Embarkation Thoughts

The first thing that one should do after boarding a ship for their cruise is to find their cabin and then go exploring.  As someone that has studied the deck plans of the ship prior to boarding, and has a general idea where everything is, one of the first trips of this exploration is finding the specialty dining venues and make reservations for the week.   For RCCL, this means a booking at Portofinos; for Princess, we like the Crown Grill, or the equivalent restaurant, depending on the ship. 

Portofinos is a wonderful dining experience, especially if it will be a dinner for two.  Of course, a group dinner here is nice as well.  When I decided to ask my now-wife to marry me in 2004 aboard the Voyager of the Seas, we headed to Portofinos after I popped the question.  Romantic.

After this, I suggest finding your table in the regular restaurant, buying a soda card and last but not least, find a place for a celebratory drink.  And, since food will play a major role in the days ahead, the lunch is always a good time prior to embarkation.  One quick note on the soda card:  if there are only two of you, buy one soda card and share it.   It’s technically not allowed but no one working on board will really care.  Really.

One thing that I feel makes a first-day journey complete is this:  if possible, arrive at your embarkation port the day before.  That way, you are refreshed from your flight (if necessary) and ready to spend a full first day aboard the ship.  Too many times I have seen exhausted people come aboard and many others that are beyond exhausted and now are frustrated, which is never a way to start a vacation.  Therefore, spend the extra few bucks and arrive a day early.  When we cruise out of Miami, we always book a hotel with eye view of the cruise terminal.  This way, when morning arrives, you get the see the ship in the harbor in all of its glory.

One final point:  many want to know when is the best time to arrive onboard.   Assuming that your ship will leave port at 4 p.m. or likely later, I recommend arriving at the port around 11 a.m. that day.  Perfect time to explore a near-empty ship.

LIBERTY OF THE SEAS: 273 DAYS; CARIBBEAN PRINCESS: 405 DAYS

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Tags: CRUISETHOUGHTS