There’s a lot to think about when you board a cruise ship. After taking well over 50 cruises, I’ve learned that there are some big mistakes that you can make on embarkation day, or day 1, of a cruise, that can really affect the whole experience. Avoiding these mistakes will undoubtedly make not only your first day, but also the whole cruise, much more enjoyable.
In this article, I’m going to tell you about 12 of the mistakes that so many cruisers make on embarkation day. Most of these are so simple to avoid - you might be surprised!
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If you’d rather watch a video to hear about these 12 tips, why not watch this one? This is the video that I created for YouTube, which covers the same tips that I’m going to share with you on this page.
Mistake 1 - Arriving at the Wrong Time!
When you complete your online check in, you’ll usually be assigned a time slot. That time slot is when you’ll be expected to arrive at the terminal. Don’t worry - it’s not an exact time - it’ll usually be a time window. For example, a 30 minute or one-hour period at some point during the afternoon.
Cruise lines do this for good reason. Think about it - if you’re boarding a cruise ship that has thousands of other passengers onboard, there are going to be lots of other people keen to get onboard to get their vacation started.
Without staggered time slots, they could all arrive at the same time, which would absolutely overwhelm the terminal facilities - can you imagine every cruise ship passenger trying to check in at the same time?!
Staggered slots allow cruise lines to spread people out across the afternoon, in order to try and keep waiting times to a minimum.
You could be forgiven for thinking that you might be able to arrive early to the terminal - the thought of getting lunch in the early afternoon sounds good, doesn’t it? Well - a word of warning - if your embarkation slot is later in the afternoon, I wouldn’t recommend risking it by turning up early. Sure, you might be able to board early in some cases, but in most you won’t.
Instead of boarding early, you might be left waiting outside in the heat (or the cold!) for hours, waiting for your time slot to arrive. In short, don’t risk being left outside - arrive at the terminal during your embarkation window!
One of the biggest mistakes any cruiser can make on embarkation day is arriving at the wrong time! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 2 - Not Downloading the Cruise Line’s Mobile App!
Most cruise lines out there have their own mobile app, and this is something that you’ll often benefit from downloading in advance of the cruise. This app is often used to help with the check in and embarkation process, and also for doing things like making dining reservations and booking entertainment once on the ship.
I should add here - it’s not a necessity to have the app (so don’t worry if you don’t have a smartphone…), but it certainly can help to improve the overall experience.
The key point here is to find out if your chosen cruise line has a mobile app, and then download it before you head to the port if they do. The reason for this is simple - cruise ports can be very busy places, and that means that there can be thousands of other people all fighting for mobile or cell phone coverage. I see so many people on the top deck of their cruise ship trying to get their phone to connect, and they’re surprised to realise that signal on the ship is often nowhere near as good as it would be on land in a city.
It’s really simple to find out if your cruise line has an app - just head to Google, the cruise line’s website, or even YouTube - there are lots of creators out there who will even teach you how to use the app through their YouTube videos before your cruise!
Don’t get caught out - download the app before you leave home, and you’ll be ‘good to go’!
You’ll often find multiple cruise ships in port in ‘out of city’ locations, where mobile or cell phone signal will be more challenging! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 3 - Not Making Speciality Dining Reservations…
Onboard most cruise ships, you’ve got the choice between ‘included’ dining venues and speciality options, the latter of which will come with a cover charge. This means that it’s not included in your cruise fare, and you’ll need to pay a little extra to dine there.
These venues are much smaller than the included dining rooms onboard, and for that reason it’s important that you make any reservations that you’d like as early as possible. It’s a good idea to decide when you’d like to dine at these restaurants before the cruise, which then allows you to secure your reservations before you’ve even left home through the online booking service. However, for some (myself included), it’s often so much easier to speak to the team on day 1 of the cruise to get booked in.
What’s the problem with not making reservations on day 1? This one’s really simple - the later you leave it to book your tables, the more chance everybody else has of securing the best dates and times.
Lots of cruise lines will have a dedicated area onboard the ship on embarkation day for dining reservations - just visit this team once onboard, and they’ll be happy to help you get booked in!
Want to enjoy Speciality restaurants during your cruise? Book them ASAP! © Fraser at Sea.
Many cruise ships will have a dedicated area to help you manage your dining reservations - check for this on day 1. © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 4 - Not checking the ‘included’ dining arrangement…
In the last point, we covered speciality dining, but what will you want to check with the ‘included’ option? First, check if you’ve been assigned to early, late or flexible dining, which essentially means what time your table will be ready for you in the main dining room.
Every cruise line is different on this one, but generally speaking most will have three dining times available for the main dining room:
Early - usually around 6pm.
