Choosing the right cruise ship is one of the most important steps when planning your cruise vacation. There is nothing worse than feeling disappointed on vacation, especially if you book a cruise ship that falls short of your expectations.

The top considerations for choosing a cruise ship should include your budget, itinerary preference, and travel group’s needs. This means if you’re traveling with children, you should properly research the amenities and attractions available for kids onboard.

However, if you’re looking to avoid sailing with kids or families, you’ll also want to carefully choose your cruise ship. Most mainstream cruise lines like Royal Caribbean appeal to families, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find ships that are best suited for adults.

I’ve been cruising for as long as I can remember with my first cruise at just three years old. My family sailed with Royal Caribbean every year when I was growing up, meaning I’ve sailed on just about every ship in the cruise line’s fleet. In addition, I’ve also sailed on every Royal Caribbean ship class - including the now-extinct Sovereign Class!

As you can imagine, cruising as an adult on Royal Caribbean is a vastly different experience. The waterslides and zip lines aren’t quite the draw for me anymore; instead, I prefer indulging in the more adult-focused activities and amenities.

Since my husband and I are still proud DINKs (double income, no kids), we typically book cruises on Royal Caribbean with the adult experience in mind. While you might not be able to avoid kids altogether, there are some Royal Caribbean ships that are better for adults than others.

Of the 46 cruises I’ve taken in my life, here are my picks for the best Royal Caribbean ships for adults.

1. Grandeur of the Seas

I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out. Looking at Royal Caribbean’s fleet as a whole, the Vision Class is arguably the best for adults. Why? Because the Vision Class ships have hardly anything to do for kids.

I’ve been sailing on Vision Class ships for two decades, starting with Enchantment of the Seas in 2005. As a kid, the ship was a total snooze fest with very few onboard thrills or attractions. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to appreciate the Vision Class ships more and more.

Last fall, I sailed on Grandeur of the Seas with my sister and we couldn’t believe how much we enjoyed our vacation. Grandeur of the Seas was built in 1996 and holds 1,992 guests at maximum capacity, making her a small-to-midsize cruise ship.

Yes, the cruise ship is 28 years old and lacks many bells and whistles of newer ships. Despite her age, adults looking to relax and disconnect will find this easy to do on old “Lady G." As a bonus, there were hardly any kids onboard and so many spaces to enjoy the ocean views. 

The ship has an adults-only indoor Solarium, along with a spa and plenty of bars and lounges. I was surprised to see there were multiple specialty dining restaurants onboard as well. These are excellent choices for adults looking to have a more upscale, intimate dining experience.

Not to mention, Grandeur of the Seas has a variety of itineraries available - ranging from weekend getaways to longer voyages down to the Southern Caribbean. I wouldn’t hesitate to book Grandeur of the Seas for another adult getaway.

2. Spectrum of the Seas

Perhaps the most unique ship on my list, Spectrum of the Seas is another excellent Royal Caribbean ship for adults. Back in July 2019, I sailed to China and Japan onboard Spectrum of the Seas, which was the first Quantum Ultra Class ship. It was unlike any Royal Caribbean cruise we had taken before!

You don’t read or hear much about Spectrum of the Seas, as she predominately operates only in East Asia; however, she is one of Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ships that has so much to offer for adults. As the largest ship on my list, Spectrum of the Seas clocks in at 169,000 gross tons and holds 5,622 guests at maximum capacity.

To start, Spectrum of the Seas offers some incredibly rare itineraries throughout Asia. For those destination-focused cruisers, this Quantum Ultra Class ship is one to consider for her itineraries alone. You can find sailings throughout Asia, including ports of call in China, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea.

In my experience, sailing on Spectrum of the Seas was a cultural experience in and of itself. The ship was designed to cater to the Asian market, giving her some distinctive attributes compared to other Royal Caribbean ships. The entertainment was top-notch with headliner production shows like The Effectors, Showgirl, and Silk Road.

You’ll also find a variety of specialty and complimentary dining restaurants onboard. Most notably, there are ten specialty dining options aboard including Wonderland, Jamie’s Italian, Chops Grille, Izumi, Sichuan Red, and Teppanyaki.

Additionally, you won’t have to fight the chair hogs during your cruise because the top decks are not jam-packed like other sailings. It was always easy to find an outdoor chair if we wanted a little bit of sun, ensuring a relaxing experience. I recommend booking a sailing when kids are in school - September to July - to ensure a quiet cruise.

3. Mariner of the Seas

Moving back to smaller and older cruise ships, Mariner of the Seas is one of my all-time favorite cruise ships as an adult. While the ship caters to cruisers of all ages, the Voyager Class cruise ship just received the Royal Amplification treatment worth $120 million. 

Mariner of the Seas is a modestly sized ship, measuring 138,000 gross tons and holding around 4,000 guests at capacity.

I’ve sailed on Mariner of the Seas multiple times and it never gets old! I first sailed on Mariner of the Seas in elementary school, followed by an exotic Southeast Asian itinerary to Thailand and Malaysia with my husband. Last year, I sailed on Mariner of the Seas twice for a fun getaway cruise to Mexico with friends and family.

To start, I love The Bamboo Room, which is a unique bar that was added to Mariner of the Seas during her Royal Amplification. The tiki bar is Polynesian-inspired with a special menu of tiki-themed drinks - it’s the perfect place for adults wanting to indulge in a variety of cocktails.

Also, Mariner of the Seas has a nice selection of complimentary and specialty dining options. For adults wanting to indulge, the specialty dining selection on Mariner is more than sufficient. In fact, her Royal Amplification also brought three new specialty restaurants: Playmakers Sports Bar, Jamie’s Italian, and Izumi Hibachi and Sushi.

Not to mention, I love the entertainment on Mariner of the Seas, especially the ice skating performances. Adults can spend time in the adults-only Solarium on Mariner of the Seas. Similar to other ships, I recommend booking a sailing during the school year to avoid too many kids onboard. Avoiding holidays and spring break will help mitigate the number of families onboard too.

4. Serenade of the Seas

As an adult, I’ve spent more time on Radiance Class ships than any other in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. This is mostly because Royal Caribbean’s Radiance Class ships sail on the more far-flung itineraries.

My husband and I sailed on Serenade of the Seas in 2021 on one of Royal Caribbean’s first post-pandemic cruises. Perhaps I am looking back with rose-colored glasses on that experience, but Serenade of the Seas was a great choice for adult cruisers.

During our sailing, there were very few kids onboard, which has been the case for almost all of my Radiance Class sailings. Serenade of the Seas is one of the smaller ships on my list, measuring 90,000 gross tons with 2,490 guests at capacity. You won’t find much for kids to do on this medium-sized ship, detracting families from booking their next trip on Serenade of the Seas.

The ship’s smaller size allows her to dock without restriction in most ports, unlike Royal Caribbean’s larger ships. This doesn’t mean you can’t find Royal Caribbean’s classic bars, lounges, and restaurants onboard for adults to enjoy.

Both of my experiences on Serenade of the Seas were memorable with one cruise to Alaska and another sailing across Northern Europe visiting 8 different countries. Adults looking to sail on Serenade of the Seas will appreciate the vast array of itineraries to book, from Alaska to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, and Europe.

In fact, Serenade of the Seas is currently sailing on Royal Caribbean’s first-ever Ultimate World Cruise. Those wanting an unparalleled Royal Caribbean experience can still book segments throughout Europe for this summer and into fall.

5. Rhapsody of the Seas

Looping back to Vision Class ships, I’m going to finish the list with another controversial pick: Rhapsody of the Seas. This old cruise ship was built in 1997 and represents a significantly different cruising era than the new mega-ships we see being built today.

I sailed on Rhapsody of the Seas a few years ago with my husband for our honeymoon. We sailed from Venice to Croatia and the Greek Isles. Given her small size of 78,000 gross tons, she can only hold around 1,900 guests at capacity, which creates a more intimate cruising experience.

Unlike Royal Caribbean’s biggest ships, Rhapsody of the Seas doesn’t have any flashy onboard thrills or attractions. You can peacefully sit on the top deck enjoying the ocean breeze without the commotion of waterslides or splash pads.

As one of the smallest ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, Rhapsody of the Seas was an excellent choice for us when we were newlyweds sailing on a budget. Even as an older ship, she was in good condition for sailing. The ship had everything we needed for a comfortable cruise without the distraction of kid-friendly thrills, leading to very few kids onboard. 

For a port-heavy itinerary, I would highly recommend Rhapsody of the Seas for any adults!

Just recently, Royal Caribbean Group announced enhanced benefits for their new Loyalty Status Match program. With the updated program, guests receive more equivalent loyalty perks across the cruise line’s three bands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and SilverSea Cruises.

While all three cruise brands are owned by Royal Caribbean Group, each cruise line has its own loyalty program. With status matching, you can receive similar perks regardless of which cruise line you sail with. However, the benefits between the programs are not identical and points earned on each cruise line are separate.

As a Diamond Plus member of Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Status, I was ecstatic about this announcement. The newly announced changes would go into effect just a few days before my recent cruise on Celebrity Apex. I couldn't believe how perfect the timing was!

Following the announcement, my husband and I were excited to utilize our new Elite Plus status for the first time. Here was my experience trying out Royal Caribbean’s new Loyalty Status Match program.

With Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society, I receive some very lucrative loyalty perks and benefits

Growing up, my family sailed religiously with Royal Caribbean, allowing me to achieve the second-highest loyalty status with the cruise line. I earned Diamond Plus status back in college and have continued utilizing the loyalty perks ever since.

The status benefits that I use most frequently include the following:

• Balcony discount
• Five free daily drinks up to $15
• Two free days of Internet
• BOGO specialty dining credit
• Diamond Lounge access
• One bag of free laundry
• One free professional photo

These loyalty perks have continued to incentivize me and my family to keep sailing with Royal Caribbean. Not to mention, my husband inherited my Diamond Plus status when we got married, allowing him to receive the same perks as I do.

The daily free drinks alone have saved us thousands of dollars over the years - it’s virtually a free drink package!

Even with these perks, my husband and I were wanting to expand our cruising horizons

Although Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are sister brands, the two cruise lines are distinct and appeal to different demographics. Celebrity Cruises is considered a premium cruise line compared to the family-friendly, more affordable Royal Caribbean brand.

For me and my husband, Celebrity Cruise’s ships and itineraries have become more appealing to us. Since we do not have kids yet, we appreciated the more upscale, adult-focused experience offered with Celebrity Cruises.

For our yearly summer vacation, we booked a 7-night Norwegian Fjord sailing from England to Norway and Belgium on Celebrity Apex. We wouldn’t have to entirely give up our loyalty perks either, which was a selling point for us!

When we booked our cruise, we originally received Elite status in the cruise line’s loyalty program, known as Captain’s Club. With the new Loyalty Status Match program, my husband and I both received a status bump from Elite to Elite Plus.

Similar to Royal Caribbean, this is the second-highest loyalty status in the Captain’s Club. Since we had already linked our loyalty numbers between Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean, the status change was automatic.

