It's normal to have a lot of questions about booking a cruise because of how personal the different options are during the booking process.
After all, cruise ships are a complex, all-in-one vacation that happens on the ocean, and it's your choice how you enjoy it.
And what should new cruisers know first about Royal Caribbean?
To find out, you won’t have to wade through Reddit posts or wait on hold to speak to Royal Caribbean representatives any longer.
Here are answers to 8 questions a lot of people are sometimes too embarrassed to ask when it comes to their cruise.
1. Do I really need to pay gratuities?
When you book your cruise, you’ll find an additional gratuity charge will be added to your cruise fare, either before or after the sailing.
If you elect to prepay the gratuities, you’ll pay this in the final price before your sailing.
If not, you’ll receive a charge on your SeaPass account for each day of your cruise.
The service gratuity is currently $18 per person, per day, for guests in non-suite or Junior Suite staterooms.
For guests in Suites, the charge is $20.50 per person, per day.
Read more: Tipping on a cruise ship: what you should and shouldn't do
This charge is based on industry standards, charged for each guest as a way to reward crew members for their service.
While you can remove the gratuities from your account, it is not a good idea. It is split among all the crew members you will encounter on your cruise: waitstaff, bartenders, culinary services staff, stateroom attendants, and the hotel services team.
Because Royal Caribbean crew members work hard to provide exemplary service, these gratuities are a way to reward them.
These are required as part of your cruise fare, but it means that you don’t need to tip crew members individually unless you so desire.
Read more: 10 reasons why I didn't want to go on a cruise, but glad I gave it a try
2. How easy is it to fall off a cruise ship?
Whenever a guest does unfortunately fall off a cruise ship, it becomes a well-reported news story.
So it’s easy for first-time cruisers to fear such a tragedy happening to them.
How likely is it that you could actually fall off a cruise ship deck or balcony?
The reality is that it’s almost impossible to accidentally fall off a cruise ship.
All railings are built to be at least chest-high, around four feet tall.
Incidents in which someone does fall off a cruise ship usually happen because they climbed on top of a railing or purposely jumped off.
As long as you are following Royal Caribbean rules, it's very unlikely that you could fall off a cruise ship into the ocean.
3. Is the water safe to drink on a cruise ship?
Given that a cruise ship floats and is unattached to typical plumbing systems on land, you might wonder if the tap water is safe to drink on board.
The answer is yes, all the water is rigorously distilled or purified according to sanitation standards approved by the U.S. Public Health Service.
The water is regularly desalinated, treated, filtered, and tested to confirm the water quality.
All Royal Caribbean ships are also inspected frequently for sanitation.
Read more: 15 free things to try on your next cruise
4. Is a Guarantee Cabin worth it?
When you book your cruise, you will have the option to choose your exact stateroom or go for a guarantee stateroom.
A guarantee cabin is when you select the cabin type you prefer (interior, oceanview, balcony, or suite), and Royal Caribbean assigns one to you at a lower price.
You are promised your chosen category of cabin, but give up the ability to choose the exact location.
Usually, cruise lines offer this option as a way to sell less-desirable cabins, and make sure a ship is filled before the sail date.
If you select this option, you will be assigned a specific cabin a few weeks before your cruise.
It’s a great money-saving strategy, but it means giving up control of the exact stateroom you cruise in.
To decide whenever it’s worth it, consider how flexible you are on the location of your cabin, and compare that with the deal you’ll get from booking a guarantee stateroom.
If the deal saves you a good amount of money, or if you’re open to multiple different cabins, booking guarantee is a great idea.
Read more: I took my first cruise ever and here's what I expected vs what actually happened
5. Do crew members sleep on the cruise ship?
Where do the crew members sleep when they’re done working?
Just like guests, the crew members sleep on board during a cruise.
In fact, their contracts last months at a time, during which they are living onboard.
There are special crew quarters onboard, where crew members share a small cabin with one or more roommates.
The size of the cabins vary, but they run small—definitely smaller than the guest cabins.
Most crew cabins are around 120 square feet.
Crew members also have a separate set of amenities onboard, like a laundromat, crew gym facilities, hair salons, and a separate cafeteria and bar.
Read more: Royal Caribbean crew member reveals what it's like when joining a cruise ship
6. I'm really scared of being out on the open ocean. Am I crazy?
It’s normal to have a fear of the ocean, but some people worry that this might stop them from cruising.
The reality is that a cruise could actually be a great way to confront and overcome that fear.
Cruise ships are incredibly safe—the odds of dying on one are about 1 in 6.25 million.
Cruising is one of the safest forms of travel, especially compared to cars, which we use every day.
Vessels are very carefully built, regulated, and monitored. Ships receive frequent safety inspections, and most cruise lines go above and beyond government requirements.
Not only that, but cruise ships are very large—you won’t feel like you’re floating on the ocean.
They are more like huge hotels, where you’ll have too much fun to even worry about feeling scared.
You don't have to get close to the ocean at all. Instead, you’ll be able to admire its beauty from afar.
If you are afraid of traveling on a smaller boat, just avoid a cruise that uses tenders, which are smaller boats that transport you to shore.
You’ll have a fun, safe time on the cruise ship.
Read more: 15 things I look forward to every time I go on a cruise ship
7. How do I meet the Captain while I’m onboard?
The Captain is responsible for everything on the cruise ship, so will you have an opportunity to meet this important figure?
How interactive the captain is with passengers depends on the captain and the ship, each person is unique.
On some cruises, the Captain and Cruise Director hold a question-and-answer session for guests to ask about the workings of the ship.
After that event, there’s usually an opportunity to meet the Captain.
Some cruises also have a Captain’s welcome aboard reception, during which the Captain makes a toast and takes photos with guests.
To find the time and location of these events, you can check your Cruise Compass or Royal Caribbean app.
8. Will I be bored on a cruise?
Out of all the fears you may have about cruising, this one would be the most unreasonable.
A Royal Caribbean cruise is filled with an overwhelming amount of activities you can take part in, most of them being completely free.
The exact activities vary depending on the ship and sailing, but each day of your cruise is guaranteed to have a variety of activities.
If you’re looking for physical and sports events, check out a rock climbing wall, mini golf, the sports court, the FlowRider surf simulator, water slides, the zip line, ice skating, laser tag, or fitness classes.
If entertainment and shows are more your style, there are games, live music, theater and musical performances, comedians, acrobats, and karaoke nights.
For those who prefer to live on the edge and gamble, each cruise ship has a casino and bingo events.
More activities include nightclub events, movies, parades, tours, and educational classes. And of course there are multiple trivia contests every day.
Besides all these activities, there are several pools and hot tubs, and a wealth of different venues to try.
Read more: Cruising with teenagers: Will they have fun on a Royal Caribbean cruise?
