What do you do when you get onboard in the first hours?????????????

[plumeria]

When I first get on ship I like to locate my cabin, look around and get my bearings, then my husband and I like to see where everything is located near us, maybe get some lunch, then I go to front desk and get post cards of ship (free) I write out post cards to friends and family (bring printed address labels of family and stamps) and mail them before we leave dock, (This way they get post cards before we get back home), I like to check my cabin to see if luggage got there and unpack, then after I am all settled, We love to go up to front of ship with bottle of champagne and watch the captain take us out of port ( we like to watch other ships leave too) what a rush!!!!

What do you do when you get onboard in the first hours?????????????

[mahdnc]

When we first arrive, I take photos of the cabin before it gets cluttered with our stuff. My wife will call the spa to nail down the spa appts before the prime times get booked. I check on our dinner reservations to make sure everything is right. Those are the most time urgent things. Then we will eat lunch and head back to the cabin to unpack our luggage which usually arrives by then.

[Lois R]

:D What do I do? Take my carry on to my cabin and unpack it. (takes me about 6 minutes;) )

Then, I usually go explore and end up at one of the pool bars and get a drink.

Depending on the ship, last month was CENTURY, I was trying to find certain crew that I had sailed with before and give them a big hug and hello:D

Had to wait till 2:00 to see Erol in the Rendez-Vous!

[Blazerboy]

Great thread topic!

 

Depends on whether we've been on the ship before or not. New ships require a quick self-led tour. Also depends on whether we know others on board already. But yes, check out cabin, make spa appointments, and confirm dinner arrangements, and then off to watch sailout. Favorite spot on M class ships is the aft deck behind the lido buffet. On sunny days, the bar is open and it's so relaxing. You can also usually check in with any of your friends who scored an aft balcony because you can see them all on their verandahs from above!:D

 

Cunard does a fun job of champagne for sailout, so most seem like they're on deck to watch and sip some bubbly.

 

After unpacking, it's a quick wash-up/change for dinner, and then to the appropriate bar ( on Celebrity, the Martini bar, and on QE2, the Chart Room!) to enjoy pre-dinner cocktails.

[CaptData]

I go to my cabin and drop off my carry-on and put my meds in frig. Go find out where I can have lunch. I then explore the ship for a few minutes. I always check where they have me seated for dinner as soon as I can. I usually have to change it as I use a scooter and I perfer areas that I can get out of without disturbing others. After that I go to see if my wheelchair has arrived safe and sound with the rest of my luggage and put it away. I grab my lifejacket and locate where the drill is to be help. I find the closest bar, sit down and enjoy the view until the drill. After I get rid of jacket it is time to get ready for my first dinner.

[joeyanddavid]

I must admit check out stateroom, dinning assignment, absoulte martini 3 olives, and champagne on our verandah as we pull from port.

 

joey :)

[Leela]

One of the first things I do is take a shower. The last two cruises I took involved me flying in on the red eye from California, and I usually feel sticky and a little dazed when I arrive on ship. A shower and a change into fresh cruise clothes (brought in my carry-on) rev me up and I'm ready to start enjoying the trip.

[kelmac]

Drop by the cabin for a quick check and to leave my empty champagne glass; have lunch; off to check on our dining assignment (in 8 Celebrity cruises they have never had this right, no problem); off to the Aqua Spa pool ( we always put our swim wear in our carry on bag:cool: ); get ready for the muster drill; back to the cabin to unpack; off to dinner! :rolleyes: no pattern here:rolleyes:

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[mercury51]

go to the spa and see if they need a body for thier spa procedures. this usually gets me at least one treatment for free, oh yeah since i have to lay there for a few hours i usually have a few long islands dockside.

[Bruin Steve]

Cabin first...

Then my wife heads right to the spa to make appointments, then we go to the buffet for some lunch...

Then we just hang out wherever, maybe walk around the ship...

[cechase]

interesting thread. On all three of our cruises in the last year, we go to our suite, drop off our carry-ons, and meet our butler, room steward and his or her assistant.

 

We then open the bottle of champagne, and sit on the veranda and sip the champagne, and watch all the activity on the pier. We check for luggage in the hallway, and as it arrives, unpack. Then, get our life vests, and prepare for the drill. Oh, and we open the three or four envelopes which have been left on our coffee table and read them.

[L11]

Charlie, sounds a lot like us! Except that, before the champagne, we take pictures of the uncluttered cabin, divvy up space, unpack the carry ons, make spa and specialty restaurant appointments, and grab munchies from the buffet on the way back to take to the room., FINALLY, we snuggle on the balcony with champagne and toast to a wonderful vaction.

 

Linda

[rollingstone]

Put out the "do not disturb" sign and lock the door!!!

[alpal1993]

After having our champagne we check out our dinner assignment to make sure we have the correct seating,Only once we received early instead of late,but for some reason there were alot of problems,on that cruise.Then we go to the Buffet and walk around the ship.DH likes to check out the dinner menu(which by now he has memorized it)but we have to check it out any how.After Muster drill we usually go meet our cruise critic friends.