I was relieved to see the new status had already updated on our reservation a few days before we flew to London for our cruise. The boarding pass and SeaPass also reflected our new Elite Plus status - elevating our pre-cruise excitement even more.

We received an overview of Elite Plus perks in our stateroom on boarding day

Upon arrival in our stateroom, we received a letter outlining our Elite Plus benefits that we would receive during our cruise. These perks were similar to our Diamond Plus benefits with benefits for internet, drinks, specialty dining, spa, coffee, and more.

We were most excited to see that Elite Plus benefits included nightly happy hour with unlimited cocktails and free specialty coffees each day! Other benefits we planned to use included the 15% discount on specialty dining, 35% discount on internet, and two free loads of laundry.

Unfortunately, the nightly happy hour with unlimited cocktails excludes embarkation day for an unknown reason. Because of this, we immediately missed having our daily drink vouchers that we receive on Royal Caribbean. Loyalty drink vouchers can be used immediately after you board your cruise, which is always the perfect start to vacation.

On the first day of our cruise, we also purchased an internet package using the Elite Plus discount. The Premium Full Package Wi-Fi included two devices for $268.40 with a 35% discount applied. The loyalty discount saved us $144.53!

I appreciated having a percentage discount with Celebrity Cruises compared to Royal Caribbean’s two free days. For longer itineraries, you can save way more with Captain’s Club compared to Royal Caribbean’s static $52 discount for internet.

One of the best perks was having complimentary specialty coffee each morning!

My husband and I both prefer starting our morning with specialty coffee, like lattes or cappuccinos, compared to standard drip coffee. Considering specialty coffee is upwards of $7 per drink, this can add up quickly on a 7-night cruise between the two of us.

Celebrity cruise ships have a lovely coffee shop called Cafe al Bacio, where you can order specialty coffees. Cafe a Bacio also serves complimentary pastries, cakes, and goodies throughout the day.

The barista confirmed on the first morning that we could have specialty coffee for free with our Elite Plus status. There were seemingly no restrictions or limits, except for alcoholic coffees.

Each morning, we would stop by Cafe al Bacio before starting our day, along with a delicious sticky bun to share. This was a perk that would require a drink voucher with Royal Caribbean, so we appreciated the indulgence each morning!

Although we missed having drink vouchers, the nightly happy hour was a great perk

Before the pandemic, Royal Caribbean provided a nightly happy hour with unlimited cocktails for those with Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle status. After the cruise restart, Royal Caribbean changed how loyalty drinks would be served to mitigate crowding in the Diamond Lounge.

The cruise line updated this benefit to include daily drink vouchers, which could be used for almost every cocktail from any bar throughout the day. There was no longer a specific time frame when the drinks had to be used either. Most would agree this was an enhanced benefit!

On the other hand, Celebrity Cruises still only provides a nightly happy hour from 5pm to 7pm each evening for Elite, Elite Plus, and Zenith loyalty members. The perk is nearly identical to Royal Caribbean’s old system.

As such, we planned our days around this nightly happy hour, as we certainly wouldn’t miss out on our free drinks! We only had two sea days with four port stops, meaning most of our time was ashore. Luckily, most of the bars onboard Celebrity Apex participated in the happy hour around the ship.

Read more: Celebrity Cruises Drink Package Info, Tips, Pros & Cons

We were allowed to order unlimited cocktails from a limited menu, including cocktails like a Manhattan, Apple Martini, Cosmo, Screwdriver, and Sidecar. Other drinks included a selection of beer and wine. Trying the many bars around Celebrity Apex was a highlight of our time onboard!

However, we missed the flexibility of Royal Caribbean’s drink vouchers. While unlimited cocktails during happy hour is definitely a lucrative loyalty perk, I wish Celebrity Cruises would integrate this benefit from Royal Caribbean.

With the 15% specialty dining discount, we splurged on two restaurants during our cruise

One of the bigger perks that comes with Elite Plus status is a 15% discount for specialty dining cover charges. Since Celebrity Apex has some of the best specialty restaurants in the fleet, we were excited to try this benefit.

When we cruise with Royal Caribbean, my husband and I both receive the buy one, get one free specialty dining cover. This is essentially a coupon for 50% off, which we always use! Comparatively, Celebrity Cruises offers 15% off all specialty cover charges, which can be used as many times as you want.

During our cruise, we decided to try dinner at the Rooftop Garden Grill. Although it was freezing outside, the meal was fantastic! The 15% discount saved us around $16.20, with the entire meal costing $91.80.

In addition, my husband is a big fan of sushi and wanted to try Raw on 5. We decided to come here for lunch during our first sea day. My husband loved the oysters and the sushi, while my pork belly was just okay. We saved about $5.40, which isn’t anything to write home about but I will take any discount!

Overall, we typically save more on specialty dining with Royal Caribbean’s BOGO discount compared to Celebrity’s 15% discount. We only saved a little over $20 on this cruise with the discount compared to $100 on Royal Caribbean. However, we were always planning to try a few of Celebrity Apex’s specialty restaurants, so the status bump saved us money!

Although not as lucrative, my husband loved the laundry benefit!

Laundry isn’t necessarily an exciting topic - at home or on vacation. Royal Caribbean provides Diamond Plus guests with one free bag of laundry for each cruise. With this, my husband always sends his laundry to be done with our loyalty perk.

He finds the onboard laundry worthwhile when cruising so he has less to do when we get home. It’s not bad logic, and he is always grateful when we get back home and has less laundry to do than me!

So, you can imagine he was excited to see Celebrity Cruises allocated two free bags of laundry with Elite Plus. He utilized both of his free laundry coupons during our 7-night cruise. One bag of laundry on Celebrity Cruises is $50 for a bag, so this benefit was worth $100 to us!

We only used a few of the benefits, but still saved hundreds of dollars with the new status match program

Overall, we were really impressed with Royal Caribbean’s new status match program. I always appreciate being rewarded for my loyalty. Not to mention, my husband had never set foot on a Celebrity cruise ship and he still received the second highest loyalty status with the program.

We ran out of time to utilize all of the Elite Plus benefits on our cruise, such as the Captain’s Club Continental Breakfast, Wine Tasting, and Private Departure Lounge.

However, we were thrilled to save as much money as we did on our Celebrity Apex cruise. I am already looking to plan future Celebrity cruises to continue taking advantage of these loyalty benefits.

An unidentified guest has gone overboard while cruising onboard the world’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. 

Passengers onboard the 7-night sailing reported the incident on social media as the events unfolded on Sunday, May 26, 2024. Icon of the Seas departed the day prior on May 25, 2024 from Miami, Florida for its current voyage. Guests sailing on the brand-new ship were enjoying a day at sea when the man went overboard. 

According to online reports, Icon of the Seas was sailing to its first port of call, Roatan (Honduras), when the man went overboard. The ship was reportedly sailing north of Cuba when the man plunged into the Gulf of Mexico, around 300 miles from Miami.

(Video shared by @davidcanter on X)

The incident allegedly took place in the morning on Sunday, prompting an immediate rescue mission from the vessel. According to guests onboard Icon of the Seas, a small rescue boat was launched from Icon of the Seas to search for the overboard guest.

(Video shared by @oliveblend to TikTok)

Based on reports from guests onboard, Icon of the Seas' captain made an announcement to guests regarding the overboard incident. Many guests onboard Icon of the Seas were just beginning their mornings when the rescue operation started, with some guests waking up to the captain's unfortunate announcement.

Guests online stated that Icon of the Seas halted its course for approximately two hours to complete the search and rescue mission. Crew members took swift action while the ship maintained its location for the duration of the rescue mission. 

Guests onboard Icon of the Seas were then notified by the captain that the man was successfully recovered, with reports that he was in the ship’s medical center receiving immediate care. 

(Video shared by @davidcanter on X)

The current status of the individual is not clear at this time, as reports online are differing. The captain reportedly told guests the overboard man was "recovered" due to the quick actions of the ship's crew members. 

Videos surrounding the incident from guests currently onboard Icon of the Seas were shared to social media, namely X and TikTok. Footage shows Icon's rescue crew sailing around the nearby waters in a small boat while attempting to locate the man. One video shows guests on their balconies looking out into the Gulf of Mexico trying to help locate the overboard man.

Notably, videos shared to TikTok and X appear to show fairly calm seas and clear weather when the search and rescue mission took place. Overboard incidents that take place at night or in rough sea conditions are not often successful. In this case, favorable sea conditions could have contributed to a successful recovery mission by the crew members. 

(Video shared by @GenAIChad on X)

Details surrounding the incident are limited to onboard reports from guests and the identity of the guest has not been announced. It is unclear at this time why the male passenger went overboard and Royal Caribbean has not commented on the incident. 

According to guests onboard, Icon of the Seas’ itinerary has not been altered due to the unforeseen incident. The ship’s location on CruiseMapper shows the vessel is en route and on-schedule to arrive in Roatan, Honduras on May 27, 2024. 

Overboard incidents are rare, but do happen ocassionally. According to data from the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), guests that go overboard from cruise ships are unlikely to be rescued. 

In a publicized report from CLIA regarding operational instances from 2009 to 2019, there were 212 identified overboard incidents from cruise ships for either crew members or passengers. Of these overboard incidents, only 48 (or 28.2%) individuals were successfully rescued. Based on these findings, around 71.8% of people who go overboard from cruise ships are sadly never recovered or located. 

However, the CLIA report also shows an overall decline in overboard incidents throughout the 10-year period. The overboard incident rate decreased 64% from 2009 to 2019, with an incidence rate of 0.00004 overboard reports per active lower berth in 2019.

The report states, “When compared with the growth in capacity in the industry over the study years, man overboard incidents continue on a downward trend.” 

Additionally, the report states that all overboard incidents are thoroughly investigated to determine cause or motive. According to the CLIA report, “In every case where the cause of the man overboard (MOB) was established following a careful investigation, it was found to be the result of an intentional or reckless act. There were some instances, however, which were impossible to determine a motive.”

The operational report also shares that 66% of overboard instances were from passengers while 33% of reported instances involved crew members. This was also based on the 10-year period of operational data from the cruise lines.

While overboard incidents statistically result in unfavorable outcomes, there have been success stories in recent years. For example, a 28-year-old man survived a harrowing fall from a Carnival cruise ship in December 2022. James Grimes went overboard from a Carnival cruise ship and tread water for 20 hours in shark-infested waters. He survived the incident with a stunning rescue, but doesn’t recall why he went overboard.

Icon of the Seas is currently sailing on a 7-night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day itinerary. The voyage includes two sea days and four port stops: Roatan (Honduras), Costa Maya (Mexico), Cozumel (Mexico) and Perfect Day at CocoCay (Bahamas). The ship was on the second day of its itinerary - a sea day - when the man went overboard.

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas launched in January 2024 as the world’s largest cruise ship. The massive vessel can hold 5,610 guests at double occupancy capacity, along with 2,350 crew members. This is the first known overboard incident reported for the new Icon of the Seas. 

They say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side - and that sentiment seems to be true for me when it comes to trying new cruise lines.

After sailing with Royal Caribbean for 20 years, I started to get the itch to branch out. I had taken almost every itinerary available with Royal Caribbean to destinations that interested me the most, including Europe, Asia, Alaska and the Caribbean.

