Our Recommendations on the First Things to Do on a Cruise Immediately After Boarding

First Things to Do on a Cruise Immediately After Boarding There’s a certain excitement when you board your cruise ship on embarkation day. Whether it’s your first or the hundredth, you’ll still have a mixture of excitement about the wonderful things you’ll experience. But also feel slightly stressed about the boarding process and praying you’ve packed everything you need.

Having sailed with many cruise lines on varying itineraries, we can understand the trepidation, but there are many ways to make your cruise truly bucket list worth. As always, we’re here to guide you and make sure you have all the information you need. Obviously, there are going to be variations to our recommendations because it will depend on the cruise line you’re sailing with. Sometimes you can even find differences between cruise ships from the same line, so this is worth taking into consideration when you head on board. But in general, we’ll hopefully steer you in the right direction to make your embarkation day smooth sailing.

This is why we’ve created a guide on the first things we think everyone should do, immediately after boarding their cruise ship. Once you’ve completed the check in process and stepped on deck, you’ll be eager to get the holiday started. So let us take you through the different things we do during our first few hours on the ship.

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Our Tips on What You Should Do When You Board the Cruise Ship

As we have mentioned above, these are the things we do straight after we board. This has changed over the many cruises we have taken, simply out of experience. You may have other preferences, but if you are unsure then keep this guide saved.

1. Head to Your Muster Station and Complete the Required Safety Drill

Head to Your Muster Station Most cruise lines conduct muster drills during the boarding process, and as you step on board the ship there may be members of staff directing you to your muster location. Although we understand the importance of the safety drill, it does feel like a pain, so we prefer to get it over and done with straight away.

Once you reach your designated muster station, you tend to be asked for your name and cabin number, or a member of staff may swipe your cruise card or scan your boarding pass. You will then be shown the protocols to follow in the event of an emergency. Most of the time it will only take a few minutes, just remember to mentally note where your muster station is just in case. We’re sure you will never need it, because cruise lines have a wonderful safety record, but it’s always sensible to be prepared.

The safety drills are a legal requirement, and the cruise line must ensure all passengers have completed the process before the ship departs. We have completed virtual muster drills in the past where you must confirm online that you have watched a safety video, and you are aware of the process. But most cruise lines still complete the drill once you’re on board.

Although we can imagine you’re eager to get the party started, it makes sense to get through the safety requirements, which could include watching the safety video in your cabin as well. Once done you can focus on unpacking your cases and heading to the sail away party.

2. Drop Off Hand Luggage to Your Cabin and Unpack Your Suitcases

You’ll have dropped your suitcases off before conducting the boarding process but will still have to haul your hand luggage around. Whether you can leave the rest of your bags in the cabin, will depend on when you gain access to your room.

Some cruise lines give immediate access from the moment you board, we’re thinking of P&O specifically. But others have time restrictions to allow the cabin stewards to finish cleaning from the previous cruise and ensure your cabin is up to standard for your arrival. The many times we have cruised with Carnival, we haven’t been able to enter our cabin until after 1pm. So instead of heading there we tend to go and grab something to eat. But if you can go straight to your cabin then it makes sense to get rid of any baggage and maybe even unpack.

If you’re incredibly lucky then you may find that your suitcases are waiting outside the cabin door. Porters will only leave your case outside the door, so we like to take them inside as soon as we can and get the packing over and done with. But if you prefer to be out enjoying yourself and exploring the ship, then you may find that your cabin attendant will take any luggage into the room for you.

Because we like to get the hard stuff out of the way first, we always head to our cabin and unpack before doing any of the fun activities. Our biggest tip would be to ensure that you put away any valuables first, especially travel documents, money, bank cards and jewellery. All cruise cabins have safes which are closed and opened with your cruise card or a personal code. It’s worth noting that some insurance companies do not pay to replace items if they haven’t been properly stored.

We have a guide on the ‘Things to Do as Soon as You Get into Your Cruise Cabin,’ which should help you settle into your room quicker and make the holiday more enjoyable.

3. Check Over Your Cabin

Check Over Your Cabin Although we delve into this a lot more in the article above, it’s still worth mentioning here. When you have access to your cabin, you’ll want to make sure everything is as you expected and working. You’ll also want to take a few moments to look over cupboard space, so you can work out where you’re going to put everything once your suitcases arrive.

Remember that the cabin attendants have multiple rooms to clean in a short space of time, so if anything is broken, missing or dirty, then make them aware so it can be corrected. We tend to take disinfectant wipes with us to clean over any surfaces and items such as the TV control.

