Shipboard

General Cruise Info

Disembarkation

Disembarkation or getting off the ship is a very organized process and has had to become very organized as the number of passengers on board have increased greatly in the last decade. Ships will arrive back at the port they left from usually by 7AM in the morning. Getting passengers off can take up to four hours or longer depending on the amount of passengers the ship can handle.

Luggage

The process of packing for disembarkation is a science. Depending on whether you plan to do the express option or baggage tag system dictates how to proceed. If you're going to do the traditional disembarkation, your bags need to be outside your door the night before sometime between 10PM and 1AM, depending on the procedure of the cruise line.

When packing your bags to be left out, make sure that you put aside any clothes, accessories, toiletries, and medications you might need the next day. Believe it or not, many people have packed everything and have nothing to wear the next day. Also, it has been noted that people have also packed their passports in their bags which are required for clearing customs. So, make a short list of what items you will need for the night and the next day prior to packing so that you don't get caught.

Disembarkation Methods

There are two methods by which one can leave the ship. The first and fastest is via express walk-off. In express walk-off, you take your own bags with you similar to taking carry on baggage on the airplane. This method allows you to get off the ship first, bypassing having to look for your bags. Once your off the ship you can move straight through to customs. If this method seems good to you, your method of packing has to be with this in mind. In other words, it is difficult to take advantage of walking off the ship with your bags if you have more than one roll-on and a carry-on. Once you go above that, managing so many bags becomes a hassle.

The second method and most common method of disembarking the ship is via baggage tag color. As part of the routine the last day of the cruise, the cabin attendants will leave color coded luggage tags in the room. The tags are color coded as to designate where your bags will be located in the terminal when you get off the ship. The color also designates the time at which you disembark the vessel. These tags should be filled out with all the required information and attached to the bags before being put out that night. Make certain to remove the tags put on when you boarded the ship as not to confuse bags. The standard number of tags issued is 4 or 5 tags per room. If more are needed, they can be obtained from the cabin attendant. If you are taking NCL, you have the ability to choose when you wish to leave the ship. The tags are NOT delivered to your room as described above. Rather, all the colors are available at the main desk of the ship. Just make sure to get there early on as the early departure tags are the first to disappear.

Another alternative to getting off the ship faster is using express service. This option allows you to exit the ship first, but you need to be able to carry off all your bags with you. This is something that really needs to be in your mind throughout the cruise as we all only have two hands thus limiting how many bags we can hand carry.

If you are unfamiliar with the disembarkation procedure on a particular line or in general, most cruise lines offer a presentation on the procedure the day before. I highly recommend to take in this presentation at least the first time, unless you're traveling with an experienced cruiser.

Disembarkation Process

Starting about a half hour or so after the ship has docked and has been cleared, announcements will start to be made allowing guests to go ashore. The first group to be called is the express walk-off guests. A block of about an hour or so is given to these guests who choose to take their own bags off with them.

Following the express service, the cruise staff will then begin making announcements to guests in each luggage tag color. Only at this time can you disembark the ship. Don't try to go any earlier. Crowding the common areas of the ship early will only make it worse for you and the other guests trying to get off. Most of the cruise lines have designated areas of the ship where you can wait for your color to be called.

When you are called, proceed to the cue to leave the ship. At that time, you should have in your hand your cruise card and your color tags. When you get to the exit, your card will be swiped for the last time and you will proceed off the ship. Once in the building you will proceed to the baggage area and claim your bags (unless you're doing the express disembarkation) and proceed to the customs area of the terminal. From there you will continue to the exit to your transportation.

Dining

Dining Arrangements

Dining arrangements will differ based on the type of cruise you're taking and the way the ship designed. As stated earlier, it is a good idea to check with the head waiter at the main dining room to finalize your seating as well as find out where your table is located. There are several options available in the dining room.

The first big decision to consider when booking your cruise is what time you prefer to eat. There are usually somewhere between 2 and 4 different seatings available. The first is usually either at 5 or 6PM, depending on how many seating choices there are; the normal amount is 2. The thought process can be narrowed down to what your normal operating schedule is. If you normally eat around 6PM, take the earlier seating. If you're a late diner consider the second. In more formal cruises, the second seating is also the one that the Captain has his table. The downside to the early seating is that you have to get dressed earlier and that put a crunch on things after coming back from an all day outing. On the flip side, the second seating is not a good idea if you don't like having food in your stomach and going to bed early. This shouldn't be an issue if you're in the younger crowd.

The second point that one needs to comprehend is the seating arrangements. Typically, groups of two are merged into large tables of 10 or 12, but if one wishes, you may get a private table. If you are placed with a group, this group will be your dining mates for the whole cruise. By the time the cruise is over, it is a good chance some of them will become new friends. If for some reason, you don't like who you're seated with or prefer to be moved to a different dining time, the head waiter can make these arrangements for you. The second option is to be placed at your own private table, much like when you're at home.

If your are taking a cruise with flexible dining, it is important to learn when and how to make reservations for the different dining rooms on board. Different lines have different rules for when reservations can be made. Some allow you the ability to make reservations for the entire cruise at one time and others state that reservations cannot be made more than 24 hours in advance of the day of your choice.

Days in Port

Depending on the cruise, you may have 3 or more days in various ports. While the ship is in port, activity on the ship continues, but not as hectic as during sea days. The slowest times on board ship are in the morning and the early afternoon when guests are on shore excursions. As passengers come back from their day trips in the mid to late afternoon, activity on-board ship starts to increase again. One place where this is noticeable is at the pool. As people come back from the shore excursions, they seem to congregate by the pool or on the sun deck for a relaxing afternoon either with a book, a drink or both.

