Side-by-Side Transfer

We were up at 6 AM to grab breakfast before disembarkation, because today was not a typical turnaround day. We were doing what frequent cruisers call a side-by-side: a back-to-back cruise on a different ship, but still within the same terminal. Our new home for the next several weeks is Navigator of the Seas, and once the departing guests had cleared out, the back-to-back and side-by-side guests were gathered together, issued our new SeaPass cards and transit stickers, and escorted off the ship through customs and port authority. From there, we were led out of the terminal and across the port to our next ship for re-embarkation.
Once onboard, we dropped our bags outside our assigned cabin and headed to the top deck. Justin had wanted to personally carry our luggage to the new ship rather than have crew transfer it, worried it might get lost along the way. Now that we have done it once, I can confidently say I do not plan to repeat that strategy in the future. It was a long walk with two carry-ons and a heavy personal item over uneven cement, speed bumps, and patches of rough ground, and both my luggage wheels and my hands were very unhappy by the end of it.
We did not feel eager to rush around exploring the entire ship, especially since we will be spending many weeks onboard this month and again later in the year. Instead, we found a quiet spot in a clamshell lounger on the top deck and let ourselves relax for a while. It was a good chance to get some sun, decompress from the move, and watch the port machinery lifting containers from ship to shore. There is something fascinating about seeing how much of what reaches our homes and store shelves passes through a place like that, and for a while we were both completely absorbed in it.
After our little bit of port-geeking, we headed to lunch in the Main Dining Room for consecutive cruisers and then back to our second-deck ocean view stateroom for a much-needed nap. I usually enjoy unpacking and settling in, so I kept busy getting our things organized until Justin was ready to explore. Later in the day, we took it easy with a tour of the waterslides and a few of the other promenade decks. We like getting our steps in, but not if it means fighting through the runners on the top deck track.
Our dinner is scheduled for 5 PM each night this cruise, which is much better for us than the European 8 PM seating we have been assigned the past few cruises. It sounds so early for dinner, but for Justin it is already pushing bedtime a bit since his workday starts at 11 PM. Travel puts us on our own strange little time zone, and we fully appreciated the invention of blackout curtains.
The biggest takeaway from the day: side-by-side cruising sounds easy in theory, but it can be more work than expected if you choose to haul your own luggage across the port. The upside is that it makes for a very memorable arrival day (trips, rocks getting stuck in wheels and full on heated conversations with inanimate objects) once you are settled in, there is something nice about easing into a new ship at your own pace instead of awaiting on evening luggage delivery and trying to do everything (unpack, ensure reservations are a secure and seats are a good fit, have dinner, meet your room attendant, at once.Read more