Going on your first Royal Caribbean cruise may seem daunting, but it's easier than you think if you do the right things.
If you ask someone that has cruised a lot, they'll tell you it's easy, but that's largely based on knowing exactly what to bring, what to do in ports, and the best ways to save money when booking a cruise.
There's no shortage of Royal Caribbean tips, but when you're new to the cruise line, there's a different approach you need to take because some aspects of the experience may be completely different than you expect.
Using tried-and-true advice, you can arm yourself with the proper strategy to have a wonderful vacation.
Here's our best advice for someone who is taking their first cruise on Royal Caribbean.
Verify your travel documents
An easy rookie mistake to avoid is ensure you have the right travel documents for your cruise.
In order to go on any cruise, you need certain documentation and depending on your nationality, where you're sailing from and to, as well as your itinerary, there could be different requirements.
Ideally, everyone will have a valid passport. Royal Caribbean recommends cruising with a passport that will not expire in less than six months for any cruise, and we agree. Passports are the simplest and best document you can have to cruise.
If you're planning a European, Australian, or Asian cruise, you're going to need a passport for everyone, no matter what.
However, there are some cruises where you could cruise without a passport.
If you're an American citizen sailing on a cruise ship that departs and returns to the same U.S. city, then you can cruise with a birth certificate and state issued identification.
Read more: Do you need a passport for a cruise?
Check-in with the Royal Caribbean app
You really should download and install the Royal Caribbean app before your cruise begins.
The app is a powerful tool that makes the entire experience so much easier, and you're effectively doing yourself a disservice by not getting it.
Get the app and install it while you're at home, and then 30 days before your cruise is scheduled to begin, do the online check-in.
You'll want to check-in exactly 30 days early because that's when the earliest check-in times are available, and most people want to get onboard as early as possible. If you wait, you'll end up with a check-in time in the afternoon.
Read more: 30 cruise ship embarkation day do's and don'ts
Bring a carry-on bag for embarkation day
Plan to have a small carry-on bag to bring with you around the ship on the first day.
When you arrive at the cruise terminal, porters will greet you and take your luggage to be checked and delivered to your cabin onboard the ship. It's a great service, and you should totally take advantage of it. There's no cost, but a small tip is expected.
In the time between when you drop off your luggage with the porters and the time it gets delivered, you're going to probably need a few items, such as:
- Travel documents
- Cash
- Hat
- Sun glasses
- Sunscreen
- Medication
- Phone charger
Read more: 15 things to pack in your cruise carry-on
There could be more items, but it's a good idea to invest in a small carry-on bag, such as a backpack, small rolling suitcase, or other bag.
Pre-book shows, drink packages, and the spa
If there's a mantra about planning a great Royal Caribbean cruise, it's to plan as much as possible before the cruise begins.
Royal Caribbean makes a great deal of options available to reserve in the months leading up to your cruise, and doing so could save you money and time.
About 30 days before your cruise, shows will be bookable for Royal Caribbean's biggest ships. If you're sailing on an Oasis, Quantum, or Icon Class cruise ship, you'll be able to pre-book entertainment.
Read more: Royal Caribbean ship classes ultimate guide
If you're sailing on any other class of ship, you won't be able to pre-book shows and that's because there's no need.
You can book shows in the Royal Caribbean app or through the Cruise Planner website on Royal Caribbean's homepage.
Show reservations are complimentary, so you should make a reservation. Keep in mind reservations will go very quickly, so it's likely shows will sell out. If you don't get into a show, not to worry. Standby lines will be available and if you arrive early, you'll probably be able to make it into the show.
Speaking of pre-booking, you ought to pre-book extra cost add-ons to save money. Royal Caribbean has an array of possible things to buy for your cruise, including drink packages, specialty dining packages, WiFi packages, spa treatments, and shore excursions.
To be clear, you will pay more if you wait to book these items onboard the ship. So if you know you want them, book them before the cruise.
A common question is if it's worth it to buy them, and the answer it depends on the person. Beverage packages and dining packages can absolutely save you money, provided you take advantage of them to make it worthwhile.
