Looking to book a 2025 cruise in Europe? You could easily save hundreds or thousands of dollars extra if you book your flights through Royal Caribbean.

While you may know that Royal Caribbean offers bundled airfare you can purchase through its Air2Sea program, you might not know how lucrative it can be.

Air2Sea is a convenient way to purchase a flight after you book a cruise. It's available in all markets, but I was shocked how much cheaper it was by booking through the cruise line instead of directly with the airline.

For my 2025 European group cruise (you're invited to join us), I had originally booked my flights directly with Virgin Atlantic.  But when my travel agent ran the numbers through Air2Sea, I was able to save over $2,000 for my family of four and I got a more convenient flight option.

I was curious if I was lucky, or there's really something to the offer, so I asked MEI Travel to run a few example flights to compare prices booking through the cruise line or through the airline.

Up to $500 off flights

Royal Caribbean advertises savings of up to $500 off airfare for Alaska and European select sailings.

It's available for Alaska and European sailings departing between April 11 - October 27, 2025 and must be booked between September 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025.

The fine print says the exact savings depend on destination and airfare type:

• Europe
  • $200 USD per person for Economy and Premium Economy Class seats
  • $500 USD per person for First and Business Class seats
• Alaska
  • $100 USD per person for Economy and Premium Economy Class seats
  • $200 USD per person for First and Business Class seats

How much can you really save?

I've seen plenty of advertised offers where the "deal" doesn't match up to reality very well, so I wanted to see put it to the test.

I asked MEI Travel to run airfares for flights from New York and Los Angeles to London for the dates of our group cruise next year.

I then ran the same flights through Expedia to see how much they were charging.  

I was curious to see if the savings were substantial, or was it a case where only some flights really got you a deep discount.

Flight 1: New York to London non-stop

Depart June 19, 2025 from JFK to LHR

• Standard Economy Class/ Main Cabin
  • Air2Sea: $843.31 per person
  • Expedia: $1,037.31 per person
• Delta Premium Select Class
  • Air2Sea: $1546.31 per person
  • Expedia: $1,726.31 per person
• Flagship Business Class
  • Air2Sea: $2,811.31 per person
  • Expedia: $3,291.31 per person

Flight 2: Los Angeles to London non-stop

• Economy Class/ Main Cabin
  • Air2Sea: $1,393.31 per person
  • Expedia: $2,775.01 per person
• Delta Premium Select Class
  • Air2Sea: $2,872.31 per person
  • Expedia: $3,052.31 per person
• Delta One or BIZ Class
  • Air2Sea: $5797.31 per person
  • Expedia: $6,277.31 per person

In every situation, Air2Sea saved hundreds of dollars, even in economy.

Given that every price is for one ticket, if you multiply the discount by how many people are in your travel party, and you can net even bigger savings.

In my case, I cancelled my booking with the airline and re-booked with Air2Sea.

There are other benefits to booking a cruise with Air2Sea, such as the fact you can add an Air2Sea flight that remains refundable until final payment due date and it doesn't cost anything to make the booking.  

If you find a better deal cancel the Air2Sea reservation before final payment due date at no cost.  If fuel costs surge or flight cost jump unexpectedly the Air2Sea booking can suddenly be a great deal.  

If there's a downside to Air2Sea, there is a fee for their services and Air2Sea is essentially your travel agent for the flight.  If you need to do swift modifications to your flight(s) because of some unforeseen problem, you need to go through them vs. just fixing it with the airline directly.  It's like booking a fare via Expedia or other third party.

One other benefit of Air2Sea is in some cases they offer "Assured Arrival" that can help get you on the ship if an airline mess causes you to miss the cruise.  

How do you book a flight with Royal Caribbean?

You can easily browse flights by going to the Air2Sea website after you have a cruise booked.

Alternatively you can call Royal Caribbean 24/7 at 1-844-278-9745 to make your reservation. Or better yet, have your travel agent do it for you.

The Air2Sea program is currently available to guests in the U.S., Canada, and United Kingdom.

Getting a better cruise ship cabin is a fun way to make your vacation even more exciting, in part, because you'll get more space and maybe even more amenities.

I will often book a cruise in a certain category room, but as the cruise gets closer, reconsider my cabin choice.  

Moving up to a better cabin might be a reflection of extra cash to splurge, a lower-than-expected price, or a change in our family's needs. It could just be a whim, but whatever the reason, it's a fun feeling to (try and) get a better cabin.

Here's everything you need to know about upgrading your cabin on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Upgrading your room the traditional way

The simplest and most straightforward way to upgrade your cabin is to ask your travel agent to do it.  Or if you booked with Royal Caribbean directly, give them a call.

You'll compare the price you originally paid to the price of the better cabin, and pay the difference.

Royal Caribbean claims you can make these sort of changes up until the final payment date, but in my experience, they'll always take more money if you want to spend more.  Any payments or deposits you've previously made can be applied to the new reservation.

Upgrading in this fashion means you're subject to the prevailing rates and, there could be different booking incentives too.

