What is your routine when you embark?

[Horsgrl]

When you arrive onboard, what do you do first?

Some people unpack, some have lunch.....

WHAT DO YOU DO?

[Chairsin]

Well if you board before 2 you won’t have the option of unpacking since the suites are not ready until then and even when you are let into your suite luggage takes some time to be delivered. Might as well just have a nice relaxing lunch!

 

 

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[SLSD]

When we boarded Encore in September, we first had lunch in the Colonnade--our suite was ready before 2pm. When we got to the suite, our luggage was there--so we unpacked. We relaxed for a bit and unpacked(didn't open the champagne though) and then explored the ship for a while before the scheduled safety drill. After the drill, we relaxed for a while in the area around the Skybar. There was some music and people to meet. We visited the Observation Bar before dinner. Dinner was great that night. I can't remember at this point if we attended any entertainment after dinner. I think we did not. We had great dinner companions and stayed a while at dinner.

[Catlover54]

1. Get on early to have lunch with wine and get into cruising mode, check out ship

2. then go to suite when it is ready, start unpacking (we save the bubbly but eat the canapes) and make sure I have my very important prearranged topper for the bed :)

3.

We have a list made up for what we want regularly in the minibar, extra towels, pillows, etc. and hand it to the stewardess when she appears. We check doors, TV and function to see if anything is broken, check on internet, and check the TV menu and day prigram.

By then it is usually time for muster. We might not finish unpacking until post muster.

4.

After muster, long bath, start my blogs, DH sorts pictures, and then we get ready for dinner.

 

First days are exhausting :)

[Ka Honu]

Sometime between boarding and muster we fit in some time to do "errands" on board and resolve any issues or requests dealing with spa, excursions, dining, etc. SWMBO usually browses the library for a couple of books before they've been "picked over" (I'm an electronic book reader so this isn't usually an issue for me).

 

We've always been able to have a leisurely lunch, get all this done, acquaint/reacquaint ourselves with the ship, unpack, and still have a drink or three before muster. After, we pretty much follow SLSD's routine for the afternoon and evening.

 

[Mr Luxury]

Lunch,unpack,drill,sailaway.

 

 

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[Wendy The Wanderer]

If it's a ship we haven't sailed on before, after a light bite and perhaps a drink on deck, we explore the ship. Top to bottom, perhaps starting with our suite location so that we can drop our carry-ons if the steward is around and allows it. As soon as they call the suites and the luggage is there, I have to unpack to start the de-wrinkling process! Then an appropriate lounge!

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Lunch, unpack, go to the drill, enjoy a drink.

[Chairsin]

Wendy,

Do know that Seabourn usually blocks off the entrances to the areas where the suites are located until the announcement is made that they are ready. You would be able to walk around many of the public areas of the ship but not access your suite to drop your carry on bag.

 

As to delivery of bags they often come pretty quickly (that is one of the advantages of a small ship) but there have been times when our bags have not arrived until just before boat drill. You just never know. In a perfect world I too like to unpack prior to boat drill so then I’m free to relax afterwards.

 

 

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[Flamin_June]

After a couple of attempts at the check-in photo - a usually unsuccesful ploy to avoid looking like an escapee from Arkham Asylum - it's a stroll to lunch. Those first few steps on board often accompanied by an increasing feeling of benevolence and well-being. Then it's a bit of chat with Mrs June along the lines of " That looks nice. Wonder if the potato salad is as good as last time. Well, I'm definately going for the soup. What do you mean 'go easy on the bread and cheese' ??". I usully indulge in a spot of people-watching - 'they look interesting - did you see that dress!!?? - don't like the look of him - OMG three small children, hope they are not on our deck ', but also casting around to see if there are any familiar faces among passengers and crew.

Then to suite. Wait for luggage, wait for stewardess, make friends with stewardess, remove all soaps from tray, correct drinks selection, order fruit, carton of milk and lots of tins of tonic, gaze at docks/sea from veranda, wait for luggage, read message from captain, check menus, decide on Colonade or MDR, here comes the luggage, Unpack, negotiate who gets which drawer, cupboard, side of bed, wash-basin, hide kettle & teabags, think about having shower before drill, abandon the idea, race to finish unpacking before drill, go to drill, scan groups for familiar faces, people watch, chat to folks nearby, make mental note to definately avoid that couple, but seek out the other who were sitting behind us, back to suite, freshen up, check to see if milk has arrived and make cup of tea, hide kettle, and out on deck to sky bar for sail away. And finally relax. Phew!

[SLSD]

Flamin_June, Is it an electric kettle you are hiding?

[Flamin_June]

Yes... a safety, electric travelling kettle, with auto shut off, but don't tell anyone, please

As wonderful as most of the wait-staff are, none of them can make a decent cup of tea to save their lives. The liquid amber nectar is life-blood to Mrs June, without several transfusions a day I shudder to think what might happen to her; she would probably crumble away into a pile of dust.