Research the ports you'll visit before the cruise
You only have a few hours in each port your ship will visit, so it's imperative to research the activities while you're still at home.
It's a mistake to try to wing it when you get there because you risk missing out on something better.
In nearly all cases, you'll be in port for around six or eight hours, so picking a tour or a plan to hit up one or three spots is a good idea.
Organized tours are the most popular way to visit any port of call. Royal Caribbean offers its own set of shore excursions you can purchase from the website or the app, but you could also plan to do something on your own.
There are pros and cons to booking a tour with the cruise line or through a third-party. Do your research and have a plan so you can have a really fun day in port.
Book your cruise as early as possible for the best price
Want to save the most money possible on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Book your cruise as early as you can.
Generally speaking, the best price for a Royal Caribbean cruise is when you book as many months in advance as possible. This is because as cruise ship cabins get booked up, the amount of available cabins drops and prices go up.
Ideally, you'll book your cruise as soon as Royal Caribbean puts the sailing on sale. Yes, that's two years or more in advance.
By booking that far in advance, not only will you get a low fare, but you can get the exact cabin category you want. The cheapest cabins and the most expensive suites are the first types of rooms to be sold out and they are both highly desirable.
Read more: The best cabin locations on a cruise ship
Don't bring any banned items
There are things you can bring on an airplane that you can't bring on a cruise ship, many that would surprise you.
Packing for a cruise involves a lot of things that you'll need, but there are a few items you shouldn't bother packing because if you do, Royal Caribbean will confiscated them.
This includes:
- Firearms, ammunition, handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks
- Coffee makers, clothing irons, travel steamers, electric kettles and hot plates
- Candles, incense, flammable liquids and explosives (including lighter fluid and fireworks), hookahs and water hookah pipes
- Power strip and surge protectors
- Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint
- Drugs (including medically prescribed marijuana)
- Beer or liquors
Some of these may seem self-explanatory, but the appliances and candles are the most commonly confiscated items because people don't realize they aren't allowed due to being a fire hazard.
Don't even bother trying, all bags go through a screening machine and they will see them and take it.
Read more: What can you not bring on a cruise
Fly to your cruise port a day or two early
The single costliest mistake you could make is flying to your cruise port the same day the cruise is scheduled to set sail.
Since Royal Caribbean cruises depart in the afternoon, a lot of newbies will think to book a flight that arrives in the morning on the same day of the cruise. This is such a dangerous decision, because even a minor delay could prevent you from being able to board the ship.
What you want to do instead is book a flight at least one day before embarkation day so that you can protect yourself against any travel delays. Plus, you'll have more time to explore the city you're in and start your vacation a little bit earlier.
If you are traveling overseas for a cruise, we advise flying in at least two days early not only because of travel delays but to acclimate yourself to the local time and jet lag. Starting your international cruise without feeling exhausted is so important given how port intensive it tends to be.
Bring your own soda and wine
Royal Caribbean won't let you bring beer or liquor on your cruise, but you can bring a limited amount of wine and soft drinks.
Royal Caribbean allows one bottle of wine (or champagne) per adult in the cabin to be brought onboard on embarkation day. In addition, you can bring up to 12 standard cans, bottles or cartons of nonalcoholic drinks.
Bringing your own drinks can save a lot of money on a bar tab.
Read more: Royal Caribbean drink prices
Do the signature activities on the first day
There's a good chance you picked a cruise ship because of the fun attractions available onboard, but so did everyone else too.
Activities like the Flowrider surf simulator, water slides, bumper cars, and sky diving simulators are just some of the top must-dos, so the best time to try any of them is on the first day of the cruise.
Embarkation day is busy, and most people are still finding their way around the ship. Heck, some might be oblivious these are options to do until later in the cruise. The water-based activities are perfect for embarkation day because most people packed their swimsuit in their checked luggage.
Grab lunch and then hit up these signature attractions on day one.
Keep your phone in airplane mode
If you want to avoid a giant cell phone bill due to thousands of dollars in cell phone charges when you get home, make one simple change to your phone after boarding.
