First Day Thoughts for New Cruisers

[bmweezer]

The first thing that one should do after boarding a ship for their cruise is to find their cabin and then go exploring. As someone that has studied the deck plans of the ship prior to boarding, and has a general idea where everything is, one of the first trips of this exploration is finding the specialty dining venues and make reservations for the week. For RCCL, this means a booking at Portofinos; for Princess, we like the Crown Grill, or the equivalent restaurant, depending on the ship.

 

Portofinos is a wonderful dining experience, especially if it will be a dinner for two. Of course, a group dinner here is nice as well. When I decided to ask my now-wife to marry me in 2004 aboard the Voyager of the Seas, we headed to Portofinos after I popped the question. Romantic.

 

After this, I suggest finding your table in the regular restaurant, buying a soda card and last but not least, find a place for a celebratory drink. And, since food will play a major role in the days ahead, the lunch is always a good time prior to embarkation. One quick note on the soda card: if there are only two of you, buy one soda card and share it. It’s technically not allowed but no one working on board will really care. Really.

 

One thing that I feel makes a first-day journey complete is this: if possible, arrive at your embarkation port the day before. That way, you are refreshed from your flight (if necessary) and ready to spend a full first day aboard the ship. Too many times I have seen exhausted people come aboard and many others that are beyond exhausted and now are frustrated, which is never a way to start a vacation. Therefore, spend the extra few bucks and arrive a day early. When we cruise out of Miami, we always book a hotel with eye view of the cruise terminal. This way, when morning arrives, you get the see the ship in the harbor in all of its glory.

 

One final point: many want to know when is the best time to arrive onboard. Assuming that your ship will leave port at 4 p.m. or likely later, I recommend arriving at the port around 11 a.m. that day. Perfect time to explore a near-empty ship.