I started to feel tired of Royal Caribbean’s itinerary offerings when I would research my next cruise. In all honesty, I mainly decided to jump ship (not literally!) because of Norwegian Cruise Line’s unique itineraries to more exotic destinations.

However, after so much cruising with Royal Caribbean, I’ll admit that I was excited to see what other cruise lines had to offer. I had only cruised with Norwegian Cruise Line once before - and that had been more than one decade ago.

After these four cruises, I’m seriously reconsidering future sailings with Norwegian Cruise Line. I found that I appreciated and missed Royal Caribbean more than I had anticipated. In fact, I feel like I’m returning to an ex-boyfriend that I dumped.

Now, I resonate more with the sentiment of, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone." Here’s why I am returning to Royal Caribbean and sister cruise line Celebrity Cruises.

Breaking up with Royal Caribbean

Before this year, I had cruised almost exclusively with Royal Caribbean for most of my life. My family had sailed only a few times with other cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line.

However, Royal Caribbean was our favorite cruise line and my family sailed with the cruise line every year growing up. My sister and I earned Diamond Plus loyalty status in college while we continued to cruise with Royal Caribbean into adulthood.

As a longtime loyal cruiser with Royal Caribbean, I have taken 29 cruises with the cruise line to date. While most of these were around North America, about one-third of these cruises were to international destinations throughout Europe and Asia.

Even as I graduated college and married my husband, we continued to cruise with Royal Caribbean because it felt like home.

However, my husband and I don’t have kids quite yet and the family-friendly cruising style with Royal Caribbean started to appeal to me less. Royal Caribbean’s newest ships are literally packed with thrills and attractions to be the perfect family vacation.

Read more: Which cruise line is best? Fans say why they prefer Royal Caribbean over Carnival

However, I’ve become a destination-focused cruiser as I’ve gotten older. I prefer to sail on itineraries where I can visit new countries, cities and islands. My perfect cruising is checking another country off my bucket-list; unfortunately, cruising repeatedly to Perfect Day at CocoCay wasn’t scratching that itch.

Looking at Royal Caribbean’s itineraries left me feeling bored. On the other hand, I was excited to see how many unique and rare itineraries Norwegian Cruise Line had to offer.

The start of something new

Each cruise line has it’s own appeal, although many have similarities when it comes to the cruising experience as a whole.

However, one of the ways that Norwegian Cruise Line differentiates itself from other mainstream cruise lines is with its epic itineraries. As a major player in the cruise industry, Norwegian Cruise Line has comparable prices with affordable sailings.

While other cruise lines are building ships bigger than anything in their fleet, Norwegian Cruise Line has actually built newer, smaller ships. The cruise line’s new Prima Class has built ships that hold right around 3,000 passengers.

Because of this, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ships can sail almost anywhere in the world without size restriction. You’ll find Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Prima sailing to more far-flung destinations around Europe.

After seeing the different destinations I could visit with Norwegian Cruise Line, I was ready to figuratively jump ship. I wanted to spend my time and money on a cruise that allowed me to visit destinations on my bucket list.

Last year, I booked a 10-night cruise to the British Isles for October 2023 and an exotic itinerary to Africa in January 2024. Additionally, I booked a 4-night cruise on Norwegian Viva to Key West and a 2-night repositioning cruise from Malaga, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal.

I also appreciated how Norwegian Cruise Line allowed you to book more all-inclusive cruises with included airfare, drink packages, internet discounts and excursion discounts. For example, my 10-night itinerary on Norwegian Star to the British Isles was only $3,000 total for two guests, which included round-trip airfare to London.

Read more: Norwegian vs Royal Caribbean comparison

Constant, last-minute itinerary changes

With four sailings planned on Norwegian Cruise Line, I was most excited for my 12-night cruise to South Africa from Mauritius. The itinerary had stops in Reunion, Madagascar, Mozambique and South Africa. This was a dream itinerary where I planned to book African safari excursions for each day!

With my cruises booked, I was surprised to see emails start rolling in regarding itinerary changes for my cruises. Of the four cruises I had booked, I began receiving communication from Norwegian Cruise Line about itinerary adjustments for three of those cruises.

Since I booked most of these cruises exclusively for their itineraries, my heart would sink every time I would get yet another email from Norwegian Cruise Line about itinerary changes. At first, the itinerary changes only pertained to my British Isles sailing in October and Key West cruise in December.

My British Isles sailing was revised to include reduced port times in Edinburgh, Scotland and Portland, England. I was disappointed to see Norwegian Cruise Line reduced our time in Edinburgh by an hour, as it was our most anticipated stop.

The 4-night cruise on Norwegian Viva removed Key West entirely and replaced the port stop with Nassau, Bahamas. This was extremely annoying, as I booked the cruise because I wanted to visit Key West.

According to the emails provided by Norwegian Cruise Line, these changes were due to “port congestion." However, there were no other ships scheduled to be in port at the same time as us. In fact, our British Isles cruise on Norwegian Star was the last cruise of the season!

Read more: How does one of Norwegian's oldest ships compare to Royal Caribbean's oldest ship?

Bait-and-switch

The biggest blow came almost immediately after I made the final payment for my 12-night African itinerary. Norwegian Cruise Line sent an email with a totally different itinerary than the original one we booked! I felt like I had been catfished after just making the final payment days before.

The country of Mozambique was dropped entirely from the itinerary, as we had two scheduled port stops here. One sea day was added and adjustments were made to the ports in Madagascar. Again, this was cited as “port congestion” according to Norwegian Cruise Line. I was devastated, as this was one of the reasons I had booked the cruise.

Rumors circulated that Mozambique was dropped due to safety concerns or a yellow fever breakout. These are understandable - and more believable - than port congestion. 

This was the third itinerary I booked to be impacted by port congestion, so I started to grow suspicious at this point. Also, Mozambique was removed from all of the ship’s African itineraries for the season. I have a hard time believing that Mozambique had port congestion for every single sailing over the course of three months.

Unfortunately, further emails were sent with even more changes to my African safari cruise. This time, port times were reduced for multiple ports of call. The cruise line shared the changes were in the name of sustainability.

“We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue to elevate the quality of our offerings and overall guest experience while driving a positive impact on society and the environment. As we optimize itineraries for fuel efficiencies, we have modified Norwegian Dawn's itinerary as shown below,” said the email.

Missed ports

Although I was already annoyed about the constant itinerary changes, I was still excited for my cruises with Norwegian. Unfortunately, I encountered further disappointment during my highly-anticipated cruises.

To start, we encountered a bad storm during my 10-night British Isles cruise. This caused us to miss two of our port stops in Dublin and Isle of Man, as both of these were tender ports and the waves were too rough to tender. I was surprised to find our itinerary apparently had three tender ports, as this information alone was hard to find on our reservation confirmation.

However, there is probably a reason no other cruise lines were operating this late in the season around the British Isles. Sailing this late in October is risky, and perhaps Norwegian Cruise Line finds taking the risk to be profitable since they have the monopoly.

Missing a port during a cruise isn’t unheard of, as this is also one of the risks of cruising in general. You are at the mercy of the weather and your ship’s captain. But, I have been extremely lucky that I had never had a missed port before with all of my cruising.

Fast forward to January - I am sailing away from Mauritius with an anticipated arrival in Madagascar. History repeats itself that we were unable to dock in Madagascar, although we had already arrived to the port area and everyone was ready to disembark. The entire ship was disappointed and I even saw some shed tears during breakfast.

Luckily, we were able to visit our second port in Nosy Be, Madagascar the next day; however, the captain of our ship warned us that he would be reevaluating whether we could arrive. The weather was iffy and tender operations were quite slow, but I was able to check Madagascar off my bucket list.

I was anxious for most of the cruise about whether we would actually be able to dock in the ports of call on our itinerary. I realized I had never felt this kind of anxiety cruising with Royal Caribbean before, even while sailing to more exotic destinations like China, Thailand, Malaysia, Israel and Lithuania.

Of course, you can encounter bad weather during any cruise. However, Norwegian Cruise Line was the only cruise line operating in these regions during both of these cruises. There is probably a reason other cruise lines opt not to sail this time of year!

Bad luck or a trend?

When it was announced that we would miss our port in Madagascar, I was fed up with Norwegian Cruise Line’s shenanigans. I had flown halfway around the world to have Mozambique removed from the itinerary and now my time in Madagascar was being threatened.

To make matters worse, the onboard gift shop had destination t-shirts for Mozambique. Rubbing salt in the wound! For many guests onboard, including myself, this might have been our only opportunity to visit the country.

Perhaps it was a stroke of bad luck that I had all of these itinerary changes and missed ports with my Norwegian cruises. Regardless, this seems to be a pattern with Norwegian Cruise Line with changing itineraries, dropping ports and shortening port time under the disguise of port congestion or sustainability efforts.

As a new Norwegian cruiser, I started researching this sort of bait-and-switch on cruise forums. Come to find out, many have reported having the same things happen to them. Even worse, most report that Norwegian Cruise Line does not communicate itinerary changes until after final payment dates, which was the case for me.

Although the cruise contract allows companies to make these changes, this started to feel like poor organization and cost-cutting measures. I still do not trust that Norwegian Cruise Line was being honest about the reasons for the changes, especially when sharing the negative impacts immediately after final payment when you are locked into your reservation.

In fact, the cruise line just came under massive scrutiny for butchering an Antarctica itinerary just a few weeks ago. Guests were notified that they wouldn’t be sailing into Antarctica until they were onboard and noticed the itinerary had changed in their apps.

Mind you, I have only once had an adjusted itinerary after booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean. After booking my honeymoon cruise to Greece and Croatia, our sailing had an itinerary change from Dubrovnik to Split. This was a bummer, but we were still visiting Croatia and the change was months in advance.

Smaller qualms

Because I am so destination focused when cruising, these disappointments are enough for me to be extremely hesitant to book further itineraries with Norwegian Cruise Line. This is especially true for any bucket-list itineraries, as it seems like any itinerary booked will likely have further adjustments.

However, I had other qualms about Norwegian Cruise Line that did not impress me. For example, face-to-face immigration was horribly operated during my African cruise. People were literally fighting and screaming to get through immigration - it was unlike anything I had seen before. I've done face-to-face immigration with Royal Caribbean multiple times on various ships and it's always been extremely organized and civil. 

This was just the tip of the iceberg for issues during this cruise. In addition, we had to embark in Mauritius without any sort of terminal. This left us dragging our luggage for hours in a make-shift tent during high temperatures. Many guests fainted or experienced heat stroke.

Our disembarkation in Cape Town was just as chaotic, as we disembarked into a parking lot of gravel. Again, there was no terminal, the wind was causing a minor dust storm of gravel and guests were struggling to walk with their luggage.

The cruise line’s tendering operations were highly disorganized on both of my cruises. We had to wake up hours before arriving to the port so we could wait in line for a tender ticket. I’ve never had an issue getting tender tickets with Royal Caribbean, as they have most often been distributed the day before.

