Royal Caribbean Blog

Our first port of call on this Alaska cruise brings us to Sitka, which is a port I've never been to before.

We weren't scheduled to dock until 9:30am, so we had a few hours before getting off the ship.

The combination of our clocks going back one hour last night and the excitement of getting off the ship got to me, because I was up by 6am to have a look.

Our ship sailed through the Sitka Sound, giving us our first look at the Alaska scenery.

I went up to the upper decks to get a better look, and even spotted a whale coming up for air once (although I was too slow to get a photo).

Once the kids got up, we decided to have breakfast at Chops Grille, since it's open to suite guests as an alternative breakfast spot.

The menu is similar to the main dining rom, and offered a relaxed breakfast.

There were five cruise ships in Sitka today, although we were the only ship able to dock. The other ships tendered, including Radiance of the Seas.

The dock is located north of downtown, and is about a 10 minute drive.

We booked a shore excursion through Royal Caribbean for today, "Taste of Sitka". Our tour began at 10:45am, and it consisted of three stops.

Our first stop was at a local restaurant to sample fresh caught wild salmon and Alaska beers.

The chef prepared white Alaska salmon that was delivered earlier that morning to enjoy along with a selection of beers. They said we could choose between two beers, but they were happy to give more if you wanted.

The salmon was incredible, as white salmon is evidently a very rare type of wild salmon.  It was so good that even my oldest daughter, who claimed she hated salmon, tried it and really liked it.

The chef then brought out a salmon to filet it for us, and let us even sample slivers of sashimi-grade fresh salmon we could eat raw on the spot.

The food was better than anything I could have hoped for, and started us off on a great note.

Next up was a visit to the Sitka maritime center, where we learned about salmon life cycles and why and how they operate a salmon hatchery to help provide a sustainable source of the fish.

Afterwards, we were able to touch a variety of local marine life in the touch tanks.

The salmon explanation was much too long in my opinion, but the kids loved the touch tanks.

Afterwards, we took a short drive to a former World War 2 air base for a scenic photo.

At this point, the bus could either drop us off downtown or bring us back to the ship. We opted to stay downtown.

Sitka has a small downtown with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. 

We stopped in for coffee at a book store, but stayed to get my kids a couple of books. I love finding small, independently operated book stores and support them whenever I can.

Sitka is known for being the former capital of Alaska when it was owned by Russia, and still has a few buildings from that era.

The orthodox church is by far the most prominent piece of this Russian history, but there's other buildings you can explore. We ran across a fort that provided some lovely views.

As we walked around, I saw a sign for the Fresh Fish cart, which is one of the places to see in our local guide to Sitka.

I met the owner, who served up salmon poke bowl that was incredible. There's just nothing like fresh fish, and the snack was just what I needed.

We wandered around Sitka a bit more and then headed back to the ship.

The weather could not have been better, and it was the perfect day for exploring Alaska. If we can have weather like this for the next two weeks, we're in for an amazing time.

The weather was stunning today, and it was so warm (mid-70s) that lots of people were up on the pool deck and in the pool.

Dinner tonight brought us to Izumi.

I love eating at Izumi because sushi always hits the spot without feeling overly stuffed like other foods do. 

While I love sushi, my wife and kids prefer the non-sushi items on the menu, such as the terriyaki or udon options.

We rounded out our evening with songs in the Schooner Bar with the guitarist. Speaking of the guitarist, the bartenders told me that 4 new crew members transferred while we were in Sitka from Radiance of the Seas, so the pub should open tomorrow!

I was ready to call it a night when we noticed an amazing Alaskan sunset happening.

Have I mentioned I love Alaska cruises yet?

Tomorrow we will be in Juneau.

Stray Observations

There's a free shuttle to and from downtown Sitka. The line got pretty long in the morning to get downtown if you didn't have a tour.

They were actively repairing the other docking area at the port that was damaged this season when Radiance of the Seas struck a dolphin mooring.

Vancouver is one of Canada's premier cities, and it's also a wonderful place to visit before or after your Alaska cruise.

Royal Caribbean usually bases a couple of its cruise ships in Vancouver for the Alaska cruise season (in addition to ships sailing from Seattle, Washington).  Since Vancouver is outside the United States, there are a few nuances that make the cruise experience just a little bit different from other embarkation ports.

Whether you have an Alaskan cruise booked from Vancouver, or are thinking about reserving one, here are some important tips for how to enjoy and plan a cruise that sails from Vancouver.

Fly in two days early

When you have to fly to a cruise, you should always fly in at least one day before the cruise begins to guard against travel delays impeding your ability to board the ship.

If you are flying from the east coast, coming in two days before the cruise is an even better idea because of the time change.

The shift up to three hours later means you'll be struggling to stay up past 9pm. By coming in two days early, you have more time to adjust to the west coast time zone and once you get on the ship, be able to stay up later for the fun evening activities.

Another advantage to coming in more than a day early is it provides you ample time to explore Vancouver without feeling rushed, or fatigued from the trip over.

Drive, train, or fly

To actually reach Vancouver, you could get to the city a few different ways, and each has their advantages.

The most straight-forward way to get to Vancouver is to fly there. Vancouver has a major international airport, although getting a direct flight may not be so simple.

Depending on where you live, there may be multiple flights required, with layovers in other cities along the way.

An alternative to flying to Vancouver is to fly to Seattle instead, which tends to be cheaper (for Americans) and has many more direct flights.

Once in Seattle, you could then either take the train, rent a car, or even take a car service into Vancouver.

As of 2022, the Amtrak train service between Seattle and Vancouver has not resumed yet, but the Cascades train ride is a beautiful ride. In the interim, Amtrak offers bus service to get across the border.

There's no separate line if you buy The Key

When you check-in for your cruise, there's no special line for guests who purchase The Key.

Vancouver is one of the few places where priority access is not offered for The Key (Australia and Singapore are the other places).

The weather changes a lot, so plan for it all

Just like Alaska, it will likely rain and then go back to being sunny, and then alternate between chilly and warm, before restarting the cycle again.

Vancouver's weather can vary greatly, so plan on experiencing it all.  They key is to have a good waterproof jacket, along with warm clothes.  But don't rule out a warm spell, because it is summer after all.

While you probably won't need super warm clothing (unless you are visiting in the beginning or end of the Alaska cruise season), being able to deal with the rain is a good idea while you're exploring the city.

The Pan Pacific hotel

If you are looking for the ultimate convenience for the day your cruise begins, you might consider staying at the Pan Pacific hotel.

The Pan Pacific is built on top of Canada Place, which is where your cruise ship will be waiting for embarkation.

Guests who purchase a cruise package can actually have bell services come to their hotel room on the morning of the cruise and take their bags directly to the cruise ship. No need to lug luggage back downstairs and give it to porters.

Of course, the Pan Pacific hardly the best deal in town or the cheapest hotel you can find, but if you value convenience, then a stay in this hotel might not be a bad idea.

Fun spots to visit

Like any major city, you'll have a lot to explore while in Vancouver.

Depending on where you stay, there are lots of fun things to do around town.  Assuming your hotel will be closer to the cruise port, here are a few suggestions:

• Walk around Stanley Park, which features walking, jogging, and bike trails. There's also the Vancouver aquarium here.
• Gastown is a neighborhood that has a lot of great restaurants and shops.
• Even if you aren't staying at the Pan Pacific hotel, you can go there to watch cruise ships depart.
• Granville Island Market is an indoor market featuring lots of food and produce stores, showcasing handcrafted products and unique gifts.
• Vandusen botanical gardens are beautiful

I also recommend making a point to get coffee and a bite to eat at a Canadian staple: Tim Horton's. Tim Bits are great, along with their sandwiches.

