Endearing and Enduring Cruise Traditions

Formal nights, baked Alaska and towel animals—are they a thing of the past?

Those of us who have been cruising for a while have seen our share of changes. Out with the midnight buffets, tuxedoed waiters and pillow chocolates. In with the bumper cars, zip-lining and skydiving.

But over the years, some endearing cruise traditions have endured. They may not be what lures us onboard but are fun just the same:

Welcome onboard, this is your captain speaking. We may have stopped going a while ago, but for many folks, the captain’s welcome is the “official” start to the cruise. And probably the only time you’ll see the face of the captain. (But you’ll sure hear his voice over the PA often enough.)

The captain's welcome on the Caribbean Princess features a champagne
fountain--and a glass for you too.

Getting formal. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, formal nights are still part of the cruising experience. You can ignore the whole thing and eat in the buffet, but you can’t beat the treat of seeing everyone else dress up. From toddlers in bow ties, men in kilts and women in stilettos—people-watching is never better.

Photo posing. Even though today so many people have a camera in their back pocket, there are still plenty of cruisers who like to pose for the professionals. With backdrops real and pretend, in their gowns or in port, they’re happy to make the ship photographers feel useful.

What the crew does with those towels. We never tire of the monkey swinging from a hanger, the swan about to glide across our bed or the puppy poised for petting. How do they find the time to do it?

The bed with open arms. While I still pine for the postcards and pillow candy once routine on Celebrity, there’s still nothing like an inviting bed, fresh towels and a clean bathroom to end your day.

Baked Alaska. Having been to Alaska in late May, this seems like a contradiction in terms. No matter, baked Alaska the dessert does still make an appearance. Princess serves it. And Carnival made the news recently when the cruise line pulled it out of storage. The meringue/cake/ice cream dessert may not make you scream for seconds, but it’s so very cruising.

The napkin wave/waiter parade. Just as the captain welcomes you on board, your waiters see you off. One of the last nights of the cruise, the staff makes noise of some sort, prompting guests to wave their napkins in thanks for their satisfied palates.

 

On this Holland America cruise, the waiters drummed on salad bowls.

Custom cards as blue as your mood. This is one cruise tradition that has recently disappeared. You will no longer see these on your bed as your trip comes to a close. Which is a good thing, because who needs yet another reminder of the lurking trip back to reality?

Photos by Roger James Photography

Cruising’s Ten Commandments

Okay, so maybe Moses didn’t come down from the mountain with these commandments.

But I bet he’d think they were worthy for you to carry around on your tablet—whether your upcoming cruise is your 1^st or 14^th:

1. Your passport to your trip. Yes, you need your passport for the Caribbean. And this is not intuitive, but it’s very important: make sure it does not expire within six months of when you get back from your trip.

2. Over-tag your luggage. On our last trip, our suitcase almost ended up in Maryland—but we live in Florida. Someone grabbed our bag by mistake and took it to the airport. You can’t have too many tags with your name and cell, or bright-colored things hanging from it.

3. Muster up! It’s tempting to tune out at the muster drill. But just bring up a YouTube on the Concordia to remember why it’s not a good idea.

4. Do unto others...you know the rest. In other words, be nice to your fellow cruisers—it’s their vacation too. Don’t leave your stuff on the pool lounger and then go to the buffet. And speaking of the buffet, if you see someone’s sweater on a chair, please don’t sit down and pretend it’s not there.

5. The early bird makes the boat. Flying in the same day is very risky. You might just miss the boat. Or you may make it—but you luggage may not.  

6. Insure a safe trip. Getting trip insurance protects the investment you made in your cruise. But not all insurance is the same—ask questions and read the fine print. Check out this posting for more.

7. Load up on motion medicine. If you get car sick, air sick or sea sick, bringing stuff with you is the surest way not to need it. And bring whatever else you think you could need—and hope you don’t.

8. Pack right (or is it pack left?) and carry on! Your carry-on should not be an afterthought. One of our cruises was a nail-bitter—our luggage did eventually show up—after dinner.

9. Know your time wisely. When you go ashore, know if there’s a difference between ship time and port time. Or you’ll be chasing the ship on your own dime.

10. Stay sanitized. Wash hands often to avoid getting sick or making the rest of us sick. Consider carrying hand wipes or little sanitizing sprays to use after reaching for the ladle or salt shaker. And that TV remote? Elevator button? Banister and railing? They, too, can be germy.

Have a Commandment #11? Drop us a line.

You’re Hungry. It’s Late. Where You Gonna Go?

