The last morning of your cruise can feel like a confused rush as your vacation comes to an end, but it's a lot easier to manage if you know what to expect.

No matter how long or short your cruise is, the final morning is when you disembark the ship and end your voyage.  Nearly all passengers are on their way home, although some might be extending their vacation in another way.

Getting off a cruise ship is not like checking out of a hotel.  There's a few more logistical hurdles to overcome, and it's far more regimented to keep lines moving.

While the end of the cruise is disappointing, it doesn't have to be a disaster either. You might not be smiling walking off the ship for the final time, but at least you can be content.

What time do I have to depart the cruise ship?

There are two options for walking off your cruise ship on the final morning.

If you put luggage out the night before to have Royal Caribbean deliver your luggage down to the cruise terminal, then you have a luggage number that indicates the earliest time you can disembark and your bags will be ready.

The time associated with each luggage tag is listed on a piece of paper that was left in your cabin along with the luggage tags.  Every sailing is different, so don't assume a particular number will always correlate to the same time.

The time listed is the earliest time you can leave the ship and your bags will be ready.  You could disembark the ship earlier, but you'd be waiting in the cruise terminal for the bags to be delivered.  Alternatively, you can always leave later than that time and pick up your bags.

The other option is to bring your own luggage off the ship with you instead of having it delivered. With this option, you can disembark the ship as soon as local authorities clear the ship.

The exact time a ship will begin allowing passengers off the ship will depend on a variety of factors, but it's usually around 7am. Sometimes earlier, sometimes later. 

Regardless of your luggage situation, you can always stay on the ship later than the disembarkation time.  That time is just an indication of the earliest time you can stay on for.

Royal Caribbean's app will ask you a few days before the end of the cruise your disembarkation plans and assign you a disembarkation time as well.  Keep in mind that's the earliest time, not the exact time you need to leave.

So what time can you stay on a Royal Caribbean ship until? Not as late as you'd find at a land-based hotel.

Royal Caribbean asks all passengers to be out of their cabins by 8am on most sailings. The crew needs to turn the ship over and prepare it for the next voyage, and they need all previous passengers off the ship.

By about 9am, you're going to start hearing a lot of announcements encouraging passengers to disembark.  Sooner or later, they'll start paging individuals to leave. 

In my experience, the latest you can stay onboard is about 9:30am without getting in trouble.

What's open and what can you do on the final morning

The last morning of your cruise is a blend of finishing out the first voyage and preparing for the next one.

As soon as you leave your cabin, you'll see crew members working to turn over cabins and prepare them for the next journey.

While a lot of work is being done to prep the ship, there are some areas still operational for passengers.

Coffee and breakfast will be open at select venues on the last morning of the cruise.

You can expect at the very least the Windjammer buffet, Main Dining Room, and the quick service coffee location (Cafe Promenade) to be open.

If your ship has a Coastal Kitchen restaurant for suite guests, that will be open too.

Most other venues are closed, including the pool.

Guest services is open to settle any final billing issues you might have. Keep in mind you have to have a zero dollar balance in order to get off the ship.

What is the earliest flight I should book after the cruise is over?

Ideally, you want to book a flight that gives you enough time to easily disembark your ship and get to the airport and through security without being at the airport for many more hours than you need.

The problem is if you book a flight too early, you risk missing the flight because you couldn't get to the gate in time.

There are a lot of factors why it might take longer to actually disembark your ship, thus delaying your arrival to the airport:

• What time exactly your ship docks
• What time local authorities start the inspection process
• How long the inspection process takes
• How long a line there is to disembark the ship
• Unforeseen circumstances, such as a technical problem or guest blocking exiting the ship

If you look at your Royal Caribbean cruise itinerary, it lists a time your ship arrives back to the terminal. That's an estimate, and not when you can actually walk off the ship.

Plus, the actual disembarkation process may not begin for another hour or two after that time.

The fastest way off a Royal Caribbean ship is to take your own luggage off with you (known as self-assist disembarkation), but you're still at the mercy of when local authorities clear the ship and your ship begins allowing passengers to leave.

Another factor to picking the earliest flight home is how far the airport is from the cruise terminal.  

As a general rule of thumb, I recommend times after 11am. International flights and/or airports an hour or more from the cruise terminal should probably require a flight no earlier than noon.

What every passenger should do before leaving the ship

It will likely seem like you're in a rush to leave your ship, but there are a few important things to do before you disembark.

This may seem obvious, but so many people don't check they took everything out of their cabin with them.  

Double and triple check you have all your belongings.  Once you leave the ship, getting lost items back can be a challenge.

Common items left behind on the ship include children's toys (check under the bed), chargers in wall sockets, and valuables in the safe.

The next thing to do is verify your onboard balance is zeroed out.  If you have a credit card on file, that's pretty much assured.  But if you had a cash account, you'll need to settle up with Guest Services.  They won't let you off the ship until you do.

Speaking of your account, I'd recommend taking one last look to review any charges on there to verify it's all correct.  You want to correct any erroneous charges before you disembark.

If you ordered photo prints, this is your last chance to grab them.  Likewise, if you want to book another cruise at NextCruise, you can do so that final morning.

