Cruise ships are nearly synonymous with food, but that doesn't mean you have to overeat.

Vacation represents an opportunity to indulge, and even if you aren't gluttonous, there are so many opportunities presented throughout the course of your cruise to eat. Some of this is a matter of convenience, while other food choices are certainly meant to appeal to your sweet tooth.

As an example, Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas has 27 different dining venues to choose from. That's a lot of food to consider.

While you certainly could eat everything you see onboard, you probably aren't looking to eat quite that much. 

If gaining weight on your cruise is not what you'd like to remember from your vacation, here are some easy ways to not overeat on a cruise.

Focus on unique dishes

When presented with food choices, start by eliminating familiar foods and focus on what you might not get at home.

Every calorie counts, so why not look for something different than what you usually have, rather than ordering a familiar dish you've had a number of times.

This is especially true at the buffet, where you could choose between burgers, hot dogs, or a variety of other food.

When browsing the buffet ask yourself, “Is this potato salad going to be better than what I can get at home?” 

Look for small plates at the buffet

There's an entire psychology to overeating, and one good tip is starting with a smaller plate.

Instead of grabbing one of the large buffet plates, go to the salad section and pick up one of the smaller plates.

Use the small plate and fill that up and start there.

That isn't to say you can only have one plate, but you might have some luck tricking your brain into eating less by still filling your plate.

Exercise to work off the excess food

If you see overeating as an inevitability, exercise is a good counterbalance.

Royal Caribbean cruise ships have terrific fitness centers that are included with your cruise fare. Treadmills, free weights, and exercise machines are available to use. In addition, there are exercise classes that have an extra cost.

Avoid the buffet

If you see the buffet as the largest draw to overeating, don't go there in the first place.

There are plenty of other places to eat on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship other than the buffet.

The Main Dining Room is open for breakfast every day, and is also open for lunch on sea days.

You could order room service and enjoy a meal on your balcony. Room service has an extra cost to it, but it's a fixed cost and doesn't matter how much food you order.

Some ships have great alternative options to the Windjammer, like the Aquadome Marketplace on Icon of the Seas.

Eat high protein food first

In general, it's a good idea to stay well-hydrated before you eat a morsel of food, and then when you do eat, prioritize your foods:

1. Eat all of the high protein foods first
2. Then eat fibrous vegetables and fruits
3. Save the carb heavy foods and desserts for last

Eat slowly, and drink water before and after a plate of food.

The idea is you'll feel full before you over do it.

Avoid the sugary tropical drinks

Besides food, the drinks on a cruise can add to overeating.

There are many cocktail choices on a cruise, so if you can avoid the sugary tropical drinks in lieu of wine, or liquor and mixers, that might help too.

Ask Main Dining Room waiters not to bring the bread basket

When you sit down for a meal in the Main Dining Room, there will be a bread basket waiting for you and this is a giant vat of carbs.

Temptation is tough to resist, so remove the temptation by asking your waiters to not bring you bread in the first place.

Eat like you normally do at home

Remember, you don’t have to "get your moneys worth" at the buffet. You don’t have to have two entrees just because you can. It’s not required that you clean your plate.

Try to stick to your normal eating routine at home, in terms of times and frequency you would eat.

Try new things, order your favorites, but don't order two entrees every night simply because you can.

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Having a cocktail on a cruise ship is one of the most stereotypical cruise activities, but the cocktail choices are evolving.

Royal Caribbean is always looking for opportunities to improve its offerings, and with a shifting demographic of younger cruisers going on ships, the menu choices are being altered too.

A 2023 survey by Drizly of consumer drinking trends found that Americans are opting more and more for non-alcoholic beverages, especially among Gen Z cruisers.

"The desire to try non-alcoholic (NA) beverages continues to climb with half of respondents having tried NA beer, wine or spirits. The NA category is sparking the most interest amongst Gen Z (23%) and millennials (24%) who have tried these drinks more frequently than other generations," the survey said in its findings.

