Enjoying meals in the Main Dining Room is a traditional part of a cruise vacation, but there are a few tips and tricks you should follow to have the best experience possible.

Many passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise enjoy meals in the Main Dining Room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This complimentary venue is where you can enjoy three-course meals throughout your sailing, and it’s a nostalgic part of cruising for most cruisers.

We recommend knowing the ins and outs of the Main Dining Room before your cruise begins. Knowing how the Main Dining Room works can help you avoid any surprises while onboard, allowing you to fully appreciate the dining experience.

From browsing menus in advance to notifying Royal Caribbean of dietary restrictions, here are 21 tips for the best cruise ship Main Dining Room experience.

Know what’s included in the Main Dining Room

The Main Dining Room is included in your cruise fare on a Royal Caribbean cruise, but there are just a few items that cost extra.

Complimentary drinks include water, coffee, tea, juice, and lemonade. Soda, specialty coffees, mocktails, and alcoholic beverages come with an extra cost. If you have a drink package, however, you can utilize it in the Main Dining Room in addition to bars and lounges onboard.

As far as food, you’ll pay extra for three premium selections:

• Chops Grille Filet Mignon: $19.99
• Surf & Turf: $34.99
• Extra lobsters on formal nights: $16.99/lobster (one lobster dish is complimentary for each guest)

With so many complimentary food items on the menu, there’s really no need to purchase a premium selection from the Main Dining Room, but it’s always an option.

Prepare to order all courses at once

When your waiter comes to take your order in the Main Dining Room, be prepared to order all three courses at once. Many first-time cruisers are surprised when they realize they have to order their appetizer, main course, and dessert at the same time, leaving them scrambling to quickly select their courses.

Of course, if you’re not ready to place your order, your waiter can come back in a few minutes. Additionally, if you later decide to order an extra appetizer or change your mind on dessert, just let the waiter know.

Order more than one appetizer, main course, and dessert

One of the best parts about dining on a cruise ship is the opportunity to order as many dishes as you’d like. While we don’t advise ordering 3 appetizers, 5 main courses, and 6 desserts, there’s no harm in ordering more than one of each course.

Related: I tried Royal Caribbean's new Main Dining Room menus, and here's what I thought

Portions in the Main Dining Room are typically a bit smaller than what you might find at a restaurant on land, so many passengers like to order more than one item, especially when it comes to appetizers.

If you can’t choose between the French onion soup and a side salad, why not both? Likewise, don’t waste your time deciding between the key lime pie or carrot cake when you can easily order one of each!

Don’t be afraid to try new foods

Another plus of being able to order more than one item is the ability to try new foods and cuisines. While dining at a restaurant on land, many people are nervous to try something new in case they don’t like it, thus wasting money.

Eating in the Main Dining Room, on the other hand, means you can order that spicy Indian curry or pesto pasta with no regrets. If you don’t like it, you can always order something else, but if you do like it, then you’ve just found a new favorite food!

Know how the Main Dining Room menu works

Royal Caribbean’s Main Dining Room dinner menu changes every night, although cruise itineraries over 10 nights see repeated menus. Each menu has a theme, such as Mexican night and Italian night, and menu items are influenced by the theme.

The dinner menu features appetizers, main courses, and desserts. At the top of the menu is the chef’s recommendation for each course, but you can mix and match items from anywhere on the menu.

Related: 7 cruise ship Main Dining Room rules to follow — Plus one to break

Lunch in the Main Dining Room is served on sea days only. The menu changes from day to day, but it does not follow a set theme. Like dinner, the lunch menu offers appetizers, main courses, and desserts. On some itineraries, a standard lunch menu may be replaced with a brunch menu with both breakfast and lunch dishes.

Breakfast, like dinner, is served every day in the Main Dining Room. The menu features classic American breakfast cuisine including pancakes, french toast, and omelets. 

Check the menus in advance

Royal Caribbean posts its daily Main Dining Room menus on the Royal Caribbean app, and we recommend browsing the menus in advance. Looking at the menus ahead of time helps you decide whether or not you want to eat in the Main Dining Room on a particular evening.

If nothing on the menu appeals to you, you may choose to eat in the Windjammer or at a specialty evening that night instead. Likewise, you won’t want to book specialty dining reservations on the evening in which the Main Dining Room serves your favorite type of cuisine.

Know the difference between Traditional Dining and My Time Dining

Royal Caribbean offers two choices for dining in the Main Dining Room: Traditional Dining and My Time Dining. You select your choice when booking a cruise.

Traditional dining is when you are assigned the same table and waiters for the duration of the cruise. You can choose early (around 5:30PM) or late seating (around 8PM) for the meal, and you will dine at the same time every day.

Related: How to change your dining time on a Royal Caribbean cruise

My Time Dining gives you more flexibility in dining times. You will not have an assigned time, table, or waiter. Rather, you can make reservations for each day in advance or show up to the Main Dining Room at any time during dinner hours.

For more information on the two dining options, check out our guide on Royal Caribbean My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining.

You can show up later than your scheduled dining time, but you might have to wait

Many cruisers, especially those with early dining, may occasionally run late to dinner. If you have a 5:30PM dining time but stay in port until 6PM, you'll miss your dining time, but you can still have dinner in the Main Dining Room.

If you miss your dining time by more than 15-20 minutes, go to the My Time Dining area of the Main Dining Room, which is usually on a separate floor than traditional dining. Wait in line for a table and you will be seated for a regular sit-down dinner.

You should note, though, that you will not be seated at the same dining table you have for traditional dining. Your waiters will be different as well.

Make My Time Dining reservations in advance

While My Time Dining may offer flexibility to dine whenever you’d like, we still recommend making reservations in advance. You can make dining reservations for each evening of your cruise and the time can change from day to day.

Making reservations is not necessary, but if you do not make reservations, you will have to wait in line for an available table. Waiting in line is not fun for anyone, and making reservations in advance means you can show up at your dining time and be seated right away.

The menu's themed cuisine nights are flexible

Although Royal Caribbean’s dinner menus are named French Night and Mediterranean Night, they are loosely based on a destination’s cuisine. On French Night, you can still find seafood linguine, butternut squash soup, curried lamb, and a warm apple cobbler.

Mexican Night brings dishes like enchiladas and carne asada, but you can also order spaghetti bolognese, grilled chicken breast, escargot, and toffee cheesecake.

Therefore, don’t overlook the Main Dining Room menu even if the night’s theme is not your favorite cuisine. There is more than enough variety outside the themed cuisine to satisfy most passengers.

Let your waiter know your preferences

Waiters in the Main Dining Room are highly attentive, and they can handle most requests with ease. If you would like two bread bowls instead of one each night, they can accommodate that request for you. Or, if you know you want a cup of coffee each evening with dessert, let them know and they will bring it to you each evening without asking.

Letting your waiter know your dining preferences on the first night of your cruise helps ensure your dining experience matches your needs throughout the sailing.

Notify Royal Caribbean of dietary restrictions in advance

Royal Caribbean can accommodate dietary restrictions, but you should provide notice to the cruise line in advance (view instructions here).

Providing notice is only required for strict dietary restrictions such as food allergies, gluten-free, Kosher, low-fat, and low-sodium. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available in the Main Dining Room each evening, so there is no need to notify Royal Caribbean for these dietary restrictions.

Related: Eating gluten free on Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Go to the Main Dining Room for breakfast and lunch

The Main Dining Room is open for dinner each evening, but it’s also open for breakfast every morning and for lunch on sea days. Many passengers enjoy dining in the Main Dining Room for breakfast and lunch due to its quieter, more comfortable atmosphere when compared to other venues onboard.

Skip the busy Windjammer in the morning for a sit-down meal of pancakes, breakfast burritos, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Or, instead of waiting in a long line at El Loco Fresh for lunch, head to the Main Dining Room for a more relaxed environment.

Hours for breakfast and lunch can vary by sailing, with some offering brunch in lieu of two separate meals. Check the Royal Caribbean app for your sailing’s meal times. 

You can change your table assignment

If you have traditional dining, your Main Dining Room table assignment will be listed on your SeaPass card. We recommend heading to the Main Dining Room on embarkation day to check your table location and size.

If you would prefer to sit by a window but your table is in the middle of the room, ask a crew member at the Main Dining Room entrance if your table can be switched. Likewise, if you would prefer a table for two instead of sitting with other passengers, notify the crew members of this preference as well.

Bring your own wine to dinner

Royal Caribbean allows each adult to bring one 750ml bottle of wine onboard, and you can bring this wine to the Main Dining Room for dinner. A small corkage fee may be applied to open the bottle, but bringing your own wine will save money in the long run.

Plus, you can bring your favorite type of wine, which may not be available onboard.

Dress appropriately for formal nights

Many first-time cruisers are intimidated by formal nights on a Royal Caribbean cruise, but don’t worry: there’s no need to pack a tuxedo or ball gown for formal night. Wearing a collared shirt and slacks is totally acceptable for men, and many women choose to wear a light sundress or blouse in lieu of a floor-length gown.

Related: What to wear on a cruise formal night

It’s unlikely that you’ll be turned away for wearing jeans and a t-shirt on formal night, but we advise dressing appropriately. If you would prefer to skip formal night altogether, you can always visit the Windjammer or a specialty restaurant instead.

Check the Kids Menu for more options

Guests of any age can order off the Kids Menu in the Main Dining Room. The menu does not change from day to day, but offers classic kid-friendly dishes like hamburgers, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, and spaghetti.

If nothing on the regular menu sounds appealing, you’re always welcome to order a dish from the Kids Menu. Likewise, kids can order from the standard Main Dining Room menu in lieu of the Kids Menu.

Drop kids off at Adventure Ocean before dinner

Enjoying a nice sit-down meal can be difficult when cruising with young children. If you’re traveling with kids, consider bringing them to the Windjammer for a quick dinner before dropping them off at Adventure Ocean.

Related: 50 best cruising with kids tips & secrets

After dropping them off, head to the Main Dining Room for a more relaxed sit-down meal. More often than not, your kids will prefer a quick dinner before having fun at Adventure Ocean anyway, so you can dine guilt-free.

You don’t have to eat with other passengers

Many first-time cruisers assume you have to dine at large tables with strangers while on a Royal Caribbean cruise, but this isn’t always the case. Dining with other passengers can be a great way to make new friends onboard, but it’s certainly not as intimate as dining with just your travel party.

Royal Caribbean usually assigns guests to their own table, but your table may occasionally be shared with other passengers. If you don’t want to dine with others, simply head to the Main Dining Room on embarkation day and confirm your table assignment.

If your dining reservation is at a table with other passengers, a crew member can change the table information so that it’s only you and your travel party.

Avoid controversial topics with table mates

If you are sharing a table with other passengers, do everything possible to avoid controversial topics. Discussing politics, religion, and controversial current events is a big no-no when dining in the Main Dining Room.

No one wants to feel uncomfortable or start a fight with other passengers, so keep discussions with table mates civil.

Always be friendly to your waiters

Our last tip for the best cruise ship Main Dining Room experience is to always be friendly to your waiters.

