Help! Where do I run first!

[sheilauk]

Having read all the relevant tips on here for making the most of my first cruise with RCI, which do I do first, once I board.

 

Check table in dining room that it is the right size/position.

 

Book dinner at Portofinos and Chops - making sure not to clash with Formal nights, Lobster night and Captains Dinner (?) Where do I book?

 

Find out when Lobster night, formal night and Captains Gala dinner take place, where? how? Will they know at the speciality restaurant?

 

Book ice show tickets, who? how? when?

 

Make spa bookings

 

Anything I should do in that first hour ?

 

Gosh I didn't know it would be like organising a military operation.:D :D

[petel]

IMHO - YMMV, but here is my take on your questions:

 

 

Check table in dining room that it is the right size/position.

No need, just check everyone in your group to see if they have the same dinning room and table.

 

Book dinner at Portofinos and Chops - making sure not to clash with Formal nights, Lobster night and Captains Dinner (?) Where do I book?

Find out when Lobster night, formal night and Captains Gala dinner take place, where? how? Will they know at the speciality restaurant?

 

Last question first - Yes, they will know. You can book at Portofinos or Chops or just call 'em. Captains reception is usually the first sea day and first formal. Lobster is usually second formal night and is the night before the last night.... but it varies.

Book ice show tickets, who? how? when?

 

This might be a good place to start if you have a large group. If there is just the two of you it can be more flexible.

 

Make spa bookings

 

Unless you have something / sometime special in mind you might want to delay these so they don't clash with something else that comes up after you get to know the routine better.

 

Anything I should do in that first hour ?

 

Have the "your drink of the day," chill out, and realize that you are on a vacation and not on a military operation. You can't do "it all" but you can do what you choose. Take your time to Relax and enjoy :)

[Vicariously Cruising]

First of all, WHICH SHIP AND ITENERARY?????

We will have to know that to answer some of your questions. :)

 

Second, did you do all these things on your other cruises? Looks like you've had a pretty good list of experience. This one shouldn't be too much different than those. Granted - more options on the RCI, but don't get in a panic. :cool:

 

Having read all the relevant tips on here for making the most of my first cruise with RCI, which do I do first, once I board.

Check table in dining room that it is the right size/position.

 

YES - do this first. And see the Dining Room attendant at the computer station (usually on the second floor of dining room) to make neccessary changes.

 

Make spa bookings

 

Do this second to get the best spots.

 

Book dinner at Portofinos and Chops - making sure not to clash with Formal nights, Lobster night and Captains Dinner (?) Where do I book?

Find out when Lobster night, formal night and Captains Gala dinner take place, where? how? Will they know at the speciality restaurant?

 

Third -(assuming you are on Voyager Class or Liberty Class ship) Go to the Windjammer, and you'll find the Port & Chops. You'll make your reservations there. Talk to the person there and they can tell you about Formal and Lobster nights.

 

Book ice show tickets, who? how? when?

 

Watch the compasses (daily papers to show activities) and listen for announcements and you will be told when the tickets are available.

OR - tell us which ship and Iten. and someone can tell you ahead of time when.

 

Anything I should do in that first hour ?

 

All these things should be done the first hour. Your DOCS may say "Boarding starts at 2:00", but be there around 11:00 or 11:30, and you can board early. They usually let you start boarding around noon.

 

Hope This Helps.

[CruisingCatherine]

We usually get onboard by 12:00 PM. I find the best thing to do is take photos of the ship. Most people head straight to the Windjammer for lunch when they board. The casino and lounges are not being used. This is the only time while onboard that you are not trying to take photos around all the people. I always walk around and take photos of every inch of the ship before I do anything. As I am walking around taking photos I will make my spa appt and check my dining room table. After I am done with photos I hit the Windjammer for lunch. Before eating I make my Chops Reservation since they are located near the entrance to the Windjammer.

 

Be prepared for an uncontrolable addicition!:eek:

[AFT_LOVER]

After getting to the ship either flying to the port city & then the transer to the ship & checking in, etc. It is nice to sit & get some food in you.

 

Then check the dinner reservations with your group, so you know you are all together & at the same table. If not then head to the dining room. Up to 10 at a table is good if group is bigger then they will be split between 2. But not on the other side of the dining room either.