Ideally, you'll try this method as early as possible because cabins book up closer to your sail date. Likewise, prices go up as more cabins are sold.  The chances of a last-minute cheap upgrade are unlikely, but not unheard of either.

It's not a bad idea to re-check cabin prices a day or two after the final payment date to see if any cabins returned to inventory because someone missed final payment or cancelled.

The easiest way to see if there's a room available to upgrade to is to do a mock booking on Royal Caribbean's website and see what comes up.  

Prices can change at any time, and inventory moves in real-time.  So you could very well spot a good price, call in the upgrade, but realize the room is no longer available. Be sure to act quickly.

One major advantage of this strategy is you get to pick the specific cabin and location, ensuring you know which room you are getting before paying. Unless, of course, you book a guaranteed cabin.

The disadvantage of upgrading your room in the traditional manner is you are limited to which rooms are available at that moment and whatever prevailing rates.  Plus, as you get closer to the sailing, it's less likely there will be cabins to move up to, especially balcony rooms or suites.

Bidding to upgrade your cabin

Another way to move up to a nicer room is to tell Royal Caribbean how much you'd be willing to spend to hypothetically upgrade in a blind auction.

Royal Up is the name of the program where guests get a choice of different cabin categories you can place bids for, and a range of prices to choose from.

The bid amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged. 

Typically you can begin placing bids through Royal Up up to 90 days before your cruise begins, and you can expect an email from the cruise line to inform you of the choice. Alternatively, you can check if you're eligible to place a bid on Royal Caribbean's website.

If you're going to place a bid, I'd recommend doing it right when bids open up, rather than waiting.

The other best time to place a Royal Up bid is if there's a chance a lot of people won't make the cruise, such as a hurricane or winter storm elsewhere in the country.  Those sort of incidents spur last-minute cancellations and might be an opportune moment for a snipe bid.

Bidding for a cabin is a bit confusing because of the myriad of cabin choices and prices. How much should you bid? Will it actually save me money? Are these rooms really available?

When you bid for a room, keep in mind this is your offer to the cruise line if a cabin were to open up, how much you'd be willing to pay. Royal Up is a mechanism to handle unsold rooms or rooms that get cancelled at the last minute.  

As for how much to bid, it almost doesn't matter because winning bids are routinely accepted at all ranges.

Bid what you're comfortable with, and understand that room might not actually be available (yet).

The advantage of bidding for an upgrade is you might save a lot of money compared to if you had booked that same room outright initially. This is especially true if you want to bid to upgrade to a different kind of interior cabin.

Aside from the confusion over how much to bid, I think the top disadvantage of bidding for a room is you will have no choice in where the room is located.

Winning bids get the cabin automatically assigned by Royal Caribbean, which could result in a room near a public venue, or being more susceptible to motion.

You should not bid for a cabin upgrade with Royal Up if you have more than one cabin booked, because there's no way to get the new cabins near each other.

Much has been made recently about cruise ship congestion in Alaska, so Royal Caribbean might have an answer.

Together with an Alaskan Native company, Royal Caribbean Group announced a new partnership to co-develop a new port in Juneau. Goldbelt Incorporated is a urban Alaska Native, for-profit corporation.

Some residents have wanted to limit cruise ship traffic in Juneau, despite the likely negative impact on local businesses. The reason is these locals have found the crowds cruise ships bring to be troublesome.

A resident-written ballot proposition was voted on recently to ban cruise ships on Saturdays, but 60% of voters rejected the measure. Unofficial tallies released by the city found that 2,586 residents voted in favor of the measure and 3,873 voted against it — also a 60% margin.

Royal Caribbean Group's plan would build a new port with the goal of, "strengthening the city's infrastructure while improving traffic congestion downtown and enhancing the local and visitor experience."

The new port would be located on Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land on Douglas Island. Douglas island is west of downtown Juneau and east of Admiralty Island. It is separated from mainland Juneau by the Gastineau Channel.

The project is called, "The Port of Tomorrow" and it is expected to be completed during the 2027 Alaska cruise season.

The port would have two floating berths overlooking the Chilkat Range. 

Once passengers disembark the ship, they would enter a recreated 1800s Alaska Native Tlingit village, where they "will experience Goldbelt Incorporated shareholders' ancestral history through stories, art, songs, dance, and traditional foods."

The existing port in Juneau includes three cruise terminals: the Ferry Terminal, South Franklin Dock, and Marine Park. In addition, ships may anchor and tender passengers ashore when more than three ships are present.

Fixing the traffic problems

In order to leverage the existing whale watching tour operations, passengers would depart directly from West Douglas Island onto whale-watching tours or shuttle boats to Mendenhall Glacier to counter downtown traffic. 

Estimates are it would remove nearly one-third of bus traffic from Juneau's most congested roadways, from downtown Franklin Street to the Glacier Highway, enhancing the overall guest and resident experience, while also paying testament to Alaska Native culture.

Because Douglas Island is located directly in the major shipping routes alongside Steven's Passage, the proposal has other advantages beyond downtown Juneau. 