The 2023 State of the Cruise Industry Report released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) revealed that passengers between the ages of 20 and 59 are now making up over 50% of passengers onboard cruise ships. 

This change in consumer preferences is something Royal Caribbean has already jumped on with its latest drink menu updates.

Jumping on the trend

Royal Caribbean Director of Beverage Operations, Ed Eiswirth, saw this trend emerging as early as 2020.

When cruises restarted in 2021, Royal Caribbean overhauled its fleetwide drink menu and introduced its first zero-proof drink menu.

His team found was Gen Z and Gen X are more interested in lower-ABV beverages than previous generations.

"I stumbled on a lot of research around sober-curious guests and especially around Gen Z being super curious. These are young people who still drink alcohol, but they consume a lot less. They’ll go out at night and buy one really nice, handcrafted cocktail and then switch to something that’s no-alcohol but that has just as much care taken and is really curated as well as a cocktail."

In addition, zero proof cocktails work for teens and tweens who want something beyond the usual assortment of beverages. As an example, you will see a Shirley Ginger on the menu, which is similar to a Shirley Temple, but made with ginger to give it more sophistication. 

Royal Caribbean event went as far as to add Gen Z programming on its cruise ships.  The "Hyperlink" events are daily events specifically for guests between the age of 18-25 years old.

Zero proof cocktails

With the launch of Icon of the Seas in 2024, Royal Caribbean went beyond the standard menu to craft a drink menu exclusively for drinks that had no alcohol in them.

Royal Caribbean actually built this menu to be more family friendly in its Surfside Neighborhood than for Gen Z, but it doubles for both purposes.

To be clear, these aren't virgin mocktails.  Royal Caribbean wanted its zero proof cocktails that work as standalone drinks.

"We really took the time to curate them as standalone drinks without alcohol and really look at blending flavors that work together versus a stock virgin daiquiri that is just an alcoholic drink we’ve taken the alcohol out of. We didn’t even consider putting alcohol in these as we put them together," Mr. Eisiwrth said.

The Lemon Post is a "family centric bar", where parents and their kids can enjoy a drink together.  

Alexandra Palmeri is Royal Caribbean's Corporate Manager of Beverage Operations, and she helped design 13 new bar menus just for Icon.

"When you start with alcohol and you start to deconstruct it, it becomes a lot more challenging to create a non-alcoholic mocktail. So we started from the mocktail perspective and then built it built it up that way," Alex explained.

Another bar on Icon, Rye & Bean, also has two mixologist-created zero-proof drinks that are unique to the venue.

Read more: 8 mocktails to try on your next Royal Caribbean cruise

Drink sales are big business

Offering passengers more drink choices is more than just keeping guests happy. It also pads the cruise line's bottom line.

Onboard spending is the category of revenue Royal Caribbean makes when people buy individual drinks or the even more lucrative drink packages.

Mr. Eiswirth said over the course of a year 44 million alcoholic beverage transactions are conducted across the 26 ships in the fleet.

The Deluxe Beverage Package, which includes alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, ranges between $60 and $110 per person, per day.  The Royal Refreshment Package only includes non-alcoholic drinks, and costs $38 per person, per day. 

Read more: Royal Caribbean drink packages prices and guide

When Royal Caribbean Group reports its quarterly earnings to Wall Street, they often tout onboard spending by guests as one of the top reasons why profits are higher.

A Bermuda cruise is one of the few Royal Caribbean cruises that offers an immersive multi-day visit, and it's a different kind of experience.

Nealy all Royal Caribbean cruises offer port visits where you are docked for just a few hours.  It's enough time to take a tour and get a glimpse of what the area has to offer before your ship departs for the next destination.

Bermuda is different, because of how far away it is from almost every other cruise port.  Since North Americans prefer to take just a week of vacation at a time, most sailings to Bermuda are 7 nights or less, and that could mean a sailing that only visits Bermuda.

