What nobody tells you before your first cruise at Royal Caribbean.
When I found myself having a really bad year at work, I took the chance to book my first cruise on Royal Caribbean. At 1am, on a trip to Bahamas for 4 nights, I press confirm and am half convinced that I’m going to cancel the plan the following morning. I didn’t cancel. Three years and four cruises on this line later, I have learned more about this cruise line than I ever thought I would and some things I really wish I had heard before that first cruise.
This is the honest version if you are me, sitting at midnight wondering whether to go on a cruise with Royal Caribbean when you’re looking at the cruise options. Not the brochure version!
This is the first time I’ve walked on board a vessel.
Walking up the gangway to these ships is one of those experiences that’s a complete surprise! So my first cruise was on Independence of the Seas and even that relatively speaking, at least for Royal Caribbean now seemed like a walk into a floating city.
They were a bit more organized at the port than I thought. I had already registered via the Royal Caribbean app, uploaded all documents and schedule a boarding time. The second part did work as described. In 40 minutes, we were aboard ship, just after arriving at the terminal in Fort Lauderdale.
One thing didn’t surprise me, because the ship was really disorienting for the first day. I had to find my own cabin twice with 18 decks, several dining rooms, and an entire boardwalk area, including a carousel. I did have it sorted on day 2, but this first day is literally a labyrinth if you don’t read the deck plan first.
Table of Contents
What I Got Right and Wrong is a book about booking.
My first mistake was that I booked an interior cabin because I didn’t realize the implications of that. As long as you don’t have a window and there’s no natural light, you really lose track of what time of day it is. I got up at two pm one day because there seemed to be no sign of it being morning.
What you learned If you can afford it anywhere other than an all-important sea view, spend the extra cash on a balcony or ocean view cabin for any cruise more than three nights long. That’s a very noticeable distinction in the way the trip is. I went to Oasis of the Seas on my second cruise and instead of having a cabin, I had a balcony cabin and my experience was completely different. Having a coffee in the morning on your personal balcony overlooking the ocean is really one of the finest aspects of cruising.
My second error was the lack of understanding of the difference between cruise fare and total cost. The advertised price includes you being on the ship with a room and a basic use of the dining facilities. There are no tips, WiFi, special restaurants or drinks included. Adding all the extras I used up to my first cruise, the total ended up nearly 40% more than the booking price.
If you’re not looking for that shock, you can make use of package deals, such as the Royal Caribbean drink package and a dining package. Since then, I have purchased the drink pack every time. While it’s not the easiest budget to manage, but if you drink more than 4-5 drinks per day, it’s almost always better to figure out the per drink amount vs the total cost of the pack.
The usefulness of the App Is Actually Useful (Once You Figure It Out)
The Royal Caribbean app does so much you can use it to carry your boarding pass, get your daily itinerary of ship activities, book dining reservations and even send messages to the other members of your group without having to pay for ship WiFi.
The thing that nobody tells you about: download the app and configure all the settings BEFORE you get on the bus, when you still have cell phone signal. After you are aboard and out to sea, you will be using the ship’s internet (which is not free unless you have purchased an Internet package) and that can be very unpredictable depending on where you are in the ship.
On the first cruise I made the error of trying to make dining reservations as soon as we were underway and to have constant issues with the slow internet. I do all that planning a week before I leave from my couch at home.
Food: Where It Actually Delivers
The food in the main dining room is good and actually very varied from day to day, though not gourmet. The one thing that surprised me was how good the Windjammer Buffet is. I was not expecting high standards for what I heard was “buffet food” and was surprised by the quality and variety of what was available.
The one area that really excels is the specialty restaurants at Royal Caribbean. On my second cruise, I also went to a steak restaurant called Chops Grille, and it was actually one of the better steaks that I’ve had, whether at sea or not. Yes, it does cost extra, typically $45-65 per person, depending on the restaurant, but for a special night it’s worth it.
My suggestion here is to reserve specialty dinners for one night a night, or perhaps two on longer cruises. You’ll save a significant amount of cash and any other areas aside from the main dining room and Windjammer are fine.
Activities: More than you can actually do
This is something that sets Royal Caribbean apart from many other cruise lines. On one ship, you’ll find rock climbing walls, surf simulators (FlowRider), ice skating rinks, water slides, escape rooms and Broadway-style shows amongst your fare while on another ship, you’ll find them all.
The larger ships (the Oasis class and Icon class, in particular) have genuinely impressive entertainment. I saw a genuine Broadway quality “Hairspray” on Oasis of the Seas. Such a production value on a boat?
My true answer: Don’t try to do it all. That’s what I did on my second cruise, when I was trying to get as much out of the trip as possible, but by day 3, I was worn out. Choose 2 or 3 things that you really want to do that day, and then take it easy for the rest of the day. This is kind of what a cruise is all about.
For those wanting to book an excursion, Shore Excursions offers a way to save money by booking independently.
Shore excursions sold via the Royal Caribbean app and website are convenient, but they’re also priced up pretty high when in comparison with booking the same excursion on your own.
Cozumel: $89 for snorkeling. I looked up a similar tour with a local company on the site “Viator” and found it for almost the same price, $45. The same boat, the same reef, the same equipment. The only thing that’s really good about making your tour through the ship is that when your independent tour is late, the ship waits for you. Independent excursions: You must return on time – no exceptions.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of booking through a travel agency, especially one you’re not familiar with, and you know you’re OK going it alone, independent travellers can save actual money by booking directly through websites such as Viator or GetYourGuide. The ship excursion’s buffer may be worth it for more compact traveling programs or for ports in which you are uncertain.
These are the common errors that I notice other passengers make:
Failure to budget for on board expenses and being surprised at the end of the day. All items on the ship are charged to your SeaPass card and it is very easy to lose track of the money spent when you’re not carrying around cash.
Over-packing for the destination but forgetting that it is air conditioned aggressively. Caribbean cruises? Take a light jacket or sweater, the interior of a ship-cool.
Not purchasing travel insurance for the purpose of saving money. I didn’t purchase it on my first cruise and was blessed. The third cruise I made, a member of the family became ill in the middle of the cruise and required medical care while aboard; this is not covered by standard health insurance. Cruise Travel Insurance is a worthwhile investment for the relatively small price.
Failure to verify passport expiration dates in a timely fashion. Some tours stipulate that your passport must be valid for 6 months after your return. I have heard people say that they have been refused entry at the terminal over this.
Overpacking. You don’t need to have a different outfit for each and every day. If you need laundry services, they will be provided on board; most casual nights don’t call for a fancy outfit.
Should You Pay for It?
Well, yes for what it is. Royal Caribbean is not a budget cruise and it’s not the most expensive one out there. It’s positioned in a sweet spot of mass-market cruising with truly amazing ships, decent food and is jam-packed with more activities than you could reasonably fit in a week.
The value one can get is on the day rates for the longer cruises (7+ nights) as opposed to the shorter 3-4 night cruises, which can be more expensive per day and have a lot of people trying to cram as much into the short time as possible.
If it’s your first cruise, I would say take one of the larger ships Oasis class or Wonder class, if you have the money for 5-7 nights in the Caribbean as the sheer scale of these vessels is quite different to the smaller, older ships.
I really am not that good at taking advice on important things from my uncle, but this time the good old son of the family was right on the money: “You will either love it or you will think it’s overrated. There is no in between with cruising. Three years and four trips later and I know which side I landed down.