Royal Caribbean crew members work diligently every day of their contracts to provide the best experience for guests, including in the Main Dining Room. It’s important to be polite to crew members even when something goes wrong.

If you asked for your steak medium rare but it comes out well done, politely inform your waiter rather than throw a fit. Or, if your waiter forgets to bring you another glass of wine, remind them about it without being rude.

Your waiters do everything possible to make the Main Dining Room experience as enjoyable as possible, and being friendly can enhance your experience even more.

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Royal Caribbean just released seventeen short segments of the cruise line’s Ultimate World Cruise, a 274-night cruise around the world. Visiting over sixty countries and eleven World Wonders, the World Cruise is on many cruisers’ bucket lists, and getting onboard has just become a whole lot easier.

Royal Caribbean first announced the Ultimate World Cruise on Serenade of the Seas in late 2021, and it opened for bookings in early 2022. Passengers could book either the entire 274-night cruise or one of four 2-3 month segments.

Not all cabins have been sold for the Ultimate World Cruise, which prompted Royal Caribbean to split the segments into seventeen individual itineraries ranging from nine to twenty nine nights.

These itineraries visit everywhere from Antarctica to Australia, Norway, and South Korea, and here’s everything you need to know about booking these unique itineraries.

Segments for the Ultimate World Cruise start at $931 per person, but all balcony and suite cabins are sold out.

Prices for each segment of the World Cruise vary significantly, with some itineraries as low as $931 per person and others around $1,881 per person. These prices reflect the per person rate before taxes and fees in an interior room.

The majority of itineraries are priced around $1,200 per person. With taxes and fees added, this brings the average cost to around $3,173 total for two guests in an interior room. With many itineraries between 11-16 nights, the price per day makes the segments a great value.

Only interior and ocean view rooms are available on the World Cruise segments. All balconies and suites are sold out, presumably by the guests who booked the entire sailing or one of the original four segments of the cruise.

If you’re interested in booking a segment of the Ultimate World Cruise, you should book as soon as possible.

Although Royal Caribbean just released itineraries for shorter segments of the World Cruise, the World Cruise has been available to book for over a year. Many staterooms are fully booked, and Royal Caribbean has not shared how many cabins are available on each segment.

If 70% of the ship is already full, for example, there could be only a handful of cabins available for any particular segment. Therefore, if you’re daydreaming about that cruise to India or Patagonia, you should book the segment before it sells out completely.

These are the recently added short segments of the Ultimate World Cruise in order of departure date.

Ultimate Caribbean & South America Cruise (26 nights)

Dates: December 10, 2023 - January 5, 2024

Interested in being onboard for the first day of Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise? Join the excitement as Serenade of the Seas departs Miami for her tour around the world with this 26-night itinerary to the Caribbean and South America. On this sailing, you will visit thirteen ports before disembarking in Buenos Aires, Argentina:

• Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Oranjestad, Aruba
• Willemstad, Curacao
• Kralendijk, Bonaire
• Bridgetown, Barbados
• St. George’s, Grenada
• Devil’s Island, French Guiana
• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Recife, Brazil
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Copacabana, Brazil
• Montevideo, Uruguay

The itinerary starts with an exciting day at Perfect Day at CocoCay and later includes an overnight stay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, allowing guests to experience one of the world’s most famous New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Ultimate South America & Antarctica Cruise (18 nights)

Dates: January 5, 2024 - January 23, 2024

Is visiting Antarctica on your to-do list? If so, booking the Ultimate South America & Antarctica cruise itinerary is the only way you can cruise to The White Continent with Royal Caribbean.

Departing Buenos Aires, Argentina and ending in Valparaíso, Chile, this once-in-a-lifetime itinerary takes passengers around the tip of South America, which includes two days of sightseeing in Antarctica. Although passengers cannot disembark the ship in Antarctica, sailing by the continent’s massive glaciers and abundance of wildlife will certainly make for an unforgettable cruise vacation.

Aside from Antarctica, the cruise visits several ports in Patagonia in addition to the Falkland Islands:

• Puerto Madryn, Argentina
• Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
• Gerlache Strait (Cruising), Antarctica
• Paradise Bay (Cruising, Antarctica
• Schollaert Channel & Dalhan Bay, Antarctica
• Elephant Island (Cruising), Antarctica
• Cape Horn (Cruising), Chile
• Ushuaia, Argentina
• Punta Arenas, Chile
• Straits of Magellan, Chile
• Chilean Fjords (Cruising), Chile

Ultimate Central & South America Cruise (19 nights)

Dates: January 23, 2024 - February 11, 2024

Interested in visiting Machu Picchu and the jungles of Central America? The Ultimate Central & South America cruise visits some seriously alluring ports on the 19-night itinerary. This segment of the World Cruise starts in Valparaíso, Chile and ends in Los Angeles, California, visiting nine destinations:

• La Serena (Coquimbo), Chile
• Arica, Chile
• Pisco, Peru
• Callao, Peru
• Manta, Ecuador
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Ensenada, Mexico

Ultimate Hawaii, Tahiti & Australia Cruise (29 nights)

Dates: February 11, 2024 - March 11, 2024

Lovers of sea days will enjoy the longest segment of the Ultimate World Cruise, a 29-night itinerary crossing the Pacific Ocean. The planet’s biggest ocean contains approximately 30,000 islands, and this transpacific itinerary takes passengers to several of the most beautiful destinations.

Departing Los Angeles and ending in Brisbane, Australia, this itinerary visits:

• Maui (Lahaina), Hawaii
• Hawaii (Kailua Kona), Hawaii
• Oahu (Honolulu), Hawaii
• Moorea, French Polynesia
• Papeete, Tahiti
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Bay Of Islands, New Zealand
• Sydney, Australia
• Newcastle, Australia

Visiting the remote islands of Hawaii and French Polynesia offers passengers the chance to discover the cultures and landscapes in these destinations. Whether snorkeling the reefs of Moorea or visiting Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii, this transpacific itinerary is unlike any other segment of the World Cruise.

Ultimate Australia & Southeast Asia Cruise (16 nights)

Dates: March 11, 2024 - March 27, 2024

Head down under for a cruise from Australia’s northeast to Southeast Asia. This 16-night itinerary departs Brisbane, Queensland and brings guests to six tropical ports before ending in Hong Kong:

• Airlie Beach, Queensland
• Cairns, Australia
• Lombok, Indonesia,
• Benoa, Bali
• Manila, Philippines
• Subic Bay, Philippines

Guests on this itinerary can snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, explore the volcanic landscapes of Lombok, and end their trip with a stay in the busy metropolis of Hong Kong.

Ultimate China, Japan & South Korea Cruise (12 nights)

Dates: March 27, 2024 - April 8, 2024

Starting in Hong Kong and ending in Beijing, the Ultimate China, Japan & South Korea itinerary takes passengers on a captivating voyage across East Asia, visiting several islands and cities in the region. Throughout the 12-night itinerary, passengers will visit:

• Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan
• Ishigaki, Japan
• Okinawa (Naha), Japan
• Busan, South Korea
• Jeju Island, South Korea
• Seoul (Incheon), South Korea

Ultimate Japan, Vietnam & Singapore Cruise (16 nights)

Dates: April 8, 2024 - April 24, 2024

Passengers can visit Japan more in-depth on the Ultimate Japan, Vietnam & Singapore itinerary. Starting in Beijing, this World Cruise segment visits several ports in Japan, continues to Southeast Asia, and ends in Singapore; it visits the following ports:

• Nagasaki, Japan
• Kagoshima, Japan
• Tokyo (Yokohama), Japan
• Mt. Fuji (Shimizu), Japan
• Kyoto (Osaka), Japan
• Nha Trang, Vietnam
• Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam

Ultimate India, Sri Lanka & Malaysia Cruise (15 nights)

Dates: April 24, 2024 - May 9, 2024

Visit the Taj Mahal on the Ultimate India, Sri Lanka & Malaysia cruise. This 15-night itinerary takes guests to discover the rich cultures of India, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka where they’re sure to find tasty cuisine, vibrant markets, and insights into the region’s history and religions.

Passengers embark this fascinating sailing in Singapore and disembark in Dubai, visiting the following destinations:

• Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Malaysia
• Penang, Malaysia
• Hambantota, Sri Lanka
• Colombo, Sri Lanka
• Cochin, India
• Goa (Mormugao), India
• Mumbai (Bombay), India
• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

While docked overnight in Bombay (Mumbai), India, guests will have the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Ultimate Jordan, Egypt & Israel Cruise (18 nights)

Dates: May 9, 2024 - May 27, 2024

Visit the Pyramids of Giza on an 18-night cruise through the Middle East. Starting in Dubai and ends in Athens, you will visit the following ports on this itinerary:

• Salalah, Oman
• Aqaba, Jordan
• Safaga, Egypt
• Suez Canal (Passage), Egypt
• Alexandria, Egypt
• Jerusalem (Ashdod), Israel
• Limassol, Cyprus

Whether you’re interested in learning more about ancient Egypt, visiting religious sites in Israel, or strolling the seafront of Limassol, you’re sure to find wonderful ways to spend your port days on this itinerary.

Ultimate Bulgaria, Romania & Turkey Cruise (11 nights)

Dates: May 27, 2024 - June 7, 2024

This Eastern European itinerary brings passengers to countries rarely visited on Royal Caribbean cruises for an insight into the region’s culture and history. Departing Athens and returning to Istanbul, guests will visit the following ports:

• Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
• Burgas, Bulgaria
• Constanta, Romania
• Varna, Bulgaria
• Trabzon, Turkey

Visiting Ephesus is a dream for many history buffs, as this ancient archaeological site was once one of the most important cities in the Mediterranean. Beyond ancient ruins, however, you can enjoy the seaside towns of Burgas and Constanta, two destinations you may never have thought to visit.

Ultimate Greece, Turkey & Italy Cruise (13 nights)

Dates: June 7, 2024 - June 20, 2024

Spending summer in the Mediterranean is a dream, especially when you’re hopping from island to island on a cruise ship. Starting in Istanbul and ending in Venice (Ravenna), this 13-night itinerary to Greece, Turkey, and Italy visits many of the region’s most picturesque islands and cities.

• Thessaloniki, Greece
• Chios, Greece
• Bodrum, Turkey
• Rhodes, Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Santorini, Greece
• Chania (Souda), Crete
• Olympia (Katakolon), Greece
• Corfu, Greece
• Bari, Italy

Ultimate Italy, Croatia & Malta Cruise (11 nights)

Dates: June 20, 2024 - July 1, 2024

Cruising the Adriatic is a lovely option for those looking for a traditional European summer holiday. Charming cities, clear beaches, and breathtaking mountain views make ports along the Adriatic a must-see.

The Ultimate Italy, Croatia & Malta cruise starts in Venice (Ravenna) and ends in Rome (Civitavecchia). It visits nine unique ports:

• Trieste, Italy
• Koper, Slovenia
• Zadar, Croatia
• Split, Croatia
• Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Kotor, Montenegro
• Valletta, Malta
• Sicily (Catania), Italy
• Naples/Capri, Italy

As Serenade of the Seas makes her way out of the Adriatic, she will call upon the small country of Malta before heading to Sicily and the Amalfi Coast, adding another region of the Mediterranean to this 11-night itinerary.

