What To Do First

[THartman]

Getting excited about our upcoming cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam.   Have been on many other cruise lines, but a first on Holland America.  Some posters on this board talk about different "errands" they run when they first get on board.  If we are not in a suite, other than dining reservations,  is there anything we need to check out right away?

Edited February 16, 2019 by THartman

[Arrowinc]

We are anything but seasoned cruisers (I think that this is our tenth on Holland America), but as for us (and assuming that we are granted access to the room upon boarding), we tend to: (a) introduce ourselves to the room attendants; (b) check  reservations for meals, excursions, cabana, etc., in order to make any needed changes or corrections as early as possible; (c) secure valuables in the safe; (d) check out the location of our table in the MDR; (e) repair to the Lido deck for a mojito and Dive-in Burger; (f) wander around the ship to get our bearings (if the ship is new to us), and to enjoy the atmosphere of other folks boarding and soak up the general anticipatory excitement.  If we are not granted immediate access to our room, then we immediately engage step (e) and (f).  A tip from Cruise Critic that we have adopted is not to completely unpack until later in the evening, or until needed for dinner.  That is a task that is as easily completed at night, when the excitement of the day has waned.  

[freestyling]

If you are interested in using the Thermal Suites in the spa area then go to spa as well. They have a special price for 1st day sign-ups. Have a great cruise. Hope your going to try the Tamarind Specialty Restuarant. It gets great reviews. 

[catl331]

If you want to sign up for a cooking class or rent a cabana for just a sea day or two,  take care of those ASAP as they tend to fill quickly.

Edited February 16, 2019 by catl331

[richwmn]

Particularly now that you can check with your phone or other device, set up your Navigator connection and look at your on board account to be sure any credits you should have are present.

On one cruise I actually did this in the terminal before I boarded.

Edited February 16, 2019 by richwmn

[DaveOKC]

We go to the Tour Desk as soon as it opens and book our tours - some fill up quickly.  Plus they have the most updated list of available tours.

 

 

[terrydtx]

If you board before 1pm, head to the MDR for lunch to avoid the crowds in the Lido.

[sevenseasnomad]

You can avoid booking hassles of the cabana & tours if you take care of this beforehand, prior to the cruise.  Booking ahead means you get the tours you desire and the cabana rather than being told both are sold out.  Ditto for dining reservations in Tamarind or any of the other fee restaurants.  You can also select the dining time you want rather than working around an already-booked restaurant.  Why start your wonderful vacation with disappointment?  (You can also book the same tours through private vendors, often for much less.  Do your research before you leave home and book accordingly.)

 

Before sailing, the spa offers special "sale" prices on the hydro pool/heated loungers passes, especially for couples.  Check in with the spa---they'll have tours that first afternoon----after you enjoy lunch in the MDR (only served from noon-1 p.m.).  After eating, it's easy to check out your assigned table if you have fixed dining or to look around and see which tables you'd like to reserve for that first night.  You can make a reservation either from your phone or from the dining room directly.  

 

Lately, we've found that our steward doesn't hang around the corridor waiting for passengers to introduce himself to us.  He will show up at some point, but as for our waiting around for him to appear, no way.

 

Since we've been on all the ships, but two, exploring isn't that big a deal any more, but as you've never cruised on HA, you may want to wander through the public decks to get the "lay of the land."  Any problems or concerns, see the Front Desk immediately, although they are fairly busy that first day.

 

Enjoy your cruise.  I think you will love HA.  Please return and write a review.  We'd love to hear your impressions.

[catl331]

20 minutes ago, sevenseasnomad said:

You can avoid booking hassles of the cabana & tours if you take care of this beforehand, prior to the cruise.  Booking ahead means you get the tours you desire and the cabana rather than being told both are sold out. 

But you can only book a cabana ahead if you want one for the full cruise. If you want to try for one for just a day or two that should be done post-haste after boarding.  Also, if you want to use OBC for booking tours that can only be done on board.

[sevenseasnomad]

7 minutes ago, catl331 said:

But you can only book a cabana ahead if you want one for the full cruise. If you want to try for one for just a day or two that should be done post-haste after boarding.  Also, if you want to use OBC for booking tours that can only be done on board.

Yes, all true; however, on our upcoming cruise ALL the cabanas are booked for the week, so anyone who wants a one or two day experience is out of luck.  That may not be true for cruises which occur outside major holiday weeks.  Ours falls during spring break for most of the school systems/colleges.  Since I'm a teacher, I can only cruise when the majority of families are also cruising.  I've learned to book ahead of time to avoid disappointment, which happened on one cruise. 