In my case, I booked a 5-night cruise on Liberty of the Seas with an overnight stay in Bermuda.

Our visit would include about 30 hours of time to explore Bermuda, and I was excited to take advantage of all that extra time.

A visit to Hamilton

Liberty of the Seas docked in Bermuda at the Royal Naval Dockyard just before 10am, and we would have until 4pm the next day to see as much of Bermuda as possible.

We started off with a visit to the capital of Bermuda, Hamilton. Unlike many Caribbean ports, taxis are quite expensive in Bermuda, but water ferries are very economical.

We hopped on the ferry that goes between the Royal Navy Dockyard and Hamilton for just $5 per person.  We didn't book it through the cruise line, as it's a short five minute walk down the pier to where the ferry picks you up. 

The ferry ride is 30 minutes from start to finish, but it felt faster than that. 

Once in Hamilton, we opted to explore the city on our own.  One major advantage to overnighting in a port is you don't have the fear of not making it back to the ship in time on that first day.

We grabbed lunch at The Hog Penny, which is an English pub. 

After we, window shopped around the waterfront.  While I can't say my kids enjoy leisurely exploring a port, my wife and I enjoyed the European feel Hamilton has along with the great sea breeze.

Exploring a port on foot means an open-ended adventure, but it usually results in a lot of walking.  In felt like the amount of walking was substantially more than I thought we would do, but it's a great way to see any city.

In the afternoon we took the ferry back to the Royal Naval Dockyard to relax and recharge on the ship.

Sunset sailing

Later that evening, we headed out for our next adventure. When Royal Caribbean docks overnight, the gangway is always open and it's effectively a floating hotel.

I had booked a 3-hour catamaran charter for just my family to enjoy an evening swim and take in the sunset.  I stumbled across Bermuda Yachts, and they offer private catamaran charters.

The cost was just $1,000 for 3 hours and included the boat, captain, and all fees.  Perhaps a bit much for just the four of us, but if you have a larger group, it might make more sense.  Plus, I love to find ways to foster family bonding, and we are definitely more at ease when it's just us.

Our catamaran picked us up at the pier near where the cruise ships dock. Justin was our captain, and he offered up a plan to take us around for a leisurely view of Bermuda by boat, followed by a spot to feed fish, swim, and then enjoy the sunset.

We started out going around the island and sailing past the coastline.  In early June, the high temperatures in Bermuda are in the mid-70s and by evening, it becomes cooler out.  Sunset isn't until 8:30, so there's still plenty of light.

It was great sitting on the bean bags they had at the front of the catamaran to see it all.

Our first stop was near a ship wreck, where Justin tossed bread into the water and suddenly a giant school of fish appeared.  Evidently this is a well-known spot among boats to feed fish, and the fish are always there to wait for it.

The kids loved seeing all the different fish come up and how they just waited near the surface for another bite.

The next step was an inlet with an empty beach.  Our catamaran went to just a few dozen feet off shore to let us swim and paddleboard.

The ocean temperature was still warm, so it was nice to get out and enjoy a swim without any crowds or anyone else around.

But the real coup de grace was the sunset.  Justin brought the catamaran off the shore of Bermuda, giving us an unobstructed view of the horizon to enjoy the sunset.

At first, I thought the sunset was going to be a busy because of cloud cover.  But as the sun came close to the horizon, the sky came alive with color.

It was a brilliant display of colors, and easily one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. 

In all, the catamaran ride was exactly what our family wanted out of a fun day on the water. It wasn't cheap, but I think splurging is part of what makes vacation worth it.  After all, it has to be special to make vacation feel different from a day at home.

Beach day

After a full day of exploring Bermuda on the first day, the second day in Bermuda started off feeling rough.  The kids would have preferred we sleep in, but that wasn't an option.

Bermuda is well-known for its pink sand beaches, but we didn't go to one of them this time.  Admittedly, we wanted to hit the "easy button" for today and decided to check out a nearby beach we could walk to.

