The 17 Best Things to Do on the First Day of Your Cruise

Planning a cruise can be stressful. There are logistical details to attend to, such as booking air travel, reserving a hotel room if you arrive early, and arranging transportation to the cruise port. Before all this, you will have searched for the perfect cruise vacation and completed the necessary documentation for your cruise. The last step will be getting through Embarkation Day. After all this work and maybe some stress, comes the best reward, being on board your cruise ship. Your long-awaited cruise vacation starts. But where should you start? Cruise ships are large and can feel intimidating to first-time cruisers. There are many things to do on a cruise, and if this is your first cruise, you might wonder where to begin. Here are a few tips on the best thing to do on the first day of your cruise.

Attend the Muster Drill (Yes, You Have To)

The muster drill is mandatory for all passengers—think of it as the cruise version of an airplane safety briefing. It’s quick, easy, and usually pretty painless nowadays. Many cruise lines let you check in digitally at your muster station to confirm you attended. Other cruise lines will give you a short safety presentation, which takes less than 10 minutes. Some cruise lines also have a safety video playing in your cabin with lots of information. The important point is to get the muster drill done early so you can relax and enjoy the rest of your day.

Enjoy Your First Cruise Ship Lunch

Once you get on the cruise ship and finish your muster drill, you can grab a bite to eat. Lunch is available for several hours on cruise ships on embarkation day. One of the popular places to have lunch is the buffet. You will find a wide variety of entrees, desserts, salads, and drinks available to choose from. Unfortunately, you will also find large crowds and long lines. 

On the first day of your cruise, seating at the buffet will be hard to find, as most people tend to eat at the buffet. It’s important to know that there are a variety of venues available for lunch on most cruise ships. The buffet is just one of the options. Your cruise line’s app will have all the lunch venues listed. You can also ask cruise ship staff where lunch is being served.

If you want a less crowded lunch experience on your first day, opt for a different lunch venue than the buffet line. 

Explore Different Eating Venues

Ditch the buffet line and explore the many different eating venues available on the ship. When you explore the different dining options, you will get an idea of which restaurant you might want to try during your cruise. Some venues are open on the first day but require reservations on subsequent days. This is a great way to try them to see if you might want to go back during your cruise.

Cruise ships are large floating resorts with many options available to choose from during your cruise. It’s a good idea to try different restaurants during your cruise, rather than sticking solely to the well-known buffet line, unless that’s what you prefer. It’s your cruise, you decide where to dine.

Book Your Must-Do Onboard Activities

If your ship has things like specialty restaurants, spa treatments, the Bolt Rollercoaster, or limited space activities (like escape rooms, shows, or excursions), book them as soon as possible. They can fill up fast. Even if you’ve booked some things in advance, double-check times and reservations. The first day is the best time to lock everything in. Especially those items that you consider must-do items.

Some cruise lines, such as Carnival, offer discounts or specials, such as a complimentary bottle of wine, if you have dinner at a specialty restaurant on the first day of your cruise. This is an option we usually take and fully enjoy. Specialty restaurants do have an additional cost, but the food is well worth it. And the bonus free bottle of wine is not a bad deal.

If there is an excursion presentation on the first day, it’s not a bad idea to attend the meeting. Some cruise lines offer discounts for excursions or have raffles during this event. We normally skipped this presentation as it is usually held on the first day of the cruise. Who wants to spend our first day attending a presentation? We stand corrected on this mistake!

On a recent trip, we decided to attend and discovered that a discount was offered for those in attendance. At this point, we had already purchased our shore excursions. Had we known about the discount offered, we would have jumped on it. The shore excursion presentation is a great opportunity to save money on excursions you might be interested in purchasing.

Save on Spa Treatments

If you would like to enjoy a spa treatment during your vacation, many cruise lines offer discounts when you book on the first day. If you have decided to skip a particular port, consider booking your spa treatment for that port day. You might find that there are additional specials being offered for spa treatments booked during port days. This is another great way to save money on your cruise, as spa treatments can be pricey.

