Embarkation day for cruises is exciting; you're all packed, your holiday is about to start and you can spend the day exploring the ship and preparing to sail away.
However one cruise expert has revealed there are some mistakes passengers make before they even step on board - and just a few tweaks could help your holiday start off as smoothly as possible.
Phil Evans, Managing Director at Cruise Nation has shared some of his top embarkation day tips, from preparing your luggage to the items you'll want to keep on your person.
Check out his top tips below...
1. Prepare your luggage
Preparation can be key (Getty Images)"When you arrive at the cruise terminal, you’ll typically hand over larger bags, suitcases and any other luggage to the helpful porters who will take this to security to be screened before being loaded onto the cruise ship and delivered to your room later in the day," Phil explains. "To make this process easier, we recommend downloading and printing off your luggage tags at home after following the online check-in process.
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"These tags have your name and stateroom on them, which helps the porters deliver your bags much more quickly. This way, you won’t be without your luggage for too long and can avoid fretting that they’ll be lost in the sea of other passengers’ luggage.
"It's also worth bringing a small carry-on bag including any smaller essentials you might need during boarding and immediately after embarkation."
2. Know what you can and can’t bring onboard
"Being familiar with what can and can’t be brought onboard your cruise ship can save time when going through security," he advises. "Check directly with your cruise line before embarkation day to find out which items are permitted onboard, and more importantly, what kinds of things the liner doesn’t allow. Removing any forbidden items from your luggage before making your way to the cruise terminal."
In fact, cruise experts have already told Brits to check what's included in drinks packages - and warned that cruise lines typically ban passengers from bringing alcohol onto the ship. If you're hoping to try your luck, it's likely the booze will be confiscated anyway. Usually, cruise lines will return the alcohol to you when you're leaving your holiday but this can depend on the cruise line, so get in touch direct before sailing to understand the rules.
3. Dress appropriately
"Depending on what time of year you’re cruising in or the location of the cruise terminal, the weather can change dramatically," Phil warns. So it’s important to dress accordingly for the expected conditions since you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time queuing and exploring the external areas of the cruise ship on day one."
He adds that if you're departing from the UK during the colder months, even if you're heading to sunnier shores pack a coat, hat and scarf just for those first few hours.
You can find out more on cruisenation.com.
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