When you're trying to decide which cruise ship cabin to book, you might be better off in an inside cabin.

I go back and forth sometimes what type of stateroom is best because each room has its own advantages.  However, I've found there are signals that you should lean in one direction or another.

Picking an inside cabin can sometimes question if you're doing it for a good reason or simply to save money. Besides budget, certain considerations might be a reason to pick an inside stateroom.

Before you decide on a stateroom to reserve, here are four compelling reasons to go with an interior cabin.

You booked a ship because of all the things to do onboard

Royal Caribbean is known for having giant cruise ships packed with so many things to do.  So if you booked a ship like Icon of the Seas or Wonder of the Seas because it has so many fun activities, perhaps an inside stateroom is a good choice.

Considering how much there is to do on the ship, how much time will you really spend in your stateroom?

I've found that when I go on the big ships, I'm instantly drawn to the activities around.  In fact, I often have a lot of FOMO when I'm in my stateroom because it seems there's a lot happening around the ship.

One of the rationales for booking an inside stateroom is in reality, you use your cabin to sleep, shower, and change.  So why spend extra on a nicer room that you won't fully take advantage of?

If one of the reasons you chose a specific ship were all the activities available to try, you might find the stateroom to be an afterthought.  And that's a good reason to stick with an inside room/

You're a light sleeper

No matter how fun a cruise ship is, if you can't get a good night's sleep, it might be frustrating.

Say what you will about the benefits of being in an larger stateroom with a beautiful balcony, but I always sleep so darn well in an inside stateroom.

First, there's no outside light to wake you up in the morning.

When I was in Europe on Independence of the Seas this summer, the sun would rise at around 4am and it messed with my brain because the light would wake me up too early.

Another advantage of an inside cabin is noise from outside the ship, especially when docking.

When our ship docked in Southampton, there was an incessant beeping noise from a truck that was backing up constantly to move items off the ship, and it began at around 5am.  

Because we were in a balcony, that truck disrupted our sleep.  But if we had been in an inside room, it wouldn't have been an issue.

You'll often hear noise on the dock when a ship docks, and it can wake you up too early. 

Without daylight pouring in, there's no natural cue to get up. If you’re the kind who loves hitting the snooze button and skipping breakfast, an inside cabin is your best ally.

There is no such thing as a room being too cold

Do you immediately crank the air conditioning to its coldest setting as soon as you walk into a hotel room? An inside cabin might be for you.

Inside rooms are easily the coldest cabins because there's no natural light or heat emanating from outside to warm it up.

During summer cruises, I'll often keep the curtains drawn in my balcony room because the ambient heat from the sun on my balcony heats up the room.

To be clear, the air conditioning works fine in balcony rooms, but some people prefer their cabins feel like a meat locker.

If you love curling up in a chilly, dark space, this is your cruise cocoon.

You’re planning a port-heavy itinerary

If you're going to book a cruise that has a lot of port visits across 7 nights, such as in the Mediterranean or Alaska, you're going to be off the ship all day.

When you have full day activities, I come back to the ship and immediately shower, nap, and get ready for dinner.

I think having 4, 5, or 6 ports on a single sailing means you'll value the itinerary over what you can see from the ship.  In my experience, balcony rooms are best on sea days primarily.  The value of having it if you're going from start to finish each day in port is kind of lost.

Speaking of places like Alaska, if you choose an early or late season cruise, that might be another reason to go with an inside room because of the weather.

Typically the shoulder seasons in Alaska or Norway can be cold and rainy, thus reducing the usefulness of the balcony.

I knew my first luxury cruise would be different from Royal Caribbean, but a few aspects truly surprised me.

I've been on almost 100 Royal Caribbean sailings, but I was intrigued by the prospect of trying something completely different.

When loyalty status matching was updated, I jumped at the opportunity to try out Silversea.  It meant going on a luxury ship without truly abandoning what I'm familiar with, because Silversea is owned by Royal Caribbean.

After spending a week on Silver Dawn, I came home with 11 surprises from the experience that I wasn't expecting.

The butlers are very different from a Royal Genie

I was excited by the idea of having a butler for the first time on a cruise, but the experience was very different from the Royal Genie service.

Luxury cruise ships are known for offering each suite a butler, but in practice, it's not what I expected.

I suppose in retrospect it makes sense that your butler is only available to help you in your suite.  If I had a butler in my house, they would be there too.

I asked a few different cruisers I met how they maximize their butlers, and most told me the same thing: you basically have to live in your suite to get the most out of it.

That's a bit different from the Royal Genie in Star Class suites, where their services can be used around the ship.

Moreover, I liked I could message my Royal Genie through WhatsApp.  On Silver Dawn, I could only get a hold of the butler by calling them from my cabin phone.

That's not a big deal, but on a few occasions it would have been more practical to message the butler to prepare something as I make my way back to my room.

I expected a stuffy dress code, but most people wore collared shirt and no jacket

If I had a concern before my first Silversea cruise, it was the dress code requirements.

I came into the cruise worried about having to wear a suit every night, but the truth is it's not as formal as I expected.

Silversea relaxed their dress code standards fairly recently, and it was no where near as formal as others had warned me about.

There wasn't even a formal night on our sailing. Evidently I have to be on a longer cruise to have one.

The basic dress code was no jeans or shorts after 6pm, and you needed to have a collared shirt in the restaurants.  Jackets were optional.

