I believe that the worst words ever spoken aboard any cruise ship are “can I have your cruise card please, madam” (or sir), and I am going to give you an example of how they can ruin the most perfect of moments!

It is embarkation day, time to head towards your ship at 100mph (I don’t mean that literally! It’s not good to go over the speed limit!), and begin your cruise holiday. The anticipation of what is to come has gone through the roof – all you want to do is get onboard, unpack your bags and let the uninterrupted time away from the office commence.

Check-in was a breeze, security gave you the usual feeling of guilt, although you had done nothing wrong, and stepping aboard for the first time made your eyes light up as if it were Christmas. A quick peek inside the atrium and a scan of the deck plans and it is time to make way to one of several restaurants for lunch. Of course you over indulge, you are on holiday now, so who cares, enjoy it! When tummies are full and you are contemplating which area to explore next, you take a quick second to update your Facebook status and let all of your friends know, “we are onboard and have just had lunch, now time to find a bar” – I see these updates every day, we can’t help ourselves.

One refreshing beverage later and the announcement is made that your cabin is ready, now comes the task of locating your floating boudoir – easier said than done, depending on the ship. Several minutes later you arrive outside your door and as if by magic, your ten thousand cases are already there waiting for you! You drag them in, have a thorough investigation of the cabin (and the drawers! We always open the drawers to see if anything has been missed!), and those of us with balconies step outside and let out the obligatory, ahhhhhh!

Next on the agenda is the muster drill and before you know it, it is done and dusted and you find yourself out on the open deck – where the party is just starting to warm up. You are one of several hundred passengers onboard and each and every single person is happy, care free and simply looking forward to 2 well deserved weeks in the sunshine! Nothing at that moment matters. Your Captain is on the bridge working hard, he sounds the ships whistle and you begin to slowly push away from your berth. The music is blaring, the entertainment team are out on deck getting everyone hyped up and just as you start to get right into the holiday mood, a waiter approaches you with a tray full of champagne flutes. He offers you a glass, of course you reach out and take one, you toast to the start of your holiday with your partner or friend and bring the glass to within an inch of your lips, when the waiter utters the words “can I have your cruise card please, madam”. In a split second you have gone from living life aboard a cruise ship like a rock star, to hitting the ground like a concrete block.

You were having the best day of your life, until he tried to charge you £4.25 (and the rest!) for the glass of bubbles!!

I told you, those 8 little words ruin everything!! – Unless you are all-inclusive, then you are just showing off and ruining my blog post!! 😉

Author: Danielle