How do you spend the First Day on the Ship? (What do you do?)

[portiemom]

22 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

First thing, I wipe the room down with Lysol wipes.  

I was reading along looking to see if anyone said this! Thank goodness I'm not the only germaphobe. 😆 (It's hard not to be when you're a clinical microbiologist.)

 

We check in with our muster station on the way to the room. As far as I can remember our room has always been ready when we get there. Drop our stuff, and I immediately go out on the balcony - my happy place! Meet our room steward and ask for anything I need, like extra hangers, or once I needed an extra pillow to keep my foot elevated. Wipe down the room. Go out on the balcony and sit with DH, who is already there (while I'm bustling about the room), and now my cruise has begun! Unpack the bags as they arrive. The sooner all the housekeeping stuff is done the better. At some point we go get food. Sail away is on the balcony, unless we're at dinner.

[trbarton]

My very first place is the PSD desk as I leave my letters inviting the officers to my Meet & Greet plus my list of people asking for the Chef’s Table for our group. If I’m near I register at my muster station. 
 

Tom😀

Edited April 11, 2023 by trbarton

[ktcishot]

Going to your muster station in the way to your cabin is such a great idea! 

How do you know where it is ahead of time? Is there somewhere I can look it up?

[that]

21 hours ago, nwnittany said:

Get on the ship as soon as we can (nicer than the hotels we usually stay in...lol) and head to the room.  Of course, it's too early and we are usually shoo'd away...but we can at least drop off our carry-on and change into shorts, etc. 

Then head to Alfredo's....it's usually crowded, but we say we don't care and wait for a table.  That pizza is just a great tradition to start the vacation. 

If we're in a suite, I usually try to talk the family into going up to the suite lounge (I usually get dirty looks and have to go solo) to meet the folks up there. 

After that, it's time to head to the pool decks and enjoy the sights from the port.... there's usually alot of interesting (to me) activities....the stuff being loaded onto the ship, other ships and boats...we usually see a few yachts and start searching to see who they belong to, etc.  We all get antsy at some point and have to head to the track to take a few laps. 

Intermingled in all of this is some sampling of beverages (we typically get Plus). 

At some point, the luggage arrives and we unpack and discover all the things we left behind and argue over who gets the ports on the usb charger. 

Sail away happens somewhere in all of this, which is fun to be on deck and waiving like fools at the people watching us sail away.  At some point, I'll catch a glance from DW and we'll look at each other and acknowledge that we are in for a great 7-10 days. 

After dinner we'll head to the casino where we'll try to find the cheapest, simplest machine that exists and plan our strategy to make our $50 last the longest (it never really works out). 

We'll finish the night by trying to find the live entertainment that is closest to rock/pop and we'll people-watch for a couple of hours.  Then we'll head back to the room, complain about the wifi for a bit, and hopefully get 90 minutes of rem and deep sleep and think about how lucky we are. 

 

Damn, just thinking about this makes me want to book a few more...lol.

 

My cup runneth over reading your embarkation enjoyments

thank you

[travelin.sisters]

33 minutes ago, ktcishot said:

Going to your muster station in the way to your cabin is such a great idea! 

How do you know where it is ahead of time? Is there somewhere I can look it up?

you can see it on your medallion app once you board or use your medallion on the screens to find ii

[Torfamm]

10 hours ago, ktcishot said:

Going to your muster station in the way to your cabin is such a great idea! 

How do you know where it is ahead of time? Is there somewhere I can look it up?

You can see it in the app as soon as you connect to the ship’s intranet. If you board very early though, you might be at the muster station before they are ready to start checking people in. I’ve only had it happen once

[fabby50]

Muster station, drop off stuff in the room/safe, lunch, where depends on the ship and what status for a particular cruise I have, if I haven't been on the ship before, after lunch, I start at the top and do a common deck tour, and then the gym.  The first day is a great day to hit the gym, there's usually no one or only one or two people working out and it gets my cruise off right.

[sirclean]

I check on the mini bar and try to exchange the less desirable items for the more desirable ones.  

for sure I get rid of the tonic water.  Im not a beer fan, but one of my usual travel buddies IS, so depending on who is traveling with me, I tailor the fridge for us. 

 

I check the room for other items that we will need - like laundry bags and ice.  IF we have been away a while, or have specific clothes we will need soon that need to be laundered or didnt travel well, those get cleaned that day.

 

IF I have a drink package, one of the orders of business is a Dirty Banana. 

 

setting up the phone for the ship system always seems to take longer than I think it should, but I dont know the system well enough... just enough to be dangerous (mostly to myself!)

[Jilliebean28]

We immediately split up....one goes to Sanctuary to book loungers for the trip while the other goes to make reservations for dinners at Sabatini's and CG.

Then we head to the cabin and drop off carryons then to Alfredo's for lunch.

After lunch we head to the cabin and hope that our luggage has arrived so we can get unpacked and organized.

Then we head to the Retreat bar for our first vacation cocktail!

[FrankieJayIII]

i'm doing this exactly thanks! 