And yes, the crew did enforce the rules. I spoke with various guests who told me about how they or someone else were informed they didn't meet the dress code standards.  In those situations, men were offered a jacket to borrow.

During the day, I had no issues wearing what I would wear on Royal Caribbean. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops were all perfectly acceptable.

Far fewer men than I expected wore a jacket to dinner, so it wasn't nearly as strict as I once feared.

No lines anywhere

One thing I quickly noticed on Silver Dawn was that there were basically no lines or crowds.

You often hear about how cruises have long lines and crowds, but Silver Dawn didn't have them at all.  In fact, a few times I went to figure out where everyone was because so many areas were completely empty.

When I asked cruisers onboard why they picked a luxury ship, many said they did it to avoid crowds. They could appreciate what the big ships offer, but didn't want to deal with competing for lounge chairs or lines.

I certainly didn't think the ship would feel as crowded as an Oasis Class ship, but I never thought it would be as empty as it felt.

The incredible service by crew members

No matter which cruise line I've sailed on, crew members have always worked incredibly hard to stand out.  But on Silversea, it went to a different level.

Because the crew to passenger ratio is lower on a luxury ship, I think it was easier for the crew to learn passenger names and what they liked.

By the third day of the sailing, I could count on walking into a bar or lounge and at least one crew member greeting me by name  as soon as I walked in.

Food selections are incredible, even at buffet

I expected the food would better on Silversea than on Royal Caribbean, and I wasn't disappointed.

I think it's fair to assume a luxury cruise would have better food, and it was exemplified at the buffet when they had every day a large selection of sushi.

There were cooking stations at the buffet too, but the dishes came out looking like something I'd get from a specialty restaurant.

In the ship's Main Dining Room, every night there was filet mignon, lobster tail, shrimp, and other cuts of steak to choose from. 

When I ate at the ship's French specialty restaurant, La Dame, there were some really high-end food served, such as foie gras.

My favorite place for food was at the S.A.L.T. lab and restaurant, which sources food from the areas your ship visits.  

Not only is it a really smart idea to incorporate the ship experience into the region you are visiting, but there were fantastic food choices. 

Surprised the premium WiFi costs extra

Considering Silversea is all inclusive, I was surprised there were tiers of internet service.

The cruise fare comes with basic WiFi included, but it's fairly useless.  It's heavily throttled and works only for messaging.

I paid $365 to upgrade to a 2-device premium WiFi package. Not only was that a high cost, but I think a luxury cruise line that says it's all inclusive should include the high speed internet.

In case you're wondering, Silversea uses Starlink too, and the speeds were great.

The only furnishings that disappointed me were the balcony chairs

From the pool chairs, to the lounges, to the towels in my cabin, everything felt luxurious except for my balcony chairs.

It's a minor thing, but I spent time on my balcony on numerous occasions and noticed the chairs and table out there were almost identical to the ones you'd find on a new Royal Caribbean ship.

Moreover, Royal Caribbean suite balconies have more plush chairs with ottomans. 

I felt like it was an easy fix, and perhaps Silversea's newer ships already have them.

Beer selection is surprisingly bad

I think the only double take I did on my cruise was when I asked about the beers to order.

Royal Caribbean's beer selection has always been disappointing, but Silversea's beers are even worse.  You'll find just the generic beers, with little flavor discrepancy.

As you can see in the photo, there isn't much in the way of IPAs, craft beers, or some of the trendier malt beverages.

I'm guessing the average Silversea cruiser doesn't ask for them, but considering how much wider their liquor selection was than Royal Caribbean, I was surprised how limited the beer options were.

No app or check in

I thought I did something wrong when I couldn't find the Silversea app, but turns out there isn't one.

From what I understand they are working on developing an app, but in the meantime there isn't an app.

Truthfully, you don't need the app onboard because there's a mobile website you can access once connected to the WiFi and it had what I needed: activities, my bookings, a copy of the newsletter, and more.

I was equally surprised to find a lack of an online check-in option, but maybe that's just because I'm conditioned to have one on Royal Caribbean.

When I arrived at the ship for check-in in Copenhagen, there was no line at all and just one person ahead of me.  I suppose you don't need a fancy online check-in if there's not a crowd issue to contend with.

Reservations needed for the popular specialty restaurants

Another nuance of the luxury cruise experience is how specialty dining works.

There are essentially three tiers of restaurants on Silversea:

1. Included restaurants that don't require reservations (Main Dining Room)
2. Specialty restaurants that are included in your cruise fare (Silver Note, The Grill)
3. Specialty restaurants that cost money (Kaiseki, La Dame)

How all the reservations worked was more confusion than I anticipated pre-cruise.  

Some restaurants absolutely require reservations or you pretty much cannot dine there. Kaiseki and La Dame pretty much sold out almost immediately, whereas Silver Note and The Grill had more flexibility.

The takeaway here is just because restaurants are included, you can't go in anytime you want. I'd recommend making reservations as early as you can to ensure you can get in.

Status matching was easy, but it didn't get me much

I tried Silversea because of the status matching offered, but it really didn't get me much.

That's a bit misleading, because Silversea includes so much more in the cruise fare than Celebrity or Royal Caribbean.

If you think about all the best benefits you get from Crown & Anchor Society or Captain's Club, they're almost all perks that included with a luxury cruise.