Snorkel Park is located within the Royal Naval Dockyard area, and it's your typical beach that you'll find near any cruise port. Unremarkable, but convenient.

If it were my only day in Bermuda, I would have never gone here, but this was just an excuse to be in the water and enjoy the beach.

It's about a 10 minute walk from the ship, and then there's an admission fee to get in.  Two chairs and umbrella are $75. Food and drink are extra, although they have an all-inclusive option if you prefer.

We found chairs and umbrellas, and then got into the ocean for a brisk swim. It felt good to cool off, but the sand here was not nearly as soft or impressive as Horseshoe Bay would have been.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed some time taking it easy at the beach. 

After the beach, we stopped at the Frog and Onion Pub.  It's inside the Royal Naval Dockyard too, and also has a British pub vibe to it.

When you're in the same port two days in a row, I think it makes sense to take things easy rather than push yourself to see every little thing.  We certainly didn't see all Bermuda has to offer, but we had a great time nonetheless.

Bermuda wowed us

I enjoyed our visit to Bermuda much more than I expected, and I would love to come back again soon.

While Mexico is less expensive, and The Bahamas are a lot more convenient, I think Bermuda has great natural beauty to it and a populace that felt very welcoming.

Being on the water made a difference, and I liked the combination of comfortable temperatures along with beautiful sights.

On my next trip to Bermuda, I'd love to look at a longer catamaran ride.  And I might leave the kids on the ship if my wife and I wanted to explore Hamilton or St. George's. I doubt they'd mind sleeping in.

Like any port of call, it behooves you to plan ahead.  Researching the various things you can do makes taking advantage of an overnight cruise stop so much better. With so much time in port, you'll want to get more out of it all.

I love to take my family on cruises, and have been doing so ever since my first child was six months old.

After more than 44 cruises as a family, I've quickly learned a few tricks to saving money along the way.  Family vacations don't have to be expensive, especially if you know where to cut corners.

With Royal Caribbean leaning more into the family vacation market (especially with the launch of Icon of the Seas), taking your kids on a cruise is becoming even more popular.

If you're like me, you'll want to save every dollar you can so that you can pay for another cruise in the future (or splurge on a fun upgrade).

Read more: What is the best way to spend an extra $1,000 on a cruise?

Here are my list of easy ways I save money and expand our family vacation budget.

Skip the dining package for my kids

While my wife and I love to indulge in specialty dining on a cruise, my kids are fine with the included food and that's a big saving.

Not spending extra on specialty dining for the kids is as much about being frugal as it is being practical.  My youngest daughter only really wants to eat quesadillas, pasta with butter, and cheese pizza.  All of that she can get for no extra cost.

Depending on the restaurant, we will either feed her before or after the meal so she can sit with us during the meal.  Packing a drawing pad and colored pencils is a great way for them to pass the time.  It's also perfectly acceptable for the kids to run down to Sorrento's and bring back a pizza. 

There are exceptions to this rule, such as Izumi Hibachi, but if your kids are as picky as mine, don't overlook the complimentary dining choices.

Turn off the kids charging privileges

I trust my kids not to go on a spending spree onboard, but mistakes happen.  To simplify things, I'll go to Guest Services and turn off their charging privileges to avoid a future problem.

There are lots of extra costs on a cruise, from the arcade, to sodas, to souvenirs and they can all add up.

I always periodically check my onboard accounts to make sure there are no erroneous charges, and removing the kids' ability to charge is a good fail safe.

Take advantage of the included activities

Every Royal Caribbean cruise ship has a lot of fun activities included in the cruise fare, and it's a great idea to point my kids in that direction first.

There are pools, hot tubs, rock climbing walls, trivia contests, and live shows on every ship.  Plus, the newer ships have water slides, kids aqua park, bumper cars and more.

My kids really love laser tag, bumper cars, water slides, and miniature golf.

I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the value Adventure Ocean presents.  It's included in your cruise fare, and you get the peace of mind as a parent of enjoying supervised programming that appeals to the kids.

