Port of Call

I was talking to my best friend Bryndi today, and she told me she heard some advice from a co-worker about the port of call and how boarding the ship works when going on a cruise. We both had a lot of questions about this and were unsure of how this whole process works, so I'm very glad that she was able to pick up some tips from her co-worker. I'd like to share these with you now.

First of all, her co-worker said that if you have your confirmation number with you, as well as your passport and driver's license ready to go when arriving at the port of call, you get to bypass a huge line of cruisers and go straight to the customs on the ship. If you don't have all of this information ready to go, you apparently have to wait in a huge line with a lot of other cruisers that could take a couple of hours to get through. That sounds like no fun at all, so we'll be sure to have all of that information with us and ready to go when we arrive!

After passing through customs, her co-worker said that our luggage will be taken to our room and we'll then proceed to a cruise ship orientation. Here, they will go over important safety information, address other important information about the ship, and allow all of the cruisers to put on a life vest and locate the nearest life boat. Once this orientation is over, passengers are free to begin roaming and exploring the ship, and can also choose to go on deck and wave to the surrounding spectators as the ship begins to set sail. Bryndi and I have already decided that we'll definitely be doing that!

We're supposed to arrive at the port at 2pm, but our cruise doesn't actually depart til 5pm, so apparently those three hours will be spent going through customs, participating in an orientation session to get acquainted with the ship, and exploring the ship. Does this sound right to all of you veteran cruisers? Do you have any additional tips or information for Bryndi and I? Let me know!