In our early days on Seabourn, we used to keep the kettle in full view in the bar area.But on our third cruise they tried to take it away, so we had to hide it. We go through this charade everytime we sail now. The discarded tea-bags in the waste paper bin must be an obvious give-away, however as long as the kettle remains unseen all is harmony. It does mean that we never leave it plugged in and unattended.I am not going to tell you where we hide it, though.

[SLSD]

Flamin_June, Your secret is safe with me. Our niece is married to a man from the UK and I would not even attempt to make him a cup of tea! Being from the United States, I had no idea that travel kettles were even made.

[Flamin_June]

 

I've just googled for this image, and see that they make a FOLDING travel kettle now. Amazing!

[stamfordian]

 

I've just googled for this image, and see that they make a FOLDING travel kettle now. Amazing!

 

But doesn't the water come out bent?;p

[Flamin_June]

But doesn't the water come out bent?;p

 

Squashed flat, it seems!

[ab21au]

But doesn't the water come out bent?;p

 

That would make a good movie title “The Shape of Water” :)

[stamfordian]

Squashed flat, it seems!

 

Stamfordienne says one cannot possibly drink tea out of those plastic beakers. So do they not get suspicious when you ask for two empty china cups to be delivered? She also says when are we going to sail together again? We shall be on Quest in mid April in the Med.

[Bestie098]

Not unusual to do a cold-brew tea. I do that at home for Summer. Fresh fruit/green tea in a litre jug and leave in the fridge overnight with some lemon.

[Flamin_June]

Stamfordienne says one cannot possibly drink tea out of those plastic beakers. So do they not get suspicious when you ask for two empty china cups to be delivered? She also says when are we going to sail together again? We shall be on Quest in mid April in the Med.

 

!00% agree re plastic beakers - they went in the recycling bin aeons ago. We use the long stemless glasses, or the large tumblers, remove tea-bags with swizzle stick. Would be great to meet up again on board, but this April we'll be on Sojourn in the East Indies. After that, there is a nice looking Ody in the East Med in Sept, but most likely we will be recouping finances for another year. I'm not far off retiring now, so a little bit of financial prudence is probably required.We are not that far off getting our 140 days in, either. We'd both really like to do a TransPacific before too long......

[Roxburgh]

!00% agree re plastic beakers - they went in the recycling bin aeons ago. We use the long stemless glasses, or the large tumblers, remove tea-bags with swizzle stick. Would be great to meet up again on board, but this April we'll be on Sojourn in the East Indies. After that, there is a nice looking Ody in the East Med in Sept, but most likely we will be recouping finances for another year. I'm not far off retiring now, so a little bit of financial prudence is probably required.We are not that far off getting our 140 days in, either. We'd both really like to do a TransPacific before too long......

 

Re: Trans-Pacific, we did Sydney to Los Angeles a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Stops in Brisbane, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, American Samoa, Kiribati and Hawaii. A great way to see those islands! Only downside was four or five sea days between Hawaii and Los Angeles with the knowledge that we had to disembark at the end of them.

[Flamin_June]

[envious sigh] we've been hearing the siren call of those Pacific islands for a while now & Mrs June is a huge fan of Polynesian art and cultures. There was a fabuilous exhibition here (UK) about 10 years ago of carvings, objects, textiles, jewelry, collected by travellers in the 18th and 19th centuries. One day......one day....... But first we must survive the Ring of Fire and piracy in the Sulu-Clebes Sea !

[Laylam]

[envious sigh] we've been hearing the siren call of those Pacific islands for a while now & Mrs June is a huge fan of Polynesian art and cultures. There was a fabuilous exhibition here (UK) about 10 years ago of carvings, objects, textiles, jewelry, collected by travellers in the 18th and 19th centuries. One day......one day....... But first we must survive the Ring of Fire and piracy in the Sulu-Clebes Sea !

Flamin_June, I think we might be on the same cruise, sailing from Hong Kong, April 24th????

[Flamin_June]

Flamin_June, I think we might be on the same cruise, sailing from Hong Kong, April 24th????

 

We will ,sadly, be disembarking on the 24th. Your leg looks great too - in fact all the Sojourn itineraries for the first half of 2018 look amazing, with Tristan da Cuhna, , Cape Town to Singapore via Mauritius and Maldives, our voyage from Bali to Hong Kong, then sailing along the coast of China, Korea and on to Japan and Alaska. If only one had the time ( and the money!!)....

[dalliowner]

We like to unpack as soon as possible and we then feel the trip has started. Often do not bother with lunch as either been travelling or just had breakfast at an hotel but the first beer at the patio bar always tastes great