Cruising Basics

This information is provided as a courtesy, but it is important that you always consult the cruise line directly regarding matters of critical importance, such as documentation or dietary and medical needs.

The Ships

For more information specific to the ships JoCo Cruise has sailed on:

Before the cruise

Documentation

The travel document requirements for a cruise on Holland America are located here, which you should consult for the most up-to-date information. It is recommended to have a passport that expires 6 months or more after the end of the cruise. On closed loop cruises (Western Hemisphere cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port), U.S. citizens may present a state-issued birth certificate along with a state-issued ID as their travel documents for boarding the cruise. Note that ID requirements for ports may vary and some may require a passport. A passport is always the preferred identification for allowing the greatest flexibility in travel, especially if you were to miss the ship in a port, however there are options if you are not able to procure a passport in time.

Prohibited Items

Be sure that you understand the list of prohibited items before you pack for your cruise. The list for Holland America is located here. Here are some notable items that you should make sure NOT to bring on the cruise:

Any electrical item with a surge protector. Power strips and adapters that do NOT have a surge protector are fine.
Imitation or replica weapons
Drones
Any item with a heating element, such as flat irons, glue guns, heating blankets, coffee makers, etc.
Alcohol, except as allowed by the Holland America alcohol policy, found on this page.
Catapults (please do not be the reason they also start banning trebuchets)

Travel to the cruise port

If you are flying to the cruise port, it is recommended that you plan to arrive the day before the cruise in case of any flight delays. Especially if the cruise is in winter, there can be a high chance of weather-related delays.

If you require transportation between the airport or your hotel and the cruise port, many area hotels will offer a cruise shuttle service for a fee. Ride share services also serve the port.

If you are driving to the cruise port, there is parking at the cruise terminal. Be mindful that this is an active industrial port and you should plan to minimize your walking around. For cruises on the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam, there is parking located directly across from Terminal 26, which is where this ship typically docks. To verify the terminal closer to the cruise, check the Port Everglades Vessel Schedule.

Embarkation

Where is the ship?

The cruise port in Ft. Lauderdale is Port Everglades. Traditionally the Nieuw Amsterdam uses Terminal 26, but we can’t confirm that until closer to embarkation day. (We’ll email you our terminal number once it’s been confirmed.) The good news is that the port has signs at the entrance listing what terminals the ships are in! You can tell your rideshare/taxi/shuttle driver the name of the ship we’ll be on and they can get you where you need to go.

It’s best to be prepared with your boarding pass and photo ID (driver's license or passport) as you will likely need to show these to pass through the cruise port security checkpoint.

When should I arrive at the terminal?

While we’re eager to get this party started, if you arrive at the terminal before noon you will end up waiting outside in the sun, instead of inside in the shade. Everyone on the prior cruise needs to disembark, and the staterooms need to be cleaned and set for your arrival. (We’re also hard at work adding decorations and loading in all of our cool gear.)

I made it to the terminal! Now what?

You can hand your luggage over to the porters outside of the terminal. Tipping a dollar or two per bag is customary. Make sure your bags have Holland America-provided luggage tags on them, and they’ll be delivered to your stateroom! They’ll arrive a little later in the afternoon, so you will want to keep a few things with you:

Your boarding documents (boarding pass, passport, or other identification)
Any medication you might need
Whatever else you want to have access to until your bags are delivered to your stateroom later in the afternoon.

Giving your bags to the porters is optional, but if you don’t you’ll have to drag them onboard yourself and keep them with you until your stateroom is ready, which could be as late as 1 pm.

Next, you’ll head through a security scanning checkpoint, which is similar to what you find at airports (but you get to keep your shoes on!).

Once through security, you’ll head to the Holland America check-in, where you’ll show your boarding pass and have your photo taken (if Holland America doesn’t have a photo of you on file). You’ll need to show them your ID and boarding pass. There are three ways you can present your boarding pass:

With the Holland America Navigator App (we recommend downloading and setting it up before heading down to Fort Lauderdale.)
With a screencap of your Navigator App boarding pass (we recommend taking one in case your phone’s internet flakes out at the terminal).
A physical copy, which you can print after going through the online Holland America check-in process.