I got free laundry, which was a godsend to not have to ration clean clothing. 

Speaking of status, there isn't as much recognition of status like you do on the other lines. Your Seapass card doesn't have your status level listed or different colors to your card. That's fine with me, just a different approach.

Royal Caribbean's mid-tier suite offering is known as Sky Class, but what is it exactly? And what does it get you?

On the newer and bigger ships, you'll find the cruise line's upgraded suite program that is known as the Royal Suite Class. Royal Caribbean updated its suite offerings years ago, and it uses this moniker to differentiate suites on new ships versus old ships.

A majority of the suites you can book within the Royal Suite Class are Sky Class suites, and they offer the Goldilocks amenities and value: not too cheap, and not too expensive.

Before you spend extra to book a Sky Class suite, here's what you can expect from it.

What is Sky Class on Royal Caribbean?

On Royal Caribbean's newer ships, it has three tiers of suite offerings: Sea, Sky, and Star Class.

They're available on the Oasis, Icon, and Quantum Class ships only. This includes Star of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas.

Older and smaller Royal Caribbean ships do not offer Sky Class suites.

Sky Class is the middle tier, and it's where most of the suite rooms are included in, such as:

• Crown Loft Suite
• Owner’s Suite
• Family Suite
• Grand Suite
• 1 Bedroom AquaTheater Suite
• Sunset Junior Suites
• Sky Class Junior Suites
• Surfside Family Suites

Sky Class benefits at a glance

The key difference between any of the suite classes are the perks included with the room.  Sky Class benefits are:

• Concierge service
• All-day access to Coastal Kitchen and The Grove (The Grove is on Icon Class ships only)
• Specialty bottled water upon arrival
• Complimentary internet
• Priority boarding and departure
• Priority dining reservations
• Suite Lounge access
• Access to Suite Sun Deck
• Royal Caribbean plush bathrobes for use onboard
• Luxury pillow top mattress
• Luxury bathroom amenities
• Lavazza Espresso coffee maker

What you can expect from Sky Class

When you book a Sky Class suite, the basics of it are added benefits and service throughout your cruise.

Before you board

A few days prior to your cruise, the suite concierge will email you to introduce themself and to welcome you onboard.  

The email has a reminder of all of your benefits, and it also explains Sky Class passengers have flexible arrival times.

The flexible arrival time means you can arrive an hour earlier or later than your cruise check-in time that you chose in the app. I love this benefit because it means you can get onboard even earlier.

Once you arrive to the cruise terminal, look for a special line exclusive to suite guests.

This line offers priority check-in and an expedited boarding process.

Inside your suite

Most Sky Class suites feature a good mix of space, upgraded facilities, and large balconies.

The difference between suite types is primarily how large the suite is, with the more expensive Sky Class suites offering more square footage.

A 1-Bedroom Grand Suite on Oasis of the Seas will measure 371 square feet of living space and a 105 square foot balcony. A Crown Loft Suite will have 545 square feet of space, and a 114 square foot balcony.

The configuration of the suites can also vary, with larger ones having separate bedrooms and additional bathrooms.

Dining Perks

Arguably one of the best benefits of being in Sky Class is you get access to Coastal Kitchen, which is a suites only restaurant.

Coastal Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of your cruise and you have to be in a Sky or Star Class room to get in.  Sea Class suites only have access for dinner.

Speaking of eating, you can also enjoy complimentary room service in your suite. 

Sky Class guests can order off the standard room service menu without a surcharge. In addition, they can order food from the Main Dining Room to be delivered whenever the Main Dining Room is open.

Entertainment

Royal Caribbean reserves seats in the theaters onboard the ship for suite guests (the same seating is also available to loyalty members).

It does not guarantee admission into the show, but the advantage is once you get in, there's a row other guests cannot sit in before you have a chance.

While the reserved seating is nice, it's often in strange locations and may not be where you want to sit.  

Of course, you don't have to sit in the reserved section, but it's available if you prefer.

Concierge and Lounge Access

One of the top suite perks is access to the Suite Concierge and Lounge.

The Suite Concierge is there to help you with anything you may need assistance with.  Think of them like a suites-only Guest Services.

It's a good idea to meet the Concierge on the first day of your cruise to introduce yourself to them and get anything you need take care of.  In fact, you can email the concierge before the cruise begins with any special requests.

The Suite Lounge is an exclusive enclave for suite guests that offers seating, drinks, and snacks throughout the day.

Access to the suite lounge is only for those that booked a Grand Suite or higher cabin, as well as Pinnacle Club members on sailings where there are not too many Pinnacle members.

Each suite lounge has a self-service coffee and espresso maker that you can use 24 hours per day.

In addition, there are snacks offered during select hours.

Sky Class passengers can enjoy complimentary beer and wine from 11am to 11pm in the lounge, and then a full bar happy hour in the evening.  It's a fantastic benefit because you can enjoy many drinks in the lounge (or even take them out back to your cabin or elsewhere).

Disembarkation and Port Days

One other notable perk of being a Sky Class guest is being able to get on and of the ship easier.

If your ship tenders, you'll have priority with them.   The Icon and Oasis Class ships are too large to offer tenders, but the Quantum Class ships occasionally will offer it.

A personal favorite benefit of mine is the escort off the ship by the Suite Concierge.