Two cabins instead of a suite

My favorite cruise hack for families is to book two connecting rooms instead of one larger cabin.

Read more: 45 easy ways how to save money on a cruise

I think most families that look to book a cruise default to looking for one cabin that fits everyone.  This often leads to booking a suite, especially if you have more than 4 people in your cabin.

Instead, we book two smaller connecting rooms many times. It provides a cheaper price than a suite, and it gives us separation from the kids.  Plus, we get a second bathroom!

Of course, I do book suites with my family, but if I want to save money, I'll go for two cabins.

Using the free chat instead of buying an internet package

A very common concern if you have older kids is how to be able to message them onboard without paying for an internet package.

While buying everyone a WiFi package is an easy choice, it can be very expensive.

Instead, we'll leverage the Royal Caribbean app because it has a free chat feature.

If your kids are under 13 years old, they're not allowed to have a Royal Caribbean account.  In that situation, we'll log them into one of our accounts and we can still message them even if we are effectively messaging ourself.

The first cruise ship to leave the Port of Baltimore since the Key Bridge collapse has set sail on Saturday.

Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas welcomed passengers onboard on May 25 for a 5-night cruise to Bermuda, and it's an important symbol of Baltimore's recovery since the Key Bridge collapse.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse severely impacted logistics and the economy of Baltimore, and the clean-up effort to open up maritime commerce was an immense task.

 Royal Caribbean said in a statement, it "looks forward to returning to the Port of Baltimore once again."

On Monday, May 20, the Dali container ship that crashed into the Key Bridge at the end of March, was escorted by tugboats to a marine terminal 2.5 miles away.  It had remained stuck under the bridge wreckage until Monday.

Last week crews demolished the largest remaining steel span of the bridge using explosives.

The removal of the steel span and moving of the ship were some of the final steps to allow cruise ships to restart sailing from Baltimore. 

The collision brought down the 1.6-mile long steel structure, killed six construction workers on the bridge and severed access to critical shipping routes in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

Officials have vowed to rebuild the bridge – but the exact cost remains unclear. A spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute has estimated the bridge alone could be worth more than $1.2 billion.

Earlier this week, the Port of Baltimore celebrated the restart of cruises with a post on social media, "Get ready…the Port of Baltimore is ready to cruise once again! Royal Caribbean International's Vision of the Seas will depart on May 25th for a fantastic 5-night voyage from Baltimore to Bermuda."

Royal Caribbean had temporarily moved its operations south to Norfolk, Virginia to offer cruises in April prior to the ship going in for regularly scheduled maintenance. 

The drydock session came right after the bridge collapse, leaving less sailings impacted by the closure of the Port of Baltimore since there were no scheduled Royal Caribbean cruises during the refurbishment.

The 1997-built ship went to Grand Bahama Island in Freeport, Bahamas for its drydock work.

The dry dock work done on Vision of the Seas was limited to maintenance work, upkeep, and general "under the hood" type work.

Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas sails out of Maryland, offering cruises to the Bahamas, Southern Caribbean, Bermuda, and Canada/New England. 

Vision will offer cruises of five- to nine-nights to Bermuda and the Bahamas.

Then in November, Vision will transition to offer cruises that visit just the Caribbean and Florida. 

Carnival is next

Following Vision, Carnival Pride will resume its homeporting in Baltimore on Sunday.

Pride will sail a 14-day voyage to Greenland when she departs on May 26.

Carnival had shifted to Norfolk as well, but plans on resuming their original ship itineraries through spring 2026.

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said of the efforts to reopen Baltimore, "We are extremely grateful to the officials and incredible first responders in Baltimore, who’ve shown great leadership and resolve in this difficult time, as well as our supportive partners in Norfolk, whose rapid response allowed us to continue to deliver our scheduled sailings for our guests."

I've gone on many cruises by myself, but I recently ate in the Main Dining Room alone for the first time.