Ultimate Italy, France & Spain Cruise (9 nights)

Dates: July 1, 2024 - July 10, 2024

The Ultimate Italy, France & Spain cruise is a classic Mediterranean cruise, visiting the region’s most famous cities. Starting in Rome (Civitavecchia) and ending in Barcelona, this Western European cruise itinerary will call upon:

• Florence/Pisa (Carrara), Italy
• Portofino, Italy
• Ajaccio, Corsica
• Cannes, France
• Nice (Villefranche), France
• Provence (Toulon), France
• Palma De Mallorca, Spain

Passengers on this itinerary can start their vacation by visiting the Colosseum and Vatican City in Rome. Once on the cruise, they can visit other famous landmarks including the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Florence and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The combination of a shorter itinerary with visits to the continent’s most popular destinations makes this a fantastic option for those visiting Europe for the first time.

Ultimate Spain, Morocco & France Cruise (16 nights)

Dates: July 10, 2024 - July 26, 2024

Although mainland Spain and Morocco are separated by only the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, the two countries offer vastly different travel experiences. Whereas visiting Spain brings guests to beachfront cities like Barcelona and Valencia, Morocco offers bustling markets and stunning desert landscapes.

Passengers on the 16-night Ultimate Spain, Morocco & France cruise can experience the best of what Spain and Morocco have to offer while also traveling to northern Europe near the end of the cruise. The itinerary departs Barcelona and ends in Southampton and visits the following ports:

• Valencia, Spain
• Cartagena, Spain
• Málaga, Spain
• Casablanca, Morocco
• Agadir, Morocco
• Lisbon, Portugal
• Porto (Leixoes), Portugal
• Vigo, Spain
• Cork (Cobh), Ireland
• Cherbourg, France
• Paris (Le Havre), France

Ultimate Denmark, Germany & Sweden Cruise (15 nights)

Dates: July 26, 2024 - August 10, 2024

Depart Southampton and explore the historic cities of Northern Europe on this intriguing 15-night itinerary. Although you may not encounter the sunny, warm skies of the Mediterranean, visiting Northern Europe allows you to experience the region’s charming towns and friendly cultures.

On this two week cruise, you will visit the following ports:

• Bruges/Zeebruge (Brussels), Belgium
• Skagen, Denmark
• Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany
• Riga, Latvia
• Tallinn, Estonia
• Helsinki, Finland
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Visby, Sweden
• Klaipeda, Lithuania
• Ronne, Denmark
• Kiel, Germany

Ultimate Norwegian Fjords Cruise (9 nights)

Dates: August 10, 2024 - August 19, 2024

One of the shorter itineraries on the Ultimate World Cruise is a 9-night Norwegian fjords cruise. This itinerary departs Copenhagen, ends in Amsterdam, and visits the following ports:

• Aarhus, Denmark
• Oslo, Norway
• Kristiansand, Norway
• Haugesund, Norway
• Olden, Norway
• Alesund, Norway
• Bergen, Norway

Cruising the Norwegian fjords is a dream vacation for many cruisers—not only can you visit the quaint towns along the fjords, but you’ll experience some of Europe’s most breathtaking scenery as you sail from port to port.

Ultimate Iceland, Greenland & Caribbean Cruise (22 nights)

Dates: August 19, 2024 - September 10, 2024

The final segment of Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise is an Arctic itinerary combined with a transatlantic crossing to Miami, Florida. This 22-night itinerary starts in Amsterdam and visits the following ports:

• Reykjavik, Iceland
• Qaqortoq, Greenland
• Nuuk, Greenland
• St. John’s, Newfoundland
• New York, New York
• Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
• Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas

While this itinerary includes more sea days than most, it offers the chance to visit more remote destinations like Iceland and Greenland. Plus, ending the cruise at Perfect Day at CocoCay is a great way to celebrate the final port of call on Serenade of the Seas’ journey around the world.

The end of a cruise vacation can stir up many emotions, but most (if not all) passengers feel a hint of post-cruise depression set in on disembarkation day. Thoughts of returning to work, cleaning your house, and cooking your own meals can make even the toughest passengers dread returning home.

Nonetheless, you have to return home eventually after your time onboard, and we recommend that you get off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day. For most cruise itineraries, this means disembarking around 7AM instead of, say, 8 or 9AM.

While shortening your time on a Royal Caribbean cruise may sound unappealing, the truth is that by disembarking just an hour or two earlier than other passengers, you can reap a wide range of benefits.

From shorter wait times in the cruise terminal to avoiding chaos at the parking garage, here are 8 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible.

How can I get off the ship as early as possible?

Before explaining the top reasons why you should disembark your cruise early, you should have a basic understanding of how Royal Caribbean’s disembarkation process works.

You have two options for disembarkation: self-disembarkation or using luggage tags.

Self-disembarkation is when you carry your luggage off the cruise ship with you. By transporting your own luggage off the ship, you have the freedom to leave whenever you want. This works well for cruisers who packed light or who don’t mind lugging suitcases off the ship, down the gangway, and through the cruise terminal.

Self-disembarkation is also a nice option for those who want as much flexibility as possible when leaving the ship. If you booked an early flight, you may prefer to disembark your ship as soon as the gangway opens instead of waiting until your luggage tag number is called.

Related: Self-disembarkation on a Royal Caribbean cruise

If you opt not to do self-assist disembarkation, you should adhere to the disembarkation time on your cabin’s luggage tag number. Near the end of the cruise, luggage tags will be delivered to your stateroom. Each of these luggage tags has a number, and this number coincides with the time in which your luggage will be ready for you in the cruise terminal.

If you don't like the disembarkation time given on your luggage tag, you can change your luggage tag number to the time that works best for you—simply head to Guest Services and get a different luggage tag.

Now that you have a better idea of how to disembark a cruise ship, let’s move into the top 8 reasons to get off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day.

There’s nothing to do onboard on disembarkation day

Although Royal Caribbean cruise ships are packed with activities and entertainment, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything interesting to do on disembarkation day.

With such a short turnaround time between cruises, there’s no time for activities like waterslides, trivia, and production shows.

Truthfully, there’s a rushed atmosphere onboard on disembarkation morning. If you’re suntanning on the pool deck at 9AM, you might get a few strange looks from crew members.

While there are no activities offered on disembarkation day, select breakfast venues, including the Windjammer and Main Dining Room, are open. We recommend grabbing a quick breakfast and getting off the ship as early as you can.

Avoid lines to leave the ship

While you won’t usually encounter an exceptionally long line to disembark your cruise ship, it’s best to avoid waiting in lines whenever possible. More often than not, the earlier you try to disembark your cruise ship, the shorter of a line you’ll experience.

Related: How long does it take to get off a cruise ship?

Not only will you avoid a long line just to leave the ship, but you won’t have to wait as long to have your passport and documents checked in the terminal. This is even more true if you’re traveling with a birth certificate and ID instead of a passport.

Those with passports can usually go through a fast-moving line during which a facial recognition device confirms your identity. Those without passports, on the other hand, have to wait in a line to have their documents manually checked.

If you disembark at the same time as everyone else, there’s a chance you’ll have to wait in line longer than you'd prefer.

Get taxis and Ubers more quickly than other passengers

In addition to lines in the cruise terminal, disembarking your ship early means you’ll spend far less time waiting in line for transportation to the airport.

With thousands of passengers leaving the cruise port at the same time, disembarkation day can be a bit hectic. Taxis and rideshares see high demand all at once, and unfortunately, many passengers end up waiting longer than they would like for a ride to the airport.

By getting off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day, you can be among the first to call an Uber or Lyft, and it’s unlikely there will be any wait at the taxi line.

Beat the traffic in the parking garage

If you drove to your cruise port, you don’t want to get held up at the parking garage on disembarkation day. It’s typical for long lines of cars to form as thousands of other passengers try to exit the parking garage all at once.

No one enjoys waiting around in their car when they could be on the way home. By getting off your ship as early as possible on disembarkation day, you can be one of the first out of the parking garage.

Get home earlier if you’re driving

Driving to your cruise port? The earlier you disembark your cruise ship, the earlier you can hit the road.

It’s always hard to relax knowing there’s a long drive ahead of you. Getting home earlier means you can start to unpack and relax, even if it means you’re no longer on a cruise ship.

Our recommendation is to wake up early, grab a takeaway coffee and pastry from Cafe Promenade, and hit the road before most passengers have even made it to breakfast.

More time to make a flight

We’ve all seen frantic, disheveled passengers sprinting through an airport terminal to make their flight on time. Many of us, in fact, have been those exact passengers ourselves—I know I’m guilty. By disembarking your cruise ship as early as possible, you give yourself more time to make a flight.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend booking flights no earlier than noon on disembarkation day, but the exact time can vary from airport to airport. If you’re flying from Fort Lauderdale, which is only 5 minutes away from the cruise port, you will (more than likely) be able to make an 11AM flight with little rush.

Making a noon flight from Venice, Italy when your cruise ends in Ravenna would be much more stressful—the cruise port is over two hours from the airport.

Related: The 20 worst cruise mistakes that will ruin your cruise vacation

As long as you don’t book a flight too early, disembarking your cruise ship as early as possible will give you enough time to make your flight and account for any unexpected delays.

Account for security lines at the airport

My small, regional airport at home almost never has a line at security, but the same cannot be said about airports near popular cruise ports.

Many of the world’s busiest cruise ports are also located near the world’s busiest airports. Whether at the Los Angeles, Miami, or Orlando airport, you might encounter longer-than-anticipated lines at security.

If you don’t have TSA Precheck or an alternative priority security screening like CLEAR, you want to make sure you arrive at the airport with plenty of time before your flight. There’s nothing more stressful than rushing to the airport only to find out a long security line could cause you to miss your flight altogether!

Fly standby on an earlier flight

When I disembarked Symphony of the Seas earlier this year, I was off the ship by 7:45AM. My flight home, however, didn’t depart Miami until 12:30PM, and I was dreading waiting around the airport for several hours.

On route to the airport, I opened my American Airlines app and realized I could fly standby on a 9AM flight to my connection in Los Angeles. I never would have booked this flight outright as it left very little time to get to the airport and go through security after disembarking.

As a standby passenger, though, I could attempt to make the earlier flight with no risk of missing my flight later in the day.

To my surprise, I was able to fly on both my flight from Miami and my connecting flight home as a standby passenger. I was home over five hours earlier than I would have been on my initial itinerary!

Had I dilly-dallied around the cruise ship for another hour before disembarking, I never would have made the standby flight at 9AM. From now on, I’ll always get off the cruise ship as early as possible on disembarkation day if I can get on a standby list for an earlier flight.

Traveling to Port Canaveral for a cruise? We’re sharing our top hotel recommendations for a pre-cruise stay.

Port Canaveral is a cruise port located on Florida’s central coast just 45 miles from Orlando. It’s among the busiest cruise ports in the world, with over 4 million passengers sailing from the port each year.

If you’re cruising from Port Canaveral, we recommend arriving in Florida the day before your cruise begins. Depending on your travel schedule, you may choose to book a hotel near the airport in Orlando or one closer to the port.