Technically, today was our inside passage day I discovered, which means the day our ship passed through the inner waters from Vancouver up to Alaska. Basically, it was just a sea day as we made our way up to our first stop.

I was up around 7am to start getting some work done on RoyalCaribbeanBlog. If that seems early, I'm still somewhat adjusting to west coast time, and the fact 7am is 10am on the east coast was really bugging me that I was missing what was happening in the world, so to speak.

The day started out gray, with clouds dominating the sky.

When the rest of the family got up, we headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. One benefit of being a suite is we have a private breakfast place in Chops Grille, but the variety the Windjammer provide won out for at least this morning.

My kids loved the waffle station in the middle of the Windjammer, and my wife admitted those waffles were pretty darn good.

I also spotted the avocado toast station.

We took our food to the outdoor seating formerly known as Rita's Cantina. One of the waiters brought us coffee and our kids hot chocolate.

After breakfast, we headed to the Solarium to enjoy some open air. As noted yesterday, from 8am to 11am, the Solarium is open for kids (excluding the hot tub).

My girls brought their sketch pads to draw, and I decided to get an early start on my Diamond Plus drink vouchers with a bloody mary.

I walked from the Solarium to the pool bar to get a drink. The Solarium Bar wasn't open today (it had been yesterday).

As the morning went on, the temperature warmed up and peaks of sunlight began to break through. I enjoyed spending some time on the pool deck with the fresh air and plenty of chairs to choose from.

My wife had her spa appointment this morning, and later in the morning I took the girls to get their nails done at the spa. With my title of husband and dad of the year simultaneously in tact, I headed to the Safari Club for the Top Tier event.

On the non-short cruises, Royal Caribbean invites guests to attend a get together to welcome Crown and Anchor members who have reached Platinum or above, and recognize those members with the most points or reaching Pinnacle Status.

There are over 700 Crown and Anchor Society members onboard, and the ship's Captain welcomed everyone.

I always make a point of attending the Top Tier events to show I appreciate them putting on these events for us.  The complimentary mimosas and champagne are not a bad excuse to go either.

With everyone finished in the spa and salon, we went down to the main dining room for lunch.

The food was fine, and enjoyed the ease of the being able to sit and enjoy a meal rather than another visit to the buffet.

Chicken sandwich

Mediterranean lamb sandwich

After lunch we headed to the NextCruise office to look into some future cruise options. Looking over new cruise ideas is the closest thing as an adult I have as a thrill to walking around KB Toy stores as a kid.

My kids wanted to go watch Encanto in the ship's cinema, which gave me the perfect excuse for my favorite sea activity: a nap.

Tonight was formal night, and we reserved a table at Giovanni's Table for dinner.

While this may not be the new Giovanni's Italian Kitchen update, we still enjoyed the menu selections, especially the filet mignon option.

The soup of the day special, Minestrone, was really good, and of course the main courses did not disappoint.

Minestrone soup

Tuna Tartare

Spaghetti pasta of the day

Filet

After dinner, it was time for a show.  Tonight, there was a Broadway medley in the theater that highlighted Broadway songs that crossed over to Hollywood films.

There were songs from West Side Story, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors and more.

I hadn't seen this show yet on a Royal Caribbean ship, so it was nice to see something different.

Walking out of the show right around 10pm, I could see there was still daylight out. Getting closer to Alaska!

After the show, we watched karaoke in the Safari Club. My oldest daughter really enjoyed seeing people give it their best.

Tomorrow we will be in Sitka.

Staffing situation on Serenade

Speaking of things that aren't open, it's no secret that Royal Caribbean cruise ships are understaffed currently due to the same staffing struggles all businesses are dealing with.

Read more: The top problems Royal Caribbean is facing as it returns to full capacity

I had read other people's accounts of long waits for drink service, dinners taking longer than usual, and other issues of the sort related to waits. Truly over the first two days, I have not run into anything that made me think twice about my experience.

While I would love to enjoy the pub, the pub singer performs at the Schooner Bar instead. The casino isn't operating the craps table, but I found many open seats for blackjack or roulette instead.

Dinner on the first night in the main dining room took an hour and fifteen minutes, while dinner at Giovanni's was an hour and a half. Those times are well-within the norm for meals I would have had pre-2020.

It's still early in the cruise, but I wanted to share I'm constantly looking to gauge how much the experience has changed between myself and other guests I've been chatting with onboard.

Stray Observations

We got a note in our room that we had reached enough Crown and Anchor Society points for a crystal block.  We have the choice to take it home now, ship it home, or pass on it completely.

Crystal blocks are given to Diamond Plus guests periodically after they accrue enough points. Once you reach 140 points in Crown and Anchor Society, you earn a crystal block from the ship you happen to be on at the time.

You then earn a new block every 70 points you accrue thereafter. 

I also got a letter in the room to inform us as a Diamond Plus guest we would not be able to use the concierge lounge because there were too many Diamond Plus and Pinnacle guests onboard. Not a problem since I'm staying in a suite.

One nice change you'll find on an Alaska cruise versus a Caribbean cruise are the enrichment events, where speakers provide a lecture on a given topic. Today, there was a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that spoke about the work he does in Canada's national police force.

If you’re looking for a relaxing getaway but don’t want to wait months for vacation, consider booking a last-minute cruise. Royal Caribbean’s last-minute cruise deals can often lead to incredible savings, allowing you to visit crystal clear beaches in the Caribbean, historic cities in the Mediterranean, and breathtaking fjords in Alaska on a budget.

Knowing the ins and outs of booking a last-minute cruise fare can help save you money and avoid any mistakes along the way. While last-minute cruises can be tempting, they aren’t always the best choice available for all passengers, and they require much more flexibility than booking a cruise ahead of time.

Let’s go over everything you need to know about last-minute cruise deals to help you make the right decision before booking.

What is a last-minute cruise?

A last-minute cruise is considered any cruise you book past the final payment date for that sailing. Royal Caribbean requires final payment to be made for a cruise at least 75 prior to departure for 1-4 night sailings and 90 days prior to departure for sailings 5 nights or longer.

Royal Caribbean monitors the demand for a particular sailing date and may lower the cruise fare as the sailing date approaches. While last-minute deals do not happen on every cruise itinerary, they can make for some amazing savings on a cruise vacation.

How to find a last-minute cruise deal

If you're wondering how to get a last minute cruise deal, there's a few good considerations.

Be flexible

The first step to finding a great last-minute cruise deal is to remain flexible. If you’re already set on the ship, itinerary, and time of year you want to cruise, it’s probably better to book a cruise further in advance rather than wait for a last-minute deal that may or may not happen.

Last-minute cruise deals are often unpredictable, with deals appearing one day and disappearing the next! If you’re truly looking for the best last-minute deal you can find, you won’t have much choice over itinerary, ship, cruise length, or stateroom options.

Use Vacations To Go

Vacationstogo.com has a "90-day ticker" on their website, providing an extensive list of cruises departing within the next 90 days across major cruise lines. This is an excellent way to quickly search for last-minute cruise deals when you’re flexible on port, stateroom choice, ship, and even cruise line.

The 90-day ticker allows you to filter the results by stateroom type, currency, and price per night. The price per night feature is useful for those looking for the cheapest cruise per day, with some last-minute cruises listed for as little as $40 per day!

