8:00 pm Embarkation Question from a Rookie

[Landlubber54]

OK, I saw Heather's poll about what you do once you have embarked. Nearly all the responses (all?) appeared to speak to a midday embarkation. Can someone tell me about the differences with an evening embarkation? I am assuming with the scheduled departure of 8:00 pm that the main dining room will not be an option the first night. What options should my DD, DW and I expect?

Besides the emergency drill, that is... :cool:

[RevNeal]

With an 8 pm departure the dining room will still be in service ... people gonna eat. :) This is a cruise, after all!

I would guess that the life-boat drill will be during the mid-morning of the first sea day. That does happen sometimes.

[jhannah]

I would also guess that the dining room will be open seating that night. It often is when the ship doesn't leave port at the usual 5:00 or 6:00 time.

[RevNeal]

Hey, Jim ... I hadn't thought of that. Last time I was on a cruise with an 8 pm departure we didn't have open seating ... the schedule was "normal." What would the reason be for "opening seating"? Curious.

[Landlubber54]

I would expect that they would have open seating because the scheduled first sitting is at 6:15 +/-, and with embarkation going on, it would probably be impractical to have that sitting. That brings up another question for me: If the dining room is open the first night, should I have a sports coat on, with a tie in my pocket? Or would the first night most likely be casual. I am guessing that HAL will tell me some of these things when I get our paperwork, but who wants to wait until 30 days prior to departure to find out??:cool:

By the way, the two of you are in my Top Ten list of posters here at CC. (That's a good thing.) Thanks for all your help.:)

[dakrewser]

First night is always casual.

Greg: It's open seating because you might be getting on a hour or so after your assigned seating time...

[Landlubber54]

Makes sense to me, but what is logical does not always rule...:rolleyes:

[Jemima]

What cruise has an 8 pm departure?

[Landlubber54]

It's a HAL southbound cruisetour, leaving from Seward and debarking in Vancouver, BC. We spend the week prior in Alaska on the "tour" part of the trip. The northbound trip arrives in Seward in the AM and, I guess, they spend the better part of the day cleaning up.