Top 10 Tips for Making the Most of Your First Day on a Cruise
For me, it tends to normally fall in the middle of that but so much is down to where you board your ship and which line you sail with.
If you are cruising with Celebrity out Southampton, you can get onboard quickly and just get on with your holiday, if you were to set sail from Buenos Aires onboard MSC, you may be looking forward to an early night.
So much of makes the first day one to dread for many is out of the control of the average cruiser but there are some things everybody should do to help make the best of bad situation or to make things even more, ahem, plain sailing and that is what I look at in this video.
Our Top 10 Tips for Making the Most of Your First Day on a Cruise
Head To The Buffet/MDR
When you get onboard, and have completed all of your muster drill stuff, that is when your holiday really starts but despite that, you can often be left wondering what to do and what’s going to happen next.
For me, I finally feel at ease and like I am on a cruise when I have my first meal in the buffet.
With most buffets been quite similar across all ships and lines, it just always feels like I am at ‘home’ no matter if I have sailed with the line or on the ship before.
If you prefer eating in the MDR, most lines will open these up on embarkation day and you will have that same feeling of familiarity once you get sat at your table and you place your order.
Explore Your Ship
If you are sailing on a new ship, the chances are you feel a bit lost once you get onboard and that is for good reason- you kind of are.
Even if you have done your research before going, such as watching a Deck by Deck video guide on the CruiseHols channel, it still tends to feel unfamiliar once you step onboard.
The best way to get rid of that feeling and to turn it into a feeling of knowing where you are is to simply set off exploring.
For me personally, it tends to be the first thing I do once I get onboard a ship, I just set of wondering, see what I come across and then carry on until I hit the buffet.
Find YOUR Place
If you have cruised before, you will likely know the sort of place that quickly become ‘YOUR’ place when on a cruise ship.
If you know it, go find it as soon as you get onboard.
For me, it tends to be an outdoor seating area at the back of the ship that is behind the buffet allowing me to sit with the incredible views that you only get at sea whilst having easy access to drinks machines.
It will likely be somewhere completely different for you and that is the beauty of cruising as is the fact that when you find your spot, all of the stresses of life disappear.
Enjoy The Sailaway
No matter if you are departing a cruise port you have sail from numerous times before, there is always something special about the first sail away of a cruise and there is always something unique that happens.
I have cruised from Southampton the most but something different has happened every time I have set sail, with my favourite been when a seal popped up next to the ship as we set off.
For me, the departure and arrival is one of the best things about cruising, so I always make sure I am up on the top deck of the first one.
Enjoy A Show
This is something that always settles me into the rhythm of cruising as heading into the theatre is a nightly occurrence for me.
Even if the theatre isn’t to your liking, there will be plenty of other things to watch on your first day aboard including musicians, comedians and singers.
Whatever your preferred type of onboard entertainment is, make sure you go to it the first day and you will soon feel like you are enjoying your next adventure rather than worrying about what is to come or what you still need to sort.
Arrive On Time
If you are worried about things feeling rushed from arriving at the port to getting onboard, the best thing to do is to make sure you arrive on time.
If you arrive too early, you may be asked to go away and come back which just adds to the stress and if you arrive too late, it could be much busier, and you are kind of pushed to the back of the queue.
Arrive on time, take your spot and wait to get onboard.
Pack A Small Carry On
I always find it quite funny when you see people getting on with huge bags, sometimes suitcases as there are just no point to it.
All you are doing is making boarding tougher on yourself, and those around you and if you are on a ship where you cannot drop your bag off, you are stuck with a load of luggage trying to get around the ship during the busiest time of the week when lots of people don’t know where they are going.
Drop Off Your Bag
This isn’t something that is always available to you, but if you are sailing with a line such as Celebrity where you can drop your walk on luggage off at your cabin before they are ready for you to use, make sure you do.
Getting rid of your bags allows you to explore the ship, relax in lounges, head to the pool or just grab some food without having to drag your luggage around and without having to carry up and down stairs.
Don’t Do Too Much
This is something that I have done myself and there just no need to do it but the excitement of finally getting on a new cruise ship after waiting months or sometimes years just gets too much and you want to do everything you can the first day.
It is worst when sailing on a mini cruise when it seems like you don’t have enough time to do everything, but you always do.
If you are on a 7 night or especially on a 14 night cruise, you will have lots of time to do everything you want to do onboard, so don’t rush through it on the first night.
Create A Tradition
If you really hate the stresses of the first day on a cruise, turn it into something you look forward to by creating your won tradition.
This can be as simple as heading to the same place on a ship as soon as you board or ordering the same drink in the first bar you get to.
No matter what it is, you can focus on that rather than getting to the port, checking in and getting onboard your ship.