 

OP will probably be okay, but I wanted to give him/her a heads-up, just in case. 

[RuthC]

I like to settle into my cabin a bit. First thing I do is wash my hands---boarding can be a dirty job. I read through the assorted paperwork, dispose of whatever is not necessary, organize things I will need later, and take things that need to be corrected or reviewed.
I unpack my carry-ons while there is still nothing else in the way.

Then there are details to take care of: if there are no specialty restaurant confirmations in the cabin, I bring my e-mail confirmations and ensure they are in the system. I make any spa/salon appointments I will need during the cruise. I bring my shore excursion tickets and confirmations to the shore excursion office to discuss my ability to do the excursions; turn in the tickets for those I can't do, and replace my tours with something more suitable.
And lunch! Sometime in all of that outing, I get lunch.

By then my luggage is usually in my cabin, so I unpack before muster. I want all the 'work' done before muster, so afterwards I only have to relax and enjoy.

[Jareds_mommytoo]

We are going on the Nieuw Amsterdam next month we are getting excited we have 2 cabanas booked for the week. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We like to check out all information that is in our cabin when we get there -- i.e. - dinner reservations, excursions, unpack our carry ons, put valuables in the safe and then head to the dining room for lunch.  Dining room is open from Noon - 1:30.  Hate the mobs in the Lido.

 

Cabin stewards deliver luggage so when they come with our luggage, we introduce ourselves.  Most usually ask if we have any special requests.  We tell them our dinner time so that they know when they can come into the cabin to prep the cabin for evening.  We also tell them that we are early risers and will be out of our cabin by 8 AM so that they can clean up the cabin in the morning.

[dockman]

Go to the library, assuming they still have one, and pick out a good book to read.

 

Go to prom/walking deck, assuming they still have a decent one, and do a few miles in laps.

 

Remain on prom deck and, assuming they still have some, sit in a nice teak deck chair and watch the goings on of the port.

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, sevenseasnomad said:

You can avoid booking hassles of the cabana & tours if you take care of this beforehand, prior to the cruise.  Booking ahead means you get the tours you desire and the cabana rather than being told both are sold out.  Ditto for dining reservations in Tamarind or any of the other fee restaurants.  You can also select the dining time you want rather than working around an already-booked restaurant.  Why start your wonderful vacation with disappointment?  (You can also book the same tours through private vendors, often for much less.  Do your research before you leave home and book accordingly.)

 

Good points, but not always workable.  If you want to use OBC for your tours, you have to wait until you board  I SURE WISH HAL WOULD CHANGE THIS - like Princess has!!

[Saphire]

We go to the Pinnacle Grille and make lunch reservations, since you cannot do this online prior to the cruise. They are usually only open on sea days. It is a beautiful setting during the day as the views are stunning. The menu is varied and delicious, hope you are able to enjoy lunch there!

[OlsSalt]

We always first take photos of our cabin,  before we sprawl out stuff across the counters and hang items on the hooks.

[SumoCitrus]

NA is a great ship! I love to stop by my cabin and drop my things off then head right to the lido for a light lunch. After that I usually walk around the open upper decks and take in the ship sights. For sail away, cabin balcony w/ champagne!

[sppunk]

We “christen” our cabin before we do anything else. It’s our vacation tradition. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[fatcat04]

After lunch, we love to stroll the Panorama deck when in Ft Lauderdale and get a gander at all the other ships in port, that and take lots of pictures... all while sipping something tropical. This is also a nice place to watch and wave during the sailaway parade. 

[ellieanne]

10 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

We always first take photos of our cabin,  before we sprawl out stuff across the counters and hang items on the hooks.

 

I take photos all over the ship right after I drop my carry-ons in my cabin. I find it's the best time to get most public rooms empty.

[Hflors]

When my sis and I cruise we usually arrive at the terminal around 1:30 - 2 pm after a wonderful lunch at our favorite Greek restaurant north of Ft. Lauderdale.  We drop off our carry-ons and head for the Crows Nest for our "toast to our cruise" drink.  When Muster is called we head to our station and do the drill.  If we have time between muster and sail away we will go back to our cabin and unpack if any of our luggage is there.  Sail away will find us in the Crows nest enjoying the view while leaving port.