[Ombud]

Here's what I'm doing Sunday:

1. Board

2. Lunch in MDR while watching muster drill on phone

3. Drop suitcase

4. Swap minibar for white wine

5. Check into muster station

Hoping in that order

[neverbeenhere]

Dance in the dark, to the radio of … 

[trbarton]

20 hours ago, ktcishot said:

Going to your muster station in the way to your cabin is such a great idea! 

How do you know where it is ahead of time? Is there somewhere I can look it up?

The minute you board the ship there is staff there that can direct you to your muster station. Makes it real easy. 
 

Tom😀

[rcprncss]

4 hours ago, Jilliebean28 said:

We immediately split up....one goes to Sanctuary to book loungers for the trip while the other goes to make reservations for dinners at Sabatini's and CG.

Then we head to the cabin and drop off carryons then to Alfredo's for lunch.

After lunch we head to the cabin and hope that our luggage has arrived so we can get unpacked and organized.

Then we head to the Retreat bar for our first vacation cocktail!

I have a question I have been wondering.  Does it cost to have a lounger in the Sanctuary?  I have seen a few posts and now I am under the impression there is a fee.  If so, how much?  Thank you.  🙂

[FrankieJayIII]

2 hours ago, rcprncss said:

I have a question I have been wondering.  Does it cost to have a lounger in the Sanctuary?  I have seen a few posts and now I am under the impression there is a fee.  If so, how much?  Thank you.  🙂

$40/day, $20 for 4 hours (half day)- PER PERSON

[curlybelle2]

On 4/9/2023 at 8:50 PM, rdsqrl said:

I like to hang on the promenade deck and supervise the stores being loaded onto the ship.  Often, there's a dog to watch, sniffing the various pallets.  It's simple fun but it entertains me.  Plus, it avoids the crowds and first-day madhouse of the interior of the ship. 

We also watch from our balcony, the ship being loaded with suitcases, food and pallets. It entertains us too. 🙂 I don't know why but we think its interesting. Love the first day of the cruise. It's just exciting!

[AVCruzers]

Amazed at number of people that love the buffet on embarkation day!  It is the one place we always avoid!

[MissP22]

6 hours ago, AVCruzers said:

Amazed at number of people that love the buffet on embarkation day!  It is the one place we always avoid!

It's actually very quiet for a while provided you're among the first group to board. 

[cruisewkid]

The first day is so exciting!

We usually like to get there as early as possible & settle in & acclimate though no traditional schedule or order of business.

 

But, for our upcoming Alaska cruise out of Whittier we will be arriving to the ship after our Princess CruiseTour via the train (scheduled to arrive 6 pm) with SailAway at 8:30 pm.

 

We have complimentary Specialty Dining on embarkation day which we would like to utilize.  Although it sounds like we should be on the ship quickly after the train arrives, I am feeling like the evening is going to be kind of a scramble.............  especially since it sounds like we will definitely be wanting to watch the gorgeous SailAway from Whittier (depending on weather).  We prefer a later dinner anyway, but 8:30 is about the latest we'd want to do.

 

I am thinking unpacking isn't going to happen until we are in the room for the nite....  well, I am back in the room for the nite, my husband will probably be checking out the casino!

 

Anyway, if anybody has experience w, or suggestions for, the logistics of best way to do all this - I would love input.  Do any of the Sapphire Specialty Dining venues have particularly good viewing that we can be watching SailAway while dining?

[Kellyansapansa]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

It's actually very quiet for a while provided you're among the first group to board. 

Yes, we've always found the buffet to be uncrowded on embarkation day, at least until the dinner rush starts. We love checking out what's new in the buffet and reacquainting ourselves with our favourite things. 😊

[tonit964]

I like to get on the ship as soon as possible. If it's before the dining room is open, I get my traditional embarkation drink, a BHIT and sit in the Piazza. Then get muster done, go to cabin and wipe it down,decorate my door and if luggage is there, I unpack and then go grab another drink and explore.

 

As others have said, embarkation day is the best day of the cruise, I just love the smell of the hallway walking to the cabin, the sounds out in the port of loading stuff onto the ship. 

[StrawberryHill]

Lets see......

First thing we do is head to a MDR for lunch - avoid the buffet at all costs

After lunch our rooms are usually ready and we unpack carry on stuff / luggage

Hang paperwork on the wall ( magnets )

Put the clock / temp / humidity read out on the wall

Find our excursion tickets and clip those on the wall in the order we need them ( magnetic clip )

Hang our daily event calendar and cruise itinerary on the wall ( magnets )

Watch the safety video at the same time as doing above

Put stuff in the safe ( including my phone - dont need it on board )  unplug time

Read the Patter and mark up the things to do that evening

Go to the muster station

Explore the ship - or 

                 Watch the cargo being loaded on the ship ( it is fun counting the stack of beer cases )

                  If in L.A. watch the container ships being loaded and loaded

 

 

 

 

[tml1230]

On 4/10/2023 at 1:43 AM, nwnittany said:

Get on the ship as soon as we can (nicer than the hotels we usually stay in...lol) and head to the room.  Of course, it's too early and we are usually shoo'd away...but we can at least drop off our carry-on and change into shorts, etc. 