Visit and Sign Up at the Kids Center

If you are traveling with children, take the time to visit and sign up at the kids’ center. Many cruise lines offer kids’ centers that provide daily programs for children. The programs usually start on the first evening of the cruise. Stopping by the kids’ center will give you and your kids the opportunity to meet the camp counselors and get an idea of the programs that are offered on your ship. You will also be able to register your children so that they can participate in the kids’ program.

Head to the Swimming Pool

This is the start of your vacation! Feel free to head directly to the swimming pool to start enjoying your time on the ship. Many swimming pools are near eating areas or bars, so you can also grab a bite to eat or enjoy a refreshing cocktail. Of course, you will need to pre-plan and either take a change of clothes with you or wear your bathing suit under your clothes. 

Start Enjoying Your Drink Package

Different cruise lines sell a variety of drink packages for their guests. Cruise packages, such as Carnival’s Cheers Drink Package, include smoothies, hand-crafted coffees, juices, sodas, as well as alcoholic drinks. The first day of your cruise is the perfect time to start enjoying your drink package. 

Cruise lines offer passengers a variety of specialty drinks to try daily. Use your drink package to start enjoying the many different varieties created by your cruise line.

Keep in mind that if you are sailing from New York, Texas, or Virginia, you will not be able to use your drink package until the second day of your cruise. 

Pick Up Your Pre-purchased Cafe Select Coffee Card

If you’re sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, this is a great opportunity to pick up your Cafe Select Coffee Card. You can start enjoying hand-crafted coffees purchased with your Cafe Select Coffee Card on day one of your cruise. If you forgot to pre-purchase your card, this is the perfect time to do so, as it can only be purchased on day one of your cruise. If you don’t use all the punches on your card, it’s not a problem! Save the card, as you can use it on your next Royal Caribbean Cruise.

Check Out Your Stateroom

Once your cabin is ready, usually around mid-afternoon, it’s time to unpack and settle in. This is a great time to check out your stateroom and drop off your carry-on bag or other items you have been lugging around. 

While you are in your stateroom, take a few minutes to unpack and organize your space. You will find that your suitcases will fit nicely under your bed on most ships. Take a moment to check if you need any supplies. Stateroom attendants work diligently to ensure your stateroom is perfect and ready for you. If you need anything extra or if something was missed, let them know right away. Your stateroom attendant will likely be nearby and ready to assist you if you need anything. 

Cruise ship cabins are cozy and somewhat small in size, so a little tidying up and organizing goes a long way. Use packing cubes, magnetic hooks, and over-the-door organizers if you brought them—future you will be thankful if you add them to your cruise packing list. Getting settled early will help you relax and feel more at home fairly quickly.

Meet Your Stateroom Attendant and Main Dining Room Staff

You’ll see your cabin steward regularly, so a friendly hello on day one can go a long way. Let them know of any special requests you might have. Would you like fresh ice in your room every day? Would you like a fan, wine glasses, or extra towels in your stateroom? Your stateroom attendant is your primary point of contact for any questions or special requests. Getting to know your stateroom attendant will help personalize your cruise experience. 

The same goes for your main dining room servers—if you’re doing traditional dining, you’ll likely have the same waitstaff every night. They are there to help you and assist you with any special requests. If you or anyone in your party has allergies, let them know right away. They will go out of their way to ensure that you or your family member has a safe dining experience. 

Get To Know the Ship

As tempting as it is to head straight to the pool (no judgment if you do), taking time to explore your cruise ship is key. Most cruise ships are like floating cities with restaurants, theaters, spas, shopping areas, and hidden gems around every corner. Grab a map or use the ship’s app to check out your ship’s deck plans (which I highly recommend) and start wandering and exploring the ship. 