It’s midnight—a whole three, four, five or more hours since you’ve last eaten. You’re itching to nosh again. So, where you gonna go?

One thing the ships know is food and you can count on them to keep you fed, no matter when you want to consume. Here’s a sample of what’s around way after the sun’s gone down*:

Princess

International Café. You can’t beat the International Café in the piazza, the hub of the Princess ships. It’s all it’s rumored to be—good variety, good quality, always open and ready to serve you. There are great sandwiches, quiches, salads and desserts. And did I mention, they’re all free?

The sandwiches are always changing in the International Cafe

Horizon Court. I’m adding Princess’ buffet to the list because it stays open long after the ones on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival close. Horizon Court serves full dinner up to 11 p.m. Which means you can eat in the main dining room at 6 and have a second dinner in Horizon Court at 10. Or a cookie or two.

 

A Regal spread

Room service: You can get free ‘round the clock chow delivered to your door, but note there’s a fee for some menu items.

Royal Caribbean

Promenade Café. Royal Caribbean’s café in the Promenade neighborhood is the place to go for free sandwiches and sweets when the restaurants have shuttered. The quality isn’t as good as the International Café, but what it loses in cuisine it gains in entertainment. Sit at a “sidewalk” table in the front and watch the cruise crowd go by. And it’s open 24/7.

 

Some of the free offerings at the Promenade Cafe 

Pizza for your pleasure.  Also along the Promenade is Sorrento’s, where you can get pizza by the slice—cheese, pepperoni, the style of the day or one custom made. That beer, though, will cost you extra. It’s open until 3 a.m., so you can grab a slice—and then breakfast just three and a half hours later at Windjammer.

Pizza and people watching on the Allure of the Seas

Room service:  There’s a service charge of $7.95 (and 18 percent tip) for any room service other than continental breakfast. RCI has upgraded their menu selections and it now includes items like hamburger, Philly cheesesteak and salmon. Available 24 hours.

Celebrity

The only free choice on Celebrity after the dinner hours is the Oceanview buffet, which has pizza, pasta and salad until midnight, and Café al Bacio with pastries and cookies, also to midnight.

Room service: Late night munchies off the menu will cost you a $4.95 fee. Any other time, it’s free.

Carnival

Pizza, pizza, who wants pizza? You can always be sure to find pizza on a Carni ship, as both Pizzeria Del Capitano and Pizza Pirate do them all day and night. You can finish off your off-hours meal with soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt on Lido deck, which runs as long as you do.

Room service: Room service from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. will cost on Carnival, with prices for menu items ranging from $2 to $6. Choices include grilled cheese, turkey wrap and brownies.

Musing’s Top Tip: Don’t like any of the late night options? Take back nibbles from the buffet and you can have just what you want, when you want it. The crew doesn’t mind—they even give you a frig to make it easier.

* Restaurants and hours vary by ship; verify with your onboard newsletter.

Location, Location, Location—Pick Your Stateroom as You Would Your Home

What’s the perfect location for a stateroom on a cruise ship?

Well, that depends.

What would you look for in a home? How far it is from work? Is it near good schools? Where’s the closest supermarket? Is the neighborhood quiet?

On a cruise ship, it’s not too different. Maybe you want to know how close your room is to the dining room, buffet or pool. And how far are you willing to trek down that long lonesome hallway to get

somewhere? Does quiet matter?

How far are you willing to walk down this long lonesome hallway on Allure of the Seas?

One thing for sure—like with a home, where your bed is on a cruise ship can impact how happy you’re going to be. 

Decorations won't help if you pick the wrong place

So, you want to give some thought into what you want and time into planning. Here are a few tips on selecting a room:

Know what you want. Prioritize what you want to be close to, and then select a room that's nearest the elevator that will take you there. You don’t have to worry about elevator noise; I haven’t been on a ship yet where a room near the elevator is a problem. Elevators tend to be set away from staterooms.

If it’s quiet you’re after. To find the quietest rooms, avoid adjoining ones (which can draw families) and those across from inside rooms (slamming doors, folks hanging out in their doorways). Pick decks that don’t have these above or below: pools, buffets, restaurants, gyms, jogging track or discos.
 

If it's quiet you're after, don't get a room below the pool...

...or under decks like the Promenade on Navigator of the Seas

And when looking at deck plans, be sure to note empty spaces near rooms—they can be the crew’s linen closet or galley, which can mean a lot of activity early in the morning. Be careful too to avoid baggage areas and laundry rooms.

