What's it like when a cruise ship sails without any passengers onboard?

It's quite rare for a cruise ship not to be full with paying passengers to enjoy all the fun activities, restaurants, and ways to relax. The cruise industry is quite profitable, but it requires its ships to sail with every cabin sold in order to generate revenue from the cruise fare, but also the lucrative add-ons guests inevitably purchase.

For the last few days, Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas has been on her way from Port Canaveral, Florida to Galveston, Texas without a single passenger onboard, and that is quite rare.

The ship is in the process of transitioning from one homeport to another, and the Cruise Director has been sharing bits and pieces of what it's like.

Marc Walker is a legend among cruisers, for having been a well-known and well-liked Cruise Director.  The Cruise Director's job is to ensure guests are having a great time by orchestrating entertainment from morning to night, every day of the cruise.

The ship's entertainment includes live musicians, dance parties, trivia, competitions, and activities.  The Cruise Director is even responsible for the ship's Adventure Ocean youth programming, more commonly referred to as "kids camp".

Even though there are no passengers onboard, crew members are still working onboard, albeit in a different atmosphere.

A laid back approach to work

On Mr. Walker's Facebook page, he's been sharing photos of glimpses of what's happening on Mariner during this usual sailing.

The cruise began like all Royal Caribbean sailings, a buffet lunch.

Even though there were no passengers onboard, the ship's buffet that is usually for passengers was opened up to crew members.

"The crew for the next 4 days will experience the Windjammer Marketplace for breakfast, lunch and dinner! We have an amazing F&B team here," Mr. Walker posted.

In fact, the ship's Captain even joined in by serving his fellow crew members.

Later, his entire staff got to pose for a photo on the helipad, which is a rare opportunity for everyone working under the Cruise Director to gather in one spot.

This included:

• Theater Cast
• Ice Cast
• Adventure Ocean
• Activity Staff
• Technicians
• Stage Staff
• Musicians
• Sports Staff
• Senior Staff 

One policy that changed for crew members on this sailing without guests is that uniforms aren't necessary.

Mr. Walker posed in a t-shirt for one photo.

Work is still happening on Mariner. After all, it needs to be ready for passengers when it arrives in Galveston.

The non-revenue sailing means not only do crew members not have to wear their uniforms, but they can address areas that might be difficult to get to ordinarily.

Mr. Walker shared a look at one of his meetings, where the crew went through their routine, but in casual clothing.

Mr. Walker did not document everything that's different about life on a cruise ship without passengers. It's merely a glimpse of his work.

Over the years, other ships have done similar activities and we've seen guest areas opened up to crew members as a way to reward them.

There were auctions for being able to stay in a passenger cabin, enjoy guest activities, and crew member parties.

Why are there no passengers onboard

You might be wondering why Royal Caribbean doesn't have any paying passengers on this particular sailing.  After all, there's probably some people who would want to pay to take a one-way cruise to Texas.

The cruise line hasn't said why, but the answer is likely based in maritime law.

Royal Caribbean wants to shift where Mariner of the Seas homeports, from Port Canaveral to Galveston. Changing homeports is common within the cruise industry, because the needs one cruise market can change.

This game of "cruise ship musical chairs" isn't instant, and it takes a few days for a ship to get from one homeport to another.  In the meantime, that means no cruises from either homeport.  Moreover, if they had paying passengers on the open-jaw sailing, it would take even longer to get from Florida to Texas, because the ship would need to make port stops along the way.

So why can't the ship just sail from Port Canaveral to Galveston with no stops, so that it can transition to its new home and make some money along the way? It's against United States maritime law.

All of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are flagged in a foreign country, including Mariner of the Seas. 

The Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSA) of 1886 requires foreign flagged cruise ships to call on a foreign port if sailing a closed-loop cruise form the United States.

This means, cruise ships cannot sail from Port Canaveral to Galveston without visiting a port of call outside the United States.

The justification for both the PVSA is to protect the U.S. Merchant Marine (the licensed (officers) and documented (trades) personnel on the ships) and to protect U.S. shipyards that both build and repair the ships.

Frankly, my opinion is it's an outdated and protectionist law, but it's the law of the land.

Since there's no passengers onboard, the PVSA regulations do not count.

Stay up-to-date with all the Royal Caribbean news from this week with our roundup of all this week's news.