Once you find a cheap cruise you’re interested in on Vacations To Go, you can search for the same cruise directly on Royal Caribbean’s website or contact your travel agent to book the cruise for you.

It can be difficult to sort through cruise itineraries, ships, and cruise lines to find the cheapest deal, so Vacations To Go comes in handy when looking for a last-minute cruise.

Look at older, smaller ships

If you’re hoping to sail on one of Royal Caribbean’s brand new cruise ships, such as Odyssey of the Seas or Wonder of the Seas, you’re better off booking a cruise far in advance rather than waiting for a last-minute deal.

Ships in high demand are unlikely to have last-minute deals available, as they’re more likely to be booked further in advance.

Read more: Why you shouldn't avoid older and smaller cruise ships

Instead, take a look at Royal Caribbean’s older and smaller ships when searching for a last-minute cruise. Radiance Class ships, for example, may have better last-minute deals to Alaska compared to Quantum Class ships.

In addition, Voyager and Freedom Class ships come with great savings in the Caribbean compared to the Oasis Class, which rarely have last-minute deals available.

Consider short and long itineraries

A 7-night cruise is the “standard” length of a cruise vacation, offering just the right amount of time for a mix of sea and port days. This is the most common option you’ll see when browsing Royal Caribbean cruises.

Therefore, when searching for a last-minute cruise deal, you might have better luck searching for short (3-4 night) and long (8+ night) sailings.

Itineraries on Navigator of the Seas out of Los Angeles, for example, tend to have regular deals available on both the 3-night and 4-night cruises.

Longer cruises, including repositioning sailings, also tend to have more deals available. A long cruise, especially one that is 10 nights or longer, has less demand due to vacation time required for the cruise. Because of this, it's possible to find last-minute cruise deals on long itineraries if your schedule permits.

Sail during non-peak times of year 

Last-minute cruise deals are more frequently found during non-peak times of year. The peak cruise season in North America and Europe is from May to August, aligning with the school calendar. Peak season is also found during holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break).

Read more: What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?

Outside of peak season, you’re much more likely to find cheaper cruise fares and last-minute deals. Here are some of the best times to find a last-minute cruise deal:

• January and February
• March (before the spring break season)
• April (after the spring break season)
• May
• September and October
• November (before Thanksgiving)
• December (first two weeks only)

Contact a travel agent

Travel agents can be a fantastic resource when trying to book a last-minute cruise.

Royal Caribbean regularly sends information to travel agents about deals on upcoming cruises. Therefore, travel agents may have a better understanding of what ships and sailings are offering last-minute deals.

Read more: Top 5 things to look for in a good travel agent for your cruise vacation

Plus, if a travel agent knows you are looking for a last-minute cruise, they’ll be able to contact you whenever a deal appears to see if you would like to book the cruise.

Sail from a port close to home

While last-minute cruise fares can lead to some amazing savings, these savings can sometimes be negated by last-minute airfare prices. A plane ticket that would otherwise cost $200 when booked months in advance can increase dramatically when booking at the last minute.

Therefore, we recommend looking for last-minute cruise deals closer to your home port than ports across the country (or world). If you live in the northeast, look for deals out of Cape Liberty rather than Los Angeles or Miami.

Likewise, if you live anywhere on the west coast you’re better off searching for last-minute deals from the ports of Los Angeles, Seattle, or Vancouver.

If you do not live within driving distance to a cruise port, be sure to look at airfare prices before booking a last-minute cruise. The last thing you want to happen is to book a cheap cruise only to find out the airfare is astronomically expensive!

Sign up for Royal Caribbean’s emails

An easy way to be notified of last-minute cruise deals is to sign up for Royal Caribbean's emails. If you’ve never been on a Royal Caribbean cruise before, click on the “Deals” tab on Royal Caribbean’s website, scroll to the bottom, and fill out the contact information form.

Once your email is added to the form, you’ll begin receiving emails from the cruise line regularly detailing not only last-minute cruise deals, but information on new activities, ships, and news from the cruise line.

Last-minute cruise cabins

Booking a last-minute cruise deal may come with cheap prices, but stateroom categories will often be limited. If you’re booking a cruise just a few weeks (or days) before the cruise departs, some cabins may be sold out. Whether a balcony, interior, or oceanview stateroom, there’s no guarantee a particular cabin will be available on a last-minute cruise.

If you are hoping to book a balcony, you may find that only interior cabins and suites are available, leaving you to sacrifice on either comfort or budget.

In addition, if you have a particular suite in mind, you may end up disappointed with suite selection on a last-minute cruise. Many suite categories may be completely sold out, leaving you with fewer options to choose from. In fact, it's not uncommon for all suites to be sold out when booking a last-minute cruise!

While you can still have an excellent cruise vacation in a different room category, it might not be the experience you were hoping for in a suite.

Guarantee staterooms

The last-minute deals you see for a cruise may be for a guarantee stateroom. This means that you do not have the chance to select your stateroom location yourself. Instead, you pay for a guaranteed room in a specific stateroom category. Royal Caribbean will then assign you a stateroom close to the sail date depending on which rooms are still available.

Read more: Should I book a guarantee stateroom on a cruise?

There are pros and cons to booking a guarantee stateroom. The biggest benefit is the lower price available, meaning you can save more of your cruise budget for things like drinks, shore excursions, and specialty dining.

There’s also the slight chance of an upgrade if there are no more staterooms available in your guaranteed category. If you booked a guarantee oceanview room, for example, and those rooms are sold out, you could be upgraded to a balcony cabin at no extra cost.

The major downside to booking a guarantee cabin, though, is that you have no control over your stateroom location. If you prefer being midship and close to the action onboard, you may end up in a cabin located very far forward or aft. Not only will this lead to longer walking times, but you may feel more of the ship’s movement in your cabin.

Therefore, if choosing your stateroom is extremely important to you, you will want to make sure the last-minute cruise deal is still available when choosing your own cabin location.

Are last-minute cruises always cheaper?

Booking a last-minute cruise does not necessarily mean you’ll find the cheapest fare. In fact, a quick search on Royal Caribbean’s website shows that many of the cheapest fares listed when filtering the search from “Price: Low to High” are for many months in advance.

Cruise pricing is extremely dynamic and quite unpredictable, so just because a cruise is departing in a few days does not mean the price will always be cheaper than a cruise several months later. In fact, the cheapest cruise fares are usually found right when Royal Caribbean releases new itineraries, which is usually around two years prior to the departure date.

Read more: How to find the cheapest cabins on Royal Caribbean

That being said, it's still possible to find last-minute deals, but you should not expect to always see cheap fares close to departure.

Repricing non last-minute cruise deals

While the prospect of booking a last-minute, cheap cruise fare may seem tempting, it's not necessarily the best way to find a cheap cruise.

Booking in advance can actually offer a cheaper (and more flexible) cruising experience due to Royal Caribbean's repricing policy.

No matter how far in advance you book a cruise, you're able to reprice your cruise an unlimited amount of times prior to final payment. If you initially paid $1500 for a 7-night cruise and the price drops to $1200, Royal Caribbean will refund you the difference in fare.

Read more: Do cruise prices drop?

The only downside to repricing a cruise is that you are unable to reprice the cruise after final payment date. Therefore if the cruise suddenly drops in price ~50 days prior to departure, you'll be stuck paying a higher fare than those booking last-minute.