 

Spa appointments can be done at the spa that first day. OR wait for specials on all the port days you may have to cash in then.

 

Ice show tickets are during the week & the Compass will tell you when to get them for what show you want.

 

If you are on Voyager class or bigger, parades are at 11Pm first night & 5:30pm duringthe week so check Compass.

 

Good idea to bring along a yellow or other eye catching color flair pen to highlight the compass for daily activity, so you don't miss anything.

[Happy ks]

My priority would be the spa appointments first.

 

We used to check our table assignments, now we just make sure we are seated at the same table as the people we are cruising with (your seapass card will reflect this).

 

Reservations at the specialty restaurants aren't that difficult to make. Unless you have a large group or a very specific time you want to book, there is no need to rush.

 

Formal nights are typically the second night and the next to the last night.

 

I'm not crazy for the lobster they serve in the dining room and have no idea why it is so popular. It's small, overcooked and pretty much tasteless, so this night to me would be the best time to book specialty dining.

 

The ice show I have no idea, I've never gone to one.

[sheilauk]

Thanks to all you posters, I have gleaned useful advice from you all. Good point about the photograhy - we don't usually remember until the last day:)

 

Now all I need to decide is wheteher to go for alternative dining on sea or port days. I'm thinking that as we are on early dining, I will choose the port days, to give a bit more time between returning to ship and eating. Does that make sense?

[gnparend]

First

Take the list a drop it in the trash. Way too much to worry about. My goodness you'll spend more time stressed out worring about your list. I suspect your an organizer and have to have list for everthing.

 

Now

First it's a cruise, drop you stuff in the cabin get the compass and go up to the pool deck and wave down one of those nice people with the drinks with all the fruit in them. Drink in an denjoy the fact you have made it and your cruise is about to begin, read your compass - so many of the answers to your questions ar ein there. All the other stuff will take care of itself in due time and you won't be left out of anything you want to do. And most importantly put the someone on the cruise with you 1st on the list and pay attention to the 1st thing on your list each day.

 

Cheers

[CLQ]

Having read all the relevant tips on here for making the most of my first cruise with RCI, which do I do first, once I board.

 

Check table in dining room that it is the right size/position.

 

Book dinner at Portofinos and Chops - making sure not to clash with Formal nights, Lobster night and Captains Dinner (?) Where do I book?

 

Find out when Lobster night, formal night and Captains Gala dinner take place, where? how? Will they know at the speciality restaurant?

 

Book ice show tickets, who? how? when?

 

Make spa bookings

 

Anything I should do in that first hour ?

 

Gosh I didn't know it would be like organising a military operation.:D :D

Throw in a quick lunch in Windjammer and you just described our first hour on board. That, and the suggestion to get around and take some pictures. Since you can't really get the Ice Show tickets, that's off the list. But, we really do pretty much everything you just said. It's hectic, but for us it's also fueled by our excitement about being back out to cruise again. Getting those things in place sets us up to know we're going to really enjoy the week. All that frenetic activity really is part of our enjoyment.

[CLQ]

First

Take the list a drop it in the trash. Way too much to worry about. My goodness you'll spend more time stressed out worring about your list. I suspect your an organizer and have to have list for everthing.

 

...different people relax in different ways. For us, there are a LOT of moments where we just sit back with a fruity beverage and let the ocean go by. But the first couple of hours on board aren't among them. By getting a lot of things in place, we know we're set like we want to be. We find that relaxing, even though it sounds really busy. I guess we all unwind in very different ways.

[raytownlady]

You sound like me, once I've got all my ducks in a row, then I can relax and really enjoy our cruise.

[FreewayFortune]

We just relax when we get on the ship. We booked the Mystery Theater night at Portofino on our last cruise and would probably book either that or just dinner pretty early on our next cruise. As for spa treatments we booked one each on our last cruise and had no problem with getting the time we wanted. I think we booked it 2 days in advance.

[KC_fn]

For tix to the ice show on Mariner (St. Thomas - St. Maarten itinerary), we had to go pick them up at 8:30 am on Tuesday. (It was a sea day, why did they drag me out of bed at 8:30 am on a SEA DAY :mad: ). So you'll have to stand in line to get the tickets. Then you'll stand in line again for the show, since seating is not reserved. Good show, though.