One of the best things about Icon of the Seas could be coming to more Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Passengers on Allure of the Seas noticed a Royal Caribbean team working on testing destination elevators.

Destination elevators are a more efficient type of elevator first added to a Royal Caribbean ship with Icon, and it's substantially reduced waits.

Royal Caribbean News

• First look at Royal Caribbean's new weekend party cruise ship
• New Royal Caribbean cruise ship to begin sea trials
• Royal Caribbean confirms cruise ship fixed its propulsion problem
• Passenger on 9-Month Cruise Is Half Done and Shares Surprising Things
• My Alaska cruise was cancelled after I boarded the ship
• 8 Royal Caribbean cruise questions guests are too embarrassed to ask
• I went on Harmony of the Seas cruise ship and these are the 7 mistakes I saw people make
• What is the wellness check?
• We asked our readers their favorite snack on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 532nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, previewing the new beach club concept.

Royal Caribbean has plans for two Royal Beach Clubs (Nassau and Cozumel). What are they and what can you expect?

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.

I hate these things about a cruise

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 — I hate these things about a cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Lessons Learned After Trying a Mediterranean Cruise

After a few Caribbean cruises, Calista tried a European cruise, and it was different in many ways.

Planning a Mediterranean cruise is unlike a Caribbean cruise in many regards, especially logistics within the trip.

Here are the important lessons she learned trying a European cruise.

Things I Don't Pay Extra for on Royal Caribbean Cruises To Save Money

Money saved by not spending it is more money to for your next cruise!

While a lot is included in your cruise fare, Royal Caribbean has a seemingly endless amount of add-ons that you can pay extra for to enhance your cruise experience.

Here are all the things you could skip paying for in order to save money for later.

Why you should book a 2025 cruise now

The days of waiting for a last-minute cruise deal might be behind us.

After last week's earnings call with investors, it's clear Royal Caribbean Group is seeing record demand that shows no signs of slowing down.

If you're going to take a cruise vacation next year, you should consider booking it now, rather than waiting.

Answers to your really dumb cruise ship dining questions

In case you're wondering, there's no shame in asking questions about eating on a cruise ship that you may be too embarrassed to ask.

What seems like basic knowledge to frequent cruisers can cause confusion for first time cruisers. So much confusion, unsurprisingly, leads to a lot of questions about dining on a cruise ship.

To make your first cruise experience stress-free, we’re answering 17 of your really dumb cruise ship dining questions.

When getting the best price for your cruise, getting the timing right is critical.

Vacationers are used to seeking last-minute deals on cruises when planning their cruise, but bookings for cruises has been so red-hot for the past few months that new booking records are being set and then eclipsed regularly.

In a call with Wall Street analysts, Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty shared how 88% of cabins for all of 2024 are booked up, leaving spares choices for a 2024 cruise.

"We only have about 12% load factors left to build for the year," Mr. Liberty said during an earnings call with Wall Street analysts.

That leaves very few rooms left for this year's cruises, but the incredible demand this year is opening the door for Royal Caribbean to take advantage of this by raising prices even more next year.

"That will provide opportunity for us to a degree this year. But what that I think means in terms of the opportunity into 2025 and beyond is very appealing," he went on to say right after sharing the fact about load factors.

Later in the meeting, Mr. Liberty pointed out that new cruise bookings for 2025 would soon eclipse bookings for this year, "we're getting close to the point where we'll soon be taking more bookings for '25 than we are for 2024."

Why you should book a 2025 cruise now after Royal Caribbean's comments in their meeting

If there's one takeaway for cruisers from Royal Caribbean Group's earnings call, it's that new cruise bookings aren't slowing down, and you're going to be competing with more people than ever for a cruise.

Here are the big reasons why you should book a 2025 (or 2026) cruise following last week's meeting:

More people than ever are cruising

The cruise market is attracting new cruisers more so than ever before. 

The amount of people who have never taken a cruise and booked one grew by 16% year over year. On top of that, the rate of repeat customers returning is over 30% higher compared to 2019. 

When you have loyal customers coming back over and over again and add onto it a healthy serving of new customers, it leads to very full cruise ships.

Read more: Millennials are taking over cruise ships

High demand means higher prices

Cruise ship inventory is fixed, so as inventory drops, prices tend to go up.

