Having just debarked from a spring break cruise on the Carnival Panorama where there were more children peeing, I mean swimming, in the main Lido pool than fish in the sea below them, I’m here to report that the days of low occupancy cruising on Carnival are officially over. Good for shareholders and the future of the cruise industry. Bad for those of us who have grown accustomed to no lines, waking up at 10am to a wide selection of vacant, prime loungers, and dining rooms so empty they feel like Applebee’s at 3pm on a Monday during a blizzard.
If you’re booked on an upcoming Carnival cruise you should anticipate large crowds and take steps to minimize waiting in line and packed venues. In that spirit, today’s lecture will cover my pro tips for a fast and smooth embarkation. Because embarkation should be all about embarrassing your kid with uncoordinated 90’s dance moves across the threshold and gorging on buffet cake, not spending hours waiting in line to check in, only to wait in line to board, only to wait in line to eat lunch standing up because you can’t locate an empty table. So, here are my…
As soon as you’re booked on your Carnival cruise, you can log in to your Carnival account online (or create an online account at Carnival.com if you don’t have one already) and begin filling out your pre-cruise documents. You can also pre-purchase excursions, internet, beverage packages, specialty dining, spa appointments, and more. Pre-purchasing add-ons can save you time (and sometimes money) on embarkation day. You can also enroll your kids in Camp Ocean (Carnival’s onboard kid’s club or as I always think of it, FREE BABYSITTING) online in advance which will save you from standing in line to do so on embarkation day.
Okay so who else, when flying on Southwest, goes online to check in 24 hours and 5 minutes before your scheduled departure time in order to hit the “check-in” button on repeat until either your finger falls off or you score a spot in the A group without having to pay extra? Me too!
And, if so, you’re already well trained to check in properly for your cruise! Just like on Southwest, the sooner you check in online for your cruise on your designated check-in date, the earlier your assigned arrival time will be at your embarkation terminal and the earlier you’ll get to board your ship. The key is to pull up your reservation online and look to see when your check-in date is – it’s usually 14 days prior to the sail date. Then, regardless of where you live in the world, set your alarm for 11:55pm Eastern Standard Time on the night before your check in date (so because I live in Seattle and we’re on PST, I set my alarm for 8:55pm on the night before my listed check-in date). Then pull up your reservation and keep refreshing the page until it allows you to check in at midnight.
Once checked in, print your boarding passes and luggage tags. Secure your luggage tags to your bags in advance using packing tape or staples or you can purchase special plastic protective tags online HERE:
Bonus tip: Do not print your boarding passes double-sided. Each person’s boarding pass should be printed on a separate sheet of paper.
Once onboard, you’ll need the Carnival app to check in for dining, pull up menus, and to access the daily schedule (hard copies of the “Fun Times” are no longer provided to staterooms – although a hard copy schedule can still be requested at Guest Services). The app can be used onboard without purchasing an internet plan. Simply connect to Carnival wifi after you board and launch the app.
If you hunted and pecked your way to flunking out of secretary school in the 1950’s and have grudged against technology ever since or forcefully reject anything that resembles a vaccine passport, “a vaccine passport dressed up in a Carnival whale tale is STILL a vaccine passport,” you’ll probably hate the VeriFLY app, but hold your nose and download it anyway. Or have one of your grandchildren download and complete it for you (just make them promise not to tell any of your Facebook friends).
The app will allow you to upload your vaccine card, negative Covid test, and health questionnaire in advance, meaning you won’t have to show them at the pier.
You’ll receive an e-mail from Carnival five or so days prior to your cruise with instructions on how to download and use the app. Here’s the e-mail I received:
Unless you’re considering a career as a cruise ship luggage porter or are trying to squeeze in one last pre-cruise Crossfit workout, don’t arrive under two hours prior to your ship’s sail away time. Why? Because instead of being able to check your large luggage pieces with a porter who will transfer them onto the ship for you where they will be delivered to your stateroom door, you will be responsible for transporting all your luggage through security, up the ramp, onto the ship, and to your cabin.
If you’re new to cruising, you may not realize that your stateroom won’t typically be accessible to you until 1:30-2:00pm and your checked luggage may not be delivered until late in the afternoon or early evening. That means it’s important to pack your carry-on bag wisely. There are 3 categories of things you should think about when packing your carry-on bag.
You can read about my experience trying to bring a prohibited item onboard a cruise ship in a hard-hitting piece of long-form journalism entitled, “What Kind of Idiot Brings a Skateboard on a Cruise Ship?” It’s a true story and a cautionary tale about how showing up at the embarkation terminal with a prohibited item can cause serious stress and delays. Familiarize yourself in advance with the list of prohibited items on Carnival HERE and NO NOT chance bringing any of them.
The longer you wait to eat lunch after boarding, the more crowded dining areas will become. My advice? Head straight for lunch after embarkation and avoid the buffet later in the afternoon (check on the app to see which alternative complimentary dining venues are open – there were quite a few on my recent sailing onboard the Panorama including the Mongolian Wok and pasta restaurant).
At 9 years-old and having cruised dozens of times, my son still pronounces “muster drill,” “mustard drill.” And I’ve never corrected him because parenting can be so thankless and I feel like I deserve the small internal chuckle this gives me every time I hear it. And for those who also hate mustard (I can’t tell you how many times I ordered a “classic grilled cheese hold the mustard” at the deli on the Panorama last week), it used to be an apt analogy. But the miserable muster drills of the past are now relegated to stories veteran cruisers tell new cruisers over dinner, something akin to “I walked a mile in the snow uphill both ways.”
Modern day mustering on Carnival consists of watching a brief safety video, visiting your muster station before sail away where a crew member will briefly demonstrate how to correctly wear a life vest, and some instructions played throughout the ship over the loud speakers from the captain right before sail away. It’s quick and easy, but will be even easier if you don’t wait until the last minute.
Assuming you’ve followed all my prior tips, you should have been among the first to board, eat cake, I mean lunch, and visit your muster station. So now what? Now you can make reservations for activities that may fill up fast (such as the Skyzone on some Carnival ships), visit guest services if necessary (for example if you need to request a crib for an infant or toddler), and hit popular attractions and take ship photos before the crowds arrive! On embarkation day onboard the Panorama, my son and I reserved all the sessions he wanted for Skyzone (they did fill up fast – so do this early!), played miniature golf and basketball, rode the Skyride, and hit the waterslides all without lines and crowds.
I hope these tips will minimize waiting, lines, and grumpy husbands, I mean children, and lead to a smooth beginning to a most wonderful Carnival cruise. Please feel free to offer any tips you think I missed in the comments so we can all learn from each other!
And with that…
Class Dismissed.
Homework (10 points): Learn the 10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before my First Cruise. And be sure to follow Prof. Cruise on social media.
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