...or near laundry rooms like the ones on the Regal Princess

Steady as she goes. The parts of the ship with the least amount of movement tend to be mid-ship. If you don’t think location is important, check out how the prices vary—you’ll pay a premium for being in the middle of the ship. And these rooms tend to go faster.

Help for planning. Looking at deck plans can be as fun and easy as reading a camera manual. If you can even read the print (which gets smaller all the time!), it’s hard to know what you’re even looking at. Fortunately, the cruise lines generally have decent online versions. Also consider cruisedeckplans.com for an easier online experience.

Deciphering deck plans can be as fun as studying for finals

The last step. Say you’ve narrowed it down to an actual room, but you want to make sure it’s what you want. You can:

* Call the cruise line for information, but what you get may be limited

* Throw a question out on the cruisecritic.com boards; see especially Cruise Discussion Topics/Cabin Selection Tips

* Google the room number (including the ship name)

One last idea is to scout out the rooms and decks on Disembarkation Day. If you can spare a few minutes, note where you’d want to be—or don’t want to be—should you (hopefully) find yourself on the ship or same class of ship at some point in the future. 

Muster Up! The Drill and What Else Will Keep You Safe Onboard

Sometimes, it’s in the casino. Sometimes, on the ice rink. And sometimes, it’s under the sun.

Wherever it is, you need to be there.

Here’s the drill and why it’s important. And what else will keep you safe in your new home on the sea.

If you’ve never been through one, know that the muster drill starts with a PA announcement that it’s coming. Then another one that it’s coming soon. And probably yet another that it’s really on its way.

Then, ear-splitting sounds. If you’re in your stateroom, you won’t be there for long. The crew will come banging on your door.

The good news? On many ships, you no longer need to drag along those massive orange vests, their cords dangling behind you like Linus’ dust.

You’ll come as you are, crew will be everywhere holding signs, and you’ll assemble someplace. It will be the first time—and maybe the last—that you’ll ever feel overwhelmed by the vast numbers of people on your ship.

Like the “seat-cushion-can-be-used-as-a-floatation-device” speech you tune out on the plane, you might feel like tuning out this one too. But don’t. Just in case.

Cruising is uber safe. In fact, more people are cruising than ever, but issues like fires and breakdowns are quite rare and have been declining.*

But they still can happen. And you want to be prepared in case they do.

Safe cruising, though, shouldn’t stop at the muster drill. Here are some other ways for you to stay ship-shape from when you walk up that gangway to when you walk back down:

Bring your own. First-aid stuff costs a lot on the ship. And some stuff you won’t find at all. I found out the hard way. Some good things to pack before leaving home are aspirin, cold medication, nose drops, digestion stuff, ear wax removal, first-aid ointment and band-aids.

Sea sickness remedies. While the cruise ships are massive and steady as tanks, you will, from time to time, be reminded that you’re not on land. If you’ve ever been prone to motion sickness, while you most likely won’t need it, just having it with you will give you peace of mind. My spouse has brought it on 19 trips. He has not used it once.

Wipe it clean. The crew, of course, work like crazy to keep the staterooms clean, but it never hurts to do a bit of your own cleaning too. Consider bringing some sanitizing spray or wipes to clean door handles, phone and TV remote—the areas that get a lot of hand holding.

Sanitize your hands. Often. While most of the ships have hand sanitizers near the eating areas, in the buffets, you’re holding the ladle, reaching for the salt shaker—and then handling the hot dog as it makes its way to your mouth. We bring our own wet wipes, and use them constantly.

Sun-bathing sense. We’ve seen it over and over again—folks with skin as pure as the driven snow spend their whole first day at the pool. The next day, they’ve traded that milky complexion with a bright red one. And spend the next several days burning up in pain.

Pool precautions. There are no lifeguards at the pools. When you swim, you’re on your own. And so are your kids.  

It’s wet on deck. With folks and kids coming in and out of the pools, showers and saunas, the decks can get pretty wet. Walk gingerly and watch your step.

Be a defensive diner. The buffet can be a treacherous place. Steaming hot coffee can be coming at you from one direction, and a crew member with a tray piled high with plates can be coming at you from another. Be a defensive diner and you’ll enjoy your food at the table—instead of taking a trip to the infirmary.

See the light. Having a flashlight by your bed will be invaluable for those night-time bathroom runs.

Don’t go overboard. The banisters on the decks and balconies are there for a reason: to keep a safe

distance between us and the water. Enjoy the drink packages. But we don’t want to fish you out of the sea.

* CLIA’s website, cruising.org, “Safety at Sea,” G.P. Wild International Limited  Report on Operational Incidents, 2009 to 2014.