Cruise fares can change at a moment's notice based on demand, which means as more cabins are booked up for a given sailing, the price of remaining cabins can go up.

In May 2023, Mr. Liberty divulged the company withholds cabins to manage prices and ultimately drive up revenue.

"We used to kind of put everything out there and all the suites would be sold basically right off the bat. And then you would kind of work your way down to the inside cabins," he explained.

Read more: What are the different types of cabins on a cruise ship?

"Now we hold back inventory and we release it, based off of the much more sophisticated revenue management models that we have today."

With this approach to pricing, you can expect higher prices the closer to the sail date you get.

Generally speaking, the best prices for a cruise are when a new sailing is put on sale and all the cabins are open to book. Inventory is at its highest, and prices only go up as rooms get booked.

Cruise itineraries are usually released around two years in advance. The first batch of new cruises go on sale around November and December, and the rest come out in February, March or April.

In short, booking a 2025 cruise now is probably going to get you a lower price than if you wait.

Read more: 15 ways to get a deal on a cruise

Less cabin choices later

Prices aside, the other reason to book a 2025 cruise now is to get the stateroom type you want.

One major disadvantage to waiting for the last-minute to book a cruise is you're at the mercy of the leftover cabins that haven't sold yet.

Suites are usually the first cabin category to sell out, because there are relatively far fewer than any other cabin category.  Those that would be in the market for a suite would want to book earlier than ever to be able to get one.

Moreover, other desirable cabins that are not in a bad location or simply offer enough space for everyone also sell out quickly.

Read more: The rare cruise ship cabins that everyone wants to book immediately

Being able to get the right stateroom choice that you prefer is a compelling reason to lock in a booking now.

Bottom line

In just the last two quarters, Royal Caribbean Group has reported gangbuster demand for cruises, and that trend doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Higher demand means it's less likely there will be a last-minute deal and more likely sailings will sell out far earlier than usual. 

Consumers looking to secure a cruise vacation in 2025 will want to act quickly in order to head off higher prices down the road while getting the stateroom category they prefer.

And if you're really smart, you'll book that early 2026 cruise now too.

Could Royal Caribbean be working on bringing arguably the best feature from its newest cruise ship to other ships in the fleet.

Icon of the Seas introduced many new innovations that made a big difference in the guest experience, and the destination elevators have been a significant improvement many have noted.

The new type of elevators on Icon of the Seas are more efficient and that means far less waiting.

Read more: Icon of the Seas guide

Guests sailing on Allure of the Seas on Tuesday noticed one of the elevator banks looks a lot like a destination elevator bank from Icon of the Seas.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Chris Birdsong shared photos exclusively with us of what he saw.

The elevators had temporary letters above each door, to indicate what assignment a passenger would have when requesting an elevator.

In addition, there was a destination elevator panel that looks exactly like the panels on Icon, where a guest indicates which floor they would like to sail to. 

Royal Caribbean has not officially announced any changes coming to Allure of the Seas yet.

According to Mr. Birdsong, Royal Caribbean's Product Development team is onboard Allure of the Seas conducting the test.

He added one of the managers mentioned that Utopia of the Seas will in fact have the destination elevators when it enters service this summer.

Why destination elevators work so well

Royal Caribbean knew with a ship the size of Icon of the Seas, they needed to improve the elevator experience because guests had complained about elevator wait times on the Oasis Class ships. Given Icon was going to be bigger, there was a need to address the issue.

Destination elevators aren't just a fad, they're a way to more efficiently tackle the issue of getting passengers between decks and that's been a traditional pain point on big ships.

Instead of pressing a button to wait for an elevator, guests push a button for which floor they want to go to and are assigned an elevator.

The change improves upon a problem that has plagued all cruise ships, and Royal Caribbean knew they couldn't go with traditional elevators on a ship planned to be even larger than the Oasis Class ships.

Read more: Icon of the Seas vs other Royal Caribbean cruise ships

In the development of Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider saw three compelling reasons to improve cruise ship elevators.

He pointed out that firstly, elevators go through their own historical innovation and evolution cycle.

The second reason is the well-documented issues guests have waiting for elevators, "even with the elevators that we have on the Oasis Class, we still can struggle with lines."

Third, Icon has more passengers than any other ship, "so really being able to effectively move up to 7500 passengers seamlessly and solve for some of the problems that we've seen from our elevator technology on other ships, this is a big step forward."

