Sunday, April 14, 2024

Our best 75 travel tips to make you the world's most savvy cruiser

royal caribbean cruise tips

If you are in My Time Dining for dinner, your best strategy is to make reservations either before the cruise, or during the cruise. Royal Caribbean does not charge for its shows, nor does it charge for advanced reservations. Take advantage of the opportunity to get tickets and not be stuck in a line waiting to enter the theater or worse, miss out on the show completely. Not only can a porter help take a load off of you, they can greatly assist with disembarkation and getting you through the terminal faster. In many ports, porters have a special line for Customs that allows you to get through it all faster. Whether the first day or the last day of your cruise, be sure to grab a porter to make things easier on yourself.

Check-in online 45 days before your cruise

Royal Caribbean now enforces its check-in times, so be sure to check-in for your cruise as soon as check-in opens. If you have an adult in your room that does not drink (much) alcohol, you can get around this rule by calling Royal Caribbean and requesting that person get the Royal Refreshment package. A Royal Caribbean cruise is hands down my favorite type of vacation, and with so many years of going cruising, I have come across a lot of tricks and tips that really enhance my cruise. If you want to unwind, head to Chill Island on the east side of CocoCay. Or visit the Oasis Lagoon or the Thrill Waterpark to get on the side of adventure. Embark on a thrilling journey with young explorers through breathtaking landscapes.

Cruise Check-In Tips

Non-alcoholic beverages, may not exceed 12 standard (17 oz.) cans, bottles, or cartons per stateroom. While you can't bring an entire mini-bar with you onboard, Royal Caribbean does allow guests to bring a limited amount of alcohol, soda, and water with them on embarkation day. The app also features a deck-by-deck map, restaurant menus, and plenty of resources that you will find useful each day, including the ability to keep track of your onboard spending account. Then there’s the lineup of sports, from rock climbing to ice skating, to surfing on the FlowRider surf simulator on ships like Wonder, Allure, Odyssey, Mariner and Navigator of the Seas. Plus, there’s fun in the form of escape rooms, kids aqua parks and more. When all is said and done, remember to relax and have a good time, after all that’s the whole point of a cruise vacation.

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Second Icon-Class Ship Will Have a Furry Family Member

This helps avoid your account being locked if your bank notices a charge made in another country. If so, you’re probably excited to try out RipCord by iFLY, the ship’s skydiving simulator, and the North Star, a 360 degree observational pod. Cruise cabins are small, and the best place to store your luggage is under the bed.

royal caribbean cruise tips

Most importantly, make sure your identification documents are with you as you enter the cruise terminal. If you accidentally put your passport in your checked baggage and give it to the porters, it will be a major hassle to find your bag and obtain your identification documents later on. It’s all too common that passengers book a cruise only to realize their passport is expired! Understanding what documents are required—and having access to those documents—is critical. Packing cubes can better condense your clothing, which allows you to pack more items in a small amount of space. They can also help organize your clothing, as you can have a separate packing cube for shirts, pants, and swimsuits.

Everything You Need to Plan a Perfect Day at Cococay

Select Royal Caribbean ships allow you to book certain entertainment productions in advance. To check if you can pre-book entertainment, visit the Cruise Planner website and click on the Entertainment Tab. Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner website is where you can book pre-cruise add-ons from the time you book up to 48 hours before your cruise begins.

Do the onboard thrills on embarkation day or when docked in port

Those with a significant amount of onboard credit, though, may prefer to wait until they get onboard to pay gratuities as the amount will subtract from their onboard credit amount. Gratuities are service charges that are split amongst crew members on a Royal Caribbean cruise. At the time of writing, gratuities cost $16 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $18.50 per person, per day for those in Grand Suites and above.

Safety Tips for the Cruise Ship

We’ve found this to be a great deal, and it usually gives a more personalized experience with fewer cruisers choosing to enjoy specialty lunch dining. Once you board, you may even find that the spa is running a special for treatments on port days. These will not be advertised in the Cruise Planner prior to embarkation.

If your schedule allows, the best time to cruise when prices are the lowest are in the off-season and shoulder seasons. Each adult may bring one (1) 750 mL bottle, per adult of drinking age, per sailing. You can bring soda, water, energy drinks and any other non-alcoholic beverages. The Windjammer is the go-to spot for most when they get onboard their Royal Caribbean ship for lunch, but there are good alternatives that are less crowded. Keep in mind that travel agents are paid by Royal Caribbean, so there is no additional cost to you to use their services. Talk to a few agents and feel them out for their knowledge of the product and when you find one that you are comfortable with, leverage their knowledge and expertise and book with them.

This is important to do if you want to be sure to get a seat for a specific show on a specific night. Given the many thousands of people on these ships on any given sailing, it's not uncommon to find that some shows book up in advance. Once you're on board a Royal Caribbean ship, you'll find that packages for dining, drinks and internet will be higher than what you could have paid in advance.

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It’s quieter there, without the noise of the kids having fun and the music common in other pool decks. Enjoy outside dining as well, Royals ships have outside dining spots for an outdoor dining option. Carry your food and dine at these spots, while enjoying the ocean view and breeze.

But given that you must make many decisions during the booking process, it can pay to use a seasoned travel agent who specializes in cruises to help you arrange things. A good travel agent will quiz you about your particular interests, travel style and preferences and steer you to the perfect Royal Caribbean ship, itinerary and cabin for you. The agent also can help you if something goes wrong before, during or after your voyage. Want to know one of the best tips for avoiding the worst cruise ship cabins? Don't book a cabin one deck above or below a public space, such as a pool, dining room, or bar.

royal caribbean cruise tips

The larger the group, the more important having a reservation is to limiting the wait times. If you are sailing on an Oasis or Quantum Class ship, you can pre-book shows in advance, such as the Broadway musicals or ice shows. These are the times of year when demand is less for cruises to certain regions. People often wonder what is the cheapest month to go on a cruise, and the key is cruise when others cannot.

While this may seem like a great deal, this price does not include port fees or gratuities. While this most likely will not happen if you get caught, you will lose out on the money, time, and effort that you spent working to sneak alcohol onto the cruise. It might mean that you'll have to take another day off of work or pay for one night at a hotel, but that is better than the alternative of missing the cruise. Plus, you can use the app to chat with other passengers onboard for free!

Flexibility is key when searching for last-minute cruise deals, though, as you can never predict the ship, itinerary, and embarkation port of the cheapest last-minute deal. Most of the best deals you can find on a cruise are on older ships. The latest and greatest Royal Caribbean ships are usually priced several hundred dollars more per person, per cabin.

Bumper Cars and iFly were also an extra expense on my Spectrum of the Seas sailing. Like many cruise lines, Royal Caribbean will offer you a bonus if you book a cruise while on a ship. You also might only have to put down a reduced deposit of as little as $100 per person to hold the sailing. If you do this in advance of sailing, you can jump right into onboard activities as soon as you board the ship. There are so many exciting things to choose from aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, from dinner reservations and shore excursions to incredible entertainment on every ship. Luckily, you can plan your activities as soon as you’ve booked your cruise thanks to our Cruise Planner.

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