Do you have to sign up for Mariner Brunch

[Mharvey66]

I am a one star going on her second cruise..I was unsure about going to the brunch, do you have to sign up ?
Thanks in advance for your help.

[kazu]

[quote name='Mharvey66']I am a one star going on her second cruise..I was unsure about going to the brunch, do you have to sign up ?
Thanks in advance for your help.[/quote]

no - you should get an invitation

[Mharvey66]

thank you, will it be in cabin upon boarding?
Can I pick your experience as a cruiser with another question ? What is the earliest time you can board in the morning ? will be driving down and wasnt sure if it would do any good to get there pretty early or not.

[RuthC]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]I don't know if there is ever a response card for the luncheon only, but sometimes there is one for those who are also invited to the Mariners' Reception beforehand. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]Sometimes the response card has place for two answers: are you attending the reception, and are you attending the luncheon. I like it when I have the opportunity to let them know my plans for both functions. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]The invitation is issued during the cruise, in sufficient time to make plans, and to respond (if that's the format on that ship). [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]There's no need to arrive for embarkation too early; you might just be in the way of late disembarking passengers from the previous cruise. You certainly wouldn't want your luggage mixed up with theirs! [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]Depending on embarkation port, doors may not even open until 11:00 AM. Arrival then is plenty soon enough, imo. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[kazu]

[quote name='Mharvey66']thank you, will it be in cabin upon boarding?
Can I pick your experience as a cruiser with another question ? What is the earliest time you can board in the morning ? will be driving down and wasnt sure if it would do any good to get there pretty early or not.[/quote]

As Ruth says, don't come too early. 11:30 am would normally be the very earliest we would come. :)

[sail7seas]

[B]We almost always board in FLL between 11:15 - 11:30 A.M.
A rare time we would be boarding later.

[/B]

[Krazy Kruizers]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Okay [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]You are talking about the embarkation lunch on the first day of the cruise. There is no invitation for this. Just go to the dining room on the Primenade Deck. Lunch is from Noon until 1:30.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Later in the cruise you will be invited to the Mariner's brunch -- held on a sea day. This invitation will be delivered to your cabin.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]We usually get to the pier about 10:45.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Mharvey66]

Thank you all for all your help..My first cruise my son and I went with my parents and we just kinda followed along with them as they were the seasoned cruisers, guess I should have paid better attention :)
This will be the first cruise for my BF and I want to get him as hooked as I am so I just want this to be a great experience for him! :D

[Krazy Kruizers]

[quote name='Mharvey66']Thank you all for all your help..My first cruise my son and I went with my parents and we just kinda followed along with them as they were the seasoned cruisers, guess I should have paid better attention :)
This will be the first cruise for my BF and I want to get him as hooked as I am so I just want this to be a great experience for him! :D[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Since your boy friend and you will be in the same cabin -- he can attend the Embarkation day lunch with you.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]However since he has never cruised before -- only you will be invited to the Mariner's brunch that is later in the cruise.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[aliaschief]

On the Mariner Embarkation luncheon I would recommend showing up early. On our last two cruises there were many Mariners turned away as the dining room was filled to capacity and entry was denied around 12:45 PM.

[EatonDoolittle]

[quote name='aliaschief']On the Mariner Embarkation luncheon I would recommend showing up early. On our last two cruises there were many Mariners turned away as the dining room was filled to capacity and entry was denied around 12:45 PM.[/quote]


And be sure to sit with some fun people..there is a generous amount of sparkling wine served!
Last time , we had 7 fun people and one dour woman, not sure she enjoyed the experience as much as the rest of us did.

[Typhoon1]

Go directly to the MDR upon boarding. The hours are very limited.

[feathersandnananose]

On our second cruise, while we were waiting to board, we noticed some people with invitations to the embarkation lunch, which we did not receive. I brazenly went back to the agent who had checked us in and politely asked her if we were supposed to get an invitation. She apologized and found invitations to give us.

There's always the chance that the powers that be know that there are too many returning Mariners for the embarkation luncheon staffing/space/whatever.... and maybe they leave the "lower echelon" out of the loop. But it's always worth a try - and an invite in the hand helps make your case. If it matters.

My husband thought it was a big deal, but we came to realize that big meals three times a day was NOT good for health/waistline. We learned to show some self-control, hit the Lido for breakfast (cereal/yogurt/fruit) and lunch (salad or simple sandwich) so we can enjoy our MDR dinner.

[sail7seas]

[B]We are four star Mariners and have only received an Invitation to Embarkation Lunch two or three times out of many cruises.

We choose to not go to the Embarkation Lunch and prefer Lido on that day. I Like the energy and excitement at the start of the cruise. :)

If you wish to go to Dining Room, just go even without an invitation and despite they may try to direct you to Lido.

[/B]

[Mharvey66]

Thanks again for all the info..
And since you guys are so helpfull I will ask another question, I have heard that if you book your next cruise on board you get a greater discount than you would get if you returned home and then booked. Has anyone done or experienced this?

[RuthC]

[quote name='Mharvey66']I have heard that if you book your next cruise on board you get a greater discount than you would get if you returned home and then booked. Has anyone done or experienced this?[/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]Close, but not quite. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]If you book a cruise while on board, or place a deposit for a cruise to be booked later, then you get a reduced deposit and an on-board credit. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]The amount of the deposit has been $100 (with a few exceptions), but was recently changed to a sliding scale, based on the length of the cruise booked. The amount of the on-board credit also increases with longer cruises. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]