Speak to the Concierge before the final morning, and they can walk you off the ship and bypass the line of passengers trying to do the same.

Usually you meet the Concierge in the Suite Lounge at a specific time, and they will escort you off the ship and beat the crowds.

How Sky Class compares to Sea and Star Class

Because Sky Class is the middle tier of suite benefits, it can be a nice step up from Sea Class, but nearly as encompassing as Star Class.

I look at Sea Class suites as being essentially "extra large balcony rooms".  They don't have many benefits at all, and don't have access to the Suite Lounge or the Concierge. Booking a Sky Class suite instead would provide far more perks.

Star Class has the best benefits of any suite, including the services of the Royal Genie, unlimited specialty dining, gratuities included and much more.

Price is usually the driving factor as to why to book one class over another.

Sea Class is great if you just want a larger room with the benefit of having additional Crown and Anchor Society points.

Star Class is truly for the passenger that wants to have everything included and one done for them.  It's the cruise "easy button", but will cost two or three times what a Sky Class suite is listed for.

I find the Sky Class suites are great for someone that wants a traditional suite experience onboard with more living space in their stateroom, added service from the Concierge, and access to certain suite-only amenities, such as the lounge and Coastal Kitchen.

Tips for maximizing your Sky Class perks

If you book a Sky Class suite, I'd recommend taking advantage of it in a few ways.

When the Suite Concierge emails you a few days before the cruise, don't be shy.  Respond with any requests you may have, such as dining requests, stateroom configurations, or alerting them to special events.

When in doubt, head to the Suite Sun Deck instead of the regular pool deck for seats.  

Not only are there seats reserved for you on the sun deck, but they're usually plusher and have waiters come by more often.

Speaking of exclusive areas, use the Suite Lounge as a quiet escape. 

During the day, the lounge is usually empty, and it's a great spot to read, play a card game, or chat with friends.

Be sure to take advantage of the priority disembarkation to save time.

Lines to get off the cruise ship on the final morning can be long, and no matter how much time it saves you, it all adds up.

Is Sky Class worth it?

Booking a Sky Class suite is a lot like booking a first class airplane ticket in that it's a nicer way to travel.

I think the people that will benefit the most from trying Sky Class would be folks that want added service and are more likely to spend time in their stateroom.

Having a plush cabin with lots of space is great for those that want to spend more time in their room than perhaps being out and about elsewhere.

While booking a suite will never save you money overall, those that take full advantage of the included benefits could see another reason to book it.

Having complimentary internet access for everyone booked in the suite, access to Coastal Kitchen, and no room service fees are added value.

Having stayed in many Sky Class suites, it's a lovely way to cruise. Having all the extra space in the stateroom, along with access to certain areas makes it all far more enjoyable.

However, it all comes at a cost.  Sky Class suites aren't inexpensive, and there's always a compelling argument whether you should book a suite or balcony room instead.

A Sky Class suite might be the perfect room for a special occasion or longer sailing because you can justify the included perks as being a good rationale for moving up to these types of rooms.

Cruise ship internet has never been cheap, but there's a new option that seeks to make it easier and simpler to have internet access at sea.

While Royal Caribbean sells its own internet service to passengers that's powered by Starlink, wireless carriers are getting in on the game too.

Earlier this year, AT&T expanded its International Day Pass plans to include over 400 cruise ships.

Available to AT&T subscribers, it offers a simple way to be get the internet on your cruise ship. Turn your phone on while on the ship and do something with it (call, text, use data) and your 24-hour International Day Pass begins and you will be charged a $20 per day, per device daily fee.

I was curious how well the service worked, so I accepted an invitation by AT&T to field test their service.  AT&T gifted me a Samsung S25 Ultra along with their service so I could see how well it worked.

I brought the device on three different ships across different regions to see how it worked in different facets:

• Ovation of the Seas in Ensenda, Mexico
• Independence of the Seas in Northern Europe
• Silver Dawn in Denmark & Norway

I wanted to see how well it performed compared to the Voom packages, and if it was truly as good as they claim.

It just works

As soon as I turned my phone on in any of the places I visited, the connection kicked on and I was ready to use the internet.

I think this is one of its top advantages, as you don't have to really do anything in advance.  

Plus, you can cherry pick which days you want to use it.  Turn it on on days you need it, and leave it off on days you don't.

Royal Caribbean only sells unlimited packages for the duration of your cruise.  It does sell a 24 hour pass online, but it's $29.99 per pass.

Royal Caribbean discounts its internet packages when purchased pre-cruise, and you can often get very good prices.

For an 8-night Independence of the Seas cruise, I paid $167.92 for a one device internet package, which came out to $20.99 per day.

Surprisingly fast speeds too

The biggest question I had was how fast would it be, as Voom has been incredibly reliable and fast enough on ships.

I ran speed tests on all the ships I sailed on using Fast.com.  Internet speed tests aren't everything, but it's the best standard I could come up with.

In every test case, the AT&T speeds worked just as fast as Voom.  I might see one out do the other, but truly it was always a negligible difference.

In both cases, there would be the occasional intermittent outage where the internet connection drops, but it would come back.

In my testing, I found the speeds to work quite well, and good enough for the needs I had.  

Something else nice about the AT&T package is I could activate my phone's hot spot and let my kids tether to the device, thus extending the value of the daily cost.