It promises an environmental advantage, reducing time, speed, and fuel requirements for ships sailing north to Skagway or west to the Gulf of Alaska, making it the most ideal stop-over for routing to Sitka or Seward.

The capital of Alaska cruising

Juneau welcomes more than 1.6 million cruise ship passengers per year, and on its busiest days, 20,000 cruise passengers arrive at the city.

Nearly every major cruise line that sails in Alaska has a stop in Juneau, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, and Viking.

The Alaska cruise season runs between April and October, but Royal Caribbean ships primarily visit between May and September.

According to Juneau's FAQ on the ballot initiative, in 2023, cruise visitors generated $30 million in direct spending and $3.7 million in revenue for the municipal government on Saturdays.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty told Wall Street analysts during a quarterly earnings call in July 2024 that Alaska was one of his company's most sought-after destinations, "Alaska summer itineraries are performing exceptionally well."

In fact, summer Alaska season represents 6% of full-year capacity for Royal Caribbean Group. The company increased their capacity this year as a result of moving bigger ships into the Alaska market.

The cabin you choose for a cruise is where you'll call home for the entire duration of your voyage, so if there's a problem with it, you'll want to do something about it.

To be fair, most staterooms on a cruise ship are free of noise issues. Over the course of my nearly 100 cruises that I've taken, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've had a noise issue in my room.

However, noise issues do happen from time to time, so knowing what to do is helpful in mitigating the problem quickly.

Noise issues could stem from any sort of sources: mechanical, other passengers, wind, just to name a few.

A Royal Caribbean message board user, Couponz, shared an issue in their cabin on Anthem of the Seas that they encountered, "In my stateroom, I hear this loud banging noise that seems to roll with the side-to-side movement of the ship."

If you run into a similar situation, here's what you should know about handling it.

Assessing the source of the noise

The first thing you should do is try to figure out what's causing the noise and where it's coming from.

You'd be surprised how often the source of a noise problem is something you can fix on your own.  I believe one of the most common sources of noise in a stateroom are the hangers in the closet.

Royal Caribbean provides hangers in every stateroom closet, and they can rattle quite a bit (especially if the ship is swaying a bit).

Or perhaps its glasses clinging together, or something else you've left out that is making the noise.

You'll want to determine if the noise is coming from outside the cabin, such as in the hallway or a public area.  Or, if the noise is from coming within your room, such as from the ventilation, plumbing, or in the walls.

Creaking is a somewhat common noise issue on a cruise, especially from the ceiling. As the ship moves, panels move to, and there's a bit of give between them. 

Usually the creaking subsides as movement in the ship does.  On some occasions, I've been able to push firmly against the panel to jostle it to a point where it mitigates the noise.

Regardless, figuring out where the noise is coming from helps in diagnosing the cause, and keying crew members into addressing it.

Immediate fixes

Minor noises, creaks, or thuds can happen.  Just like a hotel room on land that has a loud car going by or the wind rattling a window, most of it can be subtle and short lived.

Many veteran cruisers recommend packing certain devices and aids to use if there is a small noise issue, especially to help them sleep.

A good pair of ear plugs can be a game-changer for keeping you asleep longer.

The Flents Foam Ear Plugs come highly recommended by our readers because they fit well, muffle noise, and you can still hear your alarm go off in the morning. (This link contains an affiliate link, which costs you absolutely nothing extra to use while supporting this site).

Another idea is to download a white noise app to your smart phone that can play the music on loop (“bedtime fan” from App Store is one that a reader recommended).

The LectroFan white noise machine is one such device, and it could be what you need to sleep peacefully (and it can be powered by USB). (This link contains an affiliate link, which costs you absolutely nothing extra to use while supporting this site).

Asking for help

When the issue is beyond your control and it's impacting your ability to sleep or enjoy your room, there's nothing wrong with reporting the issue and seeking help.

Your best bet is to start with your stateroom attendant. He or she works in your room every week, so they know problem areas as well as being up on what's unusual.

If your stateroom is not available, you could go to the Maintenance department. There's usually an extension on your stateroom phone for maintenance or housekeeping.  Either one will result in a technician coming out to check the problem.

That's right, there are a team of technicians on your ship whose job it is to keep up with any maintenance issues.  They wear blue uniforms, and they can be by in under an hour to assist.

Once they arrive to the cabin, show them what the issue is and how or when it occurs.  It's best if it can be reproduced, so if it's intermittent, I'd recommend taking a video of it to show them so they can understand it without waiting around.

If the noise is from another passenger, you'll need to get Security involved.  Once again, I advise taking a video when the noise occurs.

Unfortunately, Security can only truly intervene if they are the ones observing the problem happening.  But a video helps and alerts them to a potential issue, and establishes a report that can be acted on if it continues.

How to escalate a problem

Let's assume the noise issue continues, how do you get it resolved?

As I mentioned, it's best to start with your cabin attendant.  They'll either know of a quick fix or get maintenance involved. But if it continues being an issue, you'll want to escalate the issue.

Ideally, you'd speak with the deck supervisor next. This crew member is in charge of the upkeep of all of the staterooms on your deck (or at least a section). To be honest, it's difficult to know who this person is or how to contact them other than asking your cabin attendant to have them contact you.