[mii]

The usual things: we check out our cabin, give it the once over, then go to the buffet and have lunch, then sort of check out the ship before muster drill and then if we have a CC party planned, go to that then dress for dinner.

 

Marilyn

[gracecarmo]

Besides all or most of the activities of the above posts, we hit the library to have a first pick of a book.

 

Grace

[Desertbelle]

I guess we are pretty normal....we do all the same things. Cabin, spa appointments, check dining room table assignment, get a drink, eat lunch, tour ship, kick back and wait for sail-away.

 

On our upcoming cruise it's a slightly different plan since we will be staying overnight in Venice, so instead of sail-away we will head back into Venice for some sight-seeing. Sail-away will take place the next day. :)

[FLJudi]

We have had several sailings on the M Class ships, so we know our way around pretty well. We usually first head to the specialty restaurant to make reservations for our second night of grand dining. We can make one reservation with the Captains Club 60 days before the cruise, but we usually enjoy another one on a 12-14 day cruise. Reservations for a massage in the spa come next. A quick bite to eat and then to our aft cabin, to open a bottle of wine and watch the scurrying on the dock.

 

FLJudi

[GATKLT]

I copied this some time ago from another CC thread - have no idea who wrote it, but this "traditional first day" works for me: :D

"I like to sleep in, finish off the last of the packing details, get changed into something casual but travel-appropriate, then slowly drive down to the port sometime after noon, stroll into the terminal, find the frequent-cruiser lounge, check in, and stroll aboard. I then find the room, drop the carry-ons, grab the camera, and walk all the decks of the ship and all the lounges to get to know my way around, and take pictures of all the rooms and lounges with no one in them (It's one of the few times all the lounges and dining rooms tend to be open for a look without a full crowd sitting in them). I then find my way onto the deck, grab some lunch and a drink, and chat with a few people. When the ship leaves, I watch from the deck for a bit, then head down to the room and grab the lifejackets, head back to a bar closest to my muster station and have a few while waiting for the drill. Hit the muster on the bell and find a seat, relax and wait for the name call, then drop back to the room to drop off the lifejackets and back on deck for the final cruise out at sunset. Back to the room to change and to 2nd seating dinner, then off to the casino and one of the lounges for the night.

That's it...my traditional Day One!"

 

[plumeria]

I wrote this thread to find out what all you seasoned cruisers do, and you have given me some great insight, first the spa reservations seem to be very important, and then dinner reservations, then carry on luggage, question? What do you put in there? Also do you still have checked luggage? This will be are first balcony CC cabin and the suggestion to watch ship pull out from balcony sounds heavenly, keep ideas coming

 

Thanks plumeria

[AFT_LOVER]

Ready to check in for free treatments as their ginny pig for guests to sign up to be like me. I have nailed 3 days worth of everything from electronics gittering my body, to seaweed wrap in foil, and the best one - 2 man massage to great music that made me just melt.............

 

Usually we are onboard by 11AM, so we stop at our stateroom to say HI & drop off our carryons & leave. Up to the buffet for lunch after my Spa visit, save husband hundreds, then off the ship for pop for the fridge & some wine. Then move into our CC stateroom, make sure the balcony is set up as we like (2 loungers in the sun by the glass, table for 4 under cover & chairs for folks all around. We seem to have plenty of company on AFT CC 9201.

 

Luggage shows by 2PM so we unpack, then take a walk around to say Hi to those we know from prior cruise or meet a new crew on a new M Class. Then back to our stateroom by 4pm for canapes & see how good they are. So far this isn't working, so then we have a tropical fruit bowl for the next & future days & either cheese & crackers or shrimp cocktail type canapes. We have lucked out with great Management when a steward is new & untrained. I have had food thrown out before I got to eat it, gown bag pitched with hanger, and hit in the head with a tray of a rushing waiter dumping rasberry smoothies all over me dressed in white peasant dress & my husband's wheat docker & white shirt as well as the room. So Manager became our Steward on Connie & he knew how to spoil. On Infinity we had a former Butler who did his butler best for us. Dinner served by him came in courses, not all at once.

We tipped him highly. So check out your Steward, if he isn't too great, then meet his boss & get very friendly for excellent service. They know CC is for spoiling folks & we want it!

 

Then dinner at 6PM & show to follow before we rock away to sleep to do it again tomorrow with breakfast after a shower in robes on the balcony. On The Ship, We Are Millionaries!!!!!

[KatieSails]

But, I never take pictures of the ship. I figure that is what the brochures are for. I can never quite figure out why folks do that... I leave it to the professionals.

 

I usually go to the room and give it the once over and then re-sanitize everything. You can never be too careful with that stuff!

[judyfssw]

If you are in CC, there will be a bottle of champagne and fresh fruit waiting for you. Grapes and Champagne - a pleasure and way to begin the cruise.

[CaptData]

I always take pics of my H/C room. H/C rooms are never in catologs.

[fridayeyes]

A question for those of you who like to be the spa guinea fowl. (pig sounds wrong ;) )

 

How much do you tip? The same as if you had paid for the service? More because it was free?

 

Thanks,

 

Friday