Embarkation day is an exciting day. I am usually counting down the days to my cruise, and I can’t wait to get on board and start exploring!
There are a few things that can catch out unsuspecting cruisers. In this article, we look at those, so your embarkation day will be as easy and stress-free as possible!
#1 Your Cabin Might Not Be Ready
When you first get onboard, you might be excited to go to your cabin and take that first look around.
If you have an earlier embarkation time, you might find that your cabin isn’t ready for you.
When I recently sailed on Anthem of the Seas, I headed towards my cabin to find that all the doors to the cabin corridors were shut. There was a note on the door saying that the cabins would all be ready at 1 p.m.
An announcement will often be made over the tannoy to say that all cabins are ready. You may as well explore the ship or get some lunch and leave finding your cabin until later.
I always take hand luggage with me, containing my valuables, but I don’t take anything too heavy (like a cabin-sized suitcase) because I know I may be stuck carrying it about for a few hours.
#2 Muster Drill!
If I can, I like to attend to my Muster Drill as soon as I get onboard, then its out of the way and you can start enjoying yourself.
A Muster Drill is a mandatory safety drill that must be carried out before the ship sets sail. Every passenger must watch or attend a safety drill and then find their Muster Station onboard the ship.
In the case of emergency, you will know were to go and what to do. You will be checked off the list by a crew member , and they will know you have attended.
If you won’t take part in the Muster Drill, they are within their rights to disembark you from the ship before it sails. You may as well get it over and done with as soon as possible.
Find out everything you need to know about Muster Drills here:
#3 Going Straight To The Buffet
Everyone seems to head straight to the buffet when they embark, and it is often very crowded.
It’s understandable. Many people have been travelling for a number of hours to get there and are ready for a rest and something to eat and drink.
I prefer not to go where everyone else is going! I would rather eat somewhere else, either at the poolside grill or, if the main dining room is open, I will head there.
It’s great to start your cruise with a sit-down meal with your family and friends. It’s like going out to a nice restaurant with your friends – but no nasty bill at the end!
#4 Hand Luggage
As I mentioned, I always take a bag which I keep with me. This has my passport, credit cards, phone, chargers, laptop – and anything else important in it.
I know some cruisers with children like to pack their swimming things so that they can get straight into the pool—while everyone else doesn’t have access to their swimsuits or trunks. That is quite a clever idea!
When we sailed on the Anthem of the Seas from Southampton recently, my Mum handed in her suitcase to the porters on the quayside – and it took SEVEN HOURS to appear in her cabin. That is an all-time record for our family.
Luckily, she had most things she needed in her hand luggage, but she was starting to get worried about not having clean clothes for the seven-day cruise ahead.
If you are travelling as a couple or family, I always recommend swapping clothes around and not putting all of one person’s clothes in one case. Then, if the worst should happen and the case gets lost, at least everyone has some access to clean clothes!
#5 Arriving At The Port Too Early
Usually, it will say on your check-in documents when you should check in at the port.
Aim to get to that port at that time, if you arrive far too early you might find yourself hanging about outside.
The embarkation process needs to go very smoothly, particularly on mega ships where many thousands of passengers are embarking within a few hours.
They give passengers embarkation times to avoid queues and bottlenecks. If five thousand people all arrived at 1 pm to embark, it would be chaos! That is why the embarkation times are spread out.
When I first sailed on Anthem of the Seas from Southampton, I was delayed getting on board because some people from the previous sailing tried to stow away onboard! Find out more about that here:
There have been times when I have been kept hanging about in the terminal. I took a luxury cruise with Azamara, and all flights and transfers were included.
The coach dropped us off at noon, and the terminal building wasn’t even open. We had to wait for check-in, and even once we had done so, they kept us waiting for another hour before we were allowed to board.
This wasn’t what I had expected from a luxury cruise line. Find out what I thought about that cruise once I actually got on board here:
#6 Ignoring Embarkation Day Weather
Make sure that you have a waterproof jacket or coat with you on that first day.
You might find yourself hanging about in the rain, waiting to embark. Don’t assume that if you are in the Mediterranean, for example, the weather will be good.
I have had to queue outside the terminal for over an hour on multiple occasions. Dress for the weather on the day. Don’t get caught out like me…
I got so wet waiting to embark the Norwegian Sun in Portugal. I ended up drying my hair under the hand dryers in the public restrooms because my cabin wasn’t ready. I was totally drenched.
Find out about that very wet start to my cruise, and see if things improved here:
#7 Not Being Ready For Security
I find that the security at cruise terminals is nowhere near as stressful as security at airports.
They will still put your bags through airport security-style scanners and may ask you to remove your coats, shoes, etc.
They are looking for dangerous or banned items.
They are also looking to make sure you aren’t trying to take your own alcohol onboard, for example. On some lines, you are allowed to take a small amount of alcohol with you but check beforehand to see what your cruise line will allow.
Any confiscated items are returned to you at the end of the cruise. If you are caught trying to smuggle anything illegal onboard, you would not be allowed onto the ship, and the police would doubtless be called. You will probably also be banned from the cruise line for life.
You will get through security far more quickly if you don’t pack anything that you shouldn’t have.
Find out about the top confiscated things on cruise ships here:
These Are The 5 Items Most Regularly Confiscated by Cruise Lines
Why not buy yourself an Embarkation Day T-shirt? Find mine here:
Before You Go
Find out which drinks are included in your cruise fare – and which cost extra here:
Do Cruises Include Drinks? Don’t Miss These FREE Options (Tea, Coffee, Juice & More)
Learn about the top eight packing mistakes you should avoid here:
Top 8 Cruise Packing Mistakes You Need to Avoid
Free Insiders Cruise Line Guide
Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? Cruise lines won’t tell you this, but I will.
This FREE guide shows you everything you need to know to find your perfect cruise line.
Whenever I take a cruise I order a print of my trip. It uses the real satellite data from the cruise and is always a great conversation starter!
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