You could also go to Guest Services and explain the issue.  I would avoid starting with Guest Services, because they'll just relay the info back to Housekeeping and Maintenance as a first step.

When you speak to Guest Services, explain the issue and what you've done to try to remedy it. Be calm and remember Guest Services isn't causing it. They'll do what they can to assist.

You could request a cabin change if the issue seems habitual, but that's not so simple.  Cruise ships sail completely full these days, so it's rare to have open cabins.  However, it doesn't hurt to ask if you truly believe that will bypass the problem. Just understand there aren't a block of empty cabins available.

If you truly feel like you're not making any progress, ask to speak to the Hotel Director. Guest Services will be able to get them for you.

The Hotel Director is one of the most highly ranked crew members onboard, and they oversee everything involving the hotel side of the operation, including your cabin.

Asking for compensation

Should you get money back if there's a real noise issue?

Compensation for a problem is a bit of a gray area, and really depends on the exact situation. I've seen onboard credit given out for minor and major problems, and then not again.

As an example, when we didn't have hot water in my cabin on embarkation day during the afternoon, I received onboard credit, but didn't get any when a rain shower partially flooded my cabin floor.

In many cases, a supervisor or manager will authorize onboard credit or a future cruise credit without even asking. I think this has been the most common scenario that I've been compensated for an issue.

Keep in mind a noise problem in your cabin does not automatically qualify you for compensation.  If something breaks, there's probably a better argument for it.  But noisy neighbors, the weather, and other things out of Royal Caribbean's control may not warrant it.

Nonetheless, there's no reason you can't ask for it if you feel it's warranted. Don't bother asking your stateroom attendant or the maintenance department for it. You'll want to speak with Guest Services or the Hotel Director.  Ultimately, it's at their discretion and there's no legal obligation on their part to offer you any, per the Cruise Contract you agreed to when you booked your cruise.

Preventative measures for future cruises

In general, there are certain cabins to avoid on a cruise ship as well as the right cabins to choose for a quiet stay.

Ideally, pick a cabin that is one deck above or below other staterooms. Avoid cabins that are one deck above or below a public area, such as a dining room or pool.

Never book a connecting stateroom unless you know the people on the other side of the connecting door.  

Cruise ship cabins are poorly insulated from noise to begin with, but connecting doors are even worse. 

It's totally fine to book connecting cabins when you have both cabins, but don't book a connecting cabin if it's just you in one room. Anecdotally, a lot of RoyalUp bids end up with connecting cabins.

Other typically noisy rooms are cabins that face public areas, such as a Promenade view cabin. 

Royal Promenade View cabins are available on Freedom Class, Voyager Class and Oasis Class ships and they have cabins that face inward towards the Royal Promenade. Each of these rooms has a large bay window that looks out to the Promenade, but this window is not soundproof.

On the Vision & Radiance Class ships, the first few cabins from the Centrum can also deal with noise bleed, as the Centrum is home to loud music in the evening.  

Conclusion

If there's a noise problem in your stateroom, address it early so you can eliminate the problem and enjoy a relaxing rest of your cruise.

I commonly read rants from people that come back from a cruise with noise issues and learn they didn't do anything about it.

A word of warning, be sure to get the issue taken care of onboard.  Some people put up with the noise, and then try contacting Royal Caribbean after the cruise is over for some kind of resolution, especially compensation.

In my experience, getting the issue fixed onboard not only gets rid of the noise, but also is the best way to potentially receive compensation since the crew can assess if the problem is indeed warranting it.

It's likely you will never run into this sort of an issue, but now you'll have the right approach to get it solved.

A 74-year-old man takes his wife that he's been married to for 55 years on a cruise twice a year, and he has no intention of stopping.

Ron Lodowski lives in upstate New York with his wife, Susan, and they love to go on cruises as a way to escape to the tropics and enjoy a carefree trip.

While Millennials lead the post-Covid recovery in travel, baby boomers are increasingly booking trips. That's according to Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty.

In an interview in 2023, Mr. Liberty said Baby Boomers tend to pay more for a cruise (because they prefer higher end accommodations) and they bring their kids and grandkids with them.

"That Baby Boomer is bringing in more of that multigenerational travel, as the grandparents are looking to travel with their kids and their grandkids."

Ron is part of that Baby Boomer generation, and he likes how everything is taken care of on a cruise, "Need a meal? Royal has you covered. Need your cabin or suite cleaned? No problem. Want to see some form of entertainment after dinner? Look no further. Royal Caribbean cruising is one stop vacation shopping."

He didn't start cruising until later in life. His first cruise was in 2008 as a gift to his daughter. While he admits he made a "big mistake" choosing a Carnival cruise as his first cruise, he quickly made the jump to Royal Caribbean and now goes on multiple cruises per year.

"I cruise twice a year, on average, normally, once in March or April and once is September or October," he said.

"Living in the Northeast... these dates tend to extend the warm summer for us instead of having the summer begin in May and end in late August or early September."