Finally, the entertainment was extremely lacking on all of my Norwegian cruises. I am used to Royal Caribbean having entertainment every evening on a cruise. I found this was not the case with Norwegian Cruise Line, as multiple nights had no headliner entertainment. Perhaps this was because I was sailing on older cruise ships, but even Norwegian Viva only had headliner shows for two of the four nights.

Coming back to Royal Caribbean

Needless to say, the grass wasn’t greener on the other side. I was disappointed with many aspects of my Norwegian cruise experiences, especially related to the itinerary changes and missed ports. It all comes down to trust.

I realize that this disappointment can be true with any cruise line, but four cruises was enough for me to rethink my plans with Norwegian. I have a cruise booked to Asia with Norwegian for next January; however, I don’t trust that this itinerary that I am being sold is the one that will come to fruition.

Although all cruise lines are businesses that need to make money, I feel a little icky about the way Norwegian Cruise Line treated me as a customer. I am hesitant to spend more money booking itineraries that are likely going to change even before I get onboard.

On the flip side, I don’t have trust issues with Royal Caribbean after having good experiences time and time again with the cruise line. Royal Caribbean hasn’t given me a reason to doubt their operations and ethical business practices - I’ve been fairly treated as a customer.

As someone who wants to take interesting itineraries to new destinations, I think Celebrity Cruises will be a good fit moving forward. In fact, I have two cruises with Celebrity Cruises this year and one cruise with Royal Caribbean scheduled for next year.

If I am going to spend my hard-earned money and vacation time on a cruise, I would rather sail with a cruise line that has proven itself trustworthy to me. You can find me happily sipping my free Diamond Plus cocktail on the top deck of a Royal Caribbean ship soon!

The current South Pacific sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas is getting cut short due to an unexpected technical issue with the ship’s propulsion. The cruise line has also announced the ship’s following itinerary, scheduled for March 30, 2024, has been cancelled.

According to online reports from passengers aboard Brilliance of the Seas, the ship has encountered technical issues while sailing from Australia to the Eastern Melanesia Islands. This forced Royal Caribbean to cut the sailing short. Due to the anticipated repair times, the subsequent itinerary is also cancelled.

Brilliance of the Seas departed from Sydney, Australia on March 19, 2024 and was set to sail for 11 nights. The original itinerary was meant to be a South Pacific sailing with five ports of call throughout New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

The ship did arrive for her scheduled stop in Lifou Isle, New Caledonia on March 22, 2024. Reportedly, Brilliance of the Seas arrived 90 minutes late due to the technical issue, requiring the ship to sail at a much slower speed than normal.

Crew members allegedly attempted to fix the issue while Brilliance of the Seas was docked in Lifou Isle, but to no avail. Now, the sailing will not be visiting Noumea in New Caledonia or its scheduled stops in Vanuatu, which included the ports of Mystery Island, Port Vila and Luganville.

Brilliance of the Seas was originally scheduled to arrive back in Sydney, Australia on March 30, 2024. Now, the 11-night sailing on Brilliance of the Seas has been cut short to 7 nights with only one port stop. The ship is now scheduled to arrive in Sydney on the evening of March 26, 2024 at 8pm.

In addition, Royal Caribbean has cancelled the March 30, 2024 sailing on Brilliance of the Seas due to the unplanned maintenance, which was a 5-night itinerary to Tasmania. Guests were notified of the cancelled cruise today, March 23, in an email sent from Royal Caribbean.

Compensation Details

In a letter to guests onboard the current sailing, Royal Caribbean detailed the maintenance issue. Also, the cruise line provided information regarding compensation that guests will be provided due to the unfortunate fate of their sailing.

“As the captain previously shared, Brilliance of the Seas is experiencing a technical issue resulting in the ship being required to sail at a much slower speed. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to make our scheduled calls for the remainder of our sailing. Please note, our ship remains seaworthy and safe as we have redundancies in place to keep us sailing,” stated the letter.

All guests will receive the following compensation due to the shortened itinerary:

• 50% refund of paid cruise fare, to be paid as onboard credit
• Future Cruise Credit worth 50% of original cruise fare paid
• Refund of all pre-paid shore excursions for Noumea, Mystery Island, Port Vila and Luganville, to be paid as onboard credit
• Opened up bars with 50% off all drinks, along with a 50% refund to those who pre-purchased drink packages
• Complimentary internet and phone access. Prorated refund for pre-paid internet packages
• Reimbursement for travel fees up to $250 USD for domestic travel and $400 USD for international travel
• Hotel reimbursement of $250 USD per stateroom, per night, for up to 3 nights

Cancelled Sailing

In the communication sent to guests on the March 30 itinerary, Royal Caribbean stated, “As you know, Brilliance of the Seas experienced a technical issue on its last sailing, and we’re returning early to begin required maintenance. Our crew has started working on restoring the system and we’re deploying the best experts.”

Further, Royal Caribbean states that despite the cruise line’s best efforts, the needed repairs to fix the technical issue will not be done in time for the next sailing on Brilliance of the Seas. Because of these repairs, Royal Caribbean has to cancel the March 30, 2024 sailing.

Brilliance of the Seas was scheduled to sail from Sydney, Australia on a 5-night itinerary to Hobart, Tasmania. The impacted passengers are receiving a 100% refund for the sailing. In addition, Royal Caribbean is issuing a 50% Future Cruise Credit for impact guests to be used within one year on a future sailing.

Attempted repair

Guests currently sailing on Brilliance of the Seas have been sharing the ill-fated itinerary on social media, including posts on Facebook, Reddit and TikTok.

As mentioned above, one guest onboard Brilliance of the Seas reported that the ship arrived 90 minutes late to its first port of call in Lifou Isle, New Caledonia. Supposedly, guests were told the late arrival was due to headwinds.

Following the port stop, crew members apparently attempted to repair the propulsion issue while the ship docked in Santa Bay, New Caledonia. Passengers onboard stated that Brilliance of the Seas began sailing away from the Melanesia Islands, which was unusual. At the time, no announcement had been made regarding itinerary changes.

Rumors onboard supposedly began circling among passengers about the ship having a potential engine problem with the propulsion system. Others mentioned that the ship allegedly experienced damage to its azipods. Azipods can rotate 360-degrees and are used to propel cruise ships, allowing the vessel to safely maneuver.

While attempting to repair the propulsion issue, guests reported an announcement was made that their next port of call, Noumea, was canceled. It was unclear at the time if there would be further impacts to Brilliance’s itinerary, although guests onboard noticed the onboard app was showing unplanned sea days for the remainder of the itinerary.

Further, guests reported that Brilliance of the Seas started to sail to Sydney, Australia and away from the remaining ports of call on the ship’s scheduled itinerary. CruiseMapper was also showing Sydney, Australia as the next port of call for Brilliance of the Seas. At the time, no announcement had been made by the ship’s captain regarding the situation.

As the ship began sailing away from the South Pacific islands, guests reported that the captain made a much-needed announcement confirming the new shortened itinerary. In the announcement, the captain supposedly stated that guests would receive letters in their staterooms regarding the matter. In the letter, compensation would be discussed and guests would be provided with more details about the unplanned change.

“Running on one propeller”

According to online reports, guests feel understandably disappointed and upset regarding the situation; in particular, passengers said there was little communication shared until hours after the ship began sailing back towards Sydney, Australia.

One user on Reddit - who is apparently onboard Brilliance of the Seas now - shared, “If you look out the back, we are definitely running on one propeller.”

Another report from a guest online said the Captain explained how the propulsion issue is limiting Brilliance of the Sea’s ability to turn correctly. “So we can go forwards and backwards, but we will need a tug or some manual intervention to turn,” shared the user.

Brilliance of the Seas is now sailing back to Sydney at reduced speed and will take three sea days to arrive back in Australia.

Not many details are available regarding the specific issue with Brilliance’s propulsion system. At this time, all we know the ship’s propulsion is damaged in some way. Brilliance of the Seas has two azipods, which are used to help rotate the ship while maneuvering. The use of azipods has been standard for Royal Caribbean within the last decade.

Scheduled itineraries

Brilliance of the Seas has spent the last few months sailing from Sydney, Australia with itineraries to the South Pacific, Tasmania, Fiji and New Zealand.

Currently, Brilliance of the Seas is scheduled to cruise on an 8-night itinerary to the South Pacific islands on April 4, 2024. This is the last round-trip itinerary from Sydney, Australia before Brilliance of the Seas begins her repositioning journey back to North America.

On April 12, 2024, Brilliance of the Seas is scheduled to begin her transpacific sailing from Sydney, Australia to Hawaii with stops in Tahiti and New Zealand. Throughout the summer and into early fall, Brilliance of the Seas is scheduled to sail itineraries around Alaska.

Currently, the only impacted sailing for Brilliance of the Seas is the cancelled itinerary on March 30, 2024. It’s unclear at this time if more cruises will be cancelled due to the propulsion issue.

Prior propulsion issues

Brilliance of the Seas is not the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet to have propulsion issues impact sailings. In fact, sister-ship Radiance of the Seas had ongoing propulsion issues back in September 2023. Both of these ships are Radiance class ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet. Both ships were built back in the early 2000s, making them more than 20-years-old today.

Back in September 2023, Radiance of the Seas had two Alaskan itineraries cancelled due to unplanned technical issues with the ship’s propulsion. Guests had already boarded the ship for their scheduled itinerary on September 1, 2023 only to find out the sailing would be cancelled due to repairs needed with the propulsion system.

Before Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings on Radiance of the Seas, guests on the prior itinerary had stated hearing strange noises overnight while the ship was sailing to Seward, Alaska. 

While Royal Caribbean intended to conduct the subsequent sailing on September 8, 2023, that sailing was also cancelled due to the maintenance problem. The cruise line stated at the time that repairs for the ship were taking longer than anticipated.

Royal Caribbean announced further cancelations for cruises sailing to Labadee, Haiti due to unrest in the country, citing safety concerns.

The cruise line announced today, March 19, that guests sailing to Labadee, Haiti within the next few weeks will have itinerary changes. Guests and travel partners of the cruise line received major updates regarding Caribbean itineraries that were planning visits to Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Labadee.

It appears that cruises through at least mid-April are impacted, although the situation continues to evolve. While Haiti has been under travel advisory warnings for years, Royal Caribbean’s private destination has always been secured given its distance from the country’s troubled capital of Port-au-Prince.

Royal Caribbean International’s Assistant Vice President of Guest Experiences wrote in the communication to guests sailing on the April 14 sailing of Explorer of the Seas, “Due to the evolving situation in Haiti, we’ll now visit Perfect Day at CocoCay instead of Labadee, Haiti. We’re terribly sorry for the last-minute change – your safety is our top priority.”

In addition, guests on this impacted itinerary for Explorer of the Seas will enjoy more time in Falmouth, Jamaica. Although changing a cruise ship’s itinerary can be disappointing, it appears that Royal Caribbean is doing its best to replace Labadee with an alternative port of call.

Based on circulating communication shared online, Royal Caribbean has been replacing Labadee, Haiti with various Caribbean ports, including its alternative private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Other itineraries impacted have rerouted plans to visit Grand Cayman, Bimini, Grand Turk, and St. Maarten.

