whats the first thing you do when you board the ship?

[rkacruiser]

On 12/5/2020 at 5:58 PM, Keys Kathy said:

We each have one roll on so we have a free hand for the glass.

 

If you know the ship, you head to the "other" elevators, once passed the fray, it will be peaceful and quiet.

 

I am going to have to purchase a small roll on for my carry-on luggage.  I have been using an over the shoulder type bag, but my shoulders must be so narrow that the darn bag keeps slipping off.  

 

Heading for the "other" elevators is something that I always try to do.  It "pays" to have studied the deck plan before embarkation day.  

[BklynBoy8]

26 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Heading for the "other" elevators is something that I always try to do.  It "pays" to have studied the deck plan before embarkation day.  

Hi rkacruiser,

We too always board and head for other less known elevators to our cabin. Everyone always follow the crowds and there is where the bottlenecks and over occupied elevators occur. Every time you wait by a elevator, the door opens and there are passengers already inside. Busiest on the QM2 is Elevator Bank B. And the second busiest is Elevator D in the Aft.

,

No matter how many times we have been on a ship especially our favorite QM2, I always review the deck plan a week or two (2) ahead each day. Honestly for the QM2, I think I can walk in my sleep or blindfolded and find my way around the ship.

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

I always review the deck plan a week or two (2) ahead each day

 

I do the same in order to refresh the memory of the layout in my mind.  

 

23 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Honestly for the QM2, I think I can walk in my sleep or blindfolded and find my way around the ship.

 

I might be able to do that on the Rotterdam, Vista, and Signature Classes of ships on HAL.

 

Only one cruise on QM2; I had a dickens of a time at times finding my way around on her.  Getting to the aft nightclub--I am not sure how I did finally find my way there.  

[ChangeOrder]

I am at the port as soon as they'll let me in, then on the ship as soon as I able. Straight to my room if it's open. Otherwise I'm at the buffet to start getting my "free" food benefit as quickly as possible. Keep an eye out for the free champagne trays, or grab the fancy frozen drink special of the day from the nearest bar.

 

I prefer to overpack into a huge suitcase, so I don't usually have more than a shoulder travel bag as I'm boarding. Makes it easy to run around and explore without having to worry about moving things around.

[AlanRRT]

I don't have a boarding ritual, but after this past year, as soon as I get on the ship I'm doing a happy dance!

[BklynBoy8]

On 12/8/2020 at 4:54 PM, rkacruiser said:

Only one cruise on QM2; I had a dickens of a time at times finding my way around on her.  Getting to the aft nightclub--I am not sure how I did finally find my way there.  

Hi rkacruiser,

Happy Belated New Year....

 

We get to the Queens Room or G32 from the Elevator Bank D in the aft of the ship.

 

Also you can make your way from Deck 2 to the aft near the Golden Lion, up the stairs thru the Art Gallery and then to the Queen Room. 

[rkacruiser]

13 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Hi rkacruiser,

Happy Belated New Year....

 

We get to the Queens Room or G32 from the Elevator Bank D in the aft of the ship.

 

Also you can make your way from Deck 2 to the aft near the Golden Lion, up the stairs thru the Art Gallery and then to the Queen Room. 

 

Happy Belated New Year to you as well.  (It's been quite a year so far!)  

 

The route viz the Art Gallery sounds familiar.  I vaguely recall going through the upper level of the Britannia Restaurant in order to get to G32.  Would that have been possible?

[Roger88]

The very first thing I do is run to my cabin to check it out. Usually I spend there an hour or two, chilling and relaxing, exploring and only after I go out to check the rest of the ship. 

[CARIBPRINCESS]

On 3/10/2017 at 10:51 PM, norcalnick said:

Slightly off the subject, but just had to get this off my chest. When we go to the buffet, we use the hand sanitizers when we enter, and again before sitting at the table. It grosses me out seeing so many people in line nibbling off their plate, and licking their fingers, just knowing they're not done filling their plate, and will touch the serving spoons and tongs, laced with their saliva, and whatever else the hundreds of hands prior have touched. Ew, ew, eww!!!

 

I think I just convinced myself to never eat at another buffet again, ever! LOL!

That's so disgusting...ewwww...we also wash our hands and use sanitizer and I always carry tissue to hold the tongs and serving spoons. 

[BklynBoy8]

On 1/15/2021 at 3:57 PM, Roger88 said:

The very first thing I do is run to my cabin to check it out. Usually I spend there an hour or two, chilling and relaxing, exploring and only after I go out to check the rest of the ship. 

Hi Roger88,

Though I wrote before earlier on, would like to add, we also like to enjoy the cabin we booked.

 

 Once boarded and had a Kings Court Lunch we do return to the cabin to unpack and enjoy the Champ's and Strawberries.

 

Unless there were changes on board to see, we like to remain in the cabin and hang out on the balcony till Boat Drill. Either watch the other passengers boarding or if the other side view the harbor activity and skyline of Manhattan.

 

The thrill of viewing Brooklyn & Manhattan from such a height is different from being a Brooklynite walking and driving.