Be sure to return any pool towels that are still in your room, or you'll risk a $20 per unreturned towel fee.

What happens after you leave the ship?

After walking off the ship and back into the cruise terminal, the experience is somewhat like an airport when you fly home after an international trip.

You'll first make your way to pick up your luggage.  Only luggage that has been called will be available to pick up, and you'll see bags grouped by luggage tag numbers.

There are porters available to help with your luggage.  There is no cost to use the porters services, but they do expect a tip at the end.  Usually a dollar or two per bag is the norm.  

My advice is take advantage of the porters and use them. Not only will it be easier on you if you have a lot of bags, but in some cruise terminals the porters have their own special line for customs.

After retrieving your luggage, your next stop is the clear immigration.

In the U.S., there are two lines: people traveling with passports and people traveling with birth certificates.

In most U.S. ports now there is facial recognition is reserved for those with passports, and it's a fast and efficient process. You simply walk to the machine, it scans your face, and tells you if you're good to go or need to speak with someone.

The birth certificate line is slower because it requires an agent to inspect your documentation manually.

After you clear immigration, you'll depart the cruise terminal.  At this point, you're on your own to find a way home.  

There will be a mix of taxis, shuttle services, ride shares and more to get you home.  You should have a plan in place prior to that morning of how you'll get on your way to avoid complications or unexpected delays.

How to disembark before everyone else

If your goal is to be the first one off your ship and on your way home, then you'll need to have a proper plan of action.

In order to be the first one off a ship at its conclusion, you're going to need to carry your own luggage off.  Self-assist luggage guests have up to an hour head start on those waiting for luggage.

This express departure method will beat most of the crowds that come later, especially those that opted to have breakfast. Plus, there will be less people to contend with in the customs line or waiting for a taxi.

Prior to the final morning, you'll get an estimate of what time your ship expects to start the disembarkation process.  It could be around 6:30 or 7am.

It's a rough guess at the time, but my advice is to get in line at least 30 minutes before that estimate.  You'll be surprised how many other people are already there waiting to walk off the ship too.

Remember, if you opt for this, you'll need to carry all of your own luggage off the ship and there won't be any assistance available with it.  It's ideal for solo travelers, couples, or families without young children.

Royal Caribbean has pushed a new update to its website that adds a very useful function to its dining plan.

Last month the cruise line added the functionality to book its Unlimited Dining Package online and pre-reserve restaurants before getting on the ship.

This was a huge improvement, because prior to that feature, passengers had to wait to make reservations once they got on their ship.

It took the cruise line much longer than they originally estimated to roll out the feature, but a year later, the first version was implemented. It's a major upgrade for passengers, because it makes it significantly easier to get reservations instead of running around on embarkation day to make them.

This week, it appears there is a new update that has rolled out to allow anyone with the Unlimited Dining Package to change or add reservations after booking it.

When the online booking feature was released last week, it came with a giant caveat that you could only pre-book restaurants at the time of purchasing the dining package. There was no means to add reservations unless you cancelled and re-booked. This would be a problem for anyone that booked the dining package at a better price than offered today.

With the new update, it appears that issue has been fixed.

Guests can go to their order history and modify their purchase to be able to select restaurants and times.

To do so, go to your sailing and click on your name in the top right and then click Order history.

Find the purchase you made with the Unlimited Dining Package, and then click Modify.

The choice of days and restaurants should appear for you to pre-book restaurants.

A big improvement

Allowing passengers to make dining package reservations before their cruise begins is a huge help, and this new update makes it even easier.

When you can avoid running around the ship on the first day trying to get dining reservations, it's one less "errand" to have and reduces the stress of trying to get things done.

Royal Caribbean has steadily worked on making the first day of the cruise as relaxing and enjoyable as possible, from making check-in and embarkation as smooth and efficient as possible, to reducing things passengers need to stop and do on day one.

"We spent a lot of time researching with guests what their day one experience is," explained Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider.

Mr. Schneider reported his team found having to wait until the day of the cruise to book reservations generated a great deal of "angst".

The feedback from guests was to make it easier by not having to go to various booths that Royal Caribbean would set up only on day one of the cruise on the Royal Promenade.

Along with the dining package change, some ships now auto-connect the WiFi via the Royal Caribbean app so passengers do not need to visit the Voom desk for assistance.

On Icon of the Seas, there's a new chat feature within the Royal Caribbean app to communicate with Guest Services so you don't have to stand in line. They also added virtual queues to reduce lines.

Other dining packages not supported yet

In case you're wondering, the ability to pre-book restaurants appears to only be available for the Unlimited Dining Package so far.

In our spot checking, there is still not the ability to pre-book restaurants with the three night dining package, or any of the other dining packages.

Considering how the ability to modify or add new reservations took just a few weeks to complete, there's good reason to believe Royal Caribbean will push new updates soon with similar functionality for the shorter duration dining packages.

Should you book the unlimited dining package?

Specialty restaurants are a very popular add-on for any cruise, so is a dining package a good value?

If you think you might want to dine at more than two specialty restaurants during your cruise, a dining package can make a lot of financial sense.

At it's core, the unlimited dining package promises a flat fee to enjoy as many specialty restaurants as you like for a fixed price.

