It pains me when I see cruise passengers making easily avoidable mistakes, but I saw many again when I was on my Utopia of the Seas cruise last week.
I just sailed on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas for a 3-night cruise, and it was a great escape for a few days to some of the best weather I've ever had on a cruise.
This particular ships is so adept at appealing to people that have never been on a cruise ship before, and that's great for the cruise line's bottom line to grow their customer base.
Unfortunately, first time cruisers are among the most likely to commit a cruise ship faux pas, and it was evident on this sailing too.
Before you go on Utopia, make sure you aren't making any of these mistakes.
Not specifying liquors
It's so easy to walk up to a bar and ask for a drink by name, but you ought to do one other thing.
When you order just the drink name, a majority of the time you're going to get well liquor, which is the cheapest brand and those brands tend to have the worst "bite" to them.
Name brand liquors tend to be smoother, or they have a particular flavor that you might prefer.
It's less an issue with a cocktail Royal Caribbean has created for a specific bar, like the PB&J Old Fashioned at the Mason Jar, or the Goalpost Margarita at Playmakers.
What I'm talking about is when you simply ask for a Bloody Mary, Pina Colada, or Margarita.
You should always specify the liquor you want. If you have a drink package, it's included with the cost. Plus, it will taste better and perhaps be even more potent.
Waiting to go onto CocoCay later in the morning
Since Utopia of the Seas visits Royal Caribbean's private island of Perfect Day of CocoCay every cruise, I thought I should include a CocoCay specific mistake too.
While I'm all for sleeping in on vacation, you really ought to get up early and hit the beach or pool before 10am.
Certain areas of the island will have chairs get taken up quite quickly, especially since there's almost always two ships in port.
Oasis Lagoon in particular seems to run out of chairs first, and Chill Island will only have chairs at the very far end left if you wait too late.
If you bought admission to the Coco Beach Club or Hideaway Beach, there are couches by the pool that are on a first-come, first-served basis. Those pretty much get gobbled up in the first hour the ship is docked.
Personally, I don't want to have to search for a chair and umbrella. Or relegate us to sharing just one or two chairs because that's all that's left.
Another added bonus of getting off the ship early is during the summer months when afternoon thunderstorms are common.
If you get to the island in the morning, that's usually when you'll find the best weather. It's coolest in the morning hours, and the greatest chance of precipitation is in the afternoon.
Paying fees for cash at table games
When I sat down to play Blackjack in the ship's casino, I saw at least two different people request cash to play from the dealer and they got hit with a 5% fee.
Royal Caribbean charges a fee for cash withdrawals in the casino, unless you're a Prime member or higher in the casino loyalty program.
However, anyone can avoid the fee by going to a slot machine and pulling cash from there.
For some reason, there's no fee when you use the banker feature on a slot machine to get cash. You can then immediately cash out, go to the cashier and exchange it for cash. At that point, you can go to the Blackjack table and try your luck, and you'll be up 5%!
Waiting to buy a drink package on the ship
I doubt people waiting to buy a Royal Caribbean beverage package on the cruise ship ever goes away, but plenty still do it.
If you sit at any bar on embarkation day, sooner or later someone asks the bartender to buy a drink package and they'll end up paying full price.
On Utopia of the Seas, it was $115 per person, per day to buy a drink package on the ship!
That same drink package could have been had for 30% less or more if they had pre-purchased before the cruise began.
If there's even a remote chance you'll want the drink package, always pre-pay to save money.
Ordering typical drinks instead of fun new cocktails
If there's one area Royal Caribbean doesn't get enough credit for, it's their cocktail menus.
I totally understand why pina coladas, margaritas, and daiquiris are so popular because they're essentially ubiquitous with a tropical vacation.
While it's not a mistake to order one, Royal Caribbean has spent a lot of time coming up with fun new cocktails that are way more interesting.
There are so many great choices available, and they all work with a beverage package.
Here are some ones to look out for:
- 1400 - 1400 Bar
- No Joke, Smoke & Coke - Mason Jar
- She's A Geisha - Izumi
- The Urban Garden Martini - 150 Central Park
- Toasted marshmallow old fashioned - Schooner Bar
There's plenty more, but keep an eye out for new ones to try. They might end up being your go-to favorite.
Overlooked Solarium Bistro
I'm guilty of this mistake too, but the best alternative restaurant you're not eating at on Utopia of the Seas (and other ships) is the Solarium Bistro.
Solarium Bistro is complimentary and open for all three meals. It's a combination of buffet and sit down restaurant, and it's probably way less crowded than the Windjammer.
I'd argue Solarium Bistro is the best choice for a more laid back breakfast, and it's usually a ghost town at dinner.
Plus, it has beautiful windows to see the ocean from.
And yes, kids are allowed in this restaurant even thought it's in the adults-only Solarium.
Trying to leave the ship without a SeaPass card
No matter which ship it is, it seems inevitable someone tries to disembark the ship on the last day without their SeaPass card.
Before you can leave the ship at the conclusion of a sailing, you need to scan your SeaPass with the ship's security one last time. The purpose is to check you out of the ship.
This means you'll need to have your SeaPass with you as you leave. Unfortunately, there are a few people who don't have it, and it stops the line dead in its tracks.
At this point, security needs to look them up in the system and manually check them out, but this takes some time and it slows down the disembarkation line. On Royal Caribbean's older ships, this backs up the line and it inconveniences everyone.
Make sure you have everyone's SeaPass card with you when you leave your ship on that final morning.
Packing prohibited items leads to problems later
Something else related to the last day of the cruise is the table of prohibited items I saw for pickup.
Royal Caribbean bans a lot of things from being brought on a cruise ship because they are a danger, risk, or troublesome.
By far the two most common things people bring on a cruise that are absolutely not allowed are clothing irons and steamers.
On the final morning, there was a table full of them.
But here's the other problem with packing something you're not supposed to have: it holds up your luggage delivery.
When the ship's security sees you packed a prohibited item, your suitcase is held back and you have to go down to security to retrieve your bag.
Make sure you read through all the things you cannot bring on a cruise before you start packing.
