Day One - What do you do?

Okay, I'll admit it. I tear up when I see and board the ship. As I'm driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway and those red smoke stacks appear, I actually start yelling "there's the Magic!" Then I nudge my husband and say louder "there's the Magic!" I might be a middle-aged woman, but those moments make me feel like a kid again.
 
Okay, I'll admit it. I tear up when I see and board the ship. As I'm driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway and those red smoke stacks appear, I actually start yelling "there's the Magic!" Then I nudge my husband and say louder "there's the Magic!" I might be a middle-aged woman, but those moments make me feel like a kid again.

Hey, I'm a (young ;)) senior, but I still get giddy when it comes to Disney -- even going to the parks I'm the first one up and ready to go. Keep the mind young..........
 
Very cute picture! I have never missed an opportunity to take that boarding pic (on all cruise lines) -- to me it's a great souvenir of that first few minutes when you cross from the port to the ship and the start of your trip. Like I said previously, I also like all the detail they now border around the photos.

The main reason I usually skip it is I'm usually alone. Makes for a pretty dull shot. Lol.
 
The main reason I usually skip it is I'm usually alone. Makes for a pretty dull shot. Lol.

See, we are a family, but every time we've boarded, DD has made the most awful face. The first time she looked like we were taking her to jail. The second time she closed her eyes and looked totally goofy. The third time we didn't even stop because she was having a hangry melt down.

Yeah, I think I'm out of luck when it comes to boarding photos. I guess we might try again, but I'm not counting on it.
 


See, we are a family, but every time we've boarded, DD has made the most awful face. The first time she looked like we were taking her to jail. The second time she closed her eyes and looked totally goofy. The third time we didn't even stop because she was having a hangry melt down.

Yeah, I think I'm out of luck when it comes to boarding photos. I guess we might try again, but I'm not counting on it.

The guy who did that one did a couple of serious, one with thumbs up, one squeezed in, and one silly. Maybe see if whoever does yours will do a couple of serious and a couple of silly and coach your daughter before that she will have the chance to be silly but she needs to smile nicely for at least one first?
 
See, we are a family, but every time we've boarded, DD has made the most awful face. The first time she looked like we were taking her to jail. The second time she closed her eyes and looked totally goofy. The third time we didn't even stop because she was having a hangry melt down.

Yeah, I think I'm out of luck when it comes to boarding photos. I guess we might try again, but I'm not counting on it.

You could always buy them to torment her later with future "special" friends. I think that would be great when someone comes over and you get to show the nasty face pictures to her friend:) How come there's no bwahaha emoji on here? I am thinking about doing this to DS, since he too likes to make faces. However, honestly, it's usually me who ruins the pictures, because I am a notorious blinker:oops:
 


Our first cruise is this October, so I don't have anything to add yet, but just wanted to say that I am loving this thread so far and can't wait to read the rest! :disrocks:
Ours too! Cannot wait! Love all the ideas!
 
We have not gotten to the port early. We have stayed at Universal and Disney World before our cruises and spent time there in the morning before driving ourselves to the cruise port. We have gotten to the port around noon, checked in, and boarded immediately. No line at that time. We do take the picture--it's a good souvenir. Go to Cabanas and eat lunch, wander around the ship--go to the open houses, by then room is available. Go to room, turn on a movie, unpack when luggage arrives, wait for muster. Go to muster, then straight to Sail Away party--my DD likes to be right up front. Listen to the ship horn, eat some ice cream, skip show (unless it's a short cruise), meet some characters, go to 2nd dinner.

2 of our upcoming cruises are out of foreign ports (San Juan and Barcelona) so they will probably be different.
 
We have not gotten to the port early. We have stayed at Universal and Disney World before our cruises and spent time there in the morning before driving ourselves to the cruise port. We have gotten to the port around noon, checked in, and boarded immediately. No line at that time. We do take the picture--it's a good souvenir. Go to Cabanas and eat lunch, wander around the ship--go to the open houses, by then room is available. Go to room, turn on a movie, unpack when luggage arrives, wait for muster. Go to muster, then straight to Sail Away party--my DD likes to be right up front. Listen to the ship horn, eat some ice cream, skip show (unless it's a short cruise), meet some characters, go to 2nd dinner.

If we have had an intense pre-cruise stay at WDW or Universal, we have even managed to squeeze in a nap between lunch and muster ;)
 
In the spirit of happy, warm-fuzzy posts, I thought I'd start up another "what do you do the first day of your cruise" post.

