It’s another dreary gray raining day/week in the Pacific Northwest so my mind is looking to get away! You can certainly have your ‘Calgon take me away’ moment planning a cruise, let alone once you are on a cruise ship.
The first day of a cruise can feel chaotic. When you are dropped off at the port to figure out where exactly you are supposed to check in, it can be a little stressful. If you haven’t cruised before this can be a rough start and you may assume the entire vacation will be filled with waiting in lines surrounded by people who can’t seem to follow simple directions. Soon all will be forgiven and you will be at the head of the line, scanning your passport and either getting your Cruise Card or Medallion depending on the cruise line. Boarding the ship is always exciting, the crew is there to greet you like you are old friends whether it’s your first cruise or your 30th.
Once the cabins are available, I like to unpack right away then slide the empty suitcases under the bed and get a photo of the cabin before we clutter things up, which is bound to happen. Our bring along bag for the room has a non-surge protecting powerstrip and a few European outlet adapters. Although the new ships generally have a few USB ports to charge your phones and tablets, there doesn’t seem to ever be enough. There will be an outlet in the bathroom for a European plug and generally one at the desk so bringing a few adapters will give you a more places to plug in. Once we are unpacked it’s time for the Muster Drill. It appears most lines now let you watch the drill on your cabin tv or your smart phone then all you need to do is go to your muster area and have your card or Medallion scanned and you are on your way. No more lugging your life jacket and sitting to wait for everyone to arrive at the appointed time and location for the Muster Drill. The cruise vacation has officially started!
Confession…. I get seasick! Whether it’s psychological or physical, within an hour of boarding I will start to feel woozy unless I wear the Sea Bands. We’ve cruised with people who are walking zombies morning, noon and night because they take medication or patches for motion sickness. There are no side effects with the Sea Bands and again, whether it’s in my head or in my belly, they work for me. I only have to wear them for the first 24 hours and then, unless it’s a wicked rough sea day, I have no sickness at all. I will wear the Sea Bands when we tender to and from shore, maybe I won’t feel bad without them but I don’t want to waste a day recovering from something that could have easily been prevented.
It’s not a surprise that this March day in the PNW is wet and gray but looking through files of cruise photos has warmed me up!
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