Cruise ships have a cell phone antenna on them, but they're out of network. When a phone is outside of its normal cellular network, and you try to use a cell phone for calls, data, or texting on someone else's network, you incur crazy high rates.
Many cellular plans (even international plans) do not include calls, texts, or data on cruise ships and they will charge you extremely high roaming rates for such services that will show up weeks later on your phone bill.
The easy way to prevent this from ever happening to you is to put your phone into airplane mode.
If you want to stay connected on your cruise, you can buy a WiFi package, which will let you make FaceTime calls and stream videos over Wi-Fi without using phone data.
You can re-price your cruise and add-ons
We talked about how important it is to book your cruise fare and add-ons early to lock in a good price, but what happens if there's a price drop later?
Anyone can cancel and rebook a Cruise Planner purchase at any time before the cruise begins. That way, if the drink package or shore excursion price goes down, you can easily cancel and reprice it.
What if your cruise fare goes down? Many people hesitate to book early because they worry about missing out on a better deal later on.
If you're a resident of certain countries (such as the United States or Canada), you can get your fare reduced to match the lower price up until the final payment date.
Use a travel agent to book your cruise
There are many ways to book a Royal Caribbean cruise, but using a travel agent is the best choice.
There are so many decisions to make when booking a cruise as a first timer that you're much better off using an experienced travel agent to help.
A good travel agent will charge nothing extra for their services, and get a sense of your interests, needs, and travel style to help guide you through the booking process, as well as answer questions and deal with problems later on.
In addition, travel agents could spot special discounts or deals you might not find on your own, such as group rates or nabbing extra onboard credit.
Read more: Why first-time cruisers should use a Royal Caribbean travel agent
Things you don't need to bring
We've covered things you should pack, as well as things Royal Caribbean prohibits you from bringing, but we haven't talked about things you don't need to bring at all.
A lot more is provided for you on a cruise ship than at a resort, so you can leave certain items at home:
- Towels (bath, pool, or beach)
- Swim vests
- Walkie talkies
- Valuable jewelry
Either this is provided for you by the cruise line, or it's simple unnecessary.
Watch a ship tour
Royal Caribbean cruise ships are really big, so the sooner you understand the layout, the better.
While you could walk around the ship and get your bearings easily, I think it's even better to watch a walkthrough ship tour video before.
We have our own archive of ship tours you can watch, that take you through every inch of the ship and give you a good idea of where everything is. It may also alert you to activities you were unaware of onboard.
Plus, I find watching these videos adds to the pre-vacation excitement!
The free food is plenty good
Once you start researching, you're going to see a lot of restaurants you can book for an additional charge, but the included restaurants are pretty good.
It's tempting to go all in with the specialty dining, and it is indeed quite good. But don't assume the restaurants that are complimentary aren't worth your time.
The Main Dining Room has dinner every night, and I think it's one of the best aspects of cruising. Having a sit down meal with your family served by waiters and a menu that changes daily is at the heart of cruising today.
The Windjammer buffet is great for picky eaters, as well as kids. It has the widest selection of food, and it's super casual.
Not everything on the menu is amazing, but I find most of the food ranges between "good" and "very good", and you can save a lot of money by relying on the included restaurants.
Don't forget to relax
There's going to activities day and night, but you really don't have to do any of it.
It's so easy to feel like you need to do it all, and that can make your vacation feel more draining than it should be.
Some days it makes sense to sleep in, hang at the pool instead of doing a shore excursion, or read a book. There isn't a right or wrong way to enjoy your cruise.
Buy travel insurance
I think travel insurance is more than an optional purchase, it's a must-buy.
Just like all insurance, travel insurance is a waste of money until you need it. I think first time cruisers are often naive to the how different medical care is when outside of the country and the lack of coverage your medical insurance offers.
Travel insurance also covers so much more than if you get sick. Hurricanes, travel delays, lost luggage, or a change in your employment, are just a few examples of how travel insurance could be useful.
Read more: Why you need travel insurance for your Royal Caribbean cruise