Arriving a day early provides ample wiggle room in the case of travel delays when driving or flying to the port. Plus, it allows you to start your vacation one day early before embarkation day, whether you visit Orlando’s theme parks, spend time at the beach, or simply rest in your hotel.

Here’s our list of the best hotels near Port Canaveral to book before your cruise.

Where to stay in Port Canaveral before your cruise

Cape Canaveral

Many passengers prefer to spend the night before their cruise close to Port Canaveral. The port is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, otherwise known as Florida’s Space Coast.

Staying in Cape Canaveral offers a wide selection of activities, from visiting the Kennedy Space Center to spending time at Cocoa Beach. The area is home to many restaurants, bars, and beach shops, providing more of an “I’m on vacation” atmosphere compared to staying in Orlando.

Related: How to get to Port Canaveral for your Royal Caribbean cruise

There’s no question that staying in Cape Canaveral instead of Orlando makes it easier to reach the cruise terminal on embarkation day. Many hotels are located just a five minute drive away from the port.

If you arrive in Orlando early the day before your cruise, we recommend traveling to the coast to spend the night in Cape Canaveral instead of staying in Orlando.

Near Orlando airport

Most travelers flying to Orlando will arrive at Orlando International Airport (MCO). If your flight arrives late (after ~6PM), we recommend staying near the airport instead of traveling to Cape Canaveral for a pre-cruise hotel stay.

You’ll more than likely be tired from a long day of traveling, and the 40 minute drive from the airport to Cape Canaveral can add to your exhaustion. Instead, reserving a no-frills airport hotel for one night gives you the chance to catch up on rest as soon as possible without any extra travel time.

Luckily, because MCO is such a major airport, there is a huge variety of hotels to choose from in the surrounding area. In addition, you usually cannot board the ship until around 11 AM on embarkation day, so you can travel from your airport hotel to Port Canaveral with plenty of time to spare the morning after your arrival.

Shuttles from Orlando to Port Canaveral

Many hotels in the Orlando and Cape Canaveral area will offer a shuttle service from the hotel to port. When traveling to Port Canaveral, you can choose to book a shuttle service or handle transportation on your own by reserving a taxi, Uber, or Lyft.

Here is what to consider when choosing between a shuttle versus a rideshare service:

Price

Most shuttles are priced per person instead of per car like a taxi or Uber. For a solo traveler, a per person rate can be the most budget-friendly, but the cost can quickly add up when traveling with a larger group.

If you’re staying at a hotel in Cape Canaveral and need to travel to the cruise port just 1 mile away, your hotel might charge $10 per person for a shuttle. If traveling with a group of four, this amounts to $40, but you could call a Lyft instead for just $10-15 total.

Nevertheless, Port Canaveral differs from other Florida cruise ports in that the port is located far from the main airport in Orlando. It takes around 40 minutes to drive from the MCO airport and nearby hotels to Port Canaveral, and a taxi or rideshare service could cost over $100.

If a shuttle from the airport to Port Canaveral is only $25 per person, it may be the same price (or even cheaper) to take a shuttle when traveling with a larger group.

Traveling on your own time

Something else to consider when deciding whether to reserve a shuttle service or order an Uber to the cruise port is convenience. Shuttles leave at set times throughout the day whereas you can call a taxi or rideshare at any time.

If there is only one shuttle leaving from your hotel at 11AM, for example, but you want to leave at 9AM, a shuttle probably is not the best option. Instead, you should reserve a ride independently to have full control over when you head from the airport or hotel to Port Canaveral.

Here is our list of the best hotels near Port Canaveral before your cruise:

Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach

• Average nightly price: $220 to $450
• Address: 8959 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
• Location: Near cruise port

The Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral is an all-suite hotel located just a three minute drive from Port Canaveral. The convenient location of the hotel—combined with its comfortable rooms and amenities—make it hard to beat for a pre-cruise stay in Cape Canaveral.

Studio, 1 bedroom, and 2 bedroom suites can all be booked at the Residence Inn. Each room includes one or two beds, a sofa bed, dining area, and desk. Booking a suite can provide more space during your pre-cruise stay, which is especially helpful if traveling with kids or a large group.

Amenities at the Residence Inn include complimentary breakfast, an outdoor pool and hot tub, kitchenette, fitness center, and convenience store.

Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront

• Average nightly price: $240 to $400
• Address: 1550 N Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
• Location: Cocoa Beach

The Hilton Cocoa Beach is the perfect hotel for a pre-cruise stay on the beach in Cape Canaveral. The hotel is just ten minutes away from Port Canaveral and offers oceanfront views and direct beach access.

Both rooms and suites are available to book at the Hilton, many of which have views of the water. Amenities at the property include beach access, an outdoor pool, fitness center, and on-site restaurant, although free wifi is not included. Volleyball courts and surf lessons are also available.

Staying in a hotel so close to the ocean typically comes with a higher price tag compared to hotels further from the water. Therefore, an oceanfront hotel in Cape Canaveral is recommended only for those who plan to take advantage of the location.

If you arrive early the day before your cruise and want to make the most of your time, the Hilton Cocoa Beach can be an excellent choice. Plus, who doesn’t love a morning walk on the beach before heading to the cruise port?

Homewood Suites by Hilton Cape Canaveral-Cocoa Beach

• Average nightly price: $200 to $325
• Address: 9000 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
• Location: Near cruise port

Located just a mile from Port Canaveral is the Homewood Suites by Hilton, an all-suite hotel with studio, 1 bedroom, and 2 bedroom rooms. Suites feature a fully equipped kitchen, bedroom space, and living room.

Amenities at the Homewood Suites include free breakfast, free wifi, an outdoor pool, fitness center, and tiki bar.

The hotel’s location along Astronaut Boulevard—which leads to Port Canaveral—means it is not directly on the beach. However, it’s near several restaurants and bars that you can enjoy the evening before your cruise begins. Plus, the beach is only 1.5 miles from the hotel, so it’s easy to access for those hoping to kick off their vacation a little early.

There are several shuttles available through Port Hotel Shuttle:

• Hotel to cruise: $5 per person
• Hotel to cruise, cruise to MCO: $25 per person

Radisson Resort at the Port

• Average nightly price: $275 to $350
• Address: 8701 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
• Location: Near cruise port

Also along Astronaut Boulevard is Radisson Resort at the Port. This hotel is a popular choice among many cruisers due to its convenient location, amenities, and offerings specific to cruise guests. Both standard rooms and suites are available to book.

The hotel features a large outdoor pool with a hot tub, which is a major attraction of the property for many guests. Other amenities include an on-site restaurant, fitness center, free wifi, tennis courts, and room service.

In addition, the Radisson offers four separate cruise packages to guests:

• Park three or four nights and cruise
• Park five to eight nights and cruise
• Fly, stay, and cruise (includes shuttle from MCO airport)
• Snooze and cruise (does not include parking)

While taking the shuttle from Orlando or parking your car is optional, many cruisers appreciate the added convenience of this service provided by the Radisson.

Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral

• Average nightly price: $200 to $325
• Address: 3425 N Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
• Location: Cocoa Beach

Just steps from the beach (and a ten minute drive to the cruise port) is the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral. The hotel’s location on the main road in Cocoa Beach means it’s near plenty of restaurants, bars, and shopping, making it an enjoyable place to spend the night before your cruise.

Amenities at the Hampton Inn include complimentary breakfast, an outdoor heated pool, poolside bar, free wifi, electric vehicle charging, and a fitness center. The hotel does not offer suites, but has king and queen rooms with balconies facing the ocean.

We recommend the Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral for those who value staying near the beach and who don’t mind a few extra minutes drive to Port Canaveral on embarkation day.

There are several shuttles available through Port Hotel Shuttle:

• Hotel to cruise: $10 per person
• Hotel to cruise, cruise to MCO: $30 per person
• MCO to hotel, hotel to cruise, cruise to MCO: $52 per person

Springhill Suites by Marriott Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach

• Average nightly price: $200 to $325
• Address: 655 W Central Blvd, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
• Location: near cruise port

The Springhill Suites Cape Canaveral Cocoa Beach is a new hotel just a four minute drive to the cruise port. As an all-suite hotel, rooms provide ample space, making for a comfortable place to relax and unwind before your cruise begins.

Amenities at the Springhill Suites include complimentary breakfast, free wifi, an on-site restaurant, an outdoor pool and hot tub, poolside bar, fire pit, and fitness center.

A shuttle service is offered from the hotel to the cruise port for $10 per person, but an Uber or Lyft may be a cheaper option.

Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport

• Average nightly price: $300 to $400
• Address: 9300 Jeff Fuqua Blvd, Orlando, FL 32927
• Location: Inside Orlando International Airport

Arriving in Orlando late at night? Your best bet is to stay at a hotel near the airport and head to Port Canaveral the morning of embarkation day.

The Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport is, by far, the most convenient hotel option, as it’s located inside the airport! The hotel is located between the security checkpoints at Terminal A and Terminal B, meaning you can get from baggage claim to your hotel room in just a few minutes!

Not only is the hotel’s location helpful for travelers arriving late, but it offers several great amenities including a rooftop pool with runway views, fitness center, jogging/walking track, and free wifi.

Additionally, three dining venues are available on-site:

• Lobby Bar, a bar with signature drinks, sushi, and sandwiches
• McCoy’s Bar and Grill, featuring a global-inspired menu and sushi bar
• Hemisphere Restaurant, a contemporary restaurant with runway views from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows

The Hyatt Regency also offers optional Park, Stay, and Go packages for cruise guests. These packages include accommodation the night before your cruise in addition to parking for up to seven nights.

Fairfield Inn Orlando Airport

• Average nightly price: $150 to $275
• Address: 7100 Augusta National Dr, Orlando, FL 32922
• Location: Near Orlando International Airport

If you’d prefer to leave the confines of the airport, there are many hotels located just a few minutes drive away. Fairfield Inn Orlando Airport is a no-frills property near the airport that offers a pleasant place to rest before traveling to Port Canaveral in the morning.

The Fairfield Inn Orlando Airport has complimentary breakfast, an outdoor pool, hot tub, free wifi, and a fitness center. Not only is it close to the airport, but it’s a short walk away from restaurants, bars, shops, and even a movie theater!

The hotel offers a Fly Snooze Cruise Package, which includes:

• Transportation from Orlando International airport to hotel
• Accommodation for one night
• Transportation from hotel to cruise port
• Transportation from cruise port to Orlando International Airport

Holiday Inn Orlando International Airport

• Average nightly price: $165 to $225
• Address: 5750 T G Lee Blvd, Orlando, FL 32822
• Location: Near Orlando International Airport

Another hotel option near the airport is the Holiday Inn Orlando International Airport. Located just one mile from the airport, and with bright, modern rooms, the property is a great option for those arriving late to Orlando. 

Amenities at the Holiday Inn Orlando International Airport include an outdoor pool, wifi, on-site restaurant, and fitness center. They even have a 275” big screen TV in the lobby.

