If you're like me, you love discovering new cruise tips to maximize your vacation, but some of them just don't work as well as they sound.
There are plenty of tried and true cruise tips that cruisers swear by because of how effective they are: fly in a day early for your cruise, invest in magnets for your cabin, research shore excursions, and book your cruise as early as possible.
I've tried many different so-called secrets, but some of them just aren't as effective as I thought they would be and it was a disappointment.
In retrospect, some cruise tips are more effective based on your personality and travel style. As an example, saving money by booking an inside cabin is a great piece of advice, unless you're claustrophobic or always stay in upscale hotel rooms.
I reviewed the tips and advice I've heard over the years and came up with my list of 8 cruise tips that made sense until I got on the cruise ship.
Avoiding overpacking
A lot of people advocate to avoid overpacking for a cruise vacation, and I think this is rooted in avoiding hefty luggage costs with the airlines than truly benefitting you on a cruise ship.
The travel world has become obsessed with minimalist packing, where you travel with as little luggage as possible. Perhaps you've heard of cruising with just a carry-on suitcase?
I have to admit I got caught up in this trend and started packing less and less so that I could re-use clothing on the ship. There is some truth to the idea you have to have an entire outfit every night for dinner, plus a daytime outfit.
However, I found packing less clothing gave me more anxiety than satisfaction.
It felt like I was rationing clothes and subsequently justifying to myself I could re-wear that pair of jeans or shirt because, "it's not that dirty yet."
Of course I could use Royal Caribbean's laundry services, but it's pricey and takes a day or longer to get back to you.
Ultimately, I realized minimalist packing is fine for some, especially those flying low cast carriers that want to avoid fees. But I don't fly Spirit, Frontier, or Breeze. Heck, I rarely fly to my cruises because I live in Florida.
Moreover, when I do fly, I'm going to inevitably need to pay for one piece of luggage per person travelling. So I'll maximize that suitcase.
Not paying for internet access on the ship
One commonly cited piece of cruise advice is to skip buying an internet package in order to save money.
There's no free WiFi on a cruise ship (beyond using the Royal Caribbean app), and a package for the duration of your cruise will probably cost over $100 per person. So this compels some to advocate not buying internet at all.
While there's no doubt not buying an internet package will save money, I just don't find it practical at all.
Admittedly, I'm a geek and being on the internet is more important to me than perhaps other people.
I think it's only when you don't have internet access at all that you realize how many little things you rely on the internet for, besides email and web browsing.
Texting with family, checking weather forecasts before you leave the ship, and paying bills on time are all little things that are great to have the internet for on a cruise.
Plus, I don't equate internet access with being any more or less relaxed. There are plenty of distractions on a cruise ship beyond the internet, so besides not checking your work email, I think having WiFi provides another form of entertainment in addition to books, magazines, or movies.
I'm all for saving money, but I can't skimp on WiFi.
Skipping shore excursions and staying onboard
Something you hear from a lot of experienced cruisers is to stay on the ship during ports of call in order to take advantage of what's available onboard.
The rationale for this tip is that you could save money on a costly shore excursion, plus there's already plenty of entertainment and activities to do on the ship. And with so many people off the ship, lines and waits for the top activities are much less, such as waterslides.
There's truth to this recommendation, except I feel cooped up when I'm on the ship instead of exploring or just doing something in port.
I love to cruise because of the amazing places I get to visit, and it seems counterintuitive to skip out on the fun things to do in port.
Granted, if there's a port I've been to a dozen times, I may not feel that compelled to go and walk around. But whenever I've tried this tip and stayed on the ship, I feel like I'm a dog starring longingly out the window with dreams of going outside.
The workaround for this tip is to do both. Get off the ship early and do something, but get back onboard early and you can still take advantage of less lines.
Eat only at the complimentary restaurants
Another money saving tip you'll run across is to skip the extra cost specialty restaurants and only eat at the included options.
The longer the sailing, the less I agree with this tip because I really like variety in my dining.
While specialty dining does indeed cost more, I'm on vacation and not trying to save money on my lunches at work. Splurging is part of what makes vacation fun.
I do enjoy dinners in the Main Dining Room or Windjammer, but once I get to day 4 or 5 of the cruise, I'm usually ready to change things up just a bit.
Having a few sushi rolls at Izumi, ordering a bowl of pasta at Giovannis, or getting a burger and nachos at Playmakers is a guilty pleasure that I'll go for every time.
Bidding to upgrade your cabin
I love the idea of paying less to get more, but I've stopped bidding for my stateroom upgrades.
If you're very flexible and don't really care where your room is located, then RoyalUp might be fine for you. But I can't get past a couple of issues with it.
My first problem with RoyalUp is just because there is an option to bid doesn't actually mean there is a room to upgrade to, and I think a lot of new cruisers miss that detail.
The reason why Royal Caribbean offers these bid upgrades is primarily to account for last-minute cancellations. So the bid you're making is really a backup option if someone decides to cancel.
The more troubling problem with RoyalUp is should your bid be accepted, you can't select where your room is located.
I think it's really important to pick a good cabin location to avoid noise problems, and you lose that ability once RoyalUp takes over. A winning bid means the cruise line will pick where your cabin is located.
Waiting to book another cruise until you get onboard
You can get extra onboard credit and reduced deposit by booking a cruise on a ship, but I think it's a mistake to wait to book a cruise until your next cruise.
The problem with booking a cruise at NextCruise is if you know in the weeks or months leading up to your cruise which cruise to book. By waiting until you get onboard the ship to book it, the price may increase to the point it offsets the benefit of getting extra onboard credit.
Royal Caribbean cruise prices are fluid and can change at anytime. Over the course of days, weeks, or months, the price will almost certainly increase.
My advice is if you know there's a cruise you want to book now, go ahead and contact your travel agent to book it now.
NextCruise is great for when you're on the ship and are struck with the motivation to suddenly book another cruise. In that case, you should definitely go and book the cruise at NextCruise.
Booking the cheapest cabin
Cutting corners and saving money where you can is definitely a sound financial strategy, but you also have to weigh the pros and cons of going cheap versus enjoying your well-deserved vacation.
It can be difficult to know if you should book the cheapest room on a cruise or spend extra for a nicer cabin.
If you shop by price alone, you may end up with a cruise cabin that you're stuck with for the duration of the cruise. There's nothing inherently wrong with an small inside cruise ship cabin, but it may clash with what you're used to on land.
Cruise ship cabins are typically much smaller than hotel rooms on land, and the smallest rooms on a ship are really small, coming in at less than 300 square feet. If you're sharing this space with someone else, then the lack of space can really become problematic.
Everyone has a vacation budget, but be realistic about your cabin choice so you don't end up walking into your room and then realize you've made a mistake.
Pack an over-the-door organizer
There are so many good inside cabin hacks out there, but one I tried and won't ever do again is bring an over-the-door organizers.
This is a classic "sounds better than it is" scenario because you go to the dollar store and buy one of these and put it on the back of your cabin door or bathroom door.
The idea is to add more storage options, especially for shoes and toiletries.
I found the thing flops around too much on a cabin door, which lead to things falling out all the time.
Plus, unless you're sailing on a really old cruise ship, I just don't have that kind of a problem with finding storage. Especially if your cruise is less than a week.
A far better tip is to invest in cruise magnets to help get clutter off the floor, and it works better for my style of cruising.