Late - usually around 8pm.
Flexible / Anytime - you have the flexibility to arrive to the restaurant when you’re ready to dine, and you’ll be seated according to availability.
So that’s the first thing you’ll want to check - dining time.
The next one? Your dining table.
With many cruise lines, you’ll be seated at a table with your travel party as standard. This means that, if you’re cruising as a couple, you’ll likely dine at a table for two. This isn’t the case industry-wide though, with many cruise lines still offering seating at much larger shared tables. In this example, a couple travelling together could be allocated a table of 10 for the duration of the cruise, meaning that they would be sharing the table with up to 8 other people.
I always recommend checking the arrangements for included dining on your chosen ship as early as possible on day 1. It will be much easier to get anything changed during the afternoon while the dining room is quiet than at the start of the dinner rush, when hundreds or maybe even thousands of other passengers are rushing in for their evening meal!
Check your ‘included’ dining arrangement ASAP, and feed back on any issues promptly! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 5 - Eating lunch at the buffet…
You’ve likely seen the buffet online - it’s often HUGE. If you’ve been travelling on embarkation day, there are few better feelings than boarding the ship, dropping your bags in your cabin, and then making your way to the buffet for an all-you-can-eat lunch, right?
Well, if that sounds like a good idea to you, then it’s worth remembering that it also likely sounds like a good idea to lots of your fellow passengers, too. As a result, the buffet is likely to be incredibly busy on day 1 of the cruise.
Instead, check your daily schedule once you board to check where else is available for lunch. You’ll often find that there are poolside options offering things like pizzas, salads and burgers, and there’s often also a dining room available.
Personally, I absolutely love sitting down to lunch in the dining room on embarkation day - I much prefer relaxing with table service in the restaurant than rushing at the buffet - it’s a great way to recharge after the stress of embarking the ship!
The onboard buffet might look great, but it can be a BIG mistake to eat here on day 1 of the cruise! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 6 - Not visiting the Muster Station…
When you cruise, you’re required to complete a muster drill. For most cruise lines, this means that you’ll watch a video on the television in your cabin or stateroom, and then attend your muster station to have your cruise card scanned. Note: this isn’t the same process across the entire industry, so you’ll need to check the specifics with your chosen line.
If you don’t visit your muster station prior to the ship setting sail, you’ll often be required to attend a safety briefing on the second day of the cruise. Personally, I’d rather get this done on day 1, so that I can then get on with enjoying my cruise without worrying about it.
It doesn’t usually take much time at all to complete the muster requirements of a cruise ship - just do it on day 1, and then get on with your cruise!
Complete your Muster requirements ASAP on day 1 - you’ll thank yourself later for this! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 7 - Not having proof of their pre-cruise purchases available.
Prior to your cruise, you’re going to have the opportunity to add lots of extras to your reservation. For example, you might opt to purchase a drinks package, allowing you to forget about paying for every drink onboard. You might also purchase a Wi-Fi package, in order for you to stay connected with everyone back home.
In some rare cases, it’s possible to get onboard your cruise ship, and to discover that the record of your previous purchases is missing. This means that you don’t have your purchases attached to your reservation - in other words, there’s no record on the ship that you’ve purchased the extra items in advance of joining the cruise.
This has happened to me in the past, and it’s a surprisingly simple fix. If you have the proof of your purchases (I usually print my order confirmation email), then a quick conversation with the Guest Services team will usually resolve this. If you don’t have proof of your purchases, then it can be a much more lengthy process due to the ship often being required to speak with the team at the shore office to determine what’s gone astray.
You might think that it’ll be super simple to retrieve your bookings on your mobile or cell phone when you’re speaking with Guest Services, but remember what we covered earlier about connections and coverage - it’s likely that your signal’s going to be much weaker at a cruise port. In addition, the inside of the ship usually has very little (if any) signal, so you’re probably going to be offline while you’re at Guest Services if you’re not connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi…
Guest Services can be BUSY on embarkation day, but you can often resolve your issue quickly by having your ‘proof of pre-purchase’ to hand… © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 8 - Not taking a moment to relax…
This one’s super simple. It’s the first day of your cruise, and you’re excited. This is a mistake that I so often make, which often results in me being completely burnt out earlier than I’d like on the first evening of my cruise.
Boarding a cruise ship is exciting, especially if it’s a ship that you’ve never been on before. It’s likely that you’re going to want to explore the ship, and see as much as you can as early in the cruise as you can. Although it’s tempting to run around, remember that you’ve got several days to experience the ship - you don’t need to see and do it all on day 1!
Instead of rushing, take a moment to relax and take it all in. You’re now onboard, and it’s time to enjoy it! I’m not saying at this point that you should be booking a spa treatment for embarkation day (although you could do that, if it would force you to relax…).
