Embarkation...then what???

[Auggie11]

I would love to hear from some expierenced cruisers as to what is your "routine" right after getting onto the ship. What do you do before you can get into your room or before your luggage is delivered? I don't want to be wandering around the ship with my kids without a plan.We will be on the Destiny in March '09.

[vacruizer]

We always head up to Lido for lunch since we still have our carryons with us. Stake out a table and I almost always have a burger with mushrooms and a lemonade for lunch the first day. DH usually has the same unless we are on a ship with the Mongolian grill. :D

[BND]

We try to go by our cabin and drop off our carryon's if we can. Then we go up to the Lido and eat lunch. We then walk around and tour the ship and usually grab a DOD at some point. We people watch and check out the lines of late arrivals at the terminal and just enjoy being onboard knowing we have a week or so ahead of us of great fun and relaxation.

[A&Jfamily]

I would love to hear from some expierenced cruisers as to what is your "routine" right after getting onto the ship. What do you do before you can get into your room or before your luggage is delivered? I don't want to be wandering around the ship with my kids without a plan.We will be on the Destiny in March '09.

 

Well, then I guess I can't help because wander is exactly what we do!:D Generally, I have a good lay of the land from looking at the deck plans and pcitures on the web, but I like to see it. Besides, that walking burns off the lunch I just snarfed down on the Lido!;)

 

Rooms aren't typically ready until 1:30 for a 4 p.m. sailaway, and camp isn't open. You can wear a suit on if you are leaving from a warm port, and if the pools are full (I have seen it both ways) go for a swim and enjoy your DOD...yum.:cool:

[bfkkbc]

I would love to hear from some expierenced cruisers as to what is your "routine" right after getting onto the ship. What do you do before you can get into your room or before your luggage is delivered? I don't want to be wandering around the ship with my kids without a plan.We will be on the Destiny in March '09.

 

Eat, Drink and Drink some more!!!:D

[laurierocs]

I'm with vacruiser...lido deck for lunch. Take our time and eat, and eat, then eat some more! Then we usually wander around, try to figure out the ship layout. Check to see if the fire doors are open. If they are shut, it's best not to try to go to your room. I opened them once and headed for our room only to upset our room steward. So, now I always wait until the doors are open.

 

Laurie

[lizardhowson]

I would love to hear from some expierenced cruisers as to what is your "routine" right after getting onto the ship. What do you do before you can get into your room or before your luggage is delivered? I don't want to be wandering around the ship with my kids without a plan.We will be on the Destiny in March '09.

 

Eat Lunch ! :D

[5waldos]

Gawk at the ship. Eat lunch. Have another drink (ok, I probably got one on embarking). Gawk some more at the ship. Then go to room, unpack, go ooh aah at the balcony.

[bubbles1209]

We always stop at the bar in the atrium for our 1st frozen Rum Runner, then head up to the Lido for lunch. Afterwards, we relax in the sun, then, go check out the ship until we can get into our cabin. We don't walk on with more than our camera equipment in the camera bag, so lugging stuff around is never a problem.:) We just enjoy milling around, getting familiar with where everything is, and knowing we have a whole week of whatever we want to do coming our way.:)

[vacruizer]

I'm with vacruiser...lido deck for lunch. Take our time and eat, and eat, then eat some more! Then we usually wander around, try to figure out the ship layout. Check to see if the fire doors are open. If they are shut, it's best not to try to go to your room. I opened them once and headed for our room only to upset our room steward. So, now I always wait until the doors are open.

 

Laurie

 

I am the same way - I always check to see if we can drop off carryons but only once in 6 cruises have we been able to get to the room prior to 1:30 - the fire doors are always still closed.

[bankonus]

Always lunch first, then walk around the ship with the kids to get aquainted with the layout, then up on deck for the first Drink of the Day and to buy the soda cards for the kids!!! Love to people watch our fellow passengers getting on the ship as well.

[thinkpink]

im doing some SHOTS!!!