However, booking earlier is recommended. More often than not, a last-minute cruise deal will not occur for your sailing. Extremely cheap last-minute cruises are the exception, not the rule.

Cancellation policy for last-minute cruises

Because last-minute cruises are booked so close to departure, there is not as much cancellation flexibility compared to booking a cruise months or years in advance. Depending on when you book a last-minute cruise, you may have to pay a cancellation charge if you decide to cancel the sailing.

Ranging from 25% to 100% of the total cost of your cruise, cancellation fees can easily reach thousands of dollars. Therefore, it’s important to be 100% certain you plan to cruise before you book a last-minute sailing.

Royal Caribbean has the following cancellation policy, with cruise cancellation charges varying depending on how far in advance you cancel a cruise:

Cancellation charges on 1-4 night cruises

• 75+ days prior to departure: no charge (except nonrefundable deposit)
• 74 to 61 days: 50% of total price
• 60 to 31 days: 75% of total price
• 30 days or less: 100% of total price (no refund)

Cancellation charges on 5+ night sailings

• 90+ days prior to departure: no charge (except nonrefundable deposit)
• 89 to 75 days: 25% off total price
• 74 to 61 days: 50% off total price
• 60 to 31 days: 75% off total price
• 30 days or less: 100% of total price (no refund)

Pros of booking a last-minute cruise

Great savings

If you’re lucky enough to find a cheap last-minute cruise deal, you can have a truly amazing cruise experience on a budget. Saving money on cruise fare can mean splurging on extras like spa treatments, drink packages, or even a higher category stateroom.

Spontaneous vacation

Spontaneous adventures, whether road trips, date nights, or vacations, are a whole lot of fun. Transitioning from normal life to life on a cruise with little notice can be exhilarating. After all, why spend the weekend watching TV at home when you could be relaxing in the Caribbean?

Cons of booking a last-minute cruise

Cruise addons

Booking a last-minute cruise means you are late to the game when it comes to booking cruise addons like shore excursions and dining packages. By the time you book your cruise, you may find much less availability on excursions and dining packages may be sold out.

Prices of cruise addons may be more expensive as well, as you don’t have the ability to book addons far in advance and later cancel and rebook if you see a cheaper price.

Airfare and hotel prices

Booking a last-minute cruise may mean spending more on transportation to and from the cruise departure port. Airfare, rental cars, train tickets, and hotels tend to only increase in price over time.

You’ll also have less choice when it comes to booking a flight schedule and hotel, which can lead to less than ideal scenarios.

Fewer stateroom choices

One of the biggest cons of a last-minute cruise is that fewer stateroom choices are available. How much this matters to you depends on your cruising style, as some passengers spend a lot of time in their cabin and others view the cabin as just a place to shower and sleep.

Booking at the last minute comes with far fewer stateroom categories than booking in advance, which could leave you disappointed.

Logistics can get complicated

If you have pets, figuring out who can watch them while you’re away on short notice is not always easy. If you have kids, it can be difficult to take them out of school at the last minute when homework, tests, and activities are happening throughout the week.

Planning a last-minute cruise can be more complicated for some passengers than others, so it’s important to consider logistics before booking.

More cruise planning resources:

• What to know about booking a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How to plan a Royal Caribbean cruise on any budget
• Top 9 bad mistakes to make on a Royal Caribbean cruise

A cruise delayed is not a cruise denied.

We were supposed to sail on Serenade of the Seas last week, but my kids caught the flu from school, so we had to push our plans back a week. We cancelled the first sailing (which we got a 100% future cruise credit because we booked under Royal Caribbean's flexible cancellation policy known as Cruise with Confidence) and then booked a new sailing for the following week so we can still do a back-to-back cruise.

Our cruise sails from Vancouver, so we flew from Orlando to Seattle and then rented a car to drive from Seattle to Vancouver.  After spending two nights in Vancouver to explore, it's time to cruise!

We stayed at the Pan Pacific hotel, which is attached to cruise port at Canada Place.  The hotel's cruise package allows for bell services to take your baggage down to the ship and you can then take the elevator downstairs and board the ship. Perfect for our family!

For check-in, we took the elevator downstairs and walked through the convention center to find the check-in area. There were three ships in port today, each with a line for them.

I had 11am check-in window, but the suite concierge emailed us before the cruise to say we had the option of coming in up to an hour early, so we arrived at 10am.

Once the line opened, check-in was easy and we breezed through check-in, security, and customs. Interestingly we went through U.S. Customs even though we were in Canada because I assume to save us the trouble when we get to Alaska later.

It took a while for the ship to be cleared and for boarding to begin. I think boarding didn't begin until around 11:30am.

Once we got onboard, our first stop was the Windjammer for lunch. 

Our next stop was the Vitality Spa to book my wife a massage. In a moment of fatherly weakness, I agreed to let my girls get their nails done in the spa.

We then walked around the ship to check out the various spaces, such as the cinema, fitness center, Schooner Bar and more.

We waited for our room to open on the pool deck. The morning rain had subsided, so it was nice to be outdoors with the breeze.

The cabins were ready at 2pm. For this cruise, we are booked in the two bedroom panoramic oceanview suite. 

There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a giant window in the living room. I'm hoping this will be perfect for glacier viewing.

We then headed down to the Schooner Bar to complete our muster drill.

We scoped out the main dining room table assignment. We are in the first seating, and got a table right by the window just for our family.

Adventure Ocean opened up for registration at 2pm, where we signed them up in case they end up going.

Our last stop on the list was the Suite Lounge to meet the suite concierge. 

By now the kids wanted to get back to the cabin to relax, so headed back to the room.

We had early dinner for this cruise (5:15pm), so we just enjoyed time in the room while we waited for our luggage to be delivered.

Dinner was right before sailaway, so we placed our order and then ran up to the helipad to enjoy sailaway out of Vancouver. 

Almost immediately, the ship passes under a bridge, and while windy and a little chilly, it was a great way to start the cruise.

I thought dinner went well for the first day, with the entire meal complete in just about an hour and fifteen minutes. Our waiters kept things moving and I enjoyed my Indian curry.

After dinner we walked through the Centrum shops. They had a lot of Alaska souvenirs. In fact, it seemed most of the store was exclusively Alaska gifts, with a few generic Royal Caribbean souvenirs in the back.

The kids quickly got bored of hanging with us, so they went back to the cabin to play on their devices.  My wife and I took the opportunity to grab a couple of cocktails in the Suite Lounge.

Tomorrow is a sea day.

Stray Observations

Here's the price of the Royal Caribbean drink package (alcohol) if you bought it onboard.

Every Radiance Class ship has a piece of "art" at the top of the Centrum elevator bank. On Serenade, it's a pair of cows.

There are set times where kids can use the pool in the Solarium on this cruise because of the cold weather.

Happy Sunday! It is getting hot outside these days, and the Royal Caribbean news this week is equally heated.

Royal Caribbean updated guests still holding a future cruise credit with some good news this week.

Any future cruise credit you may have from the Covid-era now has no expiration date and is good indefinitely.

As of June 1, 2022, Royal Caribbean announced that all unredeemed future cruise credits (FCC) offered under the Cruise with Confidence program will no longer expire.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean will keep full deposit if you cancel your non-refundable cruise fare going forward
• Above-average hurricane season predicted for 2022: What that means for cruise ships
• Royal Caribbean updates: Tropical Storm Alex, infant policy & more
• Guide to Alaska cruise excursions
• Local's Guide of what to do in Sitka, Alaska
• How far in advance to book an Alaska cruise
• The Ultimate Cruise Packing List
• 20 tips for a Royal Caribbean honeymoon cruise

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 457th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, reviewing Kurt's recent Enchantment of the Seas cruise.