For me, the entire cruise is one big guilty pleasure! From the moment I set foot on the ship, I am treated like royalty. I don't cook or clean. My family thinks the MDR food is wonderful. Although we're pretty low-maintenance passengers, the staff has always gone out of their way to take care of us and make us feel special. Beyond that, there are several things we can't wait to do/experience each cruise. Although they might seem piddly to some, they are things that we really look forward to and make us feel "on vacation:"

1. I love to arrive at the cruise terminal as early as possible to read the navigator and just soak-in the ambiance. On a recent, we stayed at the Hyatt in MCO airport and were on the first Disney Transport to the port in the morning. I was the first one through security. I rode the escalator up and it was like magic. As I rose, I began to see 2 cast members standing at the top of the escalator welcoming us and waving their Mickey gloved hands. The beautiful, empty terminal room came into view - almost like a surreal dream. It was amazing to see it totally empty except cast members. It was totally awesome!

2. My eyes mist up the first time I see the ship - whether the night before or the morning of the cruise. Then, it happens again when we enter the atrium and I feel the incredible swell of gratitude and contentment come over me when they announce, "Disney Fantasy, welcome the Hain family!"

3. We head to guest services to take care of any necessary details (tickets for tour/events, etc) then we head straight upstairs to the buffet, which is usually just opening up. We fill up our thermo-mugs (that we brought with us) with pop and grab a table outdoors against the railing so we have an amazing view of the area and can feel the sun on our faces (we're from Michigan, so in the winter, warmth from the sun feels absolutely luxurious!), and then we “tie the food bag on!” DH LOVES the peel & eat shrimp, DD loves the chicken tenders & mac 'n cheese, and I pretty much graze on everything!

4. Once the rooms open up, we quickly unpack & sometimes we order the "All Hands on Deck" cheese platter and some Mickey bars. Mickey bars are one of the highlights of any Disney Cruise or trip to WDW for DH, so we'll have them several times during a cruise, and DH even requests them for dessert in the MDRs sometimes!

5. We pretty much stay up on deck throughout the entire sail away party (sometimes we hear to the bow to watch us sail out of the channel) & until we are well out of the harbor and into open water. One of my favorite moments of the entire cruise is when they blow the ship's horn the first time and I hear, "...when you wish upon a star...." Makes me cry EVERY time! It causes me to reflect on how incredibly blessed we are to be happy & healthy, and financially to be able to take these wonderful vacations. When I was a child, we grew up happy (single mom, 3 kids), but financially my family was near poverty, so we would never have been able to even THINK about a Florida vacation, let alone a Disney Cruise. I am so grateful!

6. If we will be booking a placeholder during the cruise, I will look through the navigator and will find the very first time that the booking desk will be open. I will arrive there 15-20 minutes prior and wait for the CM to arrive. I like to have that checked off my list and done before the lines get longer later in the cruise.

It will be almost a year until our next cruise - DH and I are booked on the 2018 WBPC. I literally can't wait!

Such a great idea for a thread! I'm going on my first cruise with Disney in October, so I can't wait to try these all out!

~ Ry-Guy
 
Thanks for starting this thread. It is fun to read and makes me excited to plan another trip. Soon, very soon!

Day one is always so exciting!

We drive so usually get there early. With FL traffic you never know what you are going to run into. We prepay the parking so we can drop our bags at the porter then head into the garage.

We discovered the quiet buffet at Enchanted Garden on the Fantasy last year and it is much more relaxing and easier with the bags. They offer a scaled down version of Cabanas and you don't have to fight your way through a thousand people.

As DVC members we have a reception we attend so we drop off our bags as soon as the rooms open and grab our Navigator and head to the DVC gathering. After that, we just wander the boat, look for CM we have sailed with in the past. We usually run into at least 2 if not more. I also usually text pictures to friends to torture them and tell them goodbye, see you in a week. We cut off from technology when on the ship - no phones, not FB, (I only log onto my computer once a day to check in with my dad by email).

After the lifeboat drill, we usually grab a beer from the fridge, unpack a little if the luggage is there then wander some more, and head to the top to watch us sail out of port feeling the wind in our hair and blowing the stress of everyday away (at least for the 7 days we are sailing).

We always take the last dinner seating and normally do not do the shows. So before dinner we head to deck 3 to wander the stores and 4 to check out the shopping desk, future cruise desk, DVC Desk and Vista Cafe.

After dinner, we wander the lounges and make plans for the next day.

:eeyore:
 
Thank you so much for posting!!! This is making my day reading all of these happy things.

Our cruise is in 20 days :love:! I'm excited to have a differen day 1 this time. We are not taking Disney transfers and will arrive on the ship early this year! Since everyone has been on a Disney cruise before, we are looking forward to enjoying the ship and relaxing. We will to go to many shows (since we have seen them before). I have heard some wonderful ideas for us to do on the first day. Looking forward to everyone in our party being an adult, so we can utilize the adult sections!

Thanks again for sharing.
 
In the spirit of happy, warm-fuzzy posts, I thought I'd start up another "what do you do the first day of your cruise" post.