I asked Ron for his tips for how to plan the right cruise based on how he likes to cruise with Susan and his family.

Book early

Ron says he picks his cruise based on four criteria: the time of the year, the itinerary, the ship, and lastly the price.

As an example, "With the introduction of the newest Icon and Oasis class ships, the cruise decision based upon ship has jumped ahead of the itinerary."

His first tip for booking a cruise is to book the cruise sooner than later.

"The sooner you book, normally the lower the cruise fare.  If the price does decrease, you can always cancel and rebook as long as it is before the final payment date."

The ability to re-book up until final payment to take advantage of a price decrease is available to residents of certain countries, such as the United States or Canada. It is indeed one of the best ways to save money on a cruise.

"I have done this numerous times and have saved thousands of dollars. Better yet? Have your travel agent do this for you. Their charge is nonexistent, and their service is priceless."

Our team recommends using a good travel agent for the service they provide, as well as the opportunity to save money, just as Ron described.

Splurge

Ron approaches every cruise with a sobering but pragmatic view, "Treat ever cruise like it might be your last cruise."

To that point, he doesn't shy away from spending more on cruise extras.

"Enjoy the specialty dining experience, have that extra cocktail after dinner, treat yourself to a suite with all the suite benefits. Or better yet? Go full out and experience the pampering which you will receive from a Royal Genie. You will never forget it!"

While there are a lot of freebies on a Royal Caribbean cruise, Ron sees cruising as an escape. 

I asked Ron what he'd tell someone else his age about why they should try a cruise. He joked, "I would first tell them to turn up your hearing aid" and then said he would explain how a cruise can transport you to amazing places.

"Cruising is an amazing experience. You get to travel to beautiful, scenic places and once onboard everything which you might want, or need is taken care of by one of the helpful crew members"

He also emphasized the importance of meeting new friends on a cruise, "And most importantly, unlike land vacations, where people come and go, when you are on a cruise, people you meet become your friends for life. I speak from experience. "

Book off season

Ron's last tip is to look for off season rates, which can save a lot of money compared to peak season.

As a retiree, Ron and Susan can take advantage of times of the year when there is less demand because school is in session, and thus, families are reluctant go to on vacation.

"Off season rates, January thru March and September thru November are usually much cheaper, so why not take advantage of these months?"

"You're retired, so you have no job or family to interfere with your vacation plans. You deserve it!"

Going on a cruise in the months Ron mentions can be a great time to go on a cruise for those added savings.

While the Caribbean is a year-round destination, booking a trip during one month over another could be the difference in hundreds of dollars.

You'll want to get onboard your cruise ship as soon as possible to get your vacation started. After all, the price you paid doesn't change if you board at 11am or 2pm.

As a result, you're going to want to get an early check-in time to assure you'll board the ship first.

Boarding a cruise ship is somewhat similar to boarding an airplane. Everyone waits for the ship to be cleared and ready to welcome passengers, and then boarding commences in groups.

Usually suite guests go first, followed by other passengers based on different criteria.

But before you can get into the cruise terminal, Royal Caribbean assigns check-in times to every passenger. It's part of the pre-cruise check-in process, and there are limited slots to each check-in window.

Knowing when to check-in for your cruise can be the difference between an early time and one in the afternoon. While a relatively straightforward process, it's important to know the proper steps as well as what to avoid when checking in.

Getting the earliest check-in time

You'll be able to reserve a check-in time closer to your sail date, and it's imperative to be on the ball to get those early time slots.

Royal Caribbean's online check-in opens 45 days before your cruise is set to begin. 

It's slightly confusing exactly what time check-in opens, because it's 45 days at midnight based on the ship's home port time. Meaning, if you live in New York, but your Alaska cruise departs from Seattle, your check-in time opens at 3am Eastern/midnight Pacific.

In my experience, check-in will open up a few minutes past midnight.  It's rarely exactly at midnight, usually five or ten minutes later.

You can do online check-in via Royal Caribbean's website or their app. Trust me, you'll want to use the Royal Caribbean app and not the website.

The primary reason to use the app is when check-in opens, you can skip right to the check-in times and select a time. The Royal Caribbean website will make you first fill out personal information before getting there.

You'll need to reserve a check-in time for everyone in your party.  After you're done and have the times confirmed, you can go back into the app later and fill out the rest of the personal information.

I know what you're thinking, "do I really need to stay up until midnight to check-in?" and the answer is yes, if you want the earliest time.

If you wait until morning, you'll probably have access to the second or third earliest check-in times.  That's far from terrible, and you'll still be way ahead of people that try to do it later. But if you absolutely, positively need to the earliest time, starting the check-in process at midnight is critical.

The earliest check-in times begin around 10:30am or 11:00am. It can vary from sailing to sailing.

Book a suite

The strategy outlined in this article applies to all passengers, but those staying in a suite have one advantage over other passengers.

Suite guests enjoy a flexible check-in window of plus or minus one hour based on the check-in time you reserved.

This means if you had an 11:00am check-in time via the app, you could check-in as early as 10:00am.