Why Your Best Dinner Could be at the Buffet

Dinner on our first cruise was an affair to remember. All that silverware glinting in the chandelier’s light. A five-course spread, dished out by chatty waiters in tuxes. Our plates, the picture of food magazines. It was a blast.
 
Over the years, as budgets tightened and crew sizes shrunk, the dinner hour has become the dinner hour and a half—or more. Waiters are so harried; they no longer feel like chewing the fat. Courses have gone from five to four. Diners dress down more than ever.
 

Satisfy your sweet tooth in the Windjammer...

With these changes, along with some of the upsides of the buffet experience, we’re finding ourselves there quite a lot. Here are a few reasons why your best dinner could be at the buffet and not in the main dining room (MDR):         
         
Go when you want, come as you are. Working around your assigned MDR time can be a pain, particularly after a long day at port. Or, maybe you were up late the night before and then had your lunch at 3. How do you have dinner at 6? With the buffet, you eat when you feel like it.
 
And you don’t have to rush back to your stateroom and change for dinner. You can come as you are and keep that relaxed vibe right into the night.



...or have shrimp crackers there for the first time.

Pace yourself. Some of our MDR meals have taken close to two hours. That’s a long time to give up on a cruise evening, especially when there are shows to make, slot machines waiting for your money and a piano player anxious to sing to you. The buffet allows you to linger as long as you like—or wolf it down to go on to whatever’s next. 

 You can be choosy. In the old days, when MDR meals didn’t take so long, if you didn’t like your dish, you could ask for another. Today, the prospect of waiting for that other dish isn’t so appealing. What the buffets offer is choice. Your plate can become a virtual tourist with an Italian breadstick here, German sausage there and American fried chicken in the middle. And if you don’t like any of it, you can go back for something else.



Be a virtual tourist with landjager in Horizon Court...

Food for thought, tasting and testing. The buffet is where you’ll find some of the more interesting and pricey foods, like spicy Asian dishes and shrimp crackers in Royal Caribbean’s Windjammer, blue cheese in Celebrity’s Oceanview Café, and landjäger and Black Forest ham in Princess’ Horizon Court. It’s a great chance to try something you’ve never had before.

MDR chow without the MDR. Sometimes, the same entrees from the main dining room show up in the buffet. Granted, they’re not sitting as pretty in a warming tray as sprinkled with parsley on a porcelain plate. But at least you know what it looks like before you choose it .

Make it your way. It may be counter-intuitive, but some buffets will do it your way. In Celebrity’s Oceanview Café, you can point to a steak, salmon or chicken and someone will grill it for you. A stir-fry guy will put in what veggies, meat and level of heat you desire. And the pasta person will toss some up just the way you like it.

...and enjoy your dinner there in peace.

It’s quieter there. One of the biggest reasons I find myself in the buffet at night is that most people are somewhere else. Imagine that: a meal that’s relaxing. The buffet at dinner may just be the cruise industry’s biggest secret. So let’s keep it between the two of us…
 
Musing’s Top Tip: Celebrity and Royal Caribbean serve full dinners until 9 p.m. in their buffets; Princess, until 11.

What Gets Better as it Gets Older? Cruising.

Those of us who have been cruising for a while tend to look back wistfully at what’s gone out to sea—midnight buffets, five-course dinners, chocolates and cards on our pillows, little shampoo bottles and Q-tips.
 
But in many ways, cruising is better than ever. Consider this:
 
Bigger ships make a bigger bang. Think of all the bells and whistles that didn’t exist before. Like

Chicago on the high seas, via the Allure

more balcony rooms. 3D movies and bumper cars. Rock climbing and zip-lining. Broadway shows. Glass-blowing and cooking demos.
 
Ships come in all sizes. The cruise lines keep pumping ‘em out, large and small, and that’s only a good thing. Want to go to exotic ports and get to know your fellow travelers? A small ship’s for you. Surfing and skating is your thing and don’t mind sharing space with 5,399 other travelers? There’s one for you too.
 
Backstage is the new front stage. Once a word-of-mouth thing, galley tours, backstage tours and if you’re lucky, even bridge and engine room tours, are standard fare on today’s ships. Think of the useful tidbits you’ll walk away with—pounds of coffee consumed each day and how fast the ship goes at night.
 

Stainless steel galore on a Princess galley tour

The smoke out. We all breathe easier these days with smoking banned on most ships in most places. Even in those palaces of puffing—the casinos.
 