There is one caveat to AT&T, and that is it provides 500MB of high speed data, and then you're throttled for the rest of that day. Every day you get the 500MB of high speed to start with.

I think most people won't run into that cap, but it's worth noting if you plan to stream movies or do a lot of video work.

You can use it on land too

One advantage I saw with AT&T over Voom was that also worked on land and at sea.

According to AT&T, if you’re traveling at sea and on land on the same day, you’ll be charged a fee of $20 per day that includes both locations.

This means you get to use the service while on a shore excursion, whereas the cruise line option doesn't offer that.

It's a very seamless option and I think this is one of the most compelling reasons to try it. 

I was impressed how well the wireless package worked

I expected the Voom package to perform better, but was surprised when it was about the same.

AT&T's offering is perfect for someone that needs to use the internet from their cruise ship on certain days, but not every day.  I think that's a great selling point for someone who doesn't want/need to buy the ship internet for the duration of their cruise.

Plus, it's super easy because you just activate your phone's cellular connection and you're all set. I think Voom is easy to use, but I'm always surprised by the line of people on the Royal Promenade seeking assistance at the Voom desk.

I've been cruising with Royal Caribbean for 20 years, but a recent change in the loyalty status matching opened my eyes to trying a luxury cruise.

Royal Caribbean Group owns three primary cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea.  Thanks to an improvement with status matching across all the lines, I thought this was the perfect time to try Silversea.

The idea of going on a small ship that can get into places the bigger Royal Caribbean ships cannot, along with an elevated touch through with cuisine and service, sounded like something worth trying.

Thanks to an invitation from Silversea, I was able to sail on Silver Dawn on a 7-night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. In the interest of full disclosure, Silversea paid for my cruise fare, dining, and shore excursions onboard.

I had just completed a Norwegian fjords cruise on Independence of the Seas, so I was excited to compare the experiences.

Silver Dawn: A new ship with enough to keep me busy

A luxury cruise is quite different from a Royal Caribbean cruise, yet it retains the basics of both.

It launched in 2021, which makes it the same as as Odyssey of the Seas.  That's effectively still a new ship, and I've always gravitated towards new ships because they offer the latest and greatest features onboard.

The ship boasts have only suites as its cabins, numerous restaurant choices (including the S.A.L.T. program), and the Otium spa and wellness concept. 

I chose this ship and itinerary for two reasons: I wanted to be on a newer ship so I could enjoy the best features, and I wanted an itinerary to take advantage of the ship's size.  

Silver Dawn has 11 decks (although decks 1 and 2 are not accessible to passengers), and it can accommodate 596 passengers. 

Like all Silversea ships, it's all-inclusive, which means much more of the cruise experience is included in your fare.  Drinks, most specialty restaurants, basic Wi-Fi, and even some shore excursions are included.

A different way to cruise

There are two aspects of a Silversea cruise that stood out to me from the get go that intrigued me.  They are all inclusive and everyone gets a butler.

While the core cruise experience is the same, nearly every nuance of it is different on Silversea and it was an interesting change.

Silversea includes far more in its cruise fare than Royal Caribbean does, although the cruise fare will likely cost more on Silversea.

In speaking with several passengers that had booked the same suite type as me, the cost of this cruise was between $8,000 and $10,000 for two people.

That includes:

• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• Food, including all but 2 specialty restaurants
• Butler service in your suite
• Gratuities
• Basic Wi-Fi access

There are no inside cabins here. The most basic of suites has a balcony, bathroom with shower and tub, sofa, dining area, and more.

In addition to the stateroom attendant, the butler will arrange almost anything you can imagine while in your suite.

Your butler can unpack your bags, draw a bath, set up any meal or snack you ask for, bring you drinks, and more.

You share the butler with 13 other suites, but I think I waited more than 35 seconds for my butler to appear after paging him just once.

The downside to the butler is their services work only in your suite. Unlike the Royal Genie service, they aren't available elsewhere.

I asked other cruisers who have sailed with Silversea a lot what's their secret to the butlers, and many said the same thing: to best utilize the butler, you have to basically live out of your suite.

That's fine for some people, but I like to be out and about.  Nonetheless, my butler was very helpful when I needed him and more.  One day I came back from a long shore excursion and he had drawn a bath for me without me asking. I didn't need it, but it did feel lovely to have it.  On another day, there was truffle butter popcorn waiting in my room for a movie night (I just ate the popcorn instead).

The all inclusive nature makes it difficult to compare to Royal Caribbean, especially the Crown and Anchor benefits.

I did a status match before my cruise began with my Pinnacle Club status to Silversea's Venetian Society.

When I did that for Celebrity Cruises, I was impressed how good their top level Captain's Club benefits were.  However, since so much is already included with Silversea, the best I had was free laundry.  To be clear, I used my free laundry benefit a lot, but don't expect much from your equivalent Venetian Society benefits.

The great thing about pretty much all of the food and drinks being included (and even some shore excursions), is you don't fret over what you want to do.

Just like the convenience of a Royal Caribbean drink package, you're able to take full advantage of what the ship has.

What's it like onboard

Speaking of the ship, the onboard experience was probably the second most asked question after the cost by our readers.

Silver Dawn is quite small compared to any Royal Caribbean ship, but it has a pool, hot tubs, bars, restaurants, jazz lounge, observation lounge, and spa.