If you book a Star Class cabin, your Royal Genie will coordinate with you a specific time you want to arrive and they will work around your preference. It's the ultimate "fastpass" for checking in, but Star Class cabins will easily cost you five figures.

Keep in mind the check-in times doesn't correlate to boarding time.  It simply refers to what time they'll admit you into the cruise terminal to begin checking in.

It should go without saying that spending the extra money to move up to a suite just for an earlier check-in time almost certainly is not a great value.  But it's a lovely perk to add onto the suite experience.

Purchase The Key

There's one other way to get an early check-in by throwing money at the problem.

Royal Caribbean offers a VIP extra-cost add-on, known as The Key.

Guests that buy The Key get a number of added benefits, including priority access into the terminal on Day 1.

You still select a boarding time during online check-in, but a couple weeks before the cruise, you will get an email that tells you you can board with The Key (usually 11:30 after suite guests) or keep your scheduled time. 

I'm not a fan of purchasing The Key, but it's worth noting it could get you checked-in and onboard faster (among other benefits).

It looks like Royal Caribbean has finally given its customers a feature they've been clamoring for since the inception of a dining package.

Cruise ship passengers can book a dining package, where they can get a bulk discount on specialty restaurants.  Up until now, there was no mechanism to prebook a reservation at a specific restaurant and time before boarding the ship if you had a dining package.

Nearly a year to when they announced plans this upgrade, Royal Caribbean now is allowing guests booking the Unlimited Dining Package to pre-book days and times for restaurants online.

The advantage of this feature is it makes it significantly easier to get reservations instead of running around on embarkation day to make them.

In August 2024, pre-booking was opened up just for Allure of the Seas as a test.  But now it appears the test is available for all ships.

Here's how it works.

Login into Royal Caribbean's website and go to the Cruise Planner for your sailing.

Go to the Dining section, and choose the Unlimited Dining Package.

Click the Reserve button and then select the people you want the package for, and click add to cart.  At this point, you wait for each day's options to open up, with the ability to select times for each restaurant.

Be sure to follow through and make payment for the dining package to lock in your day and times.

There are two catches to its current implementation, keeping in mind Royal Caribbean is constantly working on improving its offerings.

First, the ability to pre-book times appears only available for the Unlimited Dining Package, and not the 3-night dining package.

Second, there does not appear to be a way to pre-reserve restaurants if you have already booked the dining package yet. You could cancel and rebook the Unlimited Dining Package, but you'd be subject to the prevailing rates for it.

Why this feature is so helpful

By allowing passengers to make reservations before they get onboard, it assures them of a specific day and time for their reservations.

Moreover, up until now, passengers had to hustle on the embarkation day to go make reservations.

Not only did this take away from enjoying the start of a vacation, there was usually lines to make a reservation and if someone waited until later in the cruise to book a time, they risk the frustration of restaurants being booked up.

Having to wait until boarding the ship to make dining reservations was the top pain point for passengers that booked a dining package.

With this change, a great deal of frustrations are removed from the cruise planning experience.

This change also benefits Royal Caribbean. If there are less passengers wanting to make dining reservations on embarkation day, they can move staff around to other places and reduce congestion on the Royal Promenade where crew members would wait to take reservations.

Is a dining package worth it?

If you're planning to eat at more than two specialty restaurants on your cruise, there's a good chance a dining package will save you money.

Royal Caribbean offers a flat cost to enjoy as many restaurants as you like with the Unlimited Dining Package, with the caveat if a restaurant is priced a la carte, you can only dine there once per day and with a stipend.

Examples of restaurants priced a la carte include Playmakers Sports Bar, Izumi sushi, and Portside BBQ.

Note that certain restaurants have an upcharge, such as Izumi Hibachi ($15), Chef's Table ($49.99), and Empire Supper Club ($130). 

The UDP doesn't include premium items in the Main Dining Room, the Taste of Royal experience, Celebration Table, or Chops Grille premium cuts. 

I've purchased a dining package about 20 times, and there's no question it can save you money, assuming you eat at the restaurants every night.

An example of how a dining package won't work out financially is if you have busy port day plans or are simply too tired to go to a restaurant for dinner and end up in the buffet or a counter service restaurant.

Likewise, if you're not interested in more than 2 or 3 specialty restaurants, then skipping the dining package makes sense too.

In addition to the Unlimited Dining Package, there are smaller offerings, such as the 3-night dining package, or the Chops + Your Choice package. These offer fewer evenings to dine, but it's cheaper and a good introduction to specialty dining.

One of the top reasons people book a cruise are the places you can visit, including some truly hidden gems.

The Caribbean is a year-round cruise destination that attracts millions of cruise ship passengers, and while most are content with the usual spots, there are unique and less popular Caribbean ports that seasoned cruisers love to visit.

Part of the appeal is these spots are less busy than other ports, and they also offer a more authentic or down to earth stay. While exciting tours that involve an adrenaline rush or busy cities is quite popular, some cruisers prefer a quaint tropical island vibe.

It's also fair to say the more you cruise, the greater your appetite for something different. While I enjoy going to Cozumel, Mexico over and over, it's always a pleasure to mix things up and try somewhere new or different.