Breakfast is not included in the standard hotel rate, but there are several breakfast options nearby including IHOP and Denny’s. The hotel also features the Drift Kitchen & Bar (restaurant/bar) and a 24 hour marketplace.

The Holiday Inn offers a free shuttle from MCO to the hotel. Shuttles from the hotel to Port Canaveral can be booked through Go Port for $34.99 per traveler. However, you can also book a Fly Snooze Cruise package that includes:

• Transportation from MCO to hotel
• Pre-cruise accommodation for 1 night
• Transportation from hotel to cruise
• Transportation from cruise to MCO

Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel

• Average nightly price: $190 to $220
• Address: 5445 Forbes Pl, Orlando, FL 32812
• Location: Near Orlando International Airport

Our last hotel recommendation near the Orlando airport is the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel. Like other airport hotels, the Renaissance is located just a few minute’s drive away from the airport and offers convenience for a pre-cruise stay.

Rooms with either one king bed or two queen beds are available, some of which provide Club Lounge access. Amenities at the Renaissance include an outdoor pool with cabanas and a hot tub, fitness center, free wifi, a grab and go eatery, concierge lounge, and convenience store.

There is both an on-site restaurant and cocktail bar at the Renaissance Orlando Airport Hotel, which is convenient for travelers looking for a quick bite to eat and drink after a long travel day. Breakfast is available at Fresco, the on-site restaurant, for an extra cost.

Boarding your cruise ship is one of the most exciting parts of a cruise vacation, and you want to ensure you’re prepared for embarkation day by placing valuables and documents in a carry-on bag.

Upon arrival at the cruise terminal, you can choose to leave large suitcases with porters who will then deliver your luggage onboard. This service is extremely convenient, as it allows you to board the ship without lugging around a heavy suitcase.

However, a few hours typically pass between the time you drop your luggage with the porters and the time at which your suitcase arrives in front of your cabin door. Because of this, you must have everything you need for the first day of your cruise in a carry-on bag.

Here are the top 15 things to pack in your cruise carry-on on embarkation day, from your passport to a swimsuit and bottles of wine.

Travel documents and identification

Perhaps the most critical items to pack in your cruise carry-on are the identification documents you’ll need to board the ship.

Whether you’re traveling with a passport or a birth certificate and driver’s license, keeping your identification documents on hand will be necessary in order to successfully board.

The last thing you want to happen is to put your passport in the luggage you drop off with the porters at the cruise terminal! This can severely delay your boarding as you will have to track down your luggage among the thousands of other suitcases in the terminal.

Aside from your identification, you might need the following documents handy:

• Name change form or marriage certificate (if traveling with a birth certificate and driver’s license with mismatched names)
• Authorization for a minor to travel without a parent form (if you’re cruising with a minor of whom you’re not a legal guardian)
• Printed SeaPass boarding pass (if you’re not using the Royal Caribbean app)

Money and credit cards

You should always keep your money and credit cards with you in your carry-on bag on embarkation day. Although the chances are extremely slim that your luggage gets lost at the cruise terminal, there’s always a small possibility of delays in receiving your luggage.

Because of this, keep your wallet in your carry-on bag to avoid added stress if you cannot promptly find your suitcase.

Prescription medication

Traveling with prescription medication? Make sure to put it in your carry-on bag instead of the luggage you drop off at the cruise terminal.

There’s no guarantee when the luggage you dropped off at the cruise terminal will arrive in front of your stateroom door. It could arrive at 3PM, but it could just as easily arrive at 5 or 6PM instead.

If you have medications you need on the first day of your cruise, no matter the time, be sure to keep the medication with you at all times during the embarkation process.

Swimsuit

One of the best times to enjoy time on the pool deck during your cruise is on embarkation day.

With all the excitement and chaos found on the first day of a Royal Caribbean cruise, many passengers forget to bring a swimsuit in their carry-on bag. This means far fewer guests are using the pools and jacuzzis, as they have to wait until their luggage arrives to change into a swimsuit.

Related: 11 reasons to get as early a check-in time as possible for your cruise

Beat the crowds on the pool deck by packing a swimsuit in your carry-on bag. You can change into the swimsuit in one of the public bathrooms on the pool deck and enjoy nearly empty pools for the first few hours of your cruise.

Sunscreen

In addition to a swimsuit, don’t forget to pack sunscreen in your carry-on!

By the second day of your cruise, you’re almost guaranteed to see several passengers with shockingly bad sunburns. More often than not, these passengers spent the first day of their cruise in the sun without applying sunscreen.

Don’t forget to put sunscreen in your carry-on bag. Even if you forget and want to buy sunscreen onboard, all shops will be closed until your cruise ship sets sail, leaving you to either risk getting burnt or spend the whole day in the shade.

Phone and electronics

Before entering the cruise terminal, make sure you have your cell phone! It’s far easier to board a Royal Caribbean cruise with a phone handy. You can easily open the Royal Caribbean app to scan your SeaPass card, which will be scanned several times during the boarding process.

Make sure you don’t accidentally leave your phone in your car (or worse, at home) en route to the cruise terminal!

In addition to your phone, make sure you pack any other important electronic devices in your carry-on bag. Laptops, cameras, and tablets are just some of the items you should keep with you instead of in your suitcase.

Not only is it better to keep valuables on hand, but you may want to use these items on embarkation day before your checked luggage arrives.

Chargers

In addition to electronics, we recommend keeping chargers in your cruise ship carry-on bag.

Your phone or other electronic devices may run out of juice on embarkation day, and it’s always better to have easy access to a charger rather than wait for your luggage to arrive with a dead phone!

If you travel with several electronics, you may even want to use a handy organizer (this contains an affiliate link) to keep your electronics and cables in one place.

Sunglasses and glasses

Most cruises visit sunny destinations, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. Because of this, sunglasses are a necessity for most passengers to remain comfortable throughout the sailing.

Related: The Ultimate Cruise Packing List

We advise packing sunglasses in your carry-on bag, as you will likely spend significant time outside in the sun on embarkation day. Whether relaxing at the pool or watching the sunset during sailaway, you’ll want access to sunglasses before your luggage arrives to your stateroom.

Additionally, if you occasionally use glasses but aren’t wearing them in the cruise terminal, make sure to keep them in your carry-on bag to avoid damage in your checked luggage.

Wine, water, and non-alcoholic refreshments

Do you plan to bring drinks on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Be sure to bring drinks with you into the cruise terminal rather than dropping them off with the porters.

Passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise are permitted to bring select beverages onboard:

• One 750ml bottle of wine per adult in stateroom
• Up to twelve 17 oz. cans, bottles, or cartons of non-alcoholic beverages
• Milk and distilled water for infant, medical, or dietary use

If you have drinks in the bag you give to the porters, it will get flagged by security when it goes through the scanner. Security has the right to check luggage for prohibited liquids like hard liquor, beer, and seltzer.

If they check your bag, there’s a good chance it will be delayed and you may find yourself at Guest Services in the afternoon inquiring about when your bag will arrive.

It may be a hassle to carry drinks with you during the embarkation process, but it’s the best way to bring these beverages onboard.

Supplies for kids

If you’re cruising with kids, a little more preparation is necessary in order to ensure you have everything you need in your cruise carry-on.

To account for several hours without your main pieces of luggage, place items like diapers, wipes, extra clothes, baby food, formula, and a sippy cup in your carry-on.

Related: 50 best cruising with kids tips & secrets

You might also want to consider packing snacks for your kids on the first day of the cruise. While the embarkation process is usually relatively quick, a small delay could cause kids to get irritable and hungry. Having a granola bar or bag of chips on hand can avoid any potential temper tantrums!

Tennis shoes

We always recommend wearing tennis shoes on the first day of a Royal Caribbean cruise. 

Tennis shoes take up more space in your luggage than most other footwear, and wearing them on embarkation day (and the preceding travel days) can save room in your luggage for extra clothes or cruise ship necessities.

Related: 40 essential things to bring on a cruise

Not only does wearing tennis shoes save luggage space, but you might need tennis shoes to participate in select onboard activities on embarkation day. The zip line, for example, requires guests to wear closed-toed shoes, so your trusty pair of flip flops won’t cut it.

Other activities, like the Sports Court, also require closed-toed shoes, and the rock climbing wall requires guests to wear socks.

Change of clothes

If you have space in your cruise carry-on, pack a change of clothes in case your luggage does not arrive promptly to your cabin.

Packing a change of clothes is particularly important if you have an early dinner time. If your dinner in the Main Dining Room starts at 5:30PM, there’s a good chance your luggage will not make it to your cabin by the time you’re getting ready for dinner.

Without fail, you’ll see a number of passengers wearing exceptionally casual outfits to dinner on embarkation day. Most of these passengers had likely packed something different than flip flops, ripped jeans, and a tank top, but their luggage failed to arrive in time for dinner.

Related: What to wear on a cruise that works for all dress codes

In addition to changing before dinner, you might want to pack an extra change of clothes in case you feel uncomfortable in the outfit you wear to the cruise terminal. Unfortunately, sweating in warm temperatures and high humidity is common on a cruise vacation, and you’ll appreciate a clean set of clothes if you find yourself breaking a sweat.

Valuable jewelry

If you are cruising with expensive or treasured jewelry, put the items in your carry-on instead of your checked suitcase.

If your luggage is delayed, you don’t want to ruin the first day of your cruise by worrying about whether or not your jewelry is missing or damaged. Plus, you may want to wear the jewelry to dinner on your first evening, and there's no guarantee your luggage will arrive in time.

Toiletries

It’s a good idea to pack small toiletry items in your cruise carry-on, such as a toothbrush, deodorant, and travel-sized shampoo and conditioner bottles. You never know when your luggage will arrive, so you’ll want important toiletries in case you have to get ready for the evening without the rest of your luggage.

You might also want to consider packing a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer to use on embarkation day. We recommend, for example, using hand sanitizer after touching the tongs in the buffet to avoid coming into contact with germs.

Lanyard

Many cruise passengers carry their SeaPass cards in a lanyard around their neck. This helps prevent the card from being lost and is convenient when making purchases around the ship.

If you plan to use a lanyard while onboard, we recommend putting it in your carry-on bag so you can place your SeaPass card in the lanyard as soon as you get to your cabin.

From forgetting underwear to leaving your passport at home, there’s an array of mishaps that can happen on any Royal Caribbean cruise, and we’re sharing our top cruiser fails with you.

We asked Royal Caribbean Blog fans on our message boards about the worst failures they have experienced on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Some responses were downright hilarious whereas others made us scratch our heads in disbelief.

Here are our top cruiser fails that you should try to avoid on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Not knowing about the “tunnel of wind”

When your balcony door and cabin door are open at the same time, it creates a strong wind tunnel that rushes through the cabin. User SweetPea was unaware of this occurrence while her ship was docked in Nassau, and it led to an embarrassing consequence!

“The Do Not Disturb sign had fallen off our door,” she said. “Our cabin steward had come in just as I, in my bathrobe, was opening the balcony door to chat with my husband, and I hadn’t heard the steward knock.

We were docked in Nassau at the time, directly across from, of all ships, the Disney Wonder, who I managed to flash full frontal as my bathrobe totally opened in the tunnel of wind!”