Royal Caribbean first ran through a test of the destination elevators on Harmony of the Seas in 2017.

The result has been an overwhelming success based on our readers' comments.

Jennifer Goswami, Director Product Development at Royal Caribbean Group, recently spoke about how simple, yet important, destination elevators have been.

"Elevators, while kind of not always the flashiest of technology, have been an absolute smash hit for Icon," Ms. Goswami stated.

"When you're waiting outside of an elevator for three, four, five minutes, we call them microwave minutes where they feel like the longest minute of your life," she said.

Allure of the Seas upcoming refurbishment

The choice of the destination elevator test on Allure of the Seas is likely not a surprise, given the ship is due for a major overhaul next year.

We already know Allure of the Seas will go in for a refurbishment in 2025, and most likely getting the upgrades she was originally to receive in 2020.

Plans for upgrades to Allure were first announced in 2019 and to be completed in 2020.  It was an ambitious $165 million drydock as part of the Royal Amplification program.

Other cruise ships had already undergone similar upgrades, such as Voyager, Freedom and Oasis Class ships.

In early 2020, however, the pandemic postponed of the upcoming refits.

In February 2024, Royal Caribbean Group President & CEO Jason Liberty confirmed to Wall Street analysts the plans.

" We're always modernizing. " Liberty said. "We have Allure coming up and the actions we took on Oasis. Some of the learnings on Icon is going to be in the modernization of Allure of the Seas.."

"We are always updating our ships to make sure they stay relevant and competitive."

The hint that they would utilize "learnings on Icon" would be consistent with Icon's elevators, among other features.

Good news: Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas has made the necessary repairs to be able to resume cruises.

The cruise line was forced to cancel an Alaska cruise at the last minute on Radiance of the Seas due to a problem with the ship's propulsion.

The cruise line confirmed the issue has been resolved.

Guests booked on the May 3rd, 2024 sailing received the email they were hoping for that their cruise is a go.

Radiance of the Seas repairs complete

The email sent overnight said, "We're happy to share that our teams are finishing up the technical work onboard right on schedule and we'll be ready to welcome you on May 3rd, as planned!"

"Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work to get the ship into tip-top shape for you. See you onboard Radiance of the Seas!"

The next sailing is an open-jaw 7-night sailing from Vancouver to Seward that will visit Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Skagway in Alaska.

The trouble began for Radiance of the Seas last week when a repositioning cruise between Los Angeles and Vancouver when the ship encountered some sort of an issue with its propulsion, as it became visible only one engine was being used.

Guests were informed the ship would need to sail at a reduced speed, and as a result, the ship would skip the rest of the planned stops and go directly to Vancouver.

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

Radiance made it to Vancouver, but then informed guests on the April 26 7-Night Alaska Glacier sailing they would sail a shortened cruise because an additional two days of repairs would be needed.

Passengers boarded only to be informed a day later their cruise had to be cancelled in order to carry out the necessary repairs. 

Those on the cancelled sailing were issued a full refund, plus a future cruise credit that can be used for a future sailing.

2024 Radiance of the Seas Alaska season

Radiance of the Seas will offer 7-10 night Alaska cruises in 2024 that can also combine with Land Tours to offer immersive visits to Alaska, including in-land destinations such as Denali.

Radiance is sailing alternating, open-jaw itineraries between Vancouver and Seward.

Radiance of the Seas can accommodate 2,466 guests onboard (at maximum occupancy), with more than 800 crew members working on the vessel.

Radiance will remain in Alaska waters until her September 20, 2024 sailing.

More about Alaska cruises

• 50 tips for planning your Alaska cruise
• How to choose the right Alaska cruise itinerary
• What is the best time to cruise to Alaska?
• What Is an Alaska Inside Passage Cruise?
• What to pack for a cruise to Alaska?
• Best things to do on an Alaska cruise

Work is underway to repair Royal Caribbean's beleaguered cruise ship.

Radiance of the Seas is in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada after making it there last week following engine trouble.

Royal Caribbean was forced to cancel the next sailing after realizing the repairs needed were more substantial than originally thought.

Late on Monday, guests booked on the next sailing were sent an email update indicating work is underway and a new update will be made by May 2.

