Windjammer nightmare

[LA_CA_GAL]

Big breakfast before boarding...

Hit the bar at boarding time.....

Drink until rooms open...

Store luggage....

Hit the bar again....

No problems!

 

Exactly what I do.

 

Under no circumstances would I ever go to the WJ on boarding day.

[John&LaLa]

I know I will be the only person to admit it on here but I actually like Golden Coral! :eek:

 

Count me in as well. :beer:

[sleepless]

I love the chaos everyone else causes when I am having my paella and melon water in the WJ that first lunch....don't take my pleasure away -- leave me to my pleasure!

 

 

I have to agree with Paulette on this. We usually do the Windjammer for lunch the first day. The only time we did not was our first cruise on the Oasis. We tried the Park Cafe for the roast beef sandwiches. While it was great, something was missing. We now will only do the Windjammer for lunch boarding day. We love the chaos and excitement that goes with it.

[Toddcan]

I have to agree with Paulette on this. We usually do the Windjammer for lunch the first day. The only time we did not was our first cruise on the Oasis. We tried the Park Cafe for the roast beef sandwiches. While it was great, something was missing. We now will only do the Windjammer for lunch boarding day. We love the chaos and excitement that goes with it.

 

See? The craziness is not uncommon :) We love it too!

[Paulette3028]

See? The craziness is not uncommon :) We love it too!

 

It isn't crazy....and it isn't uncommon to feel this way. For those people who have been on the roll call for a cruise with me....I use it as a way for them to find me, prior to our Meet N Mingle. I have my beige hat with red brim on (or on my chair). Now I have added a special T-shirt for embarkation day. It is great fun and a great way to start my cruise. I don't find a lot of pushing or shoving -- I am polite to others, and let them go in front of me, if they are is such a rush....have they not heard -- they are on the ship for more than a few hours.

 

I do love the paella and strawberry/melon drink -- a traditional meal for lunch for me.

 

I love the people watching on pool deck....a little exploring around the ship, drop off the carryon's, then more people watching on the pool deck...a little muster drill -- more people watching. First day is great fun.

 

Getting ready to board Indy on Saturday for some embarkation day FUN!

[kitntrip]

Last year, we took HAL to Alaska, and even though it was our first time on HAL, we had 1-star Mariner status, due to previous Carnival cruises.

 

 

You were able to transfer your points from Carnival to HAL? I had no idea you could do that!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jules815]

It isn't crazy....and it isn't uncommon to feel this way. For those people who have been on the roll call for a cruise with me....I use it as a way for them to find me, prior to our Meet N Mingle. I have my beige hat with red brim on (or on my chair). Now I have added a special T-shirt for embarkation day. It is great fun and a great way to start my cruise. I don't find a lot of pushing or shoving -- I am polite to others, and let them go in front of me, if they are is such a rush....have they not heard -- they are on the ship for more than a few hours.

 

I do love the paella and strawberry/melon drink -- a traditional meal for lunch for me.

 

I love the people watching on pool deck....a little exploring around the ship, drop off the carryon's, then more people watching on the pool deck...a little muster drill -- more people watching. First day is great fun.

 

Getting ready to board Indy on Saturday for some embarkation day FUN!

 

Yes, embarkation day is great fun! Going to the WJ on day one is part of our cruise ritual. We always board early though, and usually don't have a hard time finding a seat.

[bigque]

See? The craziness is not uncommon :) We love it too!

 

The hustle and bustle of the WJ on embarkation day is a spectacle to behold & We love it three! :cool:

[CatgirlNC]

You were able to transfer your points from Carnival to HAL? I had no idea you could do that!

 

Well, not transferred exactly, as far as your number of days at seas. It just starts you out at 1-star status (with zero days sailed), with a very minimal amount of perks. In addition to the embarkation day lunch, we were also invited to the Mariners' Society brunch, and received a tile with a picture of the ship. We will have to continue to accumulate additional days on HAL in order to climb up the ladder to any higher Mariner star status- days on Carnival won't count towards that (and my 7 days on HAL don't count towards my Carnival VIFP status).

[kitntrip]

Well, that's nice to get for your first HAL sailing!

[Trainman-2]

I know I will be the only person to admit it on here but I actually like Golden Coral! :eek:

 

The Golden Coral in Palm Coast, FL is our favorite restaurant so you are not alone!

 

We never have problems getting seats in the Windjammer on boarding day because we invite ourselves to join another couple that is already seated.

 

We make new friends at the start of the cruise this way and have a great time.

[lovethesun1960]

The hustle and bustle of the WJ on embarkation day is a spectacle to behold & We love it three! :cool:

 

 

I like it a lot too and my parents are flat crazy about the WJ, but my husband, who says this is his last cruise (he thinks that the next terrorist attack will be on an unarmed cruise ship-thanks for the thought, honey), hates the first day wildness. I am going to try to snag some of the strawberry melon drink and take it back to eat at the park cafe and we will sit around the solarium to wait for our cabins or whatever idea he comes up with.

