You have booked the cruise and embarkation day is approaching. We go through what to expect on embarkation day with helpful tips and advice.
From the moment you booked your cruise the countdown to your holiday departure begins! If you booked really early, then hang in there, departure will come around quicker than you think. If however you don’t have long until you sail then it’s time to prepare for the holiday of a lifetime!
If you’ve booked a long time in advance then most cruise lines, when booking, require a percentage as deposit (e.g. 15%) with the remainder payable three months (90 days) prior to departure. Just before the final payment is due you will probably get a gentle reminder email to pay - if you haven’t already done so – this is when you know you’re finally going!
Before leaving your home to join the ship, there are a few things which need to be organised:
Getting to the Cruise Terminal
If you’re travelling to the ship by car, then you will need somewhere to park it. Most cruise ports provide parking services or, if not, can suggest companies which provide cruise parking. Some of the cruise lines also have relationships with cruise parking companies and, indeed, some offer free parking as a perk when you book a cruise with them.
Talking of booking, when booking a cruise you may be given the option of some “freebies” along the lines of: Free Cruise Parking, Free Coach Transfers or Free On-board Spending Monies. If you don’t have a car and need the coach transfers then the choice is simple, however, if you do have a car and are planning to drive then it is important to do a little research before you choose the free parking option.
If you know the company which the cruise parking would be provided by, and they offer the option to purchase the parking after booking, then go onto their website (or phone them) and enquire as to the cost of parking for your cruise for the dates required. You may be surprised to hear that it will normally be less than the free on-board spending monies, so financially it would be prudent to take the free on-board spending rather than the free parking.
This isn’t the case for all cruises so you do need to check!
Get your Documents in Order
The last thing you want to happen is for you to turn up at the cruise terminal, excited to sail, only to be turned away for not having the correct documentation with you. Each cruise line is different in how they operate, however, the general documentation needed is the same, along with pre-sailing requirements.
Passports
Either during or after booking you will be required to provide the cruise line with your passport number(s). Most cruise lines recommend that passports must have at least six months remaining with some cruise lines (e.g. Cunard) stating that you must have at least six months remaining. It is also recommended to have a few spare pages in your password for stamping, especially if you are visiting a country with strict immigration or going around the world via a cruise.
If you are a British Citizen you will require a full passport for all cruises and the names must match the tickets you are provided with (more on that shortly).
Given the current situation regarding BREXIT, UK passport holders should check the passport requirements needed if they are travelling post-BREXIT.
Travelling to America
The requirements changed on 1st April 2016 therefore you cannot enter the US without an electronic passport. If your passport was issued after October 2006, it should have an electronic chip. Even if your ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) was previously valid, it will now be invalid from the 1st April following this change if you do not hold an electronic passport.
A valid (ESTA) is required to travel to the United States. Passengers arriving at check in without a valid ESTA or US Visa may be denied boarding. If you are travelling to the United States, a United States Territory (St. Thomas, San Juan and Hawaii) or your flight involves a fuel stop in the United States, you must obtain an ESTA approval at least 72 hours prior to arrival. In addition you must be in possession of a biometric passport (or E-Passport) when travelling to the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP).
Applying for an ESTA
You can apply for an ESTA directly via https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/{target=blank}. At the moment there is currently a charge of $14 per person for an ESTA, however this amount is subject to change at any time.
You can also arrange an ESTA through CIBT Visa Services if you call 0207 620 6998 although additional charges will apply - please contact CIBT Visa Services directly for further information.
If you have any other queries, please contact ESTAsupport@dhs.gov.uk
Please also note that an ESTA must be obtained more than 72 hours before departure.
If you are applying for a late visa or are having problems with your application, please contact the US Embassy as below:
24 Grosvenor Square
London
W1A 1AE
Switchboard: [44] (0)20 7499 9000
Please ensure the information on your ESTA confirmation matches your passport information.
