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new to cruising-what happens at sailaway?

LORRAINE45

By LORRAINE45,
in Princess Cruises

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Dachsie5

Dachsie5

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hi sailing on sea princess soon-[cant wait] what happens at sailaway?-is it partytime? i have this image of a carribean band/cocktails and party-is this right or im i running away with myself!!!:D

Yes! You are right, if it is a nice day, everyone is up on deck partying away.........Champagne, fru, fru drinks, beer anything you want to buy. Last fall it was rainy when we sailed, we were all tuckered out from getting up so early, so, we just relaxed with Champagne on our balcony.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

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bjkTX

bjkTX

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It's not exactly like you see in the old movies - no horns, no confetti, no streamers, no relatives waving bon voyage - just whoever decides to show up on deck and pay for a drink. We normally celebrate sailaway on our balcony but the last few we went up on deck - and nothing was happening. Every cruise is different, but sailaway is not the big event it used to be.

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Passin Thru

Passin Thru

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There are usually bystanders on the dock waving at you, everyone trys to gather on deck and watch. You hear 1 long signal on the ships horn and it just jently moves away. It is fun but the crew know their job so there are no bumps etc and you may get a tug boat assist. About 3 miles out a small boat comes aside and the habor pilot gets off and we are then on our own. Harbor pilots have the most dangerous job in the world.

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u2cruiser

u2cruiser

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Sailaway from Fort Lauderdale is very exciting. I could hardly contain myself on our first cruise, I was so happy to be there :eek:.

 

Lovely atmosphere, everyone ready for a good time and lots of local people waving you off as you set sail, drink in hand, band playing...........................

 

aaahhhh! I wish I was there now :cool:

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Katie333

Katie333

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I agree it's not the fanfare you might think based on film depiction, but can still be very festive. We enjoy this from our balcony drinking a glass of champagne. The ship moves very slowly out of port, but the scenery is generally nice, lots of folks do wave from their (smaller) boats or from land.

 

The coast guard guide we had most recently was a lot of fun. He called out on the loudspeaker that he was going to 'guide us out' and jetted around us with the whole group waving and laughing.

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bjkTX

bjkTX

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DH and I are also 1st timers and were thinking about trying to have the UBD on 1st night. 1st is this even possible and 2nd is there a special menu in the dining room for sailaway?

 

The UBD is always a special event. One suggestion, see what time you depart port each day and see if there is one when you depart late so that you can enjoy the UBD when the ship is not moving. Depending on weather that can be a big plus. Enjoy!

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wizard-of-roz

wizard-of-roz

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Depending on the ship and where you're leaving from.....[Disney's horns actually play Disney songs.] You can have a band playing [if you're lucky they're steel drums], on deck, near the pool, with cocktail waiters hocking the "sailaway" drink in a special glass. The mood is happy and joyful.

Folks are dancing to the beat of the music.....some folks on land will be waving from nearby restaurants or private boats. Dock workers will wave at you [with a glint in their eye, wishing it was them!]

It's definitely different than it was years ago but it's still filled with lots of happy people with the anticipation of the glorious days ahead, onboard a beautiful floating hotel!!!!!!

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trixiee

trixiee

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There are usually bystanders on the dock waving at you, everyone trys to gather on deck and watch. You hear 1 long signal on the ships horn and it just jently moves away. It is fun but the crew know their job so there are no bumps etc and you may get a tug boat assist. About 3 miles out a small boat comes aside and the habor pilot gets off and we are then on our own. Harbor pilots have the most dangerous job in the world.

 

Really??

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cruznliz

cruznliz

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Be sure you are on an outside upper deck a few minutes before sailaway. You can watch them "un-tie" the ship from the dock. Then the horn blows! (You won't hear the horn if you are indoors.) It is magical! :D

 

Princess used to play the theme song from "The Love Boat" but we haven't heard it in years. The deck party is as fun as the crew/cruise director make it. Different on every ship. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's boring. Do bring your camera and have someone take your picture with the shoreline in the background.;)

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Whimsy

Whimsy

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Another magical sailaway time is after everyone has started to drift to dinner and you are still out on the back of the ship, watching the land slip further and further away in the distance with the wake view. It's quiet, the sun is setting and everything has a vacation glow. Sip your drink and soak it all in.

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cs4225

cs4225

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We enjoy being on deck for the sail away party. Good reason to enjoy several beers realizing that you are finally on the ship. We like to go to the railing and wave to people on shore as the ship slowly pulls out of port.

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