What you won't find are kids clubs, water slides, adults-only areas, suite-only areas, and the Royal Caribbean level of live entertainment.

Many readers wanted to know if I was bored, and I can honestly say I wasn't.  

There was a production show every night, which is roughly the same quality as any Royal Caribbean production show on a pre-Oasis Class ship.

But I fell in love with the S.A.L.T. Bar onboard.

Silversea's S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program is about integrating local food and drink with the cruise experience.  In the lab, you can learn to cook local food. In the restaurant, you can dine on local cuisines.  In the bar, you can enjoy liquors from the region.

The bar was my go-to spot because they had the best mixologists I've ever had on any cruise. It was a masterclass in cocktails, and they even offered a cocktail making class.

There was a schedule of events each day (printed in a paper newsletter or available on the TV or online), and there was just enough happening to keep you busy. You certainly could attend almost every event in any day.

In terms of dining, there's no question the quality of food offered is better than most restaurants on Royal Caribbean.

The buffet blew me away with always having sushi and sashimi every day at lunch. Atlantide (the Main Dining Room) had filet mignon, lobster, shrimp, and a litany of daily choices to consider.

I tried the S.A.L.T. cooking class, where we made venison and berry tarts.

At Silver Note, I enjoyed a jazz duet while having dinner. And The Grille had hot rocks you could cook on, with filet, lobster, mahi mahi, and more.

And then there's the service onboard.  Royal Caribbean has great crew members, but because the ratio of crew to guests is much lower on a luxury ship, the crew are going to know you very well, very quickly.

On a few occasions, they knew my name before I ever said introduced myself or gave them my card. I still don't know how they did it.

And of course, the ship is small and there are no crowds. I never waited for an elevator, always found seats at the pool and bar, and many times had to go out of my way to try to find where there were a group of people.

Fjords, trains, and berries

One of the best reasons to sail on a small luxury ship is where it can go, and I had a packed itinerary.

Our sailing departed Copenhagen, Denmark and visits 5 ports of call in Norway: Vik, Nordfjordeid, Ålesund, Trondheim, and Åndalsnes.

Because of our ship's size, we could fit into ports that big ships cannot, such as Vik.

I booked a variety of excursions, including boat tours and trains that take you all around.  

There were two tours that really stood out in Vik and Ålesund.

In Vik, we boarded a classic train on the Flåm Railway that took us through some of the most scenic areas of the trip.

The railway is 20 km long and takes you through spectacular valleys that offer great views of nature and the exceptional engineering skill to have built the railway itself.

Over in Ålesund, I wanted to experience more of the fjords, so I booked a boat tour of nearby Hjørundfjorden.

We hopped right onto a boat to take us on a journey where we saw steep mountains, deep fjords, and small villages around the way.

Our captain even pulled right up to a waterfall and gave us all a cup of water from it.

The beauty of Norway surrounds you on this cruise, and what I really liked being able to turn almost anywhere and find something to see.

Something else that would never happen on Royal Caribbean is the Captain announced after our visit to Vik, he purchased bushels of fresh strawberries from a farmer he knew and there would be fresh strawberries for us to enjoy.

Sure enough, every morning there were fresh strawberries and it was such a treat.

Who is Silversea for?

I spend most of my week thinking who is a Silversea cruise ideally for, and I came up with three groups of people:

• Someone regularly booking an Owners Suite or Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean
• Someone who cruised with their family, but the kids are older and moved out
• Someone who wants to visit places Royal Caribbean ships never/can't go

That's not the limit, but I think people fitting into one of those categories would find the transition the most opportunistic.

You're going to likely pay much more for Silversea than a mainstream line, but you'll get much more included, along with a lot less people to contend with.

I think the Silversea product is designed for people that value service, fine dining, and no crowds. Plus, the places Silversea ships can visit are incredible.  

You'll find Silversea ships sailing to Antarctica, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, The Galapagos, and offering world cruises. The destinations alone might be the most attractive factor.

Kids are welcome onboard, but there aren't dedicated areas for them. I think my teenage girls would like the butler services and the fact they can order filet mignon every night. My oldest would miss the teen club, but I doubt she'd mind having the pool deck virtually to herself.

My first Silversea cruise spoiled me, and I wanted more

My takeaway from a week on Silver Dawn was the level of service and things you can only find on a luxury ship really stood out.

There's no question there's far less happening onboard than on Royal Caribbean, but I leaned into the luxury experience more and more as the sailing went on.

Because of the ratio of crew members to guests, after a couple of days, you're going to feel like Norm from "Cheers" when you walk into any bar, restaurant, or lounge.  Everyone knows your name, and probably your order.

I thought having a bath was silly, but I used it a few times as a way to unwind before dinner.  I asked once for raspberries from my butler, and then there was a bowl always stocked in my cabin.

When you look at the price of a luxury cruise, there's going to be sticker shock if you're used to booking rooms lower than a suite. But what you get is a different kind of experience that triples down on the service, food, and experiences you can't get on a megaship.

Happy Sunday! We hope you are having a great weekend! Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the Royal Caribbean news from the week!

There was an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on Royal Caribbean ship.

More than 140 passengers on Navigator of the Seas have been sickened, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC said symptoms experienced included diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.