Many of Royal Caribbean’s ships have Labadee, Haiti as a scheduled port of call in the coming weeks and months. For example, Adventure of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas are all scheduled to visit Labadee in April 2024 and May 2024.

Temporary suspension

While the news is disappointing for itinerary changes, the cancelation of Labadee is not unsurprising.

In an announcement last week, Royal Caribbean temporarily suspended visits to Labadee, Haiti for its entire fleet. The decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” due to the evolving situation in Haiti.

At the time, guests onboard Adventure of of the Seas’ March 14 sailing were re-routed from Labadee to Grand Turk, which is located in Turks and Caicos. The port island is used mostly by Carnival Cruise Line, meaning Royal Caribbean ships do not often stop here.

Additionally, guests sailing on Symphony of the Seas’ March 14 sailing were notified that their itinerary would have an additional sea day with extended time in Falmouth, Jamaica. The cruise line announced, “We’ve also added extra time to our visit to Falmouth, Jamaica, so you'll have more time to enjoy everything this beautiful destination has to offer.” 

At the time of Royal Caribbean’s original announcement, the cruise line said it would reevaluate the situation every three days.

Excursion refunds

Similar to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean offers a variety of excursions for guests to book in Labadee. All excursions in Labadee must be booked directly with Royal Caribbean since the port of call is a private destination.

Some of these excursions include beach scapes, visits to nearby Haitian villages, zip-lining, snorkeling cruises, sport fishing, yacht sailing, aqua waterpark, kayaking, jet skiing, and more. Royal Caribbean has daybeds available for renting, along with a number of amenities for guests to utilize during their visit.

Guests with impacted itineraries will receive an automatic refund for any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursion booked for Labadee in the form of an onboard credit to SeaPass cards. These credits can be used anywhere onboard the ship during the cruise.

Any remaining amount at the end of the sailing will be reimbursed to credit cards on file upon disembarkation, according to the announcement provided to guests with impacted itineraries.

Trouble in Haiti

Royal Caribbean’s private destination is located 130 miles from the capital Port-au-Prince, which has been overtaken by gang violence in recent weeks.

Major violence in Haiti erupted on February 29 when the nation’s prime minister flew to Kenya to push for a deployment of police force to help fight the country’s gangs. In an act of protest, the gangs of Haiti have joined forces to fight against the government. Haiti made global headlines when a mass prison break escalated the already-elevating violence in its capital city.

A state of emergency was declared on March 3, followed by the prime minister’s resignation on March 12. The US Embassy has advices that all US citizens evacuate the country as soon as possible due to the deteriorating state of the small Caribbean nation.

However, the safety of travel within Haiti has been discouraged for a while. In July 2023, the US State Department raised the security threat to a Level 4 due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and poor health care infrastructure.

Thousands of citizens have been forced to flee their homes due to the violence of the armed gangs.

Royal Caribbean Haiti history

While the cruise line’s operations have historically not been impacted by the trouble, the escalation of gang violence has caused Royal Caribbean to pull the plug. In fact, Royal Caribbean has been operating in Labadee since 1986.

The private destination is a 260-acre resort located on Haiti’s northern peninsula. The area is only accessible by Royal Caribbean Group’s employees and guests of the cruise line’s ships. Labadee is heavily guarded and located in a remote area, essentially isolating the destination from the rest of the country.

Royal Caribbean has a huge fence that protects Labadee from the rest of the country. However, many of the employees that work in Labadee are local citizens that live in remote villages near the port area.

Since Royal Caribbean first began operations in Haiti, there have been a few safety instances. In November 2001, a crew member from Royal Caribbean was attacked on Labadee in an apparent robbery. In February 2004, Royal Caribbean temporarily suspended its visits to Haiti due to the political unrest in the country caused by a coup.

When Haiti was struck by an earthquake in 2010, Royal Caribbean announced at the time that it would continue operations in the port. In addition, the cruise line would provide relief supplies and personnel. Royal Caribbean also planned to help fund relief efforts in the country from the earthquake damage.

Would you ever consider pulling your cruise ship cabin's mattress out to the balcony for some elevated relaxation?

A recent post on social media shows two Royal Caribbean guests lying on a mattress while enjoying their balcony. Supposedly, the guests were onboard Allure of the Seas while docked in Perfect Day at CocoCay when they decided to move their cabin’s mattresses out to their balcony for some light reading.

In the photo, two guests can be seen on their mattresses reading books with their balcony door open. The photo was apparently taken while Allure of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas were both docked at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, on March 13.

The original photo was shared by one cruiser to the Facebook group called Royal Caribbean Cruises. She captioned the post, “Omg really? Wondering if this guy got in trouble? Allure of the Seas looking from Anthem on 3/13 docked @ Coco Cay.”

As expected, the post garnered a massive response from Royal Caribbean fans and cruisers alike. However, many were torn about the concept of moving cabin furniture out to their balcony. While some considered this a genius idea, others were totally against the concept and found it dumb. 

Some users responded that they have also moved cabin furniture out to their balcony

Apparently, moving cruise cabin furniture out to your balcony is becoming more popular among cruisers. Multiple commenters responded to the controversial post by sharing experiences of doing this exact scenario. 

“I pulled the couch cushions out onto the balcony on Harmony of the Seas. It was great,” commented the cruiser. In the photo below, this Royal Caribbean guest can be seen lying on the couch cushions from their cabin with the ocean in the background. 

Along with this guest, another cruiser commented on their own personal experience of actually sleeping on their balcony by moving cabin furniture. “I did this on Symphony of the Seas. Best sleep I ever had. Fell asleep looking at the stars listening to the waves, woke up to the sun rising over CocoCay,” said the commenter.

It should be noted that Royal Caribbean does not have any implicit rules listed regarding this type of behavior. The cruise line does not provide rules regarding how to use cabin furniture, although this latest trend could possibly prompt Royal Caribbean to implement new rules.

"Pretty crappy thing to do, in my opinion"

Of course, the post was not well received by everyone and many were totally against the idea for a multitude of reasons. Most opponents felt as though moving the mattress out to the balcony was a hazard to cleanliness.

“Nah, this is weird. Other people now have to sleep on that mattress that was sitting on an exterior floor. I get those mattresses aren’t the cleanest to begin with, but this is unnecessary. So many people lack self awareness, it’s crazy. There are chairs out there for a reason,” stated one of the top comments.

One follower agreed by commenting, “This is why we can’t have nice things. Like comfortable mattresses.”

In agreement, one cruiser said, “Yeah, I don’t think I want to sleep on a mattress that was sitting on an exterior floor. No harm? To each their own, I guess.”

Along with cleanliness, others commented about the potential long-term impacts of having cabin furniture exposed to the elements by being placed on balconies. For example, some commenters fear that mattresses on balconies could grow black mold from being exposed to moisture.

In addition, others pointed out that balconies are often misty with moisture in the evenings from the sea, even when it doesn’t rain. “The next guests are going to love the humidity and sea air in their mattress," said one responder. 

Read more: 20 rules of cruise ship etiquette no one ever tells you (but should)

However, many social media users found this to be a genius idea

While the idea did not resonate with everyone, others were inspired by the concept of bringing their mattresses to their balconies, stating how comfortable and cozy it looked. Some responders even shared how they were inspired by the idea of moving cabin furniture to their balcony and will be considering the same idea during their next cruise.

“Nothing wrong with that, good idea if you ask me,” responded another user. Another social media user shared, "What a great idea! I will be doing this on my next cruise.”

One person in the comments said how the guests looked to just be relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day reading their books. Another commenter said in agreement, “Looks comfy cozy to me." 

Finally, one cruiser expanded, “Great idea! Maybe plan for a makeshift curtain or something if you have a balcony just in case.” There was also one comment that suggested bringing your own air mattress if you want to sleep on your balcony, so as to not use cabin furniture.

Read more: 9 ways to sleep better on a cruise ship

This isn’t the first time the idea has been shared on social media

(Photo of a guest sleeping on a twin bed, placed on a balcony. Shared from a Reddit under the r/Cruise thread.)

The idea of moving your cruise cabin mattress to your balcony is not a new concept, as TikTok users have been sharing their experiences on social media for a while now.

One user, Sarah Goodwin, shared footage of her moving her cruise cabin mattress to her balcony on TikTok for her followers. She captioned the TikTok, “Next time you go on a cruise, put your bed on the balcony, you won’t regret it. Trust me.”

In the TikTok, you can see her dragging her mattress from the cabin out to the balcony. The viral TikTok, which was posted last year, has nearly 2 million views with 600 comments.

In the video, she lays down the mattress and begins to read her book with the ocean in the background. For clarification, the user commented that she did not do this for sleeping in the evening and she only moved the bed to the balcony for an afternoon. 

One commenter asked, “How did you get it out the door? I struggle to keep it open long enough to avoid getting smacked in the face.” The original creator responded, “With great difficulties!”

Many of the commenters were actually in agreement with the concept, noting how utterly relaxing this could be for people on vacation. However, most agreed that this could only be done for an afternoon and guests shouldn’t be sleeping on their mattresses while out on the balcony.

Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, having the right items in your luggage can make or break your cruising experience. If this is your first time cruising, you might also be wondering what exactly you should pack to use in your cruise cabin.

With limited luggage space, you want to ensure you’ve only packed the essentials that you need for a great cruise. This is especially true for guests who need to fly to the cruise port with checked luggage. In fact, most of the major airlines in the U.S. have just recently increased baggage fees for checked luggage.

With this in mind, it’s crucial to be strategic with packing for your cruise. You’ll want to be prepared for all of the cruise adventures - or unexpected challenges - that come your way. With the right items, you’ll be well-equipped for an incredible vacation at sea.

Regardless of your particular sailing, you’ll be staying in a cabin onboard your cruise ship. From a windowless interior cabin to spacious suites, there are some quirky aspects of cruising that differentiate this vacation from staying in a standard hotel room or all-inclusive resort.

Most cabins on a cruise ship are smaller and more compact than most hotel rooms. While you will be provided with the basics in your cabin, packing some of these essential items on our list will elevate your cruising experience.

Here is our list of 21 cruise cabin essentials that everyone should pack for their vacation. Some of these items are my personal favorites while others come highly recommended by other cruisers as cabin essentials.

Please note, the affiliate links to the products below provide a commission to our blog, which helps support our site. Purchasing from these links below will cost you nothing extra. You can also visit our Amazon storefront to see the cruising products and cabin essentials we recommend.

1. USB Outlet Extender

If you’ve never sailed in a cruise cabin before, you might be surprised to find that staterooms are often limited when it comes to power outlets. Older cruise ships in particular have very limited outlets for charging devices. Some cruise ships will only have one or two outlets available for the entire cabin to share.

Because of this, packing some sort of power extender is crucial. This will allow you and your travel party to charge or power all of your devices. Packing one of these USB outlet extenders with multiple outlets and charging ports will save you a massive headache in your cabin. I also pack a European travel plug adapter since most cabins will have a European outlet in the stateroom.

