What to Expect on a Cruise: Boarding a Cruise Ship (2023)

FAQs

What do you expect in cruise ship? ›

Virtually every cruise ship, large or small, will have bars as well as a theater or lounge with live music, dancing, and magic or comedy shows. Most offer spas and exercise rooms, even some small ships. Bigger and newer ships generally offer much more onboard in terms of venues than their smaller counterparts.

Long shifts and extensive working days (12-14 hours a day and 7 days a week). You could suffer from seasickness (nausea, dizziness, etc). The personnel are always on. Although there is a time off, the employee is expected to be ready to work twenty-four hours a day.

Cruise line staff will be on hand to direct you to the correct line; suite passengers and high-status past-passengers will typically go into a shorter line or separate waiting area, while regular passengers join a main line. At check-in, you will present your ID and documents for the representative to check you in.

Among the most common reasons people give for not taking a cruise vacation is seasickness. While it's true that you're on a moving ship, it's nothing like going on your friend's fishing boat: the movements are slow and much less pronounced. On newer ships you often don't even feel like they're moving.

Life at sea during the age of sail was filled with hardship. Sailors had to accept cramped conditions, disease, poor food and pay, and bad weather. Over a period of hundreds of years, seafarers from the age of the early explorers to the time of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, shared many common experiences.

They want to eat better than they do at home, receive better service than they typically do in their day to day life, and want to be comfortable. Dining, cabins and service are the three pillars of the cruise experience, and if they're not done right, the rest doesn't matter.

Casual attire is welcome on board – you are on vacation after all. While the days of dedicated “formal nights” in the main dining room have since sailed, one of the most pressing questions for first-time cruisers remains: “how formal is formal?” The answer: it's up to you!

What should you do before embarkation? ›

(bɔːʳd ) Explore 'board' in the dictionary. verb. When you board a train, ship, or aircraft, you get on it in order to travel somewhere.

Go through security.

When you enter the terminal, you'll go through an airport-style security screening before you board the cruise ship. Your carry-on bags will be screened and you'll walk through a metal detector, but unlike an airport, you may also be asked to fill out a health questionnaire.

Cabin Choice

This is because of the way the boat is engineered. The lower you are, and more towards the middle of the ship, you will not feel it as much. Cabins at the front and back of the ship tend to sway the most, so you want to avoid any rooms in these areas.

If the sea is flat you will feel no movement at all. You can't get seasick on a river cruise. Cruise ships can easily handle waves that are over 12 feet high. However, with waves of this height, you may begin to feel the ship rock and if you're prone to seasickness you may start to look for relief.

Best Cruise Ship Cabins for Motion Sensitivity

You want to be as close to the pivot point as possible to feel the least movement. Avoid cabins near the front (bow) or back (stern) and on decks higher than the middle deck of the ship. So, on a ship with fourteen passenger decks, your best options are below deck seven.

Exchange Contact details with your Family

This is the most basic and essential thing a mariner has to do before joining a ship. Give all your contact details including your ship's email address and phone number (calling on the later would be expensive but it's always handy for emergencies) to your loved ones.

Why do you want to work in cruise ship answer? ›

One of the main reasons people choose to work on cruise ships is the chance to travel to many places they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Since they live on the ship, they receive room and board as part of their compensation. They travel the world without paying for expensive hotels and food.

For example, you could say: “the biggest challenge will be getting to know the members of the team. I'm used to working with a large and diverse team and thrive on finding the best in my colleagues.” Or: “the biggest challenge in this job is keeping pace with technological change in this industry.

The lower and more central you are in a ship, the less roll and sway you will feel. Even if you choose a balcony room, choose a low level and a room closest to the ship's center. The higher decks and cabins at the front (forward) or back (aft) of the ship will rock and roll the most.

The higher the deck, the better and, often, more panoramic the view. Cabins on top decks aren't always the best on the ship, but many suites and specialty cabin categories are typically located on upper decks.

Trail the strongest of the two hands underneath the handrail behind yourself and turning the body slightly towards this hand when walking down. If the person falls, the trailing handgrip can prevent a serious injury.

Bring a small purse to hold your cruise card and camera when walking around the ship. I always like to have my camera with me so carrying a small purse means I don't have to always have it in hand.

What is embarkation day? Embarkation day is the first day of your cruise. It's the day you arrive at the cruise terminal to embark on your vacation. Disembarkation, similarly, is the last day of your cruise, when you disembark from the ship, whether you're staying an extra day in port or catching a flight back home.

Just like the security screening at an airport, we also screen all luggage our guests bring onboard to ensure everyone's safety. If there is an item in your luggage that is prohibited or is believed to be prohibited, your bag will be taken to a screening location and will be inspected by our Security Team onboard.

How much money should you bring on a cruise? ›

As a general rule, plan to have $50 to $100 each day in the local currency. Also, you may want to bring an extra $20 a day for tipping crew members. Make sure to include smaller bills for tips. Fifty to a hundred dollars a day should be enough to cover small purchases, tips and snacks at each port.

On cruises of 6 days or longer, no more than two bags, per person. Each checked bag and carry-on bag should not weigh more than 50 pounds and, when lying flat, bags must not exceed 16 inches high, by 24 inches wide (the length of the bag is not a factor). For security screening purposes, all luggage should be unlocked.

As passengers arrive at the embarkation port, porters are waiting to collect their bags. So, drop your heavy luggage and while bag drop is free, remember to tip the porters. The porters work for the port authority, not the cruise line. It's suggested a dollar or two per piece is sufficient.

What is embarkation? Simply put, embarkation is the process of getting on your ship – it's the cruising equivalent of boarding a plane! While the embarkation procedure may vary slightly between the different cruise lines, it will fundamentally remain the same and require you to have similar documents to hand.

Definitions of boarding. the act of passengers and crew getting aboard a ship or aircraft. synonyms: embarkation, embarkment. Antonyms: debarkation, disembarkation, disembarkment. the act of passengers and crew getting off of a ship or aircraft.

In general, expect to spend about 15 minutes on the boarding process if lines are short (usually when boarding later), or at most about 45-60 minutes if lines are long (usually when boarding earlier). When you arrive to the cruise port can make a big difference in how long you'll wait to board.

Modern shipping uses gangways to embark and disembark passengers.

Whose purpose is to ensure Safety of life at Sea (SOLAS), to prevent human injury or loss of life, and to avoid damage to the environment and the ship. Personal safety or safety of life at sea comes at the top of the priority list as there is no loss that is considered greater than the loss of human life.

Do cruise ships have cameras in the rooms? ›

While most, if not all, cruise ships already have video cameras in place, the newly proposed rules stipulate that the vessel's surveillance system must cover all areas of the ship where passengers or crewmembers have common access. (This rule excludes staterooms and crew cabins.)

So some people like to get to the port around 1:00 pm or a little later because by then most of the lines have died down and you can usually just get right on the ship after a brief wait. If you get there right at noon then you can expect some delays ahead of you.

One of the main reasons people choose to work on cruise ships is the chance to travel to many places they might not otherwise have the opportunity to see. Since they live on the ship, they receive room and board as part of their compensation. They travel the world without paying for expensive hotels and food.

On a cruise, you can see the world, unwind completely, experience diverse cultures, dance the night away, feast on fabulous cuisine, learn new skills, make new friends and bond with your family. The possibilities are endless, and the benefits are plentiful…

Show that you have skills and experience to do the job and deliver great results. You never know what other candidates offer to the company. But you know you: emphasize your key skills, strengths, talents, work experience, and professional achievements that are fundamental to getting great things done on this position.