Once you’re checked in you may be assigned a boarding group. Then you’ll be directed to the next stop, which is getting your cool swag!

“Swag” includes a ship map with information about our sailing, social interaction buttons, and other fun treats. Take whatever swag items you wish and leave the rest! You may be directed to sit with your boarding group until your group boards, or if things are humming along, you may be invited to walk right on!

Great! It’s time to get on the ship!

Your boarding pass will be scanned one last time when you step onto the ship, so keep that handy (it’s a popular document!) Your room keys (scannable plastic cards), will be in an envelope next to your stateroom door.

There are a few things you will need to do before the sailaway party. The safety video on your stateroom TV needs to be watched, and you must appear in person on deck 3 between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm for a safety check-in. If you’re hungry, you can head to the Lido Marketplace buffet on deck 9 at any time.

Deck 9 is also where you can get your badge and lanyard. They’re at the midship pool! Your lanyard will be the color of your “dinner/main concert” team. If you aren’t sure which team you’re on you can check your room key, which will have your dinner seating listed. If you’re still not sure, you can ask one of the Helpers stationed there. Along with your lanyard, you will get a name badge. We will also have pronoun stickers available. The badges are double sided so you may want two sets of stickers!

There will also be a Sharpie station so you can fill out your badge info and otherwise customize it to your liking!

Badges and lanyards will be available on the lido deck until 4 pm. If the lines are long you can always come back later. Many people explore the ship or use this time to book spa experiences and/or dinner reservations at the ship’s specialty restaurants. (Some of these can also be booked online ahead of time.)

The Sail Away party will be on the back of the ship on Deck 9. Join that to waive farewell to land and kick off the cruise!

Staterooms

Stateroom Location

The location you select for your stateroom can affect your enjoyment of the cruise. Factors to consider may be:

Closer to midship and a lower deck will experience less movement. Forward tends to experience less movement than aft.
Consider the hours you want to sleep, and take a look at the public areas above and below your stateroom. If you like to go to sleep early, perhaps a stateroom near the main stage would be ill-advised.
Consider what you want to be closer to for less walking, or more walking if you prefer! Would you rather be near the Lido so you can quickly grab breakfast? Or would you like to be near the Main Stage so you don't need to worry about catching a crowded elevator after a show?

Beds

The primary two beds in the stateroom can be kept separate, or pushed together to create a queen bed. Your cabin steward can take care of this if the beds are not to your preference when you arrive.

Third and fourth bunks in a stateroom are either a fold-out couch, or a bunk that drops down from the ceiling.

Storage

Whether or not you typically unpack your bags on vacation, it is generally advisable to do so on a cruise due to the small space. There is ample storage in closets or drawers with hanging storage in the closets. Suitcases can be stored under the bed to keep them out of the way during the cruise

For extra hanging storage for hats, bags, robes, lanyards, etc, all of the walls are magnetic and neodymium magnetic hooks work very well.

Bathrooms

Depending on the class of stateroom, there will be a shower stall, a bathtub shower, or both a shower and a bathtub. Most cruise ships provide basic toiletries in the shower. Holland America provides Elemis Aromapure shampoo, conditioner, soap, and lotion in dispensers in the bathroom. Hair dryers are also provided in each stateroom.

Power

Cabins are equipped with U.S. outlets, European outlets, and USB charging ports. Depending on the stateroom that you select, you may have an outlet by the bed, however if you require this for medical purposes (such as a CPAP or BiPAP), do not count on it. Plan on bringing an extension cord. Note that it is very important that any extension cords, power strips, or plug adapters DO NOT have a surge protector. Cruise ship electrical systems are not equipped for surge protectors and it is a fire hazard. For more information on why surge protectors are not allowed on cruise ships, see this page.

Refrigeration

Cruise staterooms are not equipped with refrigeration. There is a minibar cooler that will keep beverages cool, but it is not sufficient for medications or anything else that requires strict temperature control. Medications requiring refrigeration can be kept in the ship's infirmary and retrieved upon request. There is an ice bucket in the stateroom that you can request your room steward keep filled with ice if desired.