For me, the entire cruise is one big guilty pleasure! From the moment I set foot on the ship, I am treated like royalty. I don't cook or clean. My family thinks the MDR food is wonderful. Although we're pretty low-maintenance passengers, the staff has always gone out of their way to take care of us and make us feel special. Beyond that, there are several things we can't wait to do/experience each cruise. Although they might seem piddly to some, they are things that we really look forward to and make us feel "on vacation:"

1. I love to arrive at the cruise terminal as early as possible to read the navigator and just soak-in the ambiance. On a recent, we stayed at the Hyatt in MCO airport and were on the first Disney Transport to the port in the morning. I was the first one through security. I rode the escalator up and it was like magic. As I rose, I began to see 2 cast members standing at the top of the escalator welcoming us and waving their Mickey gloved hands. The beautiful, empty terminal room came into view - almost like a surreal dream. It was amazing to see it totally empty except cast members. It was totally awesome!

2. My eyes mist up the first time I see the ship - whether the night before or the morning of the cruise. Then, it happens again when we enter the atrium and I feel the incredible swell of gratitude and contentment come over me when they announce, "Disney Fantasy, welcome the Hain family!"

3. We head to guest services to take care of any necessary details (tickets for tour/events, etc) then we head straight upstairs to the buffet, which is usually just opening up. We fill up our thermo-mugs (that we brought with us) with pop and grab a table outdoors against the railing so we have an amazing view of the area and can feel the sun on our faces (we're from Michigan, so in the winter, warmth from the sun feels absolutely luxurious!), and then we “tie the food bag on!” DH LOVES the peel & eat shrimp, DD loves the chicken tenders & mac 'n cheese, and I pretty much graze on everything!

4. Once the rooms open up, we quickly unpack & sometimes we order the "All Hands on Deck" cheese platter and some Mickey bars. Mickey bars are one of the highlights of any Disney Cruise or trip to WDW for DH, so we'll have them several times during a cruise, and DH even requests them for dessert in the MDRs sometimes!

5. We pretty much stay up on deck throughout the entire sail away party (sometimes we hear to the bow to watch us sail out of the channel) & until we are well out of the harbor and into open water. One of my favorite moments of the entire cruise is when they blow the ship's horn the first time and I hear, "...when you wish upon a star...." Makes me cry EVERY time! It causes me to reflect on how incredibly blessed we are to be happy & healthy, and financially to be able to take these wonderful vacations. When I was a child, we grew up happy (single mom, 3 kids), but financially my family was near poverty, so we would never have been able to even THINK about a Florida vacation, let alone a Disney Cruise. I am so grateful!

6. If we will be booking a placeholder during the cruise, I will look through the navigator and will find the very first time that the booking desk will be open. I will arrive there 15-20 minutes prior and wait for the CM to arrive. I like to have that checked off my list and done before the lines get longer later in the cruise.

It will be almost a year until our next cruise - DH and I are booked on the 2018 WBPC. I literally can't wait!

Awwwww!!! I loved every bit of this post - I teared up reading it! I also love getting to the terminal first thing so I can start to soak in the Disney magic. I tear up the first time I see the ship, when we walk on the ship and EVERY single time I hear the horn. Once we board we head straight to the MDR that is open for embarkation lunch, then we wonder around, grab a drink, and say hi to people we know until the rooms open. Once the rooms open, we drop our bags, chill in the room for a bit until muster....after that Sail Away!!! We always go to the rail and wave until we are in open water.

75 days until our next cruise....and 209 days until the one after that.
 
Awwwww!!! I loved every bit of this post - I teared up reading it! I also love getting to the terminal first thing so I can start to soak in the Disney magic. I tear up the first time I see the ship, when we walk on the ship and EVERY single time I hear the horn. Once we board we head straight to the MDR that is open for embarkation lunch, then we wonder around, grab a drink, and say hi to people we know until the rooms open. Once the rooms open, we drop our bags, chill in the room for a bit until muster....after that Sail Away!!! We always go to the rail and wave until we are in open water.

75 days until our next cruise....and 209 days until the one after that.

I agree. So many tears reading this. It never gets old getting on the ship or thinking about it. Happy tears all the way! So magical :)
 
Underpants Gnomes are an invention of the writers of South Park. They steal kids' underpants. I have no idea how they are supposed to profit from this.
 
In an effort to get this fun thread back to page one, I will post our routine although it is nothing unusual. I prefer to arrive after boarding is in process. 12:00 nor 12:30 works well for us. We skip the embarkation photo op and head straight to the MDR that is open. While we enjoy a relaxing lunch, I check out the first Navigator which gives me great pleasure. Little joys of life. By the time we have finished lunch, the staterooms are ready. We unpack our carryons and start with the larger suitcases as they arrive. My son watches the first of many Disney movies on demand. If we need to make changes to Palo reservations, I call and leave a message or run up to the restaurant to make any changes if on the Fantasy. We head down to muster and then decide where to watch sail away. Most often we watch from one of our cabins but have also enjoyed it from deck 4.

Just can't wait to sail again. :boat:
 
Usually, the sit-down venue (different restaurant name on each ship) closes at 1:45pm and Cabana's closes at 3:15pm.
 

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