How do evening departures work?

[txflood33]

Well...I get how they work....we all get on the boat and it sails away....more so of the organization

 

I have read on these boards where people like to get on and go to the Lido deck and eat lunch...I also saw it looked like Blu may have been offering brunch to AQ class members. There is also the delay to get to your room.

 

What is the organization/dining like for a cruise that leaves at 5:00pm?

 

Seems like dinner would be chaotic. Anyone depart later in the day?

[WestLakeGirl]

No matter whether the ships sails at 5 or 8 or later, rooms aren't ready until 1 or even 2 or later. Depends on how much deep cleaning is needed.

 

There will a a muster drill before sailaway, on afternoon departures it will be around 3 pm maybe 4 pm.

 

There have been a few later departures where muster interrupts dinner service.

 

Five pm is probably the most common departure time. Dinner can be chaotic b/c passengers don't know which deck to go to, there are mess ups with table assignments, sometimes there are new staff who just came on board that day. Go with the flow, you're on vacation, don't let a confused dinner spoil anything

[Northern Aurora]

In 2011 we had an 11 PM scheduled departure time, and it wasn't chaotic at all. Boarding passengers started boarding about noon. Stateroom cabins were available as usual about 1 PM or about. After dinner folks were out and about, many with after dinner beverages in hand, as we left the Honolulu harbor at night. The view was lovely.

[CathyCruises]

Generally, people board beginning at 11 or so. MANY go to their first feeding at the trough, I mean buffet, and some go to alternatives such as Bistro on 5, Mast Grill, Aqua Spa café.

 

Cabins usually open at about 1:30; luggage starts being delivered and people unpack, explore the ship, hook up with friends, and start using their drinks packages!

 

At some point, usually an hour before sailing although YMMV, they hold the muster drill.

 

If sailaway is at 5, many people gather on deck to enjoy it. The first dinner seating is usually at 6 or 6:30--so it's not really chaotic unless there's some issue, which happens from time to time.

 

Hope that helps!

[lovetotraveltx]

Our Alaskan cruise leaves at 8:00 PM was wondering the same thing!

[CathyCruises]

Our Alaskan cruise leaves at 8:00 PM was wondering the same thing!

 

That's bound to be in the middle of some people's dinner so they just don't do the actual 'sailaway'.

 

We took a cruise from Barcelona that had had an outbreak of noro on the previous trip. Plus it was pouring rain all day and into the evening. We weren't allowed to board until after 3, and since it was raining there was no outside seating. The cabins didn't open until 6:30 after the scrubdown--so EVERYONE was stuck in the public areas with all their carryons for hours--the ship is not designed for nobody to be outside or in their cabin--no place to sit, a real zoo. No luggage delivery either. But we were all safe and dry, we all got fed, and by the time we went to bed all was normal.

[Lois R]

4-5 pm would be a normal time for sailing on a Caribbean Cruise.

People are boarding all day long..from about noontime on to........

well, you have to be on the ship at least an hour before sailing.

And in some cases, it is more than an hour.....

 

The buffet is open for lunch, Bistro on 5 is open for lunch, Aqua Spa

Cafe is open for lunch and from reading some current postings, it looks

like Blu is also open for Aqua Class passengers.

 

A delay to get to your cabin? Normally cabins are available about 1pm

and it has been that way for years.

 

Dinner is not chaotic (in my opinion anyway). If your cruise sails at

5? Your luggage would have arrived (usually) long before sailing.

There are all kinds of places for dinner.......the main dining room,

specialty restaurants, buffet, Bistro on 5 and Blu for AQ passengers.

Dinner in the main dining room? They offer select dining and still

offer traditional for those of us who still enjoy that as well.

Select is when you eat at the time of your choice....traditional is usually 6pm

and 8:30 (on a Caribbean Cruise).

 

I don't normally find things chaotic.:)

Edited June 14, 2014 by Lois R

[dioxide45]

5:00pm is what I would consider a normal departure time. Evening by my definition would be 8:00pm or later. We have always had sail-aways at 5:00 for our Caribbean cruises, but are sailing out of San Juan in November and the sail away is much later.

 

My guess is they don't make as much a todoo about sail away like they do on other cruises because half of the ships passengers will be in the dining room?

[dodger1964]

5:00pm is what I would consider a normal departure time. Evening by my definition would be 8:00pm or later. We have always had sail-aways at 5:00 for our Caribbean cruises, but are sailing out of San Juan in November and the sail away is much later.

 

My guess is they don't make as much a todoo about sail away like they do on other cruises because half of the ships passengers will be in the dining room?

 

San Juan sail away is dark. So it is pretty watching the lit up city and small airport lights, but it is only about half hour and it's over. Was fun watching the coast guard boat jumping the waves in the dark.

[jsf]

It used to be that the sailings out of San Juan left at 11PM, it was after people had their dinner. Many people were in bed from traveling all day or many would crowd the starboard side to view the fort and look back to see the city as we left. I remember one year pulling out of the harbor and getting to see a fireworks display on land as we hit the ocean and turned.

J.

[alcpa1]

Don't forget that you have to be onboard by 3:30. Muster drill will be shortly thereafter. Now that you don't need to take the life vest from the cabin you can go anywhere you want prior to your dinner hour without fighting the masses returning to their cabins. That might be where you anticipate confusion and congestion. Dinner service works as usual with just a little more of the first night adjustments.

On the last couple of cruises Blu did have shorter dinner hours so do check after embarking.

And also check the luncheon on embarkation day. It was not offered on our last cruises either but we were in and around Europe.

[Ando]

We had an 8pm departure. Boarding was as usual from around 11.30am, cabins available at 1.30pm, muster drill at 4.30pm so there was no interruption to the dinner service. We had dinner in Tuscan Grille so we had a great view during sail away. I was not aware of the usual sail away on-deck activities being offered.

Cheers

Ando