Tickets
Depending on which cruise line you are travelling with, you will be issued with either a paper ticket which will be posted to you, or an eTicket, either emailed or via the cruise lines website portal. These tickets are important and must be brought to the terminal as it will state your name(s) (which must match your passports), cabin number, the grade of stateroom you are in and the boarding time. The boarding time is important, as with two thousand or more people descending on the cruise terminal in one day, the cruise line will stagger the boarding process so the terminal does not reach capacity. Our advice is to arrive earlier than your boarding time, but not too early. If you have a boarding time of 15:30 then arriving by 15:00 ensures the car and luggage has been dealt with and all that remains is check in, security and a little walk.
From our experience, it can be difficult to predict traffic, in and around departure ports, on change-over days. It can be worth spending a night in the local area, or arriving earlier than required at the port, but then spending some time having lunch in the port itself. Remember, if you turn up at the port too late then the ship will sail without you!
Luggage labels
Everyone wants their suitcases and holdalls to arrive in their rooms safely, the only way for that to happen is if they are properly labelled. The cruise company will send you labels, which you are to fill the back in with your name, contact number and cabin number then, affix these to every piece of luggage which you are not carrying on as hand luggage.
Luggage – Packing
When arriving at the terminal, there will be porters standing by to collect your luggage from your car or coach. In our experience, you won’t need to lift the cases out of the cars, they will do it for you unless you tell them otherwise. You must however ensure you have labels securely affixed to each item of luggage to avoid it getting lost. Also if you have a suit carrier, it must be of a sturdy construction, without any coat handers showing as these can get caught on the conveyer belt which, we have been told, will win and your clothes will lose! Often the porters will ask you to carry on your suit carrier.
Once your luggage has been collected you will either need to wait with your car for the cruise parking team to come and book it in, or make your way to the terminal.
Overnight bag
You will need an overnight bag packed with everything you will need should your luggage be lost, either vanishing into thin air or dropped into the sea and soaked with salt water - luckily both of these events are very rare, but it’s best to be prepared. Also, on the last night of your cruise, you will have to put your suitcases outside your cabin door before bedtime, packed and ready to go, for the stewards to take down to the hold ready for the morning unloading. This will leave you with the clothes you are wearing, plus the overnight bag.
So you’re all organised and have your documents in order. How is embarkation going to work?
Arriving at the Terminal
When arriving at the terminal by car, generally you will find two queues, or rather one queue and one empty lane. The lane with a queue (and hopefully clearly labelled) are for passengers dropping their cars off for cruise parking and the empty lane are for those being dropped off my friends and family or by taxi’s. Whilst it is not a big issue if you go in the wrong lane, the officials do not like it if you venture off script by going in the wrong lane!
Queues and Priority Boarding
One thing which is could make an unhappy embarkation day, is after having arrived and deposited your luggage, enjoying a lengthy queue to either get in the terminal, if there are lots of passengers arriving at the same time, or to actually get to the check in desk. At this late stage of the proceedings there is unlikely anything that can be done about it, however, if you have booked a high grade cabin i.e. a suite, or have a high ranking on the cruise lines loyalty scheme, then you may find you are eligible for the priority boarding line. In our experience priority boarding means little to no queuing at all.
If you have to queue then make sure you have enough supplies with you for most eventualities. If you have children, they will inevitably want drinks, something to eat and to run around (which is difficult at best with so many people around). Also, if you have flown from a cold climate or vice versa then you may find the climate not to your liking. By this we mean you may be wearing thick winter trousers but it’s 35 degrees celsius in the shade and shorts would be more appropriate, or the other way around.
You will be seated in a particular order, or assigned a number or letter and only when instructed to may you then check in, for the rest of the time it is a waiting game. Or, you may actually have to stand in a line – with no form of seating for a considerable length of time. From experience, my wife actually had to breastfeed our daughter whilst standing in the queue, and even though we asked she was not able to sit down!