Kurt shares what is experience was like having recently sailed on Enchantment of the Seas from Baltimore.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: What everyone should include in their cruise carry-on!

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — What everyone should include in their cruise carry-on! — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Subtle changes Royal Caribbean made on Wonder of the Seas

Every cruise ship Royal Caribbean builds is slightly different from the last, and Wonder of the Seas has its own set of tweaks.

Besides the amazing new shows and areas you wont find any other Oasis Class ship, here are a few subtle changes Royal Caribbean made to Wonder of the Seas that I noticed (and most of them I liked).

Freedom of the Seas Guide & Review

Freedom of the Seas currently sails 3- and 4-night short Bahamas cruises from Miami, and it's a popular weekend getaway ship

If you’re considering booking a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, be sure to read this planning and overview guide so you are fully prepared for your upcoming cruise vacation.

Things I've tried on Royal Caribbean that I won't do again

Allie listed the things she's done on a cruise ship that she won't be doing again.

We all have our own set of "one and done" lists, and this week focuses on the activities and choices Allie made on Royal Caribbean that she'll skip next time around.

While I absolutely love cruising and traveling, we all know that sometimes things don’t go exactly as we planned. Sometimes we try things that just don’t live up to our expectations. Other times, we are wowed by something that we never had on our radar.

Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships are built to appeal to a wide demographic, so we aren’t necessarily meant to love everything a cruise ship has to offer. 

Traveling can also just be unpredictable - I’ve definitely had my fair share of travel woes over the years.

Take for instance the time my family flew all the way to Brazil to meet up with me on my Semester at Sea - just in time for the Brazilian embassy to go on strike and hold our passports hostage. I’ll also never forget the time I traveled 9 hours inland for a safari in Senegal only to see zero animals in the wild. 

With cruising back in full force, I’ve been reflecting on my Royal Caribbean cruising experience over the years. After 30 cruises, there are certainly things that I won’t be doing in the future after learning some valuable lessons. 

Here’s a list of everything that I tried on a Royal Caribbean cruise that I won’t do again.

Booking an excursion every day

In our early days of cruising, we would have an excursion planned for every single port day. After doing this a few times, we all decided that an excursion each day was simply too much. 

Most of the time, we had to get up earlier than we wanted to on vacation so we could have breakfast and get ready in time. We’d be in the sun all day doing whatever fun activity we had planned. By the time we got back to the ship, we would be exhausted!

Of course, having some excursions planned can really maximize time in port. Excursions definitely have a time and place.

I just don’t think we will be booking back-to-back excursions anymore. Not only is this very expensive to book multiple Royal Caribbean excursions, but it doesn’t allow for flexibility. Sometimes it’s nice to have a slow start to your morning and not have any plans set in stone. It’s good to have rest days, even if it means being on your own schedule. 

Having a stateroom at the very front of the ship

When I sailed to Hawaii with my family, we were offered an upgrade to a 2-bedroom suite onboard the cruise ship. We were so excited to have a huge room because we normally cruise in inside cabins.  

Our Hawaii stateroom was absolutely gorgeous. It had a separate bedroom for kids down a long curvy hallway. We also had our own bathroom, which was so nice. It felt like cruising in luxury!

But we learned immediately why no one had booked it. The hallway to our bedroom was so curvy because it wrapped around the very front of the ship. Maybe we just had bad luck with rough seas, but we were all sick every night that the ship was sailing. 

We heard that the Pacific Ocean is often more rocky than the Atlantic or Mediterranean, so we really should have done some thinking about that before jumping on the upgrade offer.

I won’t be booking a cabin at the very front and top of the ship, regardless of how good of a deal it is! It isn’t worth it to be seasick every night, regardless of how beautiful the stateroom is. 

Not making dinner reservations

This seems to be a problem that’s getting progressively worse with cruising. On a recent Harmony of the Seas cruise, we didn’t make any reservations for dinner because we wanted to have some flexibility. We had booked My Time Dining, so we thought we could eat whenever we wanted.

That was clearly not the case. Apparently, everyone had booked dinner reservations prior to coming onboard. My Time Dining used to mean we could just show up and be seated whenever we wanted. Now, everyone makes reservations for My Time Dining and if you don’t have one, you’ll be waiting in line before getting seated.

We were panicked at first, as my dad prefers to eat earlier than most people. The hostess was able to get us a set table each night for the early dining time, which resolved our issue thankfully. 

But, we learned a valuable lesson! We won’t be winging it with reservations on future cruises, especially on Oasis Class ships.

Taking a red eye flight the night before a cruise

We never fly into a port the same day as our cruise, but my husband and I found ourselves stuck with a red eye flight that landed in the early morning on our cruise departing. 

We were sailing right after Christmas on Jewel of the Seas from San Juan. We booked a direct flight from Minneapolis to San Juan that landed at 6 a.m. on the morning of the cruise. This flight was reasonably priced on Sun Country for $200, but every other airline was charging astronomical prices for non-direct flights. 

I was so stressed about the possibility of a delay that I had a hard time getting excited about the cruise. Even though it seemed like the best flight option, I was so worried about having a delay or cancellation that would prevent us from boarding our cruise. 

In the future, I will continue to spend extra if it means we can get into a port the day before the cruise. It’s not worth risking your cruise entirely, even if it saves a bit of money!

Wasting time at the spa giveaway

One time, we got roped into attending a spa giveaway in our early days of cruising. It was during the set sail party too, so we were hoping it would be worthwhile to miss the departure views of the ship sailing off. 

We should have known that nothing onboard is really free once you get on the cruise ship, as Royal Caribbean wants you to spend money onboard. 

My sister is notoriously lucky and won the "giveaway." We were all thrilled for her, clapping and cheering when they called her name. We were obviously thinking it was going to be a really nice prize.

Of course, it was far from a free spa treatment or service. The prize was something like, “Spend $300 and save $100 on a spa treatment if you book by Day 2.” This is probably a decent deal if you were already going to spend money at the spa, but we didn’t have any plans to spend money there in the first place. 

As such, we’ve never gone back to a spa giveaway on our Royal Caribbean cruises - or any other giveaway for that matter! We would rather spend our time on other activities that we enjoy more, like hot tubbing in the Solarium with a cocktail in hand.

Splurging on a spa treatment

Since we are on the topic of going to the spa, I won’t be returning for any spa treatment on future Royal Caribbean cruises. 

I know some people have great experiences with going to the spa and that’s a big part of their vacation. I am not really a spa person to begin with; I don’t get my nails or hair done often and rarely have massages. 

I had never had a spa treatment on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship before, but I was feeling proud that I had survived my husband’s deployment and wanted to treat myself to a massage. I had woken up with a sore neck after our ship hit some rough waters, so what better time to indulge!

The treatment was $200, which is half of what the entire 7-night cruise cost. That was a tough pill to swallow, but I figured this was a special treat to myself and not something I do often.

Halfway through the hot stone massage, the masseuse told me I had a mass on my shoulder. I was confused and asked her if she meant that I had a knot, as this was the reason I came to the spa in the first place. 

She said no, it wasn’t a knot, and I needed to go to the doctor back home for a biopsy to be done on the mass. She even stated, “Early detection is good.”  