It will absolutely save you money compared to eating at the same amount of restaurants if paying out of pocket. 

A caveat to that flat fee is certain restaurants will still have a surcharge to dine there. This is because the dining package covers up to a certain amount, but certain experiences or restaurants cost more than that, and Royal Caribbean offers a discount if you have the dining package.

As an example, if you bought the unlimited dining package and wanted to dine at these restaurants, you'd pay:

• Izumi Hibachi/Teppanyaki: $15
• Royal Railway: 
  • Adult $50
  • Child $25
• Chef's Table & Holiday Dinners: $50
• Izumi Omakase: $60
• Empire Supper Club: $130

Another compelling reason to book the dining package might also be based on your opinion of the Main Dining Room.

Some cruisers have an aversion to the ship's complimentary Main Dining Room, based on cuisine, seating, or regimented times.

Lastly, the decision to buy a dining package also depends on which Royal Caribbean ship you are sailing on.

Each ship has a different line-up of specialty restaurants, and some offer many more options than others.

Icon, Oasis and Quantum Class ships offer the greatest variety of restaurants before you'd have to repeat.  

The line's older and smaller cruise ships have less specialty restaurants. In fact, Enchantment of the Seas only has Chops Grille and Chef's Table as specialty offerings.

Haiti's internal problems continued this week, but that seemingly won't deter Royal Caribbean from stopping at its private beach there.

Royal Caribbean operates a private beach in a remote area of Haiti, and has done so since 1988.

Earlier this week, three planes were hit by gunfire amid gang violence. The result was another in an endless round of travel advisories by the U.S. State Department not to travel to the country.  The Federal Aviation Administration banned flights to the country for 30 days as a result of the gunfire.

Despite these issues, Royal Caribbean hasn't changed its plans to bring cruise ships to its private enclave.

In a statement to a local NBC affiliate in Miami, the cruise line said they will continue to sail there, but are always monitoring the situation.

"The safety and security of our guests, crew, and communities we visit are our top priority. Our Global Security and Intelligence Team continuously monitor the situation in Haiti. Currently, there are no changes to our planned itineraries."

Labadee is in a remote area

Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach area, is a walled-off, exclusive beach on a peninsula in northern Haiti. 

It's located 130 miles north of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The cruise line cancelled visits to Labadee in March in "an abundance of caution," but restarted visits there in early October.

Since restarting visits, there's been no incidents with the various cruise ships stopping there.

In fact, Royal Caribbean re-routed a few ships to Labadee to avoid hurricanes.

What do passengers think?

Like many subjects, Royal Caribbean fans are split on the issue of if it makes sense for ships to continue to stop at Labadee.

On the Royal Caribbean message boards, Geezer of the Seas wrote, "Personally,  I think Royal (and any other cruise line with stops in Haiti) is playing with fire."

"An aircraft on a 'slow' landing approach is like shooting fish in a barrel. So, what happens when/if these bad actors come into possession of high performance boats and start busting caps at a cruise ship?"

Reigert2008 added, "I’ve been to Labadeee several times and have always felt safe during the visit, but no one wants to be on the first cruise that has an issue."

"I think it’s reasonable for people to ask questions about these things especially when new events occur."

Smokeybandit retorted that post by pointing out Labadee hasn't been a site of problems, "As you noted, Haiti has had issues forever, yet never any real problems at Labadee."

Southern Dan added, "I am looking forward to my beach day in Labadee in two weeks!"

Opinion: I would welcome a cruise to Labadee, Haiti

I've been cruising to Labadee for years, and if I had a cruise that went there this week, I'd gladly go.

Haiti has had problems for a long time, and the unfortunate truth is the country has struggled for a long time with civil strife, political inability, and lack of infrastructure.

While shooting at an airplane is indeed disturbing, it also occurred in Port-au-Prince, and that's an important distinction.

Labadee is walled off from the rest of the country in a remote area. It can best be described as being in the middle of nowhere.

I think painting with a wide brush in the case of Labadee versus the rest of the country doesn't make sense. After all, Haiti still had a level 4 travel warning last week, and cruise ships and airplanes were visiting the country then. I don't think the country was inherently safer then.

Of course, there's risk in continuing to visit Haiti, but there's risk everywhere. Royal Caribbean know better than anyone the issues of risk management, and putting their ships and customers in harm's way would have a significant effect on their bottom line.  

As the cruise line monitors the situation in and around its private beach operation, until there's a change in the safety of its operation in Labadee, cruise ships should continue stopping there.

If you have a Royal Caribbean cruise booked, chances are you've already started checking if this year's Black Friday sale is benefitting you.

Black Friday is a major shopping holiday best known for deep discounts, and Royal Caribbean has its own take on it.  Instead of super cheap electronics, we get lower prices on cruise add-ons. The exact discount will depend on your sailing, but this year's batch of Black Friday offers seem to be generally quite good.

There are a series of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales over the next few weeks, and it's the perfect time to see how much more it would cost to purchase an add-on extra for your vacation. 

Royal Caribbean's Black Friday sale on Cruise Planner items applies to purchases made through November 29, 2024.

I went through the various choices to narrow down the top buys you should consider this week, because they will absolutely cost you more money if you wait to book them onboard the ship.