While in port, one has the option to go on shore and take in what the port has to offer, whether it be shopping or taking an excursion, or stay on the ship and do whatever one pleases. This is the point that many miss. You can do as much or as little as you want on a cruise. My recommendation is that if the port is some place you have never been, get out and check it out. You never know if you might want to visit that port again on your own.

Depending on the port you are in, it is important that one reads the daily bulletin for dress recommendations. Certain ports find certain types of clothing a mockery. For example, in certain British West Indian islands, it is looked down upon to wear any type of military-like clothing in public, such as camouflage shorts or pants.

Shore Excursions

Part of going on a cruise is the ability to see many places without having to continuously pack and unpack. Therefore, a piece of the cruise experience is taking some sort of a shore excursion to learn a little about the destination. Common trips include all-inclusive beach trips that include transportation to a beach or several beaches along with lunch. Other trips are tours of the port that give facts as well as expose visitors to the lifestyle of the residents. These excursions are not part of the cruise ticket. They are extra and range in price from $20.00 US to $400.00 per person. Even though, the tours are coordinated to be back for when the ship leaves, it is still the responsibility to be at the point of pickup to return to the ship.

Shore excursions fill up quickly. It is important to book tours as soon as possible as to get a position. This is very important if you will be traveling in a group. Reservations can be made once you get on board ship, but it makes sense to pre-book as much as you can before boarding. Most of the tours that are available can be booked on the web site of the cruise line. As ships are getting bigger and bigger, the lottery for spots on tours gets large.

Shopping

Alcohol

Sea Days

Days at Sea

This is the time where the ship is moving at sea toward its next port. There may be as few as one day or several depending on the length of the voyage. Most cruises include at least one day at sea, either heading toward the first port of call or returning from the last. On some long cruises, there may be days at sea between ports. During these days, many activities are offered throughout the day for the passengers. Some of these activities might include:

Pool activities (Belly flop contents, biggest splash, etc.)
Bingo (Win Cruises, cash, etc.)
Cooking demonstrations
Ice Carving demonstrations
Bartending demonstrations
Movies
Theatrical shows
Presentations
Bands and other musical performers
Seminars
Tours

A great tool to bring with you is a highlighter and it will become your friend in planning your days. All events are posted in the daily bulletin left in your room each night. The schedule for days at sea will have a plethora of events that you will want to become a part of, thus, you will want to highlight all the things that you want to do.

These days are also very popular on the pool and sun decks, weather permitting. If hanging out by the pool on a lounge is your choice, you need to act quickly to secure a place as chairs become limited and it is not permitted to hold chairs for people.

Onboard Events

Aside from the activities that abound on the pool deck, there are other events going on around the ship that range from free to paid. The daily list of events will be printed in the ship's daily program delivered to the cabin the night before. Whether a ship is at sea or in port, there are activities going on. Therefore, it is a good idea to pre-plan your day ahead of time so that you know what events you want to partake in and at what time they are. There may be times that there are two events at the same time that you may wish to do, but only able to do one.

Events, as stated earlier, are available for free or for a fee. Those for a fee will state the cost in the description. However, most demonstrations being given on board ship are complimentary and there are many to enjoy. Most events, whether free or not, are given on sea days.

Amenities on Board

Compared with ships from twenty years ago, ships have much to offer its guests. Just about anything one could wish for can be found on a ship, but not all ships. That would be too easy. When deciding on what cruise to take, take into consideration what each ship and line has to offer. Each ship and cruise line has its specialties in amenities and target audiences. For the most part, all new ships have certain basic amenities, health clubs, spas, specialty restaurants, and sports activities. However, some ships take amenities to extreme heights. Each ship's offerings can be found on the line's respective web site. There you can study the ships' layouts, where they leave from, where they go, and the costs for each cruise.

Most ships now offer basic amenities such as on board spas, rock climbing walls, sports decks, several pools, specialty restaurants, snack shops, as well as Internet cafes. Yes, that is right, Internet Cafes. Most of these amenities are NOT included in your fare. They are extra. As all of these are very enticing, they will quickly add up on your on-board charge account.

Laundry

Some cruise lines offer their guests access to guest laundromats. They are usually located on each deck and on each site of the ship. The laundries offer washers, dryers, ironing boards and irons along with supplies available through vending machines.

Laundry and dry cleaning services are also offered. Items are left for the cabin attendant with an order form indicating the items and the quantity of each. They will be taken to the ship's laundry for cleaning or dry cleaning and returnr room the next afternoon. If for some reason, laundry needs to be returned the same day, there is an express surcharge added to the cost of each item.

If you have a lot of laundry to be done and you don't mind doing your own, use the onboard laundromats. It will be much cheaper than sending down to the ship's laundry at the per item rate. Each load is costs one to two dollars. Dryers cost the same. So, factor up to four dollars to do one load of laundry. If you're doing a long cruise, you definitely may want to factor this in and bring your own supplies from home. A great time to do this is either while in port as people will be off the ship or during the times during the day when everyone is out and about. Sea days will be the most busiest as everyone is on board ship.

Photo Processing

Since all ships have photo labs for their own processing, they also offer services to guests to process photo processing. As digital photography has over taken traditional film, some ships will only be able to digitally print as traditional film labs have been replaced. So, if you still rely on old fashioned film, you may have to wait till returning to get those rolls developed. Most of us, however, use digital and the services available for digital range from basic to full service including making CDs from your camera to standard prints and enlargement. Be aware that costs for processing on the ships will be higher than on shore as one is paying for the luxury of having it there.