 

:D lol

[navybaby1113]

We go and eat lunch and then just go look around until we can get into our rooms.

[canttanman]

Make sure they have swim gear on, and go hang out at the pools on the Lido deck. If you're hungry, eat. If you just want to hang out while they enjoy the water, have a pop, relax, and let them have fun after the long trip to get there!

[sandij]

We eat lunch, have desert and walk around. Haven't had to wait too long for our room to be open and then DH takes a nap and I go find out where the dinning room is and the sports bar (for me not him) and just the general lay out of the ship. Sometimes you're lucky and you're on the sister ship of one you've already sailed and everything is in the same place. Then get ready for the muster drill, unpack and then it sail away and dinner. Gosh the first day is done already.

[Froufie]

Usually get on as EARLY as possible - and head down to cabin to drop off carryons and if possible put valuables in safe! Then I don my special cruise lanyard with my S&S card and feel light as a feather - but I do bring my camera with me.

 

Because the ship is still pretty empty this is a great opportunity to take pics of lots of the public spots - so I head out to deck 5 usually and take pics of the disco, bars, casino, theatre, some atrium shots - then outdoors for some port and pool shots and yes finally some lunch on the Lido deck.

 

Eventually back to the cabin and start to unpack if luggage is there before muster and sailaway!

[cookc61462]

Last cruise we were a little late getting to port, so we went right to our room, dumped our carryons and then went to Lido for lunch :)

 

Drink of the day on the way :D:D

 

this may we will probably get there early and hope for FOOD and spirits :)

[InitialD]

I usually walk around the ship and get as many photos of the port as possible. Then I head down to lido to EAT! I'm usually so hungry because that morning I was rushing out of whatever hotel we were staying in, grabbing a danish or muffin to go!

[smashley]

This post makes me so excited. Nothing like stepping on that cruise ship the first day and realizing you have an amazing time ahead of you!

[stefyo]

Since I have never been on a cruise before but am planning my first one - what time can you start boarding the ship?

[A&Jfamily]

Since I have never been on a cruise before but am planning my first one - what time can you start boarding the ship?

 

Earliest about 11:00/11:30...but it depends on when the ship got in, how fast it cleared customs and got last weeks passengers off...

[232271]

Since I have never been on a cruise before but am planning my first one - what time can you start boarding the ship?

 

we always get to pier by 1030 and have been on ship usually by noon-ish, but it just depends on the day.

[Auggie11]

Thank you everyone for your repiles & suggestions!!! I LOVE how specific some are!! I am soooo excited, I can't stand it.I'm sure it will take time to find out where camp carnival is, the arcade, lunch On Lido, and the Granddaddy of them all, the pool with the slide-all while stopping for drinks along the way!! I will make sure my boys have their swim suits under their clothes (me too for that matter)!

[vacation_junkie]

I would love to hear from some expierenced cruisers as to what is your "routine" right after getting onto the ship. What do you do before you can get into your room or before your luggage is delivered? I don't want to be wandering around the ship with my kids without a plan.We will be on the Destiny in March '09.

 

Arrive at the port between 10:15-10:30..no line-ups..check in...go to our seats..get yelled at cause my big purse doens't fit under the chairs properly ..he..he..he..watch the huge line ups form as we board the ship! board about 11:30...Walk to the Lido..eat before the mad rush...walk around the ship and check things out.go to the arcade with our son..go see where our room is...our room was ready by 1pm last cruise..we had our luggage by 2:30pm. This is also a GREAT time to take pictures of the inside of the ship because the halls are not crowded with people yet.

 

 

We had eaten, unpacked..by the time the people had boarded!

[Uncle Doug]

Always lunch first, then walk around the ship with the kids to get aquainted with the layout, then up on deck for the first Drink of the Day and to buy the soda cards for the kids!!! Love to people watch our fellow passengers getting on the ship as well.

 

 

If you buy your soda cards after sail away you won't have to pay tax on them. If you are getting several it adds up.