Cruise embarkation day guide: How to start your sailing off smoothly

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When Mike Smith takes a cruise, he doesn’t waste any time. Cabins often aren’t ready for guests until early afternoon, so the 35-year-old brings a swimsuit in his backpack and changes in one of the public bathrooms after boarding. Then he grabs a drink and sits by the pool.

“I really want to use my two hours to relax, enjoy,” said Smith, who teaches American Sign Language and makes travel content on his Instagram account. “I don't want to have to idly walk around and wait for my luggage.”

While Smith – who has taken nearly 10 cruises just in the past two years – has his embarkation day routine down, first-time passengers may find themselves wondering what parts of the ship are open, when their luggage will arrive and more.

Here’s what to expect:

How do I prepare for cruise embarkation day?

Smith starts getting ready to board well before his departure date.

Cruise lines typically notify guests via email or their app that they can check in and choose from several arrival times. Smith said he tries to get the “earliest boarding time possible.”

“I'll try my very best to do it that day when they (say) you can,” he said. Cruise lines encourage guests to check in ahead of time.

“Due to government regulations requiring cruise lines to submit final departure manifests at least 60 minutes prior to sailing, guests are requested to complete check-in no later than 3 days prior to their cruise,” Royal Caribbean International said on its website, for example. “If you do not complete check-in 3 days prior, you will be required to complete this process at the pier at least two hours prior to the published sailing time.”

Smith also likes to look over the deck plans for the ship, which are usually available online, to familiarize himself with the layout.

“Otherwise, sometimes day one becomes, like, walking to one end of the ship and going, ‘Oh, wait, it's not over here, it's over there,’ and then turning around,” he said. “And I think mitigating any kind of frustration is always a good way to start a cruise.”

What happens on cruise embarkation day?

At the port, passengers can check luggage with a porter and go through security before getting on the ship.

Once on board, Smith said the “first, first, first, first” thing he does is go to his muster station, a designated meeting point for guests and crew in the event of an emergency. Muster drills used to be more involved, but the process can usually now be completed by watching a safety video and checking in at the assigned locale. All guests must do so before the ship sets sail.

“I think a lot of people, especially people who haven’t cruised in a long time, they might have my childhood trauma, which was putting on that life jacket and standing outside by the lifeboats and listening to the horn blow and going through all those instructions,” he said. “And every cruise I've been on now for the past two years, everything's in the app.”

In Smith’s experience, staterooms on major cruise lines are typically available around 1 p.m. after crew members finish turning them over from the previous sailing.

Checked luggage is left outside guests’ cabins, but delivery times can vary. Smith tries to bring enough items in his backpack – which he carries with him during boarding – that he doesn’t need anything from his suitcase until the evening.

Once his bags arrive, he “1000%” unpacks everything that day. “I like to do it; my boyfriend is adamant about it,” he said. “He's the driving force.”

Once the suitcases are empty, they slide them under the bed, which can create some extra room for guests in the sometimes tight quarters of cruise cabins.

What’s open on embarkation day?

Smith has found that many onboard amenities are accessible to guests on embarkation day.

But there is one he likes to avoid just after boarding: the buffet. Many passengers tend to go straight there, causing it to get packed.

He prefers to eat before getting on the ship, so he doesn't have to worry about grabbing food right away.

Other venues, like specialty restaurants, may also not be open until dinner on the first day of a cruise.

From cell service to Wi-Fi: How to stay connected on a cruise ship

And while large cruise ships often have a range of retail stores, they generally aren’t open while in port. Smith recommended that guests bring items like sunscreen and any medications they might need in case the shops are closed or they don’t have what they’re looking for.

He also uses time after embarkation to make reservations for specialty dining and peruse the entertainment schedule, making notes on his phone of the activities and shows he and his boyfriend want to attend.

“And then I just put whatever we're doing there so we don't have to really think about anything because the last thing I really want to do on vacation is think a lot,” Smith said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What time are cruise cabins ready? Embarkation day tips