Cruise Power Strip No Surge Protector with USB Outlets - Ship Approved (Non Surge Protection) Cruise Essentials in 2024 & 2025 (White): Price: $16.99. 

[2-Pack] European Travel Plug Adapter, VINTAR International Power Plug Adapter with 1 USB C, 2 American Outlets and 3 USB Ports, 6 in 1 Travel Essentials to Most of Europe Greece, Italy(Type C). Price: $20.99

2. Magnetic Hooks

One of the most popular essential items to pack for your cruise cabin is a set of magnetic hooks. The walls of your cruise cabin are metal, which allows you to use anything magnetized on the walls.

With cruise cabins also being compact, it’s important to utilize your storage space. Those traveling with multiple people in a stateroom - or on a longer itinerary that requires more luggage - will need to optimize the closets, drawers and shelving for storage.

Cruisers go crazy for magnetic hooks as an essential packing item. While you will have plenty of storage for your belongings, these magnetic hooks allow you to hang your items from the wall.

Neosmuk Magnetic Hooks, 27lb+ Heavy Duty Earth Magnets with Hook for Refrigerator, Extra Strong Cruise Hook for Hanging, Magnetic Hanger for Curtain, Grill(Silver, Pack of 6). Price: $5.99. 

3. Medication

No one wants to think about the possibility of getting sick during your hard-earned and highly-anticipated vacation. Unfortunately, illness can strike anywhere. If you’re on a cruise, you’ll need to rely on the ship’s onboard shops for any over-the-counter medication needs. As you can imagine, these are astronomically priced and limited in selection.

One essential cabin item is a small supply of over-the-counter medication. I call this my mini pharmacy! Inside, I have medication for multi-symptom day and night cold, anti-nausea medication, pain relief, allergies, laxatives, anti-diarrhea and more.

Additionally, if you have prescription medication, you should always cruise with extra in your cabin. If your cruise is delayed for some reason, such as unexpected weather or medical emergencies, you won’t want to be without your prescription medication. The onboard medical center might be able to help in these instances, but it’s best to be prepared for the worst.

4. Small Fan

Another wildly popular cruise cabin essential is a small fan to use in your stateroom. Although your cabin will have air conditioning, guests rave about bringing a portable fan to use in the evenings. Keeping the fan running in the night allows the cabin’s air to flow better - and also provides a soothing sound for those that sleep with a fan at home.

It’s best to bring a fan that is battery operated if you’re worried about the number of outlets available in the cabin. Otherwise, a plug-in fan will work as well. Some cruisers prefer to have a fan with adjustable legs that can be placed throughout the cabin.

Snawowo Mini Handheld Personal Portable Fan, Baby Stroller Fan, Car Seat Fan, USB or Battery Powered, with Flexible Tripod Clip on Student Bed Desk Bike Crib Treadmill Camping Traveling(Dark Blue). Price: $16.99 

Gaiatop USB Desk Fan, 3 Speeds with Strong Airflow, 5.5 Inch Quiet Small Portable Table Fan, 90° Rotate Personal Cooling Fan For Bedroom Home Office Desktop Travel (Black). Price: $8.99. 

5. Packing Cubes

Along with most cruisers, I am a huge fan of packing cubes. Packing cubes allow you to neatly organize your clothes while also compressing items when zipped. Not only do these simplify the packing experience itself, but packing cubes are also a huge help when organizing your cabin.

Once onboard your cruise, you will receive your luggage delivered directly to your stateroom. I prefer to unpack my suitcase right away in my cruise cabin to feel settled and organized. Packing cubes make this a seamless experience. I simply remove the packing cubes from my suitcase and place the cube directly in a drawer or shelf in my stateroom.

Veken 8 Set Packing Cubes for Suitcases, Travel Essentials for Carry on, Black Luggage Organizer Bags Set for Travel Accessories in 4 Sizes (Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small). Price: $16.98 

6. Insulated Coffee Mug

While it’s common knowledge to travel with a reusable water bottle, some cruisers swear by bringing their own insulted coffee mug or thermos aboard. This allows you to bring back hot coffee from the buffet, coffee shop or restaurants down to your cruise cabin.

Coffee cups are available on cruise ships for guests to use. But, it can be hard to walk around the ship with a cup of hot coffee. Cruisers sailing on itineraries to cooler environments might be especially interested in purchasing a travel coffee mug for keeping coffee, tea or hot chocolate warm.

SUNWILL 14 oz Coffee Mug, Vacuum Insulated Camping Mug with Lid, Double Wall Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler Cup, Coffee Thermos Outdoor, Powder Coated Navy Blue. Price: $11.69 

7. Wrinkle release spray

Cruise ships do not allow guests to bring any steamers or irons in their cabins for fire safety purposes. Instead, you’ll have to get a little creative treating those wrinkly clothes. Many cruise guests bring a small bottle of wrinkle release spray to keep in their cruise cabin to combat wrinkly clothes.

With just a few sprays, wrinkles can be quickly and conveniently removed from your clothes. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s easy and cheap enough. Regardless, you won’t be the only one onboard with wrinkly clothes!

Downy Wrinkle Releaser, Odor Eliminator and Fabric Refresher, Crisp Linen Scent, Travel Essential, 3 Fl OZ (Pack of 2). Price: $7.99 

8. Liquid hand soap

Keeping yourself healthy on a cruise should be a top priority. It’s important to wash your hands frequently throughout your cruise. Most cruise ships only provide a bar of soap in your cruise cabin for hand washing.

This bar of soap is totally useable, but I prefer to pack a small bottle of liquid hand soap to use in my cabin. I find that my hands feel cleaner when I use liquid hand soap in the cabin bathroom. It’s also just easier, in my opinion.

Softsoap Liquid Hand Soap, Fresh Breeze - 7.5 Fl Oz (Pack of 6). Price: $7.35. 

9. Electronics organizer

Organization is key for keeping your sanity in a cruise cabin. It’s easy for the cabin to feel cluttered given how small the space is. Because of this, I bring an electronics organizer for not only traveling, but to use within my cruise cabin.

If you’re someone with multiple devices that need to be charged, you are no stranger to the overwhelming ball of intertwined charging cords. I finally was fed up with having cords all over the cabin vanity, so I invested in an electronics organizer. This has been a game changer for me!

Electronic Organizer Travel USB Cable Accessories Bag/Case,Waterproof for Power Bank,Charging Cords,Chargers,Mouse ,Earphones Flash Drive. Price: $6.14. 

10. Hanging cosmetics bag

In the spirit of organization, another cabin essential is a hanging cosmetics bag. I’ve been cruising and traveling with a hanging cosmetic bags for more than a decade. These hang perfectly on the back of your cabin bathroom door so it’s not in the way for anyone.

Similar to the rest of your cabin, your stateroom’s bathroom will be compact. While there will be shelving and storage, this area can also get cluttered quickly. It’s so easy to travel and cruise with a hanging cosmetics bag. Highly recommend!

BAGSMART Toiletry Bag Travel Bag with Hanging Hook, Water-resistant Makeup Cosmetic Bag Travel Organizer for Accessories, Shampoo, Full-size Container, Toiletries. Price: $18.39 

11. Air Freshener

One of the best parts of a cruise is all of the delicious food you’ll be enjoying. But, all of that food has to go somewhere. If you’re worried about having a stinky space, many cruisers recommend bringing a cheap air freshener to keep in your bathroom.

While you have many options for something like this, an old-fashioned car freshener can work best - like the ones that hang from your rearview mirror. Many cruisers swear by an air freshener in their cabin bathroom to facilitate a fresh smelling stateroom. At the end of the cruise, just toss it in the trash.

LITTLE TREES Car Air Freshener | Hanging Paper Tree for Home or Car | Vanillaroma Scent | Pack of 12. Price: $11.50 

12. Lanyard with key holder

When cruising with Royal Caribbean, you’ll need to keep close tabs on your SeaPass card. This is your onboard key that will allow you to enter your cabin and charge your onboard account, along with embarking and disembarking the ship at port stops. Without your SeaPass, you won’t be able to get very far.

One of the most popular cursing essential is a lanyard with a key holder. Keeping your SeaPass on a lanyard helps you to easily and quickly locate your card. I prefer to use a magnetic hook and hang my lanyard on this hook while I am in my cabin.

Cruise Lanyard Must Have Accessories for Ship Cards [2-Pack] in 2024 & 2025 Cruise Lanyards with ID Holder, Key Card Detachable Badge & Waterproof Ship Card Holders (Navy Blue & White). Price: $8.97 

13. Shampoo and Conditioner

Royal Caribbean only provides guests with a 3-in-1 showering product. This is advertised as a shampoo and body wash hybrid. Because of this, packing your own shampoo and conditioner is essential. This is especially important for the ladies out there!

I prefer to purchase travel sized shampoo and conditioner, but you can also fill up reusable bottles with products from home. This makes the cabin experience much better - or else you can expect to have pretty dry hair throughout your cruise.

TRESemmé Shampoo & Conditioner, Sulfate-Free, Travel Size - Moisture Rich Hair Treatment for Dry, Damaged Hair, Mini Shampoo & Conditioner for Hair Repair, Scented, 3 Oz Ea (2 Piece Set). Price: $7.99. 

14. Hydration packets

Between all of the eating and drinking onboard your cruise, you might start to feel dehydrated. This is especially true if you are spending extra time in the sun, whether this is on the pool deck or ashore on the beach.

At the end of the day, staying hydrated is very important while cruising. Another popular essential for your cruise cabin is packing some liquid hydration packets that you can add to your water. I prefer LiquidIV or Propel packets because they are small and travel well. I also find that it replenishes my electrolytes quickly so I can get back to the pool deck!

Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier - Passion Fruit - Hydration Powder Packets | Electrolyte Drink Mix | Easy Open Single-Serving Sticks | Non-GMO | 1 Pack (16 Servings). Price: $23.74 

15. Portable white noise machine

One of the newest essential items that I bring on my cruises is a portable white noise machine. This allows me to sleep soundly without hearing all the ruckus of the cruise ship in the evening.

Whether this is the anchor early in the morning or rowdy passengers stumbling down the hallway, the sound machine helps to drown out the noise. This portable sound machine is powerful and the perfect size for travel. Now, I won’t cruise without it!

White Noise Machine Babelio Mini Sound Machine for Adults Kids Baby | 15 Non-looping Sounds | Timer | Easy to Pocket and Travel - White. Price: $19.99. 

16. Pop-up hamper

During your cruise, you might be surprised how quickly the dirty laundry piles up - with nowhere to go! To help with organization, many cruisers bring a small pop-up hamper to keep in their cruise cabins for dirty clothes.

I’ve tried this a few times while cruising, particularly on longer sailings where I know I will have a big pile of dirty laundry, and I loved it! This pop-up hamper is so small and conveniently fits on the bottom of your suitcase for ease of travel. Some might say this is a nice-to-have, but many say a pop-up hamper is an essential!

Mesh Pop Up Laundry Hamper with Durable Handles - Portable Collapsible Clothes Baskets for Dorm, Bathroom & Travel (Blue). Price: $6.99. 

