I boarded my first European cruise. How different is it from a USA cruise?

If you frequently embark on cruises from North America, it's important to understand that cruising through Europe won't necessarily be the same kind of experience.

To begin with, your plan is likely to have many stops at ports. This implies that you will have less leisure time on the ship and more opportunities to discover culturally diverse places.

Before this trip, I had exclusively traveled on cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas, an impressive count of 10 of them! I couldn't wait to embark on a Mediterranean cruise for the first time ever and my chosen vessel was the MSC Seashore departing from Genoa.

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I hadn't visited any of the ports before, and this was my first time on MSC. My past cruise experiences were limited to Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. I was excited at the prospect of trying something out of the ordinary by sailing with an Italian cruise line.

This is how the way of getting on the ship was unique compared to my past experiences of sailing from North America.

Before getting on board MSC Seashore, I spent seven days in London with my loved ones rejoicing my cousin's marriage. It was a very satisfying and demanding excursion, as a result, when I traveled to Genoa, I was already quite exhausted.

Despite not having to suffer from jet lag, I've never felt so exhausted before embarking on a cruise. This was distressing to me because I'm aware that my schedule is packed with many port visits. With only one day at sea out of the six full days, there won't be much opportunity for relaxation.

If you're planning to go on a cruise in Europe, it's not necessary to spend a whole week there beforehand. However, it's recommended that you arrive a few days in advance of your embarkation. This is because your ship may be departing from a city that's worth exploring and makes a great place to stay before starting your cruise.

Furthermore, it's comparatively effortless to locate another flight in North America in case you miss yours due to any circumstances (although it's still recommended to fly in the evening prior).

The worst situation to be in during your trip to Europe is having to search for another flight that will take you to your exit destination on schedule. It's better to have more time to get used to the different time zone so that you won't feel too fatigued on the start of your journey.

When I was flying from London to Genoa on RyanAir, I observed the distinctions between traveling in Europe and America even before getting to my cruise ship! During the flight, I was taken aback when a cart laden with duty-free products like alcohol, perfume, and cigarettes started making its way through the cabin, enticing passengers to make purchases.

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"Plan Ahead For Airport Transportation"

This applies to all cruise trips; nevertheless, if you find yourself in a foreign country without knowledge of the local language, it's crucial to have a clear plan before heading out from your hotel room. Personally, I didn't want to take any chances by relying on the possibility of hailing a taxi off the street in Italy, especially since I had difficulty communicating with the taxi driver I encountered at the airport.

If I didn't have such bulky luggage, I might have opted for public transport or walking to the port. But since I had to carry formal dresses for the wedding, my suitcase was quite full and I had to bring both checked and carry-on bags. Luckily, the hotel receptionist arranged a taxi for me, which took me to the port very quickly - in under ten minutes!

Suppose you are located in Rome and plan to go on a cruise from Civitavecchia. In that case, you might want to skip hiring a taxi or chauffeur for the 60-minute journey and instead opt for public transportation, which will be a cheaper alternative.

It's really important to explore your choices and, in case you are using public transport, being aware of the timetable and the specific departure you plan to catch.

As I was aware, the ship had a variety of individuals exiting, entering, and setting out to discover Genoa as a planned stop. That's why I noticed that the terminal wasn't as packed as it usually is when I board ships in North America. Truthfully, it took me only thirty minutes to get on the ship, and the lengthiest part was queuing up for security checks.

When I got to the terminal, the porters took my luggage like they always do, and I was directed to go inside. Even though I was there an hour before departure time, I didn't face any difficulties getting onto the ship.

The first group of staff at the terminal gave me the number "42", but I didn't know why I was given it because I didn't use it. When I went up the escalator, I had to show my passport and boarding papers to another group of workers. They instructed me to stand in line so I could check in properly.

I want to point out that I hadn't gone through the security checkpoint yet. Typically, it's one of the things I do first when embarking on a Caribbean cruise. So, it was unexpected that it was the final task before heading to the ship.

Prior to going through security, there was a lovely feature of refreshments available on a table. I really appreciated this addition! The choices offered were sparkling water, still water, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Due to the smaller number of individuals in the terminal, there was zero need to wait in a queue or for people to move away from the refreshment table.

The next day after starting my journey, we arrived at the port of Civitavecchia. As I stepped off the vessel to rendezvous with my tour escort, I glimpsed the luggage of departing visitors. Once I departed the arrival building, the crew was directing travelers to the left for land excursions and to the right for buses that would take them to the airport.

Following a tiring day of discovering Rome for the first time, I embarked on the vessel only to discover that a fresh muster drill was accommodated for incoming travelers. Being alarmed by the emergency signal for two successive days was exasperating, just as you may imagine!

Find out more: My experiences aboard the Royal Caribbean European cruise, the things I enjoyed and disliked.

Various Languages' Significance

As soon as I reached the airport, I realized that there were many travelers from different countries. While I was in line for check-in, I heard a variety of languages being spoken around me. Interestingly, I did not hear any English except from the staff working at the airport.

Furthermore, various languages were used to make the announcements understandable for everyone present, and a staff member supervising an event close to the swimming area communicated in different languages. It's important to keep in mind that this might result in longer announcements.

During my trips to the Caribbean, I often hear announcements being made in both English and Spanish. However, besides those two languages, it is uncommon to hear any other languages spoken throughout the journey.

"Boarding: Any Similarities?"

I assumed that my cabin would be available right after I got on the ship because of its short trip duration. To my surprise, it wasn't, and I couldn't put my bags down and rest. To kill time, I decided to visit the self-serve area and get some food.

Talking about the buffet, it was not as busy as I usually see it on the day when people board other cruise ships. This is because more than 3,000 guests were not getting on the ship at the same time. Many of the passengers were in Genoa, which means that there were fewer people going to the buffet for lunch.

Similarly, as I strolled by the youth center, I didn't observe a flood of guardians attempting to enroll their youngsters.

Also, as in North America, I had to attend the muster drill before setting off on the ship. I had to view a video in my cabin at a designated time and then proceed to my designated muster station once the video was finished. If passengers had already boarded at a previous port, they did not need to participate in the muster drill again and could ignore any announcements.

Irrespective of whether it was the early stages of their cruise journey or they had already been sailing for a while, all of us, including myself, went to the uppermost level of the ship to witness its departure from Genoa, and it was undoubtedly a gorgeous sight to behold!