I recently took a 4-night Bahamas cruise on Freedom of the Seas without my family. It was a quick cruise to check out a few experiences in the ports of call, and going into the cruise, I assumed I would eat at the Windjammer buffet for my meals.

I enjoy cruising solo for how liberating it can be, but I've never dined in the Main Dining Room alone because it always seemed to be a weird idea. While I didn't think anyone would say anything to me, I just felt out of place to do it.

Read more: Dining on Royal Caribbean Guide

On embarkation day, I was browsing menus and changed my mind primarily because the dinner menu had a fish entree that sounded good, and a plated fish meal always tastes better to me than a self-service fish I grab from the buffet. For that reason, I decided to give the dining room a try.

Scouting ahead

Before committing fully to the idea, I took advantage of a good trick anyone should do on the first day of the cruise.

In the afternoon, I went down to the Main Dining Room to see what table Royal Caribbean had assigned me to.  I was curious to know if I had a table to myself, or I'd be seated with other guests.

Read more: How to not eat with strangers on a Royal Caribbean cruise

If you have Traditional Dining for your dinner plans, there is a deck and table assignment at the bottom of your SeaPass card to indicate where you'll be seated.

I walked into the Main Dining Room in the afternoon before dinner had begun to look for my table. If I had waited for dinner to see where I was assigned, it would have been far more awkward if I changed my mind because both guests and crew would have noticed me scooting out of there.

There's usually a crew member or two at the entrance doing some work, and you just have to let them know you're just looking around.

Sure enough, I had a table for two assigned to me. That seemed like it was a safe bet I had a table to myself.  

Some people cruising alone might actually prefer to be seated at a larger table so they can converse with others and feel less noticeably alone.  I actually preferred to be seated alone as to avoid having to make conversation. I don't mind talking to other guests in general, but a break at dinner seemed ideal to me.

Trying it out

I had the 5:45pm dinner time assigned, and was escorted to my table by a crew member as I entered the dining room.

Read more: How Royal Caribbean's Main Dining Room works and what to expect

Sure enough, it was just me at the table and I was pleased I had a table right by the window.

While my table was just for me, the neighboring tables are so close to each other that one could easily converse with the table next to you.  The people at the table next to me engaged in a few conversations with the table next to them.

The wait staff were warm and welcoming. I think they asked on the first night if I was dining with anyone else, but that was the extent of any questions or discussion that I was solo.

I ordered my food like I have in the past, and the entire meal went quite well. I never felt out of place, and I didn't feel like other guests were staring at me. In reality, no one cared.

I had lots of support

I shared my first dinner solo in the dining room on the Royal Caribbean Dining Facebook group, and a cavalcade of support followed.

Many others shared they really enjoyed dining alone, just as much as cruising solo.  I took a lot of solace in the fact my endeavor was not that far flung an idea.

Wendy Lamour wrote, "I eat alone all the time. I like the freedom of leaving when I want to. I also take my dessert to my cabin to eat later."

Cynthia Sirk added, "I took my first solo cruise in August and absolutely loved it. Peaceful, no worries about time, no one to consider but myself and sometimes we need that. I was treated so well by the staff and host. My table by the window was also wonderful!"

Caroline Cullen had a great outlook on the idea, "Don't ever be weirded out about dining alone. I do it all the time. Make yourself great company for yourself!"

There were over 200 comments on my post, and it reinforced how enjoyable dining alone can be.

I thought an idea by Daniel Kline was something I might consider in the future, "I sail solo a lot and dinner is a chance to reset and maybe read a book."  While I'm not a big reader, I never considered bringing something to read as a way to pass the time between servings.

The new menu changes made it easier

I ended up dining in the Main Dining Room for dinner on two other nights, and it was a great experience.

In retrospect, I think Royal Caribbean's speedier service in the Main Dining Room made eating alone in the Main Dining Room easier.