17. Ziplock Baggies

Another essential item for your cruise cabin is a small pack of ziplock baggies! These are so versatile to use throughout your cruise. Anything from keeping your belongings safe during an excursion or packing away some snacks for your big adventure - baggies are great to have.

Having baggies on hand can be very handy in your cabin for a variety of reasons. I would suggest bringing different baggie sizes from sandwich to quart and gallon bags. You can also place your liquids inside a ziplock bag for use in your cabin or when traveling home.

Ziploc Food Storage and Sandwich Bags Variety Pack, New Stay Open Design with Stand-Up Bottom, Easy to Fill, 166 Bags Total. Price: $25.23 

18. Portable charger

With cabins having limited outlets for charging, it’s essential for someone in the cabin to bring a portable charger. This allows you to not only charge additional devices in your cabin, but you can also take this ashore during your excursions.

Having a small portable charger can help keep your phone fully charged to have throughout your day. In addition, I’ve even used these in my cruise stateroom so I do not need to be physically by the vanity for charging.

Anker Portable Charger, Power Bank, 10,000 mAh Battery Pack with PowerIQ Charging Technology and USB-C (Input Only) for iPhone 15/15 Plus/15 Pro/15 Pro Max, iPhone 14/13 Series, Samsung Galaxy. Price: $16.19 

19. Over-the-door shoe organizer

While I haven’t purchased this essential cabin item myself, tons of cruisers are obsessed with packing an over-the-door-shoe organizer for their cabins. While you can certainly use this for storing your shoes, people use this for anything or everything!

With so many cubbies and compartments for storage, you can neatly store many of your cruising essentials without leaving them all over the cabin.

Amazon Basics Over the Door Organizer with 24 Pockets - Black. Price: $12.82. 

20. Motion-censored night light

If you’re someone who has a night light at home to navigate in the night, one essential item to pack is a portable, motion-censored night light for your cruise cabin. This night light will softly illuminate your cabin in the night when it senses motion.

Those booked in an interior cabin should especially consider packing this essential item. Interior staterooms have no windows, so these cabins are pitch black at all hours of the day! Having this kind of night light can ensure you navigate your cabin safely.

Night Light Motion Sensor [Battery Powered] with Rotating Base for Indoor Use in Bathroom, Hallway, Cruise Cabin & More. Price: $18.99. 

21. Laundry packets

On Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships, you won’t have access to any laundry facilities onboard. Your only option for laundry is paying for laundry service through the cruise ship where crew members will wash your dirty clothes.

If you don’t feel like shelling out the money for laundry, you should consider packing travel-sized laundry packets for your cruise cabin. I’ve done more laundry in a cruise cabin sink than I’d like to admit. In fact, I did all my laundry for 100 days in a cruise cabin sink while I lived on a ship for my study abroad program in college.

Tide Sink Packs Laundry Detergent Does 3 Loads (3 packs of 3). Price: $6.95. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like being a bartender on one of the world’s biggest cruise ships?

Operating a cruise ship is a massive undertaking, especially onboard one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. Each of Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships have thousands of crew members working hard to ensure guests have a fantastic vacation.

Perhaps one of the most demanding jobs onboard a cruise ship is being a bartender. Although all crew members work tirelessly with long hours, bartenders are working in a fast-paced environment in cramped spaces. 

Additionally, drinking is an integral component of cruising for many. Most cruise ships have anywhere from 10 to 15 bars and lounges onboard, even the smaller cruise ships. Moreover, cruise ship passengers are drinking from sun up to sun down thanks to Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink package. That’s a lot of alcohol flowing from the bartenders into the hands of cruisers!

This week, one of Royal Caribbean’s former bartenders took to social media to anonymously answer questions from curious cruisers. On the r/royalcaribbean subreddit on Reddit, one former bartender from Oasis of the Seas posed an AMA - or ask me anything - to followers. The post was titled "Worked as a bartender aboard Oasis of The Seas AMA."

The former bartender shared in the description, “For everyone interested about cruise life, tips and tricks or wanting to know how is the job - ask me anything, would be glad to answer.”

The open-ended question prompted quite the response from followers. The former bartender received hundreds of responses from curious Royal Caribbean cruisers. These included all sorts of questions, such as how tipping works, handling rude or drunk passengers, how much bartenders get paid and more.

Here’s what it’s like being a bartender onboard one of Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class ships from a former bartender.

Gratuities and Tipping

The most popular responses for the former bartender included questions about tips and gratuities. For instance, for guests who purchase a drink package, gratuities are already prepaid with an 18% service charge. Additionally, a-la-carte drink purchases from the bar have a service charge. How does it all work?

First, many were wondering whether Royal Caribbean’s bartenders receive prepaid gratuities. The former bartender explained there is a difference between guests with drink packages and those purchasing a-la-carte.

With a-la-carte purchases, guests automatically pay 18% for a service charge and the bartenders receive a portion of this. For Oasis of the Seas bartenders, he explains, “If you purchases a $14 cocktail, the bartenders receive $1.12 from your drink.”

For guests who choose to leave a cash tip, the former bartender shared that 100% of cash tips will always go directly to the bartender. 

Similarly, tips that you leave on your drink receipt do, indeed, go directly to the bartender. However, these receipts need to be entered into Royal Caribbean’s system for tracking. This is not as preferred as a cash tip, as it's a slightly tedious process and slows down bartenders from serving more drinks.

“Just my advice. Bring cash tips of one dollar bills. It takes 1 minute to punch a check tip - it's a drag. The same is true if you have like 20 checks with tips, you lose around 15 min instead of rest,” replied the bartender.

Another cruiser asked if tipping upfront - such as $20 on the first day of the cruise - has any difference with service and drink quality from the bar. The former bartender responded that it depends on the situation, as some bartenders work in the same bar for the entire cruise while others rotate as needed; for example, the pool attendants usually rotate more frequently.

“Find someone that’s stationed and is eager to serve you all the time. If you tip in advance, you will get the best service from that guy. If you tip a bar support guy, he will do the same, but you won’t find him everyday all day at the pool,” he responded.

The former bartender continued to share that it’s rare for guests to tip at the beginning of a cruise. Typically a handful of passengers will tip anywhere from $30 to $100 at the end of the cruise. Instead, most guests choose to tip $1 to $2 with each drink along the way.

As for drinking in the casino? The former bartender revealed those workers rely solely on tips - and “get paid nothing."

Read more: Tipping on a cruise ship: what you should and shouldn't do

Drink Package

Along with tipping, many comments inquired about how the drink package works from the bartender’s perspective. Since guests who purchase drink packages already prepay gratuities, many users on Reddit were wondering how this works for bartenders actually receiving the service charges.

Following up with many tipping questions, the former bartender explained how Royal Caribbean has a system called package check value for drink packages. With this system, Royal Caribbean calculates the gratuity amount for each drink served onboard every sailing. 

The check value is calculated based on the total cost of drink packages sold by the cruise line. This can differ week by week depending on the itinerary and how many packages were sold.

On Oasis of the Seas, he stated the check value was around $1.00 USD per drink on average, although it can fluctuate based on the sailing. For every cocktail sold, he would receive around $1.00 per drink. On an average sea day, the former bartender estimated that he made anywhere from 80 to 250 drinks.

He also shared that smaller ships typically have a lower check value, as low as $0.50 USD per drink. This means that bartenders on smaller ships need to sell more drinks to reach their base pay threshold. Therefore, bartenders prefer to work on newer ships because these vessels have the best check values for tipping compared to older ships. In the same way, no one wants to work on a brand-new ship because these vessels have the stricter beverage departments.

Even still, the former bartender shared, “Oasis is one of the stricter ships for beverage department, which comes from the bar managers and supervisors. But, the check value is one of the highest, if not the highest in the fleet right now.”

Read more: How much is a Royal Caribbean drink package?

The former bartender explains this is why it’s so important for your SeaPass to be scanned even when the bartender knows you have the drink package. This ensures the employees receive their service charge per drink.

Finally, one responder asked if the bartenders prefer to serve customers who have drink packages or if there is more incentive from a-la-carte purchases.

The former Oasis bartender responded, “People that are a-la-carte complain more just for the sake of it sometimes. But, if you have the drink package, you don't complain, you just swap drinks. I prefer package because [there is] less drama all in all.”

Guest Interactions

As you can imagine, the former bartender had varying experiences onboard Oasis of the Seas when it comes to guest interactions. From rude passengers to bonding with others like family, the former bartender shared multiple instances of notable guests onboard.

First, Royal Caribbean's bartenders will cut off passengers who show signs of being overly intoxicated. “If you show signs of toxicity, most bartenders will stop serving because we can lose our job. It doesn’t matter if someone gambles or not. Management strictness has big role in this.”

One responder posed a question about whether the bartender noticed any change among passengers from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. He responded that the guest behavior typically depends on cruise prices. 

Read more: Royal Caribbean Drink Prices

"In my experience, the truth is sad. The cheaper cruises have more bad apples than the expensive ones, percentile wise. But, in my experience, I have rarely had rude guests because part of being in hospitality is to handle people and volatile characters."

When it comes to behavior and overindulgence on a cruise, the bartender shared that this really depends on the person. He found that some are very friendly and others are not friendly. However, his approach was always to be professional and he was confident in his ability to handle every situation.

The former bartender also reveals that guests can have their alcohol access and drink packages revoked, per Royal Caribbean’s policy. Bartenders are alerted to guests who they are not allowed to serve alcohol to, typically because of a guest’s actions that resulted in alcohol restriction.

One responder asked whether bartenders on Royal Caribbean ships are actively looking for people sharing their drink packages, as this is not allowed onboard.

“Not necessarily,” he responded. “We notice everything, but if you are rude and try to make me a fool when I advice you to be more subtle with sharing, I am reporting you.”

The former bartender shares he once reported a guest who thought he could outsmart the bartenders. However, at the end of the cruise, Royal Caribbean revoked the guest's drink package and charged the passenger for every drink consumed during the cruise - at the normal price.

“He had a $3,000 charge for drinks,” shared the former Oasis of the Seas bartender.

But what’s the craziest bartending experience he had while onboard? 

“I had become so close to two couples in their 40s. They tipped me $500+ and offered me a job at their company if I somehow could get a green card. We talked a lot - and we cried at the end.”

Salary and Job Satisfaction

There is no denying that crew members commit to contracts with long work hours and very few days off. Some of the responses to the former bartender asked about how he obtained his job, his salary and overall job satisfaction with working long days onboard.

According to the former bartender, he applied for his position from an advertisement in his home country, somewhere in Europe. The whole process from application to getting onboard Oasis of the Seas took about six months, in his experience. It cost around $500 in his country for medical and personal preparation, which was paid for out-of-pocket.

Additionally, the former Oasis bartender continued to share that he believes Royal Caribbean is the best cruise line for employment in regards to the beverage department. While some cruise lines only provide a fixed payment for bartenders - typically around $1,500 to $2,500 each month - Royal Caribbean’s bartenders can earn much more.

Read more: 25 times Royal Caribbean crew members wowed cruise ship passengers with excellent service

In his responses, the former bartender shared that he was paid "extremely well" and made around $5,000 per month during his seven months onboard - and estimates he served some 40,000 cocktails!