Not only are these deals probably a better price overall than normal, but you stand to save a lot of money compared to people who buy it on the ship.

Unlimited drink package

Perhaps no other add-on for your cruise gets as much attention as Royal Caribbean's drink packages.

All of its drink packages are on sale, and we've seen prices as low as $54.99 per person, per day for the Deluxe Beverage Package.

Anytime we see the Deluxe Beverage Package under $60 per day, that's a tremendous value. You can expect to pay over $100 per day for the same drink package if you wait to buy it on the ship.

There's even a discount on the soda package, which is rarely discounted.

Granted, the exact price of the drink packages varies greatly depending on your sailing. Some people reported seeing deeper savings than others, and Royal Caribbean is also offering added discounts to top tier members of Crown and Anchor Society or senior citizens.

Nevertheless, it's worth re-checking prices again during the Black Friday sale if your eyes glazed over the last time you checked prices.

Internet access

Perhaps the most tried-and-true lower price you can expect any year during Black Friday is a discount on Royal Caribbean's Voom internet packages.

While there's no free Wi-Fi on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, it's not as expensive as you might think either.  And the prices you see during this sale are way cheaper than the same price onboard.

Here's an example of Royal Caribbean's onboard Voom prices:

The best discount comes with the multi-device Voom packages, so if everyone in your cabin needs to use the internet, it's cheaper to add additional devices rather than buying everyone their own plan.

One other thing worth noting is Royal Caribbean brought back to the Voom and drink package bundles.  

These packages are convenient, but do the math to ensure they will save you money.  Usually, they will be slightly cheaper if you just need one package.  

But if there are multiple people you want to buy the Voom and a drink package for, it's usually a better deal to buy the drink package and multi-device internet package separately. 

Admission to CocoCay areas

If you ever wanted to visit one of the extra cost areas of Perfect Day at CocoCay, Black Friday is when you want to buy a pass.

I've seen better than average prices for Thrill Waterpark, the Coco Beach Club, and Hideaway Beach.

As a general rule of thumb, I consider these prices to be good "deals" on them:

• Thrill waterpark: Less than $40 per person
• Coco Beach Club: Less than $100 per person
• Hideaway Beach: Less than $50 per person

Coffee card

I was pretty surprised to see a discount on the coffee punch card, because I'm not sure I've ever seen it discounted.

The Cafe Select Coffee Card offers 15 specialty espresso-based coffees that you can use during your cruise. It's redeemable at Cafe Promenade, Cafe Latte-tudes, Cafe@Two70 and pretty much any place that isn't a Starbucks kiosk.

If you're someone that isn't interested in a full drink package, but wants to get an espresso based drink every day, it's a good buy. Plus, you can share the coffee card, unlike the drink packages.

Specialty restaurants

One of my favorite ways to spend extra on things not included with my cruise fare are the specialty restaurants.

The Black Friday sale offers 15% - 30% off individual restaurants, and those savings can add up quickly when you're dining with a group or family.

When you can knock the price down to just $48.99 at 150 Central Park or $37.99 at Giovanni's Italian Kitchen for dinner, it makes for a great excuse to indulge.

Arguably the lunch prices are the best values.  On an upcoming Utopia of the Seas cruise I have booked, I could book Giovanni's for just $14.99 per person for lunch! 

If you're wondering, yes, some restaurants do change menus if it's lunch or dinner.

Shore excursions

There's a really good chance if you're going on a cruise, you're going to want to book a shore excursion, and Black Friday is a great time check prices on tours.

Average savings on a shore excursion range between 25% and 30% off, so this can be an excellent time to book a tour.

Not only is booking a shore excursion now a good idea to save money, but many shore excursions sell out.  In my experience, by the time the cruise rolls around, there aren't many options left to those that waited to book onboard.

It's sometimes difficult to know which excursion you really want to book, but my advice is book something now while the prices are lower and decide later. Remember, you can always cancel any purchase made on the Cruise Planner before the cruise begins for a full refund.

Royal Caribbean is the biggest cruise line in the industry, and it attracts millions of passengers every year.

I've taken at least one cruise every month of the year so far, often adding a second or third sailing within the same calendar month. It's an amazing vacation option that has taken me to the Caribbean and Europe, and I've got plenty more planned into next year too.

Though my cruises have been positive overall, things can always go wrong.

Here are the biggest mishaps I've encountered on Royal Caribbean cruises, and how I prepare for them in advance.

Getting seasick can ruin your day, so I bring the right medication

Many first-time cruisers are worried about getting seasick on a cruise ship. I think the chances of it happening are lower than most people assume, but there's definitely the possibility.

Even I occasionally get seasick if the winds are rocking the ship in the right direction.  Earlier this year, I was sailing on Freedom of the Seas and I noticed I started feeling queasy on our sea day and recognized the telltale sign of motion sickness coming on.

The good news is you can combat seasickness quite easily and quickly, but it helps so to have the right things with you.

While there are homeopathic remedies, I prefer to have a supply of over the counter medication at my disposal.

I always pack Bonine chewable tablets with me (link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra).  

When I first started cruising, I would take one a day, beginning the day before my cruise began. As I've cruised more, I don't feel the need to take it daily, but they do work quickly if the symptoms of motion sickness begin while already onboard the ship.