Lesson learned: Take caution when opening your cabin door if the balcony door is open to avoid unexpectedly flashing unprepared passengers.

Sunburns galore

One of the best parts of cruising is enjoying the tropical weather of the Caribbean, but don’t forget to use sunscreen!

User RockerDom31 was eager for a cruise vacation with his wife, and they spent embarkation day under the sun sipping cocktails. The one thing they forgot to use? Sunscreen.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t feel the consequence of this [not using sunscreen] until the following morning when we experienced some extremely painful showers. And with 3 sea days and the first port being Labadee, we had to live off the vending machine aloe for 4 days. I’m pretty sure we emptied the vending machine!”

Luckily, they were able to visit CVS once their ship docked in Puerto Rico and stock up on aloe, which was priced much lower than that on the ship.

Lesson learned: Always apply sunscreen on a cruise, and consider packing aloe if you’re prone to sunburns.

Health questionnaire mistake

The day before your cruise, a health questionnaire opens on the Royal Caribbean app, and this questionnaire must be completed by each guest before boarding.

On the questionnaire, guests are asked if they have had any symptoms of illness within the previous 10 days, including nausea, fever, and difficulty breathing. It also includes a question about pregnancy, asking guests whether they will be over 23 weeks pregnant at the start of the cruise.

Answering “yes” to any of the questions on the questionnaire can result in denial of boarding, as Royal Caribbean cannot permit guests with covid symptoms onboard. In addition, pregnant women over 23 weeks are unable to sail on Royal Caribbean.

Unfortunately, responses cannot be edited once submitted, and this led to trouble for Royal Caribbean Blog message board user DoomSlayer.

“I accidentally answered that my daughter was pregnant (over 23 weeks) in the health section of check-in, which got an instant denial of boarding message for her. A phone call later and an explanation at the terminal fixed it all, but my daughter was worried they wouldn’t let her on.”

Lesson learned: Double check your answers to the health questionnaire before hitting submit!

Pier runners

We’ve all seen videos of frantic cruisers sprinting down the pier to reach their cruise ship before it leaves port. While entertaining to watch from the comfort of your balcony, it’s not a situation anyone wants to find themselves in while on a cruise.

Related: What happens if you miss your cruise ship?

Cruiser4Life explained how they were once pier runners during a port day in Key West, Florida.

“Our family has the largest plot in the Key West Cemetery, so we took a walk there after our excursion to freshen up the flowers there,” they mentioned. “We accidentally exited the wrong gate when we were done and got completely turned around heading back!”

Unfortunately, the cruise ship will not wait for you if you get lost on your way back to port, and Cruiser4Life's travel party found themselves rushing back to the ship.

Lesson learned: Always provide enough time to get back to your cruise ship before all aboard.

Flying the night before a European cruise

Most flights from North America to Europe depart in the evening and arrive in Europe the following morning. While we always recommend flying to your cruise port the day before your cruise begins, you should fly two days ahead of time before a European cruise.

Flying to Europe the night before a European cruise means you will arrive in your departure city just a few hours before the cruise begins, which leaves little to no space for travel delays.

Royal Caribbean Blog Message Board reader KDK told a story of how unforeseen weather delays impacted their European cruise experience.

“We flew out the night before our cruise to Europe. Horrible rain storms shut down all of the flights out of New Jersey. We missed the first two days of our cruise and had to pick it up at the next port, missing both the sail away and the first day at sea.”

Lesson learned: Fly to Europe 2 days before a European cruise begins.

Forgetting a passport

User loki007’s son drove from Daytona Beach to Fort Lauderdale before a Celebrity Apex cruise last December. He arrived at 10PM the night before embarkation day, but there was one major problem: he forgot his passport at home!

“He got back in his car for the 7 hour round trip to pick up the passport sitting on his kitchen counter,” loki007 explained.

It’s critical to ensure you have all necessary documents to board a Royal Caribbean cruise. We recommend a passport, but if you’re sailing on a cruise departing and returning to the same port in the United States, an official birth certificate and ID are also permitted.

Related: Do you need a passport for a cruise?

Lesson learned: Check (and double check) that you have your identification documents before leaving for a cruise. You can find the official list of permitted documents here.

Forgetting dress shoes

Several of our readers made the rookie mistake of forgetting to bring formal wear on a cruise.

User ChessE4 forgot to pack dress socks for his formal shoes, and he could not find any to purchase on the ship or in port! However, he was still one step ahead of user Srp431, who forgot dress shoes altogether!

“I had to wear tennis shoes during formal nights,” said Srp431. “My wife is still upset after all these years!”

Lesson learned: Remember to bring dress shoes so you aren’t forced to wear tennis shoes or flip flops to dinner!

Forgot to buy travel insurance

User She Sails Away overlooked purchasing travel insurance on a transatlantic cruise and it led to unnecessary stress and frustration later on.

“On day five of the transatlantic, I thought to myself ‘Wait… I never bought travel insurance.’ I figured it was too late and just hoped that I would not need it,” she explained.

On day six I needed it. I had all the signs of a detached retina and had to go to medical. We were looking at our very last stop on land the next day in Spain and then we would be at sea for a week. They arranged for me to go see a doctor in Spain the next day.

If it turned out I had a detached retina, they would need to do emergency surgery right away, and I would need to stay off an airplane for two weeks.”

Related: Should you buy annual travel insurance plans?

Fortunately, She Sails Away did not have a detached retina, but it didn’t save her from the stress of worrying about medical costs in addition to spending two additional weeks in a hotel in Spain!

Lesson learned: Always purchase travel insurance before a cruise. You never know if you’ll need it, and it’s always better to have it.

Almost booked the wrong year for a cruise

From picking a ship, sail date, and cabin, booking a cruise entails making a lot of decisions in the reservation process. When planning a cruise, it’s important to double check you booked the correct sailing before hitting submit, and one of our message board readers almost made a huge mistake.

“I almost made a really big fail just yesterday while booking an Alaska cruise,” explained user deep1. “I had been looking at a few and they all kind of blended into a mish mash. I finally picked one and went to pull the trigger… right cruise, right month and day. Wrong year!”

Fortunately, he had been on hold with a booking agent when he realized the mistake and was able to change the year of the sailing right away.

Lesson learned: Thoroughly check to make sure you are booking the exact sailing you want before completing a reservation.

Confusing ship time and port time

One common confusion among first-time cruisers is navigating the difference between ship time and port time.

On many cruise itineraries, your ship will remain on the local time of your embarkation port throughout the sailing, even if the ports you visit are in a different time zone (+/- one hour).

This can get confusing when all aboard time is at 4:30PM, but it’s only 3:30PM in your port of call. On a recent cruise, the time difference confusion almost caused user RoseofTX to miss a shore excursion.

“I had put all of our booked excursions in our calendars on our phone. The one in Cozumel left at 11:00, so I let my wife sleep in before a casual stroll to the meeting point,” he mentioned. “I happen to look at the app and notice that the excursion is at 10:00 ship time (11:00 local!)”

The mishap with time zones caused RoseofTX’s travel party to rush to the excursion, and they were gratefully able to make it to the meeting point in time.

Lesson learned: Thoroughly check the Royal Caribbean app or your excursion ticket for information on which time to meet for your excursion.

With multiple beaches, a swimming pool, and private cabanas, The Royal Beach Club is set to be an exciting new option for Royal Caribbean cruise passengers visiting Nassau, and we’re sharing everything you need to know about this exclusive beach day.

The Royal Beach Club is a new project by Royal Caribbean in partnership with The Bahamas. It’s located on Paradise Island—a narrow strip of land near the cruise port in Nassau—on a 17 acre property.

Although the project was originally announced in 2020, it was put on hold during the cruise industry shutdown. In March 2023, however, Royal Caribbean announced they will be moving forward with The Royal Beach Club with a 2025 opening date.

Here’s what you should know before it opens.

*Information on this article is subject to change based on new announcements by Royal Caribbean.

The Royal Beach Club is for Royal Caribbean passengers only, but comes at an extra cost.

Despite its close proximity to the Nassau cruise port, which hosts over 12 different cruise lines, The Royal Beach Club is exclusively for Royal Caribbean cruise passengers. This is with the exception of Bahamian residents along with their friends and family, who can enjoy the beach club's facilities at a reduced rate.

Unlike Royal Caribbean’s private destination of Perfect Day at CocoCay, however, access to The Royal Beach Club is not included in the cruise fare. Passengers will have to reserve a day pass at the beach club for an additional fee.

The entrance fee for The Royal Beach Club has not been announced, but the day pass will include beach club access, lunch, and the rental of a beach chair. It does not include alcohol and soda, cabanas, day beds, watersport activities, and local tours.

Day passes on the island will include four or five hours of access. Most port days in Nassau are around eight hours long, meaning The Royal Beach Club is a half-day experience.

The beach club is not on a private island, as Paradise Island is also shared with hotels and resorts like The Atlantis, Baha Mar, and Sandals Royal Bahamian. However, it is located in a more secluded area of Paradise Island on the far west side.

Expect passes to go on sale in fall 2024.

The beach club aims to create a world class beach experience, and four beaches are planned.

There will be three pools, two beaches, swim-up bars, private cabanas, and spots for bites and drinks.

All beaches feature lounge chairs and umbrellas, and private cabanas are available to reserve for an extra cost. 

Like at Perfect Day at CocoCay, reserving a cabana for the day can be a nice way to splurge on added comfort and exclusivity while at The Royal Beach Club.

Related: Guide to CocoCay Cabanas

Three types of cabanas are listed in the concept art: VIP Cabanas, Beach Cabanas, and HideAway Bungalows, but the differences between the cabanas have not yet been announced. A few over-the-water cabanas appear in the concept art as well.

In addition to beaches, amenities at The Royal Beach Club include a spacious swimming pool and a watersports center.

Aside from beaches, passengers in search of a pool day are in luck at The Royal Beach Club. Concept art shows a large infinity edge pool, making it a perfect spot to cool down in the Bahamian sun.

The pool is long and narrow and features pool chairs and umbrellas along its perimeter. It also features in-pool beach beds, which appear to be padded and include pillows, a side table, and canopy for shade. Day beds have an additional cost.

There appears to be an adults-only pool as well, in addition to a kids splash pad and wading pool.

If lounging on a pool chair doesn’t sound thrilling enough, though, you can enjoy watersports activities for an extra cost. Activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, jet skiing, floating mat rentals, inflatable water slides, and parasailing.

Nature hikes and a volleyball court will also be offered at The Royal Beach Club.

Several food and drink venues will be located at The Royal Beach Club including a fan favorite from Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Food is included in the price of admission to The Royal Beach Club. Based on concept art, it appears there will be two food halls—one on each side of the beach club. Information on the food halls has not been announced, but it’s possible the food halls will be a buffet-style dining venue.

In addition to the food halls are three Snack Shack locations, which serve grab-and-go food including chicken sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, french fries, and mozzarella sticks. This venue is a favorite among cruise fans; three locations are also found at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Related: Private islands and beach clubs aim to set a new standard in the industry

Aside from dining, there is a wide selection of bars at The Royal Beach Club. You won’t have to travel far to find a tropical cocktail while on shore, as bars are scattered throughout every side of the beach club.

