight to my cabin and wait there until the steward has finished cleaning it. Sure it gets in his way, but it ensures that my cabin is ready first. Then I go in it and look at it for thirty seconds and head to the MDR. Usually by this time it's closing, but I make a scene and I'm usually allowed in. I relax at lunch for up to three hours, watching the MDR staff set up for dinner all around me. By this point most passengers are at the muster drill, so I stroll over to my muster point just in time for them to start the announcement. Out of respest, I only talk quietly during the announcement in English, and then resume normal volume for the announcements in other languages. Then I go and join one of the two queues in the atrium: either the one where I can complain about the service I'm about to receive over the next six days and refuse to pay a tip for it, or the second queue which is to complain about the length of the first queue. That usually takes me through to bedtime.

[KroozNut]

Like most pax I head straight to my cabin and wait there until the steward has finished cleaning it. Sure it gets in his way, but it ensures that my cabin is ready first. Then I go in it and look at it for thirty seconds and head to the MDR. Usually by this time it's closing, but I make a scene and I'm usually allowed in. I relax at lunch for up to three hours, watching the MDR staff set up for dinner all around me. By this point most passengers are at the muster drill, so I stroll over to my muster point just in time for them to start the announcement. Out of respest, I only talk quietly during the announcement in English, and then resume normal volume for the announcements in other languages. Then I go and join one of the two queues in the atrium: either the one where I can complain about the service I'm about to receive over the next six days and refuse to pay a tip for it, or the second queue which is to complain about the length of the first queue. That usually takes me through to bedtime.

 

Clearly tongue in cheek, ;) but sadly, not far off from a typical embarkation day for a lot of folks.

[LincolnLog]

We drop off our carry on luggage and cases of soda in our room since we get FTTF, then walk around the ship and explore. Might grab a bite to eat.

 

 

 

W.T.F is FTTF?!?

 

 

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[TNcruising02]

I always like to get to the port early. If I am cruising on Carnival and have Faster to the Fun passes, I head straight to my cabin to drop off carry-ons and then head to the buffet. When cruising on other lines, I head straight to the buffet. Since I am able to board fairly early, the buffet is usually not very crowded.

 

After that, I explore the ship until my room is ready. I am always happy once the muster drill is over because then I get to do whatever I want to do.

[Cuervosar]

I have a custom designed app I use on my iPhone that precisely measures the floorplan of each deck.

 

I start on the top deck and walk the perimiter and then the interior corridors. As I pass each food station or bar, I take a photo of the available offerings, and the app cross references this to the location on the map.

 

Later in the cruise, say I want a hot dog and a budweiser, I tell the app "hotdog and budwieser." The app will search through the database I've created and steer me to the closest spot that will have a hot dog and a budweiser.

 

It takes about 10 hours to get the layout of the ship right once I get on board, but totally worth it later on.

[pris993]

settle in to cabin, check out dining room, have a lunch snack, deal with life boat drill, then relax.

[billnict]

W.T.F is FTTF?!?

 

 

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FTTF = Faster to the Fun. A limited number of passengers can pay $69.95 per stateroom to basically not have to stand in line.

 

 

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[KroozNut]

FTTF = Faster to the Fun. A limited number of passengers can pay $69.95 per stateroom to basically not have to stand in line.

 

 

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And it's a Carnival thing..

[Strophic]

FTTF = Faster to the Fun. A limited number of passengers can pay $69.95 per stateroom to basically not have to stand in line.

 

 

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You know, I missed the window for FTTF on my last cruise and I was really bummed about it, but I honestly thought the lines were not bad at all. Maybe it's more worth it during peak cruise season.

[Jimnbigd]

My wife has M.S. and uses a motorized scooter. We check our dining table to make sure it is accessible. Next, we grab lunch. Then we make her hair appointment for later in the week. By then our cabin is usually available, so we drop off our carry-on bags and put money, passport, and wallet in the cabin safe.

[nyllrap]

Lunch, possibly make dinner reservations, tour the ship if it is one we have not been on before, check out the library to see if there are any interesting books, find a cool place to sit and read a bit, go to the room, unpack, muster, have a drink, go to dinner.