In fact, many people that cruise a lot will search Royal Caribbean's deployments for unique itineraries that include a visit to an uncommon port.  Or, they'll opt to take an excursion that brings them to a less busy spot.

Here are three ports that are worth a visit over the usual tourist spots when you take a cruise.

St. John

If your ship visits St. Thomas, you could take a short ferry ride over to neighboring St. John for an unspoiled beach day.

While there are beautiful beaches all around the Caribbean, none can compare to St. John's beaches in my opinion. Between the water color and clarity, it's exactly the look you'd expect from a beach when imagining the Caribbean.

Nearly all of St. John is a protected national park, and that means there's very few people on the island. The beaches are pristine and lack many of the amenities you'd find at a beach in St. Thomas.

There are many beaches to consider around St. John, but the top two for cruise ship visitors tend to be Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay Beach. There are more facilities at Trunk Bay, and it's closer to the ferry station.

The chief downside to St. John is getting there.  Because it requires a ferry ride, you need to time your visits properly to ensure you can get back and forth without being late to the cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean usually offers a few excursions to St. John that include the ferry ride, and it's the simplest way to make a day there. 

If you wanted to get there on your own, you could take a taxi to Red Hook and buy a round-trip ferry ticket.

If a ride over to St. John seems too much, you could take a water taxi to Water Island, which is even closer to St. Thomas, and also quite beautiful.

Nevis

Another "do this, not that" island combination is when visiting St. Kitts and Nevis.

Some cruisers elect to take a ferry over to Nevis, where you can enjoy time at one of the beautiful beaches there.

The ferry ride to Nevis takes about 45 minutes each way, and Royal Caribbean offers excursions that visit Nevis.

You can reach the ferry port on your own by walking downtown. It's about a third of a mile walk from Port Zante, or you could take a taxi.

Once you get to Nevis, a popular choice is to visit Oualie Beach for its black-sand beach.

A non-beach idea for a day in Nevis is to visit Alexander Hamilton's birthplace. The famous founding father of the United States grew up on Nevis until he was about 7 years old.

There's actually a museum dedicated to Hamilton, and it's a popular spot for fans of the musical.

The catamaran excursions that take you to Nevis are probably the simplest way to reach the island. Plus, many end the tour at Sunshine's on Nevis. Try a killer bee cocktail (you won't regret it).

Antigua

Among the Southern Caribbean ports you can visit, my favorite has to be Antigua. It features the idyllic beaches you expect, plus unlike the other islands in this article, no ferry ride!

Antigua claims there are 365 beaches around the island, which means there is one beach every day of the year. I'm not sure that statistic has been fact checked, but they do have a lot of pristine beaches to try.

The benefit of having so many beaches is it spreads people around.  Rather than one or two well-known beaches, you can find a great beach that is less crowded.

Royal Caribbean almost built a beach club in Antigua, but even without that distinction, it's a great beach day visit.

My go-to spot in Antigua is Valley Church Beach because it has powdery white sand, smooth aquamarine water, and fantastic views.

Honorable mentions

There are two other islands I wanted to include, but they're pretty rare to be able to visit on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Nonetheless, if you do have the chance, I would jump at giving it a try.

Anguilla

From St. Maarten, you can take a ferry or catamaran to Anguilla. 

Royal Caribbean offers a "Anguilla Sun, Sand and Sea" shore excursion that will take you to Meads Bay. 

Dominica

Select Southern Caribbean cruises stop at Roseau, Dominica where you can explore the nicknamed "Nature Island".

Instead of beaches, there is a rainforest, tall mountains, and majestic waterfalls to explore.

There are thermal springs, river tubing, rainforests and more to explore.

Antigua is found on only a handful of Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries, so you'll want to dig to find a sailing that goes here.

Royal Caribbean announced a change to one of its conveniences at its private island.

When cruise ship passengers disembark a ship at Perfect Day at CocoCay, there had been an optional tram they could wait for to get a ride from the ship to the arrivals plaza.

As of October 1, 2024, Royal Caribbean has decided to eliminate that service with one exception.

"Beginning October 1, 2024, tram service at CocoCay pier will be discontinued," an official statement in the Royal Caribbean app read.

This effects just the tram service between the where the cruise ships dock and the beginning of the pier.  The trams that take guests around Perfect Day at CocoCay are still operational.

Tram service on the pier was primarily offered as a convenience. Unlike the trams that run on the island, the pier trams were limited and available to those willing to wait for a ride.

According to Royal Caribbean, the walk time down the pier, from ship to Arrivals Plaza, is approximately 6 minutes.

The exception to this change is for guests with special needs.

"Trams for guests with special needs, wheelchairs, scooters, etc. will still be available by the end of the pier (close to the Forward gangways)."

Passengers worried about eligibility for a tram ride

The top concern among cruisers has been what constitutes a special need to qualify for a tram ride.

In the Perfect Day CocoCay Information Hub Facebook group,  Jennifer Kern-Kaminsky wrote, "I just hope they will be accommodating to people with invisible disabilities."