[Princess1963]

Eat

[rkacruiser]

On 6/2/2021 at 10:02 PM, Princess1963 said:

Eat

 

🤣

[BklynBoy8]

On 6/2/2021 at 10:02 PM, Princess1963 said:

Eat

And do they Eat....

 

Living near the Port we do have breakfast early and look forward to lunch on board. But I never saw passengers attack the Kings Court like the last time. Maybe they traveled all night or came off of early flights. But how fast the buffets had to be replenished. We came in and got a table and in 2 minutes 4 serving stations were wiped clean. They replaced those 4 with Basic Hamburgers. Missing Stir Fry, Panini's and several other good treats.  

[rkacruiser]

Adventure of the Seas sails this evening from Nassau; Celebrity Millennium has sailed already from St. Maarten.  Some sailings have also begun from Europe.

 

I think it would be interesting to learn what those cruising on these initial cruises would have had as their "first thing to do on board".  

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Adventure of the Seas sails this evening from Nassau; Celebrity Millennium has sailed already from St. Maarten.  Some sailings have also begun from Europe.

I think it would be interesting to learn what those cruising on these initial cruises would have had as their "first thing to do on board".  

Unfortunately CM has 2 positive cases of C19 and under Quart.

 

That is out of 600 passengers and 650 crew. Watching a very active Roll Call of the sailing when Positive was announced on the Celebrity Roll Call Forum.

Edited June 13, 2021 by BklynBoy8

[rkacruiser]

On 6/12/2021 at 5:04 PM, rkacruiser said:

Adventure of the Seas sails this evening from Nassau; Celebrity Millennium has sailed already from St. Maarten.  Some sailings have also begun from Europe.

 

I think it would be interesting to learn what those cruising on these initial cruises would have had as their "first thing to do on board".  

 

 

 

Without reading every post on the RCCL Message Board about this first sailing of Adventure of the Seas, I am sensing a "normality" with the current need to be Covid aware that the individual is posting.

 

Most appreciative news that I have read is that hard copies of "stuff"--not just only on apps--is available.  To me, that is a realization by Royal Caribbean that not all of us are yet fully in the tech age.  But, they would appreciate our business.  

[bassmk]

I go immediately to the Sanctuary/Retreat/Serenity area to see if there are any all-day cabana reservations to be had! After that I drop off carry-on bags, meet the cabin steward, then go get lunch.

[gottagoacruzn]

Oh go to cabin, check it out then up to the lido deck, wander around. This cruise has been 3 yrs an a looong time, so...

[OldCaver]

I haven't been on a cruise since Covid began, but I hope to resume in a year or two when they decide it's over. We're diamond plus on Royal, but back when we began, the first thing we did was go straight to the Food Jammer to eat. About the third or fourth cruise we realized that the free food wasn't really worth the crowding and difficulty of finding a table. So after that, we ate before arriving, and toured the ship instead. But I lied, there was one thing we did on every cruise and will do again when we resume cruising. We'd find a bar, and order a BBC for each of us. It was kind of a ritual. Now the BBC disappeared from the drink menu at some point, but we found that most bartenders on the ships can still make them, provided they still have a supply of bananas.

Bailey's, banana and colada. I know that's the next question. Not low carb at all, but it's only one, and it keeps me from getting hungry until dinner time.

So...
#1 Find a bar and order a BBC.
#2 Explore the ship even if we've been on it before.
#3 Do the mustard drill (I will miss those, they were fun.)
#4 Find somewhere uncrowded for sail away.

[ceeceeDee]

Hubby usually hits the nearest bar! 😂 If it's open, I hit the cabin, meet the steward and check if there's anything we need whilst the steward is around, then collect hubby and do a whistle stop tour of the ship so we know our way around and then decide if we want to join the sailaway party or chill out on our balcony as the ship sets sail.

[Wayfairers]

We carry our luggage on so we drop that in the room, grab a drink and explore the ship.  Later, we will unpack while watching the muster video and then enjoy the sail away on an open deck - and start meeting other cruisers.

[MdniteDrftr]

Beeline to the first open bar, drop our bags in our room if its ready, then go explore the ship.

[olemissreb]

In 405 days, I'll be back on a cruise ship for the first time since 2019.  It'll be my BF's first cruise, so time for a new ritual I think.  We're sailing from San Juan, so we'll probably have breakfast and lunch in San Juan and then make our way to the pier to board the ship and hopefully be able to go straight to our cabin and drop stuff off before making our way to a bar and then exploring the ship.  It'll be my first time on NCL, so exploring is a must as well as being on deck for sailaway.

 

Even in the past, I've never been one to want to get on the ship first thing (except the one I took with my former in-laws - FIL just had to get there at 11am - good thing we packed swimsuits for my boys so they could go swimming while we waited for the cabin to be ready).  I like to get on board about the time the cabin is ready so I can go straight there (timed it wrong in Boston in 2019). 

[TV Dad]

First step is grab a champagne and explore the ship. We search out all the bars and restaurants. Then we head to the gym and spa. Check out the equipment, book a massage (if we haven't already pre-booked) Finally we check out all the other public areas before heading to lunch.