We will be in New Orleans the day before and are staying at the Embassy Suites, so they will feed us a lovely large breakfast and we will then stop at Cafe du Monde for one more round of beignets and cafe au lait, so we will not be starving.

Then we will wander on down to the ship. I wonder if we can give our bags to the porters and then leave to go to Cafe Du Monde, as it would be more convenient?

I supposed they won't want me to bring on a muffaletta? Does the Serenade have any food that is a nod to the lovely port?

[perkli25]

Big breakfast before boarding...

Hit the bar at boarding time.....

Drink until rooms open...

Store luggage....

Hit the bar again....

No problems!

 

Haha! This is our routine too! And we love the people watching that goes on that first day.

[cruzsnooze]

Problem lies with those lingering long after they have eaten. RCCL needs to somehow encourage people to use other areas of the ship after eating.

 

I agree with you in pricipal but not in theory. Nobody wants to shlepp around their suitcases. Some cruise lines have the cabins ready at noon. If they can accomplish that why can't RCL?

Edited February 12, 2015 by cruzsnooze

[LadyBeBop]

Any problem with this scenerio? Cruising on the Freedom in late April.

 

Eat breakfast about 9 AM, arrive on board about noon and immediately hit the pool. Unpack when our room is ready and have a light lunch somewhere about 2:30.

 

I'm sure my 6-year old granddaughter will want to go swimming first thing.

 

I'm assuming there's no snack bar directly by the pool for lunch.

[Clarea]

Any problem with this scenerio? Cruising on the Freedom in late April.

 

Eat breakfast about 9 AM, arrive on board about noon and immediately hit the pool. Unpack when our room is ready and have a light lunch somewhere about 2:30.

 

I'm sure my 6-year old granddaughter will want to go swimming first thing.

 

I'm assuming there's no snack bar directly by the pool for lunch.

Sounds good to me. No snack bar on the pool deck, but there is Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's on deck 5.

[Duke Mazer]

First off, the Park Cafe secret is out! Lunch seems to always be packed there and the problem is there aren't as many tables and because it's the park people love to sit around there. You can get your food after a lineup good luck getting a seat. It is a perfect lunch spot if you can get a seat. if your in a group have someone grab a table first.

 

As for windjammer, If you get there too late move on find something else I agree to many people hang around and it must suck to stand in line for 30 minutes or more to get a seat.

 

Because of those lurkers those darn announcement every 5 minutes to politely "GET OUT" gets quickly annoying. Could not relax and just finish the meal did not like the feeling of being rushes. I understand don't stay if you've finished eating but I don't like to be rushed while I'm eating, I'm on vacation I'm not in a hurry, so I second open the MDR, put in a simple buffet like breakfast.

[sellhomz]

We leave our home at 3:45 am for our 5:15 am flight. I do not eat breakfast at that time. However we are at port everglades at 10:30. Small line when we get there. Usually with diamond early on board. Several times waited by pool till WJ opens. Have a nice brunch, leave as it gets crowded and search for THE BAR! Oh I know where they all are, but looking for the right bartender, the one that lights up when we give them a couple of bucks as they deliver the drinks. The ONE will become our bartender. Last time on EOS. It was the aquarium/ bolero. After we found them we never had drinks elsewhere in the evening. Had the best time with their staff. Back to point. Early embarkation is very relaxing. Sat in aquarium bar watching everyone else come on board with the staff, deciding who was first timers!

[Paulette3028]

We leave our home at 3:45 am for our 5:15 am flight. I do not eat breakfast at that time. However we are at port everglades at 10:30. Small line when we get there. Usually with diamond early on board. Several times waited by pool till WJ opens. Have a nice brunch, leave as it gets crowded and search for THE BAR! Oh I know where they all are, but looking for the right bartender, the one that lights up when we give them a couple of bucks as they deliver the drinks. The ONE will become our bartender. Last time on EOS. It was the aquarium/ bolero. After we found them we never had drinks elsewhere in the evening. Had the best time with their staff. Back to point. Early embarkation is very relaxing. Sat in aquarium bar watching everyone else come on board with the staff, deciding who was first timers!

 

I agree 'early embarkation is very relaxing'. It is a wonderful game to decide who is a first time cruiser. Love it.

 

Besides all the early arrivers make it easier for the later arrivals.....like you we are just doing our part to keep the flow moving along.

[griffy116]

Long before there were options for the day of embarkation, getting to the WJ meant we were truly on our long awaited cruise. We usually aren't the first or the last onboard and there is usually a crowd. It's still our tradition and we still love seeing the folks come into the WJ who are first-time cruisers. There's just an excitement about it that keeps us going back and being willing to be a little bit inconvenienced.

[Rocketlady]

This happens on all ships first day so why get excited. Expect it. We went to the buffet found a seat every time. Might not of been as close as we wanted but big deal. We were just on the Quantum . Same story. But they also have other eating areas through out the ship.

 

Do you really expect 4000 seats at the same time?