I was absolutely shocked and flabbergasted. I broke down in tears with the stress overwhelming me. I wondered how I was supposed to enjoy the rest of my vacation with this looming thought. 

She then asked if I wanted to schedule a consultation with the acupuncturist to help with my anxiety. I was so disheartened by the experience that I left in tears. I’m a naturally anxious person, so she probably couldn’t have said this to a worse person. 

Luckily, I spoke to the spa manager and she was deeply sorry about the issue. She offered me a full refund and assured me that this should have never happened. Of course, I just had bad luck that this happened. I am sure the masseuse had good intentions, but she isn’t a medical professional.

After this unfortunate experience, I won’t be treating myself to anything at the spa again. 

Sliding down the waterslides

My last few cruises had brand-new waterslides that I was excited to try out. Both times, we had to wait in short lines but I was excited to try them out. 

As I flung myself down the entrance of the slide, it seemed that I was barely putzing my way down the waterslide. I don’t know if that’s the intent of the slides and perhaps smaller cruisers have a more exhilarating time. 

I guess I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I won’t be spending my time trying the waterslides anymore. These are definitely aimed at kids, but are meant to be family friendly for cruisers of all ages. 

Even though I didn’t have to wait long, I would have been bummed if I had waited in a long line to have an underwhelming experience. 

A Royal Caribbean cruise is a wonderful way to honeymoon. Everything is taken care of for you, from dining to cleaning, entertainment, and transportation.

Being able to sit back and relax with your new husband or wife is a stress-free way to kick off your marriage, but there’s a lot of planning behind the scenes to ensure you have the best honeymoon cruise possible.

From choosing a ship to splurging on a stateroom and shore excursions, here are our top 20 tips for planning a Royal Caribbean honeymoon cruise.

Choose a cruise ship wisely

The first step to booking a honeymoon cruise is choosing which ship will work best for your preferences. Not all Royal Caribbean ships are built the same, varying in size, amenities, dining options, itineraries, and entertainment.

Reading through our guide on each class of Royal Caribbean cruise ships can be a great starting point to determining which type of ships seem most interesting to you. Smaller ships, like Vision or Radiance Class, may not have as many bells and whistles, but offer fascinating itineraries around the world.

Royal Caribbean’s largest ships, like Quantum or Oasis Class, truly follow the mindset that the ship is the destination. From water slides to ziplines, countless bars and restaurants, and unique entertainment venues, big ships offer many amenities not found on other ships in the fleet.

Read more: 8 questions to ask yourself before picking a cruise ship

Each type of cruise ship has its own pros and cons, so determining what you value in a cruise vacation can help you make a decision. Speaking with a good travel agent can be helpful as well, as they will be able to gauge your interests and cruising style to better help you pick the best cruise ship possible for your honeymoon.

Pick the best itinerary for you

Royal Caribbean offers itineraries around the world, from the fjords of Alaska to the beaches of the South Pacific. It’s important to choose your itinerary wisely to ensure you aren’t left disappointed while on your honeymoon.

Beach lovers will be pleased with either a Caribbean or South Pacific cruise, but individual islands can vary in terms of what activities are offered. Reading through reviews of ports and shore excursions can be a solid starting point for picking a cruise itinerary.

Read more: How to choose the right Caribbean sailing

Islands like St. Thomas and St. Maarten offer a totally different experience than the Western Caribbean ports of Costa Maya and Cozumel, whereas some itineraries will focus more on Royal Caribbean’s private destinations than others.

If you’re not a fan of laying at the beach, look for itineraries in more active destinations. Mediterranean cruises, for example, tend to focus more on visiting historical sites, monuments, and towns along the coast.

There is no “best itinerary” when it comes to a cruise, so taking a look at what types of activities you prefer doing when on shore is the first step toward picking the right itinerary for your honeymoon.

Splurge on an amazing stateroom

Say goodbye to interior cabins and say hello to balconies and suites. While it’s totally fine to cruise on a budget, consider splurging a bit more on your honeymoon. It is your honeymoon after all!

A balcony will be especially nice to have on a honeymoon cruise as it provides a private outdoor area where you and your spouse can relax, have a drink, and enjoy each other’s company.

If you’re looking to treat yourself even more, though, look into suite options for a more luxurious cruise vacation. Suites can vary by ship, but they all include benefits such as priority boarding and departure, concierge service, Suite Lounge access, priority dining reservations, luxury bathroom amenities, VIP pool deck seating, and more.

Oasis and Quantum Class ships have the Royal Suite Class, which provides all of the benefits above plus complimentary access to the suites-only Coastal Kitchen restaurant and–depending on your suite category–access to a Royal Genie.

If you're wondering whether or not a suite is worth it on your honeymoon, check out our YouTube video:

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Use RoyalUp

While booking the biggest suite in Royal Caribbean’s fleet may sound nice, it’s definitely not in everyone’s honeymoon budget. If you’re looking for the chance to upgrade your stateroom at a lower cost, try bidding through the RoyalUp program.

RoyalUp is Royal Caribbean’s bidding system that can be used to make “bids” on upgraded stateroom categories. If you booked an interior room, for example, and are hoping to upgrade to a balcony stateroom, you can make a bid through RoyalUp. If your bid is accepted, you’ll be placed in the upgraded stateroom category.

RoyalUp is a bit of a gamble, so it’s not recommended to rely on winning a bid every time. However, if you want to try upgrading stateroom categories without spending as much money as booking the stateroom outright, it’s worth a try.

Read more: How to upgrade your cabin on Royal Caribbean

Consider an Alaska cruise for your honeymoon

While the word “honeymoon” tends to stir up images of sandy beaches and palm trees, a cruise to Alaska can be an unexpectedly amazing honeymoon idea.

Alaska cruises are undeniably gorgeous, with mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and wildlife around every corner. Unlike in the Caribbean where days at sea will have views of, well, the ocean, Alaska cruises almost always have picturesque scenery surrounding the ship.

Cruises to Alaska sail through the state’s Inside Passage, so you and your spouse can enjoy a peaceful morning in bed or on your balcony while viewing colossal mountains and glaciers. Alaska cruises make for some unforgettable shore excursions as well, from helicopter tours to whale watching and kayaking.

The weather on an Alaska cruise may be colder than what you’ll experience on a tropical honeymoon, but it offers the perfect excuse to cuddle up with a blanket in bed with your new husband or wife.

Read more: 50 tips for planning your Alaska cruise

Book with a travel agent

Booking a Royal Caribbean cruise with a travel agent is always a good idea, but especially for a honeymoon cruise. With all the stress that comes with planning a wedding, you don’t want to worry about organizing all of the details of your cruise vacation, too.

A good travel agent will cost nothing extra and will be an extremely valuable resource for you and your spouse before and during the cruise. They can offer advice on itineraries, ship choice, things to do in port, and onboard amenities. If you have any questions or concerns for Royal Caribbean, they will be the ones to contact the cruise line, meaning you won’t have to waste time figuring out your own solutions and waiting on hold on the phone.

Read more: Top 5 things to look for in a good travel agent for your cruise vacation

Book a specialty dining package

While you can enjoy plenty of complimentary dining options on a Royal Caribbean cruise, celebrating your honeymoon onboard is a great excuse to book a dining package. Whether you book the 3-night Dining Package or Unlimited Dining Package, you’ll have the opportunity to try Royal Caribbean’s diverse and high-quality specialty restaurants.

Specialty dining venues cover a wide range of cuisines, from Italian to Japanese and classic American steakhouse fare. Some of our favorites include 150 Central Park if you’re in the mood for an elegant meal or Izumi Hibachi if you’d rather have a more lively dining experience.