Within one month, the bartender estimates he worked a minimum of 300 hours, although sometimes he worked closer to 400 hours. He received a minimum base pay regardless of the number of drinks he served, but he often earned much more than that with gratuities and tips.

The biggest perk of the job, says the former bartender, is getting to see the world. “Only perk I would say after pay is traveling and seeing stuff you won’t be able to see in your lifetime without being a millionaire.”

Finally, the bartender reveals he no longer works for Royal Caribbean because his goal was always to work and save his money for education. Since he had a long term relationship back in his home country, he was returning there to attend school with the money he earned.

The former Oasis bartender felt that while being away from everyone he knew back home was hard, the salary made it worthwhile.

“Is it worth making your monthly salary back home in 2 days? Absolutely. It’s all sacrifice, I started school when I saved enough, so I did a bit of sacrifice but I won’t need to go again,” he concluded.

Did you know a dog lives on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship?

Icon of the Seas has many innovative firsts in the cruising industry including a furry, four-legged friend named Rover!

Rover, a golden retriever puppy, has been chosen to permanently live onboard Icon of the Seas as the Chief Dog Officer. Her only job on the ship is to bring joy, love and happiness to guests sailing on the world’s newest and biggest cruise ship.

As Icon of the Seas sails around the Caribbean, Rover is able to explore the ports of call while also trotting all around the ship itself. Icon’s Chief Dog Officer is cared for by her handler, Alison Hubble, who has been working for Royal Caribbean for six years.

Under Alison’s attentive care, Rover lives quite the adventurous - and luxurious - life! Alison’s official job title is “Rover’s Chief of Staff.” Talk about a dream job!

On Rover’s official Instagram, @chiefdogrover, Alison shared an exclusive look into her and Rover’s special cabin onboard Icon of the Seas. With her own built-in-crate and extra living space, the stateroom has everything Rover needs for a comfortable stay.

The stateroom for Rover is unlike any cabin we’ve seen on a Royal Caribbean ship. Take a rare look inside Rover and Alison’s oceanview cabin, which appears to be specifically designed to comfortably accommodate Icon’s Chief Dog Officer. As if Rover wasn’t cute enough, the video is narrated from the pup’s point of view.

In a heartwarming video "narrated" by Rover, the Chief Dog Officer welcomes viewers into her cruise cabin.

The beginning of the cabin tour shows Rover politely sitting on one of her many dog beds. She says, “Welcome to my room tour! This is where I chill out when I am not roaming around the ship.”

According to the Instagram video, Rover’s cabin appears to be a one-bedroom cabin with a living room and couch, large vanity with cabinets, office, separate bedroom and bathroom. In the background, there is also a large crate for Rover to use in the living room.

Having plenty of space for Rover was likely a priority of designing her cabin, as a standard cruise stateroom only has around 150 to 200 square feet. In addition, most crew members live in double occupancy cabins for only 120 square feet. Either of these options would likely be too cramped for a large breed dog.

The cabin tour shows a large countertop with cabinets for storage. It looks like there are three large cabinets above the counter and three drawers below. A sliding door unveils an open space with a dog bowl of food for Rover with a plushy green bed for her to use too.

Rover also shows off her many different dog beds during the cabin tour. The video pans to Rover playfully chomping on one of her toys, in which she shares with followers, “I have a different bed for every vibe - whether I want to play, lounge or binge Netflix!”

Rover's tour on Instagram also shows the cabin's living room area, which is opposite of the desk space in the stateroom. You can see the living room features a couch, mounted TV on the wall and more cabinets for storage.

Rover’s stateroom tour continues by showing the large desk for her handler to use.

During the Instagram video, Rover shares how she likes to "scroll on Instagram" while her Chief of Staff works on the computer at the desk. The design of the desk area in Rover’s cabin looks similar to the vanities that can be found in standard cabins on Icon of the Seas.

However, Rover’s cabin has a large leather desk chair for her handler, Alison, to use while in the stateroom. Comparatively, Icon’s standard cabins have a smaller and more decorative desk chair for guests to use at their vanity.

(Infinite balcony cabin on Icon of the Seas shows a similar desk with different chair compared to Rover's cabin)

There is a large mirror, illuminated by a ring light, above the desk. Rover’s cabin has no shortage of storage either, as there are three more drawers under the desk as well. There is natural light coming through a porthole window next to the desk.

During the Instagram cabin tour, Rover also shares with viewers how she loves to nap while watching the sunset from her cabin. Based on the proximity of the sea, Rover’s cabin looks to be located on a lower deck onboard Icon of the Seas. 

Read more: Guide to Icon of the Seas cabins and suites

One of the coolest aspects of Rover’s cabin is her crate, which was specifically designed for Icon’s Chief Dog Officer.

Panning back to the cabinets near the stateroom’s entrance, Rover shares with followers how her crate was specifically designed for her! She says, “Then I also have this crate made specially for me, where I usually sleep for the night. I also order room service from here and play with my toys!”

At this point, we can see Rover hanging out in her built-in crate. Her aforementioned "room service" looks to be a bowl of dog food. Rover’s crate is located under the stateroom’s cabinets with a clear door that encloses the space. In her crate, Rover can eat dinner, play with toys and relax.

Based on this, it appears that Rover’s handler has been crate training the golden retriever pup. This is unsurprising, as crate training has many benefits for both canines and owners. In particular, crate training provides Rover with a safe, comfortable and familiar place to rest when she is apart from Alison.

The video tour also shows Rover surrounded by a plethora of toys! She proclaims, “The toys always appear from some magic drawer, but I am not tall enough to see it. So, I don’t really know!”

Rover shares the cabin with Alison, who has a separate bedroom to use.

Continuing her cabin tour, Rover brings followers into Alison’s bedroom next to the living room. This space looks very similar to Icon’s standard cabins with similar aesthetics, decoration and coloring.

In the video, Rover playfully burrows under the bed with a pink ball in her mouth. Rover says to followers, “My favorite spot is under my Chief of Staff’s bed. It’s so cozy down here!” Followers can also see two more dog beds for Rover to use in Alison’s room. Rover is not lying when she says she has a dog bed for every vibe!

The bedroom does not appear to have a window, although the living space appears to have two portholes. The bedroom also has closet space for Alison’s personal use, as Rover’s necessities seem to be mostly kept in the living room area.

Connected to the bedroom is a bathroom, which looks similar to most of Icon of the Seas’ cabins onboard the new cruise ship.

Rover proceeds to show viewers a look at her cabin’s bathroom. This area looks the most similar to any other cabin on Icon of the Seas. We can see the design is essentially the same as a standard cabin on Icon of the Seas with a large walk-in shower, toilet and sink with shelving above and below.

“Across the way is the bathroom, where I like to do spa days after the beach,” says Rover as she snuggles into the shower.

One of the biggest improvements in cabin design for newer cruise ships is having a larger bathroom with more space in the shower. Royal Caribbean took this a step further by adding a seat in the shower for added convenience and comfort.

I am sure Alison appreciates having the extra space in her cabin’s shower to clean Rover. This is especially helpful after Rover enjoys the sandy beaches each week at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Rover also shows off her many different accessories, including multiple pink collars and a lifejacket.

After showing off her bathroom, Rover shows Instagram viewers all of her pink collars and harnesses hanging from the wall. “I also have a spot for all of my accessories, and another one for my lifejacket.”

The video tour shows three pink collars hanging on the built-in hooks on the wall of her cabin. Looks like Rover might need to get some magnetic hooks for her cabin walls if she expands her collar collection!

Continuing with her stateroom tour, we can see where Rover keeps her lifejacket. One of the cabinets looks to be the space where Alison keeps Rover’s lifejacket. Rover proceeds to model her lifejacket for viewers, saying that, "everyone laughs when she puts on her lifejacket."

Sporting her yellow lifejacket, Rover clarifies, “It is for safety guys! It’s not even funny! But, I do look pretty cute, right?”

There’s no denying that Rover’s home is one of the most unique cabins in Royal Caribbean’s fleet!

Although Rover might live an atypical life for a pup, she is cruising in style onboard Icon of the Seas. It’s endearing to see Royal Caribbean has designed a special cabin particularly for Rover and Alison. Safety was also clearly taken into account with plenty of room for Rover to have enough space and constructing a built-in crate.

Compared to a standard cabin on Icon of the Seas, Rover and Alison’s cabin appears to have more space than most inside, oceanview or balcony staterooms. In addition, Rover’s cabin is likely bigger than most crew cabins onboard the cruise ship.

Rover’s cabin is filled with toys and dog beds for her to use each day! During the tour, we can see at least four different dog beds throughout the cabin for Rover to lay in.

Rover is one of the cutest crew members on Icon of the Seas - and her only job is to bring joy to fellow passengers.

Having a dog onboard a cruise ship is distinct to Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. Never before has the cruise line had a dog as a permanent resident onboard one of its cruise ships. The furry friend has already made herself at home onboard the 248,663 gross ton cruise ship.

Dogs are typically only welcomed onboard cruise ships if they are service dogs. The only cruise line that allows non-service dogs is Cunard’s Queen Mary II, which has a dog-boarding facility onboard its oceanic voyages. The kennels book years in advance, mostly from travelers who are moving abroad between England and the United States.

In contrast, Royal Caribbean has also clarified that Rover is not a service dog. Instead, she is considered a crew member whose job is to bring happiness and joy to guests and fellow crew members onboard.

Rover is always under the care of Alison. Royal Caribbean shared on Instagram, “Alison is always by Rover’s side to make every day fun and make sure she has plenty of naps and never misses out on any treats!”

Guests are encouraged to give Rover all the belly rubs if they see her onboard Icon of the Seas. You can find Rover enjoying the breeze of the pool deck, playing fetch in the Promenade or out exploring the ports of call. Sometimes Rover can even be found on the bridge with Captain Henrik Loy!

Alison was chosen as Rover’s Chief of Staff after a lengthy interview process.

Apparently, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley thought it would be a good idea to have a dog onboard Icon of the Seas for crew members and guests. Royal Caribbean sent an email to employees that the company was looking for a caretaker for a dog living onboard a cruise ship.

After applying for the position, Alison was chosen to be Rover’s handler. Alison shared that she considers this her dream job. Before boarding Icon of the Seas, Alison and Rover first boarded Freedom of the Seas to earn her sea legs!

According to Alison, Rover loves to chase her tail, which she finds to be hilarious! Rover also loves people and toys. Alison said she loves to see crew members and guests light up when they meet Rover. In fact, Alison always leaves her cabin a few minutes early to allocate enough time for people along the way to interact with Rover.

In addition, Rover determines her own schedule with plenty of naps throughout the day! There are no scheduled meet and greets with Rover. Alison also shared that she tries to spend ample time in the crew quarters, as many fellow crew members have been missing their dogs back home for months.

For now, Icon of the Seas is the only ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet where you can find a dog onboard. However, many would love to see all of Royal Caribbean’s ships should have one! Until then, Rover is the one and only - and she is clearly pampered as such!