Cruise lines have made a number of changes recently on cruise ships that have improved the cruise experience.
While some of these changes help cut down on lines, others improved the experience after boarding. Here is a look at a few changes that cruise lines have made to make cruises even better than they were before.
Embarkation – While a few cruise lines already had this pre-covid, virtually all cruise lines now have staggered embarkation that helps spread the arrival of passengers when boarding the cruise ship. on embarkation day.
When you check-in for your cruise, you are assigned a time to show up at the cruise terminal. This helps prevent a free for all and long lines on embarkation day. While there still can be lines, they are not near what they used to be and many times you can now just breeze right through check-in.
Muster Drill – This used to be one of the most hated parts of a cruise. Many times, you had to stand outside in the heat packed in like sardines for the safety drill. It was downright miserable when sailing out of Miami in July.
Cruise lines now let you do the muster drill on your own time on embarkation day. Usually, all you have to do is check in at your muster station so you know where it is. After checking in, you can must watch the safety video either on the cruise line’s app or on your stateroom TV. It’s now so easy and takes up way less time than it did before.
Cruise lines recommend that you do it right after boarding but you can do it anytime before sailaway. I always do it soon after boarding to get it out of the way. It’s crazy how much better of an experience it is compared to what it used to be.
Doors to the Casino – This is something that several cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises have added to their new cruise ships.
Without doors, the smoke from the casino (one of the only places you can smoke inside) tends to spread to other parts of the ship including the main atriums. The glass doors help keep in the smoke so it doesn’t stink up the rest of the ship.
Disembark – In the past, I’ve waited for 45 minutes to an hour sometimes when getting off the ship to go through customs. Many cruise terminals now have new machines that simply scan your face instead of waiting in line to have your passport checked.
It’s so easy and quick and much appreciated when you’re trying to get to your car or the airport to go home.