Then head to Alfredo's....it's usually crowded, but we say we don't care and wait for a table.  That pizza is just a great tradition to start the vacation. 

If we're in a suite, I usually try to talk the family into going up to the suite lounge (I usually get dirty looks and have to go solo) to meet the folks up there. 

After that, it's time to head to the pool decks and enjoy the sights from the port.... there's usually alot of interesting (to me) activities....the stuff being loaded onto the ship, other ships and boats...we usually see a few yachts and start searching to see who they belong to, etc.  We all get antsy at some point and have to head to the track to take a few laps. 

Intermingled in all of this is some sampling of beverages (we typically get Plus). 

At some point, the luggage arrives and we unpack and discover all the things we left behind and argue over who gets the ports on the usb charger. 

Sail away happens somewhere in all of this, which is fun to be on deck and waiving like fools at the people watching us sail away.  At some point, I'll catch a glance from DW and we'll look at each other and acknowledge that we are in for a great 7-10 days. 

After dinner we'll head to the casino where we'll try to find the cheapest, simplest machine that exists and plan our strategy to make our $50 last the longest (it never really works out). 

We'll finish the night by trying to find the live entertainment that is closest to rock/pop and we'll people-watch for a couple of hours.  Then we'll head back to the room, complain about the wifi for a bit, and hopefully get 90 minutes of rem and deep sleep and think about how lucky we are. 

 

Damn, just thinking about this makes me want to book a few more...lol.

 

my wife and I board the regal princess this weekend for the transatlantic crossing...I found your post incredibly accurate and enjoyable!  your words..."At some point, I'll catch a glance from DW and we'll look at each other and acknowledge that we are in for a great 7-10 days. " very powerful words and observation! Thats as good as it gets!  thanks for posting!

[JimmyVWine]

• Ignore any mention of the cabins not being ready.  Head straight to the cabin to drop stuff off, ready or not.
• Meet my steward and tell him/her that I have removed the auto-tip and that their tip depends entirely on me getting preferential treatment in every way, shape or form during the cruise.
• Put my full "Rum Runners" in the fridge.
• Head up to the buffet.  Along the way, I tell as many people that I pass or cross that the MDR isn't open and that they have to go to the buffet.
• Don't really care if the buffet is crowded.  I just cut to the front of the line, pushing as many people out of the way as possible.
• Try to touch as many utensils as possible with my unwashed, unsanitized hands.
• Scope out the best pool loungers that I intend to hog for the rest of the cruise.  If possible, I put a towel and book down on three or four of them so that I can use them in four hours.
• Go to the poolside bar, order a drink and hand the bartender a $1 bill.  Then I tell him that now that I have tipped him in advance, I expect him to remember me, remember my drink order, and give me extra special treatment for the rest of the cruise.
• Head out to my balcony to watch the luggage getting loaded on the ship, straining to see if my bags stay dry in spite of the fact that I stiffed the porter upon my arrival. 
• Test out the elevators by getting on and pressing every button to see if they all work.
• Grab a seat in Vines and tell every server who comes by that I don't want anything to drink, but that I am really enjoying this "public space" to hang out in.
• Head to the Shops on the Fiesta Deck to try to find a decent pair of shorts to wear on Formal Night.

 

That's about all I can think of right now, and I wish I had had the time to post this on April 1.

Edited April 12, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[J13C85]

4 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

• Ignore any mention of the cabins not being ready.  Head straight to the cabin to drop stuff off, ready or not.
• Meet my steward and tell him/her that I have removed the auto-tip and that their tip depends entirely on me getting preferential treatment in every way, shape or form during the cruise.
• Put my full "Rum Runners" in the fridge.
• Head up to the buffet.  Along the way, I tell as many people that I pass or cross that the MDR isn't open and that they have to go to the buffet.
• Don't really care if the buffet is crowded.  I just cut to the front of the line, pushing as many people out of the way as possible.
• Try to touch as many utensils as possible with my unwashed, unsanitized hands.
• Scope out the best pool loungers that I intend to hog for the rest of the cruise.  If possible, I put a towel and book down on three or four of them so that I can use them in four hours.
• Go to the poolside bar, order a drink and hand the bartender a $1 bill.  Then I tell him that now that I have tipped him in advance, I expect him to remember me, remember my drink order, and give me extra special treatment for the rest of the cruise.
• Head out to my balcony to watch the luggage getting loaded on the ship, straining to see if my bags stay dry in spite of the fact that I stiffed the porter upon my arrival. 
• Test out the elevators by getting on and pressing every button to see if they all work.
• Grab a seat in Vines and tell every server who comes by that I don't want anything to drink, but that I am really enjoying this "public space" to hang out in.
• Head to the Shops on the Fiesta Deck to try to find a decent pair of shorts to wear on Formal Night.

 

That's about all I can think of right now, and I wish I had had the time to post this on April 1.

Hilarious