We love cruising. My wife and I also come from upbringings where we structure everything. Idleness is bad. There is always something that needs to get done. This is one of the reasons we take cruises. We joke “we live the life of our cats.” We eat, we sleep, we use our box! Structure still rules supreme. Here are 12 things we do on the first day of a cruise.
- Remember where we parked the car. If you travel for business, you park all the time. It is easy to forget. I write the floor and row location on the paper ticket the machine gave me. Then I put the ticket someplace very safe.
- Recheck the cabin number. The baggage handlers usually have a list. Just in case we got a last minute cabin upgrade, we want to be sure our bags are delivered to the right cabin location. Hope springs eternal for those upgrades.
- Tip the baggage handlers.There are plenty of reasons this might not be necessary. We do it anyway. We want our luggage to arrive safely in our stateroom. We also want it to arrive intact.
- Find our cabin. This is straightforward, but there is a rationale here. The bags will not have arrived yet, but we can drop the carry-on luggage, hat, sunglasses and windbreaker on the bed before exploring.
- Lock away those valuables.Now that we are aboard, we will not be needing house keys, car keys, wallet and passports for several days. All cabins should have a safe. Set a passport and lock them away.
- Have lunch.Assuming there are a few hours until departure, they should still be serving lunch on the Lido Deck or wherever the buffet restaurant is located. This is a good opportunity to review the daily program and see what is going on today.
- Reunite with your luggage.By now, our bags should have arrived at the cabin. We unpack immediately and store the suitcases under the bed. If the logic of cruising is “you unpack once” we use the logic “unpack at once.”
- Comply with the lifeboat drill instructions.Years ago, this was a group activity. Everyone did it at once. Today, they might simply want you to report to your muster station and check in with a uniformed crew member. They check you off an electronic list. This is a requirement.
- Sneak off to buy flowers. That’s what I do anyway. I head to the Purser’s Office, stand in line and get it done. They get delivered the same day or the next day. My wife is surprised, even though it happens every voyage.
- Check the dining room table location.We still stick with the traditional first or second seating format. We like the idea of a set location with the same serving team every day. The card with your seating details should be in your cabin. If we don’t like it for some reason, we ask the maitre ‘d to move us. They give us a new assignment card.
- Meet your cabin steward.This is where hotels differ from cruise ships. Your steward does a lot more. Some higher tier accommodations have butlers. Meet them and treat them with respect. You are part of each other’s lives for the next several days.
- Where will you be when the ship sails?Remember the confetti throwing scenes from the Love Boat TV series? They don’t do that anymore. There might be a sail away party on an open deck. We prefer a lounge with comfy chairs, cocktails and forward facing windows. Plan in advance. Lots of other people will have this idea.
You should plan to enjoy every minute of your vacation from the second you board. This is how we do it!
Editor’s Notes:
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