Can you eat as soon as you get on a cruise ship?

Yes, a few select bars and restaurants will be open on that first afternoon, and all will be in operation in the evening. Cruisers tend to flock to the buffet for lunch upon boarding, so it tends to get overcrowded with passengers and all their carry-ons. Explore your other dining options, should any be available.



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When you're on a cruise, no one is watching what you eat. You eat when you're hungry and what you want to eat. There are specialty restaurants that will charge you for an extra entree, but excluding those few exceptions, you can eat as much as you want.

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Cruise Ship Boarding FAQ As mentioned, cruise ships usually start boarding four to five hours before departure and won't allow you to board until they're ready. So there's no use in arriving at the cruise terminal first thing in the morning as you'll have to wait around for hours before you can even board.

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Early dining typically begins anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. Early dining frees up your entire evening for shows, live music, deck parties, and other activities around the ship. It's also great for families with children, because kids are often used to eating a bit earlier.

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Most cruise lines permit wearing clean, nice jeans in the main dining room and specialty restaurant on “casual” and “smart casual” evenings. On cruise lines where there is a formal night, jeans are not permitted in the main dining room. However, you can always eat in the casual restaurants and the buffet.

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For consecutive sailings, guests of drinking age are allowed to bring one (1) 750 ml bottle of wine or champagne for each individual sailing. Additional bottles will be stored by the ship and delivered, one bottle at a time, to the stateroom on the first day of each new voyage.

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Many first-time cruisers don't realize that they won't be able to go directly to their staterooms upon boarding. Pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready and for the ship to set sail by enjoying lunch on the Lido Deck of the ship.

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Much of the food is included in your cruise fare, with the exception of the steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano, and chef's table that cost a little extra. You can eat as much as you want!

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You can take food from the buffet back to your room if you'd rather eat away from the crowds. If you take food from the buffet or another informal location and bring it back to your room, nobody will object.

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All cruise ships have security to ensure the safety of all cruise passengers before boarding the cruise ship. While the extent of the cruise line security isn't that of the TSA, it's still important to know the process. Once you've shown your cruise documents, you'll be sent to the security line.

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Priority boarding – being one of the first to embark a ship and skipping the lengthy check-in lines – is one of the most sought-after loyalty privileges from Carnival Cruise Line, available only to guests booked in suites, past cruisers who have achieved Diamond or Platinum status with the cruise line, or guests who ...

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Cruise ship workers are not supposed to hook up with passengers, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. It is rare though – most crew follow the rules because they know they'll lose their job if they're caught. You won't be surprised to hear that cruise lines ban crew from having sex with passengers.

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A courtesy hold is a complimentary 24-hour period where you can lock in your desired stateroom and price without putting any money down. It assures you that your cabin and price will be saved for exactly 24-hours to give you some more time to decide without missing out on what you found.

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As soon as an incident happens, cruise ship crew will activate a button that pinpoints the place where the person went into the water. The ship will then stop and turn back to that area. The ship and its crew will perform a lengthy search and rescue operation, lasting several hours.

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While cruising with a passport is always recommended, it's not required by law in certain circumstances. Closed-loop cruises from U.S. ports that visit Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico are part of an international agreement that allows U.S. citizens to cruise without a passport.

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You might be a big fan of bottled water and refuse to drink tap water, but a cruise ship's water is MUCH better than tap water. They have high-tech filtration systems that allow the water coming out of your bathroom sink to be clean and more than pure enough to drink.

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While water, juice, and tea are usually free on a cruise, you often have to go to the ship's restaurants to get them. Meanwhile, non-alcoholic drinks like sodas cost extra (usually around $2-3 per serving), so bringing those on with you when allowed can save you a decent amount.

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Guests may also bring non-alcoholic beverages as carry-on items on boarding day. Non-alcoholic beverages may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles or cartons per stateroom. Milk and distilled water brought on for infant, medical, or dietary use are permitted.

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