"As you may know, Radiance of the Seas encountered a technical issue with its propulsion system, resulting in the cancellation of our April 26th, 2024, sailing," the letter said.

"Repairs are still underway, and our teams are working diligently to address this issue. We want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to resolve it as quickly as we can."

While there is no formal update to share as to when it will be complete, guests can expect another update this week, "While we continue to make progress, we understand the importance of keeping you informed and will provide you with another update by May 2nd."

What happened to Radiance of the Seas?

The saga of Radiance of the Seas began last week during her repositioning sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver.

During that cruise, guests were notified of a “technical issue with one of its propulsion systems" and that the ship would skip all the ports of call in order to get to Vancouver at a slower speed.

Radiance made it to Vancouver and then initially would be delayed by two days so that the engine problem could be resolved.

Guests were notified that the ship would welcome passengers onboard. but that the ship would remain in Vancouver for two additional nights in order to give the crew time to fix the propulsion issue.

Guests boarded the ship on time, but a new update came out on Saturday that the sailing would have to be completely cancelled.

All passengers had to disembark by April 28.

Compounding the problem is that this exact issue seemingly occurred less than a year ago.

Radiance of the Seas suffered a propulsion issue last summer that resulted in two cruises being cancelled in order to make the necessary repairs.

Radiance of the Seas was scheduled to depart from Seward, Alaska on September 1, 2023 and Vancouver, Canada on September 8, 2023 for seven-night cruises along the Alaskan coast. Both voyages were canceled due to a technical issue with the ship's propulsion system.

The ship underwent repairs and was able to resume sailing with the September 15, 2023 voyage.

Propulsion problems are not uncommon

Cruise ships can run into mechanical problems, just like airplanes, buses, or trains.

In the grand scheme of how many cruise ships operate each week, breakdowns such as this are quite rare.

Radiance is not new, but Royal Caribbean invests a lot of money into routine maintenance.  However, engine problems will still occasionally happen.

Other cruise ships have had propulsion issues that forced a cancellation or at least an itinerary change. It's more common for the ship speed to be affected and itinerary changed than the entire sailing cancelled.

Radiance of the Seas is a 90,900 gross ton Radiance Class cruise ship. She had her maiden voyage in 2001.

Radiance is a smaller ship by today's standards, and has a capacity of 2,466 guests at double occupancy.

She is 962 feet long.

Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas will not have to cancel its next cruise, but it will need extra time to fix the issue onboard.

Guests on the April 26 sailing of Radiance of the Seas were advised on embarkation day that their sailing will still take place, albeit with an extra two days in port before they can leave.

Earlier this week, Radiance of the Seas suffered a propulsion issue that appears to have disabled one of the ship's engines.  

During the four night sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver, guests experienced a brief stop and then the ship resumed sailing but with only one engine operational.  Guests were quickly informed the ship has, "a technical issue with one of its propulsion systems" and the rest of the planned port stops would be skipped.

Radiance made a direct course for Vancouver, where it was able to dock late last night and allow new passengers onboard today as scheduled.

Unfortunately, the start of the Alaska cruise season will be altered due to the propulsion issue.

A letter given to guests on embarkation informed them that the ship needs additional time to make the necessary repairs, "While repairs for the technical issue that we encountered on our previous sailing are still underway, we discovered that we're going to need some extra time to get the ship in tip-top shape for you."

As a result, the ship won't leave Vancouver until Sunday night, "Although we'll conduct our boarding as planed for our April 26th, 2024, Radiance of the Seas sailing, we'll now set sail on April 28, 2024."

While the ship will remain in port for a few days, the terminal will be closed so passengers will be unable to disembark to explore Vancouver during the delayed time.

In addition, the revised itinerary means it will skip a scheduled visit to Juneau, Alaska.

Radiance had planned to conduct its first 7-night Alaska cruise of the 2024 season with this sailing.

Compensation for the delay

Royal Caribbean apologized to guests for the inconvenience this technical issue has caused, which has now impacted two sailings.

"We're terrible sorry for this last-minute change. We understand this news is disappointing, but we hope you'll join us on the alternate itinerary planned," the letter said.

Radiance will sail the Inside Passage on April 29, followed by a visit to Icy Strait Point and Ketchikan, Alaska before returning to Vancouver.

Read more: Alaska cruise ports guide

In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering compensation for the last-minute change of schedule.