Bars include:

• Hideaway Bar
• Beach Bar
• Tranquility Beach Bar
• Vista Bluff Bar
• Signature Bahamian Bar
• Bunker Bar
• Dunes Bar

Water taxis will transport passengers from their cruise ship to the Royal Beach Club.

It’s not possible to walk from your cruise ship to the Royal Beach Club. Passengers who book a day pass to the beach club must walk out of the port and onto Bay Street.

Once at the end of Bay Street (near the Straw Market), guests will find water taxis transporting them to and from the beach club.

There are two water taxi stops at The Royal Beach Club. The first is near Sapphire Beach and the second is near the west end of the pool.

The Royal Beach Club will have a capacity for up to 3,800 guests, and it features opportunities to learn about Bahamian culture.

Up to 3,800 Royal Caribbean cruise passengers can visit The Royal Beach Club at any given time.

Most of Royal Caribbean’s ships have a capacity of 3,000 to 6,000 passengers, and there are usually multiple ships in Nassau on any given day. This means that not all passengers can visit The Royal Beach Club every day, but it provides another excursion option in addition to the exciting tours found elsewhere in Nassau.

Related: Best things to do in Nassau on a cruise

While on shore, guests at The Royal Beach Club will have the opportunity to learn more about Bahamian culture in addition to time at the beach and pool.

Near Harbor Beach is an artisan market. Although details on the artisan market have not been announced, we can expect to see a handicraft and souvenir market run by local Bahamians.

Live music will be found around the island as well, in addition to Bahamian cuisine at the dining venues and island-style barbecues.

The beach club is a public-private partnership with the Bahamas and will provide a positive economic impact.

The Royal Beach Club is being constructed as a public-private partnership between Royal Caribbean and The Bahamas. Bahamians are invited to own up to 49% equity in the club, and local businesses can take part in managing the majority of the experience.

Hundreds of jobs will be created for local Bahamians with The Royal Beach Club, both during construction and operation. The $110+ million investment will hire over two hundred Bahamians during construction, and the economic impact over ten years is estimated to be around $1 billion.

An overall goal of the project is to continue growing the number of visitors to Nassau. Royal Caribbean Group estimates over 2.5 million guests will visit Nassau by 2030, many of whom will spend their day at The Royal Beach Club.

Seeing your cruise cabin for the first time is one of the most exciting parts of a Royal Caribbean cruise. Whether you’ve booked a tiny interior room or spacious suite, your cabin quickly becomes your home away from home on a cruise vacation.

When you enter your cruise cabin on embarkation day, however, there are a few things you should do as soon as possible, such as unpacking and putting away valuables.

While these mundane tasks may not seem like the best way to kick off a cruise vacation, getting your cabin organized right away means you can better enjoy your time onboard throughout the rest of your sailing.

From meeting your stateroom attendant to decorating your cabin door, here are 15 things to do as soon as you get to your cruise cabin.

Drop off your carry-on bag

Most cruisers drop their large suitcases off with the porters at the cruise terminal to avoid bringing heavy luggage onboard. However, you’ll want to use a carry-on bag—a backpack, carry-on suitcase, or purse—during the embarkation process.

In this carry-on you should keep your electronic devices, identification documents, and important necessities like medication. You want to carry all items you’ll need on the first day of your cruise with you in a carry-on bag, as your luggage may not arrive in front of your cabin door for several hours.

Related: The Ultimate Cruise Packing List

The downside of bringing a carry-on bag with you onboard, though, is that your cruise cabin may not be ready for several hours after your boarding time. Many passengers begin boarding at 11AM, for example, but their stateroom isn’t ready until 1:30PM.

This leads to an awkward wait time of lugging your carry-on bag with you around the ship. Therefore, once staterooms are ready, the first thing you should do is drop off your carry-on in your cabin and get rid of the extra weight.

Unpack your clothes

We always recommend unpacking your clothes on a cruise whether the sailing is three nights or fourteen nights. In a small cruise cabin, living out of your suitcase will leave your room feeling more cramped, as valuable space will be taken up by your luggage on the floor or couch.

Instead, unpack your clothes into your cruise cabin’s drawers and closets. Not only will your room feel more spacious, but unpacking helps you settle into your cabin, making it feel much more like home.

This is especially important if you have formal wear prone to wrinkles. Hanging these outfits in your closets immediately will lessen the time your clothing is squished in a suitcase!

Put away your suitcases

Speaking of suitcases, be sure to store your suitcases out of sight after unpacking. There is ample room in your cabin’s closets for suitcases, so there’s no need for them to be out in the open during your sailing.

You can also store luggage under your cabin’s bed. Cruise cabin beds have enough space underneath for most sizes of luggage, and this is one of the best ways to increase space in your room while keeping your suitcase hidden for the duration of your cruise.

Meet your stateroom attendant

Your stateroom attendant cleans your cabin once per day during a Royal Caribbean cruise, and we always advise passengers to meet their cabin attendant on embarkation day.

Meeting your stateroom attendant helps set a rapport with the crew member. You’ll usually see your stateroom attendant every day of the cruise as you pass through your cabin’s hallway, and a friendly introduction can go a long way in terms of service and helpfulness during your cruise.

Make special requests

If you have any special requests for your cruise cabin, we recommend letting your stateroom attendant know on the first day of your cruise. You can request things like extra pillows, extra towels, and having ice be restocked in your ice bucket each day.

If there are more than two people in your cabin, you might want to make requests regarding your sofa bed or pullman bed. Many stateroom attendants will convert the sofa bed back into a couch during daytime, for example, but if you would rather keep the bed down throughout the day, just let them know!

Inspect your stateroom

Once you arrive in your cabin, do a quick check to make sure everything is in working order. Check that the safe opens and closes correctly, that your mini fridge is cold, that your air conditioning is working properly, and that there are no issues opening and closing your doors and closets.

On one recent cruise, I noticed the closet door was off its track. Unable to open the closet, I made a quick call to maintenance and had the issue resolved within less than an hour.

On another occasion, I realized my virtual balcony wasn’t working. I neglected to call maintenance and spent the entire cruise with a broken television screen on my virtual balcony! Looking back, I wish I had called maintenance, as they likely could have fixed the issue quickly.

More often than not, everything will work perfectly in your cabin, but it’s still worth a check in case there are any issues.

Put drinks in the fridge

Emerald members and above in Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society receive water bottles in their cabin on embarkation day. Emerald and Diamond members receive two bottles of water per person whereas Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members receive three per person.

When you enter your stateroom, you’ll find these water bottles on your desk or dresser. Be sure to put these water bottles in the fridge to make sure they are cold later on.

Additionally, if you've brought any wine, soda, or other non-alcoholic drinks onboard, this is a great time to put these drinks in the fridge, too.

Confirm bed configuration

Your king-sized cruise cabin bed can be split into two twin beds on request, and one thing to do immediately after getting to your cruise cabin is confirm your bed configuration. If you’re traveling with kids or a friend, you might prefer the bed to be separated into two smaller beds.

Most of the time, your beds will not be separated upon arrival to your cruise cabin. If this is the case, you’ll have to contact your stateroom attendant or housekeeping to put in your request and they will separate the beds as quickly as possible.

Check your onboard offers

If you’re a member of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, you will receive a paper on your cabin desk listing onboard offers for your sailing.

Depending on your loyalty status, onboard offers may include coupons for beer, wine, and soda, discounts on laundry, and free play in the casino.

Knowing which freebies and coupons are offered can save you money during a cruise, so take the time to browse your onboard offer sheet as soon as you get to your cruise cabin.

Look at the daily schedule

In addition to checking your onboard offers, take a view minutes to browse the daily schedule of activities in the Royal Caribbean app. While browsing, you can add activities and events to your calendar to ensure you don’t miss out on anything while onboard.

Related: 15 free things to try on your next cruise

Plus, you can use this time to reserve entertainment and activities before they book up, such as comedy shows, AquaTheater performances, and a ride on the North Star observational pod.

Doing this while in your stateroom means you can take a quick break from the hustle and bustle onboard to plan out your cruise in a quieter space.

Sign in to your wifi package

If you reserved a Royal Caribbean wifi package, we recommend signing in to your wifi account once you get to your stateroom. If you’ve never had a wifi package before, you can find login instructions on a helpful sheet that will be on your cabin’s desk.

If you encounter any problems or errors when logging in to your wifi account, you can ask for help at the VOOM internet desk or Guest Services.

Put away your valuables

As soon as you get to your cruise cabin, put any valuables away in the safe or drawers. We advise placing your passport in the safe, as this is the first place crew members will look for a passport on the off chance you miss the ship at a port of call.

Plus, keeping valuables in safe spaces helps make sure you won’t misplace any expensive or special items throughout the cruise.

Place magnets on the wall

One of our favorite cruise cabin hacks—especially if you’re sailing in an interior cabin—is to use magnetic hooks on your stateroom walls.

Royal Caribbean cruise cabins are magnetic, and magnetic hooks provide extra storage space for items like hats, purses, and jackets. Although newer cruise ship cabins have an impressive amount of storage space, older cruise ships may lack storage.

Related: I tried the best inside cruise ship cabin hacks to see how well they worked

Because of this, many cruisers like to bring magnetic hooks to hang miscellaneous accessories. Placing magnetic hooks on the wall when you get to your cruise cabin can keep your cabin organized throughout the sailing.

Decorate your cabin door

Like your cruise cabin walls, the door to your cabin is magnetic. To make cruising more fun, many passengers enjoy decorating their cruise cabin door with magnetic decorations.

If you walk down any hallway on a cruise ship, you’ll find fun decorations on the door, whether anniversary and birthday decor, tropical magnets like palm trees, or more specific decorations stating a family’s name and sail date.

Decorating your cruise cabin door as soon as you get to your cabin can be a fun way to make your cabin feel more like home. As another plus, it makes finding your cabin a lot easier when walking through the long hallways on your ship!

Do your muster drill

Lastly, once you get to your cruise ship cabin, make sure to complete the mandatory muster drill. Royal Caribbean’s eMuster drill is a safety drill that all guests must complete before a ship can set sail on embarkation day.

The drill consists of three parts. The first two, watching a lifejacket safety video and listening to the emergency horn, can be done via the Royal Caribbean app or on your stateroom’s television.

If you haven’t completed the first two steps by the time you get to your cruise cabin, be sure to complete them as soon as possible. After the first two steps, leave your stateroom to head to your muster station on the ship, which will be indicated on the Royal Caribbean app.

Once your muster drill is completed, you can continue to enjoy your Royal Caribbean vacation!

Nine times out of ten, the earlier you book a cruise, the more money you’ll save. No one wants to waste money, but unfortunately, booking a cruise just a few months later than another passenger onboard could see you spending hundreds of dollars more for the same cabin, sail date, and cruise ship.

I recently sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise. I booked my February cruise in early September—162 days before the sail date—and spent $1,656.

Just a few months later, my fellow Royal Caribbean staff member Elizabeth decided to book a separate cabin on the same sailing of Symphony of the Seas. She booked her room in mid December—59 days before the sail date—and spent $1986.