In 2023, Royal Caribbean revamped its Main Dining Room dinner menus. New themes, new items, and an attention to speedier service. I really think the speedier service made a difference.

Each of my three meals in the Main Dining Room was about an hour.  On night three, I was in and out in 45 minutes!

Prior to the menu update, dinner could sometimes take up to 2 hours, and I think not languishing in the Main Dining Room made it feel less awkward. Meals are long enough to feel like it's a sit down and relaxing experience without getting to the point that become restless.

I would eat alone again

Having tried eating dinner in the Main Dining Room alone, I would definitely do it again on a future cruise.

Any concerns I had about feeling out of place quickly disappeared during the course of the first evening. 

Just like how no one notices if you're sitting alone on the pool deck or in the theater, everyone else is wrapped up in their own meal.

I was glad I always had my phone with me to keep me occupied between courses. Investing in a WiFi package for anyone cruising solo is a great idea to be able to feel connected with friends and family back home.

I don't have another solo cruise booked for a few more months, but I would welcome the opportunity to eat alone in the Main Dining Room.

It appears a case of food poisoning on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas has resulted in sick passengers and a delay in the ship not allowed to disembark at one port.

According to posts on Reddit, guests sailing on the 4-night cruise began reporting feeling ill on Allure of the Seas on social media.  Many different people posted on Reddit that a case of food poisoning resulted in the ship undertaking drastic measures to combat the spread of illness onboard.

Allure of the Seas is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, and is sailing a 4-night cruise to Nassau, Bahamas and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

These reports say this is not a case of norovirus, but instead the result of undercooked pork tacos served on the ship in the Main Dining Room on Tuesday. It's not clear yet what the source of the illness is.

friedyolk posted, "It’s been confirmed not norovirus from the Captain. Everyone that was sick ate pork tacos."

Creative-Craft-2370 wrote, "On the Allure now defo pork tacos had them Tuesday evening and ill all night, table next to us husband had same as me ended up in medical centre."

According to BradW91, the tacos were the issue, "200 cases of food poisoning , pork tacos is the underlying problem every person with the issue has said they had the tacos."

It appears crew members have implemented new protocols to stem the spread of anyone else getting sick. Dr-Bison posted, "They are being protective of customers touching bar menus, Windjammer entrance line being enforced, and Windjammer self service is now roped off so only staff can serve guests one at a time."

No matter what the source of passengers getting sick, Royal Caribbean has health protocols in place to enact once a certain percentage of guests report symptoms.  

Royal Caribbean's protocols include:

1. Stopping self-service in buffets if the onboard rate exceeds 1.5%
2. Enhanced acute GI training for onboard medical teams
3. Switching to PDI SaniCloth Prime hospital-grade disinfectant wipes 
4. Enhanced crew training on what to do when experiencing acute GI symptoms and how to avoid cross-contamination in food and beverage service areas

In addition to passengers not feeling well, Bahamian officials delayed entry of Allure of the Seas to Royal Caribbean's private destination of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Much-Evening-4301 wrote, "I'm on Allure right now, we are docked at Coco Cay but they aren't letting us off the ship."

A bit later, Allure of the Seas was cleared to disembark passengers, and Royal Caribbean added an extra hour to its visit to make up for the roughly 90 minute delay earlier.

Having unlimited drinks on your Royal Caribbean cruise isn't as cheap as it used to be.

Royal Caribbean's unlimited drink package that includes alcohol is now priced regularly at least $100 per person, per day when purchased onboard. The cruise line uses dynamic pricing, so it's not a standard fleetwide price, but our team has consistently observed that the advertised onboard price is regularly in triple digits.

On Freedom of the Seas this week, the price for the Deluxe Beverage Package was listed at $110 per person, per day for the 4-night cruise. On this week's Liberty of the Seas 5-night Bermuda sailing, it's at $105.

On Icon of the Seas, the price was recently $115 per person, per day for a 7-night sailing.

That price is before the automatic 18% gratuity that is added on top of the drink package price which covers the bartenders that serve any drink ordered with the package.

Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package includes almost every drink served onboard, minus super top shelf liquors. This includes a fruity cocktail, beer, some wines by the glass, premium coffees, sodas, smoothies, bottled water and sports drinks, milkshakes, and fresh squeezed juices. It's pretty much any beverage that is $14 or less.

You can even choose from top shelf liquor, like Buffalo Trace, Jack Daniel's, Johnnie Walker Black, Grey Goose, Captain Morgan, and Patron too. 

It also comes with 40% discount on bottles of wines under $100 and 20% discount on wines over $100.

While it does not  include drinks from in-room minibars or room service, they do work at its private destinations of Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Haiti.

It's also important to note that when you buy a drink package, you must buy it for every day of your sailing. You cannot "cherry pick" days you want to use it.  

In addition, Royal Caribbean has a rule in place if one adult purchases the Deluxe Beverage Package in a cabin, all other adults in the same cabin must buy it too.  This rule is prevent sharing drink package benefits with friends or family.  This rule doesn't apply to kids, or if you opt for the non-alcoholic drink packages.

Read more: 9 Ways That People Cheat The Royal Caribbean Drink Package

To be fair, the onboard price is a bit misleading because Royal Caribbean offers a significant discount of half off for the second person.  There are also Crown and Anchor Society discounts offered to some tiers to help with that price as well. In short, you can pay much less for a drink package by pre-purchasing.

There are two other Royal Caribbean drink packages that do not include any alcohol, the Royal Refreshment Package and the Soda Package.

Royal Caribbean's drink packages have been quite popular since they first debuted, and the price has steadily climbed over the past few years. It's likely that strong demand for drink packages is a factor in driving up the price. Royal Caribbean Group executives have repeatedly pointed to strong demand by its customers for add-ons, such as the drink package, in its quarterly reports.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty said in April 2024 the significant uptick in onboard spending was a factor for the company's success., "Strong ticket and onboard revenue and favorable timing of expenses contributed to the better-than-expected earnings performance."  

How to save money on a drink package

If a $100 per day price tag gives you pause, the good news is there's no reason to pay that price.

Royal Caribbean regularly offers pre-cruise discounts on its drink package when you buy it before the cruise begins. In fact, the line just kicked off it's Memorial Day sale on pre-cruise purchases. Guests can expect up to 35% off savings on purchases.

Depending on the promotion offered, you can usually get the Deluxe Beverage Package for around $60-$80 per person.  It varies from sailing to sailing, but the price offered in the Royal Caribbean app or website is always cheaper than buying it onboard.

Read more: When is the best time to purchase a Royal Caribbean drink package?

For example, on the Icon of the Seas June 29 sailing, the Deluxe Beverage Package is on sale for $76.99 instead of $110 per person, per day. Royal Caribbean says its 30% off savings.

Moreover, you can always re-price the drink package in the months leading up to your cruise by cancelling and rebooking if the price drops.  Its a significant advantage for consumers.

It's my recommendation to never wait to buy the drink package on the ship because of the higher price tag.

It's all about convenience

No matter the price, the top reason many cruisers buy a drink package is for the convenience of having a fixed price for all their vacation drink needs.

While not cheap, an often cited reason for buying a drink package is to not have to worry about running up a big bar bill during their cruise.

A cocktail can cost $14, plus gratuity.  After 3 or 4, you've already spent over $50 that day, and that doesn't include specialty coffees or juice.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog user WAYNO wrote, "The drink package is so convenient.  And I was able to experiment with drinks that I normally would never buy.  Or if a drink became warm or stale, or even boring, I could push it aside and order another."

aubtfan added, "Having drinks prepaid is worth it to us. So convenient."

FrogFanatic wrote, "I love the feeling of freedom knowing that if I chose to try something that I wouldn't try at home and don't like it, then no big deal, just order something else. It's the peace of mind that is part of what I am paying for and that is big for me."