Tag Archives: #embarkation

It has finally arrived….Embarkation Day! All the waiting, planning and anticipation is almost over! Before you know it, you will be on board, sipping a tropical drink and waiting for sail away. Woohoo….vacation has begun!! Hold on though…you may be ready to get onboard, but the crew is busy preparing the ship and disembarking the prior passengers. If this is your first cruise, some things may surprise you. Cruises are different from land vacations and hotel stays. You have to go through the a pier-side check-in process, with special requirements. Check out What Cruise Documents Do You Need for the documents you need to board a ship. And remember, there are many passengers waiting to board a floating city at basically the same time. As with any other secured structure, you can’t walk right onto a ship. The best way to start your cruise is to arrive at the pier at your assigned check in time. Keep a level head and look forward to good times once your sailing gets underway. There are a few things you can do to help make embarkation day as easy as possible. Check that you have the necessary paperwork and documentation The cruise line will send reminders about what to expect at check-in, including health and safety procedures. It will outline which documents, IDs, QR codes or other electronic receipts you must have ready. Be sure to do as much as you can online prior to arriving at the pier. It is your responsibility to arrive with the proper documentation. Even though most cruise lines are providing online boarding passes, it might be a good idea to print and bring paper copies of documents as a backup to electronic documents. Or…take a screen shot of them on your phone. Again, visit the link in the section above for what the proper documents are that you need to board, such as passport, birth certificate etc. Arrive at the pier at your scheduled time. Since the restart of cruising post Covid, in an attempt to decrease crowding at the port, most cruise lines are assigning staggered times to arrive at the pier. If you arrive early, you may have to wait to enter the terminal. This may be outside in the hot sun, without access to water, seating or restrooms. It is best to arrive at the pier as close as possible to your scheduled time. No need to worry if you arrive after your scheduled time….you will be welcomed tin o start the check-in process. You will not be turned away. Word of warning though….everyone MUST be onboard 90 minutes prior to sail away. This is a maritime/port requirement, not the cruise line. Give your large luggage to the porters to be loaded onto the ship. When you arrive at the pier, porters will be waiting to take your large suitcases and load them onto the ship. Once they are on the ship, crew members will deliver them to your cabin. Be sure to attach your cruise line proved luggage tags. Don’t worry if you forget to print them or are not able to. The porters have some on hand. These tags inform the crew which cabin to deliver them to. I highly recommend using luggage tag holders like this to attach them to your bag. There are different sizes for each cruise line. Be sure to purchase the correct ones…these are for Celebrity/Royal Caribbean Keep your carry-on bag with you! Pack your medications, valuables, documents, passport and anything else you will need until your luggage arrives in your cabin. You may want to pack your bathing suit so that you don’t have to wait for your suitcases to arrive before you hit the pool! MAKE SURE YOUR PASSPORT/ID IS WITH YOU!!! Be prepared to go through security You will go through security after entering the cruise terminal. The process is similar to an airport. Your carry-on luggage will be screened and you will walk through a metal detector. You won’t have to take off your shoes but you do have to remove belts, bulky jewelry and clear your pockets. You don’t need to worry about liquid, as there is no size limitation. Keep your boarding pass available. You will need this to board the ship. Since many ships are now leaving your sea pass card at your cabin, you will need to scan the boarding pass document when first entering the ship. Do not try to sneak any banned items onto the ship All of your luggage will be scanned electronically. Many cruise lines allow passengers to bring a pre-determined amount of wine, soda and/or bottled water onboard at embarkation. Check your cruise lines FAQ for the amount allowed for your cruise. It is very rare that hard spirits or beer is allowed to be brought onboard. If found, it will either be removed from your luggage and held until disembarkation or destroyed. They know to look in hiding places, such as solid water bottles, mouthwash containers, etc. Be sure to carry allowed beverages onboard with you, not as checked luggage. Check with your cruise line for any corkage fee if opened in a bar, lounge or restaurant. Cruise lines have very specific rules for other banned items. These items include weapons, fireworks, flammable liquids, candles, clothing irons, steamers, kettles, incense and anything that produces a flame. This includes outlet extenders that have a cord. We use the one below to provide more outlets in the cabin. Royal Caribbean also bans martial arts gear, baby monitors and extension cords. Carnival bans handcuffs. You can read more about banned items here: What NOT to Bring Watch the safety video and check in to your muster station. In the past, everyone on a cruise ship was required to gather on embarkation day at their assigned muster station, listen to a safety briefing and be checked off a list. As a result of COVID-19, most cruise lines have moved to e-muster drills. You are required to watchContinueContinue reading “What to Know Before Your Cruise Embarkation”