From your ticket you will know what time embarkation begins. It’s advisable to arrive at least half an hour early if possible, the other extreme of course, is arriving late. We arrived for a cruise with twenty minutes left till sailing time due to terrible traffic (it can, and does, happen!), no passengers in the terminal so no queuing needed, which was a plus point, security was a breeze and we were on the ship in under eight minutes from the time we arrived. We DO NOT suggest you try this to beat the queues! Remember it costs money for the ship to be tied up alongside and the last thing the cruise company want is for the ship to be waiting for you, and they won’t! When the time for sailing arrives, if you are not on-board then it is quite possible you will miss your sailing.
Check In
Once through the queues, the actual process of checking in is usually very quick and the following is likely to happen:
Your passports will be checked along with your (e) tickets to verify the names match.
If you are travelling with children, they will be issued with a wristband, which is to remain attached at all times. The purpose being that if there’s an emergency they can be taken to the correct muster station, or if they become lost they can be reunited with you.
Your stateroom key cards will be issued. These cards are used to pay for everything on-board as well, accessing your stateroom and are shown when entering and leaving the ship. You will have your photo taken, which is stored against the card so when you pay for something or leave the ship the staff know whether it is you or not.
A credit or debit card will be taken which will be used to settle any on-board account balance at the end of the cruise. If you wish to change the card, or pay with cash then you will have to visit the reception desk on-board to action this.
It is standard practice for passengers to fill in a health check form, essentially confirming you are not ill, do not have norovirus and so on. Virus’s such as norovirus can spread very rapidly on a ship due to the confined space and recirculated air, if a major outbreak were to happen on a ship it could sink a cruise lines reputation and cost a vast amount of money so most cruise lines are very hot on hygiene. Please fill any such documentation in honestly.
After check in
After checking in, the benefit of suite staterooms and cruise line loyalty, becomes apparent as sometimes a room or area will be provided within the terminal, which is exclusive to these passengers, and will offer complimentary tea and coffee along with biscuits and a choice of the daily papers. These passengers will also board the ship, once it is ready, before anyone else - for everyone else there will be seating provided post check-in but drinks are rarely available, but magazines and newspapers generally are.
Ready for boarding – Security
As with airports security is very important and every passenger will have to go through security otherwise entry to the ship will be denied. There are two forms of security when boarding the ship on embarkation day, shore side body and luggage scanning and on-board facial confirmation.
The shore side body scanning is the same as is used at airport. Once you have removed your personal items such as any belts, mobile telephones, wallets, handbags and so on, you will need to walk through a metal detector whilst your personal items go through an x-ray machine. If you have a pushchair, be prepared to unload everything on it. Officials will want to look at the buggy without anything on it, so it is far easier for you to have unloaded and kept hold of the items, so that none are lost during the search - we found out the hard way!
Once you’re through shore side security it’s a short walk to the ship where you cruise card / stateroom key card will be scanned and then you’re on-board!
Once on-board
Once you’re on-board, you will be greeted by the crew at the gangway, after that you’re on your own. It’s a good idea to have a deck plan to hand, or have thoroughly researched and remembered where your cabin is. Generally if you know the position and deck of your cabin, you can’t really go wrong as, with any hotel, the rooms are signposted in regular intervals to make them easy to find.
Your luggage may not have arrived by the time you get to your room, but there is no need to worry as it will find its own way there, and either be left outside the door, or placed inside by the cabin steward.
One of the first things, aside from exploring, most passengers like to do when they board is find somewhere to eat. Most cruise ships have more than one restaurant, however, you may find that the dining restaurants are closed until the evening dinner service, leaving the buffet open, but, be warned, the buffet will be very busy as everyone else will be doing the same. If you are in a high grade cabin (e.g. a suite) then you should be offered lunch, whether that is a five course sit down or a warm / cold buffet, in a restaurant that is closed to other passengers. This arrangement certainly does make for a more relaxed boarding and a great start to the cruise.
Now you know what embarkation day will be like, you can relax and look forward to your cruise knowing that you have all bases covered so there will not be any hidden surprises.
We hope you have a great cruise!