Guests will receive:

• A refund of two days of cruise fare in the form of onboard credit
• A Future Cruise Credit value of two days of the cruise fare paid to use towards the booking of another cruise
• Refunds for any shore excursions booked in Juneau in the form of onboard credit
• Complimentary drinks for the two days stuck in Vancouver
  • All drinks will be complimentary to guests on April 26 and April 27, 2024
  • Guests who bought a drink package will get a refund for those days in an onboard credit
• Guests will still get 7 Crown and Anchor Society points for the sailing

The problem with the cruise ship

Royal Caribbean did not specify exactly what the propulsion issue is, or what happened to cause it.

Royal Caribbean's only official comment on the problem is that the ship's "propulsion system experienced a technical issue."

Radiance of the Seas has two Azipods, which are multidirectional pods that drive the ship and can be rotated 360 degrees and are have been the standard form of propulsion for all of Royal Caribbean's new cruise ships in recent years.

During the previous sailing, the ship came to a stop in the ocean briefly before resuming sailing with only one engine.

It remains to be seen if this issue will be fully resolved by April 28.

One cruise fan discovered a great trick for being able to enjoy alcoholic drinks on their cruise without a costly drink package.

A Royal Caribbean drink package is a very popular add-on, but they are not cheap purchases. You could pay anywhere from $60-100 per person, per day for the Deluxe Beverage Package.

While drink packages do offer a cost-savings opportunity to cruisers, not everyone will find that value.  

On the Royal Caribbean Dining Facebook group, Mandi King shared a hack she found that is a good middle ground between buying a drink package and paying for your drinks individually.

The lesser-known liquor bottle option

Ms. King shared that she came across this idea because she doesn't drink enough to justify buying a drink package.

"I know this won't apply to many of you, but I don't drink enough to justify the drink package so I thought I would share my little cruise hack for those of you in the same boat (pun intended)," she said in her post.

She discovered 375 ml bottles of alcohol available for purchase from the Royal Caribbean gifts website.

Each bottle comes with a few sodas, but she admits she'll give the sodas to her children.  Instead, she will bring different drink mix flavors with her onboard to mix with water and her vodka purchase.

"I purchased two vodka/sprite packages for $88, which sounds expensive for essentially a fifth of vodka but it will make 16 drinks with 1.5oz pours - that's just $5.50 per drink so will save me a ton compared to buying drinks at the bar"

To make her DIY cocktails better, she leverages the complimentary fruit on the ship.

"I also like to grab some fruit from the buffet to add to them - add a little watermelon, strawberries, orange, and/or pineapple and it becomes a fancy drink!"

Another idea is to bring drink mixers with you so that the alcohol you choose can be better enjoyed.  A reader suggested taking Skinnies cocktail mixers as something that works well (Link contains affiliate link, which costs you nothing extra to use!).

There is a caveat to this hack, it’s not available on all sailings.

Combine this hack with the added ability to bring one bottle of wine or Champagne per adult in a cabin onboard your ship, and Ms. King feels she has a cost-effective strategy to enjoy drinks on her Royal Caribbean cruise.

Every adult (21 years or older) is allowed to bring, in a carry-on, one bottle (750 mL) of wine or Champagne. There is a $15 corkage fee if you consume your bottle in a dining room.  Sorry, you are not allowed to bring beer or liquor. 

Cruisers love this idea

"I did this and it was absolutely perfect for me!" is what Becky Weaver commented on the post, and a lot of other people have embraced the idea.

LeeAnn Freiburger added, "We did the same. Order 2 of these plus a bottle of champagne , 2-6 packs of Truly and will carry on two bottles of champagne. No way could we drink $1,200 worth so this was a no-brainer for us."

Marcia Tivoli agreed, "I purchased a bottle of whiskey for hubby one sailing -- totally worth it!"

It's not a perfect option for everyone, but it seems to fit the needs of casual drinkers.

"If you only want 2 cocktails per day (assuming 7 nights) and don't mind going back to your room to get one, it's a good idea," Tom Hoffman wrote.

Lj Castillo said, "That's what we do now that we're diamond. Makes no sense to buy the drink package when you can get those and sodas."

Other ways to save money instead of buying a drink package

If this hack has you contemplating skipping a drink package, there are other ways you can enjoy alcoholic drinks without splurging for an all-included beverage package.

