ALL ABOARD!!

(Imagine a very loud foghorn blowing)

Embarkation Process

On Tuesday, January 6th, hundreds of people filed onto busses and into the ship terminal to begin the Around-the-World Cruise. Smiles and cheers filled the air as old friends recognized each other in the lines. However, the excitement quickly waned as the check-in process wasn’t exactly as efficient as expected. I was on the first bus from the hotel, scheduled at 11am. We expected about a 30-minute drive from the hotel to the port and arrived right on time, so far so good. As we entered the terminal, we followed the line up the escalator to where the metal detectors and check-in counters were located.

Checking in for a cruise is very similar to an airport, except in reverse operation (baggage scanning first, then checking in to get our Cabin cards). As our bus group arrived, we found that there were hoards of individuals already in line that didn’t get transferred from the hotel, and while the line had been moving fairly quickly, we realized that only the metal detector line was moving and the check-in lines, not so much, as more and more people were being packed into the in-between space. Once the staff realized this, they stopped processing baggage, so we were in a holding period until the check-in lines caught up.

I finally cleared the baggage checks around 12:20pm (~ 1 hour wait in on line) and were sorted into various check-in lines. We still have no idea what the categories were for who was put in which line, but the 4 different lines that I was in / by were all around-the-world passengers, so we had the most paperwork and therefore, took the longest to check in. Not only did we not understand how we were divided, there also wasn’t much of a consistency to which line went next to the check-in counter once an agent was available. Once I got to the front, I figured out the issue - the agents were tasked with verifying we had all the Visas required for the duration of the trip. The information I received prior to embarking was I only needed the Brazilian Visa at check in, which created a discrepancy of FIVE other visas they were looking to verify. Luckily, I decided to print the India and UK papers before I left. Australia is only via the App, so they asked me to screenshot that and email at the counter. The Saudi Arabia visa was applied for, but the website informed that the ship would get a copy if I was approved and I only had validation that I had applied in my email. Lastly, Sri Lanka won’t allow application until within a 90 day window of arrival.

With going through all of that, check-in took a lot longer than normal. I wasn’t cleared for boarding until 1:15pm. Later I found out I was one of the lucky ones to have only waited under 2 hours for the whole process; others had over a 3 hour wait. Keep in mind, there are no chairs; no water; but there was bathrooms available. One rumor is someone passed out from having to stand that long, but I only heard it from one source.

Anyway, that was the initial experience — let’s get to once I was able to get on the ship!

On-Board

We were welcomed on board with a glass of champagne and friendly greetings! They directed us to our muster stations where we had to check in to verify we knew where to go in event of an emergency. Each passenger is assigned a location based on their cabin number. Mine is the Main Dining Room. Hopefully I will never actually need to use that information practically.

Another thing that’s happening on Day 1 is the crew is cleaning and flipping all the cabins for all the new passengers, which means your cabin is likely not available immediately. As noted, I was on the ship around 1:15pm; my room wasn’t ready until 3pm. For the time between, I wandered the ship. Round and round in circles and zig zags to get a lay of the land (not really land… I guess lay of the decks?). I’m writing this on Day 3 and I still have to look at the map for where some of the places are located, but I am confident on where the Coffee shop is! (Deck 14 aft for anyone wondering).

They have a lot to explore on this ship, but one thing I find interesting is there is a jigsaw puzzle table outside of the casino! The first puzzle out is from Star Wars. For those reading this who also are connected with my sister’s Facebook page, I will clarify that after all the puzzling we did around Thanksgiving, I have yet to sit down and work on the puzzle onboard. However, others are definitely working on it as it’s constantly being completed each time I walk by.

My Room

At 3pm, my cabin was available. Woo hoo! Time to go see what “home” was really like for the first time. Walking into the room, it looked exactly like all the YouTube videos that I watched in preparation. There is a queen sized bed, a couch, a writing desk, a large bathroom, and a balcony. As I was opening all the drawers and cupboards, my luggage started to arrive, so I spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking!

I may have packed too much. Time will tell, but given that my room is supposed to be double occupancy and I have already filled the closet, drawers, and cupboards, I don’t know how they would expect another person to also have 6-months worth of stuff in there as well!

Best thing I thought to pack was a hanging shelving unit for the closet. This holds all my bathing suits, work out clothes, and underwear that I didn’t plan to hang on individual hangers because that would be absurd.

The other items I am glad I brought are not just the magnetic hooks to hold hats, bags, and jewelry, but also magnetic clips that hold papers and a cute little dolphin art that my niece gave me!

The mini fridge is stocked with soda pop. When I got there, no Coke Zero, but once I met my room steward and asked, I now have 8 Coke Zeros in the fridge!

Main Dining Room

For dinner, I decided to go to the Main Dining Room and asked to Share a Table. I like this option as there are times where it is nice to eat with others, but also may be days when I just want to eat alone. They sat me at a large table with 6 others, including the other LeAnne! They were great company and the food was phenomenal. I forgot what I ordered because I was so caught up in conversation, but I know it was good.

Comedy Show and Live Band

I can’t tell you anything about this as I went to bed after dinner. Not only was I exhausted from the day, but I also stayed to chat with LeAnne until the Dining Room closed. She’s a very interesting woman and I look forward to future chats with her.

And that was just Day 1!

Day 2 and 3 were sea day. Both were very much the same: Reading and Napping. My favorite things to do on the ship. However, Day 2 started very dramatically… You may have to watch my post on Instagram once it can be uploaded to hear more as right now, it’s time to get ready for Day 3 dinner!