Jayestravellingadventures

I am always grateful to the fact I cruise multiple times a year either with family/friends or on my own. When I embark for the first time on any cruise whether I have been on them before, I always do these steps to get settled in and kick start my holiday off the right way.

1. Muster station.

Anyone who is boarding onto a cruise ship must take part in the Muster Drill. Just like on planes when they do the safety briefing, its is a legal requirement. If the cruise line did not conduct the Muster Drill correctly they will be breaking the law. Cruise lines will vary in how they conduct this however, each passenger will be ticked off on a list when attending.

The events of the Costa Concordia changed the Muster Drill expectations from within 24 hours of embarkation to now, before the ship departs or immediately on departure. Before covid, Muster Drills consisted to all passengers gathering at their designated station to hear the briefing over the intercom, however this has now changed to E Musters.

On board P&O you are asked to head to your muster station once onboard, where you can familiarise you location and have your card scanned to confirm you attended. You then can watch a detailed video that’s playing in your cabin. This method takes less time out of your day, and its one of the first things I do one onboard. Although I do miss the excitement of putting on the life vest as a child.

2. Cabin.

Most of the time the cabins are ready for you to get into, if not then the captain will make an announcement once they are ready. I take my hand luggage to my cabin and freshen up, if my suitcases are there then I tend to unpack everything and make myself at home. Your suitcases are left outside your cabin so, I try to bring it inside as quickly as I possibly can.

I never want to leave my unpacking until later in the day as, I want to be able to relax and not worry about doing it. As well as some cruise lines have entertainment on which doesn’t finish until later, so I don’t think my surrounding neighbours would be happy with me clanking around unpacking everything.

3. Bookings/Dining.

If you have any excursions booked or any speciality restaurants, its always best to check your times and if they are all correct. You don’t want to wait until the day as it might be too late to amend anything then. With your dining times in the restaurant, you might of been given the opportunity to book, first sitting, second sitting or freedom dining. Always check this to make sure you are happy and if it suits your dining experiences.

Some cruise lines just offer a freedom style dining which, you can just show up and be allocated a table and seat. However, you might need to wait for a table if it is at a busy time. If I am given a time which doesn’t suit me such as; second sitting, I always head to reception to ask to change my dining times which has never been a problem from me as, not many people want to eat diner at 2030.

4. Tour.

Even if I have been on the cruise ship before, I always like to take a walk around the ship. This allows me to refamiliarize myself with my surroundings, as well as see where is the least busiest. Guests are piling on and don’t know the layout or where to go, so its good to get to know the ship to make it that little bit easier to navigate around the ship, know what’s around and help plan what you want to do on your holiday.

The cruise ships can be massive and if you have never cruised on that ship you might not know what’s on board, causing you to miss a special restaurant, entertainment, and much more. You don’t have to go in-depth but you can look at where the theatre is, the restaurants, the buffet, the pool and so on. You’ll also look a pro when you help others who are lost.

5. Eat.

As I have travelled mostly all morning, I start to become hungry and would like a bite to eat before dinner. As a loyalty tier member with P&O I usually have a boarding time of 1200, after leaving my house at 0800 and travelling for 4 hours, and once onboard I am quite hungry.

I check to see if one of the main restaurants are open and have a bite to eat in there, the buffets can be quite busy so, I try to avoid those. If another venue is open for food, its always good to give it ago instead of looking for a table to eat your food at in the buffet.

6. Relax.

Once all of this is done and I am finally settled in and ready for my holiday. I head to a good place to view us leaving port whilst relaxing and enjoying a refreshing drink. Once the sail away party is on way for leaving Port, I look forward to my evening and appreciate my surroundings.

This is also the perfect time to sit and talk to other guests, start to mingle and meet people. You never know if and when you might bump into them again. You can also pick up some ideas and knowledge on ports too, this might help if you haven’t got anything planned or have time to spare after an excursion.

Although I have been cruising since I was only 4 years old, I still love to get knowledge and tips from other passengers and crews.