The cabin steward will introduce themselves to you at some point on the first day, mainly to gauge when you want your room cleaning. This is the ideal time to raise any issues with them or ask for items you may need such as spare hangers and additional towels.

4. Grab Some Lunch

It will have been a long day already, especially if you had an early check in or you’ve been travelling to the port to get to your ship. We’re sure that after completing all the safety drills and checking your cabin, you’ll start to feel hungry. One of the best parts of cruising is the endless amazing food that is offered, so it makes sense to head for lunch.

The options for lunch will depend on the ship, obviously the bigger it is the more restaurants that will be available. Most will have a buffet restaurant and poolside options, but you may find that the main dining room is also available.

Most passengers will head to the buffet, so you can expect it to be busy, but if you prefer to miss the first day madness then take a wander to the restaurant. We’ve always eaten in the buffet or poolside options on our first day and yes, it’s busy, but never bad enough to put us off.

This is the moment when you can take a deep breath and relax into holiday mode, because all the hard work is done and you’re ready to begin the fun. We like to order ourselves a nice drink and find somewhere with a view, so we can take a moment and celebrate the start of our vacation.

5. Enjoy a Drink

Enjoy a drink after boarding a cruise ship One of the delights of cruises are the beautiful cocktails and drinks available, so it’s time to enjoy the first of many. There tends to be drinking locations all over the ship, with staff walking around taking orders. Many ships have bar menus on their cruise apps, or you can ask the server for a recommendation. If you’re not a fan of alcohol then there are plenty of alcohol-free options, we’re big fans of the mocktails on P&O. There’s plenty of time to explore the ship, so take a moment to relax with your friends or family and cheers to an incredible time together.

Even though we have cruised many times, we rarely take out a drinks package and either purchase as we go or enjoy the free drinks available. Sometimes the soda packages can be worth the money, but it depends on how much you normally drink. We would advise prebooking your package, but you can purchase it on the first day of your cruise.

6. Freshen up and Change Your Clothes

If you haven’t already then why not head back to your cabin, so you can freshen up and even change your clothes. You may want to head to the pool, or simply put on something new after travelling all morning. We always recommend having a change of clothes in your hand luggage, so that if your suitcase takes a while to be dropped off, then at least you have something else to wear for the evening.

7. Take Any Seasickness Precautions

Seasickness isn’t a pleasant experience, in fact the thought of it put us off cruising for many years. What you may not know is that there are many remedies to help reduce or banish your nausea. So, it would make sense to take them before you set sail. Our favourites are Seabands, mainly because they’re more natural than taking medication and we find that they really work. In fact, we’ve even found that they make fast rollercoasters more bearable.

If you want to discover what other options are available, then check out our guide on ‘How to Prevent Seasickness on a Cruise: Effective Remedies to Banish that Nausea’.

8. Explore the Cruise Ship

Explore the Cruise Ship After Boarding You’re fed, watered and feeling excited about the forthcoming trip, so the natural next step is to explore your new home. We must admit this is one of our favourite things to do on the first day. Normally when we board the ship it feels huge, like we’ll never find our way around. But the more you wander about, the smaller it gets and the easier it will be when you want to find certain venues and activities.

Some cruise lines have staff handing out a small map of the ship as you board, which should outline the pools, bars, restaurants, entertainment areas, sports decks and kid’s zones. But if not then simply check out the cruise app and you should find one there. But nothing beats simply wandering up and down each deck to see what your ship has to offer.

Once you’ve got the lay of the land, you’ll find the rest of your vacation will be much easier to navigate.

9. Register and Visit the Kids Camp

For those of you who are cruising with kids, you’ll want to make sure that you head to the kid’s camp at some point during your first day. The main reason is so you can register your child, but also you can introduce them to staff and show them around the camps facilities. Although we have never needed to use a kid zone, we have read extensively about what is on offer via many of the cruise lines and we’ve always been impressed at the number of activities catered to children of varying ages. The majority of the entertainment such as scavenger hunts, discos, arts and crafts, and tournaments are all included in your cruise package. But there are a few payable extras such as evening child-minding services, so make sure you research before you board. As to whether your child can be dropped off or you have to stay with them, will completely depend on the age of the child, so again research is essential.

As you register you will be asked to fill out a number of forms in regard to the child’s health and welfare, this will include contact information for the parents.

10. Pre-Order Your Evening Meal If You Have any Dietary Requirements

Pre-Order Your Evening Meal After Boarding a Cruise Ship There are two types of dining options depending on the cruise line and the specific ship. You will either have a set dining time which you tend to choose as you book the cruise, or you can turn up and wait. The latter is normally offered on the larger cruise lines, mainly due to the fact that they have more restaurants than smaller ships.

