Monday, April 13, 2020

How We "Cruise Like a Davis"- Embarkation Day

A Typical Embarkation Day
Cruises 1-9 #EmbarkationDay 


Cruises 10-18 #EmbarkationDay


Morning 
Our Embarkation Days usually start at home as we sail out of Galveston, TX about 80% of the time. When we sail from a different port we pretty much follow these same steps. The excitement and anticipation of stepping foot on the ship takes over my sleep and I am usually wide awake and ready to go by 6AM (or sooner). It never fails, no matter how tired I am, I am awake before the sun comes up. But I don't care... IT'S CRUISING DAY! 

We get ready, get our luggage in the car and make our way to the cruise terminal. If sailing from Galveston, we have a traditional "pit-stop" that we make at The Woodlands Kolache Factory for breakfast. I hate cooking and dirtying a kitchen before leaving for a week so we just grab a bite to eat on the way. It's much easier and tastier, as well! 

Once at the cruise terminal, we usually drop one of us off with the luggage and kids while the other one gets the car parked. When sailing from Galveston, we park at EZ Cruise Parking or Cruise Park, both just off Harborside Drive and within walking distance from either Cruise Terminal. (These are GREAT small business and family owned and operated. Best in Galveston in our opinion) Once the car is parked we wait to check-in and eventually board the cruise ship.

Waiting in the NOLA terminal to board the NCL Breakaway in 2018.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED... Our very first Embarkation Day picture! 
Carnival Conquest- 2006

TIP- Remember that Embarkation Day is considered one of your cruise days (4 day cruise or 5 day cruise, etc) so we treat it like a day of our vacation. We like to get to the terminal early so in turn, we board the ship early. We are usually on board the cruise ship BEFORE NOON. This means we have an entire afternoon to spend on the ship and about 4 hours before the ship sets sail. You do not have to follow this tip but be sure to ALWAYS be on the ship 90 minutes PRIOR to the sail away time (usually 4PM). 

Afternoon 
Once on board, the fist order of business is LUNCH! This can vary by cruise ship but the typical Embarkation Day lunch for most cruisers is the BUFFET on Lido Deck. After about 8 cruises, we discovered there are other dining options beyond the buffet and we seek those out. On Carnival this means Guy's Burgers or Blue Iguana Cantina. When sailing on Royal Caribbean, this may mean Sorrento's Pizza on the Royal Promenade or Park Cafe on smaller ships. Some cruise lines, such as Princess and NCL, even offer lunch in the Main Dining Room which is MUCH nicer and less crowded. Choosing any of these "less crowded" options instead of the Lido Buffet makes for a less stressful dining experience. 
Sorrento's Pizza on Liberty of the Seas (Deck 5) June 2018

Pasta Bella (Hidden on Deck 11) on the Carnival Breeze July 2017

Guy's Burgers (ALL Carnival Ships) 

After lunch, our main priority is to walk the ship and get our "footing" for the layout of the ship. We take this time to explore as much as we can about the ship before the cabins are available. Staterooms usually are ready around 1:30PM and we usually stop and go to our cabin at that time since we are have small carry-on bags with us. This allows us to "dump" our stuff before heading back out to do some more exploring.

Exploring the Lanai Deck on Carnival Breeze- 2017

What time is it? Walking the deck on Enchantment of the Seas- 2020


Walking around the Enchantment of the Seas February 2020

At this point we really focus on which experiences the cruise ship has to offer that are "popular" or customarily busy during the duration of the cruise. This could be things like RCCL Flowrider, Carnival's Ropes Course or Sky Course or the water slides and water park area of any ship, if it is warm enough and they are open. These things are typically the best activities a cruise ship can offer and the longer into the cruise you wait to do these things, the longer the lines will be. We try to get RIGHT ON these things, before these hidden gems are found!