[Little Elm]

We just relax when we get on the ship. We booked the Mystery Theater night at Portofino on our last cruise and would probably book either that or just dinner pretty early on our next cruise. As for spa treatments we booked one each on our last cruise and had no problem with getting the time we wanted. I think we booked it 2 days in advance.

 

Mystery Theater night at Portofino? Do they do this on all the ships and all sailings?

[babybaby]

We assign each adult a task to take care of. That way everyone is not running all over the place. My DH checks the dinning room table, my DD makes the reservations at Chops and Portofino's, and we don't use the spa.

We all decide what nights we want to eat at Chops and Portofino's before we leave home, and a plan B just in case.

I take care of getting balcony dividers open and so on. That way we don't feel like we have to get aboard and go to work.

We took a cruise on the Miracle with Carnival one year and had everything all planned out. We were burn out with cruise info before we left home. I had all my notes from this board, things we needed to pack, what we needed to do when we got on board, things to do at ports of call. It was so planned out it was almost boring. To much structure, and no element of surprise. Plan enough to avoid chaos, and leave time for a little spontaneity. Have fun!

[PATCHESPOP]

First

Take the list a drop it in the trash. Way too much to worry about. My goodness you'll spend more time stressed out worring about your list. I suspect your an organizer and have to have list for everthing.

 

Now

First it's a cruise, drop you stuff in the cabin get the compass and go up to the pool deck and wave down one of those nice people with the drinks with all the fruit in them. Drink in an denjoy the fact you have made it and your cruise is about to begin, read your compass - so many of the answers to your questions ar ein there. All the other stuff will take care of itself in due time and you won't be left out of anything you want to do. And most importantly put the someone on the cruise with you 1st on the list and pay attention to the 1st thing on your list each day.

 

Cheers

 

I ABSOLUTELY CONCUR WITH THIS POSTER! You're on vacation...Isn't there enough stress in your everyday life! Grab an umbrella drink by the pool and relax. Frankly, I've never had a problem with getting an appointment or restaurant reservation anytime - and belive me I'm not standing line to do it in the first hour!

 

Just chill out and enjoy yourself!

[Travelitis]

So, to adjust that list a bit.

 

1. Look around and enjoy that you're going on a cruise. Enjoy that excitement!

 

2. Drop your carry-on at the cabin, and there's no need to run to Chops or Portofino - just call from your stateroom.

 

3. Explore the ship, ending up at the Windjammer for a bite to eat. Then explore more. Don't get anal about that dining table, either. I've been by the windows and in the middle, upstairs and downstairs, and it really has made very little difference. If you're 2nd seating it's dark outside, and you can't see out the windows. Stop by that dining room on your way to the Windjammer as you're exploring the ship.

 

4. If you're really into the spa, then stop by as you tour the ship. There's no need to make a run for this either. There are lots of people on the ship who don't give a rip about that spa, I promise you. The more expensive the treatment you want, the less likely it will book quickly. They often run specials on port days, so you might want to wait and see.

 

5. Now throw away that to-do list! Go out on deck and enjoy the sail-away party!

[CruisingCatherine]

As an anal organinzer, I have to step in here. For those of us that live by schedules and plans, throwing out our "lists" create more stress than relaxation. My H is a free spirit that hates to plan anything. He has made me not plan things before. As a result we have missed shows that we wanted to see and have not been able to eat at places we wanted. All because the decision and reservations were made at the last minute. On my last cruise I didn't make my appt with the Loyalty Ambassador on the first sea day. By the time we got around to it there were no appt's left. As a result I wasn't able to book onboard for my upcoming cruise and lost the $100 OBC.

 

As a compulsive planner I cannot relax until business is taken care of. Sitting on the deck with a fruity drink while I am worrying about where my table is, if i will be able to get my reservation time I want at Chops, and any other "business" to be taken care of, does not allow my to enjoy my drink.