If you’re on the fence of whether or not to purchase a dining package for your honeymoon cruise, our video on the pros and cons of a dining package should help you make a decision:

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Book a beverage package

Just like a dining package, a Royal Caribbean drink package will also enhance your honeymoon cruise. Being able to order wine, cocktails, beer, and spirits without worrying about the cost of each individual drink will make your day to day onboard less stressful. Three types of beverage packages are available: the Soda Package, Refreshment Package, and Deluxe Beverage Package.

The Deluxe Beverage Package is best for passengers who drink alcoholic beverages, as it covers all alcoholic drinks up to $13. Nonalcoholic beverages are included in the package as well, such as fresh squeezed juices, soda, and specialty coffee drinks.

If your honeymoon cruise visits Royal Caribbean’s private destinations of Perfect Day at CocoCay or Labadee, your drink package will work on shore as well, giving extra value to your purchase.

Read more: Royal Caribbean Drink Package Info, Tips, Pros & Cons

Treat yourself to amazing shore excursions

While it’s fun to treat yourself onboard with dining packages, an upgraded stateroom, room service, and spa treatments, don’t forget about booking amazing shore excursions while in port. Royal Caribbean cruises visit some incredible destinations, each of which has a plethora of activities to fit all interests.

It’s important to research the ports you will be visiting and make note of any activities or places that look interesting to you. You want your honeymoon to go as smoothly as possible, so having a general idea of what you plan to do each day will be helpful.

Read more: Guide to picking the perfect Royal Caribbean shore excursion

If you’re in the mood for a fun-filled beach day, an all-inclusive day pass at a resort or a catamaran tour may be of interest. Adrenaline seekers may consider ziplining tours, snorkeling, or scuba diving. History lovers will enjoy visiting Mayan ruins, ancient European cities, and local museums.

If you’re visiting Perfect Day at CocoCay, a day pass at the Coco Beach Club can be a really nice enhancement to your day on shore. If you value having a more secluded, private area to enjoy with your spouse along with a delicious Mediterranean lunch at the Coco Beach Club restaurant, definitely look into spending the day at the Coco Beach Club.

Read more: Coco Beach Club: cost, tips & review

Start a Honeymoon Registry

Why book shore excursions, specialty restaurants, and massages yourself when your friends and family can purchase them for you? Royal Caribbean has its own Honeymoon Registry program, where you can start a registry tailored to your specific cruise ship and interests.

You can register for as many activities, room upgrades, shore excursions, dining packages, and other cruise addons as you wish. Your registry will have its own link, which your friends and family can access to purchase items from your wishlist. Purchases will be “delivered” to you via onboard credit during the cruise.

Reserve a private cabana

If your honeymoon cruise visits Perfect Day at CocoCay, consider reserving a cabana for your day on shore. Cabanas are available around the island, whether at Oasis Lagoon, Thrill Waterpark, Chill Beach, or the Coco Beach Club.

Cabanas offer a private enclave on the island, with seating, hammocks, shade, complimentary beach mats, lockable storage, cabana concierge service, charging outlets, and more.

If you’re really looking to splurge, reserve a floating cabana at the Coco Beach Club. These cabanas feature comfy seating, pool chairs, an over-the-water hammock, waterslide, freshwater shower, drink cooler, and cabana service. They also include lunch at the Coco Beach Club restaurant, which you can enjoy at the restaurant itself or from the privacy of your floating cabana.

Read more: Guide to CocoCay cabanas

If a cabana is too expensive for your budget, a daybed is a nice alternative, although Perfect Day at CocoCay has so many chairs and umbrellas that spending extra money is not totally necessary.

Cabanas are also available at Royal Caribbean's other private destination, Labadee, and may be available in various ports of call as well.

Consider booking a photo package

Once onboard your cruise, you will notice photographers who are available to capture memories of your cruise vacation. Having your picture taken by Royal Caribbean’s photographers is completely free, but purchasing the photos will come at an additional cost.

A photo package can be purchased ahead of time on Royal Caribbean’s Cruise Planner website. Prices can vary, but expect to spend around $150-200 for packages with 20-100 photos, which can be delivered in print or digital format.

While you will likely take many photos on your phone, purchasing professional photos onboard can be a nice way to remember your honeymoon and all the fun memories, both onboard and in port, that went with it.

Request a private table in the Main Dining Room

If you’re hoping for a more intimate dining atmosphere in the Main Dining Room on your honeymoon, make sure to request a private table for you and your spouse. With so many passengers onboard, it’s not always guaranteed that you will, by default, be seated at your own private table.

While dining with strangers and making new friends can be nice, having a private table will mean more quality time to spend together.

Treat yourself to room service

Not much feels more luxurious than breakfast in bed with views of the ocean outside your window. Whether pancakes at breakfast or salmon at dinner, ordering room service on a honeymoon cruise is a must.

Royal Caribbean’s room service is not free, with the exception of continental breakfast. However, it comes at a price of only $7.95 per order, per room, so ordering room service occasionally is almost always worth the extra cost for convenience on any honeymoon cruise.

Read more: Royal Caribbean room service guide & tips

Book a spa treatment

A honeymoon is all about treating yourself and enjoying time together as newlyweds. Why not book a spa treatment together to enhance your cruise? Royal Caribbean offers a variety of couples treatments at the Vitality Spa, from a deep tissue massage to aroma stone therapy. Whichever treatment you choose, you’re guaranteed to leave the spa refreshed and relaxed.

If your ship has a thermal spa onboard, this can be another nice splurge on a honeymoon cruise. Thermal spas include hot stone loungers, steam rooms, saunas, and rainforest showers that bring the ultimate feeling of relaxation and luxury to a cruise vacation. Thermal spa passes can be purchased for the week and there’s often a discount if you buy a pass as a couple.

Go on a sunset stroll

All of Royal Caribbean’s ships offer plenty of places onboard to relax with a beautiful view, and heading outside for a casual stroll at sunset is a nice way to spend an evening on a honeymoon cruise.

The outdoor promenade deck or pool deck make for a nice walking path where you can take a few laps around the ship to take in the ocean and sunset views. Sometimes the most romantic of memories on a cruise vacation are found in the simplest of activities.

Purchase The Key

The Key is an addon you can purchase before a Royal Caribbean cruise that gives passengers exclusive amenities throughout the cruise. Benefits of The Key include:

• Priority access into the terminal on Day 1
• Carry-on bag drop off in the Main Dining Room with stateroom delivery
• Exclusive embarkation day lunch in the Main Dining Room with the Chops Grille menu
• Private time at onboard activities such as rock climbing and the FlowRider
• Early access at entertainment venues
• VOOM Surf & Stream internet for 1 device
• Exclusive breakfast on disembarkation day and choice departure

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There are pros and cons of purchasing The Key, but it can be a nice way to enhance a honeymoon cruise. Priority boarding, exclusive time at activities, and private meals can help bring that feeling of exclusivity to your honeymoon and allow you to experience more onboard with less time waiting in lines.

Surprise your spouse with a treat

Another addon that can be purchased prior to your cruise are surprises that will arrive in your stateroom on embarkation day. Plates of chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, chocolate cake, cheese trays, wine, and more are available to purchase on the Cruise Planner website.

Purchasing an item ahead of time means it will be delivered to your stateroom on the first day of the cruise, offering the perfect start to your honeymoon and a nice way to surprise your spouse with a treat.