Embarking a cruise ship can be super exciting, but remember to take time to enjoy it - you don’t need to see it all on day one! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 9 - Not Booking Entertainment on Day 1
If you’re cruising on a large cruise ship, this one’s likely to apply to you. Even if it doesn’t, it’s worth checking! On many cruise ships, you’re going to need to reserve a seat for things like the evening shows in the main theatre, or in some of the other entertainment venues around the ship. This applies to both the options that come with an additional charge, and also the included options.
Why do some cruise ships require this? Think about it - if you’re cruising on a ship with 6,000 guests onboard and the theatre has 800 seats, that’s a huge number of people who could be disappointed if everyone decides that they want to go and see the same show on the same evening. Okay, chances of this are incredibly slim, but the overall point here is that this policy helps to spread guests out across a cruise.
Some cruise lines will allow you to book in advance, while others will ask you to wait until you’re onboard to book your seats at the shows.
It’s important to note that the adoption of this policy isn’t industry-wide, or even cruise line-wide. This means that different ships under one cruise line can have different policies. For example, I was required to book a seat in the theatre while cruising onboard MSC World Europa, but not while cruising on ships like MSC Preziosa. This is likely due to the fact that MSC World Europa is the much larger ship, and therefore has a greater number of guests to spread out across the performances.
To find out if your cruise line (or cruise ship) has this policy, just head to YouTube - watch some videos from onboard the ship you’re travelling on - you’ll soon find out! Alternatively, speak to your cruise line, and if you can book in advance then aim to do so!
Hoping to enjoy the theatre while you’re cruising? Check if you need to reserve a seat, even in the ‘included’ venues! © Fraser at Sea.
Lots of cruise lines require you to book spaces in venues using digital screens around the ship - check the process for your chosen ship before you step onboard! © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 10 - Not Unpacking on Day 1
You’ve dragged your luggage from home, through airports, into hotels, in and out of taxis, and you’re now on the ship. It’s now time to unpack and get rid of the bags until it’s time to head home!
Personally, one of the aspects of cruising that I LOVE is that I can unpack my case(s) into my cabin or stateroom, and then that room travels around with all of my things. I don’t need to worry about packing and unpacking repeatedly in order to see new places.
I really like the fact that I can unpack my suitcase, and then I don’t need to look at it until the end of the trip. I’m not sure why, but having suitcases visible in my cabin while I’m cruising causes me to feel stressed - I always aim to get rid of my case(s) so that I don’t need to think about packing it again. On most cruise ships, you’ll be able to store your suitcase under your bed - easy!
When I cruise, I always aim to unpack on Day 1, and I then store my luggage underneath my bed. © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 11 - Getting Carry-on Luggage Wrong!
When you cruise, you’ll usually drop off your checked luggage with the porters outside the terminal, and you’ll next see that luggage a few hours later when it reaches your cabin or stateroom. This means that you’re going to have a few hours without having access to whatever’s inside that bag/those bags, and it’s therefore super important to make sure you pack your carry-on correctly to ensure you get your cruise off to the best possible start.
Think about everything that you might need on the first few hours of your cruise - it might surprise you how many things you come up with! Here are some suggestions to get you started: SPF sun protection for the open decks, inflatable arm bands for the kids in the pool(s), medication, a hat if you’re going to spend time outside, toiletries if you plan to shower to freshen up once onboard - there’s a lot to think about!
One of my ‘top tips’ for carry-on luggage is to pack a change of clothes. I’ve taken a few cruises where my luggage hasn’t arrived to my cabin until dinner service has already started. Having a change of clothes in my carry-on allows me to enjoy my first evening meal onboard without stressing about the fact that my bag hasn’t arrived yet.
I’ve actually put together a YouTube video on this topic - click the video below if you’d like to know more about some of the ‘must-haves’ in your carry-on bag(s).
Your luggage will usually be placed outside your cabin on most cruise ships, but this can take a few hours. © Fraser at Sea.
Mistake 12 - Not Checking Everything in the Cabin After Arriving…
Every single time I take a cruise, I check the same things in my cabin, in order to minimise the chances of issues occurring later in the cruise. These aren’t huge time-consuming checks, but casting a mindful eye across some aspects of your cabin will help you to minimise inconvenience as your cruise progresses - trust me!
To find out what I check when I arrive in my cabin, just click the below video!
That’s it - that’s 12 of the big mistakes that so many cruisers out there are making on embarkation day, or day 1, of a cruise. Hopefully this post will help you to avoid making these same mistakes, therefore allowing you to enjoy the start of your trip to the full.
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Happy Cruising!
