What's Your Cruise Routine?

My DH and I sail next month on the Jade. We are lucky enough to have a suite and are looking forward to it. We have a cruise routine that we follow regardless of line and as it gets closer I spend time every day dreaming about it. :)

I thought it might be a fun thread to read about each other's routines. I've learned a lot from you all so I will definitely not be surprised if there are things that make me go, "Why didn't we think of that?!"

There are three definites to our routine.

1. This one we hate, but do anyway. We get up and get to the gym as soon as it opens in the morning for five out of the seven days. We do this to keep a routine so it's not so hard when we get home. We also want to get it over with so we have the entire day ahead of us, and it makes us feel a little better about the extra calories we're sure to take in during the week! By day three we HATE it because we also stay up late having fun, but we push through it knowing the rest of the day will be relaxing.

2. On warm sea days after breakfast we find two loungers and commence to reading, people watching, sipping, dipping, and napping. We probably cycle through that three or four time before lunch.

3. On port days we enjoy room service breakfast and dinner. Room service breakfast makes preparing for excursions easier for us, and after running around all day, we love a few dinners in private to decompress and prepare for the fun evenings.

I hope you'll share your routines!!!

My DH and I sail next month on the Jade. We are lucky enough to have a suite and are looking forward to it. We have a cruise routine that we follow regardless of line and as it gets closer I spend time every day dreaming about it. :)

 

I thought it might be a fun thread to read about each other's routines. I've learned a lot from you all so I will definitely not be surprised if there are things that make me go, "Why didn't we think of that?!"

 

There are three definites to our routine.

 

1. This one we hate, but do anyway. We get up and get to the gym as soon as it opens in the morning for five out of the seven days. We do this to keep a routine so it's not so hard when we get home. We also want to get it over with so we have the entire day ahead of us, and it makes us feel a little better about the extra calories we're sure to take in during the week! By day three we HATE it because we also stay up late having fun, but we push through it knowing the rest of the day will be relaxing.

 

2. On warm sea days after breakfast we find two loungers and commence to reading, people watching, sipping, dipping, and napping. We probably cycle through that three or four time before lunch.

 

3. On port days we enjoy room service breakfast and dinner. Room service breakfast makes preparing for excursions easier for us, and after running around all day, we love a few dinners in private to decompress and prepare for the fun evenings.

 

I hope you'll share your routines!!!

I love # 3! That sounds so romantic, cozy, special and sweet! I may have borrow that idea!

2 of ours? For at least 2 nights we are dressed and ready for our night out, before sunset and enjoy wine on our balcony while we watch the sun set. (and saying a silent thank you that we get to witness such wonder in such a setting)

WE TAKE THE STAIRS-Our rule? You eat, you walk! Also, realizing someday we may not be able to take the stairs, so lets take them while we can and leave the elevators for those that cannot.

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

 

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

 

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

Too funny!

We do the sunset drink on the balcony as well and we always take the stairs! Our other big thing is we have major Kindle Scrabble tournaments while on board, and during the rest of the year NEVER pick up the game.

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

 

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

 

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

Love it!!

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

 

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

 

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

I'm dumping my husband and cruising with you:D

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

 

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

 

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

Kind of sounds like what we used to do before we had kids in tow. Now it has to be altered:

1 - Wake up, get the kids some food in them, bring them to the kids club (which they ask us to bring them to).

2 - Then we grab a roadie for a walk around the ship, stopping for refills as needed. Maybe a quick bite as well.

3 - Repeat steps 1 & 2 based on meal times through out the day.

* If we are at an excursion, we adjust walking around the ship and bring the kids with us to where ever we are going that has drinks.

Ours consist of Breakfast in the cabin everyday, sitting on the balcony having morning coffee, taking in all that is beautiful!!!:)

Sex on the balcony at least once during the cruise!!!:eek:

Martinis before and after dinner every night...:cool:

We don't have any routines, but we have noticed that for some reason we do this:

1. Take the stairs, always. Probably, because it is usually faster and we know that we eat too much on cruises.

2. Buy all the pictures. We keep saying that we should do family portraits at home, but we don't get around to it. So, our family portraits tend to come from cruises.

3. Become much more outgoing. It's odd, my wife never talks to strangers at local restaurants.....but, put her on a ship and she'll chat with everyone!

Hmmm.....well, the closest thing to a cruise routine we have is:

-I have coffee delivered each morning for approx. when I think I'll want it.

-We sleep in later than usual.

-We take pictures with all our towel animals each night.

...

Sex on the balcony at least once during the cruise!!!:eek:

...

Forgot about that one. Same here.

Also my first drink of every cruise is a Mudslide.

1. Room service breakfast and lunch in our suite with late afternoon snack of shrimp cocktail.

2. Use the stairs whenever possible.

3. On embarkation day, enjoy sailaway on our balcony, toasting each other and remarking how incredibly lucky we are!

I like to order coffee...i make frothy milk ..... and light breakfast ...mostly fruit and amuffin .......after watching sun rise .enjoy my coffee while watching the waves or the ship docking .I often snap great pix of either

Prepare my beach bag and what to wear ...if we havepland or i remain e xtra quiet .....offer breakfast to my son while I shower ....raisin bran,banana and milk .....