Both of our cruise rates reflect the total price for two adults in an interior cabin including taxes, fees, and gratuities. My cabin was only $828 per person, whereas Elizabeth’s was $993 per person.

Suffice to say, when Elizabeth found out she spent hundreds of dollars more than me for the same exact cruise experience, it was a bit of a letdown.

Money wasted is never ideal, especially when you could have saved money by just booking a few months earlier. Saving money on your cruise fare means stretching your budget further, freeing extra funds for that amazing shore excursion, spa treatment, or drink package.

Let’s dive in to share how you should approach the cruise booking process to avoid paying more than other passengers on the same sailing.

Booking your cruise early to save money

In general, the cheapest cruise fares are found as soon as Royal Caribbean releases new itineraries. Cruise itineraries are released around two or three years prior to the sail date.

Keeping an eye on when new cruise itineraries will be announced will help you snag the best deals. Two easy ways to do this are to sign up for Royal Caribbean’s newsletter or follow our newsletter here at RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com.

Related: Pros and Cons of booking a cruise early vs last-minute

As more and more people book a cruise, the price of that cruise is likely to increase over time. Not only that, but certain cabin categories can sell out, which might force you to either book a more expensive stateroom or downgrade to a cabin you would rather avoid.

What about last-minute cruise deals?

Some people prefer waiting to book a cruise with the hope of finding a last-minute cruise deal. In the case of Elizabeth’s sailing on Symphony of the Seas, this strategy would not have worked.

She booked within the cruise’s final payment date, which is after all passengers had paid the cruise in full. If there was a last-minute deal offered, it almost certainly would have been offered around the same time Elizabeth booked the cruise.

Related: Ultimate Guide to last-minute cruise deals

Royal Caribbean only offers last-minute deals if a certain cruise has low demand, but this did not appear to be the case with Symphony of the Seas.

If you do want to find a last-minute cruise deal you definitely can, but you’ll have to remain flexible on ship, sail date, and destination. Finding a cheap last-minute cruise is not something you can necessarily plan for; it’s more about the luck of finding a deal than anything else!

Book with a travel agent

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve saved money simply by booking my cruise with a travel agent. As someone who always preferred booking vacations on my own, I’ve been blown away by the service and convenience a travel agent provides.

Whenever I find a cruise I’m interested in booking, I send the cruise information to my travel agent. More often than not, she either responds back with a lower price than I found on Royal Caribbean’s website, or the cruise fare includes a generous amount of onboard credit.

By booking with a travel agent, I often save more money than other passengers who booked a cruise on their own. Whether $50 or $200, any dollar saved is another dollar to put toward cruise add-ons like shore excursions and specialty dining!

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

Not only can using a travel agent save me money on cruise fare, but it saves time. Whenever I have a question or concern, all I need to do is email my travel agent, and she will be the one who contacts Royal Caribbean instead of having to do it myself! Time is money, after all, and I’ve saved hours upon hours of time by using a travel agent instead of booking on my own.

If I’m being honest, when I first started cruising I didn’t even know people still used travel agents to book vacations. After seeing the amazing service they provide, though, I can’t imagine not using one for my cruise, especially if I’m looking to find the best cruise deals!

Check frequently for a drop in the price of your cruise

One of the best Royal Caribbean hacks to save money on cruise fare is to reprice your cruise. Royal Caribbean allows you to reprice your cruise until final payment date if you notice a lower fare.

Repricing a Royal Caribbean cruise means checking if the price of your cruise has lowered since you booked the sailing. If you booked a cruise for $3000 and notice a few months later that the price has dropped to $2500, the lower price will be honored on your reservation.

You can find out if a price dropped by searching for your sailing on Royal Caribbean’s website or contacting your travel agent for an updated quote.

You should know that Royal Caribbean’s website does not specifically mention this repricing policy. In fact, the Royal Caribbean website states that you can take advantage of a lower fare within 48 hours of booking your cruise.

That being said, we have had no problem repricing our cruises until final payment date. If you notice a price drop, simply contact your travel agent or call Royal Caribbean directly to take advantage of the lower fare.

Related: 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Let’s take a look at a common scenario to highlight why it’s important to reprice your cruise and save money.

Two passengers—let’s call them John and Peter—book a Royal Caribbean cruise at the same time. Both book a balcony cabin on the same Oasis of the Seas cruise and pay $1500 each.

Four months before the cruise, however, John notices the price has changed to $1350 for a balcony cabin on his sailing. Noticing this change, he contacts Royal Caribbean (or his travel agent) and has the price readjusted, saving $150 total.

Unfortunately, Peter never checked the price of his cruise again after he made the initial booking, so he paid $150 more than John for the same cabin on the same cruise!

As you can see, taking advantage of repricing your cruise can make the difference between paying more or less for a cruise than another passenger. No one wants to pay hundreds more than someone else for the same experience, so checking the price of your cruise every so often is recommended.

Why saving money matters on a cruise

For my 7-night sailing on Symphony of the Seas, I spent $330 less than what Elizabeth paid for her cabin. With that money saved, I was able to spend extra on specialty dining and shore excursions without breaking the bank.

On my cruise, I spent a total of $60 on specialty restaurants and $150 in port—and that’s before I accounted for the onboard credit I received by booking with a travel agent.

At $210 total, the amount of money I paid extra on top of my cruise fare was still less than the amount Elizabeth paid for just her cruise fare. Booking just three months earlier than she did allowed me to spend that money on additional ways to enhance my cruise experience.

Related: I’m a budget cruiser. Here are 8 strategies I used on my recent Royal Caribbean cruise to save money

If Elizabeth had booked her cruise earlier, she could have put the $330 extra she spent toward her flight, travel insurance, or a pre-cruise hotel stay. Essentially, she "wasted" hundreds of dollars just because she booked a few months later than me!

If there’s anything I learned from this experience, it is to always book my cruises as early as possible. Although snagging a last-minute cruise deal is always a possibility, it’s best to plan further in advance to ensure you get the lowest possible price.

Most people are awestruck by the size and amenities of today’s modern cruise ships, but how much do they cost?

Cruise ships are often referred to as floating cities. With upwards of twenty decks, a length of over 1,000 feet, and thousands of cabins, it’s no surprise that building a cruise ship is expensive.

Even when accounting for inflation, most new cruise ships built in the early 1990s would cost only around $300 million today. As cruise ships became even bigger in the 2000s, the average cost exceeded $500 million.

Today’s newest cruise ships can easily break $1 billion dollars, although construction costs can vary widely depending on the ship’s size. In fact, almost all cruise ships with a capacity of over 3,000 passengers cost over $750 million to build!

Why do cruise ships cost so much money to build?

Most major cruise lines launch a new ship nearly every year. Here are some of the estimated construction costs for recent ships:

• Wonder of the Seas: $1.35 billion
• MSC World Europa: $1.25 billion
• Norwegian Prima: $850 million
• Carnival Celebration: $1 billion
• Celebrity Beyond: $900 million

All of these ships fit over 3,200 passengers. In fact, the Carnival Celebration, MSC World Europa, and Wonder of the Seas have a capacity of over 6,000 passengers!

With so many passengers onboard, cruise lines need to ensure they are building enough cabins, dining venues, and entertainment spaces to satisfy all customers. This requires extensive market research, during which cruise lines design the ship’s layout and amenities.

Royal Caribbean has a spacious innovation lab for use throughout the research process. It includes a virtual reality room where designers can immerse themselves “inside” the cruise ship’s design.

After a thorough research process, construction on the cruise ship begins, which typically takes between 12-18 months. This involves an intricate process of building the ship in blocks which are later added together (think Legos!).

The manpower to build a cruise ship cannot be understated. For instance, there are over 3,000 people working every day on the construction of Icon of the Seas, set to be the biggest cruise ship in the world when she launches in 2024!

Refurbishing older ships versus buying new ships

Many cruise lines choose to refurbish older ships to modernize the vessel’s activities, amenities, and cabins. This is much less expensive than building a new ship from scratch, so it can be a cost-effective way to improve older cruise ships in order to increase demand and revenue.

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, for example, completed a $165 million amplification in 2019. This modernized the ship by adding new activities like waterslides, additional dining venues and lounges, and new cabins.

Refurbishing—or amplifying—the cruise ship was nearly eight times less expensive than building a new cruise ship, and the refurbishment was able to increase demand for the vessel.

Related: Does it matter how old your cruise ship is?

Royal Caribbean tends to only amplify its ships built after 2000. Norwegian Cruise Line, however, has refurbished ships that were built in the 1990s.

Norwegian Sky, built in 1996, underwent a major refurbishment in 2019 that added updated cabins and eight new dining and lounge venues, including Starbucks and a new Italian restaurant.

In the past, cruise ships over twenty years old would often be sent to the scrapyard. With the popularity of today’s refurbishment programs, though, cruise lines are choosing to maintain their vessels for longer amounts of time instead of replacing each vessel with a new ship.

What was the most expensive cruise ship ever built?

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class cruise ships are the most expensive cruise ships to ever be built; they’re also the biggest cruise ships in the world. Each Oasis Class cruise ship cost between $1.3 to $1.45 billion.

It’s likely that Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas will become the most expensive cruise ship ever built. Early estimates of the build are around $2 billion, but an exact number is not yet known.

Icon of the Seas will boast impressive features, including:

• The Category 6 waterpark with six record-breaking waterslides
• An indoor AquaDome for impressive entertainment shows
• Chill Island pool deck, with a swim-up bar and the largest pool at sea
• Surfside, a family-focused neighborhood with kid-friendly restaurants and activities

Related: Icon of the Seas: Itinerary, features, and more

Building Icon of the Seas is no small feat, and it will surely be one of the most popular cruise ships in the world when it launches.

Mass market ships versus luxury ships

Ships from mass market cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival, generally have a lower cost per berth than luxury cruise ships.

As an example, Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Celebration, cost $900 million to build. With a maximum of 6500 passengers, this brings the price per berth to around $138,000.

To put this into perspective, the Regent Seven Seas Splendor, a luxury cruise ship built in 2020, reportedly cost over $600 million. With a capacity of only 750 passengers, though, the price per berth was over $800,000!

Construction costs of a luxury cruise ship can rival that of larger ships, leading to much higher cruise fares. A cruise on the Seven Seas Splendor—an all-suite ship—can start at over $1,000 per person, per day.

Why aren’t cruise ships built in the United States?

Even though the cruise industry is most popular in North America, most cruise ships are built in Europe instead of the United States. Whether at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland or at Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France, the majority of today’s modern cruise ships are built overseas.

The main reason why cruise ships are not built in the United States is due to cost. Given that most large cruise ships cost upwards of one billion dollars, cruise lines try to find the most cost effective option.

Related: Why aren’t cruise ships built in the United States?

Both labor costs and material costs are much higher in the United States compared to other countries. The shipyard industry receives subsidies in the European Union, which helps to keep labor and construction prices down.

Additionally, cruise ships are foreign flagged. In order for a cruise ship to be U.S. flagged, most of the material onboard must be built and manufactured in the United States, and this can add a much higher cost to the overall construction.