Delays of any size can wreak havoc on travel plans, so I plan my schedule to account for them

Want to know the most costly mistake you can make on your cruise? Trying to fly in the same day your cruise begins.

Whether you're trying to save money on a hotel room or simply aren't aware of the risks, traveling the same day your cruise is scheduled to begin is playing with fire.

Air travel delays are notoriously bad, and they happen all the time.  Because of this, I always pad my travel plans to add more travel time in case of a delay or cancellation.

If you miss the ship because your flight was cancelled or delayed, there's not much recourse to get you on the ship. Certainly travel insurance may pick up the tab on lost cost, but it won't replace the actual relaxing vacation you planned.

I always fly in at least one day before the cruise is set to begin for cruises that depart my own country. If I'm flying internationally, I'd bump that up at least two days before the cruise is set to begin. In fact, I'd recommend more days to not only account for travel delays but also jetlag.

Cabin noise can make sleeping difficult, so I always bring ear plugs

I have a high tolerance for noise, until it interferes with my sleep.

Most of the time, I have few problems with getting a good night sleep on a cruise ship. In fact, I often sleep better on a cruise, especially when I'm in an inside cabin that provides ideal sleeping conditions.

Just in case, I pack a supply of disposable ear plugs in my luggage.

Cabin noise can be the result of many sources, including rattling, other passengers, or music.

When you're awakened mid-sleep and you just want to get back to sleep, I don't have the energy to track down the source every time.  So I'll grab my ear plugs, put them in, and get right back to sleep.

Power plugs can be scarce, so I pack an approved power adaptor

Royal Caribbean has gotten really good about adding enough power outlets in cruise ship cabins with its newer ships, but I always assume there aren't enough outlets in any cabin.

What do I need to plug in? My laptop, phone, wife's phone, smart watch are usually all plugged in at one time or another.  And then when my wife needs to blow dry or straighten her hair, there's more outlets needed. Never mind my kids' devices.

If you're on a cruise ship built before 2010, there's a good chance your cabin will have just two power outlets.

As a result, I pack a power adaptor with me on every sailing I take.

Royal Caribbean recently banned multi-plug outlets, but there are still approved outlet adaptors you can take with you.

I bring a USB hub in my carry-on bag, and it ensures we can keep a few things charging concurrently. (Contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use)

Before my cruise, I start to drink more water to avoid travel stomach

Despite my hundred or so cruises I've taken in my life, my digestive track seems to get triggered by travel quite often.

Grumpy gut is not the result of a bacterial infection, just bad luck with the transition to new foods, dehydration from flying, changes in climate, or something else.

A couple days before the cruise begins, I'll try to drink more water to help keep everything moving.  I feel this especially important on embarkation day of the cruise too, because it's so easy to go right to "I'm on vacation" mode and enjoy cocktails without enough water too.

Water alone won't always work, so I travel with medicine like Pepto Bismol or Imodium to quickly take care of the symptoms. (These are affiliate links that cost you nothing extra, but I get a referral fee if you buy something).

Not only did Royal Caribbean start its Black Friday sale already, but they added new combination deals you should look at buying.

While the actual Black Friday holiday is still a couple of weeks away, Royal Caribbean decided to get in on the holiday sales early. It launched a Black Friday Early Access sale that will morph into a few other named promotions.

The early consensus among many cruisers so far is the discounts are substantial, especially for drink packages, Wi-Fi access, and even dining packages.

The focus might be on lower prices for cruise add-ons we're used to tracking, but there are a few extras that are new and exclusive to this sale.

Along with the Black Friday sale, Royal Caribbean rolled out new bundles that include a few different extras in one.  Royal Caribbean says they are a Black Friday/Cyber Monday "exclusive", so it might be a limited-time offer.

You can find these located under the "Packages" section of Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site.

Here's a closer look at what each combo deal offers.

Beverage, WiFi & Excursions

There are three bundles that include some aspect of a visit to Royal Caribbean's private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The Thrill Big Package comes in two forms: for adults or kids, and it includes:

• Drink Package
  • Deluxe Beverage Package for adults
  • Refreshment Package for kids
• VOOM Surf + Stream Internet – 1 Device
• Thrill Waterpark Full Day Pass

Thrill Waterpark is where you'll find all the water slides on CocoCay.  It also has a giant wave pool, and an adventure pool full of aquatic challenges.

For a Utopia of the Seas cruise in December, the price is $107.99 per guest, per day for the adults package, and $56.99 for the non-alcoholic version.

The Chill Big Package also comes in two forms and it includes: 

• Drink Package
  • Deluxe Beverage Package for adults
  • Refreshment Package for kids
• VOOM Surf + Stream Internet – 1 Device
• Coco Beach Club Day Pass

The Coco Beach Club is an elevated beach day offering that has limited capacity, a full sit down restaurant, and a heated infinity pool.  

The idea behind the beach club is to offer a more serene spot, so you won't find music or a DJ here.

Example prices are $118.99 per guest, per day for adults, and $67.99 per guest, per day for kids.

The Party Big Package is only for guests 21 years old or older, and it includes:

• Deluxe Beverage Package
• VOOM Surf + Stream Internet – 1 Device
• Hideaway Beach Day Pass

Hideaway Beach is a new expansion at CocoCay that caters exclusively to adults.