Most people will congregate in the buffet area to enjoy lunch. Other passengers will head to the pool. This is a great time to explore and get to know your wonderful cruise ship. You can check out where the dining rooms are located and find the various bars and lounges. Find the activity areas, such as the outdoor golf course, roller coaster, kids’ play area, the spa and fitness center, and any other area you’d like to discover. Exploring early on means you won’t be scrambling later to find your venue.

Check Out the Daily Schedule

Every cruise line provides a daily planner (in print or on their mobile app) that lists all the day’s events, such as trivia games, welcome parties, live music, fitness classes, sales, art auctions, you name it. Take a few minutes to skim through and take note of anything that catches your eye.

Reviewing the daily schedule is a great way to choose activities that you might want to attend. There is such a wide variety of activities that it might be difficult to choose, and some might even overlap. Regardless, reviewing the daily schedule is a great way to check what activities will be happening during the day or evening.

On most mobile apps, you can like events. Once an event is liked, you will be able to find it much easier through the long list of choices. This is similar to adding the activity to a personal calendar. The best part is that most cruise line mobile apps will notify you several minutes in advance of the activity taking place. This is a great reminder that the activity will start soon.

Just note that liking an activity and adding it to your calendar on the mobile app is not the same as making a reservation for the event. If a reservation is required, you will need to do that separately.

Join the Sail Away Party

The sail-away party is definitely worth checking out. It is usually held on the main pool deck and starts as you begin to sail away from the cruise terminal. It’s a festive and scenic party, and a great way to start the first day of a cruise. You might even meet fellow cruisers as you enjoy either watching the sailaway party or joining in on the fun. 

If you want to look like a pro at the sail-away party, brush up on your popular line dances such as the Cupid Shuffle, the Cha Cha Slide, and the Wobble. Different cruise lines use the most popular line dances at their sail-away party. If you learn the most popular or common ones, you will be well-equipped and able to join in on the fun. You will have a blast at the Sail-away party, regardless of whether you jump in and join the line dance or decide to watch the dancing.

As you sail away, you can also spend your time on one of the higher decks. This is a great location to wave goodbye to anyone at the cruise terminal or other ships sailing by. This is also a great spot to take photographs or video of the sail-away party or the scenery around you as you begin your ocean voyage.

Put Your Phone on Airplane Mode

Now that the Sail Away party is underway and you are setting sail, this is a good time to place your phone in airplane mode. Using your cell phone while on the ship and out of range of your cell phone provider is expensive. In order to avoid an expensive cell phone bill, you should place your phone in airplane mode. Doing this will save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Start Collecting Cruising Ducks

What in the world are cruising ducks? Cruising ducks are small rubber ducks that you can search for on many cruise ships. Hiding, finding, and collecting cruising ducks is a popular activity for many cruisers. This is akin to a scavenger hunt for small rubber ducks. The ducks come in many different sizes, colors, and designs. Once you find a duck, you are free to keep it or hide it again for someone else to find.

Ducks can be found in public places around the ship. If you decide to hide your duck, it should be hidden only in public places, excluding the swimming pool areas, hot tubs, and shops. Also, if you hide small ducks that could be a choking hazard, they should be placed high out of reach of small children.

Relax, Enjoy, and Take It All In

Once the ship pulls away from the dock, head to the deck with a drink in hand and enjoy the view as you sail away. There is something magical about the moment your cruise truly begins. You are free from the distractions of the daily grind, no emails, and no responsibilities. It’s time to enjoy the open ocean and the adventure ahead. This is your time. Relax, enjoy, and take it all in.

Final Thought on The First Day of Your Cruise

The first day of your cruise doesn’t have to be a blur of customs, documents, luggage bags, and crowded buffets. With a little planning, you can quickly ease into vacation mode and start making the most of every moment. You can begin to explore the ship, eat your first delicious lunch on board your ship, book your shore excursions, book your spa treatments, and start to enjoy all of the other great things available to you on your cruise ship. Most importantly, don’t forget to breathe in that salty sea air. Your vacation has officially begun, and soon you will be sailing the ocean and enjoying exotic ports of call. Bon voyage and have a fantastic vacation!

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