During the Cruise

Gratuities

Gratuities for room stewards, waiters, and other staff are included in your cruise fare. A gratuity will be added to all bar charges. In addition, an automatic gratuity is added to beverage packages, specialty dining, spa services, and main dining room wine purchases. If you wish to give an extra gratuity to any of the staff you have interacted with, you can do so in cash at any point in the cruise.

Dining & Beverages

Dining

Meals are included in your cruise fare. It is possible to not spend any additional money on food if you do not want to, however there are a few premium options on each ship if you are interested. All of the ships that JoCo Cruise has sailed on feature a Main Dining Room and a buffet that are included in your cruise fare. The buffet is typically open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Main Dining Room (often abbreviated MDR) is open for dinner, and sometimes for breakfast and lunch; check the schedule to verify the hours and meals served.

Your MDR dinner time will be assigned as either early or late, and it is expected that you be there close to the start time of your dinner service. Due to the way the meal preparation flows on a cruise ship, the kitchen cannot accommodate open dining. If you prefer more flexibility in your dining time, you are free to have dinner in the buffet any time during dinner hours, or you may make a reservation at a specialty restaurant.

Specialty restaurants are an upcharge and require reservations. For more details on the specialty dining options, see the page for the specific cruise ship you will be sailing on.

Beverages

Tap water, coffee, tea, and lemonade are included in your cruise fare. Milk and a variety of juices are available at breakfast and are included in your cruise fare. Most cruise ships have a "fancy" coffee shop that offers lattes, cappuccinos, etc. for an upcharge. Canned water, soda, and alcoholic beverages are available from any bar for an upcharge as well.

There are a variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverage packages available for purchase. Whether or not these are worth it is a personal decision. See the relevant cruise ship page for more details.

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness can afflict people on a cruise ship who have never otherwise experienced sea sickness, or you might find that you are completely fine even if you have experienced motion sickness in other cases. Cruise ships can experience much rougher seas than most people are accustomed to, so it is a good idea to be prepared just in case. The cruise ship infirmary will typically stock meclizine, which is also available at the ship’s information desk on Holland America cruises. Other items that cruisers will pack with them include ginger candies, ginger tablets, dimenhydrinate (traditional Dramamine), sea sickness patches, etc. Ginger ale is available for purchase from any bar.

How Dinner Works on JoCo Cruise

Who doesn’t love dinner and a show? The ship’s main theater and main dining room can each fit roughly half the ship; as such, each nightly main concert has both an early show and a late show, and the main dining room has an early dinner seating and a late one. The Gold Team goes to the early main concert and eats dinner afterward, while the Red Team eats dinner first and goes to the late concert. You’ll be assigned to one of those teams before we sail and should have that information by the end of November.

Dinner times are usually 5:00 pm for the Red Team and 7:30 pm for the Gold Team. (Occasionally, these will move to 5:30 pm and 8 pm.) If you want to request a specific team you can do that in the Booking Preferences section of your user account. These preferences are for everyone in the cabin, so one person can request a team for everyone in that cabin! If you want to have dinner with friends in a different cabin you should all request the same team! (You can also select “no preference” there and your pals in the JoCo Cruise Home Office will decide for you.)

Seating in the Main Dining Room is open—as in, you aren’t designated a specific table unless you specifically request a fixed seating assignment. This allows you to find both old and new friends and see different people each night! If you would prefer to find folks to sit with before entering the dining room you can head to the Ocean Bar on Deck 3 five or ten minutes before dinner time to meet up with other people looking for folks to sit with! There will be a few Helper Dinner Hosts there are well, looking to add folks to their tables.

How do I request Fixed Seating?

We’ll send an email (generally around the late fall/early winter timeframe) letting you know it’s time to submit these requests. The link for this will be found in the Helpful Links section of your JoCo Cruise User Account. These table assignments are done by cabin, so only one person in your booking needs to complete the form. If you and friends from other cabins want to be assigned to the same table, someone from each cabin should complete the form. We’ll only be able to do this for you if you and your friends are on the same team (Red or Gold).