Marcell Fitzgerald added, "Some conditions are exercise or heat induced."

Some people even went as far as to suggest bringing a doctor's note with them on the cruise to prove they qualify for it.

While Royal Caribbean did not specify the requirements for a ride, it seems unlikely proof of a disability is needed. It's probable they will rely on the honor system, and if someone needs a ride, they can simply wait for one.

Accessible options on CocoCay

Royal Caribbean says its private island is accessible.

There are complimentary beach access wheelchairs available throughout the island on a first come first served basis.

Select trams that go around the island are wheelchair accessible as well.

Wheelchair accessible areas include:

• Coco Beach Club: complimentary beach wheelchairs, pool lift, lower counter at the bar, and ramps to the dining area. Pool lifts at the freshwater pool
• Oasis Lagoon: Pool lifts the freshwater pool
• Thrill waterpark: the Wave Pool is wheelchair accessible

Getting around CocoCay

For those able to walk, the walk around CocoCay is quite manageable on foot.

Once a passengers reaches the Arrivals Plaza, they can elect to walk anywhere on the island or take a tram.

Tram service is complimentary and located in front of Thrill Waterpark.

The tram service around CocoCay runs all day with three stops: Arrivals Plaza (near Thrill Waterpark); South Beach; Coco Beach Club/Breezy Bay/Oasis Lagoon; and Chill Island. Guests can board the tram near Arrivals Plaza.

There is a separate tram service to go between the Arrivals Plaza and Hideaway Beach

There are walking paths to bring you to every area of the island. 

Estimated walking distances from the Arrivals Plaza are:

• Thrill Waterpark Less than 1 minute
• Harbor Beach about 3 minutes
• Oasis Lagoon about 5 minutes
• Chill Island about 5-10 minutes
• Breezy Bay at Chill Island about 6-8 minutes
• South Beach about 10 minutes
• Coco Beach Club about 10 minutes
• Hideaway Beach about 10 minutes

The fall temperatures may be dropping, but the Royal Caribbean news from this week is as hot as ever, and we have it all summarized for you in this week's round up!

Royal Caribbean is bringing a new destination to Mexico in 2027.

The next Perfect Day experience will open in Costa Maya, Mexico and it will be even bigger than CocoCay.

Few details have been shared, but expect many different ways to "thrill and chill" during your visit, exclusive to Royal Caribbean passengers.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean is raising gratuities. The change started a debate
• Royal Caribbean begins construction of new cruise ship that doesn't have a name yet
• What’s confirmed for Royal Caribbean’s enormous beach experience in Mexico
• My first Royal Caribbean cruise from Baltimore: Essential tips for Maryland sailings
• The best bar scene is only on two of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships

Hurricane Milton Coverage

Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc this past week, disrupting many cruise ship plans and generating a lot of news in the process.

• More cruise ships divert and dodge as Hurricane Milton tears through
• There are still 3 Royal Caribbean cruise ships waiting to return home after Hurricane Milton
• Hurricane Milton re-routed my cruise ship to Haiti
• At least 3 Royal Caribbean cruise ships delay return home because of Hurricane Milton

Video: 6 Restaurants You Can't Afford to Miss on Royal Caribbean

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — 6 Restaurants You Can't Afford to Miss on Royal Caribbean — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 546th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is available now: Hola Perfect Day Mexico!

Matt breaks down this week's big news that Royal Caribbean will open a second Perfect Day experience, and what to expect there.

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

Royal Caribbean is raising the daily gratuity charges

Royal Caribbean notified passengers this week that the automatic service charge it adds to passenger bills would soon rise to as much as $21 per person, per day.

Typically, we see gratuity rates go up once per calendar year and this year's increase is 50 cents per person, per day.

In addition to the daily gratuity, the gratuity for purchases made onboard will also go up, from 18% to 20%.

Royal Caribbean restarts cruises visiting Labadee

Royal Caribbean is now cruising to Labadee, Haiti again.

Adventure of the Seas was the first ship back. Guests on the sailing reported things looked great, and no concerns.

More ships visited Labadee, including Utopia of the Seas because of an itinerary change.

A $1,300 Stateroom on Utopia of the Seas

What does an inside cabin look like on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas?

Our team tried out a small, windowless interior cabin in order to save money.  Plus, the exact location was assigned by the cruise line.

Although the room looked similar in size to many other interior cabins, the newer amenities were quite noticeable.

Four changes coming to Royal Caribbean in 2025

We've almost made it to 2025, and there are some big changes on the horizon.

While there's likely plenty more things that will change next year, we're tracking four big changes that we know about already for Royal Caribbean in 2025.

From new experiences to policy changes, prep for the next evolution of the brand in the coming year.

I quit my job and sold my house to go on a 274-night world cruise

Royal Caribbean's first world cruise sounded like the adventure of a lifetime, compelling Tonya Lathom to drop everything and book it.

She and her husband, Andy, sold their home in Falls Church, Virginia and retired from their jobs in order to sail.

She booked a suite on the world cruise, and got to visit all seven continents and in the process, visited over 60 countries.