Every cruise line has a means of communicating with the passengers. Royal Caribbean has the Cruise Compass. Carnival distributes the Carnival Fun Times. When and Where is the Holland America on-board daily newsletter. Typically, these on-board newsletters are distributed every evening. You can receive a lot of information if you watch the cruise channel on your in-room TV. However, the on-board newsletter is designed to provide detailed information about the following day’s events.
You will receive the on-board newsletter when your room is being made up in the evening. It is important to read these because you are going to receive information on all the daily activities for the next day. Port arrival and departure of times are outlined. If there is a time zone change, the newsletter will tell you exactly what time it will be when the change occurs. Important information like this will be listed on the front page. If there is a drink of the day or any other specials in the restaurants or the shops, you will find this info in a section talking about the top deals of the day.
The highlight section will give you all the information on all the upcoming shows the next day. Pool, spa, and other services will be listed with the deck location and opening hours. This is important as these hours change almost every day, depending on whether you’re at sea or in port.
The most important section on the newsletter is the dining section. You can find out what locations are open for dining at any given time during the day. Further the dress is outlined for that venue. More than once, I wore the wrong attire upon arrival to the main dining area. This can be embarrassing as I showed up for Hawaiian Shirt Night in the main dining room a day late. In fact, when I had worn my Hawaii Shirt a day early, I was uncomfortable as the dress had been semi-formal and somewhat more sophisticated than my shorts and palm leaf shirt.
The dress had been semi-formal and somewhat more sophisticated than my shorts and palm leaf shirt.
If you want to save a few dollars, make sure you find out what the drink of the day is, because it usually will save you 30% if you enjoy that libation. The drink of the day will be listed somewhere in the newsletter along with any special services being provided. Sometimes they have a ceremony for veterans, an event I like to attend. All the live music, lessons for dancing and casino gambling are typically listed in the daily planner section, an hour-by-hour
schedule of everything happening the next day.
So, if you have yet to cruise or the next time you are on a cruise, take in a few minutes to check out the daily planner and remain informed. Not only will you see more of the activities at the right time, but it might also help you dress appropriately.