When going on a cruise should I arrive early at the port and what can I do for fun before the ship takes off?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Cruise ship will normally let you board about noon. The time varies because it depends in part on whether the ship arrived back in port on time and whether it cleared US Customs as planned, and finally whether the ships is cleaned on schedule. If all of that goes well, as planned you can probably board at noon. Usually checkin will start before boarding time and they have passengers who have cleared checkin wait in a lounge or waiting room until boarding is announced. Just don't get there too early because you will be caught in the rush of people getting off the ship.

Once you board there will for sure be food available in whatever places they have set up for lunch, usually a buffet with lots of great food choices. The pools, hot tubs and gymnasium will be open and available to use. You just need to be sure to bring clothes for these in your carry-on bag because your luggage will not get to your cabin until about 5:00 PM, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. And you can walk around the ship and take photos before its too crowded, or just get a drink and relax in a deck chair.

Before the ship takes off the first order of business will be a muster/life boat drill which is mandatory for all passengers. You will be asked to go to your cabin and get your life vest and report to a designated area. The drill takes about 20-30 minutes. After that the cruise director will generally start a sail-away party on the pool deck/top deck with music playing and a "sail-away" drink special.

Johan from Sweden

A plane take off and a ship leave or departure. As for getting there early I would definetily recomend that to avoid frustrastion and lines. Also remember that youll have to check in at least an hour before departure.

As for things to do youll be fairly buissy packing up and exploring the ship. So dont worry. Johan

pokerjoev

Yes, arrive early to avoid the lines. Have a in room party.

mdnei

it is best to get there a little bit before loading time. around 1pm is good time to get there. my wife and i try to get on as early as possible, so we have time to explore the ship and find the best way around the ship from our room. comes in handy later when everyone starts loading. we uasualy get are room quickly when we arrive and then we relax on deck . eat the light lunch that is on the lido deck and just people watch till we leave port. the fun starts when you get ready to have it. there is so much to do on the first day. just trying to settle in, will keep you busy till you leave port.

flcowgirl2000

yes get there early !!! this will also give you time to walk around to see were everything is at , ask question about were your going, hope you have a great cruise take lots of picture

MomSezNo

You can almost always board the ship before the time given in your cruise document info. You will not be able to get into your room, however, until about 1:30 pm or so, so you'll have to lug around any carry-ons as you explore the ship [unless you're going on Holland - they'll check them for you]. You can learn your way around this ship, have a nice lunch and just generally enjoy the fact that you're on vacation already!!

Cheryl G

Yes, get there early and use the extra time to explore the ship. If this is your first cruise, you'll be way ahead of the game by knowing the in's and out's of the ship and all it offers. There's usually a platter of fruit and cheese, as well as a bottle of wine in your room. Unpack, have a snack, drink a leisurely glass of wine and then get to exploring.
Before you know it, the ship will set sail.

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