Ways to health. There are more and better ways to be healthy onboard, with well-equipped fitness centers and classes, jogging tracks and health-food style restaurants. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships and many Celebrity ships have no-cost healthy dining choices that, for the most part, are better than what they serve up in their MDR or buffet.
 


Hand wash reminder on
Celebrity's Constellation

Sanitation savvy. Alas, the cruise lines have had their share of experience with norovirus, which has made them pros at avoiding and containing it. Sanitizers are everywhere and Princess won’t let you near the buffet without a spray.
 
Safety takes center stage. There is no better time than now to cruise when it comes to safety. With the Concordia and engine room fires still fresh in everyone’s memory, the cruise lines are going out of their way to reassure the public that cruising is as safe as ever. There’s new attention to muster drills, installation of backup generators and other safety measures.
 
Steady and stable. The big new ships today are more stable than the ones that came before. There have been many improvements in design that have made them more solidly built. We’ve been amazed that we’ve felt very little movement onboard. In fact, after 16 trips, we’ve not used seasickness medication once.
 
More demand equals more fun. Demand for cruising—at least outside the U.S.—has been growing, encouraging the cruise lines to build more ships, each outdoing the next with fun features and other ways to entice and excite us, making cruising more intriguing than ever. And best yet--keeping costs on an even keel.

 

Sizing Up The Ships

Big truck or small car, mansion or cottage, sub or tea sandwich—size matters. And so it is with a cruise ship. Whether you choose a smaller one—like the Celebrity’s Constellation at 90,000 tons—or the world’s biggest, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas at 225,282—it will shape your vacation.

The biggest ship in the world
has 16 decks

Why should this be, you might wonder? After all, both ships have dining choices (free and otherwise), pools, theaters, shops, a library and casino. They both have a mind-numbing number of stateroom categories, room stewards to meet your needs, and plenty of public rooms and outside decks to hang out in. 

But there are differences and it helps to know about them when planning a trip. Consider these pros and cons:

Big Ship, The Pros



 

Wide variety of facilities and activities. Nothing beats the Oasis of the Seas and its sister ship, Allure of the Seas, in places to be in and things to do. There are the three “neighborhoods” of the Promenade, Boardwalk and Central Park, with their eating places, shops and entertainment. The ship’s got onboard surfing, zip-lining, miniature golf, ice skating and rock-climbing.

Myriad food choices. More space means more room for restaurants, from fine dining to buffets, cafes and pubs. Some free restaurants on the Allure are so underutilized the ship actually promotes them.
 
Lots of exercise opportunities. If you don’t get enough exercise just walking to your room on a ship the size of the Allure, you’ve got other options. There’s a gym with plenty of machines and exercise classes. And a jogging/walking track that runs the length of the ship. Just do 2.4 laps and you’ve conquered a mile.  

Big Ship, The Cons

Lots of exercise opportunities. On a ship like the Allure, you’re going to get walking in—whether you like it or not. Even if your room is as close to the elevator as you can get. As on most ships, the theater’s on one end and the main dining room’s on the other.

 


After the parade on Allure's Promenade

Forget learning how to navigate the ship. Trying to find the same bar twice on the Allure is truly a challenge. At least there are lifelines—digital maps in the lobbies.   
Sometimes, crowds. Though the big ships have many more passengers, there’s also more room for them to spread out. But there will be times you’re woefully aware you’re not the only one on the ship. Like the muster drill. Parades on the Promenade. Disembarkation. Peak meal hours in the buffet. The Allure even has a crew member doing crowd control in the buffet at times.

Small Ship, The Pros

Mastering the ship is a short learning curve. Perhaps the best part of a smaller ship is that fumbling is at a minimum. You can have that baby mastered in a day.

 
Everything’s easier. Because there are few crowds, everything’s easier, from finding a parking space at your embarkation port to getting a seat in the buffet to getting off the ship.
 
You’ll know thy neighbor. There’s a more intimate feel on a smaller ship. Because there’s less room 

Cozy table for two in the Constellation's
Ocean Liners specialty restaurant

to spread out, you keep seeing the same people. Eventually, you start talking to them. Before long, you’re friends.
 
Doors are open at more ports. Some ports can’t accommodate ships the size of Oasis class. Smaller ships can get into more places.
 
There’s less to do, so you'll do more. Unlike a larger ship, you’re not likely to leave saying, “Oh, we forgot to try…” You take advantage of more of the ship.

Small Ship, The Cons

See Big Ship, The Pros above.

 
The bottom line? You’ll have a great time no matter what size ship you choose. And if you go with a small one, you’ve got a built-in excuse for booking your next cruise, and try a big one the next time around.