Royal Caribbean News

• Star of the Seas departs shipyard
• Angry French mayor was wrong to try to block cruise ship, courts say
• I spent 15 nights on a Royal Caribbean cruise in Europe, here are 15 tips for a great cruise too
• Royal Caribbean's Crown Lounge: Perks, Access & What to Expect
• The Sapphire Reserve is being overhauled. Here's what cruise travelers should use instead
• I’ve been on 6 Alaska cruises, and I can't wait to go again. The beauty is unmatched.
• Royal Caribbean shares why it takes years to build cruise ships

New RCB Video: Things Americans get wrong cruising in EuropeThings Americans get wrong cruising in Europe

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 — Things Americans get wrong cruising in Europe — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Internet is divided if you should take your passport off the ship

Is it too risky to take your passport with you off the cruise ship?

It's a hotly debated topic, but Matt thinks you should always take it with you when you travel in a foreign country.

While the risk of theft or loss is there, he thinks the benefits of having with you make more sense.

6 reasons to skip the Main Dining Room on formal night

Formal night is a tradition for many cruisers to get dressed up, but skipping it has its advantages.

Dress codes are rarely enforced on Royal Caribbean's ships, but some people don't like to get dressed up to eat.

Opting out of formal night can be compelling with the right approach.

The 4 best things I did on my European cruises and the 2 I'd skip next time

After doing back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas in Europe, Matt found a few things he loved and didn't love.

Between a Northern European cities and Norwegian fjords cruise, there was a lot to experience on land.

Every stop had its own appeal, but he found four great things he did and two duds.

Weekend cruises: Tips for taking a 3-night Royal Caribbean getaway

Looking to save money and PTO hours? 

A 3-night weekend cruise provides the opportunity to take a short but sweet vacation.

To help you decide on a ship, destination, and budget, we've compiled some tips for taking a Royal Caribbean weekend cruise.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 571st episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available.

Prices are out for the first Royal Beach Club, but is it too much or what we expected?

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

Star of the Seas is on her way to start cruises!

Royal Caribbean's newest ship departed the Meyer Turku shipyard on Thursday evening, headed towards its home port, Port Canaveral. 

Before that, she’ll make a stop in Cádiz, Spain.

It's a major accomplishment for the cruise line to have its next Icon Class ship join the fleet, and everything looks to be on time.

Royal Caribbean spent a full year gathering feedback from guests that sailed on Icon of the Seas, focus groups, and family travelers to understand what worked, and what could be improved. 

Here's what you can expect on Star of the Seas.

Largest water park at sea

One of the best features on Icon of the Seas was the inclusion of an entire water park with Category 6.

You'll find this also on Star of the Seas, complete with:

• Two high-speed family raft slides
• A drop box free-fall slide
• Two mat racers
• And twisting body slides for solo riders

The cruise line thinks it has the boldest waterpark at sea, but will continue to tweak and refine it based on guest preferences. 

More social Surfside

Icon of the Seas debuted the first area of the ship designed just for kids, but they learned something important in the process.

Surfside neighborhood is designed specifically for young families but it skewed toward kids around 10 years old. On Star of the Seas, the cruise line made several improvements:

• The Playscape now offers more physical challenges to keep kids engaged

• Splashaway Bay features new interactive water elements and toys

• Adventure Ocean has been reimagined to focus on natural, tech-free play, helping kids and teens connect more easily in person

• New spaces for more social, less tech-based play

The hope is these upgrades will match up better with how families actually travel and interact.

A New Supper Club Concept: Lincoln Park

Royal Caribbean's first supper club, Empire Supper Club, was a big hit. On Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is introducing an entirely new concept: the Lincoln Park Supper Club, themed after Chicago’s iconic jazz scene.

This version brings:

• A brand-new menu

• All-new live music programming

• The same intimate, elevated feel that made Empire a hit

Bolder and brighter Pearl

The Pearl welcomes passengers as they walk onboard, and it's a big part of the arrival moment.

On Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is doubling down on its visual impact by adding more color, lighting, and movement, making that “wow” moment when guests first board even more memorable.

They didn't mess with what works

You'll also find the other neighborhoods that worked well on Icon of the Seas.

• AquaDome, the massive glass-covered venue with live shows and ocean views
• Chill Island, a multi-pool retreat zone perfect for relaxing
• Thrill Island, the upper deck adventure zone packed with water slides and thrills
• The Hideaway, the suspended infinity pool retreat for adults

At its core, Royal Caribbean thinks it has the winning formula to take what was already a major success with Icon of the Seas and make it even better with Star.

"The Icon Class delivered the world’s best family vacation—but we want to do that tomorrow. We want to do that next week. We want to make sure that what people see on day one is nothing but an amazing home run," Jennifer Goswami, Director, Product Development for Royal Caribbean, said in a video interview.

Taking the feedback they've gotten from passengers, it seems Royal Caribbean is ready to deliver an even more impressive ship with Star of the Seas.

I had my best European cruise season ever this summer, and I'm hoping you can benefit from my experience too.

Seeing Europe by cruise ship was a highlight of my cruising career, and after going on back-to-back Independence of the Seas cruises, it taught me some truths about cruising in this region.

As someone that has cruised almost exclusively in the Caribbean, Europe has its own approach to planning and how to explore.

Here 15 Europe cruise tips that I think would benefit almost anyone taking a European cruise.

