It’s 10 days until I board the Vision of the Seas in Dubai for my week-long Arabian Gulf adventure.
As I write, I have completed all the formalities I need to rock up to Port Rashid and board the vessel. As long as I remember a few things …
Royal Caribbean, in common with most other major cruise companies, makes it easy to get aboard.
I’ve prepaid for the journey, as well as my drinks package and internet access. (More about that here.)
So, I have all the paperwork I need already completed and printed out, including a check-in form and tags for my luggage.
The process has become smoother even in the four years since I took my first major cruise — a 15-day trip on the Mariner of the Seas from Barcelona to Dubai.
Formalities that were once done dockside at a check-in counter can now be completed online, including the registration of a credit card to pay onboard expenses.
Card registration can be a nuisance with some other operators.
On Costa, unless things have changed very recently, it has to be done within the first 24 hours onboard at machine located around the ship. It’s not a big hassle, but it is a hassle. I’d much rather have it sorted now, and concentrate purely on enjoyment once on the ship.
Unless there’s a glitch, I should sail through the check-in process and be sipping my first pina colada in no time at all. Stay tuned.