Chris on the Flowrider on the Navigator of the Seas August 2014

Rock Climbing on Embarkation Day- Navigator of the Seas 2014

Carnival's Rope Course on the Carnival Magic 2015

Checking out the water slide on the Carnival Triumph- 2015

Waterworks on the Carnival Breeze- 2017

The Rope Course on NCL Breakaway- 2018

You can't forget about the Putt-Putt course on most ships!
It is NEVER busy on Embarkation Day!
Carnival Dream- 2019

If you are not the adventurous type, don't want to get wet or, like us, you have sailed on the ship before; you may have a different mindset and all you want to do is sit and relax. Now is the PERFECT time to get that prime spot at the pool bar listening to live music. Or find a spot along the promenade and sip a cocktail while we enjoy the weather or live entertainment. Just remember, these first few hours that you are on the ship is the ONLY time the ship will not be at full capacity. Whatever is high on your list to "check out" THIS is the time to do it. 

Around 3:30PM, the cruise line will begin the Muster Drill process. The bars, restaurants, buffets and pretty much everything SHUT DOWN during this time. Be sure to get your lunch (or mid-afternoon snack) and a cocktail prior to this time because every crew member, and I mean EVERY crew member, is involved in this process because at the core, the crew members sole job is YOUR SAFETY. Yes, even Ricardo, your favorite bartender is in charge of saving your life if need be! The cruise line will start making announcements 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting but we have learned to WAIT to make your way to the drill area. Otherwise you will be packed in like cattle and on some ships this means OUTSIDE in the heat and humidity. We wait until RIGHT at 4PM or the last call to go to the Muster Drill. 

After the muster drill is over, we make our way to our balcony or an upper deck to watch the sail away. That is my FAVORITE part of a cruise and it is so peaceful knowing that you are leaving this place for a BETTER PLACE and will be back in a week. No cooking, no cleaning, no worrying for a WHOLE Week! Let's GO! We usually enjoy sail away with a cocktail in hand as it symbolizes our worries and cares, just floating away!

CHEERS the cruise has officially begun! See you in a week! 

Watching sail away from NOLA on the Serenade of the Seas upper deck- 2015

Sail away from our Cove Balcony on Carnival Magic- 2015

Watching sail away from the Lido Deck on Liberty of the Seas- 2018

Sail away from the AFT upper deck- Carnival Dream 2019


Evening 
After sail away (although sometimes before), your luggage will be at your stateroom and this is the time we unpack and get cleaned up for dinner in the Main Dining Room. For the past 3-4 years (and 10+ cruises) we have went to dinner VERY CASUAL and even wear our matching shirts and shorts to dinner on this night. This is one of the only nights that is completely casual per the cruise line rules. Most of the other nights, most cruise lines have a dress code and do not allow crazy casual shorts  (basketball shorts or mesh shorts and t-shirts) but night 1 is always lenient in this rule. We like to eat dinner in the MDR the 1st night to get an idea about not only the food offered on the menu but how the overall service will be. This sets the tone for the whole sailing, in our opinion. But the Lido Buffet, and some Specialty Restaurants ($) are offered as dining options on night one as well.

You can NEVER GO WRONG with the Royal Caribbean multi-deck Main Dining Room.
I LOVE them! Liberty of the Seas- 2018

After dinner, we usually meander around the ship before going to the "All Aboard Show" in the main theater. This show usually gives the passengers lots of information about the voyage and usually, the entertainer is top-notch. Again, this sets the tone for the cruise. I would highly recommend this 1st night show and usually there is ONLY ONE SHOW! 

We end the evening at the main atrium bar or at a comedy show, reflecting on a busy and successful day on board the ship. Again, we treat this day as a very busy day of exploring the ship and learning our "home away from home" for the next week or so! We usually crash close to midnight and are very tired! 

It's a long day but SO WORTH it! The thrill and excitement of the week to come has me on a HIGH the whole day! Rest up... Tomorrow is a SEA DAY! 

Stay tuned for our Typical Sea Day and how we spend our days at sea! Thanks for following along! 

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