You'll find a beach, heated pool, and DJ spinning tunes all day long.

The price is $107.99 per guest, per day.

Drink package & internet bundles

Royal Caribbean also has combo deals on just a drink package and internet access.

• The Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM 1 Device
• Refreshment Package + VOOM 1 Device
• Classic Soda Package + VOOM 1 Device

Prices will vary depending on your sailing, but it offers a 2-in-1 option.

Triple Taste Tour Package

Available exclusively on Royal Caribbean's smallest and oldest cruise ships, there's a new dining combo offering.

The Triple Taste Tour Package has three exclusive experiences during different days of the sailing.

It's only available to book on Vision and Radiance Class ships.

It includes:

• Dinner at Chops Grille on the first night of your sailing
• Taste of Royal lunch for any sea day
• Sip. Tour. Brunch. is on the last day of your sailing

Chops Grille is one of the most popular specialty restaurants on any Royal Caribbean ship, and it's the cruise line's signature steakhouse.

Taste of Royal is a "best of" meal, where the most popular dishes from a variety of specialty restaurants are served in one meal. 

Sip. Tour. Brunch. is a combo offering in and of itself.  You get to tour the ship's kitchen (known as a galley), and then enjoy unlimited sparkling wine and brunch in the main dining room.

Are these bundles a good deal?

Royal Caribbean makes it easy to book these new bundles and it means less clicking to pick up everything included in them, but will they save you money?

We evaluated the bundles and the cost savings depend on your situation and sailing. Because Royal Caribbean's prices vary from ship to ship and sailing to sailing, the prices for the bundles and the individual add-on components vary considerably.

Moving from the Beverage & WiFi bundles to the Beverage, WiFi & Excursions bundles, you can see an example of how discounted admission is to the CocoCay add-ons.

The Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM 1 Device costs $94.99 on our example cruise, but the Thrill Big Package is just $13 per person, per day more.  On a 3-night cruise, that's $39 extra. The cost for buying Thrill Waterpark admission on its own is $38.99 during the Black Friday sale.

Some cruisers reported cheaper prices if they price out the drink package and Wi-Fi separately, especially when taking advantage of the multi-device discount on a Voom package purchase.

It appears the new packages are savings for one person by themselves.

Before buying a bundle, it's worth seeing how much each bundle component is on its own before purchase. No matter what you choose to buy, purchasing before the cruise is still a better deal than waiting to get on the ship.

The lowest prices of the year on a cruise drink package are here.

Royal Caribbean kicked off its Black Friday preview sale today, which has new discounts for both cruise fares and add-on purchases.

While Black Friday isn't for a few more weeks, Royal Caribbean wants to get in on the sale with discounts now.

There are many aspects of the sale to consider, but the prices for the fun extras passengers can optionally purchase are seeing lower prices and even a few new options.

Perhaps the most popular add-on you can buy for a Royal Caribbean cruise is a drink package, and select sailings are seeing prices as low as $54.99 per person, per day.

Perhaps the absolute lowest price we've seen in a decade is for the Panama Canal repositioning cruise of Radiance of the Seas that begins April 19, 2025.  The Deluxe Beverage Package is only $48.99 per person, per day on that sailing, although that sailing is fifteen nights.

No matter which sailing you pick, it's likely a substantial discount considering Royal Caribbean is regularly charging over $100 per person, per day for the same package when purchased onboard ships. In fact, all purchases made online are cheaper than waiting to book during the sailing.

The Cruise Planner sale runs between November 8, 2024 through November 29, 2024 and applies to select sailings departing November 13, 2024 - December 31, 2025. 

• Beverage: Up to 50% off
  • Evian Water Package: 50% off onboard prices
  • Refreshment Package: 35% off onboard prices
    • Kids (12 and below): 50% off Refreshment
  • Classic Soda Package: 35% off onboard prices
    • Kids (12 and below): 50% off Classic Soda
  • Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
    • Interior/Oceanview Stateroom: Additional 5% off Deluxe (excluding Asia and Reposition
      sailings).
    • Seniors (65+): 40% off Deluxe Beverage (excluding Asia and Reposition sailings).
    • Diamond & above CAS members: 40% off Deluxe Beverage (excluding Asia and Reposition).

• Shore Excursions: Up to 50% off
  • Shorex: Discount varies by ship.
  • Wynwood Walls tour: 10% off onboard prices
  • Perfect Day Passes: 50% off onboard prices
  • Perfect Day & Labadee Cabanas: Up to 50% off onboard prices
    • Seniors (65+): 25% off Shorex (excluding Caribbean, Alaska & Europe sailings).
    • Platinum & above CAS members: 25% off Shorex on Caribbean sailings.
• Internet: Up to 55% Off

• Dining: Up to 50% Off
  • Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 14N sailings: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Packages: Up to 65% Off
  • Photo Packages from 5 - 100 Photos: Discount varies by ship.
  • Private Photo Session: 60% off onboard prices 
• Onboard Activities: Up to 30% off
  • All Access Ship tour
  • Observatorium
  • Mission Control Apollo 18
  • Escape the Rubicon
  • EscapeU: Freshman Year
  • RipCord by iFLY Two Minute Experience
  • North Star Extended Experience
  • FlowRider Private Lesson
  • FlowRider Group Lesson 