1. Buy an eSim

Every port visit was easier because I always knew where I was, where I was going, and how to get there.

I purchased an eSim to use while in Europe, and I think it's a must-buy add-on.

It cost me just $41.99 for 100GB that lasted 30 days, and it made navigating Europe's cities simple.

2. Plan for any weather

Weather forecasts seemed to be nearly useless this time, and I'd use them sparingly.

I found the expected precipitation and high temperatures could be vastly different from what was predicted.

You should walk off the ship prepared for cold weather and rain, but able to adapt quickly when it gets hot again.

Wearing layers is the solution.  Have a t-shirt as your base layer, and a fleece/sweater and rain jacket readily available.

3. Bus tours should be your last option

Of all the tours I took, bust tours were my least favorite.

I dislike bus tours because they move at a slow pace, and tend to make stops that are either too short or too long.

Plus, the seats on most European buses tend to be quite small and lacking legroom.

I'd recommend looking at a third party tour that offers a small group option as a good alternative.  Or even walking and exploring on your own, when possible.

I won't go as far as to say to avoid bus tours. Sometimes they are unavoidable necessities, but if you have the choice, I'd skip it.

4. Don't waste time converting currency

Converting to local currency makes no sense, and you're wasting your time and money if you do.

Every single store, kiosk, bathroom, and restaurant took credit cards.  I used my credit card with no foreign transaction fees to get me the best possible exchange rate at the time of purchase, and came home with no leftover currency.

Not to mention if you convert money to local currency and then back to your own currency after, you're losing money across two transactions.

Truly, you don't need cash at all in Europe.

5. Spend at least 2 or 3 days in Europe pre-cruise to acclimate to the time

You should fly in at least three days before the cruise begins so you don't start your cruise over tired.

I was able to overcome jetlag, but I was still tired for the first two days.

By day three, I was feeling back to normal again.  And that allowed me to board Independence of the Seas with the same amount of energy as I would one near my house.

6. Don't buy the Stay Later option

Royal Caribbean offers an extra cost option where guests can stay on the ship for many hours after the cruise ends.

It sounds like a good idea, but I think it's a waste.

"Stay Later" allows passengers to stay on the ship until the afternoon. It's not available in the United States.

The problem is you have to leave your room and cannot charge anything. So basically, it's a pass to hang out in public places and eat at the Windjammer when it opens.

Personally, I'd rather pay for a hotel day pass near the airport so I could have somewhere to sit, sleep, and shower while I wait for my flight home.

7. Use local transportation in the big cities

Don't be afraid to use the subway, bus, or street cars in the cities you visit.

Many use a simple tap to pay approach, where you tap your credit card when you enter and again when you leave. Some countries had an app, and it was even easier.

Not only are taxis expensive in Europe, but mass transportation is quite efficient and easy to use.

8. Embrace onboard laundry

Royal Caribbean's laundry options aren't cheap, but it's the easiest way to reuse clothing and limit how much you need to bring.

I used the laundry service a few times on each sailing, and it made it more manageable to have enough clothes without packing two weeks worth of items.

9. Take bottled water with you off the ship

I was surprised how much soft drinks and bottled water cost in Europe, so definitely bring your own.

Royal Caribbean's bottled water is cheaper, and it's worth the hassle of having to carry it around.

10. Watch YouTube videos to see which attractions look interesting

If you're like me, you don't know necessarily what you want to do in a particular city, but you'd know it if you saw it.

To prepare for each port, I watched videos about the best things to do in each city and then jotted down the attractions, restaurants, and places that looked good.

This is a really good strategy for outlining what to do in a port, and then leverage Google Maps to figure out how to easily walk between them.

11. Leave time in your port plans for wandering

Following up on the last time, don't overplan your days. Instead, purposefully leave time to wander.

On each port day, I only had 3 or 4 things to see or do in an port. That's definitely not going to fill up 5-6 hours, but it does mean I can stop and meander into an interesting neighborhood.

This ensures there's time for shopping, exploring, and taking your time so you don't feel like you're rushed.

12. Buy a sling bag

I was hesitant to buy a sling bag for Europe, but it's the perfect travel accessory.

Having a sling bag is great for defending against pickpockets, but it also gives you more space for your valuables, snacks, sunglasses, and even a light jacket.

I bought it for the crime prevention element, but it turned out to be really helpful too.

13. Learn to say "hello" and "thank you"

If you want to avoid getting the "rude American treatment", my advice is simple: learn a few basic phrases in the local language.

Always start off any conversation with a local by saying hello in their language, and then break into English.

I'd recommend being able to say:

• Hello
• Thank you
• Goodbye

It goes a long way when you make a very basic attempt to communicate in their language, and I have yet to run into a rude person.

14. Plan for more hours of sun

If you're visiting Northern Europe, plan on the sun being up more than at home.

In Norway, the sun wouldn't set until around 11pm and then would rise at about 4am. It messes with your sense of what time it really is.

Plus, Royal Caribbean's cabin curtains aren't blackout curtains.  So it will be light in your cabin.

15. Bike lanes are as dangerous as the road

In many cities, bikes are a way of life and you need to be extra cautious crossing the road.

This was especially true in Denmark and The Netherlands, where the bike lanes are adjacent to the roadways and the bikers expect you to yield to them.

This makes crossing the street if not in the walkway and with the crossing light a bit precarious.