I never knew this Ship tradition, but passengers and crew who have never crossed the equator on a Ship need to participate in a Crossing the Line or Neptune Day Ceremony. It's an ancient naval tradition, involving a series of tests and pranks that prove you are worthy to change. Our test involved the Captain willing plunging into the pool and all of us Pollywogs kissing a fish, getting sprinkled with sea water and then presented with a flower lei, graduating to a Shellback! We technically crossed the equator at 5:29 a.m. but they let us sleep and have breakfast and did the ceremony at 10:00am! Must say the Welcome to the Equator signs were impressive!