• Spa: Up to 30% Off Select Times 
• Gifts & Gear: Up to 45% Off
  • Strawberries with Champagne: 35% off onboard prices
  • Anniversary Decorations with Champagne: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries: 40% off onboard prices
  • Happy Birthday Bright Style: 30% off onboard prices
  • Happy Anniversary Decorations: 35% off onboard prices
  • Bon Voyage Decorations: 30% off onboard prices
  • 9 Chocolate Covered Strawberries: 30% off onboard prices
  • White Wine and Cheese: 35% off onboard prices
  • Red Wine and Cheese: 35% off onboard prices
  • Soft Octopus Travel Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Royal Caribbean Beach Towel: 40% off onboard prices
  • Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe): 40% off onboard prices
  • Inky Beach Set: 35% off onboard prices
  • Inky Octopus Family Travel Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Winter Blanket: 25% off onboard prices
  • Luxury Robe: 35% off onboard prices
  • Alaska Polar Bear Hat: 40% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Water: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Coca Cola: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Diet Coke: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Bud Light: 35% off onboard prices
  • Cooler Bag with Truly: 35% off onboard prices
  • Utopia Blue/Pink Towel and Tumbler Set: 25% off onboard prices
  • Icon Blue/Pink Towel and Tumbler Set: 25% off onboard prices

• Onboard Activities: Up to 30% off
  • All Access Ship tour
  • Observatorium
  • Mission Control Apollo 18
  • Escape the Rubicon
  • EscapeU: Freshman Year
  • RipCord by iFLY Two Minute Experience
  • North Star Extended Experience
  • FlowRider Private Lesson
  • FlowRider Group Lesson

New bundles

An interesting twist to this year's Black Friday sale is the addition of bundles.

These bundles offer combinations of popular add-ons. These appear to be Black Friday/Cyber Monday exclusive, so it may be a limited-time offering.

Here's a look at what's being offered:

Perfect Day Bundles

These combos include a Deluxe Beverage Package, one device WiFi access, and admission into either Hideaway Beach (Royal Caribbean's adults-only area of Perfect Day at CocoCay), Coco Beach Club, or Thrill Waterpark.

• Thrill Big Package
• Chill Big Package
• Party Big Package

Drink Package + WiFi Bundles

• Deluxe and Voom
• Refreshment and Voom
• Soda and Voom 

You can still take advantage of a better price on cruise add-ons

If you’ve already purchased add-ons like an internet package or spa service for your upcoming cruise, be sure to check the price of the add-on under the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale.

If the price is lower, you can cancel and rebook the add-on with no penalty up to 48 hours before your cruise date.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

Sale begins today on cruise fares too

In addition to the cruise planner extras you can buy, Royal Caribbean is also discounting its fares beginning today.

The Black Friday Preview sale begins today, November 8 through November 11 and offering up to $750 off base fares. 

The Black Friday Preview Sale is combinable with a monthlong offer – BOGO 60% off a second guest and Kids Sail Free, which starts today, November 8. 

BOGO60 applies to new, individual, and named group bookings at prevailing rates made 11/8 – 12/9/24 on sailings departing on or after November 9, 2024, and provides 60% off the cruise fare of the second guest booked in the same stateroom as the first, full fare paying guest, as well as 30% off any additional guests. Savings applied to cruise fare at checkout.

Have you ever been so bothered by something that you decided to take care of it yourself?

One cruise ship passenger on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas sailed a few weeks ago and noticed a broken cup holder in the ship's theater.  

Reddit user Asorensen1989 originally shared a photo of the broken cup holder, using it as an example of the state of the ship and why Royal Caribbean needs to retire her.

"Having just spent the week on Enchantment of the Seas, I can say, it’s time for her to retire. She’s just done. Everything is worn out and dated. The technology is seriously lacking. The service is great, but they can only make up for so much."

The cup holder was simply an example to prove the person's point.

A different Reddit user Shot_Bread_9657, noted he could make the necessary repairs with the proper materials.  With a cruise already booked on Enchantment coming up, the Reddit user brought the necessary materials from home and fixed it themself.

Photos were shared on Reddit of the repaired cup holder that he decided to work on because no one else did.

"Couldn’t say why- just seemed like a funny, and possibly helpful, thing to do," he wrote in his post.

They posted photos of what they did, and how it was repaired.

First, they packed caulk, sandpaper, epoxy putty, and brushes that they already owned.

"It cost me all of $0...Used a $5 coupon at Michael’s for the paint and lacquer," he explained in the total cost of the project.

He admitted he could have done a better job restoring it with the proper materials, but he wanted to get it back to working condition.

He brought the broken cup holder to his stateroom, where he documented how he repaired it.

Finally, he brought the repaired cup holder back to the theater and returned it to its proper place.

"I’m glad to say I delivered," he wrote triumphantly.

"Can't decide if you should be thanked or disembarked"

The reactions to Shot_Bread_9657's post sparked all sorts of reactions.

One person wrote, "Royal should hire you to be Handyman of the Seas."