Although many of the restaurants are amiable to guests with dietary requirements, it helps if they have the opportunity to prepare your meal in advance. We’ve had to do this many times, because we have multiple food intolerances and specific dietary choices. Some cruise lines have specific staff who can guide you around the buffet restaurant and ensure your order is completed in the main dining room, for example Menu Mates on Carnival. For the others you simply need to head to the main dining restaurant on the first day and take a look at the menu. You can then inform the head waiter of your requirements and pre-order your food for that night.

After your meal on the first night, they will show you the menu for the next night and you again can preorder and so on. We know this probably restricts your flexibility when it comes to eating in other restaurants during the cruise, but at least you know that you’ll definitely have something available for an evening meal.

We have been impressed by P&O and some of the other cruise lines for their labelling in the buffet restaurant. P&O show you a full list of ingredients on the back of the label and provide details as to whether each dish is vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free.

11. Purchase the Cruise Lines Internet Package

If the thought of being without the internet gives you the chills, then make sure you purchase the cruise lines internet package before you sail. We’ve personally never paid for the internet on any cruise we’ve been on, mainly because we see cruising as a break away from life. But we understand that’s not for everyone, and some of you may need to keep in touch with home or simply want to remain social. We’ve been told by friends who have paid for the internet on their vacations that it can be a little spotty, so it’s worth bearing that in mind before you fork out any money. Also, we find the prices are a little high for our liking, but some cruise lines have offers before you board which may be better. If you’ve decided on the day to purchase their wi-fi, then you should find information within your cabin, or you can always head to guest services and ask them. Most of the time you purchase and pay via the cruise lines app which is pretty self-explanatory.

12. Put Your Phone on Airplane Mode

Because we’ve discussed the internet above, it makes sense to then put your phone on airplane mode. When you’re out in the ocean your mobile device will show that you have connected to ‘cellular at sea’. The roaming charge for cellular at sea is far higher than any land-based provider, so our advice is to make sure you put your mobile on airplane mode before you leave the port. We have heard of stories where cruisers have received phone bills in the thousands, because of silly mistakes such as keeping their data activated.

The fact you’re on airplane mode won’t stop you from accessing the cruise ships app, so you have all the information you need for your trip.

13. Make Any Dining and Entertainment Reservations

Hopefully you’ve pre-booked most of this before boarding the ship, but if not then immediately after boarding is the ideal time to choose where you want to eat and what you want to do. Some cruise lines are quite flexible and don’t require prebooking. But some get so busy that prebooking the shows in the theatre is a must, as is popular dining options such as speciality restaurants and spa treatments. This is more relevant to the larger cruise ships who are catering to thousands of passengers. Sadly, the longer you wait the fewer choices you will have, and you may miss out.

Booking is easy and most of it is done on your cruise app, but if you’re a little technology shy then ask a member of staff who can help you.

14. Check Out the Daily Planner

Check Out the Daily Planner One of the best things about cruising is the raft of activities which are available all day, every day and embarkation day doesn’t slow them down. If you’ve got everything else done and you’re ready to start the fun, then why not check out the ships planner and work out the activities you want to do for the rest of the day. After Covid most of the activity planners moved onto the cruise apps, but you’ll still find some ships continue to offer paper copies which are left in your room or by your cabin door. If your cruise lines planner is app based but you prefer paper, then ask your cabin steward who should be able to help. But we personally love having the entertainment information on the app because it saves carrying a paper copy around.

15. Enjoy the Sail Away Party

All cruise ships hold a sail away party, because this is the official start to your vacation. We can still remember our first one on a Carnival ship, it was lots of fun and a great experience. If you’ve never cruised before than take a moment to watch the port disappear in the distance, it’s such a thrilling feeling. Most sail aways involve great music and lots of dancing, so why not join in because your first night has only just started.

The first day of your cruise is so exciting, but it can also be a little stressful. Going through our list of recommendations is the perfect way to ease that stress, so your vacation can officially begin. Once the logistical things such as the safety drill is out of the way, then you can focus on the reason you’re there. Whether it’s the incredible food, entertainment or visiting multiple places in one trip, we know you’re going to have an amazing adventure.

Hopefully this covers everything you’ll need to consider, but there may be more items you’d also want to do after you board the cruise ship.

Because cruising is such a big bucket list option, we want to bring you as much information as we can to make your experience an enjoyable one. We have written many guides on cruising including.

Make sure you tag us on Instagram if you end up taking a cruise vacation, we love to see what you’re up to as you tick off your bucket lists.