Ryan Southworth commented to keep an eye out for the 10 drink punch cards sometimes offered on ships.

In recent months, we've seen the drink card make a comeback on many cruises.  Essentially, it's a pre-paid card for 10 drinks that you can use (and share with anyone else) for a fixed price.  

The "catch" with the drink card is there's no way to know in advance if it will be offered on your cruise.  If it is offered, it may not be available until the end of the sailing.

Still, it's a great value and shareable.

If you have a port intensive itinerary, it might be more cost-effective to do your drinking while in port.

Royal Caribbean's drink prices are probably higher than what you'll find in the places your ship visits, especially in the Caribbean.

Finding bars or vendors selling inexpensive beers, cocktails and more is not usually difficult. You can usually find a few right in the pier area, with more in the town or city your ship visits. 

If you're booked in a suite, then take advantage of the free cocktails offered in the evening.

The Suite Lounge or Concierge Lounge offers beers, wine, and cocktails each evening for guests in a Grand Suite or higher.  Pinnacle Club members are allowed in too, although sometimes this is capped if there are a lot of Pinnacles onboard.

It's available for a few hours each night, so speak to the Suite Concierge host for more information.

Royal Caribbean cruisers are about to get more value from being a loyal cruiser.

Royal Caribbean Group announced on Friday a new partnership with Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming that will allow those with deals and promos on accommodations, meals, and more at Hard Rock and Seminole casinos, hotels and cafes, and on Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises vacations.

It essentially provides added perks for members of the Club Royale (Royal Caribbean) and Blue Chip Club (Celebrity Cruises) casino loyalty programs, as well as Unity by Hard Rock.

New benefits

Here's what cruisers and Hard Rock members can expect to get from this new arrangement.

Club Royale and Blue Chip Club members can get exclusive discounts and perks at participating Hard Rock locations, including annual complimentary trips at select Hard Rock hotels and casinos worldwide for premium tier Club Royale and Blue Chip members. 

Unity by Hard Rock loyalty members will receive discounts on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity vacations and can qualify for invite-only cruise giveaways. Top-tier loyalty members will also receive an annual complimentary cruise on select ships and itineraries. 

What this means is you're a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruiser with status in the casino, you now have benefits with Hard Rock and vice versa.

Official starting date for rewards still being finalized but expect communication via your email if you are a Unity by Hard Rock member, Royal Caribbean Club Royale member or Celebrity Cruises Blue Chip member in the upcoming weeks with the complete detail.

The program will not extend to earning points Unity Points while playing in the casinos on a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity cruise, nor will you earn Casino Royale or Captain's Club points while playing at a Hard Rock casino.

More casino and cruise synergy

The new partnership with Hard Rock adds more value to cruisers with their loyalty status.

Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society already offers reciprocal benefits at MGM Resorts. For no extra cost, you can link your Crown & Anchor level and immediately take advantage of MGM benefits including resort fee waivers, discounts on entertainment, and complimentary hotel upgrades.

If you've cruised with either Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises, you can take advantage of the MGM Rewards program. These range from discount offers and welcome amenities for Sapphire and Pearl members to onboard credits of up to $300 and annual complimentary cruises for Platinum and Noir members. 

Just be sure to validate your MGM Rewards status and request these benefits at the time of cruise booking (at least 10 days before departure).

Read more: How do Royal Caribbean and MGM Resorts shared benefits work?

Special events this weekend

If you happen to be in South Florida this weekend sailing on Icon of the Seas, there's some added festivities.

Tonight, Friday, April 26, Zedd will headline a star-studded celebration at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Guitar Hotel Pool, alongside activations and giveaways, including a cruise giveaway on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. Ticket information is available at Casino.HardRock.com/Hollywood.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, the celebration will continue at Royal Caribbean’s Terminal A at PortMiami with music and giveaways. 

Surprise events and pop-up activations presented by Hard Rock will also come to life on Icon’s 7-night Caribbean getaway departing that day. 

A special highlight at Basecamp, will be Hard Rock Cafe’s legendary Messi Burger named after Lionel Messi. Messi Burgers will be available at no cost throughout the sailing, plus giveaways of mini soccer balls and sunglasses.

Read more: Icon of the Seas restaurant and dining guide