What if I don’t want to eat in the Main Dining Room?

No problem! The Lido is open during dinnertime hours, so you can cruise through there as you wish. You can make a reservation at any of the ship's specialty restaurants (there will be an additional charge for those meals). There’s also pizza on the Sea View Deck! Room service is available, but may require a wait.

I have a food allergy - will I be ok?

If you have any food sensitivities we recommend requesting fixed seating, which means that you will be assigned a table and will sit there every night. (You should also complete the Holland America Special Requirements Form once you receive your HAL Booking Number in mid-January). This will allow your server to assist you consistently throughout the sailing, and you won’t need to explain things again every night.

The Shadow Cruise

The Shadow Cruise is the nickname for events on JoCo Cruise that are created, organized, staffed, and run by our amazing attendees. We dedicate considerable schedule space and venues during the week to these events. Anyone booked on JoCo Cruise can submit a proposed event, including a description, duration, and if applicable, a requested time, date, and/or venue. PLEASE NOTE: Shadow Cruise event submission does not guarantee your event’s being acceptance and placement on the schedule.

How do I sign up to do this?

We normally start accepting Shadow Cruise event submissions in the fall via an online form, and we always send an email about it, plus reminders about the deadline for getting those submissions in!

Can I pick where/when my event will be?

While we’re always happy to get your requests about timing and location we can’t promise to fulfill those requests for a number of reasons, with time and space limitations being top of that list.

Can JoCo help me with supplies or otherwise support my event?

While we’re happy to get your event on the schedule it will be up to you to bring any needed supplies, do any setup, staff your event, and clean up after it.

What about AV/tech support?

We do have some support for you around this! While we ask that you bring any adaptors required to output to HDMI if needed, you can list what else you may need when requesting your event and our Shadow Cruise Tech Team will help make that happen.

Can I use the pianos that Holland America has on board?

No, that’s not something that Holland America allows. If you need a keyboard for your event please note that and we will work to help provide you with one if it’s available.

How will I know if my event will be on the schedule?

Once Bob is done with the hard work of getting events approved and placed you will get an email! That email will arrive before the schedule is public and gives you a little time to respond should you have concerns. We ask that you wait to post about your event approval until the full schedule is shared.

Can I add an event after the schedule is posted? What if I have a great idea for one during the cruise?

We are all too familiar with the pain of having a great idea too late. While we won’t be able to add Shadow Cruise events after the schedule has been posted you are still welcome to organize things! There are shared public areas on the ship that are great for having meetups, you can set a time to meet in the game library for playing or teaching/learning games, etc. If you’re hoping to use a venue you will want to make very sure that nothing else is scheduled there.

Onboard you can use Twit-arr to organize things! The LFG (looking for group) feature is great for that.

Do I need to do anything else once my event is approved?

You do! Please visit the Info Desk (in the Atrium on Deck 1) the day before your event and pick up your event reporting form. That form helps us gather important/useful information about your event, and that helps us make decisions about how to organize the schedule for the next sailing. If you want to run your event on future cruises we must get that information from you. You can drop it back off at the Info Desk.

Every venue should have chairs marked for Accessible Seating. Some should be near the speaker so folks can see/hear, and some should be near the door to allow space for mobility aids. Please make sure that there are accessible seating options correctly labeled/placed for your event.

I need to make a change to my event!

Before sailing please email us and we’ll see what we can do. If the cruise has already started you can visit the Info Desk and leave a message for the Shadow Cruise team.

Sched says 123 people are signed up for my event but the room holds 50 people!

Congrats on putting together an event that so many people are interested in attending! A lot of people use Sched to make a list of things they would like to do and then winnow down their options from there depending on how they are feeling that day. Venues on the ship are limited and we have to work with what’s available, so all Shadow Cruise events are first come first served, and if your event fills up some people may have to find something else to do (this would also be important to note on your event reporting form).

Links

Cruise Critic is a great source for general cruise information. You can search the Boards to see if somebody has asked a question similar to yours.