[reallyitsmema]

When we got on the ship, we went up to the Windjammer. Chops is right there so we went in and made our reservation for the day we had already planned. We went to the bar at entrance of the WJ and bought our soda cards. Got lunch and looked at the sights for a bit. Once lunch was done it still was too early to drop bags off in the cabin so we did a little exploring, played a game of mini golf and then cabins were open. Dropped off bags and then continued to explore our way from deck 10 down until we got to dining room to check out our table.

 

Do things at your own pace. If you need to get it all scheduled so you can relax, then go for it! Sitting having a cocktail just wasn't our thing. We had explored all decks, taken a ton of pictures and had accomplished our goals all before muster drill. Enjoy your cruise!:)

[karena1]

As an anal organinzer, I have to step in here. For those of us that live by schedules and plans, throwing out our "lists" create more stress than relaxation. My H is a free spirit that hates to plan anything. He has made me not plan things before. As a result we have missed shows that we wanted to see and have not been able to eat at places we wanted. All because the decision and reservations were made at the last minute. On my last cruise I didn't make my appt with the Loyalty Ambassador on the first sea day. By the time we got around to it there were no appt's left. As a result I wasn't able to book onboard for my upcoming cruise and lost the $100 OBC.

 

As a compulsive planner I cannot relax until business is taken care of. Sitting on the deck with a fruity drink while I am worrying about where my table is, if i will be able to get my reservation time I want at Chops, and any other "business" to be taken care of, does not allow my to enjoy my drink.

 

 

Again, I guess it is different for some. I am a huge planner, I have our vacations planned for the next 2 years. But never have I had a List that I had to take care of once I got on the ship. We head to the pool, lay in the sun, enjoy a few drinks, and once the luggage gets there, I unpack. Have never had problems getting any reservations that I wanted, and the one time they messed up our table seating at dinner, we went down about 5 and they had it fixed in time for our first 8:30 dinner. So I never worry about anything. Maybe it is b/c I don't have any kids on my vacation, but DH and I just want to relax and everything else just falls into place.

[dratomic]

Having read all the relevant tips on here for making the most of my first cruise with RCI, which do I do first, once I board.

 

Check table in dining room that it is the right size/position.

 

Book dinner at Portofinos and Chops - making sure not to clash with Formal nights, Lobster night and Captains Dinner (?) Where do I book?

 

Find out when Lobster night, formal night and Captains Gala dinner take place, where? how? Will they know at the speciality restaurant?

 

Book ice show tickets, who? how? when?

 

Make spa bookings

 

Anything I should do in that first hour ?

 

Gosh I didn't know it would be like organising a military operation.:D :D

 

 

First stop is the Windjammer to get some honey stung chicken! It's great and they only serve it in the buffet on departure day!

 

Patrick

[CLQ]

For those of us that live by schedules and plans, throwing out our "lists" create more stress than relaxation. As a compulsive planner I cannot relax until business is taken care of. Sitting on the deck with a fruity drink while I am worrying about where my table is, if i will be able to get my reservation time I want at Chops, and any other "business" to be taken care of, does not allow my to enjoy my drink.

Glad to have company. There's more than one perspective to everything.

[CLQ]

First stop is the Windjammer to get some honey stung chicken! It's great and they only serve it in the buffet on departure day!

 

Patrick

You just nailed my favorite Windjammer item! Good stuff.

[CruisingCatherine]

In all of the cruises I have been on I have never had the honey stung chicken. I will have to put that on my not to miss list for our next cruise.

[KelJ]

As an anal organinzer, I have to step in here. For those of us that live by schedules and plans, throwing out our "lists" create more stress than relaxation. My H is a free spirit that hates to plan anything. He has made me not plan things before. As a result we have missed shows that we wanted to see and have not been able to eat at places we wanted. All because the decision and reservations were made at the last minute. On my last cruise I didn't make my appt with the Loyalty Ambassador on the first sea day. By the time we got around to it there were no appt's left. As a result I wasn't able to book onboard for my upcoming cruise and lost the $100 OBC.

 

As a compulsive planner I cannot relax until business is taken care of. Sitting on the deck with a fruity drink while I am worrying about where my table is, if i will be able to get my reservation time I want at Chops, and any other "business" to be taken care of, does not allow my to enjoy my drink.

 

I think you must be my long lost sister. Apparently, we were separated at birth!:) :p :D