Another posted, "You're just a normal passenger? ...I can't decide if you should be thanked or disembarked at the next port. LOL"

Others took the opportunity to note the lack of proper maintenance in the first place that left the cup holder broken for weeks.

"I admire your tenacity. The world needs more of this," Unhappy-Actuator9674 wrote.

Right or wrong?

While I've seen passengers use pieces of paper to level a wobbly table, or attempt to quiet noisy parts of their cabin, this is a new level of proactive work by a passenger.

Whether or not this person's repair work was helpful or not, it's likely against Royal Caribbean's policy to do so.

Within the cruise line's Guest Health, Safety, and Conduct Policy, is a section specifying this sort of behavior is not allowed:

"Additionally, tampering with any of the ship’s equipment, facilities or systems is not permitted."

There are potential safety and policy implications of a passenger attempting repairs. There are potential safety risks associated with unauthorized repairs, even if they seem minor, and it could impact the guest’s and other passengers’ safety.

When a problem is spotted by a guest, they should report it to Guest Services onboard and/or a nearby crew member so they can flag it for the ship's maintenance team to address.

It's questionable if security should have prohibited items such as epoxy putty or caulk from being brought onboard in the first place. While those items are not specifically on Royal Caribbean's prohibited items list, the line exercises a certain degree of discretion as to what can or cannot be brought onboard.

Every passenger's belongings are scanned before being brought onboard. Any suspicious items are flagged by security, confiscated, and returned after the cruise.

Background on cruise ship maintenance

Just like hotels, restaurants, and every place of business on land, things break on cruise ships from time to time, especially from wear and tear.

Every Royal Caribbean cruise ship employs a team of maintenance workers. Their job is to attend to all repairs on the ship, big and small.

Since they are a limited workforce, their attention is relegated to the top priority tasks first. Issues related to guest safety, comfort, and enjoyment are where a ship's maintenance workers go.

You can spot maintenance workers on a Royal Caribbean ship usually by their blue uniforms. When an issue is reported, a crew member is dispatched to work on it.

Not all issues can be fixed while on the ship, either because of the scope of the project or lacking necessary materials.  In some cases, work has to wait for the ship to go into drydock for routine maintenance.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas will need a little more time before she's ready to start cruising again.

Every five years (or less), Royal Caribbean sends its cruise ships in for refurbishment to ensure they're properly maintained. Voyager of the Seas is in Cadiz, Spain to undergo scheduled work.

Unfortunately, bad weather around Spain has delayed the work and more time is needed.

Guests booked on the transatlantic sailing returning the ship to the United States received an update their voyage has been pushed back by a day.

"Due to a delay in our current drydock operations caused by adverse weather, Voyager of the Seas will be arriving in Barcelona one (1) day later than we initially planned," an email to booked passengers read.

The ship was originally scheduled to depart Barcelona, Spain on November 10, 2024.

Instead, Voyager will now depart Barcelona on Monday, November 11th.

The change in departure date also means a change to the ship's itinerary. Voyager will skip a visit to Valencia, Spain and instead visit Palma De Mallorca on Tuesday, November 12th. The rest of the itinerary will remain unchanged.

Any pre-paid Royal Caribbean International shore excursions booked for Palma de Mallorca will be rescheduled based on availability, and any excursions booked for Valencia will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment. 

Voyager of the Seas is scheduled to arrive to Port Canaveral, Florida as originally scheduled on November 26, 2024.

Voyager will sail 4- and 5-night winter getaways on a varied lineup of Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises to The Bahamas, including Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau; Cozumel; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and Labadee.

Compensation for the change

To make it up to passengers, Royal Caribbean is offering some money back.

Royal Caribbean is providing:

• A refund of one (1) day of the Cruise Fare paid as an Onboard Credit.
• A pro-rated refund as an Onboard Credit for your daily packages (Beverage, Dining, VOOM) and pre-paid gratuities.
• All Onboard Credits can be used anywhere onboard, and any remaining refundable amounts at the end of the sailing will be refunded to the card on file up to 14 business days from final disembarkation.

For travel plans that need to be changed, Royal Caribbean will cover any air change fee up to $200 USD for domestic travel and $400 USD for international travel, per person OR one (1) night hotel accommodations, up to $250 USD, per stateroom if needed.

Royal Caribbean will also honor the original amount of nights in the sailing, as it relates to Crown and Anchor Society points.

"You’ll receive loyalty points for the original sail nights, instead of the nights sailed. For this sailing, you’ll still receive 16 nights worth of loyalty points."

Shipyard delays are not unusual

The delay in return to service following scheduled maintenance work is not unheard of.

In most cases, ships undergo their routine work on schedule and return without delay.  But there have been situations where a delay in return to service has occurred.

In early 2019, Navigator of the Seas underwent a highly anticipated Royal Amplification, which would add new water slides, restaurants and experiences onboard.

The $115 million shipwide refurbishment was scheduled to be complete by February 2019, but poor weather conditions at the shipyard in the Bahamas caused delays to the progress of the ship’s outer decks.

A construction crane collapsed on top of Oasis of the Seas while in drydock. 

Royal Caribbean was forced to cancel the next three scheduled sailings that followed in order for the ship to be fully repaired.