Fly in the day before your cruise departs

One of our top cruise tips at Royal Caribbean Blog is to never fly to your cruise departure port on embarkation day. It’s always a better idea to fly in the day before your cruise begins. If your cruise leaves Miami on Monday, for example, make sure to arrive on Sunday.

Weather delays, flight cancellations, technical problems, highway congestion, and other unexpected circumstances can cause you to miss your cruise if you don’t leave enough buffer time. Flying in a day ahead of time gives you more wiggle room to catch a later flight or figure out alternate transportation options in case of delays.

It’s better to fly in a day ahead of time and spend the night in a hotel than to miss your honeymoon cruise altogether!

Read more: Why you shouldn’t fly to your cruise the same day it begins

Spend extra time on land before and after the cruise

Our last tip is to consider spending extra time in your cruise departure port before or after the cruise to make the most of your honeymoon. Royal Caribbean cruises tend to depart from cities or areas with many activities, beaches, culinary scenes, and nightlife to explore.

Whether sunbathing in Miami, sightseeing in Barcelona, or visiting Disneyland in California, spending an extra day or two prior to your cruise in your departure port can be a fun way to kickstart your honeymoon.

Welcome to the first week of June, and we have a few different Royal Caribbean news updates to share.

There are many facets of cruising, and in an effort to keep you informed, here is a quick summary of the cruise news stories this week you should also be aware of, in addition to our other articles.

If you ever have a news tip, feel free to email it to [email protected] for possible inclusion in a future update!

Early Tropical Storm Alex could impact outlook

It looks like we will have our first named storm of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season this weekend when a depression comes over Mexico and into the Gulf of Mexico to form Tropical Storm Alex.

Given that it will likely pass through Florida over the weekend, there's a chance it could impact cruises. While no decision has been made yet to change or cancel any Royal Caribbean cruises yet, Royal Caribbean Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet produced a series of videos on Thursday morning to provide an outlook for what to potentially expect.

Mr. Van Fleet warned if there was going to be any kind of closure at the ports, it would probably be on Saturday, June 4.

If and when Royal Caribbean announces any cancellations or changes, guests will be directly notified.

Morning @RoyalCaribbean Guests, 3 videos breaking down this upcoming storm and what it could mean for the weekend. Please watch all three for full briefing. Video 1 - Storm track, timing, and Ports, Video 2, and Video 3 - breakdown of what each Ship can anticipate. Video 1: pic.twitter.com/oN3hU5tRVk

— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) June 2, 2022

Video 2: https://t.co/rGaJv0tqpS pic.twitter.com/9ifM8VY3Cu

— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) June 2, 2022

Video 3: https://t.co/NMhimFULcE pic.twitter.com/xjrkW8t35V

— James Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) June 2, 2022

The system is likely to become a tropical depression or tropical storm while it moves northwest over the northwest Caribbean and southeastern Gulf of Mexico. It is not expected to become a hurricane.

Follow James Van Fleet on Twitter for additional updates.

Cruise industry calls again to end international air travel covid testing

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) publicly called on the United States government to once again end pre-departure Covid-19 testing for air travelers coming to the United States.

The testing requirement is in place for all travelers, including U.S. citizens, whether they are vaccinated or not, to show a negative Covid test result before taking an international flight into the United States.

CLIA reaffirms its support for the elimination of the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated international air travelers to the United States, which will help support the return of international cruise travelers to U.S. ports, boosting local economies across nationwide. https://t.co/gazlR8syuI

— Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) (@CLIAGlobal) June 1, 2022

CLIA represents the interests of all the major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean reverts infant policy

Royal Caribbean has changed back a policy for the minimum age of infant cruisers.

In early May, Royal Caribbean made a change that considered St. Kitts and Perfect Day at CocoCay "sea days" as it relates to infants. Sailings with three consecutive sea days require infants to be 12 months or older at the beginning of the cruise, instead of 6 months.

This week, that policy change was reversed and Royal Caribbean's website no longer lists those islands as part of the policy.

Royal Caribbean meets with Alaska tour operators and local leaders

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley highlighted a recent visit with Alaska's port officials and community members.

Mr. Bayley shared on Facebook that Royal Caribbean stakeholders recently visited Anchorage, Seward, Ketchikan, and Sitka to meet with more than 15 community partners, tour operators, and local leaders.

"Throughout the 7-day visit to Alaska, stakeholders saw Royal Caribbean’s donations put into action! The donations will help expand programs like Ketchikan’s ocean preservation and community resilience, Sitka Trail Works’ scenic trail development, and support marine science programs in local high schools."

"One of our top pillars is caring for the communities we visit, so it is exciting when we get to see partnerships unfold!"

"Thank you to all of our partners in Alaska for your dedication to unmatched cruise guest experiences, and to our shoreside employees who continue to support Alaska in ensuring amazing cruise vacations across the board! Cheers to an amazing cruise season in Alaska!"

You won't have to worry every again about your unredeemed Royal Caribbean Cruise with Confidence future cruise credit expiring.

The change applies to future cruise credits a guest has received during the pandemic between 2020 and early 2022.

As of June 1, 2022, Royal Caribbean announced that all unredeemed future cruise credits (FCC) offered under the Cruise with Confidence program will no longer expire.

Future cruise credits were given to guests as a kind of voucher to represent the amount paid for a cruise. Guests either elected to receive them in lieu of a refund when Royal Caribbean cancelled a cruise, or took them when they decided to cancel a cruise reservation during the pandemic.

Prior to today's announcement, each credit had an expiration date when it had to be redeemed by, which gave some guests concern that they would lose out on the value of their money paid because they are unable or unwilling to cruise before the end of this year.

Royal Caribbean hopes this change will provide more flexibility for anyone with a FCC, as most FCCs were set to expire at the end of 2022.

A cruise credit issued as part of the Global Sailing Suspension (when Royal Caribbean cancelled the cruise, instead of the guest), the portion of the FCC value that represents 100% of the cruise fare paid on the original reservation will no longer expire. 

The incremental 25% bonus value, however, will maintain the current expiration date noted on the Future Cruise Credit and will remain active until this point.

All other FCC types remain unchanged and will continue to enforce the expiration date noted on the Future Cruise Credit.

The change in policy not only applies to Royal Caribbean International, but also Celebrity Cruises.

How do I redeem my credit?

Royal Caribbean has made it quite easy to redeem a future cruise credit, whether you are booking directly or with a travel agent.

The easiest way is to let your travel agent redeem it by providing them with the Certificate Number and booking ID.

Read more: Top things you didn't know travel agents can do for your cruise vacation

If you book on your own, here's how to redeem a FCC for a new booking on Royal Caribbean's website:

1. Find the sailing that you are interested in.
2. Select your cabin type and location.
3. Proceed to the payment page.
4. Enter your payment and personal information.
5. Enter your Future Cruise Credit number(s).
   • If you are booking multiple cabins, you can enter your Future Cruise Credit number(s) for each room.
6. Click “submit.”
7. You will receive an email letting you know if your credit was valid.
   • Any remaining balance of your Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be reissued to you as a new FCC after you complete your cruise.

Here’s how to redeem online for existing bookings:

1. Visit the Redemption page.
2. Enter your booking information.
3. Enter your Future Cruise Credit number(s).
4. Click “submit.”
5. You will receive an email letting you know if your credit was valid.
   • Any remaining balance of your Future Cruise Credit (FCC) will be reissued to you as a new FCC after you complete your cruise.