Go upstairs to buffet for real breakfast and fill water bottles

Nag and nag to get my son out of bed ready for days outing ...on a seaday I let him sleep ..i check the daily bulletin ...go off and let son sleep ...read, laze in the sun,watch the wake ,go toan activity ...letthe day roll by gently

By noon I go wake my son up .....lovely easy days Hopefully he is ready tomove by then .....lol

How about things I'm looking forward to repeating next month, since I've only been on one other cruise? ;)

- that first shot of fireball in the morning to kill off the hangover (it hurts and it's hard, lol, but it became a silly thing with my husband last year!)

- a glass of wine at every possible opportunity

- people watching by the pool on sea days... especially as the day wears on and people have had a weeeeee bit too much. My mom's coming with us on this cruise and is my favorite people watching buddy, so this will be hilariously fun!

Our cruise routine is this: throw the routines out the window! This is a vacation for goodness sake. Sometimes we get up early and watch the sunrise from our balcony, sometimes we sleep in, depending on how we feel. We have the occassional show or dinner reservation here and there. The rest of the time we just wing it. Sometimes we go hard all day and turn in early, other nights we are up late, not our usual routine at all, and why on earth would we want to do what we do at home?!

Is this your first NCL suite experience? If so, you'll be glad to know your butler will bring you pretty much anything available on the ship. No paltry room service menus for you! And, you'll have a private suite dining room for breakfast and lunch, either in the Haven or, for ships with no Haven, usually Cagneys, depending on the ship. It's nice to "go out" for breakfast occassionally.

Embarkation Day - Lunch in the Main Dining Room

Breakfast in the Main Dining Room - every day

I like the responses!

2 of ours? For at least 2 nights we are dressed and ready for our night out, before sunset and enjoy wine on our balcony while we watch the sun set. (and saying a silent thank you that we get to witness such wonder in such a setting)

 

WE TAKE THE STAIRS-Our rule? You eat, you walk! Also, realizing someday we may not be able to take the stairs, so lets take them while we can and leave the elevators for those that cannot.

Wine on the balcony at sunset before heading out for the evening. Added to my list. :) Also, I'm right there with you with regards to taking the stairs while we can and being happy that we can!

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover...

Classic! DH lol'd

@punkincc- CC is not letting me quote posts right now! It is our first suite with NCL and I've been reading up on it. Learned a TON that I don't think I would have known had I not found this board. Thanks for asking. :)

Oh my. We always wing our days, but have a few things we do every cruise.

1. Lunch in the dining room on embarkation day.

2. In room "breakfast" as our wake up call. This consists of coffee, crossaints, and fruit platter to wake us up before we get dressed and go to the dining room to eat breakfast.

3. Mimosas for breakfast to start our day

4. Art auction. We love going to at least one of the art auctions throughout the cruise.

5. Arcade. We become kids and go play a few games in the arcade.

6. People watch during the end of the parties.

7. Have a second dinner at one of the late night eating areas (pub food) before heading to the cabin to knock out.

8. Once a day I tell a bartender to make me their favorite drink. Cool way to learn new favorites!

1. This one is rough, but we do it anyway. We get up and hit the bar as soon as it opens each day. We do this to keep a routine. It's the only reliable way to avoid a hangover.

 

2. On warm sea days after a breakfast at Cagney's consisting of Bloody Marys and Crabcakes Benedict, we find two warm barstools on or near the pool deck. We commence to people watching and snickering under our breath. We try not to point. Usually will head back to the suite two-fisted for a nap.

 

3. On port days, we hit the bar first thing before leaving to go ashore. A nice calm buzz is best. We also enjoy a room service breakfast, and we make sure to finish any leftover cocktails in the room before heading out.

quick question, where do we get crabcakes benedict?

Watching the sunset.

And now I know why the balconies need to be hosed off!

My only cruise rituals are:

Making sure 1000x over that we have all our documents/passports/etc. prior to leaving home

and

Wearing a t shirt on embarkation day that states "Things Are Only Impossible Until They're Not" (a Star Trek Next Generation quote from Captain Picard).

I've done this for each of my 6 cruises because I always, always, always wanted to cruise since I was a child and my BF (now fiancee!!) brought me on my first cruise some 5 or 6 years ago so that's how that ritual started.

Our cruise routine is this: throw the routines out the window! This is a vacation for goodness sake. Sometimes we get up early and watch the sunrise from our balcony, sometimes we sleep in, depending on how we feel. We have the occassional show or dinner reservation here and there. The rest of the time we just wing it. Sometimes we go hard all day and turn in early, other nights we are up late, not our usual routine at all ....

That's us as well. We love the non-schedule of cruising especially sea days so we prefer itineraries with more sea days than ports, especially transatlantics.

We cruise ov or inside but still sometimes order coffee & croissants for in cabin wake-up but not always.

The closest we come to a routine is that every night we check the newsletter to choose what activities we MIGHT do the next day. Usually Trivia for hubby. I'd rather read.

For us, cruising is definitely all about Freestyle. No schedules or routines.

What I LOVE about NCL is I get to do things within the guidelines of when places are open and events are taking place. Can't do schedules and stressing over what time it is as I'm supposed to be someplace.

Our cruise ritual - always breakfast in the mdr on most days, even the last day. Also, playing cards with our kids indoors when we've had enough sun.

Watching the sunset.

 

And now I know why the balconies need to be hosed off!

Hummm I wonder if they have video cameras on the balcony